by Bianca D'Arc
“Methinks the lady doth protest too much,” Ashley put in from the side, having held her tongue until now.
Tina spun on her. “What?”
“I think you’re getting awfully hot under the collar in defense of a guy you supposedly barely know. Or were you lying all this time when we asked you what you thought about having a babysitter in the bakery at night?” Ashley pressed her case, like the lawyer she was.
“We’re just starting to get to know each other,” Tina defended herself. “I wasn’t lying. But tonight sort of accelerated the process. I know, for example, that I can count on him to protect me, no matter what walks in the door. So don’t you dare say anything to the contrary.” She gave Nell the stink eye for good measure.
“You know, Ash?” Nell spoke over Tina’s head. “I think you’re on to something. Sounds like our little sis might just be crushing on Barney Fife.” A grin lit Nell’s face.
“Don’t you call him that!” Tina stood, her chair clattering to the floor behind her with a crashing sound that brought Tom running from the other room.
“What’s going on?” he demanded in voice filled with tension.
“Nothing,” Ashley said, moving closer to her mate, placing one of her hands over his heart as she snugged herself against his side. “We just think Tina’s got the hots for Zak, and she didn’t like Nell calling him names.”
Tom’s shoulders eased as he placed one arm around Ashley. His gaze sharpened as he looked from Nell to Tina, and then he smiled.
“You don’t say?” His gaze zeroed in on Tina, making her want to squirm. “What did you call him, Nell?”
“He’s the deputy, so he’s Barney Fife, right?” Nell pretended innocence, but Tina still bristled at the insulting words.
Tom tilted his head, considering his words before he replied. “You know,” he said at last, “Zak may seem easygoing about how he’s the smallest bear in our group, but he’s no less deadly than any of us. And in some ways, he’s even more dangerous than say, Big John, or even Brody. Zak’s a sniper. Did he ever tell you that?” All three women shook their heads before he continued speaking. “The man’s an artist with a rifle. Really, with most guns. Doesn’t matter the size. And he’s pretty good with a blade too. Don’t discount him because his bear is a smaller breed than my grizzly. He’s the real deal, and me and every man who served with us knew we could depend on him when the shit hit the fan.”
Tina nodded. “Like I did tonight. Zak took care of me and kept me safe.”
Tom’s gaze gentled. “And you have a bit of hero worship because of that, huh?” He smiled, softening his words. “Wouldn’t be the first time. Zak’s got a way with the ladies. Didn’t matter what hellhole of a third world country they sent us to, Zak always drew the female eye.”
Tina wanted to argue that what she felt was more than hero worship, but she didn’t want to encourage more teasing from her sisters. She kept silent but frowned, just a bit, at Tom. He seemed to understand that she wasn’t amused by his words because he backtracked a bit.
“That’s not to say that he took them all up on the offers they made. Zak’s loyal like a puppy, and when he’s with a girl, he’s with that girl, only. He’s not a player. I didn’t mean to make it sound like he was. Sorry.” Tom’s cheeks reddened a bit, and he extricated himself from Ash’s loose embrace. “If everything’s okay in here, I have to get back to work.”
“Need any help?” Ashley asked. They were setting up their law practice and were going to be partners in work as well as in life.
“Definitely, but it can wait. Catch up with your sisters. Relax a bit. The work will still be there. I’ll just get things started.”
Ash reached up to kiss him quickly before letting him go. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.” He left them, heading back to his office.
Chapter Five
Tina and Nell camped out at Tom and Ashley’s place that night. The sisters all rode back to the bakery with Tom and Ashley before dawn, which was Ash’s usual time to start the bread for the day. She was still working her shift at the bakery, even though she spent her afternoons working with Tom. She was in the process of moving in with him, taking her stuff up to his place a bit at a time, but she spent all her nights at his house now, making the early-morning commute around the cove to the bakery every day.
She wouldn’t leave them in the lurch, Tina knew. Ash was solid. And even though she’d spent years earning her law degree, she really did have a gift for the artisanal breads she enjoyed baking. Still, at some point, they’d have to alter the schedule. Tina figured, with the amount of sex both Ash and Nell were currently having, one or both of them would be knocked up before the year was out.
Tina chuckled to herself as she went upstairs to her room, flopping down on the bed. She was still tired. They’d stayed up late talking and then had gotten up before dawn to get Her Ashleyness here to start the bread. It was definitely too early for Tina to be up. She worked nights for a reason. She was not a morning person.
Tina woke a few hours later, after the sun had risen and had a chance to settle into the mid-morning sky. Her first thoughts were of Zak and whether or not she’d be seeing him tonight. She whizzed through her morning routine, showering and shaving, primping and polishing, just in case she managed to get close to the hunky deputy again.
That kiss he’d given her had come out of nowhere, surprising her with its intensity and disappointing her with its brevity. If she got close to Zak again, she wanted to be sure she was ready to take things further…a lot further. Like out-of-her-pants-and-into-his further. As soon as humanly possible.
Her mental phrasing made her pause. She had to remind herself that Zak wasn’t exactly one hundred percent human. He also had that mysterious bear half that made her curious and a little tingly. Whether the tingles were from fear or anticipation, she wasn’t entirely sure. Either way, she couldn’t wait to see him in bear form and find out for herself if his fur was soft or wiry, straight or with a slight wave.
She wanted to know everything about him. Including—especially—how he made love. She’d bet his animal made him fierce in the sack, but her sisters certainly hadn’t had any complaints about their half-grizzly lovers. In fact, those sappy, satisfied smiles on her sisters’ faces made her want to join the sorority and learn, once and for all, for herself, what it was like to be with a shifter.
And not just any shifter would do. No, Tina had set her sights on Zak, and he was the one—the only one—she wanted to take a walk on the wild side with. She just had to get him alone for long enough to give it a whirl.
Tina spent the remainder of her morning primping, then went up to the roof garden to pick a fresh salad for lunch and spend a few moments spying on the cove from her high vantage point. The roof garden she and her sisters had built from scratch was one of her favorite places, and she spent a lot of time up there when the weather was nice.
Today was a bit drizzly, but she persevered, enjoying the fine mist of rain that was so light it might almost have been vapor. The skies were dark, and the cove’s waters looked spooky. Or maybe that was just because she knew, after last night’s attack on the vampire, that there was something out there in the ocean that could eat yachts.
Nevertheless, she saw one of the few fishing boats returning after a morning out on the ocean. That had to be a very brave man at the helm, to go out there after what had happened last night. Or maybe he didn’t know? Tina couldn’t imagine Big John letting any of his people go into danger without at least a warning. She decided to ask Zak. It would be something to talk about while they were passing time in the bakery…if he was still on duty tonight.
She didn’t think they’d change his routine, but she wasn’t privy to everything the sheriff and mayor did. They could easily decide Zak’s services were needed somewhere else with this new development.
Happily, Zak arrived at his usual time later that night, just as Nell was going off-shift. Her mate, Brody, picked
her up just as Zak walked in, and Tina knew the men timed it that way, to keep the girls covered at all times. It made Tina feel safe after the alarming events of last night, though prior to that, it had seemed kind of silly.
Still, she couldn’t fault them for their vigilance. Not after that injured vampire had shown up on her doorstep. The boys knew a lot more about the world—this new paranormal world the sisters had just discovered—and the girls were smart enough to follow their lead.
Zak sat quietly in the corner, as he had done every night since being assigned bakery duty, as he called it. There were quite a few customers keeping Tina busy most of the night, but finally, just before closing time, things slowed down and they got a few minutes alone.
“Busy night,” Zak commented, coming over to the counter where Tina was cleaning up.
“You can say that again,” she agreed. She hadn’t even had two minutes to talk to Zak with the near-constant demands of the other guests.
“Brody radioed me a few minutes ago. You’re going to have one more visitor before closing,” he said cryptically. She wanted to ask who was coming, but he went right on speaking. “While we have a moment alone, I wanted to know if you’d like to go out with me tomorrow afternoon?”
Tina’s knees wobbled. This was it! Finally, Zak was asking her out.
“Sure.” She tried to sound casual. “I’d love to.” That was a little less casual, but his eyes sparkled, and she didn’t regret showing her enthusiasm.
“Great.” He smiled that smile that made her tummy clench. Damn, the man should come with a warning label. “I’ll pick you up around noon. How does a picnic sound?”
“Sounds like fun.” She smiled back, unable to resist. He was just so darned handsome. He made her feel good when he looked at her like that. “Can I bring anything?”
“Just yourself. I’ll take care of everything else.” His gaze held hers and that smile just kept on going…until…
The little bell over the door rang, breaking the spell.
Tina looked up to find the vampire walking in the door again. This time, he was dressed in clothes that didn’t have horrendous tears in them, and he wasn’t bleeding. And he was also surrounded by bear shifters. Big John, Brody, Tom and a few others were all trooping in behind him, like an honor guard, or maybe a guard detail.
“Good evening, Miss Baker,” the vampire said, his voice fluid and strong.
“Hello.”
Tina was out of her element. How did one speak to an ancient vampire? Was there some sort of etiquette? If so, it hadn’t been covered in her school.
“I wanted to come by before I left town to thank you for your assistance last night. You were very brave.”
Whew. If Tina hadn’t already decided to jump Zak’s bones at the earliest opportunity, her head might just have been turned by Hiram, the hottie vampire. He had a way about him that was exceedingly charming and very old world. Sexy.
But her werebear was even hotter in a more primeval sort of way. Hiram was urbane. Zak was rough around the edges but absolutely honest in everything he did, and that was something Tina truly appreciated. She’d had bad experiences in the past with guys who wanted her to believe the best about them when they really were the worst.
As far as she was concerned, meeting Zak was kind of like hitting the big winner in the lottery. He was the real deal, and her heart—picky thing that it was—had settled on him. It had taken time, but she’d gotten to know him, and now, it would be very difficult for any other man to turn her head.
That’s not to say she couldn’t appreciate a totally hot man like Hiram, but her heart wasn’t going anywhere but in Zak’s direction. Interesting. It had taken this little encounter to drive that fact home to her. She looked at Zak and then at Hiram, realization dawning, even as the vampire waited for her to say something. She retreated to common courtesy.
“I’m glad I could help,” she replied rather inanely, she thought, but Hiram smiled and stepped forward.
“You were my angel of mercy at a time when I was in desperate need.” He took her hand in his and raised it to his lips, kissing her knuckles in that courtly way of his. She was charmed, but she saw the glint of amusement in his eye as Zak visibly bristled nearby. “Thank you, Miss Baker.” Hiram released her hand and stepped back. The old vampire turned to look at Zak and bowed his head slightly, just once. “I owe you a debt, deputy. If you are ever in need, call me, and I will come.”
The other bear shifters seemed surprised by the vampire’s words. Tina got the feeling such a promise from a guy like Hiram was a very big deal. The vampire walked forward so he was standing in the center of the seating area, werebears gathered all around.
“Everything I have seen of your settlement gives me hope that we can be allies from this point forward. You have good people here, John,” Hiram nodded toward where John was standing a few feet away. “I extend the hand of friendship to you and yours, Alpha,” Hiram went on, walking up to John and holding out his hand for a shake.
John’s eyes narrowed, and he paused a moment before taking Hiram’s hand. “Our Lords speak highly of you, Master Hiram. I’m glad we can work together and coexist. And I’ll go one step further. We’ve heard reports from the Lords of renewed activity by agents of evil. My men and I are retired now, but we’re still warriors at heart. If evil shows its ugly face in this region, we’ll be fighting it, and we’ll come to your aid if it’s in your territory.”
“As I will for you, my new friend. I have long stood against the forces of darkness. As long as you and your people serve the Mother of All and fight on the side of Her Light, I will stand with you.”
The handshake was as fierce as the men who shared it, and even if Tina didn’t understand everything they were talking about, one thing was clear—Hiram and her werebear friends had decided to become allies. Again, she got the feeling this was something momentous.
The men left, John and Hiram in the lead, talking like old friends. Tina closed up the shop, but when she looked for Zak, he was near the door. Tom was waiting to drive her back to his place because Ashley didn’t want Tina staying in the apartment alone until the vampire was gone for good. Or so Tom said when she asked.
Zak shrugged and left, letting Tom help Tina lock up. She’d wanted to talk to Zak some more, but it looked like tomorrow would have to be soon enough.
Chapter Six
Zak wanted everything to be perfect for his date with Tina. He spent the morning organizing things and preparing a lunch he hoped she would enjoy. He liked cooking and pulled out all the stops for this special lunch date.
He had a spot picked out near the cove, but not so close to the water that they’d be out in the open. He’d found a secluded area on the property he’d recently purchased that was like a little glade, surrounded by rocks, down near the water. It was open to the beach, but few would see them if they picnicked inside the rocky area, just before the tree line.
Zak picked Tina up at twelve on the dot. She was pretty as a picture, wearing a pair of jeans that hugged her curves and a pretty peasant blouse that was white with colorful embroidery around the neckline and sleeves. It looked Mexican, but Zak wasn’t an expert on women’s clothing. Still, he liked the outfit. It made her look like the free spirit he knew her to be, unhindered by convention and comfortable in her own skin. He liked that about her. She was a confident woman but easy-going by nature.
“You look beautiful,” he told her, wishing he was a little smoother around the edges. He’d spent most of his life in the military, trying to prove his worth to the bigger guys. He hadn’t spent a whole lot of time wooing ladies—at least not ones who really mattered.
And Tina really mattered to him. And to his bear.
More and more, he suspected she was the one for him, but time would tell. Zak was younger than most of the other guys in Grizzly Cove and didn’t have quite as much experience, though he’d joined them when they decided to quit army life. They’d been his family more than the shitt
y Clan he’d been born to, and when Big John had wanted to settle down to civilian life, Zak had decided to follow his lead.
“Thanks,” Tina said, ducking her head in a shy gesture that charmed him.
She was a woman of contrasts. Confident, yet flustered by his compliment, as if she didn’t receive such words often. Zak made a mental note to tell her how gorgeous she was at every reasonable opportunity. Several times a day ought to do it.
“Where are we going?” she asked when the silence dragged on a little too long.
Damn. He’d been staring at her, lost in space. He had to work on his powers of concentration. She had a way of mixing him all up when they were alone.
“Just a little ways down the road. I recently bought some property near town with the idea of building a place for myself, but I haven’t started work on the house yet. Still, the property has some gorgeous views, and there’s a perfect place for a private picnic between the trees and the beach.” He led her toward his patrol SUV while he spoke.
“Sounds perfect,” she said as he opened the passenger door of his vehicle for her and helped her hop up into the high seat.
They talked of generalities as he made the short drive from the bakery, which was along the main stretch of roadway at the center of the cove, to a smaller road that led around one side of the horseshoe-shaped inlet. His place was close to the central part of the small town. He’d wanted to be near the action, but also on the water, and this parcel of land accomplished both goals nicely.
“Ready for a little off-roading?” he asked, shooting her a challenging grin right before he turned the wheel onto his land.
There was no driveway. No road. Just weeds, grass, bushes and trees. The land was wild, as nature had made it, and he had already staked out an area where he would start building. His goal was to have his home make as little impact on the environment as he could manage, while still offering all the creature comforts his human side enjoyed. His bear side wanted the wild places to stay just that way, so he would have territory to roam, mark, and explore.