by Bryce Evans
Small was an understatement, as she viewed every store, but it was beautiful. The whole town was covered in hanging plants with beautiful flowers. Planter boxes were sitting on all the store porches with rocking chairs. Even the diner was quaint, with tables and chairs sitting outside underneath the porch. They had a patio area, with umbrellas blocking the sun as eager people ate their lunches. Everywhere she turned, people were going in and out of Southern Treasures—even the furniture store was busy! She wanted to jump up and down; Southern Treasures was right next door to the place she was renting. Whatever they were selling, it was a big hit.
Finally, it all seemed to be falling into place. Simone tilted her head back as the rays of sunlight tickled her face. All she could think about were all the homemade treats she would be creating for all of these customers. Cinnamon buns, honey buns, candy apples, chocolate delights, cookies, and sweet candy that melted in your mouth. She had a book packed full of confections she had perfected at Olsen’s Bakery.
Mr. Olsen, her friend and boss, had been a God send, teaching her everything about the business, and then helping her find her freedom. She could never repay him, or his wife June, enough.
Simone raised her sleeve up to look at her watch where it rubbed against her wrist. It was still tender from when Terry had twisted it around her back. She rubbed it idly as the pain from that night came back to her. Instinct made her twist around, looking for someone behind her. She couldn’t put a stop to the paranoia that someone was out there, waiting for their chance to take her back to him. Simone Alexander would die before she let that happen.
God, she hated that man for what he had done to her over the years. But even worse, Simone hated herself for being such a weak person and allowing him to manipulate and abuse her. Her ribs hurt as she tried to see if anyone looked familiar, but nobody was there. She got up and stepped onto the porch of the store. This way, she had her back to the wall and could really check out the crowd. Just to see if anyone looked familiar. Yes, she was paranoid, but having a complete sociopath for a boyfriend tended to do that to a girl.
Chapter Three
Bane watched the woman as she continued to look around again. Then she did something that nobody had done in a very long time—she lost him.
“Shit,” he chuckled. Nobody had ditched him since he was a pup. Arden’s dad had showed him how to track. Once he perfected it, nobody had gotten away from him.
Whoever this woman was, she was absolutely beautiful and intriguing—he had to find out who she was. His beast rushed forward, eager for the hunt. Her green eyes intrigued them both, drawing him in. Every move she made evoked the beast in him, urging him to find her and mate. Woo, where did that come from? He didn’t want to mate with her. Fuck her, yes he did.
But get mate out of your head.
Apparently, she was searching for someone. Now it had become a game to him. Bane did what he did best, and that was hunt. She was his prey, and he was the hunter.
Slipping around to the back of the building, Bane came up between the two stores. The alley way wasn’t big enough to move anything through it, but as he turned sideways, he managed to slip through and come out the other end. He peeked around the corner and found his prey hugging the back of the wall. Something wasn’t right with this woman as she watched the crowd walk by her. Despite the fact that hundreds of people were milling around, nobody even noticed her as they walked past.
He could scent a touch of fear coming off her as she scanned the crowd. He didn’t want to startle her, but he had to know what was wrong. Something drew him toward her and he needed to know if someone was following her. Or was this a game she was playing with someone? He didn’t think so as her body shook. He could hear her breathing increase as he inched closer to her. It was as if she knew someone was watching her.
Once he got close enough, he picked up her scent, and it hit him hard. She smelled like cookie dough, peppermint, and strawberries. Dammit, the woman smelled intoxicating. Her scent was like an aphrodisiac as his pulse quickened. Bane was standing so close to her that it startled him when she turned around and screamed. The woman cowered, flinging her hands up in a defensive position.
The fear in her eyes made him step back with his hands up.
“I’m sorry, you looked scared and I wanted to see if you were okay.” Bane blurted out waiting for her to say something as realization crossed her face. Someone had recently hit her; he could still see the bruising on her face and neck. Son of a bitch, Bane thought as anger rushed forward. Who would hurt her? Was that why she was so afraid?
She took his breath away as her inky black hair blew across her face. Her green eyes narrowed, so he took another step back. His wolf urged him to protect her, run away somewhere private. Never had a woman affected him this much.
Words slipped out of his mouth, and he only hoped that he was making any sense. “My name is Bane Cross and I’m the Be…” Bane cleared his throat. “I live here in New Hope, and you just looked like something was wrong. We’re a small town and we try to help each other out.” Listening to his own voice, he smiled, trying to get some control over his body as it flared to life. Wanting to protect her was as clear to him as breathing; he had no choice. His wolf wouldn’t give him any reprieve if he let something happen to her.
“Oh…no, I’m sorry Mr. Cross. I didn’t mean to raise my hands to you. You just took me by surprise. I…I…I’m supposed to meet someone, and you just scared me, that’s all,” she laughed. “Actually, I’m Simone Alexander and I was supposed to meet…well I’m supposed to meet you.”
When Bane didn’t say anything, he could see her getting nervous again.
“You did say your name was Bane Cross. I’m here to get the keys to my store.”
It was her, the voice on the phone. The woman he had been fantasizing about for days. She was the owner of the bakery. He couldn’t stop staring at her lips, her big, red, juicy lips. Feeling his beast leap forward again, Bane shook his head. He needed to get some space from this woman, before he did something stupid, like pick the woman up and ran off into the woods with her.
Bane looked away, trying to focus on something that would get his body back under control, but what caught his eye was not what he needed. Lennox Bartley was pacing back and forth in front of Southern Treasures. What the hell was he doing now?
“Mr. Cross, the keys? You said I could get the keys from you.” Bane looked from Simone and back again, but Lennox was gone. He was torn. He needed to check on his sister, but he also wanted to take Simone to the store and show her around. Bane needed to get control of himself and his wolf, or he would have her naked and spread eagle on the floor of her new bakery.
He reached in his pocket and pulled out the keys. Bane had to check on Jade first, then back to Simone. His beast was riding him hard when he started to walk off and stopped, “The store is right next door. Go have a look. I need to check on something, and then I will be right with you. Your stoves and equipment have been moved in, I’ll only be a few minutes.” Bane handed Simone the keys and motioned for her to pass.
“Thank you.”
* * *
Simone smiled at the keys in her hand, then walked ahead toward the store. She could tell that Mr. Cross was behind her, and she didn’t like it. She hated when people walked behind her. More times than she could count, Terry would hit her in the back of the head and think it was funny, or get drunk and slam her head into the wall.
When Simone made it to the front door she looked behind her, but Mr. Cross wasn’t there. Her brows drew together as she looked around but didn’t see him anywhere. She shrugged then Turned around, pulling her hair out of her face and slipped the key into the lock. Where did that man go? One minute he was here, walking behind her, and now he was nowhere to be found.
The click of the tumblers inside the lock and the spinning of the doorknob in hand was the beginning of a magical moment for Simone as she stepped inside her store for the first time. Her smile only grew as s
he looked around. The place was huge, giving her enough space to do a lot of different things she had only dreamed about. She walked in further and closed her eyes. She could smell the fresh paint and newly cleaned floors, and it smelled wonderful. It was hers. This was her store to run the way she saw fit. Mr. Olsen was a wonderful employer, but this would be her baby. All the things he didn’t want to add, she would be able to do that, put her own unique signature on this beautiful bakery.
“Yes, yes, yes.” Simone clapped her hands together and gave it a closer look. Walking across the room, she came to stand in front of the brand new taffy machine. What Simone loved the most about this storefront was the fact that she could make all of her sweet, delicious taffy in the front windows, where people could watch as the different types were being made. The sight alone would draw them inside, and the smell would have them asking for a sample in an instant.
She rubbed her finger down the side of the stainless steel table, and opened the sliding door to the back. The door stretched all the way across the room. Wonderful, she thought. All the stoves were placed perfectly. Reaching out, she touched the spotless appliances, already installed and hooked up, ready to go. If she could get some display counters made this weekend, she could open her store up at the first of next week, maybe even sooner. Bane had said over the phone that his uncle was the health inspector, and since he had inspected the store already, she wouldn’t have any problems getting her permits.
“First, I need to find someone to make some displays where glass can be put in them.” Simone said, thinking out loud.
“Then I’m your man.” Simone was bent over looking at the stove when the voice startled her, making her jump and knocking into the side of the stove. She screamed out in agony. The broken ribs were still healing. Simone fell down to the floor hard, grabbing her side in pain.
Running to her side, the man asked, “Are you okay? I’m sorry, I thought you heard me come in the store.” The giant of a man spoke as she peeked her head up. She was staring at his knees before tilting her head further up.
“You’re very tall.” Simone squeaked out. She continued to hold her side, but slowly straightened. Simone tried to take a deep breath and walk it off, but the pain was still reeling.
“I’m sorry for scaring you like that ma’am. My name is Finley Egan. Can I help you up?” The hulk asked, looking very concerned.
“I think I need to stay like this for a few minutes.”
“Okay, how about we both just sit here while you catch your breath.” She watched as the man sat down on his butt in front of her. He had short blond hair, cut in an attractive style. He was tall, that was for sure, as obvious as the defined muscles anyone could plainly see against his long sleeve shirt. She followed his grey eyes as he stared at her side. Simone’s shirt had hiked up, showcasing the bruise where Terry had hit her.
“Does he hit you a lot?”
For some reason, Simone felt like she could trust this giant of a man, or perhaps she just needed a friend. His concern was genuine. Whatever the reason, she blurted out the truth, “Not anymore.”
“You left him?”
“Yes, I finally got away from him, but please keep that to yourself.” Simone said.
“Of course, I hope we can be friends and friends trust each other.” Whoever this man was, she liked him already. He was a gentle soul for such a big guy. “Let’s try this again. I’m Finley.”
He had already given his name, but it didn’t matter. She could tell he was trying to put her at ease. “I like that name, Finley.” Simone said with a smile. “My name is Simone Alexander, and I guess you already know that this will be my store once I get it all together.”
“Yeah, I figured it was you once I saw you in here. I helped Bane fix up the place. If you need some counters made, I can do that pretty quickly. I made the ones in Southern Treasures for Quinn. I can have them completed in one day, and order the glass for you too. In fact, I bet Mr. Bartley can cut you some once I give him the measurements. That is, if you want me to build them.”
“That would be great Finn. I’m so excited to get started, I can hardly stand it. My supplies for the sweets will be here tomorrow, so I wanted to get the store set up and ready to start the baking as soon as possible.”
“Why don’t you sit here and think about the specifics for everything you’ll need for me to make, and I’ll go to the store and get the supplies go start on them today. How does that sound to you?” Finley asked.
“Sounds great.”
Chapter Four
Bane came in the back door of Southern Treasures and found Lennox Bartley glaring at his sister Jade from across the room. She was showing a male customer one of her bracelets. Bane didn’t like the looks the Death Hunter was giving his sister. She was a good girl, one who didn’t need the likes of Lennox messing around with her. Jade was oblivious of him lurking around. She never even made eye contact with him as she showed the gentleman her design.
He needed to put a stop to this.
“What’s up, Bane?”
He only took his eye off the man for a brief moment to say hello, but before he could say anything more, the man was gone.
“Where did he go?” Bane asked, feverishly looking around the store.
“Who?” Quinn quickly turned her attention toward the people in the store.
“Lennox Bartley.” Bane didn’t elaborate any further and rushed out the front door to see if he could find the man lurking outside. Nothing, it was as if Lennox had disappeared. He walked toward the bakery, inspecting everyone milling around, but the wolf was gone. This wasn’t his day, two people had gotten the best of him.
Glancing over to the store, Bane noticed Finley sitting down on the floor, but what got his attention was Simone on the floor next to him, holding the side of her stomach. She looked like she was in pain, and it triggered his wolf. Jerking the door open, Bane rushed into the store, ready for a fight.
Apparently, Finley noticed his expression and jumped to his feet.
“What did you do to her?” Bane yelled pushing, him away. All the man could see was Simone in pain, and Finley was the one who responsible for it.
“Nothing. You misunderstand what happened.” Finley insisted, but Bane was too far gone.
“Mr. Cross, he didn’t do anything to…” Simone tried to explain, rising to her feet before she could finish her sentence. But she made the mistake of getting in between two wolves. Bane jerked her to his side, and, not realizing his own strength, sent Simone straight to the floor.
“Dammit!” Simone yelled. The pain in her voice got Bane and Finley’s attention, but what shocked both men was when she popped back up off the floor and punched Bane in the nose. “Never touch me again.”
Bane and Finley stood there in shock as the feisty human rushed to the back room, holding her side every step of the way.
“Wow, you sure know how to show a woman a good time.” Quinn said from the doorway. “What did you do to her?”
“Really? You had the wrong idea, Bane. I didn’t hurt her. Simone didn’t hear me come in when I told her that I would build her display for her, and she banged against the edge of the stove and hurt her ribs again.” Finley explained.
“Again? What’s wrong with them?” Bane asked, holding his nose. He continued to stare at the door, hoping she would come back out.
“Don’t know, we didn’t have time to talk about it before you barged in and accused me of hurting a woman. You should know better.” Finley answered.
“I know, I’m sorry. I just saw her on the ground in pain, and all I could see was red.” Bane answered as he walked closer to the door.
“Maybe you should let me check on her. I think you’ve caused enough damage today.” Quinn grabbed the roll of paper towels off the counter and handed them to Bane, shaking her head as she went in search of Simone.
* * *
No man would ever man-handle her again! No matter how good-looking he was. Simone raised her shirt up so s
he could look at the damage he had done to her broken ribs. Touching the red-colored skin made her flinch in pain. It had been getting better, but now she had aggravated it, setting back her healing all over again.
“Does it hurt bad?” The woman asked as she walked into the bathroom.
“Can I help you? Or is it a thing with people here to barge into rooms of others?” Simone asked. She wasn’t usually a smart ass, but it was becoming a revolving door around here.
“I’m sorry. You’re right, I should have knocked first. My name is Quinn Lamone; I own the store next door. I came in to check on you, but again, I’m sorry for just barging in.”
Simone pulled her shirt down and gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “I’m sorry. I’m not usually this rude, but this day hasn’t worked out the way I thought.”
“Trust me, I understand dealing with the men of this town. When Bane told me that you were putting in a candy store and bakery, I almost died and went to heaven.”
Simone smiled and stuck her hand out. “I’m Simone Alexander, it’s nice to meet you Quinn.” Quinn smiled and shook her hand.
“I have to know,” Simone asked, “what you are selling in your store to bring in so many customers?”
“We have some great stuff by a lot of local artists, but most of it belongs to the talented Jade Cross. She started a new line of pocketbooks and jewelry, and it just took off. Jade is very creative, and you can’t buy her stuff anywhere but Southern Treasures and my online store. Once the word spread of her designs, people continued to come and shop here. She’s making a name for herself. Now that you’re here, I suspect that you’ll be adding to the success story of this little town of ours. Would you like to come and see my store, then I can come help you get settled?”
A line appeared between her brows. “You’re very kind, but I really need to start getting everything put together where it belongs and move into my apartment. In fact, I haven’t even seen where I’ll be living. With all of this nonsense with Mr. Cross, I forgot to ask him for the key to the apartment.” Simone laughed, even though she didn’t think it was funny. “He may not give me those keys now that I tried to break his nose.”