by Kim Fox
“All right, maybe he’s too manly for ice cream,” I answer with a laugh.
“Sorry about him,” he says. “You shouldn’t have seen that.”
“I’m still not sure what I saw,” I say. “Does he live in the forest?”
“Sometimes,” Lachlan says. “Sometimes he stays in his cabin.”
“And that deer,” I say, trying not to shudder. “Did he kill that thing with his bare hands?”
“He killed it with his bear hands,” he says, chuckling to himself like he just said some kind of inside joke that I’m not a part of.
“Huh?”
“Never mind,” he says. “Don’t worry about him. He won’t be a bother to you.”
“I’ve been around more dangerous men than him,” I say, pulling him toward the ice cream shop. “I’m not worried.”
“What kind of dangerous men?” he asks as we arrive.
I really don’t want to talk about my life back home. I came here to escape it all not to talk about it constantly, so I just turn to the ice cream man wearing the cute little red bow tie. “One cotton candy ice cream with whipped cream and extra sprinkles, and… what are you having?”
Lachlan is looking down at the options. “Do you have any with steak in them?”
I giggle as I turn back to the man. “Just make it two.”
He gives me a smile and turns to get them ready.
“Steak ice cream?” I ask Lachlan, leaning a little closer to him.
He shrugs. “Is that not a thing?”
“No,” I say with a shake of my head. “That’s definitely not a thing.”
“Well, it should be,” he says with a grin.
He’s not the same carefree kid that I knew, but his mood is a lot lighter than it was this afternoon. He’s smiling more and there’s a lightness to his tone. I’m slowly breaking him down.
I think the low-cut shirt is helping.
“So, what have you been up to for the past eight years?” I ask. “Did you get into any adventures?”
“Adventures?” he asks with a laugh. “Yeah, I’ve been in a few of those.”
“Rescue any princesses? Slay any dragons?” I ask, trying to lighten him up.
“No,” he says as he glances up at the hotel on top of the mountain. “I was on the dragons’ team in my adventure.”
I let out a soft laugh as I take the opportunity of his head being turned to check him out for the seven hundredth time. He’s wearing jeans that make his ass look delicious and a blue plaid button-up top that’s rolled up his thick forearms. The first couple of buttons are open, and you can see the sexy tattoo on his muscular chest. The sight of it is getting me going in a way that I haven’t in—I don’t remember how long.
“Two cotton candy ice cream cones with whipped cream and extra sprinkles,” the ice cream man says as he pops out of the walk-by window.
“You’re going to love this,” I say, licking my lips as I grab them.
Lachlan is smiling as I hand him the huge cone. It’s already dripping on his hand.
I pay the man, leave him a tip, and we start walking down the adorable sidewalk. The charming stores are just starting to close, but there’s still people out, chatting as they walk around. I smile at everyone I pass, and they almost all smile back.
“What do you think?” I ask as I watch him take a bite.
“It’s sugary,” he says with a soft chuckle.
“I know,” I say with a nod as I take a lick. “That’s the best part.”
We walk for a while, our mouths busy with the ice cream. “Wow!” I say when the old-fashioned light posts suddenly light up. The town is even cuter in the soft light and I must admit that I haven’t felt this safe in a long time. How could I not with this protective mountain of a man beside me?
“Whatever happened to Carter?” I ask, remembering how close Lachlan was to him. They were best friends back when I knew him. “You were cousins, right?”
“Yeah,” he says. He looks away, adding nothing else.
“Is he still around here?”
“No.”
Okaaayyyy. There goes my attempt at light conversation. Maybe they had a falling out or something and he doesn’t want to talk about it.
“So, this band we’re going to see,” I say, trying to lighten the mood back up. “What’s their name?”
“Predatone.”
“Predatone?” I say, scrunching my nose up. “Are they any good?”
“They’re good,” he says with a chuckle. “Despite the name.” He smiles as he takes another bite of his ice cream.
Mood is back to light. Mission success.
“Then why were you guys saying they were so bad?”
He laughs. “To piss Caleb off. It’s a guy thing.”
“Sounds like an asshole thing.”
“No,” he says with a grin. “You don’t understand, Caleb. He’ll get a big head and walk around like he’s some kind of rock god. Remember, we’re the ones who have to live with him.”
I smile as we continue walking. The roads around here are always up or down, but rarely flat. I guess it’s good for working off ice cream with extra whipped cream.
“Do you ever think about us?” I ask, suddenly embarrassed. My cheeks heat up as he looks down at me. “I mean, do you ever look back at the time we spent together? I didn’t mean that you’re like obsessed with me and that you haven’t been able to move on or anything like that.” Oh, God, here I go again rambling on. Just please stop. But as usual, I can’t.
“Because it’s not like I’m like that or anything,” I say shooting out embarrassing words like a Gatling gun. “It’s not like I’ve been thinking of us every day and wishing I could go back to that time or thinking that we were meant to be or something.” I take a deep breath and look up at him. “How is your ice cream?”
He gives me the warmest smile, and it immediately settles my raging nerves. “I think about us all the time,” he says.
I perk up. “You do?”
When he grins, I realize that I’m looking a little too enthusiastic and guys don’t like that, so I casually settle into a relaxed posture.
“Are you okay?” he asks, looking at me funny. “Is your back hurting?”
“Nooooo,” I say, shaking my head with a relaxed carefree laugh. “I’m cooler than a cucumber. I’m as cooooool as an avocado.”
His brow furrows as his eyes narrow on me. “Are you feeling okay?”
I gulp as I straighten back up. “Let’s just keep walking.” I’ve never been good at playing it cool.
We both finish our ice cream cones as we walk down the street in silence. He’s the first to speak.
“That summer with you was the best time of my life,” he says, looking down the street as we walk. “I often think back to it and wish I could relive it.”
“It was pretty great,” I say, feeling a touch of lightheadedness.
“I often wished that we were adults when it happened,” he says. “That way we could have made it last.”
I look up at his strong jaw and feel the tiny hairs on my arms raise. “Did you ever think of looking me up in Chicago?”
“No.” He says it so quickly and with such a sureness that it stings.
“Ouch,” I say, stepping a little further from him. “That was harsh.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” he says, suddenly stopping. I stop too and face him with a good healthy distance between us. “I just… you can do better than me, Jessie. A lot better.”
I think back to my murderous fiancé and cringe. “You haven’t seen my prospects back home.”
“You’re a beautiful person, Jessie. Inside and out. And you deserve someone like that, who’s also beautiful on the inside and out.”
I study his face, trying to read between the lines. “And you’re not?”
He rubs his chin as he looks over my head and down the street.
“No,” he finally says. “I’m not.”
That’s what he thin
ks. I step forward and look up into his deep brown eyes. “You are beautiful,” I say. “Inside and out.”
I can see the pain behind his eyes return as he looks down at me. “I wish you were right.”
“I am right,” I say, shoving my finger into his face. “And I don’t like it when people are mean to my friends, even if it’s themselves. So stop being mean. You’re a beautiful person and that’s settled.”
I give him a fierce stare, and he doesn’t look like he’s about to argue with me when I’m all worked up like this.
“All right,” he says as his face softens. “We’re both beautiful people. Should we go to the bar and show everyone how beautiful we are?”
I grin as I look up at him. “That’s what beautiful people do.”
There’s a touch of whipped cream on the corner of his mouth and without thinking, I scoop it off with my finger and put it to my lips, sucking it off.
A low growl rumbles out from his chest as he swallows hard.
“Are you hungry?” I ask, looking at him funny.
“Come,” he says, ignoring me as he slides his hand over mine. “The Slurry Rabbit is just up ahead.”
I feel like I’m on cloud ninety-nine as we walk down the street hand-in-hand. So this is what a free life feels like. This is what it would be like to be able to do whatever I want.
To live outside my father’s dark suffocating shadow.
It’s not going to last long, and I’m determined to enjoy every second of it.
So far, I am.
Chapter 6
Lachlan
The bar is packed. But it always is when Caleb’s band plays. He plays guitar in the all-shifter band. Jordy from the firehouse crew sings, Logan a local bounty hunter is on bass, and Dane, one of the Forest Rangers, is an animal on the drums.
The smell of fur is thick in here tonight with a half a dozen or so different shifter crews spread around the bar. I also see some shifters from the police station and from the firehouse—probably here to support Jordy. Even the Diamond brothers are here from the Bearskin inn.
There are huge bodies everywhere, and I don’t want any of them to bump into Jessie, so I put a protective arm around her and guide her through the crowd to the bar.
“You know we don’t serve Grizzlies in here,” the bartender Kace says with a grin. “I think your kind would be more at home at The Dirty Ashtray. It’s too classy in here for you.”
“I agree,” I say with a laugh. “But I promised the pretty lady a drink, and she’s too classy for the The Dirty Ashtray. What do you say?”
He laughs as we slap hands. “Only because your ugly ass is prettying the place up with this lovely lady.”
Jessie blushes as he smiles at her.
Could she be any cuter?
I lean in close, taking advantage of the loud music to stick my nose close to her hair and breathe in her sexy scent. “What do you want to drink?”
“A beer,” she answers as my body tingles. It’s killing me to be this close to her and keep my hands to myself.
“Do you want the regular stuff or the local stuff?” I ask.
“When in Redemption Creek,” she says with a smile and a shrug. “Do as the Redemptians do. I’ll try the local stuff.”
“Warning. It burns your eyes and sears your throat.”
She licks her lips and the sight nearly makes my knees give out. “Sounds delicious.”
“It’s not.” I laugh as I turn back to Kace who’s already serving someone else. “Two Alpha Beers,” I call out and he nods. A few seconds later, he drops two warm mugs onto the bar with a clunk.
“Cheers,” Jessie says, lifting her mug. “To old friends.”
“To old lovers,” I say, lifting mine up as well.
She laughs as we clink our mugs together. “I’ll drink to that.”
I watch her closely as she takes a sip and then spits it back out. “Ugh!” she shouts, sticking her tongue out in shock. “I mean I’ll… cough… I’ll try to drink it. What the hell do they brew this vile drink with? Cyanide? Tide Pods?”
“I warned you,” I say, laughing as she puts the mug back on the bar.
Kace has seen this hundreds of times and has a new mug ready with regular beer that he drops in front of her. “Don’t feel bad,” he says. “No human has been able to drink it on their first try.”
“I can see why,” she says, clearing her throat before she takes a long sip of her beer. She takes a deep breath after she downs half of it. “That’s better.”
We chat for a while, and I can’t believe I’m having a good time like I used to. Lately, every time I’ve been in a bar it’s to drown my sorrows. I forgot that going to a bar can actually be fun. But then again, everything with Jessie was always fun.
We’re on our second beers when the music shuts off and the band comes out. Everyone claps, but Jessie is cheering the loudest.
Caleb is scanning the crowd from the stage, probably looking for the lifeguard that he has a crush on. His shoulders drop in disappointment when he doesn’t see her.
“I’m excited,” Jessie says, scooching a little closer to me. She’s sitting on the barstool and I’m standing next to her, leaning on the bar. Our arms are touching, and it’s hard to concentrate on anything but her soft warm skin on mine.
“Where are your friends?” she asks, looking up at me. “Aren’t they coming?”
“They’re by the pool tables,” I say, motioning to them with my eyes. I spotted them the second I walked in. It’s instinct by now to immediately spot my crew. Especially with a bunch of shifters around.
The singer says a few words and they start playing Riptide by Vance Joy.
“I love this song!” Jessie says, jumping up from the barstool. She looks so excited as she grabs my hand and pulls me into the crowd. “Let’s go closer!”
There are so many big bodies around, and I don’t want a delicate girl like her to get crushed, but she looks so excited that I can’t tell her no.
I keep her close, butting my way through the crowd so she doesn’t get bumped into. When we’ve gotten as close as we can get, she starts swaying to the music in front of me as she sings the words.
Her soft body rubs against mine, making my heart pound as hard as the drums. Her hair is falling out of her cowboy hat right under my nose with that sexy smell that always drives me wild. I wrap my arms around her shoulders, holding her tight, half expecting her to squirm away, but she doesn’t. She settles into my embrace as she moves her body to the beat, making every nerve ending in my body stir and tingle.
Even my bear is loving it, gently grumbling in content.
We spend the rest of the show like this with our bodies as close as possible, drinking, dancing, singing, and having fun.
I haven’t had a night like this in a long time. It’s nice to have a vacation from the guilt and shame, no matter how short it’s going to be.
“Thank you!” the singer says after they finish the last song. I glance at the clock and am shocked to see that two hours have passed since we first walked in. The time flew by.
We have another drink at the bar as we joke around and reconnect over stories of the last time we were together.
“I still can’t believe you did that,” she says, a little too drunk for her own good. She has a permanent smile on her flushed face, but who am I kidding? So do I.
“I was trying to impress you.”
“It worked,” she says with a laugh. Her eyes never leave mine as she takes a sip of her beer. “I was so scared. I thought I was going to watch you fall to your death.”
“That wouldn’t have been a very good first date,” I say with a grin as I remember it like it was yesterday. We were walking along a mountain trail when I climbed down over a cliff to pick her a flower that was growing on a small patch of dirt on the rock’s edge.
When I gave it to her, she threw it back at me and cursed me out. That’s when I knew that she was something special.
“Let’s get
out of here,” I say, “and I’ll pick you another flower. I think I saw one inside of an active volcano.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” she says, shaking her head as she downs the rest of her beer. “But I’d rather you stick to the flower shop.”
I pay our tab, nod to my crew, and we leave.
This time we’re not walking with a distance between us. This time she’s practically hanging onto me. Maybe I fed her too much beer.
“We should have done this a long time ago,” she says, licking her lips when we stop at my pickup truck. “Like eight years ago.”
I nod. “I agree. This was long overdue. I guess we’ll have to make up for lost time.”
Her eyes slowly roam up my body, and the laughter and smiles are gone when our eyes meet once again. Her body straightens in my arms as she leans her chin up.
I close my eyes and lower my lips to hers, my whole body craving this with every nerve in me.
“Jessie.”
My lips hit nothing but air.
When I open my eyes, I see her looking at a man who’s leaning on a street sign. Her body stiffens in my hands and I watch as she instantly sobers up.
“Jessie,” I whisper as she steps out of my embrace. “Who’s this?”
“This is…” she says, looking at the guy. “Inevitable.”
My bear reacts before I do. He’s already stirring, trying to get out as I look at the man.
I hold him back as I look the guy over—slicked back hair, ugly suit, stain on his shirt. He’s no threat to her as long as I’m standing by her side.
He looks so smug and satisfied with himself as he walks over to a black car and opens the back door. “Get in,” he says as he holds the door open. My jaw tightens. I want to wipe that smirk off his face for good.
To my surprise, Jessie lets out a heavy sigh and drops her head. “I have to go, Lachlan.”
I grab her arms and turn her until she’s looking up at me with those sexy blue eyes. I want to kill that guy for taking the joy out of them. “You don’t have to go anywhere.”
She takes a deep breath as she gives me a sad little smile. “It’s okay, Lachlan,” she says. My breath quickens as she reaches up and strokes my cheek with her hand. “You don’t know how much this night means to me. For once, I felt like a normal girl on the town with a fun, good-looking guy. But it was only an illusion. A facade. I can pretend that I’m free, but I’m not. And I never will be.”