by Dixon, Ruby
“So he is,” I sigh. The sooner we get Bill on his way back home, the better off we’ll both be.
“Shit!” I hear her curse behind me.
I turn back to see her slumped on the sleeping bags we all but destroyed last night. “What’s wrong, baby?”
“We drove up together.”
“You and Bill?”
She nods miserably. “That’s three hours back to the cities with him and me—” She sniffs her collar. “I need a shower.”
Her problems are my solution. I need more time with Caro and here’s the perfect opportunity. “I’ll drive you down and bonus, you can even shower at my place.”
“Oh, no.” She shakes her head immediately. “I can’t let you drive me all the way from Pine Falls back to the Twin Cities. That’s too long!”
“Not at all. I planned on going down there next weekend anyway,” I lie. “There’s a new, ah…” I try to think of some specialized piece of equipment that I need, “a new outrigger at REI that I’d like to take a look at. Moving it up to today is perfect.”
She looks uncertain, wanting to believe me, but not wanting to impose. “Are you sure?”
I cross over to her and cup her cheek. “Remember how I said you aren’t getting rid of me?” She nods, rubbing her soft cheek against the calluses on my palm. “I’m taking you back. Bill can go on his own.”
She giggles. “Bill hates to drive.”
“Bill hates a lot of shit,” I answer, and pull her out of the tent to face the disgruntled visitor.
“Caroline, I’ve been calling your name for ten minutes. Why didn’t you answer?”
“I was getting dressed.”
Bill’s slow, but he’s not dumb. His narrow eyes take in Caroline’s rumpled clothes and her I-had-sex-a-dozen-times-last-night hair and the satisfaction that oozes out of her every pore and comes to the right conclusion.
“Jesus, did you fuck this guy last night?” He jerks a thumb in my direction.
Caroline’s mouth presses into an unhappy line. He’s pissing me off.
“Don’t talk like that in front of her,” I snap.
He turns to me. “What kind of guide services do you offer? A two-for-one special? A hiking trip and a dick up your cunt for the price of one?” he sneers.
“Stop it, Bill. Just stop it. You want to be mad, be mad at me. Leo doesn’t deserve your anger. He came out here last night because you left me.” Caroline tries to step forward, but I shove her behind me. If anyone gets to hit Bill, it’s going to be me.
“I left you because you wouldn’t stop harping on me about every little thing in this campsite.”
“I wanted you to be safe, Bill,” she protests.
And this time when she moves, I don’t block her way. After all the grief Bill has put her through, Caroline probably deserves first shot at him. But I’m going to stay close to make sure the fight is fair. Although, by the way Caroline’s hands are fisted at her sides and the fiery look in her eyes, if I was Bill, I’d be worried.
But Bill’s dumb as shit, so he just rants on. “No, you wanted to be in charge. You always want to be in charge. Do this, Bill, do that, Bill.”
“Oh my God, seriously?” A deep flush creeps up Caroline’s neck. “I only suggest things because you can’t ever make a decision!”
“Bill, maybe you oughta find your balls and get out of here. Doesn’t look like you’re wanted,” I suggest in a mild tone. The bear inside me is scratching to get out and chase the weak human down the path. It’d be a fun, albeit short, hunt.
“Yeah, get out, Bill.” Caroline tosses the car keys at him. Bill lets them hit his chest and drop to the dirt.
“You expect me to drive?” he asks in an incredulous tone. “You know I don’t like driving.”
It occurs to me that maybe Bill doesn’t have balls. I’m done with his crap, though. He’s ruining my morning with Caroline. I squint at the sun. Scratch that, it’s near noon. I reach into the dirt and scoop up the keys. Shoving them in his hand, I grab his collar and turn him toward the trail that will take him out of the lot.
“The car is at the Lodge,” Bill objects. “How am I supposed to get there?”
Eli or one of his workers must have dropped them off.
“Walk, buddy.” I shove him down the trail, but he doesn’t move.
“Caroline, are you really going to make me walk all the way back to the Lodge? Can’t you call someone to pick me up?”
I turn to Caroline and she flushes again, this time in embarrassment over being connected to Bill’s whiny ass. I leave him at the edge of the trail and return to her.
“We’ve all made decisions we regret,” I whisper, before kissing her lightly on the lips.
“What are yours?”
“So many that it’d take a year before we get to them all.”
With an arm around her shoulders, I swipe my phone from my pocket and make a distress call to Eli. He needs to meet my mate anyway.
8
CAROLINE
Bill comes back to camp three more times, whining, before Leo finally chases him off.
I almost feel bad for him. Almost. Except he’s a dick and he abandoned me and I’m so, so glad our reconciliation trip died a swift and painful death.
Leo insists on feeding me breakfast, and I nibble on a Pop-Tart as he breaks down camp. I offered to do it, but he wants me to relax and save my energy for later. Which, of course, makes me blush. I agree that I need to save my energy, though—Leo has seemingly limitless amounts of it, as evidenced by last night and the umpteen rounds of sex we had.
So…my plans have changed dramatically in the last twenty-four hours. I’m no longer having a weekend alone in the woods. Now, I’m about to head back to Pine Falls to stay with Leo for a few weeks and have more sex. Lots and lots of sex. I find it a little strange that he and I have fallen for each other so quickly. I’m actually a little worried he’s going to wake up at some point, look over at me, and realize that he can do a lot better.
I also worry it’s all a scam, and I’m going to wake up and find Leo’s cleaned out my checking account or something. Really, I’m just a bit paranoid all around.
Leo finishes packing up the campsite in record time, though, and shoulders the gigantic pack. “Sorry if we’re cutting your vacation short, baby. I promise I’ll take you on a real trip this next weekend, with better gear. And you can fish and hike all you want.” He smiles at me, utterly sexy and devastatingly handsome, and leans in for me to kiss him.
And I feel guilty that I was even worried.
* * *
We take a roundabout way back to town. It’s another mile or two of a hike through the forest, but the scenery’s gorgeous and we avoid Bill, so it’s a double bonus. When we get back to town, though, instead of heading toward Leo’s cottage, he squeezes my hand. “I need to head up to the Lodge and talk to Eli before we head out. That okay with you?”
I touch a hand to my tangled hair. After last night’s sex-a-thon, I probably look (and smell) rougher than usual. “I should probably shower if we’re meeting anyone…”
“Nope. You’re beautiful just the way you are.” He kisses me fiercely. “Just let anyone try to tell you that you’re not gorgeous.”
It’s hard to argue with that.
The Lodge itself manages to mix rustic with hotel amenities well. There’s a large fireplace in the center of the lobby, and the mantel is decorated with photos. There’s no fire due to the warm weather, but I point it out to Leo. “Why don’t I wait for you over there?”
He gives me a grateful look and kisses my brow. “I won’t be long.” He sets the pack down and then heads to the front desk.
I wander over to the fireplace and work on fixing a few flyaway hairs in my reflection in a photo before I realize who is actually in the photo. There’s several men, all as gorgeous as Leo, and just as built. They look like they’re on a fishing trip together. One of the heads wearing a baseball hat in the back of the photo is Leo. He’s in another photo, hol
ding up an enormous fish as another guy points at it. As I stroll down the long line of photos, I see that Leo’s in a ton of them, along with a lot of the same guys. He’s a big deal in this town, apparently, and I feel warm at the thought. It’s a far cry from my own apartment out in Plymouth where I barely know anyone but the maintenance man.
I notice pictures on another wall of the Lodge and head over there, and as I do, I hear the sound of voices down the hall. One sounds like Leo. I sidle a bit closer, curious. I’m pretty sure I hear the word ‘bare’. Bare what? Bare skin? I check my shirt, but I’m not revealing anything. My hand slides to my zipper. Nope, it’s up. Weird. It sounds like they’re arguing, too.
“You’ve got to tell her,” someone says.
A sigh. “Fine,” Leo replies. “I’ll break it to her tonight.”
A cold feeling washes over me. Tell me what? My mind spirals to the worst-case scenario immediately: Leo must be married. Ugh. Maybe he’s one of those guides that gives free screws with each new camping tour, selecting one hot piece to spend the time with, and then ditch her when the trip is over. Is this why he wants me to stay with him for a few weeks? An easy booty call? I feel sick to my stomach at the thought.
I cross my arms over my chest, practically hugging myself for comfort, and head for the Lodge exit. The need to get out of here is overwhelming. I feel used and miserable. Have I fallen for someone who might be worse than Bill?
Is there even such a thing?
I step outside and head down the wooden stairs of the Lodge. I’ve got my purse on my shoulder, but the rest of my gear is in the backpack that Leo carried. Fuck it, I’ll ditch it all. I no longer care. I just feel an overwhelming need to escape. To hide out in shame. Maybe I can go to a nearby store and call a taxi or a shuttle bus to take me to the nearest airport. I’m sure not driving back with Bill, and it doesn’t feel like I can stay here.
Behind me, the door swings open. “Caroline?” Leo’s voice bellows out on the street, causing a few tourists to turn around. A hot flush touches my cheeks, and I clutch my purse tighter, storming down the sidewalk. Immediately, I hear Leo’s feet thumping down the stairs as he comes after me. “Caroline, where are you going, baby?”
When his hand touches my arm, I jerk away from him. “Don’t touch me!”
He looks utterly shocked at my words. “What’s wrong? Baby, what’d I do?” His lips pull back in a snarl, and he glances up and down the street. “Did that fuckhead Bill come back and bother you? Do—”
“It’s you,” I say, my fists clenched. My heart feels broken. It’s stupid to fall for a guy in less than twenty-four hours, but what about me and Leo has been normal? “You’re lying to me, aren’t you?”
A devastated look crosses his face. “Caro, I can explain—”
“Explain?” The word chokes out of me. I punch his arm with one fist, and then wince at how much it hurts. “You’re a jerk, Leo! I can’t believe you have a wife and didn’t tell me!”
“I…what?” His eyes widen, and then a look of pure relief crosses his face. “Oh, damn. Baby, you scared me for a minute there.” At my sound of incoherent rage, the burgeoning smile disappears off his face. “No wife, I promise.”
I resist the urge to scream at him, because now I’m just confused. “Then what are you lying to me about?”
He glances up and down the street, then moves closer to me. “Can we go to my place and talk? I need to explain a few things and I can’t do it here on Main Street.”
I glare up at him, trying to judge if this is a trick. I desperately want to believe him, but I’ve made bad choices about men in the past, haven’t I? Maybe this is just another bad one. “I don’t know—”
“Please,” he murmurs, then leans in. “Unless you’d rather I sling you over my shoulder and carry you off so I can sex you into submission?”
A titillated gasp escapes my throat. I hate that my body immediately responds to that. I hate that a bevy of mental images—some from last night and some from my imagination—flutter through my mind at the thought. “I’ll walk with you.”
He grins and pulls me under his arm, apparently completely happy once more.
Now I’m just confused.
* * *
I hate that Leo’s cabin is so damn charming.
It’s utterly adorable. It’s rustic and masculine, with a big beat-up couch mostly hidden by a red tartan throw and a pair of antlers over the doorway. The walls are wooden, and there’s a cozy bedroom off the tiny kitchen. It’s not a very big place—perfect for two people, but it’s definitely not a family home. I’m also pleased to see there are no photos with other women or anything of the sort anywhere on his walls.
Leo sets down the backpack in the entryway, and then takes my purse from my shoulder and sets it next to the backpack. He then takes my hand and leads me toward the couch, nestled in front of a wood stove and directly across from an enormous window that allows an unfettered view of the woods outside. It’s tucked away from the main part of town, and all I see are trees and greenery and the occasional squirrel. It’d be lovely to stay someplace like this permanently.
If the owner wasn’t a lying jerk, of course.
I slide my hand out of Leo’s and cross my arms again. “Talk,” I say stubbornly.
“I’m not married.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Here’s my wallet,” he says, reaching over me to grab a billfold on an end-table. “Look to your heart’s content.”
I snatch it from him and flip through it. Driver’s license, a credit card or two, a hunting license, and a few crumpled bills. There’s a ticket stub tucked behind one card and I pull it out, hoping it’s not Josh Groban or something date-ish. Nope. It’s for the Maple Leafs. Dammit. I slap the wallet shut and hold it back out to him.
“Now do you believe me?”
“No,” I say stubbornly, and put my hand out. “Give me your phone.”
He reaches over me again—what guy doesn’t carry his phone or his wallet with him, I wonder—and pulls a small flip phone off the table. It’s the oldest, jankiest phone I’ve ever seen. I frown at him. “Is this a burner?”
“What’s a burner?”
“Never mind.” I flip it open. There’s no way he’s texting anyone on this ancient thing, so I flip through his phone contacts. There are a few buddies and work numbers, and that’s it. Actually, there are no female numbers in here at all, which worries me anew. I give him a skeptical look. “You’re not gay, are you?”
Leo looks offended. “What? No!”
“Then where are all your female phone numbers?” I shake the phone at him.
He rubs his head and looks sheepish. “So, uh, I’m not the kind who normally calls girls back. All of my hook-ups usually happen at a bar and don’t last beyond dawn.”
“I don’t know whether to be relieved or horrified at that confession.”
“Both?” he offers. “I’m not exactly proud of it myself, but that was before.”
“Before…?”
“Before you,” he says seriously, and takes my hand in his. “We do need to talk, Caro, because I didn’t tell you the entire truth of who I am.”
My stomach clenches uncomfortably. Oh, God. Here it comes. “Just spit it out.”
“I’m a…bear.”
When he doesn’t continue, I prompt him. “Bare what?”
“No, I’m a bear. A bear shifter.” His handsome face is solemn, no trace of his normal laughing grin. “You’ve heard of werewolves, right? I’m like that, except my people turn into bears.”
I’m silent for a long moment, digesting this.
“Well?” he asks.
I resist the urge to punch his arm again. “I think you should quit telling me lies and just admit the truth, Leo! What’s this big secret?”
He sighs and rubs his forehead. “This is harder than I thought.”
9
LEO
I didn’t think that when I confessed, Caro wouldn’t believe
me, but she apparently thinks I’ve made up this story to cover a bigger sin.
I take a deep breath, and then decide the only way to convince her is to actually shift. The process isn’t painful, but a human watching it for the first time might freak out. What if she runs away?
It’s all so new for both of us. I should have kept my mouth shut because now Caro is standing there, arms folded, looking at me with a lot of suspicion.
I’ll lose her for sure if I don’t tell her something, if I try to make up a lie now. But I might lose her if she sees the real truth.
“You promise you won’t leave if I show you something, right?” I ask finally.
“Depends. If a girl jumps out of the back of your cabin, proclaiming that she’s your girlfriend, then I’m not going to be happy and I’ll definitely leave.”
“I don’t have a girlfriend,” I insist. There’s no point in jabbering about this anymore. I’m merely delaying the inevitable. “Okay,” I sigh. I pat the back of one of the kitchen chairs. “Sit here and…” What? Don’t freak out? Don’t run outside because I’m going to want to chase you? Don’t leave?
The last one is the only important one. “Promise you’ll give me a chance to explain after?”
She takes a seat and nods carefully. “I promise I won’t run out on you.”
“Great.” I move away. If I stepped in front of the door, no one could really blame me, right? I’ve found my mate and I want to keep her.
It takes no effort to shift. It’s as innate to me as breathing. I was born knowing how to shift. The change comes from within. Starts in the heart and moves outward. The heart, the soul, the spirit—it all remains the same. I am the bear and the bear is me. I hope that Caro can recognize that, beneath the fur and claws and teeth.
When the shift is complete, I drop to all fours and peer at Caro. She’s stuck to her chair with her hands glued to the side. Her eyes are big and…I can’t tell if that’s fear or fascination. I try to make my four-hundred pound body as small as possible. I was pretty cute as a cub. I remember my mom telling me that. I don’t need to be cute, but I’d be happy if I came off as non-threatening.