Natural Born Enemies (Cedar River Series)

by Murray, Gemma K.

  “I’ll be here. Thanks, Brady.”

  My walk took me a little further down the sidewalk where Mr. Samson, the owner of Samson’s Diner, stood outside his establishment with a cup of coffee and a jelly doughnut. “Good morning, Samson. Any trouble today?”

  The bear shifter looked at me and smiled, “Just you, Adam. I thought you could use a little breakfast.”

  The man made the best coffee in town. The bitter brew hit my mouth and the caffeine entered my bloodstream.

  “Coffee’s not too bad today, Samson,” I said. I’ve picked on the burly man about his coffee since I worked for him as a kid.

  “Not bad? Well, I guess I’ll just take it and toss it then,” he said reaching for my cup.

  “I may be able to choke it down,” I protested with a smile.

  Samson smiled, “Have a good day, Adam. Some of us have to get back to work. Be safe.”

  I nodded, “You, too, Samson. Thanks for breakfast.”

  My quiet town was alive with activity. One street over, I could hear the kids playing on the playground. The bell was ringing in the high school, signaling the time to change classes. I crossed the street, enjoying the rhythm of life going on around me. People honked as they drove by. I’d wave back. Life in a small town was wonderful. I stopped to talk with Bernard and Lorelai Golden for a few minutes. My aunt was coming out of the grocery store so I asked after my uncle and the rest of the pride. Mr. Fisher had emerged from the woods between the pack and pride lands for his weekly grocery visit. The fisher shifter was as grouchy as ever. Not many people could tolerate the ornery little man, but I really liked him. I kept walking through town and before I knew it, I was in front of Full Moon Sweets, Luna’s chocolate shop. She was just putting out the display in the front window. My mouth felt dry as she looked up with those beautiful citrine eyes.

  Chapter 4- Luna

  Getting up at dawn was not something most people enjoyed. I, however, looked forward to it. I loved walking downstairs to my shop and deciding what recipes to create that day. People laughed when I told them that the chocolate told me what it wanted to be, but it was true. There were some days the dark chocolate wanted to be wrapped around a raspberry center and other days it begged for caramel and cashews. I create recipes I hope will become favorites. I have a few tasters I can rely on. Anastasia and Bowie Golden are two of my favorites. Bowie had just called to tell me to make up another batch of my salty caramels. I chuckled when I heard Ana in the background moaning in ecstasy.

  “Is that from my candy or from you, Sheriff?” I asked.

  “Both. That’s why I need more. Your new recipe hit every spot for Ana,” he replied with a smile in his voice.

  “I’ll start working on them as soon as I finish the pretzels.”

  “White chocolate?” he asked.

  “I just set those in the display case,” I said. Cedar River’s sheriff has a tremendous sweet tooth.

  “Luna, I’m going to weigh a ton if you don’t go out of business soon,” he said with a sigh.

  “I’m sure your wife can find a way for you to work off those extra calories,” I said with a laugh. The comfort of picking on Bowie comes from years of being friends with him and Ana.

  “Call me when the caramels are ready and I’ll pick them up,” he said as he hung up the phone.

  Business is good. Shifters and their taste for sweets are pretty well known, but the dragon shifter I call “friend” keeps me in business, almost single-handedly. I hung up from Bowie and put the finishing touches on my front window display. The new candy for the day was dark chocolate espresso beans. I had just put the lovely crystal dish in the window when I looked up to find Adam watching me intensely with his cool green eyes. I stopped and stared back. I had caught glimpses of him, but he’d avoided me. I smiled at him and waved him in. He looked startled, but within seconds, he took his first steps into my shop.

  “Hi, Adam,” I said as I walked up to him. I wanted to hug him in the worst way, but I put my hands in my back pockets to avoid touching him.

  “Hi, Luna,” he replied softly.

  “How are things going?” I asked, though Ana kept me up to date on these things.

  “Good. I put a trailer out on the border of the pride lands.”

  “I heard something about that.” Actually, my dad had bitched about it for the better part of a Sunday afternoon, but I wouldn’t tell Adam. “Can I get you something?”

  Adam looked around the shop. “This looks real nice, Luna.”

  I tilted my head to look at him., “Thank you. That means a lot. I’ve worked hard, but it’s all mine. Well, mine and the bank’s for the next few years, but you know what I mean.”

  The smile I loved bloomed across Adam’s rugged face. “Yeah, I do.”

  I watched as he prowled around the shop, looking in the display cases and asking about certain candies. I noticed his tastes leaned toward the bitter chocolates more than the dark or milk varieties. I made a note on my mental list of customer preferences.

  I returned to my spot behind the counter, offering him samples of the candies he pointed out. “You don’t happen to have any of those caramels you sent with Ana, do you?” he asked shyly.

  I laughed aloud. “Bowie just called and made an order for more. Do you want me to add another three or four dozen for you?”

  Adam blushed slightly, “If you don’t mind. Those were delicious. I’ll also take a pound of those coffee beans.”

  I scooped his espresso beans into a bag. I added a bag of pretzels for Bowie. “The caramels will be ready early this afternoon. I can run them over if you’d like.”

  Adam pulled his wallet out to pay for his candy, “That would be great, Luna. It looks like you’ve done really well for yourself.”

  “Thank you, Adam. I’m a lucky woman to have friends like you.”

  My use of the word ‘friend’ startled him, “Are we still friends, Luna?”

  There was sadness in his eyes which hadn’t been there before. I walked back around the counter and took his face in my hands, forcing him to look me in the eye. “Of course, we’re friends, Adam. We always have been.” I hugged him tight, not expecting him to hug me back. When his arms tightened around me, tears ran down my cheeks. I whispered, “I’ve missed you, Adam.”

  “I missed you, too, babe,” he said.

  The bell over the door rang, signaling more customers. I wiped my eyes and smiled at Adam. “I’ll bring those caramels over this afternoon. Tell Bowie I expect him to forget the parking ticket from last week if I deliver them.”

  Adam laughed as he carried his packages out. My heart felt as if it had wings as I returned to my store and customers.

  “Bribing our sheriff’s department, Ms. McIntyre?”

  I turned to find Dr. Goodman at the counter. I smiled at the man who had been my doctor for most of my life. “If it keeps me from having to pay a parking ticket, you bet I’ll bribe them.” I turned to my assistant, Kelsie, “Add in a quarter pound of espresso beans for the good doctor, please. I may need to pay him a visit soon and I want to be guaranteed top notch care.”

  Dr. Goodman laughed a full belly laugh.

  Chapter Five- Luna

  I had planned to get Bowie and Adam the candy long before closing time, but that dream flew out the window when the schools let out. The kids love coming in to get a taste of this or that. Of course, I love having them visit. It makes my heart hurt to think my son or daughter would have been in the group, but I think I look forward to their visits all the more for this reason.

  I closed up the shop and put the candy for our sheriff into a pretty bag. Adam would appreciate the simplicity of a box. I loaded up my arms and walked up the street. The town looks so pretty when the sun is beginning to set. The sun rolls the last beams right down Main Street and hits the water in our brand new fountain, creating a rainbow. I stopped to chat with a couple of the residents, all of whom wished me the best of luck. I did get a couple of requests for diabetic candy
. I had to make a mental note to check into making that.

  Bowie was just getting ready to leave when I arrived. “You made it just in time, Luna,” he teased, “If I go home without these, Ana will be one cranky kitty.”

  I smiled, “I’ve been busier than I could ever have imagined.”

  Bowie patted my back, “You can’t complain about that though.”

  “Not at all. Hey, Bo, did Adam leave already?” I asked.

  “About an hour ago. Brady brought him in a mess of bluegill for supper. Callum came in early to relieve him, so I sent him home. Why? What’s up?”

  I shook my head, “I just promised to bring over a box of caramels for him. Maybe I’ll run them out to his house.”

  Bowie said, “Just be careful. He’s not on Pride land, but they monitor it pretty regularly. You know how they can be out there.”

  “I’ll be alright. Besides, it can’t hurt to let him know he still has friends here.”

  “It won’t hurt anything at all to let him know. He needs all the friends he can get, Luna. Just be careful. Adam’s got a lot going on in his head these days.”

  “I’ll be careful, Bowie, I promise.”

  I made my way back to the store. I debated over changing my clothes before going to Adam’s, but decided to go out in my work clothes. I loaded up a bag of goodies for him as well.

  The drive out to the Pierce Pride’s land is beautiful. The trees form an arch over the road, almost completely blocking out the sky. Making the drive in the dark can be a little daunting since those same trees, which are so lovely by day, take on a more sinister look at night.

  Adam’s trailer was set off the main road to the pride land in a little patch of trees. His pick-up truck was there. The lights were warm and welcoming. I wondered if Adam would be as welcoming. With that thought, dragonflies began to dance around my stomach, fluttering every so often to my throat.

  I parked beside his truck and took a deep breath. “This is Adam. You know him as well as you know yourself.” Giving myself a pep talk seemed to help until a knock sounded on my window. I jumped and screamed.

  Adam stood there in his jeans and flannel shirt. “You gonna sit out here talking to yourself or did you plan on coming inside?”

  I opened the door. “I was planning on coming to the door. I was just checking to be sure I’d brought everything I meant to.”

  He took the packages I’d brought. “Really? Because it sounded as if you were concerned I might bite,” he said with a smile.

  “Damn shifter hearing,” I mumbled.

  Adam laughed as he led me through the front door and into his home.

  Chapter Six-Adam

  Knowing Luna as well as I used to, I had been watching for her. She never used to be one who would not deliver on a promise and I was glad to see that hadn’t changed.

  “You didn’t have to bring these all the way out here tonight,” I said.

  “Well, I did take them over to the sheriff’s department, but Bowie said you’d left for the night.”

  I smiled, “Bowie let you out the door of the office with all of these?”

  She chuckled, “No. I only had the caramels when I went to the office. I figured if I were coming out here, I should bring more than a box of caramels, a sort of house-warming present for you.”

  I popped a chocolate covered raisin in my mouth. “I’m not complaining at all, Luna. I’m just saying you didn’t have to. I’m very glad you did.”

  She smiled at me. Gods, I’d missed her smile. With one smile, she lit up the entire room.

  “You picked a pretty spot, Adam. This is a really nice trailer.”

  I shrugged. “I didn’t have much choice on the spot, but I do like it. As for this hunk of metal, I want to add a deck on the front so I can sit out there with a beer at night. I like listening to the wolves howling.”

  She ducked her head with a blush on her face. “Well, I shouldn’t keep you, Adam. I probably should get back to town.”

  My heart leapt into my throat. I didn’t want her to leave. “Why? Are you seeing someone?” I wanted to grab it back and shove it down my throat to prevent her from hearing it.

  Her citrine eyes turned on me. “No, I’m not seeing anyone. I just don’t want to be in your way.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded, but you are hardly in my way. In fact, I have some bluegill fillets I’m getting ready to cook up. Aunt Alicia sent over some dried morels. I’ve had them sitting in water to plump back up. I was thinking of frying them up in a little butter and garlic. There’s a bag of salad I can dress up.”

  She smiled at me again and I felt my heart flutter. “That sounds delicious. I’d love to stay. I hate eating alone every night. It would be nice to share a meal with an old friend.”

  “Good. Would you like a glass of wine or maybe a beer?”

  “I’ll take a beer,” she said as she began to poke around in the kitchen. “I want to help with dinner. What can I do?”

  I handed her a beer and led her around the counter to the stools there. “You sit down and relax. Let me take care of dinner. You’ve been on your feet since four this morning.”

  She had lifted the beer to her lips and stopped. “Wait, how do you know I’ve been on my feet since four in the morning?”

  I was chopping up garlic and stopped in mid-chop, “This is my town. It’s my job to know people’s routines.”

  She sipped her beer, her eyes dancing with laughter. “What time does Samson start his routine?”

  I put my head down and continued to chop the garlic. “Five or so.”

  “Wrong,” she said, “you’ve been watching out for me, haven’t you, Adam Thomas?”

  I took a long draw from the beer sitting beside my chopping block. “Nope. Just been watching you.”

  The next thing I knew she had removed the knife from my hand and had her lips on mine. I could do nothing except wrap my arms around her and hold her tight. My mouth had a mind of its own as it returned the passion in her kiss. I teased her lips open with my tongue. When she opened to me, I slid my tongue inside the warmth of her mouth, the yeasty taste of beer greeting me. Without pulling away from her, I put my hands on her waist and lifted her onto the counter, bringing her up to my height. In an automatic movement, her legs locked around me, holding me to her. The moment was one I’d dreamed of when I was living in the hell of war. Her warm, lush body against mine, and the dampness of her mouth was all the sweetness that made up Luna. I ran my hands under her shirt to the bare skin of her back. She arched into me and moaned deeply. My erection was straining to be released from my jeans when my phone rang. I rested my forehead against hers and attempted to catch my breath.

  “Do you really have to answer that?” she asked.

  I looked at the number. Dammit! “Yes, it’s Bowie.” I hit the talk button, “Adam.”

  “Hey, did Luna make it out there alright?” he asked.

  “Yeah, we’re getting ready to have dinner.”

  My best friend chuckled, “Really? Luring the wolf to the puma den?”

  “Nope, I’m just having dinner with an old friend.”

  “Ooh, did I interrupt something? I’m sensing a little tension in your voice, buddy.”

  “Bite me, flyboy,” I growled. Luna laughed.

  “Just tell her to be careful when she heads back to town. There’s a storm moving in and I want her to be careful on the roads. Of course, that only applies if she actually goes home tonight.”

  Smug bastard. “Thanks for your concern, but I’ll take care of things out this way.”

  I heard Ana’s voice in the background, telling Bowie to leave us alone. “Listen to your wife. Besides, shouldn’t you have better things to worry about?”

  Bowie was laughing as he hung up.

  Luna was three shades of red, but laughing hysterically. “How is our lovely sheriff tonight?”

  I took a deep breath. “He’s worse than the old women in town. He can’t keep his b
ig old snout out of anyone’s private business.”

  Luna took my hand and pulled me to her. “He loves you, Adam. It’s sweet. I consider myself very lucky to have Bowie and Ana as friends. They’re closer to me than my own pack. Bowie really helped me get my shop up and running. He rounded up a bunch of people to help me clean and paint.”

  I kissed her again and pulled away. “I’m very lucky to have the Goldens and Ana. I didn’t exactly get a warm welcome from the pride when I came home. I wasn’t sure if you and I would ever be friends again.”

  Tears flooded her eyes. “After everything we’ve shared Adam? Really? I will always be your friend. Always. Even when you make me angry, I’ll be there for you. I’d like for us to be much more than friends, Adam. I’ve missed you,” she whispered.

  “Let’s start with really good friends and see where it leads. Friends can still kiss and cuddle, right?” I asked with a hint of teasing.

  “Of course. There’s a thing called ‘friends with benefits’ now, too. Though I think there is already too much emotion and feeling between us.”

  I helped her off the counter, savoring the way her body slid down mine. “As far as I’m concerned, there will never be enough feeling between us.”

  She swatted me and giggled.

  We finally sat down to dinner. It was a little later than I had intended, but the delay had certainly been worth it.

  It was after ten o’clock before Luna got up to leave. I didn’t want her to leave at all, but neither one of us were ready for jumping in feet first to a relationship again. I walked her to her car and hopped in my truck to follow her back to town. If Bowie said there was a storm moving in and the roads could get bad, then I wasn’t taking a chance with Luna. I’d just gotten her back. I wasn’t going to lose her now.

  Chapter Seven- Luna

  Adam pulled around to the alley and parked behind me. It was so late and we both had an early morning, but he still walked me to the door.