Hard To Bear

by Georgette St. Clair

  Blue Moon Junction was the only connection between the three people, but Coral couldn’t imagine how that would help her.

  “Do you have any more questions?” Deputy Chief Carrillo asked, glancing pointedly at his overflowing inbox.

  “Yes, but you’re not going to give me a straight answer, so I won’t waste my time or yours,” Coral said, standing up.

  “I see you’ve got your sister’s smart mouth,” the deputy said, his voice a low growl.

  “If you don’t like my sister’s mouth, I’m sure you can take it up with the sheriff,” Coral snapped, struggling to keep her hackles from rising. She could feel bones rippling in her face, and she suppressed a snarl and fought down the urge to shift and throw down. Nobody insulted her family like that.

  Brock went pale. Bad-mouthing the Alpha’s mate was a dangerous thing to do.

  “I didn’t mean anything by it,” he said, looking shaken.

  “Forget it,” Coral said, and turned and walked out of the office without a backward glance.

  Chapter Four

  Flint leaned on the bar, nursed his bourbon on the rocks and glowered. He was not a happy bear. It was mostly his own fault, which annoyed him even more. He’d stood up the reporter this morning, even though he’d been dying to have breakfast with her. In bed, preferably.

  There had been some truth to his claim that he had been called away on an emergency; there had been a report of more activity on The Site, and he’d shifted and gone out to do some recon. However, anyone from his team could have done that. The truth was, he’d sent Velma in his place because he had been thinking about Coral nonstop ever since he saw her sitting there in his office, and that scared him in a way he’d never felt before.

  He wanted to see the sexy wolf again so badly he couldn’t think straight, which was exactly why he couldn’t see her again. He couldn’t afford to be distracted at a time like this. He had a mission to carry out, he had a cover to maintain.

  A treacherous part of his brain, the part that was connected directly to his dick, wondered if Coral couldn’t be part of that cover. He was pretending that the only reason he and his crew were in town was to expand his family’s business. There was no reason for him not to go out on a date while he was in town, was there? Assuming she was even interested in a date.

  No, he told himself sternly. She was way too distracting. Every time he called to check in with his team, every time he called headquarters, she popped into his head and he could barely think straight. And that was from just meeting her once. What would prolonged exposure do to him?

  It was almost as if Coral was his fated mate. Which was ridiculous. He was a bear, she was a wolf, and frankly, he didn’t know if he even had it in him to settle down with anyone, ever. His work called him to all corners of the world. What woman would put up with that?

  To top off his sour mood, he was stuck for the evening at this ridiculous bachelor auction that his mother had suckered him into. She kept insisting that she’d waited long enough for her oldest son to give her grandcubs and if she didn’t nudge him a little, she’d never have any.

  To help him along, she’d volunteered him to attend the auction and neglected to tell him until the day it was being held.

  He had to admit, she’d been very clever about it. She knew that if she gave him any advance warning, he’d find a way to wiggle out of it, so she’d pulled a sneaky bait and switch. She’d asked him to come over that evening for dinner with her and his father, and then called him up at 4:00 p.m. to confirm that he was still coming. When he said yes, she’d told him about the bachelor auction, and he couldn’t even back out of it, because she knew he was free that evening.

  Nobody else would have dared pulled that on him, but his Mama Bear could get away with anything.

  So here he was, stuck in the ballroom of a turn of the century mansion with an endless stream of women “accidentally” bumping into him and trying to get his attention, when there was only one woman whose attention he wanted, and that was a woman he shouldn’t go anywhere near. It was a complete waste of an evening, and then when someone bid on him he’d be stuck wasting yet another evening, but what could he do? At least they were serving top shelf liquor.

  He leaned back on the bar with a scowl, and took another sip of bourbon, letting the smoky liquid burn its way down his throat like sweet fire.

  “Buck up. It’s for a good cause,” Creighton Leicester, a local wolf shifter, said. The auction was a fundraiser for a new wildlife rehabilitation center.

  “I’d rather just write a fat check than have to parade up and down the runway like a parcel of meat,” Flint grumbled.

  “There’s some attractive women here tonight,” Creighton pointed out. “I wouldn’t mind them checking out my meat.” He guffawed crudely at his own joke, and wandered off to mingle with the crowd.

  “Why the pouty face?” a voice at his elbow said. He turned to see Melinda Kramer, the bear shifter who was one of the construction supervisors in his crew – among her other roles. Melinda was tall, about 6 feet, and had straight, shiny brown hair and an athletic build. She looked out of place in her low-cut evening dress; Melinda was built to wear jeans and a t-shirt, or camouflage. She didn’t do the girly thing very well.

  “Because I’d rather be anywhere else on the planet right now,” Flint said, but he managed a smile for her. “What brought you here? Are you going to bid on some hot piece of manflesh?”

  “What, you mean like you?” she said, flashing a hopeful smile.

  His lips quirked in a wry smile in return, but he didn’t answer. Their history was long and complicated. A year ago, she’d risked her life to save his. They’d been on a mission to rescue a kidnapped operative in India, when things had gone south. The local thugs who’d kidnapped their man had gotten word of the rescue operation, and several of their team had been killed. Melinda had pushed him out of the way just as he was about to be shot, and she’d literally taken a bullet for him.

  He felt obligated to her, and she was also damned good at what she did. Unfortunately, she was also infatuated with him, and he didn’t return her feelings. The more he pulled away, the harder she pushed. It was becoming increasingly awkward between the two of them.

  When he didn’t respond, her smile faded. “Just kidding. I meant, I could bid on you to spare you having to go on a boring date with some bimbo who’s desperate enough to come to one of these things.”

  He shook his head. There was no point in leading her on. “Save your money,” he said gruffly, and walked away, setting his glass of bourbon down on the bar.

  Suddenly he felt an odd tingling, and a pulsing in his groin, and he looked around the room to see why.

  Well, hello. This was an interesting development.

  It was Coral, and she looked good enough to eat.

  She was wearing a silky dress with a flared skirt. It dipped enticingly low at the neckline, revealing the ivory swell of her breasts. Her curls were piled on top of her head in a delightfully messy bun; he wanted to mess her hair up even more.

  She was talking to one of the bachelors who were up for auction, a human whose flowing black locks were slicked back with hair grease. She laughed at something the human said, and he leaned in, staring straight down her cleavage.

  Flint fought to suppress a growl. He didn’t like her laughing at what the man said. Was she actually flirting back, or just being polite? The thought of her being with the human sent a surprisingly strong surge of anger rippling through him, and he had to fight to keep his claws sheathed.

  And suddenly, Flint’s plans took a complete 180.

  He couldn’t stop thinking about her, which was clearly a problem. The best way to get her out of his system was to have a quick fling with her. Just a casual roll in the hay. She wanted him too, didn’t she? He was sure he hadn’t read the signals wrong. He’d asked around, found out she’d only be here for the summer. That was perfect. They couldn’t get emotionally attached. He was only here to ful
fill his mission, and once that was done, he’d also be moving on, as he always did.

  Resisting this woman would be dangerous, he reasoned, because if she muddled his head like this, he couldn’t do his job properly. Therefore, for the sake of national security, he needed to have sex with Coral Colby. Preferably a lot of sex. The more sex he had with her, the better chance he’d have to get her out of his system, right?

  He ignored the nagging little voice in his head which told him that one taste of her would never be enough.

  The man was still talking to Coral. Before he could stop himself, he felt his face growing furry and his hands turned into huge paws, with long, deadly claws scything out. Glancing around him, he took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and forced his bear back down, and his paws turned into hands again.

  The human put his hand on Coral’s arm, and Flint bit back on the growl that rumbled up from deep inside him.

  As if Coral and he were connected by an invisible thread, as if she sensed the red hot rage emanating from his body in waves, a startled look flashed across her face and she glanced around the room and then her eyes met his. Her eyes widened with surprise.

  Grinning, he began to push his way through the crowd, but then the MC’s voice sounded over the loudspeaker. “Gentleman, please assemble backstage. Ladies, take your seats.”

  It took every ounce of self-control for him to turn and join the crowd of men streaming to the small side door by the side of the stage. What he wanted to do was race across the room and tear the man who was flirting with her to pieces.

  As he turned to walk backstage, he felt a hand on his arm. It was Melinda. She was frowning, looking downcast now. She’d probably seen him looking at Coral.

  “Flint, you know that you should be with a bear shifter, don’t you? If you were with a shifter from some other species, you would have mixed litters. You might not even have a bear cub. You could be father to a dog or cat.”

  Flint shrugged uncomfortably. He hadn’t really thought that far ahead, but having a wolf pup wouldn’t be so terrible.

  “That’s what your mother would want,” Melinda added, playing what she clearly thought was her trump card. “She’d want you to be with a bear.”

  “Actually, Melinda, I know my mother better than anyone, and she doesn’t have those prejudices. She doesn’t care whether I’m with a shifter or human, she just wants me married. If you’ll excuse me,” he said, and shook her hand off his arm, annoyed at her for trying to use his mother against him. He turned and walked towards the door that led to the back stage area.

  Coral took her seat with a martyred sigh. What a surprise that Flint McCoy was here – not. He’d probably been flirting up a storm with every woman in the place, she thought resentfully.

  Suddenly she heard the sound of rustling fabric, and Blanche sat down next to her.

  “What are you doing here?” Coral asked, surprised.

  “There’s a hot veterinarian working at that wildlife rehabilitation center, and I’m going to buy me a date with him,” Blanche said cheerfully.

  Coral remembered seeing the man Blanche was talking about, Doctor De Rossi. He was a handsome silver haired human in his seventies.

  “No, I am.” Maybelle sat down in the seat to Coral’s right.

  “If you two ladies get into a knock-down drag out fight, I swear to God I will make sure it’s on the front page of the paper tomorrow, complete with pictures. So behave,” Coral threatened.

  “Really?” Blanche said eagerly. “I haven’t been on the front page in ages.”

  “There was that time that you drove into the fountain,” Maybelle reminded her. “That was only three months ago.”

  “Stupid place to put a fountain.”

  “Maybe if somebody wasn’t too vain to wear their glasses-”

  “Shhh!” Coral hissed. “It’s starting. Behave.”

  She leaned back in her seat, scribbling notes on her reporter’s notepad as the men began parading down the runway. The announcer described each man, and the women in the audience whooped and hollered appreciatively. If Coral hadn’t been in such a bad mood, she would have laughed at the scene. It was like being at a male strip show – she’d been to several for her friends’ bachelor parties.

  “And now, get ready to meet Derek Polark. This handsome panther shifter owns his own jet ski rental business. He’s 6’2”, 240 pounds of pure muscle, and his hobbies are working out, cooking gourmet French meals, and making the ladies purr. He’s your dream date, ladies! Do I have an opening bid? $100? Come on, ladies, don’t let this one get away! $250? Now that’s more like it!”

  Coral kept her head down, scribbling frantically on the notepad. Frederick was standing in the aisle snapping pictures.

  Blanche and Maybelle actually tied in their bid for Dr. De Rossi, each simultaneously bidding $500. He bowed gallantly and offered to take them both out.

  Coral would have given anything to be a fly on the wall at that dinner date.

  Bachelor after bachelor paraded down the runway, both human and shifter, and ladies from Blue Moon County and all the surrounding counties enthusiastically raised their hands to bid, hollering their approval.

  In the meantime, the room got hotter and hotter with the throng of bodies crowded into it. Coral’s dress was too tight and her bun kept falling out of its safety pins. That was typical of her hair; it had a “I am a wild creature, and you can’t tame me!” attitude, usually when it was most inconvenient.

  Oh, great, now it was Flint McCoy’s turn. I hope no one bids on him, she thought; he needs his ego taken down a peg or three.

  Unfortunately, given the crowd reaction, a bidding frenzy was probably in the making. The women shrieked and catcalled, and Flint looked extremely uncomfortable, which made Coral smile for the first time that evening.

  “Ladies, this is Flint McCoy, 6’4” and 260 pounds of bear shifter, and believe me, he loves the honeys! Flint owns an international import-export business, and he’s recently come back to Blue Moon Junction to expand his family’s honey and jam business. Who doesn’t love a little sweet stuff, ladies? What do you bid?”

  Flint strode down the runway, looking not particularly thrilled to be there.

  Even so, the sheer animal magnetism radiating from him was mesmerizing. He moved with incredible grace for a man of his size, walking down to the end of the runway as if he owned the room. When he reached the end of the runway, it looked as if he was trying to catch her eye, which was impossible. This was the man who had done everything in his power to avoid her so far.

  Flustered, she ducked her head and looked down at her pad, scribbling without thinking. Then she looked at what she’d written. Bear bear bear bear bear bare bare bare bare. She quickly scratched it out.

  The women in the audience went crazy for Flint, and as they shrieked his name, Coral had to stuff down a sudden homicidal urge to shift into wolf form and start rending some flesh. It felt like…jealousy. Women were bidding left and right. It seemed to go on forever, and a mysterious anger was swelling up inside Coral, and her hair kept falling over her eyes.

  One tall, pretty brunette seemed especially determined to win the auction, and she had what appeared to be the final bid.

  “$2500! I’ve got a bid of $2500 for this handsome specimen of a bear shifter! Come on, ladies, this bear is a prize! Going once…going twice…”

  Coral’s hair flopped right over her eyes again, and she reached up to push it back out of her face.

  “Three thousand dollars! We have a bid of three thousand dollars!” the M.C. howled, and the crowd went wild, whooping and hollering. Coral looked around to see who had made the bid, and realized to her horror that the announcer was pointing right at her. The pretty dark haired woman was glaring daggers at her.

  No! Oh, lord, this couldn’t be happening! Coral’s face turned bright red as the announcer yelled “$3000, to the lovely redhead in the second row!”

  A look of shock flashed across Flint’s face,
and then he actually smiled, winked at her, and strolled off down the runway.

  Oh, no. As if that bear’s ego needed to be any more inflated. Could she run up there and plead that she’d made a mistake? Probably not. That would be even more humiliating.

  Three thousand dollars. Damn. That was a hefty chunk of her graduation present from her parents. Curse her luck, just curse it.

  “Nice!” Blanche said. “I knew you were sweet on the bear.”

  Coral slumped down in her seat, smacking herself in the face with her notepad. Kill me now, she thought. This could not possibly get any worse.

  “If you need any sex tips, you should ask Blanche,” Maybelle said. “Lord knows she’s been around the block more times than the Earth’s rotated around the sun.”

  Oh, nope, Coral thought. Just got worse. Yes, it did.

  Then the two women tried to slap each other, with Coral swatting at them both to intercede, until security threatened to throw them all out.

  After the auction, Coral stood up, frantically looking for the exit. Before she could make her escape, Frederick rushed over to her gleefully, blocking her attempt to rush down the aisle.

  “So, my little red wolf,” he gloated. “You’ve just purchased the man of your dreams. What are you going to do with your new toy? I want all the graphic details.”

  “Don’t. Just don’t. My hair fell in my face and I was reaching up to push it back. It was a total mistake. Oh, my God, I’m going to jump out the freaking window.” Coral buried her face in her hands.

  “That is so classic! And we’re on the first floor, so go ahead. Ha.” Frederick dodged her punch, and scampered off to take more pictures.

  “Well, well. I give you kudos for dedication to chasing down a story.” Flint’s voice rumbled from behind her.

  She spun around and glared up at him. A big smile quirked those full, sensual lips, and there was a glint of amusement in his caramel brown eyes.

  He loomed over her, and she tried not to breathe in his musky, masculine scent. There was that scent of honey again, too; he must have eaten some right before he came over here. She could literally feel herself salivating, and she swallowed hard so she wouldn’t drool.