Rebel Bear

by Anna Lowe

  “Sleep with me,” she whispered. A second later, she pulled away and slapped her hand over her mouth. “I mean — that came out wrong.”

  He tilted his head, letting a hint of amusement show for the first time. “How did you mean it, then?”

  Her cheeks burned. “I mean, sleep beside me. I mean… Oh, God…”

  He laughed outright then pulled her into a warm hug. “I think I know what you mean.”

  She closed her eyes, ready to crawl into that cellar of his and die of embarrassment. “I’m going to blame that on being a little mixed up tonight.”

  His arms rubbed up and down her back, putting her at ease. “Being only a little mixed up is pretty amazing, considering what you’ve been through.”

  She laughed. Plenty mixed up was more like it, and not just from the scary parts of the day. Her lips were still tingling from the kiss they’d shared earlier, and her blood was much too warm for a woman who ought to feel chilled to the bone.

  She forced herself to pull away. “I’m sorry. I have no right to ask so much of you.”

  The right side of his mouth curled up. “I think I can suffer a little more.” His eyes clouded for a moment, like he’d just remembered a very good reason to say no. But then he nodded firmly. “Seriously. I’m happy to help.”

  She took a deep breath. “Okay, so — the bathroom is…”

  He pointed, and she skittered away to get ready for the night. They’d agreed to pretend, right? So pretend she would. That it was perfectly normal to sleep beside a man she’d only known for a few days. That she hadn’t been hunted down by a werewolf — correction, wolf shifter — earlier that day.

  God, mixed up didn’t begin to capture how she felt.

  But, wow. Once she was ready for bed, sliding between the sheets had a certain thrill, and when Tim slid in behind her — slowly, carefully, like he was afraid she’d bolt — sparks ran through her veins.

  She lay on her side, facing the wall, wearing nothing but panties and the T-shirt he’d loaned her. Tim tucked in behind her, leaving a half-inch gap between them as he drew the sheet and quilt over both of them.

  “This okay?” he whispered as he rested his arm over her side, careful to keep his hand in the neutral zone around her belly.

  “Sure.” Her voice had a forced lightness to it, but every muscle in her body was taut.

  She lay still, telling herself that feeling safe was all she wanted. That she hadn’t been fantasizing about Tim every night for the past week.

  “Goodnight.” His deep rumble vibrated through her back and joined in with the sparks exploring her veins.

  “Goodnight,” she whispered.

  For the first few minutes, Hailey listened to the chirp of crickets and the distant sound of the sea. She stared at the shelf where she’d left her watch and phone, wishing her pearl were beside them. The phone she could do without. But the pearl… Ever since her grandfather had given it to her years ago, she’d never been without it.

  My father and mother met when he was stationed at Pearl Harbor at the end of World War II, her grandfather had once explained. Love at first sight, he always said.

  Hailey closed her eyes, tuning in to the sound of Tim’s soft breath.

  My mother was a beautiful Hawaiian girl who followed him all the way to Montana. They were that in love. This pearl was her family’s wedding gift.

  Hailey had always wished she could have met her great-grandparents, but her grandfather’s stories made up for that in part.

  The pearl might not be perfect, but that just makes it more honest, as my mother always said.

  Hailey closed her eyes. To her, the pearl had always been perfect. The dimples and oblong shape made it that much easier to hold when she needed it most. Like now, when her fretting mind was all over the place. But she’d left the pearl at Pu’u Pu’eo, and she hadn’t had the chance to pick it up before they left.

  I’ll tell you a secret my mother told me. Her grandfather’s warm, scratchy voice echoed in her mind. This little pearl holds all the love in the world. Love that will keep you company wherever you go. Love that gives you strength to carry on. Her grandfather would always pause there, and his smile would turn bittersweet. I think my mother needed that, so far from home. She always wished she had a daughter to pass it on to. You know how happy she would be to know it’s yours now?

  Hailey found herself curling her fingers in thin air, imagining the pearl in her palm. She could use some extra strength after the terrifying events on the beach, not to mention everything else. Jonathan. Her mother. The mob of reporters she was going to have to face when she emerged from hiding.

  She nearly shuddered, but Tim curled his hand around hers as if he’d read her mind.

  “Everything will be okay,” he whispered, kissing her shoulder softly. Just a chaste little kiss, but still, her soul fluttered around in glee.

  She wrapped her hand around Tim’s and tugged it closer to her heart. Not close enough to seduce the poor man, just to settle herself down a bit. The next day, she’d make a quick plan of action, and step one would be retrieving her pearl. But for now…

  Tim pulled her closer, erasing the distance between them, and she just about sighed. With a quilt, a comfortable mattress, and a huge, hulking bodyguard literally at her back, she had everything she could want, and before she knew it, she was drifting into sleep.

  Pretend, Hailey. Pretend. That it was fine to have her rear snuggled into Tim’s lap and her fingers laced through his. That the world was as peaceful and safe as it felt just now, and that everything would be all right.

  Funny how pretending wasn’t all that hard in the end.

  * * *

  To her utter surprise, Hailey slept like a rock, and when she woke, the pink light of dawn streamed through the gaps between the cabin’s beams. She stretched then froze, suddenly remembering how she’d gone to bed. This was supposed to be the awkward part, right?

  But Tim murmured from over her shoulder, soothing her all over again.

  “I think pretending is allowed for a little longer. Coffee’s on me this time,” he whispered, kissing her on the shoulder and rolling away.

  She turned and watched Tim, keeping the quilt close in the chill of daybreak. Every move the man made was powerful and controlled, from the easy way he swung down the loft stairs to the exactitude with which he placed the kettle on the single-burner stove. He was wearing black boxers and nothing else, and the soft morning light glowed over every chiseled muscle on his broad frame. He scratched his chest in the absent-minded gesture of a man who was a little sleepy and totally at home.

  When he pulled on a shirt and wrestled it down over his torso, she tried not to stare at the way all the different layers of muscle rippled. It wasn’t just his looks that drew her in, though. She’d modeled alongside enough finely chiseled body-builder types to know a great body didn’t always come with a sharp mind — or a pure heart. Some of those men had made lewd jokes; others had all but assumed she would follow them off the set and into bed. Few men so much as held a door open for her, let alone bent over backward to help her the way Tim had. And no one had that amazing mix of a soft touch and iron will that Tim had.

  She stared at the shelf where her pearl ought to be and shook the thought away. She wasn’t falling in love. She couldn’t allow herself to. Not at a time like this, and not with her record of making mistakes.

  So she took her phone off the shelf and clicked it on, bracing herself for the onslaught of messages that were sure to be there. Pretending was all well and good, but she had to face the music at some point.

  Sure enough, her inbox was packed with dozens of messages, and she cringed.

  “Milk?” Tim asked, holding up a mug. Looking at her with those deep, undemanding eyes. Begging her to stay in his world for a little longer.

  She put the phone down, happy to delay unpleasant realities for a while.

  “Milk would be great,” she whispered, sliding out of bed and away from t
he phone.

  He waited, quiet and patient as ever, while she slipped off to brush her teeth and change into the clothes Jenna had brought over the previous night. She would have preferred wearing Tim’s oversize shirt all day. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t do — not on the day she’d sworn to finally get a move on with her life.

  But Tim said she could pretend a little longer, and damn it, she did. She sipped her coffee, looking into his eyes the whole time.

  “Perfect,” she breathed when she was done, though she’d been busier drinking in the sight of her companion than appreciating the flavor of that particular brew.

  When he licked his lips, she had to yank her eyes away, and she swore his breath hitched. Hers did too, and an invisible energy field started swirling around them again, wrapping her in its spell. All kinds of crazy visions zipped through her mind, like waking up to an infinite number of mornings with Tim. Spending every night with him. Before long, a whole, happy future was playing out in her mind, with kids and summers and Christmases. Birthdays, weekends, and the occasional dinner out. Laughter, silky touches. There were tears too, but none were brutally dark and desperate, not if she could face sorrow with Tim.

  She bit her lip. Was that a vision — the kind she’d be a fool to ignore — or was it mere fantasy?

  Tim’s eyes glowed, making the beautiful brown irises turn caramel. He whispered, reaching for her hands.

  “Hailey, I really have to tell you something.”

  She held her breath. Had he seen what she saw? Did he want it, too?

  His Adam’s apple bobbed with a heavy gulp, signaling something momentous. Something that could change her life.

  She nodded eagerly. But he paused, and the moment stretched on and on.

  A shrill, piercing ring broke the silence, and they jumped apart. Hailey looked around and spotted her phone, vibrating and flashing with an incoming call. The urgent ring hammered at the silence of the rustic house until she couldn’t stand it any more. She hurried over, looked at the display, and grimaced as it rang again.

  “My mother.”

  Guilt sliced through her. How heartless had she been, cutting off her mother like that? The poor woman was probably worried out of her mind.

  Hailey’s hand froze halfway to the phone as it hit her. If Lamar could threaten her, he might threaten her mother. She snatched the phone up to answer.

  “Mom? Are you okay?”

  Tim tilted his head, listening, and she wished she could hold his hand. It sure would help her get through the call.

  “Hailey? Goddammit, where the hell have you been?”

  She held the phone away from her ear. No Are you okay? or Oh my God, I’ve been so worried about you. Just that shrill, cockatoo voice. Scolding. Demanding — no, issuing an order Hailey didn’t want to hear.

  Tim’s brow knotted. “Everything okay?”

  Hailey made a face, covered the phone, and held back a sigh. “Yeah. Totally normal.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Hailey pressed the phone back to her ear. “Where are you, Mom?”

  She nearly shrieked when she heard the reply.

  “On my way to Maui, no thanks to you. What is in your brain, girl?”

  If it weren’t for Tim touching her hand just then, who knew what she might have replied?

  “Why are you coming to Maui?”

  “To shake some sense into you, of course. Now, tell me where you are,” her mother snapped.

  “Sounds like you know where,” Hailey answered, trying to understand what was going on.

  “Would you stop playing games? I know you’re on Maui. Jonathan’s security team tracked you down. I don’t know what you were thinking.”

  Hailey’s blood went cold. “Is Jonathan with you? No? Good, then listen, Mom. Listen carefully. You can’t trust him. More than that, you can’t trust Lamar. He’s a monster.”

  Tim’s hand dropped away from hers, and he turned away.

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Hailey. You’re the one who ran away from your own wedding.”

  “It wasn’t my wedding. It was Jonathan’s. If he’d bothered to ask—”

  “If you’d bothered to think, none of this mess would have happened. Lucky for you I talked Jonathan into giving you a second chance. Now, tell me where you are.”

  Hailey’s hand shook, partly in anger, part in fear. “Where is Lamar, Mom?”

  Tim stepped closer, listening in.

  “What do I know? What’s important is that I’m on my way to Maui. Now, stop playing games.”

  Hailey’s immediate instinct was to board the first flight to Timbuktu, but she managed a level reply. “I am not playing games, Mom. I am taking back control of my life.”

  Tim gave her a firm nod, bolstering her nerves. Her mother had a way of making her feel like she was the crazy one, but Tim set her compass straight every time.

  Still, it was time she faced the music, so she couldn’t run, and within a minute, she’d grudgingly agreed to a meeting place.

  “I’ll meet you at the Kapa’akea Resort,” Hailey said into the phone, following the words Tim mouthed. “Call me when you get close.”

  “But—”

  “Call me when you get close, and come alone,” Hailey said firmly before disconnecting the call. She sank into a chair and covered her face with her hands as the peace she’d gained over the past few days evaporated.

  “It’ll be okay,” Tim whispered, crouching in front of her.

  She forced a smile. “Seeing a werewolf didn’t shake me as badly as the thought of seeing my own mother.”

  Tim’s face went from warm to inscrutable. Then he cleared his throat. “The Kapa’akea Resort is a good place to meet. Security is already high, and we can get there early to scope out the place.”

  Hailey made a face. “Maybe I should call in the press. Make a preemptive strike.” Then she shook her head. “Can you believe I’m talking about my mother that way?”

  He shrugged. “From what you say about her, yes. I can believe it.”

  She stared out the door and forced herself to her feet. Reality had just caught up with her. She’d better go out and face it before it got any more out of control.

  “Okay, so I guess I’d better make a plan.”

  Tim nodded but didn’t say anything, letting her make up her own mind.

  She thought it over. “So, I’ll meet my mom and make it clear it’s over between Jonathan and me.” Easier said than done, and she knew it. “But that preemptive strike might actually make sense.”

  Tim grinned. “You have a military mind.”

  She laughed. “Well, you know how it is. Desperate times call for desperate measures.” She frowned. “Is your mom this bad?”

  He shook his head quickly. “I think we were the ones who drove her crazy, not the other way around. But I’m sure your mom…um…”

  He was trying to find something nice to say, and she loved him for it.

  “Um…I’m sure she means well,” he finished a little lamely.

  Hailey laughed — mainly because that was better than crying — and set about making a plan. She scrolled through the contacts on her phone, making a list in her mind. Tim walked off to make a few calls of his own. Apparently, Dawn knew a local reporter who sounded like the perfect person for Hailey to give an exclusive interview to. Meanwhile, Hailey called her agent, and though he was just as angry as her mother was, he did agree to overnight her a new credit card and ID.

  The rest was still shaky in her mind. She couldn’t leave Maui without some kind of security, because what if Lamar came along again?

  She found herself watching Tim pace back and forth as he spoke into his phone. Too bad she couldn’t stay with him. It was perfect in every way but one — the sinking feeling that she might be using the only honest person in her life. She didn’t mean to use Tim, but he’d done so much, and she was so mixed up. How could she possibly trust herself at a time like this?

  “Ready to go?” Tim asked a few min
utes later.

  She looked down at herself, checking her appearance. Her mother would have a fit at the sight of her in borrowed clothes. Which made it awfully tempting to put Tim’s T-shirt back on, because that would really make a point. But, no. She wouldn’t stoop that low. Jenna’s clothes were perfectly fine.

  He must have taken her hesitation for nervousness — which wasn’t far off the truth — because he leaned in and kissed her. Just once, and just on the cheek, but wow. Her heart did a happy flip, and fire blazed through her veins.

  She did her best to nod casually. “Ready to go.”

  Tim led her across the property. “Nothing like Montana, huh?” he said quietly, gesturing around.

  She nearly laughed in relief. Tim was giving her the chance to pretend a little longer.

  “Nope,” she agreed. “I like it, though.”

  In truth, she loved it. The peace. The privacy. The prospect of getting the grounds back in shape. A tangled-over plantation was exactly the kind of project she would love to dive into once she stepped away from modeling.

  But as beautiful as it was, everything Hailey saw reflected her mood. Scrappy rows of coffee plants strained to peek out through thick chokeholds of weeds. The hopeful pink color had long since seeped out of the atmosphere, leaving a clear blue sky.

  A clean slate, she tried telling herself, but all she really saw was a huge void.

  They paused on a rise, and she turned slowly, taking it all in. There were a few more houses sprinkled here and there, and a figure stepped out of one and stretched. She watched as a man raised his arms, facing the sea. Was that Dell? He doubled over, stretching and moving with feline grace. Soon, he was in a plank position and then a cobra pose.

  She stared. “Dell does yoga?”

  Tim nodded. “Yep. Every day.”

  The first few moves he’d done were familiar, but then he crouched, planted his hands on the ground, and eased into a handstand. Not the kind of yoga she’d ever tried. As she watched, he brought his feet together over his head and bent his knees, forming a diamond shape. Finally, he raised one hand off the ground and stayed there, perfectly balanced.