“Where should we put this guy?” Walter asked Brad.
Brad smiled mischievously. This wasn’t going to be good.
“Put him in the pit,” Brad said. “I’ll take care of him.”
Walter nodded as he placed the contract in a desk drawer. “Welcome to Cash Logging. You’ve met my son Brad. He’s the pit supervisor and your new boss.”
Brad had his arms crossed and his chin in the air, trying to hide his smirk.
Grayson exhaled, trying to release the slight tenseness in his muscles. Normally he would get the fuck out this town rather than work for two psychos who wanted him dead but that was no longer an option. His mate was up here. And he wasn’t going anywhere as long as Dakota was here.
Even if it meant risking his life.
“Watch yourself cheater,” Brad warned as they walked to the pit. “I don’t know what you did to make me lose last night but I won’t forget it anytime soon.”
Grayson bit his lip. Brad was his boss now. He had to hold his tongue.
“And Dakota is mine,” Brad said.
Grayson’s bear growled at the threat to his mate. This he couldn’t let slide.
“Listen to me close,” Grayson said, stepping into Brad’s personal space. He kept his voice low and controlled. “I don’t care who your father is or who you think you are. If you go anywhere near Dakota again…I will end your life.”
Brad gulped as he stared at him, trying hard to keep the tough guy persona on his scared face.
“I don’t want that bitch anyways,” he said, trying to save face. He pointed into the forest. “The pit is in there.”
Grayson looked into the dense forest and Brad hurried away back to his Daddy’s office.
Grayson walked through the forest, looking up in awe at the tall trees. These have to be over one hundred years old.
He ran his hand over a tall fir tree that the area was famous for. The bark was smooth and a gorgeous ash-gray color. This was going to be good for his bear. Long days in the forest. Working with his hands. He was determined to make the best of it. His new bosses wouldn’t be able to break his spirit.
Cracks like gun shots and cannons ripped through the forest. The trees were swaying up ahead. Grayson sprinted forward, his heart pounding in excitement. What was all that noise?
He emerged in a clearing. There were fallen trees everywhere. Shifters were stripping the branches with their bare hands while others were pushing down more trees.
Grayson recognized two guys laughing as they toppled over a tree. He hurried over to them. “Hey guys,” he said to Wyatt and Jack.
“You survived,” Jack said, looking surprised.
Wyatt grunted as he slammed his shoulder into the tree. It creaked and then cracked loudly as it toppled over and crashed into the ground, taking a smaller tree down with it.
“So you’re in the pit,” Wyatt said. “They must want you dead.”
The pit was very dangerous they explained. There were monstrous trees falling down all over the place and many of the guys worked in their animal forms. The bears and gorillas didn’t always think to avoid the other men and they rarely called out a warning when a falling tree was about to land on someone’s head. Added to that were vicious fights between the dominant males of all species and you were working in a war zone. But if you didn’t die; it was fun as hell.
“What are they doing?” Grayson asked, watching the gorillas fly through the trees. They were high up on the tall trees breaking the tops off and tossing them down into the forest below.
One gorilla broke off the top of a tree and threw it down on a man walking below. “What the fuck?” the man screamed throwing the tree, the size of a normal tree, off him. He picked up a rock the size of a softball and launched it at the gorilla, hitting him right in the ass.
“Hoo Hoo Ahh Aaaa,” the gorilla cried out as he jumped off the tree and landed on the man. The man exploded into a grizzly bear under him as they wrestled.
“Be careful of the apes,” Wyatt warned. “They seem to aim for us.”
“Why are they breaking the trees up there?” Grayson asked.
“They’re high leading,” Jack explained. “They break the crown off and put a harness on top of the stump, which is called the high lead rigging. Then the ox shifters pull them down.” He pointed to five thick, stocky men. Their noses were flat and their square heads were enormous. One of them slung a rope over his shoulder and started walking. He didn’t even have shoes on. As he walked forward the rope that led to the top of a tree with the harness attached to it tightened. His feet dug into the mud as he pulled.
The tree wobbled and then cracked as it fell down, landing behind his feet, only missing him by a yard or two. The ox shifters didn’t even react.
These guys weren’t at the bar last night. Grayson definitely would have noticed them.
“They don’t talk much,” Jack explained as he noticed Grayson staring at them. “They’re very tough, simple men. They keep to themselves. And they’re strong as shit. Best to stay away from them. They’re usually really calm but they can lose their temper in the snap of a bone. And you don’t want to be fighting one of them because you’ll be fighting all of them. They fight in packs.”
The ox shifter who pulled down the tree bent down and hoisted it on his shoulder, his face calm and still, without giving so much as a grimace. Wow. That’s power.
The gorilla jumped back into the tree leaving the bear that he was fighting with roaring on the ground.
“Are you going to stand there all day?” Wyatt asked as he dug his shoulder into a tree trunk the size of a hot tub “We have to clear this whole area by lunch time.”
Grayson smiled as he rushed forward and slammed into the trunk, helping Wyatt push it over. The top swayed as the base cracked. He pushed again, every muscle in his body flexing as the hundred year old tree toppled over, to be turned into pool tables, golf tees, Popsicle sticks or whatever.
He got a quick shot of adrenaline as it collapsed into the forest and crashed. Grayson smiled.
I can get used to this.
five
“Where are my clothes?” Luke asked walking out of the employee room of the bar.
Dakota kept her head down. She wiped the sticky bar with a wet rag, trying to hide a smile. “Maybe you brought them home and forgot about it.”
He walked right up to her. She kept her eyes on the carved up wooden bar.
“Does it have anything to do with that unconscious bear shifter that you carried into your place last night?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, opening the dishwasher. A cloud of hot steam rose up, covering her smirk.
“Mmmhmm,” he said, walking away. Dakota placed the hot glasses on the shelf. She had a permanent smile on her face since she had woken up. Last night had been incredible. She never thought that she would meet a mate in here. The Bar Knuckle wasn’t exactly full of the mating material type.
The first customers started pouring in for happy hour. They tracked their muddy boots onto the floor that she just mopped. Fucking loggers.
She began serving them, her eyes darting to the door every time it opened. A little wave of disappointment hit her every time she looked up and it wasn’t Grayson. Did he survive his day? She was starting to get nervous. Maybe Walter finished off the job that he started last night.
She exhaled in relief when the door opened and Grayson walked in with Wyatt, Jack and Hunter. He smiled at her and her heart started pounding in her chest.
“Dakota,” the shifter at the table said waving his hand in front of her face. “Are you even listening?”
She closed her eyes and nodded. “Of course I am Jeff. Could you just remind me though?”
“Six beers, six whiskey shots,” the huge bear shifter said. “On my tab.”
“Treating everyone Jeff?” she asked, glancing up at her man taking a seat with his new friends. “What’s the occasion?”
“No. That’s
just for me,” he grunted, crossing his arms.
“He had a bad day,” another guy at the table said. “He got in a fight with a gorilla.”
Dakota was hardly listening. How could she with a beautiful specimen of a man like Grayson in her presence?
“That’s too bad,” she said half heartedly. She took the rest of the order and rushed over to their table.
“Hey, the bar is that way,” someone called out behind her.
“How was your first day?” she asked, trying not to sound too enthusiastic but coming off as totally enthusiastic.
“I got hit with a tree,” Grayson said. “It was awesome.”
“Yeah sorry again about that,” Jack said. “Your first beer is on me.”
“No,” Dakota said. “The first round is on me.”
“Wow,” Hunter said slapping the table and looking at Grayson. “This guy is a lucky charm.”
“I’m just happy to see you guys,” she said, but keeping her eyes on her mate.
“We’re happy to see you too,” Jack said with a big goofy grin.
“I’ll be right back.” She walked through the tables swaying her hips a bit more than usual, just in case Grayson was watching her ass, which he probably was.
“Dakota,” a table called out.
“Be there in a minute hun,” she said, putting her hand up.
She climbed under the bar and ducked down in front of the beer fridge. She began pulling out bottles looking for some cold ones in the back.
“You must be in love,” Luke said, leaning over her.
“Shut up,” she said, waving him off.
“I’ve never seen you look for cold beer,” he said, not laying off. “Sometimes I think you choose the hottest beers on purpose.”
She grabbed four bottles that were as cold as they were going to get from the barely alive fridge and stood back up. “Maybe I’m going for employee of the month.” She placed the cold beers on the edge of the tray and filled the rest of it with warm bottles.
“Well there’s only three of us who work here,” Luke said, watching her line up thirteen shots on the bar. “And Leo has given himself employee of the month for the past forty eight months straight.”
“Don’t you have anything better to do?” she asked, pouring the whiskey into the shot glasses.
Luke glanced at the empty stools at his bar. “No. I really don’t.”
She pushed him away and walked out with the tray full of drinks. She stopped at Jeff’s table and unloaded their order before continuing over to Grayson.
She dropped four cold beers and four shots down, leaving one on the tray for her.
They held up their shots.
“May our sons have rich fathers and hot mothers,” Wyatt said.
“I’ll drink to that,” Grayson said, smiling that sexy smile of his.
The five of them slammed back their shots. Dakota held out her tray, as the liquid burned her chest, and the boys slapped the empty shot glasses on it.
She returned to work, always keeping Grayson in her peripheral vision. She was always aware of his presence, always aware of where he was, what he was doing.
She was mixing some drinks behind the bar when he walked to the bathroom signaling her with his eyes.
Dakota dropped the bottle and yanked off her apron. “Luke can you finish these?” she asked as she rushed out of the bar.
“I don’t even know what you’re making,” he yelled as she hurried down the hallway. “Dakota!”
She just ignored him. Grayson was leaning against the wall at the end of the hall with his arms crossed. She leapt onto him and kissed his lips.
“Mmmm,” she moaned tasting his beer flavored tongue.
“I missed you,” he said, between kisses.
She pushed him into the women’s bathroom, well her bathroom actually. She was the only woman who had been in the bar for the past four months.
They kissed passionately and full of longing. The day had been one of the longest of her life. His hands slid up her ribs and cupped her breasts. She wanted to let him continue, to go wild but this was a bar bathroom and she was a lady after all.
She slid her hands over his, letting him touch her a little while longer. “Save it for after our date tomorrow,” she moaned as he kissed her neck. Shivers shot through her as his lips worked the sensitive skin under the back of her jaw. His hands found her ass.
“You do have something planned right?” she asked.
“Mmm hmm,” he said as his lips made their way down her chest to her cleavage. She felt herself moistening between the legs. She had to stop this before things got out of hand.
She put her hands on his stubbly cheeks and lifted his head up. His brown eyes were brilliant.
“You promised,” she said teasing. “I quote, ‘it will be so good that it will be our grandkids’ favorite story and they’ll love to hear you tell it.’ That’s what you said.” She let out a smirk. “Don’t disappoint our future grandkids.”
“Now how could I do that?” he asked, a hint of concern on his face. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“I’ll be waiting,” she said. She fixed her shirt, checked her face in the mirror for any smudged lipstick and left the bathroom, leaving Grayson standing there trying to tame and bring down his hard-on.
She walked back into the bar with a smile that wouldn’t leave. Until she saw Brad. He was sitting at a table by himself in the back corner of the bar glaring at her. She smiled and nodded but he just continued his icy stare.
Dakota had a bad feeling about him. She turned away and hid behind the bar next to Lucas.
“Cleaning the bathroom?” he asked with his eyebrow in the air.
“Shut up,” she mumbled as she tried to look busy. She could still feel Brad’s cruel eyes on her. That look had felt like a threat.
When she finally turned around Brad was gone.
six
Grayson placed his palms on the rough bark of the tree, picturing it as Brad’s face. He shoved his shoulder into the thick pine and pushed it over. A crack like a gunshot erupted through the forest as the tree tumbled over.
Brad had been on his case all day. Shit. And by the way Brad was walking over it looked like Grayson was about to get some more.
“What the hell is this?” Brad shouted pointing at the tree trunk. Three ox shifters silently shuffled over to the tall tree.
“What’s the problem?” Grayson asked, trying to calm his racing pulse.
“That trunk is too high,” Brad said, taking a knee in front of the fallen tree. He pulled out a tape measure and ran it along the stump. “Three inches too high,” he complained.
Grayson glanced over his shoulder at the long tree. The three ox shifters hoisted it up on their shoulders without so much as a grunt and left for the loading zone. Three inches is he fucking kidding me?
“It’s got to be at least sixty meters long and you’re worried about an insignificant three inches?” Grayson asked.
“Three inches is not insignificant,” he snapped.
“Is that what you tell the ladies?” Grayson asked with a grin. It was a bad idea but he couldn’t resist.
Brad bit his lip as his face turned a bright red. “I’m deducting that from your paycheck,” Brad hissed, pointing at the stump.
“What does that work out to be?” Grayson asked. “Thirty cents?”
“Try thirty percent.” Brad gave him one last glare as he stormed away.
Grayson took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He had a date with Dakota tonight. He couldn’t show up pissed off. And this spoiled brat, Brad, was not worth ruining his date over.
“What was that about?” Wyatt asked, walking over. They were watching Brad chew out a mountain lion shifter.
“His small dick,” Grayson said. Literally.
Wyatt shrugged. “So what are you going to do for your date tonight?”
Grayson ran his hand over his shaved head. That was the gazillion dollar question. Where do you ta
ke a girl when there’s no restaurant in town and your mobile home seats one and is surrounded by two hundred other men?
He looked at Wyatt and raised his eyebrow. “I think I might need your help with that.”
Dakota’s breath caught in her throat when there was a knock on her front door. She ran to the mirror for one last check. Makeup and hair was good. She had decided, after an afternoon of internal debates, on a tight black dress. There wasn’t much to do around here and Grayson was probably going to take her to the bar but still, she loved getting dressed up and Dakota wasn’t about to look bad on her first date with her mate.
Dakota checked her teeth in the mirror. All good. She blew herself a kiss and ran to the door. She opened it and gasped. Grayson was standing in the entrance in a fitted suit. The gray suit hugged his big shoulders and was barely big enough to fit his massive biceps. He looked good. She hadn’t seen a man in a suit in at least three years and this sexy sight in front of her was making her body stir.
“For you,” he said, handing her a large bouquet of flowers. She hadn’t even noticed that he was holding it. He looked that good.
She smiled as she took them. The soothing flower scents filled her nose as she hid her blushing cheeks with the petals. The closest flower store was a four hour plane ride away. There wasn’t a big demand for flowers in a logging site full of men.
“Where did you get these?” she asked, walking into the kitchen to find a vase.
“It took some time,” he said with a chuckle.
They were wildflowers. He must’ve hiked for hours to find them.
“You look spectacular,” he said, his eyes trawling up and down her body. She got shivers with his dark eyes on her.
“This old thing?” she asked, waving him away playfully.
“That’s no way to speak to the luckiest dress in the world,” he said.
“Wow you came to play didn’t you?” Dakota asked with a smirk.
“I always do,” he answered. “Don’t forget about the flowers when you tell our grandkids about the date okay?”
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