“You mean shifters?” She could see where he would struggle with that brief. “I get to hang out with a class full of hormonal shifters. What have I gotten myself into?”
“The best job in the world,” Dylan said, and started the engine. “Now, let’s go and tell that mate of yours.”
“He doesn’t already know?” she asked.
“No, I wanted to ask you first,” Dylan said, guiding the truck through the narrow lanes towards town.
“And there was me thinking this was a conspiracy,” Zara said. “Good to know I’m not being coerced.”
“Not my thing,” Dylan said. “But he’s going to be happy.”
“I expect so, it’s one less thing we have to worry about.”
“Are you worried?” Dylan asked.
She blew the air out of her cheeks. “Damn it, Dylan. You told me about this mate bond, and I’ve seen your bear, so I know it’s true. But…”
“You never expected it to happen,” Dylan finished for her.
“Exactly. It’s… Well, you know I had the biggest crush on you. I always dreamed we would be together, even after you explained the mate bond.”
He looked across at her, and smiled sadly. “You know if it wasn’t for the bond, I’d have taken you out. But I love you too much to ever do that to you, not when there’s no future.”
“I know, and I’m so grateful. Your friendship means the world to me.” She inhaled deeply, and let it out slowly. “I didn’t expect this. I didn’t expect to be thrust into this world, not again. I questioned coming here. Spending time with you and your happily-ever-after family, I thought it would cauterize the wound. Heal my broken heart…”
“I’m sorry if I broke your heart.”
“That’s just it, when I got here, and I saw you and Steph and your kids, I wasn’t jealous anymore.”
“Thanks!”
“That’s not what I meant.” She gathered her thoughts. “This is incredibly difficult.”
“Take your time.”
“When I saw you after … how many years? Two, three, maybe.” She mentally calculated the time that had passed since she’d seen Dylan last. “It was the summer before you came back here.”
“I remember. I’d just cut a big deal and I took you out for dinner. Right before you headed off to learn how to teach. I remember thinking that you didn’t need to learn, you’d taught me so much just by talking to me.”
“That was it. You had so much money you didn’t know what to do with it, but you were still not happy, you said there was still a piece of you missing. I wanted to be that piece, so much it hurt. But in that instant, I knew it was never going to be me. Yet I could not let go of the idea it should be me, that I could make you happy. I was in love with the idea of happy ever after.”
“And that’s gone?”
“Yes, because you already have your happy ever after. If I was jealous of any of it, it’s your kids. It’s having a family. Which shocked me, because I’d decided that wasn’t for me. Perhaps I didn’t trust myself, after what happened with my mom and…”
“It’s OK, go on.”
“Theo is offering me what I didn’t think I wanted. But being here, seeing you with your family, I do want it. I just have to find a way to get my head around it. I’m wanting to settle down with a man I don’t know, and start a family I didn’t know I wanted,” she finished, finally blurting out what was in her head.
“I get how strange it must be, but once you spend time together, it will click into place.” Dylan drove up towards a large house, and there on the roof was Theo.
She knew it was him; the ache in her heart told her he was there, even though he was turned away from her. “It is clicking. But it’s not right, not yet. I need to spend some time alone with him.”
“Which is why I am here to help him finish up, then you have the whole of Christmas to get to know each other.” Dylan opened the truck door, about to get out. “I can guarantee that some time alone with him, a little Christmas magic, and a lot of sex, and you will see he’s the man for you.”
Dylan shut the door before she had a chance to throw something at him. Sex! With a man she didn’t know. Zara was not a one-night stand kind of a woman.
However, when she was standing there watching her man work, she couldn’t help wonder what those strong hands would feel like on her body.
Chapter Ten – Theo
He sensed her approaching. Securing the tile he had fit into position, he turned around to see her.
Kissing Dylan. His bear was enraged.
It was just a kiss on the cheek, Theo reassured his bear.
Why? Why would they be kissing? His bear growled, and Theo had to hang onto his hammer, his fist clamped around it, while he fought not to throw it at his boss.
Let it go, Theo said. But he would have to ask her, once this roof was finished.
He let out his breath, releasing the tension in his arms; he’d been stressed all morning. Theo wanted to get the roof finished as quickly as possible. For some reason, Dominic had chosen today to become disinterested and vacant. On more than one occasion, Theo had caught him looking at his phone, and then out into the distance.
“Can you pass me the next tile?” Theo said. He could have reached it himself, but he was trying to keep Dominic engaged. A difficult task.
Dominic passed it to him wordlessly.
“Thanks,” Theo said. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes.” But Dominic’s face said otherwise.
Gritting his teeth, and resisting the urge to shout at the boy to pull himself together, Theo fixed the next tile, one eye occasionally drifting to where Zara and Grace stood talking. What were they so engrossed in?
“Are you going over to Dylan’s on Christmas Day?” Theo asked, knowing that Dominic had been invited along with everyone else.
“Christmas Day?” Dominic asked, abruptly, as if the words had been a shock.
“Yes, he’s having an open house all afternoon, but if you are alone, you are welcome for Christmas lunch too. Steph will pull out all the stops.” He watched Dominic while holding out his hand for the next tile, which the boy dutifully passed to him.
“Christmas is not really my thing. I’m going to stay home.”
“Hey there, how is it going?” Dylan asked, climbing onto the roof, before Theo could persuade Dominic to spend the day with other people.
“Another half an hour, and we should be done,” Theo said, studying Dylan’s face, which looked flushed with excitement. “What have you been doing?”
His question was accusatory, more than he had wanted it to be. A thing not lost on Dylan, but his boss just smiled. “I’ve had a good morning. A productive morning.” He looked down to where Zara was leaning on the hood of the truck.
“Are you going to help, or just sit there?” he asked Dylan, wanting to get down off this roof and speak to Zara as quickly as possible.
“I’ve come to help. Pass me a tile, Dominic, and then go down and get the last batch. We’ll have it finished in no time.”
“Are you going to tell me anymore?” Theo asked, as they worked side by side, out of earshot of Dominic, who was going down the ladders.
“Nope,” Dylan said. “I think it’s something you should speak to Zara about.”
“Is she OK?” Theo asked, looking down to where Zara had moved to talk to Dominic.
“Yes. She is.” Dylan grinned. “You are not getting anything else out of me.”
“Then we’d better get this roof finished.”
The two men, with Dominic’s help, soon had the last tile fixed in place. Dylan then inspected the whole roof, and once satisfied, descended the ladder, with Theo behind him. When they reached the ground, Zara joined them.
“It looks good,” she said, her gaze flickering from Dylan to Theo.
“This house would make a good family home,” Dylan said, slapping Theo on the shoulder. “I’ll clear up here and take Dominic home. You two go and enjoy this after
noon, and I’ll speak to you tomorrow, Theo. I’ll see you tonight, Zara. Or do you think you might be staying out?”
She threw Dylan a look that carried the full impact of a hammer in the head, but Dylan just chuckled, too full of whatever it was he’d been up to this morning. Perhaps he’d bought a gift for his kids and that was why he was happy. Or maybe he had shared a tender moment with Zara, who had already admitted she used to have a thing for Dylan.
Who is now mated, he reminded himself firmly. There was no way Dylan would even think of cheating on Steph.
If nothing else, she would kill him.
“Want to grab some lunch?” Theo asked Zara as they walked towards his truck.
“Yes, I’d love to grab a sandwich and go up there and eat.” She looked up at the Bluff.
“Sure. Why don’t we go back to my place? I’ll make lunch and a thermos of hot coffee, and we can hike up there.”
“I have a better idea,” Dylan said, coming up behind them, making Theo’s hair bristle. He was acting like a territorial alpha male.
We are a territorial alpha male, his bear reminded him.
“Let’s hear it,” Theo said evenly.
“Why don’t you borrow the ATV from the yard?” he suggested. “We’re going to be shutting down later, so we won’t need it. When you’ve finished, bring it back to the house and I can park it in the barn for Christmas.”
“Are you sure, Dylan?” Zara asked.
“Absolutely. It means you can get right up on the Bluff before the light fades. The view is spectacular.”
“Thanks.” Theo nodded at Dylan, knowing it was a generous offer, and would make things easier, but he still wanted to know what had passed between Dylan and Zara.
“I’ve never been on an ATV,” Zara confided as they got in the truck.
“You’ll enjoy it, they are fun. And it means we can go a lot further than if we were walking.” He backed up the truck and drove off down the driveway, away from Dylan, tooting his horn once in farewell. He had to act normally, had to let go of his jealousy.
“I’m still going to get to see your bear, though?” Zara asked quickly.
He cracked a smile. “Sure, if you want to.” He swallowed, trying to figure if he should say what was in his head right now, and then decided to go with it. “Dylan looked happy. Did he show you his bear?”
Zara’s head whipped round. “What does that mean?”
Theo shook his head. “It means I’m a jealous jerk.”
“You don’t seem the jealous jerk type,” Zara asked gently.
“I’m not. Not before you. Not before I saw you kiss Dylan on the cheek.” He let the words fall out of his mouth before he could stop them.”
“Oh, that.” She scooted across the seat so she was close to him. “He asked me to do something for him.”
Theo nearly swerved off the road. “He asked you to do something for him? What kind of something?”
“Something he’s had in his mind for some time.”
“Do I need to pull over?” he asked.
“No. I’ll tell you when we get to your house.” Then she pulled away and sat looking out of the window, leaving him in total confusion.
Chapter Eleven – Zara
She knew it was cruel to tease him, but she also thought he needed a lesson, and she was a teacher. It wasn’t that—she was cross with Theo, not for being jealous, but for thinking Dylan would ever so much as look at her in any kind of way that would betray Steph.
Theo knew better than her how the whole fated-mate thing worked. What did he think, that Dylan had decided to throw all that away for Zara?
“I’m sorry,” Theo said, when he switched off the engine. They were parked outside a small timber cabin.
“You should be,” she said. “Is this your house?”
“Yeah, I’m renting it from a local cattle rancher. He has a few of them scattered around from the days when he had twice as many hired hands as he does now. Rent is cheap, and the view is amazing. But it’s not big enough for a family.”
“Hey, slow down there. I’m not looking to start a family straight away.”
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed,” Theo said.
“I know it’s what you … bears want. A family. And it’s not as if I don’t want one too. I just want to get to know you first.” She closed the distance between them, placing her hands on his chest, and liking the solidness of him. “I’m fresh out of training. I want to teach, to fulfill my ambition. I hope you understand.”
“I do,” he said, nodding, but his expression said he might understand, but he wasn’t too keen on waiting.
“Shall I tell you my news?” Zara asked, wanting to cheer him up.
“News?” He placed his hand on the small of her back, and pulled her closer to him. “Is this about Dylan, or are we trying to gloss over that kiss?”
She slapped his chest playfully. “It was one peck on the cheek, and maybe if you know the reason, you might be happy.”
“Try me,” he invited.
“Well, you know he has all the young men and women who are learning new skills in Bear Bluff.”
“Yes,” Theo said, pulling her closer, so her breath caressed his skin as she spoke and her eyes were level with his lips, which she wanted to kiss, so very much.
“Some of them, like me, left school with no education. He wants me to help them with core subjects like English, Math, and then work with the local high school to get them a GED.”
“That’s what the kiss was about?” Theo asked.
“Yes. It was a thank you. He has big dreams, big plans. I told him I didn’t think I was worthy of being part of it, I have no experience. But he thinks my life experience, and being able to relate to what they are going through, makes me an ideal candidate.”
“You are. And you will be amazing.” He lowered his head and kissed her lips, making her legs weak, and she was grateful of his strong arms around her. If she could speak, she might have told him to forget about the mountain and take her to bed instead. However, as his tongue slid along her lower lip, and his hands moved lower to caress her bottom, there was no way she could formulate any words.
With a groan, he pulled back; he was struggling with the same desires. As she caught her breath, she looked up at the Bluff. “Shall we go?”
“Yes. I’ll grab some food, and then we can drive down to the yard. I’ll park my truck outside and we can pick up the ATV.”
“How will you get your truck back? I thought we were taking the ATV to Dylan’s house when we’ve finished with it.”
“We are. But I can run down to the yard afterwards and pick it up.”
“Run. As in on four paws?” she asked, her eyes wide with wonder. She really needed to see him shift. It had been such a long time since she’d seen Dylan change from bear to man, that she often stopped believing in it. But to see Theo change, to touch his soft bear pelt and know it was him, warm and alive, would make it real all over again.
“Yes, four paws. I can follow the road, it’s quiet, and people are used to seeing bears around here.”
She followed him into the house, musing over her thoughts. “You know that shifters are like magic.”
He turned, his key in the lock of his front door. “In a way we are.”
“Does that mean I need to reassess my views on Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy?” she asked.
He burst out laughing. “Even I don’t believe in them.”
“Maybe you should,” she said. The door opened and he stood with his back against it, letting her enter first.
“I would say make yourself at home, but I’m going to need your help in the kitchen if we are going to get up on the mountain before we lose the light.”
“Sure, anything to help,” she said. “Nice place.”
“It’s cozy. A little snug, but I like it. Beats where I lived before.”
“Where did you live before?” she asked.
“In an apartment building. My mom and dad move
d away from Bear Bluff when I was a child. My dad was struggling to find work, and he ended up in a factory. All my life they told me to get a trade, so I did. I figured everyone needs a roof.”
“They do,” she agreed.
“Here, bread, butter, I’ll see what we’ve got to go in the sandwiches, and I have cookies, and honey cake.” He saw her pull a face. “You haven’t lived until you have eaten my honey cake.”
“Your honey cake? You mean you bake too?” she asked, spreading the butter over the bread.
“I am a man of many talents. And I look forward to introducing you to all of them.” His expression was leading, and she didn’t not have to ask him what talents he particularly wanted to share with her.
“I can’t wait.”
He groaned, a deep guttural sound. “You are making it more difficult by the minute. Now that you are here, in my house, and the bedroom so close, I’m struggling not to pick you up and carry you to bed.”
“Patience, Mr. Bear. You have to take me on a date first.” She took some of the chicken he’d got from the fridge and placed it on the bread.
“And then you’ll come back here?” he asked.
“What about the ATV and taking it back to Dylan’s?” she asked, nervous of spending the night with him, even though her body was yelling yes.
“He wouldn’t mind if I put it in my garage,” Theo said.
“I’m sorry.” She had to tell him how she felt, but didn’t want to hurt him. “I don’t want to rush things. Can we take it slow?”
“Yes, as slow as you want. I keep forgetting you don’t have the same … urge, as me.”
“I wouldn’t say I don’t have the same urge, I’m just not comfortable acting on it yet.”
“Then we take it slow.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I understand, and part of me wishes I could just go with it. But that’s not who I am. It’s not who I’ve ever been.”
“And I don’t want you to change. So, I’ll have you home before midnight.”
Undercover Eagle Page 17