Seven Years s-1

by Dannika Dark

  “What about yours?” I pointed out, wrinkling my mouth.

  He smirked and shifted over so he was propped up on one elbow and lying on his right side. “That’s not going to happen. You have to be careful with loaded weapons.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Give me a break.”

  “I’m just here to give Mother Nature a hand.”

  My legs crossed at the ankle and I stared at the ceiling. “You were always so bad with jokes,” I groaned.

  “Did you really like the candy or were you just being polite? Be honest; my feelings won’t be hurt and I swear I won’t be crying over a gallon of ice cream at two in the morning with Denver, talking about my feelings and shit.”

  A burst of laughter flew out of my mouth and I curled on my side. Austin’s look was so serious my Beaker laugh slipped out and then he quickly kissed my neck. “There it is,” he said. “That’s the Lexi I know and love.”

  My smile was erased like a mistake on a chalkboard. I sat up and covered my bare legs with the sheet. “Don’t say flippant things like that if you don’t mean them.”

  An ordinary remark hit the psycho switch in my brain and turned me into one of those… sensitive girls. Normally, I just rolled with the punches and dished what I got, rarely taking what people said to heart. But for whatever reason, hearing “love” come out of his mouth in the same sentence with my name provoked a new feeling I didn’t have a grasp on.

  An uncomfortable moment passed between us and vanished when thunder cracked outside and I screamed, flying against Austin’s chest. He rocked with laughter and threaded his fingers through my long, silky hair.

  “Why didn’t you bring a blanket?”

  “I did. I brought the Austin special,” he said, running his hand teasingly down his chest.

  A snort escaped. “Very funny.” I was too afraid to ask what any of this meant—if anything—so I just let go of all the questions and lived in the moment. “Did you kill a lot of men?”

  “Yeah,” he admitted. “Bounty hunters track down outlaws and it’s dead or alive. Outlaws in the Breed world are the worst kinds of criminals, so we do whatever it takes to bring them in. Hunting is a legal, respectable position that pays well. I needed to build up my finances before starting my own pack. Our parents didn’t leave us with much money because they’d never established a pack of their own, which is how you get that kind of security. Most of the men were turned in alive, if that makes it any easier for you to think about.”

  “That business card you gave me, was that your old job?”

  “I still have a few of those left,” he said. “It was my calling card. The bow and arrow is the symbol of a bounty hunter. You’ll see that a lot among Breed in certain professions; we use symbols instead of titles. That’s the life I’m leaving behind.”

  The room lit up with strobe lights and we quietly waited for the crash of thunder. Instead, it was a heavy roll, like a bowling ball traveling down a wooden lane. I felt like I was supposed to say something profound, or funny—something to kill the silence. But there was a sweetness in the quiet moments we shared that I enjoyed too much.

  The rain. The rumbling thunder. The flashes of light and catching glimpses of his pale eyes watching me. His fingers threading through my hair. And when I began to drift off to sleep, his soft lips kissed my eyelids.

  I wanted to ask what I meant to him. I wanted to hear it from his lips, even if they were words of denial. But all I felt was his warm body against mine as I fell asleep, wrapped up in his embrace.

  Chapter 25

  The previous night was one sexual blur. I’d love to say I slept in Austin’s arms for the rest of the night, but that heat thing ain’t no joke. I had four more episodes, and he was right there, taking care of me like he’d promised. I loved that at twenty-eight, Austin could give me a first-time experience. Honestly, it meant more because it was with him. He wasn’t exactly a perfect gentleman, but he kept his word that it wasn’t about reciprocating the favor (not that I would’ve objected).

  Yeah, I was a little disappointed. But in retrospect, I knew he was right. It would have been weird between us. This was weird enough, but sex kind of solidified it in a more irreversible way. Not to mention if I’d become pregnant, it would have complicated my life in a way I wasn’t prepared for.

  Still, it was one of the most erotic nights of my life. Strange to think it was possible to feel that way when we didn’t even have traditional sex. I’d probably need a cold shower for the next five years whenever I thought about what he did to me. What I didn’t realize was that Austin had inadvertently planted a permanent fantasy in my head where every time I’d touch myself, I would think of him.

  Looking at the hood of his Dodge Challenger without getting aroused would also prove to be impossible.

  I stretched my toes and buried my face in the soft pillow. Austin smacked my ass. “Get up, lazybones.”

  “Get out.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t want you to see me.”

  Without a doubt, I knew I looked like a hot mess. Dried sweat and matted hair, smeared eyeliner, and probably marks on my face from having slept on wrinkled sheets.

  “Don’t tell me you’re one of those girls,” he said, laughing heartily. “Jesus, Lexi. I’ve seen what you look like in the morning, and you’ve got nothing to hide about.”

  “Yes I do,” I mumbled.

  “Maybe you’re right. Your breath does tend to smell like sweaty socks when you wake up.”

  I waved my arm out to slap him but missed. “That’s not funny.”

  “Fine. I’ll just sit here staring at your lovely rear end for the rest of the morning. On a side note, I like these panties with the strings on the side.” He pulled the elastic and let it snap against my hip. “But I think the ones that ride up in the back are sexier. What do you call those?”

  “Slut shorts.”

  He chuckled warmly and fell against the mattress. I gathered up the sheets and covered my waist, sitting up with my back to him. A clump of hair fell in front of my face and I hiccupped, looking around for my clothes. It was so bright and sunny in the room that the memory of the night before was almost erased.

  Almost, but not a chance in hell.

  “Do you have any coffee?”

  “Yeah,” he said, getting up and stretching out his back.

  I tried not to peek at him through an opening in my hair, but damn, he looked good. Tight abs, his jeans slung low on his hips because the belt was off, barefoot, and shirtless. Austin had a nice tan all over, not to mention he was sporting the messy hair I found wildly attractive. When he rubbed his hand over his pec, pushing the skin around, I slammed my eyes shut. “Um, the coffee?”

  “On it,” he said, bare feet sliding across the wooden floor. “The bathroom is down the hall and I left a few things in there for you like towels and a robe. I wasn’t sure how long we’d be here, but it ended sooner than I thought it would. Christ, I don’t think I could have taken much more of that.” His voice was strained, the words meant for his ears and not mine.

  Austin disappeared and I ran in quick steps across the house with my clothes in my arms, looking for the bathroom. It was a beautiful house with a large staircase in front that led up to a second landing before turning right and going up another flight. The floors were an unfinished wood, and the white paint on the walls had begun to age. I didn’t have time to look at all the details, but I did notice a hole in the wall next to the staircase.

  After a quick shower, I brushed my teeth and put on some fresh clothes Austin had packed. Jean shorts and a thin white shirt. Men didn’t really think about such things, but all he’d packed were black bras. I sighed and put one on anyhow. On hot days like these, I preferred wearing a thin shirt to a tight tank top. Just not with the faux pas of my bra being visible.

  I walked barefoot through the beautiful house, my long hair tied up in a wet ponytail. Sunshine poured in through the front windows and I could see tiny dust parti
cles floating in the air.

  “Austin?”

  “Out here,” he called from the front.

  The house faced east and sunlight splashed across the wooden porch. Austin was sitting on the steps with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and a small plate on his knees. I sat beside him and lifted my red mug from the step. “Hola. What’s that you’re eating?”

  He held the plate in front of me. “Bananas, granola, and dried cherries.”

  “How did you get so fit eating birdseed?”

  Austin held out his right arm and flexed a little. “You think I’m fit? I could probably use a little more muscle. I’ve been slacking these past few months.”

  He had to be kidding. If he had been any more toned, I might have dry humped his leg when I first saw him at Dairy Queen. Maybe that was extreme, but it made me laugh and I took a bite of the banana.

  “Want to share?”

  “Not really,” I said, knowing he was asking about my thoughts, not breakfast. “Are there any neighbors nearby?”

  “No.” He quietly sipped his coffee and made an audible swallow. “I bought a hundred acres, so we’re pretty spaced apart.”

  “How much did that cost?”

  Austin didn’t answer. I guess at this point, it didn’t matter. Finally, he pointed to the left by a pear tree. “What do you think about putting a garden over there? I could make some wind chimes and hang them from the branch.”

  “You know how to whittle?”

  He gave a handsome smirk and his dark brows sank over his sparkling eyes. “Don’t look so surprised. A Shifter once showed me how to make them out of wood. It’s not difficult.”

  It was such a little thing, but it gave me insight to a side of Austin I’d never seen. Suddenly I wanted to know everything he’d been through in the past seven years—even the bad stuff.

  “Can you remember things when you’re in wolf form? I mean, everything in detail?”

  After taking another sip, Austin set the coffee down and stretched out his legs, crossing them at the ankle. He’d put on a pair of brown hiking boots.

  “Most of it. I can’t remember details of conversation too well, but I get the gist of emotions and things that I pick up through my wolf. Depends on the situation. Why?”

  “Do you remember the lawyer coming by?”

  “Ah, so that’s who that was.”

  “My boss died.”

  A blue jay squawked and flapped into a nearby oak tree.

  “Sorry to hear that.”

  After another bite of banana, I set down the plate. “He willed me his shop and I don’t know what to do. I’ve never run a business before; I’ll screw it up.”

  Austin chewed on his lip for a moment, staring at the open stretch of land. “Do it. You’ve got my support, Lexi. Just don’t run yourself into a hole, and if it comes to that, then sell it or quit. You’ll regret it if you don’t try.”

  “I know,” I said, resting my chin on my knee. “I just don’t know how to feel about it. Charlie’s gone, and it hardly seems like it’s the same without him.”

  “But you knew how he ran the store and what it took to make money. You’re a smart girl, Lexi. I know you’ve picked up some business sense over the years working there. I’ll help if you need it. Maybe put Ben and Wheeler’s sorry asses in there to work for you.”

  “Uh, no thanks. They’d scare the children.”

  He laughed and leaned forward, chewing the granola and wiping his hand on his jeans. “When I was younger, they were more like Denver, personality wise. No tattoos, no morose expressions, and Ben worked with Wheeler for a while before he decided to play cards professionally. Something happened between them, and if I had to guess, it has to do with money or a woman. They still get along, but it seems more like they’re doing it because of rank or something.”

  “How many more will you add to your pack?”

  “Hard to say,” he mumbled, chewing the last bite of granola. I watched his strong jaw working hard and noticed he had shaved, although he’d missed a patchy spot on the side. “This house was renovated and has about fifteen bedrooms. If anyone brings in a mate, then that could double the occupancy without using up all the rooms. That’s why I bought the additional land. I’d rather not have everyone living in separate houses; that never works well with Shifters. But I can always build onto this one, or have a house just over there,” he said, waving his hand to the left. “We could connect them with a walkway or something.”

  “What happens when the women go into heat?”

  “They stay locked up in their bedrooms.”

  I frowned. “That’s not practical. Maybe if you build an extra house, it could be the heat house.” I laughed so hard at my joke that Beaker made an appearance and I plugged my nose to make him go away. I hated my laugh when I got riled up because people used to make fun of me. It wasn’t any weirder than Pamela Jones, who used to snort with each breath. Or Danny (one of Wes’s friends) who would scream out his laugh like some old drunkard.

  Austin pulled my hand away. “Don’t cover up your laugh,” he scolded. “Now finish up your coffee and we’ll head out. I’m anxious to start moving in and the boys have a lot of work to do before that can happen.”

  “What kind of work?”

  He stood up and locked his fingers behind his head, stretching in the morning light. “Marking territory. One hundred acres. We’re going to have to stop off and buy a few cases of Gatorade. Denver’s going to hate my ass.”

  * * *

  I called April and she confirmed that thanks to Austin, things were running smoothly again. I was a little too embarrassed to go straight to Austin’s house and face the music (and the stares), so Austin dropped me off at Sweet Treats. Now that I was out of heat, he was okay with taking off, which I was thankful for. I didn’t need someone in my life that was so possessive I couldn’t walk five yards without feeling a tug at my leash.

  April didn’t take the news about Charlie’s death very well. She might have a nose for business, but her sensitive side still ran deep. After fifteen minutes of crying in the bathroom, she emerged with a puffy nose and smudged eyeliner. She had also changed out of her work clothes, so I guessed she needed the rest of the day off to grieve. Girls like April looked even prettier at their worst; she just exuded a natural beauty I envied. I heard guys whispering about how she looked like a younger Keira Knightley, only blond with a punk-rock hairstyle like Pink. April had a unique look that made me wonder why she’d never tried modeling. Beckett once told me I looked like Megan Fox, but that’s when he was going through his Transformers movie phase. Plus, boyfriends were supposed to say stuff like that. I had lied myself and told him once he looked like Matt Damon on steroids.

  “You okay?” I asked as she sat in the chair behind the counter and blew her nose. “I’m serious about you taking over as manager. I don’t know what I’ll be able to pay you until I figure out the finances, but nobody knows how to run a business like you do. April Frost, you were born for this.”

  A little spark glittered in her eyes and I glanced at the streak of black dye in her platinum-blond hair. Her long bangs swooped over her face stylishly, and the streak ran diagonal. Last month, she tried a light blue color.

  “Let me think about it. Of course I will,” she said, as if there was never a doubt.

  I walked around and hugged April so tight she let out a small fart. The both of us cracked up and I fell on the floor in hysterics. I needed that laugh; sometimes unexpected moments of childish humor made you realize how simplistically wonderful life was.

  “Did you read over the information he left you?” she asked, twisting her bracelets around her wrist.

  “Not yet,” I said, pulling myself up. “I was busy last night and didn’t get around to it.”

  That’s when her eyes slid up and down my body. “With Beckett?”

  I flushed and looked away because April had no idea Beckett was dead. The only person who would have reported him missing was h
is boss, but I had serious doubts he’d bother since they didn’t get along. Beckett’s only family was a drunk father serving time in the state pen. It simplified my holidays, which were always spent with my mom.

  “No,” I replied, unwrapping one of the colored candy canes and nibbling on the end. “I went out with an old friend.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear your hair up,” she noted. “Knocks five years off your age, but I guess you already know that.”

  No, I sure didn’t realize a simple ponytail made me look younger, but a girl could always use a boost to her ego, so I spun around with a wide grin. “Think so?”

  April wasn’t paying attention as she thumbed through the ledger. “If you don’t mind, could I close up the shop for the day to do some work? I’d also like to see the papers he gave you. Don’t worry about the store—I’ll work out shifts with the girls until you come back. Say, when are you coming back?”

  Good question. As the owner, would it be appropriate for me to be stocking candy? “Umm, as soon as I can. You call me if you need anything. I’m serious, April. I’ll give you the number where I’m staying and I’m going to get a cell phone.”

  “Holy smokes!” she exclaimed. “You? A phone?”

  “All right, that’s enough, Miss Sassypants. I’m having some family issues I need to resolve and you know I’m not someone who takes off work unless it’s important. I have a lot of time built up and—”

  She lifted a hand. “You don’t have to explain it to me, boss.”

  We both smiled at each other. There we were, running our own place, and that was probably the first moment it really sank in. Thanks, Charlie. Not just for dumping one hell of a responsibility on me, but for trusting and believing in me.

  “I’ll drive you home and that way I can go over some of the books and look up a few things. Do you know where the money is all going now?”

  “I’ll have access to the business account, and he provided a list of all the companies he receives bills from or does business with so I can contact them with the changes. His savings is going into the account and I’ll receive half of his life insurance.”