by Lori King
“You’re so good for my ego, Claire.”
Claire put her hand on her shoulder. “I’m only telling the truth. Now, we are going to eat and have a few drinks, then I will bring you home and you can get your hands dirty again tomorrow. But tonight is for us girls to have a little fun.”
“Okay,” Bloom whispered. She didn’t have any friends back home. None that really wanted to be around her much, but Claire felt different to her, somehow. She was sweet and generous, two qualities she admired in a person.
“You look great. Now let’s go to Murk’s Pub.”
* * *
Free sat there trying to listen to everything Andrea was saying, but he continued to think of her—Bloom—and what she could be doing tonight. He had just left her there to fend for herself. Just left her there and went to the meeting, and never even came back. No introductions to any of the staff or anything. He felt like such an ass.
“I hear you have a new partner?” Andrea asked.
Slowly, he turned toward her when he felt her hand on his arm. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, you looked far off and didn’t answer me. What’s got you so wrapped up in that head of yours?” Andrea laughed.
Shaking his head, Free answered, “Nothing.”
“We’ve been friends long enough that I know when something is wrong. So talk to me and tell me what’s going on,” Andrea replied. “Does it have anything to do with your new partner? What’s her name again?”
“Bloom.” Even her name sent his heart into motion.
“Is she as pretty as her name?”
“I guess,” Free said, trying to get off this subject. “What have you been up to lately?”
“You guess. Oh, no you don’t, mister. Tell me about her.”
“Nothing to tell, really. I don’t see her lasting a month before she goes back to Chicago.”
“What does she look like? What color hair does she have?”
“Brown.” He said it so fast that he had to look away from Andrea. Trying to stop this feeling, Free inhaled and closed his eyes, then froze. She was here at the pub. His eyes opened immediately, searching for her. She was with Claire at the bar with some of the members of Dunn’s pack. “What does she have on?”
“Who?” Andrea asked, turning around. “Who’s that with Claire?”
“Bloom.” His voice was almost a whisper. He couldn’t stop staring at her legs. She had on a skirt that came to her knees, but her legs seemed to go on forever.
“That’s your partner?” Andrea said, leaning over his shoulder. “Wow. She’s beautiful, Free. Look at her. Invite her over. I want to meet the woman who has you in such a tizzy.”
“No, it’s just you and me tonight.” Free tried to look away and ignore Bloom, but the urge to watch her was too much to stop. His eyes seemed to follow her wherever she went. Even when she sat down with Andrea’s Alpha, Nate Dunn, and some of his pack members.
“Hey, Claire,” Andrea yelled over his shoulder. He cringed as Bloom’s scent floated to his nose. He didn’t want to acknowledge her, but Claire was a member of his pack, and Bloom was his business partner. It would be considered rude.
He watched as Claire walked over but Bloom stayed beside Dunn, talking. He didn’t like it either, when the Alpha put his arm across the back of her chair and leaned in to listen to what she had to say. A growl slipped out as Claire walked over.
“What did I do?” Claire asked. Andrea and Claire both looked over at him.
“What are you doing bringing her here?” He had to look away when he realized how sharp his tone was.
“I like Bloom. I didn’t know we weren’t supposed to converse with the enemy.” Claire gritted her teeth then walked back over to the table where Bloom was.
“What the hell is going on?” Andrea asked. Her eyes were wide as she stared at him. “What did Claire mean? Is your new partner your enemy? Is something going on? I thought she was Rose’s granddaughter?”
“No, she’s not my enemy, but she has no clue about us. What if she finds out and nuts up? I can’t let that happen. Everyone should stay away from her until she leaves,” Free said and leaned back in his chair. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her. She had on a black wrap-around dress and high-heeled shoes. Damn Claire for making her look like that. Every male in the damn bar was staring. Even Dunn was sitting too close to her, and it was driving him crazy.
“What are you going to do if she plans to stay, Free? She needs to know about us, and she may surprise you.” Andrea turned around and looked back at Bloom. “Plus, it looks like my Alpha likes her, too, so you never know.”
Free couldn’t think. Dunn had her up and was leading her to the dance floor, and all he saw was red. He could feel the change coming on. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself, but nothing was working.
“Free. Calm down, you’re starting to change.” Andrea spoke in a low voice and rubbed her hands up and down his arms.
Opening his eyes, Free zeroed in on Dunn and Bloom. His hands were on the top of her ass. Jumping up, the chair flew out behind him, making everyone in the place stop and stare. Even Bloom jumped and looked back at him. Dunn tilted his head, not worried about the stare down that was going on. Pack members rushed to Free’s side, trying to calm their Alpha down. Dunn needed to take his hands off her.
“Alpha, people are staring. Some are humans, including Bloom,” Joseph, one of his guards, whispered.
Bloom pulled away from Dunn and Free relaxed some, but he was still too close to her.
Andrea walked in front of him. When he glanced down at her, she gave him a frosty look. “What the hell is going on? You are acting like she is your mate or something!” That’s when he realized everyone, including Bloom, was staring at him.
He glanced back up. Bloom was already across the room and putting her coat on. Claire was trying to get her to stay, but she walked out of the bar and didn’t look back.
“I’ve got to go, Andrea. I’m sorry about all of this. I’ll explain later.” Free grabbed his coat and ran out the door. He looked around but didn’t see her anywhere. He knew she didn’t have a car, so where was she?
“What’s going on, Alpha?” Claire walked out of the bar behind Free.
“Where’s Bloom?”
“Why? So you can make her feel even worse?” Claire muttered, jerking her coat on.
“Where is she, Claire?” Free growled.
Claire looked around the parking lot. “She said she needed some air and I told her I would be out in a few minutes. I needed to tell Paris something.” They both looked around the parking lot.
“Where is she?” Claire’s voice broke as she searched. Her phone beeped and she looked down at it. “She says she’s going home and for me to stay and enjoy myself. But how will she get home, unless…?”
Free and Claire looked over at the road. “She’s walking home.”
“Damn that girl. I’ll find her, Claire, and make sure she gets home.” Free didn’t wait for her to say anything, just ran over to his truck and jumped in. Sure enough, Bloom was walking down the roadway in her high-heeled shoes. Something could have happened to her. Someone could have hit her by mistake. Pulling up beside her, Free rolled down the window, but she ignored him.
“Get in,” Free demanded. She was going to get herself killed. “Bloom, get in the truck before you get hit.”
Stopping, she turned and looked over at him. “Don’t you ever tell me what to do! Go back to your girlfriend. You don’t have to worry; I won’t ever inhabit the same place as you again.” Bloom’s expression was unreadable, but Free could hear how hurt and mad she was.
“Bloom, this isn’t the road to walk on at night. There are no lights on this road and there are wild animals.” Free watched as Bloom stopped and looked over at the fields. “Look, just let me take you home.”
“No! Just go back to the bar and enjoy yourself. I’m gone now.” Bloom continued to walk.
He pulled the truck up, blocking her path, and got out. Marchin
g around the truck, he decided that he was going to take her home, kicking and screaming if he had to. Backing up, Bloom took her hands out of her pockets and put them up in front of her.
“Just go back to the bar. You don’t listen to anyone but yourself!” Bloom tried to back up and go around his truck, but he reached out and caught her. He pulled and she pulled back, trying to get away.
“Enough.” Free gave a sharp tug and Bloom fell against his chest.
“You…you ass,” Bloom hissed. All he wanted to do was get her home safely, but no, she had to look at him like that. Her eyes had that smoky look to them, and all he wanted to do was fall inside them.
“Yes, I am.” Free grabbed her head and leaned down, and pressed his lips to hers before she could say anything else. Why did this woman make his blood boil? He continued to kiss her, not letting her go until she finally melted against him. She opened up to him, allowing him in to taste her. Grabbing her by the hair, Free pulled her head back and moved his lips down to her neck, laying soft kisses up and down.
It was a vehicle passing by, blowing the horn at them, which finally brought them both back. When he pulled away to look at her, she wasn’t smiling. “Leave me alone.” Bloom pulled back and tried to walk around him.
“I can’t do that.” Free picked her up and threw her over his shoulder and marched back to the truck.
Kicking and screaming, Bloom beat her fists against his back. She wasn’t hurting him, but he drew his hand back and spanked it across her butt. That got her real mad. He heard her dress split as she started flailing her legs, trying to kick him. “Bloom, stop acting like a child.” He smacked his hand against her backside again.
“Stop trying to tell me what to do. I’m nothing to you.” Jerking his door open, Free put her down in the seat.
“Yes, you are!” Free yelled back. “Yes, you are.” This time, his voice was lower. She didn’t say anything more. Shaking her head, Bloom closed her eyes.
“Just take me home,” Bloom whispered. He waited for a minute, staring at her, then closed the door and walked around the truck and got in. Nothing was said as he drove her home. She never even looked at him; instead, she looked out her window.
As soon as he pulled up in the driveway, Bloom opened the door and jumped out. He put his truck in park and watched as she ran up the stairs and slammed the door behind her. He did it again. Why did he kiss her?
Free slammed his hands against the steering wheel and heard it creak. “Fuck.” He hit it again. He had to tell her he was sorry. Apologize again to her. She didn’t deserve this from him.
Getting out, he walked up the stairs and tried the door. “Shit.” She’d locked it. He sat down on the steps. What was he doing?
“Why are you sitting on the steps? What’s going on?” Buck asked. He had obviously just shifted, standing there in the nude off to the side so Bloom couldn’t see him from a window.
“Nothing.”
“Doesn’t look like nothing to me. Joseph called and said you looked like you wanted to challenge Dunn because he was dancing with Bloom.”
“Joseph talks too much,” Free muttered.
“Joseph is doing his job by keeping the beta informed. Especially when his Alpha is acting like a pup in heat for the first time.”
Free could feel his wolf jumping to get out. He glared at his best friend. “Remember who you’re talking to.”
Buck lowered his eyes. “I know who I’m talking to, but you need to get yourself under control. Why are you acting like this about Bloom? Is she your mate, Alpha?”
“No!” Free got up and started walking to his truck. “She’s just my business partner.” He got in his truck and pulled out of the driveway, heading home.
11
Bloom ran into the house and locked the door behind her. Running upstairs, she slammed her door and locked it, too. She wasn’t taking any chances. Unwrapping the dress, she flung it on the bed and went to take a shower. The man had her so worked up she needed to cool off.
He went from cold to hot, back to cold again. She didn’t know what to believe anymore. This was the second time he kissed her and pulled away, and he’d looked like he wanted to kill the man she was dancing with. All she wanted to do was to feel her age again. Just have some fun tonight, and not think about the commitments she had made.
Couldn’t he just mind his own business? She didn’t mean anything to him. Nothing, except someone he had to split the business with. Someone he had to deal with. Bloom turned the shower off and got out. She was drying herself off when she heard something. She had locked the door; she knew that, so what was that noise?
Slipping her nightgown over her head, Bloom opened the door and walked out into her bedroom and listened, but didn’t hear anything. It had to be her imagination. She hung the dress up in her closet and set her clock again. Climbing into bed, she closed her eyes. Tomorrow would be a better day. She would stay away from Free and let Buck tell her whatever she needed to know.
Getting comfortable, Bloom had just started to drift off when she heard the noise again. It almost sounded like someone dragging their foot against the floor. She leaned up and had decided to see where it was coming from when something hit her bedroom door so hard, she almost had a heart attack. “Leave!” the voice screamed. Grabbing hold of her comforter and pillow, Bloom ran into the bathroom and locked the door. She was so scared that she went over to the corner and sat down and covered up. Putting her hands over her ears, she prayed that the ghost would go away. She didn’t know what time it was when she finally fell to sleep, propped up against the wall in the bathroom.
* * *
Bloom didn’t have to turn the alarm off, since she was already awake, already in the shower at five in the morning. Every noise the house made drew her attention. As soon as she dozed off again, something would wake her up. After her shower, she opened her bedroom door and walked out and found nothing.
She ate some toast, then poured coffee into a thermos and walked out the back door in search of Buck. She had heard a truck pull in early this morning and figured it was him, and it was. He was already checking the strawberry test patch.
“Any good news?”
Buck smiled. “No, nothing. I know it’s probably something simple, but whatever it is, I’m just not seeing it.”
“I’m sorry, Buck. I know you said that Mr. Wright was known throughout the county for growing strawberries…do you think he would help us?” Bloom asked.
Buck laughed. “I wish he would, but anytime we even pull up in the driveway he pulls a shotgun on us. I think Old Man Wright is going to take that secret to his grave.”
Bloom just nodded and started asking questions. Buck was very informative and was happy to show her everything. He even took the time to show her what he was explaining. She really liked Buck. He was easy to talk to. He wanted to know about her life, too. The man was not judgmental in any way, and she appreciated him being so kind to her, unlike Free.
Buck had just shown her the seeds that they were going to plant. He even went over who they got their seeds from, and why they used that particular company. He showed her which tractors they used to do the planting. Everything was on spreadsheets, which made it easier to understand. They were walking back in the office laughing, when Buck stopped at the door. Free was sitting at the desk, glaring at them both.
“Free, the seeds are in from Millen Seeds,” Buck said, but Free continued to stare at them both. Whatever his problem was, she didn’t care.
“I’ll take Bloom and show her the seeds.” Free stood up.
“I’ve already been shown. Buck here has been great…showing me the seeds, the spreadsheets, and explaining in great detail. So I don’t need your help, Buck has done that quite nicely.” Bloom picked up her notebook. She could see the look Free gave Buck, but she was a partner in the business and he didn’t have the time, so she’d found someone else to help her. “Buck, are you ready?”
“Where are you going?” Free faltered
.
“Buck is taking me to town to show me the feed stores we use. Then to lunch.” Bloom dared him to say anything.
“You’re welcome to come along,” Buck offered. She couldn’t be mad at Buck; he was only trying to keep the peace. Too bad it wouldn’t work.
“Sure.” Bloom’s shoulders slumped at Free’s comment. She didn’t want to fight with him anymore. In fact, the more they stayed away from each other, the better. “We can take my truck.”
“Are you ready?” Free asked.
“Sure.” Bloom rolled her eyes. She didn’t want to go anywhere with him. She was tired enough and fighting with him again wasn’t what she wanted to do now. She actually had fun with Buck and liked being around him, and she couldn’t say the same thing about Freeman.
She insisted on sitting in the backseat, making Buck sit up front. This way she didn’t have to converse with Free. The journey into town was quiet but he had to open his mouth. “Did you have any visits from the ghost last night?” Free was looking at her in his rearview mirror, but she saw the smirk on his face.
When she turned her head and didn’t answer, she could tell it got to him. “Ghost?” Buck asked, turning in his seat looking at her.
“Bloom said that the night before, she heard someone walking up the stairs, yelling out to leave,” Free explained, but it was the way he explained it that pissed her off. He had that same unbelieving look on his face. He was calling her a liar.
“Bloom, is that true?” Buck asked, concerned.
“Nah, like Free insinuated, I’m a liar, and I like to make up stuff to get attention. So don’t worry yourself about it,” Bloom joked. Except it wasn’t a joke to her. She wasn’t crazy, and she knew what she was hearing.
“I didn’t call you a liar,” Free spit out.
Bloom laughed, then shook her head and continued to stare out the window.
“Bloom, did something else happen last night?” Buck asked, and this time, he pulled his seatbelt off and crawled into the backseat. “What did you hear?”
She swallowed hard because she didn’t want to tell him. She really wanted Buck to believe her and not think she was crazy. He was the only one who has been nice to her, and he really acted like he cared. “It’s nothing, Buck. Really. Just forget about it.”