Shifter Nation- East Coast Bears Collection

by Meg Ripley

  My jaw dropped. Caulwell was never this amicable; I was completely caught off-guard. I was so prepared to fight to stay in Maine, I hadn’t even thought of how I would respond if the Chief had agreed.

  “Uh—understood! Thank you, Chief. I won’t let you down and will do my best to expedite those results so we can move forward with the investigation.”

  Yes! One more week in that awesome hotel!

  “You get on that, Gianni.” The Chief hung up and it took every fiber of my being to not to jump up and down in excitement. I had wanted an excuse to stay in Maine and now I had one. I just had to make sure there was no rush on those blood samples.

  I composed myself, and as I headed back to Trent’s Jeep, I’m fairly certain I caught him checking me out. His eyes were moving slowly over my body and once our eyes met, he gave me a bright smile and my breath was stolen. He really was something to look at.

  Well, since I’m here for another week with not much else to do, maybe I can have some fun…

  I returned his smile and got back in the car.

  “You like what you see, Mr. Bailey?” I teased, testing out my best flirty laugh.

  “Caught me.” Trent’s voice was a little lower now; huskier. His expression looked hungry, but I couldn’t tell what for. He was looking me over again, and my skin was getting warm. “So, what now, Ms. Gianni?”

  “Well…um…my Chief has agreed to keep the suspect here until we have the test results, so I may be spending the rest of the week here.” I fiddled with my hands. His stare was so intense, I couldn’t look anymore. When he didn’t say anything, I glanced in his direction, catching his tongue gliding across his lips.

  The things he could do with that…I felt a shudder jolt through me. I licked my own lips nervously and pressed my legs together tightly.

  “So, what can I do for you now?” Trent asked, tentatively placing a hand on my thigh. I could tell he was still testing the waters with me because his hand hovered for a couple for seconds before making contact, as if he was waiting for me to object. When I didn’t, he rested his hand there, his touch soft and light.

  I was surprised. I expected his hands to be firm and deliberate like he had been when we first met, but this touch showed that he was beginning to open up to me. The Trent I was seeing was the real deal. I had no idea what brought him out suddenly, but I was thankful I decided to wear a skirt.

  I closed my eyes as his thumb slid across my thigh and back with the same consistently light touch. It tickled something deep inside me and I flushed, biting my lip to hold back a moan that was dangerously close to escaping. His hand began to move slowly upward, carefully, only inch by agonizing inch. My skin was burning, reflecting the flames erupting within me.

  I wanted him. He was feeling me out, and all I could do was hope he could read my signals loud and clear.

  And then his lips descended over mine. His lips were soft, full, and slightly wet, and my eyes opened wide, completely shocked. I didn’t know what I had expected, but it certainly wasn’t a kiss—not just yet, at least. His hands moved higher up my thigh, under my skirt and I sunk into the kiss, diving into the delicious feeling of him touching me. I cupped my hand against his cleanly shaven cheek, the other hand twisting into his hair as I threw myself into it. Our lips danced together, and he slid his tongue against mine, begging for entrance. I granted, parting my lips slightly, and as he slid inside, tasting me, and I couldn’t help but release the moan I’d been trying so desperately to hold back.

  That must have been the sound he was waiting for. He reached behind my head with his free hand, releasing my dark tresses from the tightly-wound bun I wore. His hands were intertwined in my thick waves the next moment, pulling my head closer to deepen the kiss.

  His hand moved from underneath my skirt and I almost let out a whimper until it found its new destination in seconds. He cupped his hand over my breast and pressed his thumb against my bra, pinpointing my nipple.

  Another moan escaped me, causing our lips to part and he used that opportunity to travel down my neck. He planted soft, wet kisses against the column of my throat and I could have just melted in his arms. He smelled of freshly-mowed grass and rain, his scent wrapping around me like a warm breeze. I pressed my chest into his palm, wishing our bodies could just fuse together.

  Knock, knock.

  My eyes snapped open and I gasped at what I saw. A man in a police uniform was looking through Trent’s window at us with a very serious expression. I tapped Trent, who seemed to have completely froze at the sound.

  “Uh…you might want to handle this…” I was instantly nervous. Was making out on the side of the road a crime? I mean sure, in a literal sense it was, but we were in the middle of nowhere. It wasn’t like anybody was going to see.

  Well, except for the cop. Just my luck.

  Trent slowly untangled himself from me and looked at his window. I could see his smile reflected through his sideview mirror, and it was just as charming as one might expect.

  Huh? When the officer outside saw Trent’s face, he also smiled. Do they know each other?

  “Wait here, I’ll be right back.” Trent said, kissing my cheek and exiting the vehicle, leaving me sitting there, stunned. I scanned the area to see if anyone else was around, but the road was clear. Leaning over into the driver’s seat to look out Trent’s window, I tried to see if I could snoop a little. What could I say? It was in my nature as a detective.

  Trent was talking to the officer with his back to me, obscuring the man from my view so that I couldn’t see either of their facial expressions to determine what was going on.

  I can’t be arrested for public indecency or something like that while I’m on the job! How will I explain this to the Chief? I started to panic a little as the reality of the situation sank in.

  I sat back in my seat, fiddling with my hands again—a nervous habit that I was trying to break. Under any other circumstance, I might have straightened myself, exited the Jeep and asked the officer what the problem might be. But I was supposed to be working and I didn’t need anything getting back to headquarters that might make it seem like I wasn’t doing my job.

  I mean, I wasn’t, but they didn’t need to know that.

  I heard the door handle and looked up to see Trent getting back into the car, laughing.

  “What happened? Were we doing something wrong? Did I get you in trouble? Am I in trouble?”

  “Calm down, Blanca!” Trent put a finger to my lips and smiled. “You know you do a lot of talking with that thing. I wonder what else it can do.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “Can you just tell me what happened, please?” I folded my arms, hoping to give the impression that I meant business and I wasn’t playing anymore.

  “It’s fine, trust me. That’s Al, the sheriff of Bar Harbor. He was patrolling the road to Acadia and saw my Jeep on the side of the road and got worried. He thought we might have been out of gas or something. He even apologized for knocking! He didn’t realize what we were doing until he had already startled us.” Trent was laughing as he spoke, and when he finished, I couldn’t help but smile a little, too. I breathed a sigh of relief. “So, no, we’re not in trouble and he hardly saw anything.”

  “Good.” I nudged his shoulder.

  “Is that nudge for us to pick up where we left off?” Trent smiled, leaning over to me. I put a finger to his lips this time.

  “Actually, since we’re keeping the suspect here, I would like to get some kind of work done. Can you take me to the holding cell so I can ask him some questions?”

  “You really are a workaholic, huh? You’d rather interrogate that douchebag than spend your day making out with a stud like me?” Trent laughed and shook his head as he turned the ignition.

  “I never said I’d rather do one more than the other, but maybe a stud like you would like to pick this up later after a bit of dinner back at my hotel?” I asked, trying to sound confident and flirtatious. I wanted him to think I had co
ntrol of the situation, but by the way my heart was beating, I knew I didn’t.

  “Oh, are you asking me out on a date, Ms. Gianni? That’s a first!” Trent seemed taken aback.

  “A girl has never asked you out before?” I was shocked. How could someone so hot never be approached by the opposite gender? It was completely impossible in my mind.

  “I tend to chase women. They don’t chase me.” Trent said confidently, his eyes back on the road again as we drove along.

  “Well, you’d better be ready to run, because I have the reputation of being quite the chaser,” I joked.

  “Alright, pretty lady. I’ll be sure to grab my running shoes.” He stole a glance and winked at me. A light blush spread across my cheeks and I was suddenly deep in thought.

  How did we get like this so quickly? One minute, we couldn’t stand each other and the next, we couldn’t keep from laughing and smiling. What happened? What changed? I just couldn’t put my finger on it, but if we were only going to be around each other for less than a week, I’d much rather have us like this than at each other’s throats.

  Besides, I would need someone to show me around Acadia this week, especially those places the pilot had mentioned on my helicopter ride. After this interrogation, I was going to make this my vacation after all.

  “We’re here.” Trent’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts; we were indeed at the entrance to Acadia National Park. I looked out my window and saw the sign warning people not to approach the animals. Knox was waiting by the gate, wearing a Ranger uniform that closely resembled Trent’s.

  “I have to talk to Knox for a second, and then I’ll take you up to the holding lodge.”

  He’d gotten out of the Jeep without so much as a glance at me; did I say something wrong? Trent didn’t seem mad or upset, just not as playful as he had been moments before. Maybe coming back to the park put him back in business mode?

  I straightened myself, You should be doing the same. Just as I got into the proper mindset, Trent was hopping back into the Jeep.

  “Alright. Off we go,” he smiled at me as Knox opened the gate to let us in. I wondered what time the park opened.

  “Is the park usually gated off in the mornings?”

  “No, not usually. The park is open 24/7, but with the murders, Knox is taking extra precautions and monitoring each person that comes in today.”

  “That’s probably a good idea.” I nodded, glancing out the window again. Everywhere I looked, there was something. Trees, mountains, lakes and the shoreline; Acadia seemed to have everything you could want in nature all rolled into one.

  “Hey, would you be up for giving me a tour of the park sometime before I leave?” I asked, not bothering to turn my face to as I spoke. If he didn’t want to be all flirty and stuff at work, I respected that and agreed completely, so I tried to keep my tone casual.

  “Sure. I know plenty of places I could take you. People usually love Cadillac Mountain. It’s one of the first places you can see the sunrise in the morning.”

  “Really? I’d love to see that.” My face brightened as I looked at Trent.

  He glanced at me and smiled. “Two dates planned in one week already. You really are going to make me run, huh?” Trent chuckled.

  “Like the wind.” I joked. I could see a building coming up in front of us.

  “Alright, well, here’s the holding lodge.” Trent said, pulling up to the facility. “Let’s go check on your boys.”

  9

  Blanca

  Trent and I walked into his office to find Alex sleeping while leaning against the wall, a magazine over his face. Gerard had his head down on Trent’s desk, and I could hear a light snore coming from his throat.

  You’ve got to be kidding me…

  I glanced at Trent, who was trying his damnedest to hold back his laughter.

  “And you didn’t trust me to keep watch overnight, huh?”

  “Shut up!” I rolled my eyes. “Guys, wake up!”

  Both agents jumped out of their sleep at the sound of my voice, and the magazine Alex had covering his face fell to the floor as he looked around wildly.

  I put my hands on my hips. “So, this is how you two keep watch? Way to show how serious the FBI is about their work!” I scolded.

  Not like you were doing any better… I rolled my eyes at my inward thought. I wouldn’t have been in a car making out with a hot guy if I had a suspect to watch.

  “We’re so sorry, Agent Gianni. We were awake most of the night, I swear!” Gerard exclaimed, slightly panicked.

  “Yeah! We only fell asleep the last hour or so,” Alex chimed in.

  “I can check the cameras for you if you want…” Trent glanced at me, clearly enjoying the moment.

  “That won’t be necessary, Mr. Bailey. I trust my boys. They had a long night and must have needed a moment of rest. I just wish they would have waited until I got here, like I asked.” I gave my two agents stern looks and they winced. “I’ll be including this in my report. You’re relieved for the day; go get some sleep.”

  “Wait, isn’t HQ sending a helicopter for us today to bring the suspect in?” Alex seemed confused. They must have gotten called about the pick-up for today as well, but it appeared no one filled them in on the change. The Chief must have figured I would let them know.

  “Plans have changed. We’re waiting for the blood results before we bring the suspect back to HQ. I will still conduct an interrogation today as planned and we’ll go from there.” I nodded at them both as a dismissal; they returned the gesture and started to head out.

  “Hey, wait up! I’ll drive you guys to the gate and call Knox on the way to send someone to take you to your hotel.” Trent went after them, leaving me in the office alone.

  Then, I heard shuffling.

  How could you forget what you came here to do? I rolled my eyes again. I was being pretty hard on myself after the whole car thing with Trent.

  I grabbed a chair from the side of Trent’s desk and slid it up to the cell, pulling a pad and pen from my briefcase as I looked up at the suspect. He was just sitting on the floor, glaring at me. I sat in the chair and returned his intense stare; I wasn’t afraid of him.

  “Hello. I am Agent Gianni of the FBI and I’m investigating three murders that took place here in Acadia yesterday morning. You have been arrested as the primary suspect for said killings and I would like to ask you some questions. Let’s start with your name.”

  The man’s gaze did not falter once while I spoke. He just kept glaring.

  “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. We’ve already lifted blood samples off you, and when they are confirmed to be the victims’, we’ll be taking you to FBI headquarters. So, you can tell me your name and what happened, or you can just wait for the investigation to take its course. Either way, unless you really didn’t do it, you’re screwed. And I highly doubt you didn’t do it.”

  The man bared his teeth at me and I heard a low growl escape his lips.

  “Oh, so you can make animal noises, but you can’t speak?” I folded my arms in frustration. I was getting nowhere with this guy.

  Just then, I could have sworn I saw something.

  It was only for a second, but while I was staring at him, I saw brown fur sprout all over his hands. When I blinked, it was gone.

  I closed my eyes for a moment, and opened them again. The man was normal, still baring his teeth like a threatened dog.

  I figured it must have just been my imagination. Why would a man have fur growing from his skin?

  “This isn’t getting anywhere.” I stood up, shaking my head as I turned away from the cell and walked toward Trent’s desk. But once my back was turned, I heard a loud roar behind me and something hit the bars.

  Clank!

  I whipped my head around at the sound and what I saw, I could not believe. I gasped and tried to take a step back, but my ankle caved and I lost my balance on my heels. I fell to the floor, pushing myself backward with my hands.

/>   In the cell, a brown bear was towering over me, its mouth jutting out from between the bars as it snapped, its claws swiping wildly in my direction. I heard it growl in frustration, not being able to reach me, and I cried out for help, closing my eyes tightly.

  It’s just a dream! It’s just a dream!

  “Oh shit! Blanca? Blanca, are you okay?” I felt hands on my shoulders and I screamed, only thinking of claws ripping through me. “Blanca, open your eyes! It’s me!”

  Trent?

  I opened my eyes, hyperventilating as I looked around. My eyes met with the bear’s and I cried out again in horror.

  “It’s okay, Blanca! You’re okay! It’s locked up. He can’t hurt you.”

  WHY IS HE SO CALM? THERE’S A GODDAMN BEAR IN HIS OFFICE!

  “It-It’s a bear! How did he get in here? Where’s the suspect?” I was terrified, and I tried to slow my breathing, but my body was in full-on panic mode.

  “I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this, but the bear…is the man, Blanca.” Trent was shaking his head in disbelief. “I fucking knew this would happen!”

  The animal released another roar from its prison and Trent glared in its direction.

  “You’d better shut up before I come in there.”

  I looked from the bear in the cell to Trent and back.

  Why is he talking to it like it can understand him?

  I stared at the animal long and hard, and as I watched in disbelief, it started to change. The bear shrunk and shed its hair until it became the suspect. My eyes widened as I observed the transformation, shaking from fear of the unknown.

  What…the…hell is going on here?

  “Look, Blanca. I’m going to explain some things to you. I need you to promise to let me get it all out before you decide what to do next. It’s a bit heavy, though; you might want to stay seated for this.” Trent looked worried and heavy, like he was about to drop a bomb on me, and I was afraid I wasn’t ready for it. I knew I wouldn’t be able to move, though, so I nodded and took a deep breath.