To be fair, I wasn’t sure how Karen was even able to afford to pay me as much as she did. The paper sold to a lot of the locals, but that didn’t account for much. By the time she paid for the weekly printing costs and office space, I had to assume I was being paid out of her own pocket. On the one hand, I felt slightly guilty about that, but on the other, I had bills to pay. Student loans and insurance ate up just about every cent of my income. Without Kyle’s help to buy groceries and such, I’d go hungry.
Despite it all, I liked it. I found the gig quaint and charming in a weird way. Sure, the little Burden Gazette wasn’t anything I could take too seriously, but memories of seeing my parents reading it when I was a little girl were still fresh in my mind. I pictured mom at the kitchen table, sipping from the mug of coffee in her hand, as she devoured the tidbits of local gossip, and dad after work relaxing in his easy chair while scanning the same pages.
It was easy work, and through interviews and such, I got to reintroduce myself to locals that I hadn’t seen in over a decade. I’d left Burden shortly after Mom and Dad had both perished in a plane crash. It happened just before graduation. My initial post-high school agenda had been to get a job in Burden, maybe save up some money for a few years before heading off to college. I had envisioned working during the days and spending the nights curled up in the sunroom, talking to Mom while she and Dad played cards. The horrible accident had changed all that. After my parents had passed, I couldn’t get away from Burden fast enough. Everything that triggered a painful memory.
Kyle came to see me wherever I was, so I’d never have to set foot in my hometown. I hadn’t planned on returning. Ever. But, as I’d learned at too young an age, “The best laid plans…”
A bad experience with a groping boss, and listening to Kyle’s painful lamentations on the phone over a lost relationship, had convinced me that now was the time to face any demons that may be lying in wait for me back home. I actually wanted to come home again. At least for a while. It was my turn to be there for my brother, like he’d been there for me for so many years. As my only living family, Kyle had taken on the role of my—everything. Anytime I was really hurting, he came to me. Now it was my turn to be his everything.
Only, once I’d arrived in Burden, I learned that Kyle wasn’t the same man I had seen away from home. He had erected some sort of phony front that hid the hurt he’d faced. Saying his name in town often elicited grimaces and winces from people. Kyle acted like a pig. There’d been moments since I’d returned when I wondered which was the real Kyle—the caring, kind-hearted man who was my rock when I needed him, or the piggish creepy Kyle. Which was the phony front? Regardless, I had to do my best to be there for him, no matter what. Right?
The Burden Gazette was housed in the same narrow office it’d been in since I could remember, and it still held the same musty paper smell as I walked in. Karen, was sitting at her desk at the back of the room, like always, round, wire-framed glasses with pink-tinted lenses perched on the end of her nose.
Her face lit up when she saw me. “Philly! I have a job for you! I forgot to mention it before you left yesterday. The races start tonight. You know the old dirt tracks, right?”
My stomach turned over and threatened to toss the yogurt I’d eaten that morning. “Yes.”
She wiggled in her desk chair, making it squeal. “Well, I want to do a piece on Sterling Mallory. He’s rumored to be the top contender again this season. I saw him driving that fancy car of his through town this morning and I must say, it’s a beaut.”
I gritted my teeth. “I can’t do it tonight.”
She frowned. “We’ve nothing else to put on the front page this week, Ophelia. Unless you want to headline that piece you wrote about the mystery smell at the school on the front page.”
I could tell she was being a smartass. “It’s a fine story.”
“Sure. The headline on the front page will read Shoddy Sanitation Breeds Ominous Odor. I can see it now. Great. Enthralling. Might even get you a Pulitzer.”
I rolled my eyes and released a long, slow sigh.
“C’mon, Philly. This has been the slowest news week in Burden ever. I need the piece on Mallory. It’s exciting. I’ve heard he’s quite the lady’s man. Maybe you can spin some of that into the story.”
There was no way. Karen was pushing for something that she’d never understand. “Couldn’t you do it?”
She shook her head. “I’ve got the trip into Dallas tonight. My daughter will be picking me up here this afternoon. The sleep study is going to figure out if I need one of those Darth Vader machines to breathe at night.”
I closed my eyes and rubbed at my forehead. “Maybe I can find another story.”
Karen’s face furrowed and I got to see the stubborn side of the woman that I wasn’t normally the focus of. “Do the story or I’ll have to find someone else who will, Philly. I like you and you’re the best writer this town has ever seen, but I need someone I can rely on.”
I swore. I couldn’t ask Kyle to pay my bills. “Fine.”
Her smile popped back onto her ruddy face. “Groovy! I think you’ll have a blast. The races are so exciting. There’s often a crash and the concession stands have nachos. It’s really a good time to be had by all.”
I sat at the desk she’d provided for me, and as I landed on the weird faux leather fabric, my chair made a farting sound that I considered a fitting response. I opened my purse and snapped the easy open Tylenol cap before shaking a couple out into my hand. I swallowed them dry and looked at the smelly school article on my desk that I still wanted to edit once more.
“If you take the camera, maybe you can get a good shot of Mallory. It’ll cost more to print, but he’s quite a handsome young fella. I bet a front-page photo will sell quite a few more papers.”
I resisted the urge to slap my hand to my forehead. Barely.
4
Sterling
I dropped the hood of my car and zipped up the fire-retardant suit all the drivers wore. The races were a surprisingly big deal for such a small area. The tracks were thirty miles outside of Burden and attracted drivers and an audience from all around. The dirt track was as refined as it could be and it was always a little rough on the cars, but I liked the edge it gave. Everything was a little more dangerous on a dirt track, and there was no telling what might happen.
I’d been practicing all day and I was ready to get on with it. There was nothing like speeding around a track, competing with other drivers to get my bear riled and distract me from whatever issue I was dealing with. Bears weren’t meant to go that fast. I shouldn’t have even been able to fit in the car, but I loved the thrill and liked the challenge.
I looked over the car at Hutch and nodded. “There’s a storm coming in. They need to get this show on the road soon or we’re going to be rained out.”
He lifted his head and inhaled. “Still got about an hour. Enough time for the star to drive his laps.”
I laughed. “I’ll pretend I believe you’re talking about me.”
He grinned. “Try not to break anything too important tonight.”
“That time I know you’re not talking about me.”
“Hell, no, I wasn’t talking about you. You’ll heal. The car won’t.”
I shook my head and leaned against the metal frame. A reinforced roll cage sat just under it, promising to keep me safe should anything happen. Being a shifter meant I’d heal from most things, but fires and explosions were different beasts entirely.
“I’m heading to the stands, little brother. Veronica is sitting with Georgia and Allie. No fucking telling what trouble those three can get into unattended for too long.”
I lifted a hand in a wave. “Good luck.”
“You, too.”
I looked around at the other drivers and inhaled deeply. I didn’t normally get nervous before a race, but something had my hair standing on end tonight. The weather promised a doozy of a storm, but it was more than that.
&nb
sp; As a gust of wind swept over me, I immediately identified the source of my agitation. Under the pervading scent of motor oil and rubber, I could clearly smell her. Ophelia. Her unique and delicious smell, whiskey and cupcake, had my dick springing to life faster than I could reach down and hide it.
I muttered a curse and followed the direction of the smell. There she stood, across the parking lot, her wild hair blowing into her face. What the fuck was she doing here? Curly and sun-kissed, her windblown hair threatened to swallow her whole, but she expertly yanked something off her wrist and had it pulled back in a few seconds. I was sad to see it tamed. There was something about the unruly mass that made my heart race and my dick throb. She was made for me. Everything about her was pure seduction to every part of me.
She lifted her head and her eyes locked onto mine. For a second, I let myself believe the parting of her lips was due to her hunger for me instead of shock at seeing me. Fuck, I wanted her.
I hadn’t seen her in a few weeks and I’d missed the way the world seemed to light up her olive skin. She never just blended in. No, she was like the north star in the sky—always the brightest. I wanted to run my hands over her, touching every part of her, but I shoved them in my pockets instead. She didn’t want to be touched by me.
To my utter surprise, Ophelia began walking towards me. Her posture said she would rather be anywhere else in the world and I could see her lips purse as she blew out a rough sigh, but still, she was coming over to me.
I stayed where I was but leaned against my car to keep from grabbing her. I kept my mouth shut, afraid to fuck up any more than I already had.
She stopped a few feet away from me and slowly lifted her eyes to mine. The dark blue outer ring held in pools of silver threatened to melt me. “Hi.”
I couldn’t stifle a low growl at the sound of her husky voice. I wanted to hear that voice crying out my name. Shit. I balled my hands into fists and closed my eyes. It didn’t help. I could still smell her.
My bear wanted to roll over on its back and beg her to forgive us. Just expose our belly and throat in an attempt to win her back. I, however, wasn’t that far gone. Yet. I shut him up and opened my eyes to see her watching me with wide eyes. “Hi, Ophelia.”
She crossed her arms under her chest and it forced her cleavage higher. The little sundress she wore teased me more than any lover ever had. “I have to ask you for a favor.”
I tilted my head to the side and furrowed my eyebrows. I couldn’t imagine what kind of favor she would ask of me. Maybe she didn’t know it, but I’d move heaven and Earth for that girl, or die trying. The wheels in my head started turning, though. “What is it?”
Her wide mouth thinned and the dimples at the corners appeared as she worked the muscles there. Eyebrows that reminded me of a wolf, instead of the bear that she was, rose and then squeezed towards each other. “I have to interview you. I mean, I’d like to interview you. The paper, Karen, thinks an interview with you would be worth gold for the front page of the Gazette.”
I bit back a grin, knowing it wouldn’t be appreciated. “Karen wants you to interview me?”
She nodded and pushed a stray curl back. “Yes. So…can I?”
I grinned fully then, unable to help myself. Her reaction nearly had me reaching out for her. Her mouth went soft and her tongue danced out to wet her lips as the smell of her arousal hit me hard. I couldn’t stop the urge to tilt my head back and breathe it in, memorizing the heady deliciousness of her.
Ophelia’s cheeks burned red and she took a step away from me. “Stop that.”
I bit my lip and nodded. “Sorry. Yeah, you can interview me. Not here, though. After. I’m about to race and I need to focus.”
She narrowed her eyes and her fingers started tapping out a rhythm on her arm. “Where?”
She was at my mercy, I could tell. I knew Karen and I knew she could be one pushy old broad when she wanted to be. It was wrong of me to take advantage of Ophelia’s shitty situation, but I needed her. I needed my mate.
I’d been going on the assumption that I hadn’t a chance in hell of winning her over, but I belatedly realized that an attitude like that was defeatist. I’d never been a quitter, and now damned sure wasn’t the time to start—not about this. I stared down at my sexy little mate and smiled. I might have to trick her into spending time with me, but her arousal was encouraging. Maybe there was hope.
“Meet me at my truck right after the races.”
She frowned but nodded. “Won’t you need to devote time to all your adoring fans?”
I ignored the bitterness in her voice and slowly straightened from where I’d been leaning. I towered over her smaller frame and held her gaze. “I’m more concerned about my mate.”
Her eyes darted around and then settled on mine in a glare. “Don’t call me that,” she hissed.
I turned and walked to the other side of the car, needing the space so I could keep control over myself and my bear. “I’ll see you soon, Ophelia.”
5
Ophelia
I huffed and puffed all the way to my seat. Frustration and bitterness fought to consume me whole. I was also sexually pent-up. My body was on fire and I couldn’t get the sight of Sterling lifting his head to smell me out of my mind. It was on a reel, playing over and over again. The man desired me. I’d felt the heat pouring off of his body and couldn’t miss the huge erection that he’d shamelessly done nothing to hide. I wanted him, too. I knew he had been scenting my wetness, embarrassment threatened to eat me alive.
I’d done an amazing job of avoiding him thus far. Weeks had passed since I’d last caught a glimpse of him. Not that he’d been trying to find me. He’d seemed perfectly content with the flooziest of floozies Burden and surrounding areas had to offer. I was probably doing him a favor by avoiding him.
I realized I was growling and looked around to find that several of the people sitting next to me were shooting concerned looks my way. I forced a smile and faced the track. He was making me crazy.
I couldn’t exactly help how my bear reacted. I’d never learned to control her properly. She wanted to climb Sterling like he was a tree with a honeypot at the top. She wanted to roll around in his scent until we were covered in it. I just wanted to run away. It was too confusing, this battle raging inside. No one had ever really explained the shifter mating call to me. Mom was a bear and Dad was a human. As far as I knew, they’d just fallen in love and had two kids together. The shifter trait hadn’t even shown up in Kyle. Female bear shifters were much rarer than males, even in Burden, and I hadn’t been around shifters in a long time. Not enough to learn about mates, anyway.
I got the gist. We were meant to be together, yada, yada, yada. Obviously, our fated mating didn’t account for one of us being a horn dog who slept with everything in a skirt. I could deal with not being with the man I was supposedly fated to be with. Clearly, mistakes had been made. What I couldn’t deal with, however, was the incessant pull I had toward him. Just seeing him turned my panties into a pool and my body into a volcano, begging to erupt. It was hard to freakin’ ignore that. I felt like I’d melt if he so much as touched me. I wasn’t prepared for dealing with that.
I didn’t even know if it was possible to outrun the mate call, really. If I managed to keep pushing him away, would I just go insane and wither away in a pair of damp panties? The alternative seemed worse, though. Give myself to a man who couldn’t possibly be loyal to me and wither away from the suffering of daily heartbreak until death do us part.
I took a deep breath and sat up straighter. I’d find a way to do some research to see if there was something I could do to release us as mates. If we could get out of it some way. Until then, I’d just have to put a muzzle on my bear—and lock my knees together.
The races started and I was surprised to find myself leaning forward in my seat to get a better view. The cars were fast and as they rounded the corners, a fine mist of smoke and dirt washed over the stands. The engines were so loud that
I couldn’t hear anything else, until metal hit metal. Crashes were minor, but it didn’t stop the heated exchanged between drivers afterwards.
I hadn’t seen the car that Sterling had been leaning against earlier until nearly half an hour later. When I did spot it, my heart tried to crawl up into my throat. My bear paced as she watched her mate do something dangerous. The wrecks hadn’t been bad thus far, but the potential was there, wasn’t it? What if he got hurt?
Without meaning to, I stood up and rushed down the stands until I was right up against the fence, alongside several teenagers and children. My fingers bit into the wire and I sucked in a ragged breath. I felt like I was taking a backseat to my bear’s reactions and had to look down to make sure I was still human.
When the green flag flew and the cars roared forward, I didn’t blink. I couldn’t take my eyes off Sterling long enough to blink. He quickly maneuvered his car from the middle of the pack to the front. As he raced around the track, slinging dirt, I felt as though my lungs would explode. I couldn’t breathe as another driver clipped the side of Sterling’s car in a turn and the back of his car fishtailed for a second before he got control of it. He didn’t slow down at all, despite the lack of air in my lungs. He didn’t know that my bear was trying to kill me with her intense fear for her mate.
By the time the checkered flag flew, there were dots in my front of my eyes and I was holding onto the fence to keep myself upright. I gasped in a massive breath of air and panted as Sterling safely drove into the winner’s circle. He slid his large frame out of the car and pumped his fist in the air as someone ran over to him with the checkered flag waving.
Sterling’s eyes shot to me and his look was pure feral bear as he emitted a low growl. The sound reached me from across the track and I felt a fresh wave of arousal weaken me.
Bears of Burden Complete Series Box Set Page 31