A blonde lady, looking rather flustered and pink in the face, approached the counter about twenty minutes before the end of Brooke's shift. “Sorry for trying to buy the entire store,” the woman joked, flourishing her credit card like a weapon. Brooke laughed. “Even on vacation, kids grow, you know?”
Brooke nodded, eyes automatically flying to the door when the bell sounded and smiling when she saw Connor enter the store.
Today, his suit was navy blue. He’d truly taken the bold colors and patterns comment to heart and had now graduated from accessories to ensembles. The sight of him was mouth-watering, and Brooke made it her mission then and there to never let him wear plain black ever again. Carlo stood beside him, the two talking amicably as they moved out of the way of the line of customers.
They look good together, she thought, ringing up the last of the blonde woman’s purchases and waving goodbye as she left. Like a family. The thought filled her with warmth.
Her shift ended a few minutes later and Brooke practically skipped across the store towards them.
“And what are you two whispering about?” she teased, tugging Connor down to kiss him on the cheek and raising her eyebrow at Carlo who winked like he knew something she didn’t. Brat.
“In laws need to have their secrets,” he said solemnly and Brooke swatted him on the arm, dragging them both out of the store and into the afternoon sunshine. The promenade was full of guests from Black Bear Lake Lodge and they melded into the crowds, making their way slowly back towards the main building.
“Fuck you, we’re not married yet.”
“Yet,” Connor repeated, taking Brooke’s hand and kissing the back of it, eyes smouldering. Her flush deepened. They were ganging up on her. In all her wildest dreams, she had never seen this coming. Her grin threatened to break her face in two; it was more than she had dared to hope for. Beside them, Carlo mimed retching into his hand.
“Gross. I’m leaving. Brooke, I’ll see you tomorrow for the meeting right?” Brooke nodded. Their elder was arriving from San Francisco to finalize their side of the treaty. It had taken a long time to convince him it was worth the trip, and Brooke wanted to get things sorted out before he had the chance to change his mind.
“Yep. I’ll head over in the morning,” she promised.
“Okay, great, I’ll see you then. And remember you two, PDA is frowned upon in this family.” He disappeared with a two finger salute and Brooke watched him go with narrowed eyes.
“He doesn’t respect me anymore,” she lamented, swinging their hands in between them. It was domestic and more than a little cheesy but she loved it.
“I highly doubt he ever did, sweetheart,” Connor mocked, going along with the movement as they walked.
“What were you talking about?”
“Nothing in particular, we just bumped into each other. He was on his lunch break and I was honoring the tradition of picking you up from work.”
“Aw, what a gentleman,” she deadpanned.
“Hush up.” The main lobby of the lodge appeared in front of them. Brooke could just make out Eric, where he stood talking to a guest from behind the concierge desk. She and Connor headed for the staircase, still holding onto each other’s hands. Connor asked, “Are you looking forward to having dinner with the girls later?”
Brooke smiled. The more time she spent with the other women in Connor’s sleuth, the more Brooke had grown to love them. They’d started having dinner together a couple of times a week, taking it in turn to cook and bring wine. Brooke was having a hard time without her whiskey, but she had to admit some of the fancy shit they’d picked out was really nice.
Tonight, she was bringing Angela with her, insisting that she needed to get out of the house and have some fun for once. The older wolf had been nervously texting Brooke all day. Brooke found it endlessly adorable how many times Angela had sent pictures asking if her outfit was okay, as if Brooke ever wore anything other than the jeans and a ratty old suede jacket she’d had for as long as she could remember.
She laughed at the thought. “Lydia’s making something called ‘eggs en meurette’. I have no idea what in the hell that is but I am excited. I think Alanna's gonna bring Em tonight as well.”
She’d never been particularly good with kids, but there was something about Em that made her melt. Brooke hadn’t thought about the possibility of having pups in a long time; she’d never been financially stable enough, not to mention the fact that, as alpha, she already had her pack to look after.
She knew Connor wanted children, could see the way his eyes lit up when Em knotted her tiny hands in his curls or when one of Jessie and Eric’s brood asked for help on their homework; it was a kind of softness Brooke rarely got to see in her mate and she couldn’t wait to give that to him. He’d make an amazing dad.
They arrived at the door to Connor’s suite and he dropped her hand just long enough to open the door before taking her hand again, pulling her inside and leading her to the bed.
“If we had kids,” she started, easily following him down onto the bed to curl up at his side, “do you think they’d be pups or cubs?”
Connor ran gentle fingers up and down her arm, leaving goosebumps in their wake. Brooke tilted her head to see his face and found him smiling softly to himself.
“I’d be happy no matter what they were,” he whispered, pulling her into a kiss that made her toes curl. “As long as they’re ours, they’ll be the most wonderful, most loved kids in the world.” Brooke felt happiness welling up inside her, so much so she barely knew what to do with it all.
It was true that her pack was smaller now; she had refused to take anyone back that had decided to follow Vince, but she wouldn’t give up those she had left for anything. Now she knew that no matter what happened in the future, she’d never have to face the world alone.
“I love you,” she whispered, loving the way Connor’s arms tightened around hers.
Connor’s warm, dark eyes started into hers. “I love you, too,” he returned, as easily as breathing.
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CODY (EXCERPT)
Strauss Bear Shifter Brothers of Colorado
Brittany white
1
Cody
Cody Strauss checked his watch for the third time in fifteen minutes and blew a sigh through his lips. His quiches for lunch were still setting for the rush and the rest of the kitchen staff of Black Bear Lake Lodge was, by now, running like clockwork. As the head chef, Cody ran his kitchen tight as a drum. His brother, Eric, called him “fussy.” Cody thought that was rich coming from a concierge who pouted if his shirt collar was even a little bit crooked.
Cody leaned on the counter and a pantry chef blowing by handed him a plate because as the head chef, he actually forgot to eat sometimes. He frowned and set the plate on the long kitchen island, sitting on a stool to dig into the turkey sandwich.
It was summer at Black Bear Lake Lodge, the sprawling ski resort that sat at the foot of a snowy mountain not too far from the Colorado Rockies. That meant it was the offseason. Yet the offseason at Black Bear Lake Lodge was as busy as other lesser resort’s busiest seasons. The lake was pristine and perfect for canoeing and other water sports, and the hiking trails were busy with the guests who populated the place.
It was the Strauss brothers, four bear shifters from Oregon, who owned and ran the lodge, together sharing in the labor and decision making that went into owning one of the most luxurious ski resorts in the country. As the alpha and the oldest, Connor Strauss made the big decisions and gave out the orders, and usually his brothers followed along. Cody ran the kitchen and made all food-related
decisions himself and Eric was the concierge, fulfilling any guest’s request no matter how odd or demanding.
Nathan Strauss was the handyman, though lately, they’d hired a couple more back-up maintenance people to share his load. Having recently found his true love and mate, Alanna, he had just become the proud papa of a baby girl bear shifter cub, Emily. He was still on paternal leave, cooped up in his residential suite with Alanna and his infant daughter. There was a particular air of joy around the place due to the happy news and “It’s a girl!” signs and balloons still littered the place here and there following the lodge-wide baby shower and celebration of the newest member of the Strauss clan.
“Hey!” Connor blew through the kitchen doors and threw his brother a nod before sitting next to him at the table and grabbing half of the turkey sandwich without so much as asking. But that was typical of Connor. “Where is everybody?”
Everybody meant Eric and Nathan. It was quasi-tradition to eat breakfast or lunch in the kitchen with Cody unless things were particularly hectic.
For Eric and Nathan though, things were particularly hectic and Connor definitely knew that. Cody raised an eyebrow at his brother and neatly caught the baggie of homemade potato chips tossed to him before swallowing and answering the question. “Papa Nate is up there with Em letting Lydia nap. Eric went to have some schmoopy lunch date with Lydia. Ever since her semester ended, you can’t get them apart.”
Lydia was Eric’s mate and the long time love of his life. He had narrowly lost his own life and hers in the pursuit of her after attracting the attention of murderous bear shifter and a dark witch who had attempted to seduce him into marriage only to steal his fortune for herself. But together, along with the other Strauss brothers, Eric and Lydia had defeated the witch and found each other. The fight had nearly killed Cody and he felt that sometimes Eric felt guilty and attempted to overcompensate in doting over his brother as a result. It wasn’t necessary to Cody’s mind. Family was family and blood was blood. He would have died for his brother in a heartbeat.
On the other hand, if Cody wanted to score him hockey tickets once in a while, who was he to complain?
“Oh!” Connor nodded and scratched his bearded chin. “That’s cool. For some reason, I thought Lydia was in summer school.”
Unlike the Strauss brothers who had grown up in the privilege of an incredibly wealthy aristocratic family of bear shifters, Eric’s mate, Lydia, came from no money at all. She had never had the chance to pursue her own desires and when she’d found happiness with Eric, he had encouraged her to go back to school just as she’d always dreamed.
Eric swallowed and said, “Yeah, she was going to but she worked so hard over the spring and they didn’t really have a chance to just kick back for a while together so she’s taking the summer off.”
“Good.” Connor nodded and scarfed down the rest of Cody’s half of a sandwich in two bites. “So what’s your problem?”
“Hmm?” Cody blinked at his older brother and racked his brain.
What had he done now? He couldn’t think of any reason Connor could be mad. Cody was, even on a good day, sometimes grumpy or abrasive. But he had been in a decent mood lately, if only because he had a new baby niece, and that was a cheerful thing.
“You look pouty,” Connor said, dusting off his hands. “And you need a haircut. Is this because of the new maid you’ve been flirting with?’
Cody glowered.
Connor was right on both counts and that was annoying.
“Her name is Jessie,” Cody said. He dropped the crust of his own sandwich half on the plate and crossed his arms. “And as the head honcho around here, I would expect you to know your employees names-”
“I do. Geez-”
“Besides, I like my hair long,” Cody grumbled.
Cody had dark brown hair that fell in soft waves and was teasingly derided as “girly” by his brothers when he let it touch his shoulders.
But just last week, Jessie had said that she thought his hair looked good. That had been just before he’d intended to have it cut for the summer.
He’d abruptly changed his mind.
It was just an extra step while he worked in the kitchen. He pulled his long hair back into a pony with not a strand out of place.
“Have you asked her out yet?” Connor said.
There was no business between the brothers or between the brothers and anyone else that Connor Strauss did not want to stick his nose into. In Cody’s opinion, that was because Connor was maybe a little lonely and wanted his own mate but didn’t want to admit. Instead, he distracted himself by sticking his big paws into everything.
“I’m feeling it out,” Cody said, frowning.
He felt like he was about thirteen-years-old again and that was very annoying.
“Feeling what out?” Connor shrugged. “You’re a Strauss! You’re rich and decent looking-”
“Oh, decent looking. Thanks, asshole,” Cody cracked.
He thought he was pretty good looking, if he did say so himself. All the Strauss brothers had a sharp jaw and the kind of big glimmering eyes that made the girls melt.
Sometimes he thought his mouth was too wide and he wished he had that nice thatch of dark chest hair like Nathan or Connor because women seemed to like that. But other than that, he thought he was doing okay. He had an aquiline nose unlike his brothers and he thought it made him stand out a little from the other Strausses, just like Nathan’s blonde hair.
“So?” Connor was giving him his sternest look as if the question of Cody asking Jessie out was life and death.
“Mind your business!” Cody barked. He hopped up from his stool and took the plate to the sink, looking around almost desperately for something to do.
Take Jessie for lunch...
Perhaps it was a dash unfair of Cody to so obviously play favorites amongst the cleaning staff and pay so much attention to Jessie except that she smiled whenever he came around. Besides that half the cleaning staff practically ran from him whenever he came near, he often asked for help outside his own staff in keeping the kitchens immaculate or complained about the state of the dining hall.
“Okay okay.” Connor raised his hands in surrender. “It just seems like we’re all finding out people, you know? First Nathan, now Eric... ”
“Not that it’s been easy,” Cody said under his breath.
“Yeah,” Connor said. He clapped his brother on the back. “On that note, if this girl Jessie turns to be the one can you try and make sure there’s no body count this time? I don’t know if I can handle another round of assuring guests they’re not going to be accidentally caught in some crossfire because we have to fight off my brother’s mate’s kidnapper or whatever.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Cody said wryly.
Connor seemed to accept that. He made himself a cup of coffee to take with him and disappeared again, probably to head back to his giant office and think about ideas for the fall season.
The moment he was gone, Cody checked on the quiches. They were ready and he set one on a plate with some garnish and wrapped up an endive salad and put it on a platter with a bottle of iced tea from the fridge.
He checked his watch once more. In a few minutes, Jessie would take a fifteen-minute break in the employee lounge at the back. She never took enough time to eat.
He knew because he’d asked.
There were three employee lounges at the lodge and Cody could always find Jessie at the smallest one on the second floor that had a wide window looking out on the lake beyond. The room was like a smaller dining hall outfitted with its own small kitchen, tables, chairs, a few couches, and a flatscreen. The TV was playing cable news on mute.
Cody spotted Jessie right away. She was sitting on one of the couches, ignoring the TV and staring blankly at her phone.
Cody almost felt bad seeing a couple other employees eating lunch that weren’t quite as fancy as his quiche. But to be fair, they did enjoy a steep discount in the kitchen and
at any of the eating establishments at Black Bear Lake Lodge’s shopping promenade.
“Jessie,” Cody said. He had a tendency to grin like a dope around Jessie and he tried to contain himself as he swept up to her bearing his platter.
Jessie looked up with a start, her eyes growing large. “Oh! Cody, you didn’t.”
“I know you never eat lunch... ”
Jessie blushed and got to her feet and he set the platter down at an empty table, humming as he lifted the lid over the tray and unwrapped the salad.
“And for today’s lunch, we have a shallot and mushroom quiche with endive salad and passion fruit iced tea... ” He gestured dramatically as she sat down at the table and he took a seat beside her. “I hope it wasn’t presumptuous.”
“It’s sweet,” Jessie said. She batted her dark eyes at him and he wondered if she was doing it on purpose. Jessie had hair as dark as his own except that hers reached her waist. It was often up in a practical braid but today she’d pinned it in two braids wrapped around her head. It made her seem a little younger and more girlish to Cody, not that she wasn’t already. Except that Jessie nearly always seemed tired or stressed out.
He had made it his mission to make her day a little better.
Jessie had warm brown skin and when she grinned as she did now as she poked into her quiche, she lit up the room with her bright white teeth.
Goddess, Cody thought briefly.
“You have a heart-shaped face,” Cody muttered. He hadn’t intended to say so aloud.
“Hmm?” Jessie took a bite and blinked up at him. She had doe eyes; big and glossily brown. Like a cartoon princess. They seemed to sparkle.
“Nothing,” he said, shaking his head.
Connor (Strauss Bear Shifter Brothers 0f Colorado Book 4) Page 13