by Thorne, Elle
“It’s always been home. Can’t imagine being anywhere else.” He smiled at her, his handsome face lighting up when he spoke of Bear Canyon Valley. He was attractive, no doubt.
It’s just that he wasn’t Tanner. Marti fought the temptation to look up at the man she didn’t want to look at. She won the battle and kept her eyes on Joe.
Seconds later, the waiters arrived with the meal. Down the table, she could hear Chelsea and Mae talking about plus-ones and the wedding.
She heard her name and glanced their way. Hopefully there wasn’t a problem.
Chapter Five
Tanner frowned. What the fuck?
His bear snarled in anger. Blaming Tanner?
I had nothing to do with this.
He and the bear kept listening in on a conversation that should have been private, a conversation he shouldn’t use his bear hearing to overhear. But he couldn’t help himself. The second he heard Marti’s name, it was like he was following a beacon. He couldn’t tune the conversation out.
“Marti asked,” Chelsea was telling Mae.
“Asked what? To be Joe’s plus-one?” Mae sounded confused. “They don’t really know each other that well, do they? I didn’t sense any…” Her voice trailed off.
“No.” Chelsea’s voice was a low whisper. “She asked not to be Tanner’s. I know you had it written down for Marti to be Tanner’s plus-one, but I couldn’t very well tell her she had no choice.”
“No. I understand. I mean, I don’t understand why she asked that, but I do understand why you switched.” Mae plastered a smile on her face that Tanner instantly recognized as less than genuine.
Clearly, Mae had concerns. He wondered why.
“There are other ways,” Mae said.
“To what?” Chelsea said.
“Sorry, I was thinking about something else,” Mae told Chelsea, but her gaze turned to Tanner.
He realized she knew he was listening in, and was directing that to him and his bear.
A part of Tanner hated this. He didn’t want to see a woman forced to do something she didn’t want to do. He didn’t want to feel that a woman didn’t want him. No, it was more than that. He wanted the woman he called his mate to want him as much as he wanted her.
Evidently, that wasn’t the case with Marti. She was sending mixed signals. One minute she was aroused, the air around her strong with that scent, and the next moment she was angry, or fearful, or guarded.
He shoved a forkful of whatever the hell was on his plate in his mouth. This was too frustrating.
His bear growled its agreement.
Chapter Six
Dinner lasted a lifetime for Marti. A lifetime of not looking at Tanner, of listening to the final details of the wedding planning. For goodness’ sake, Marti thought, if she ever found someone, she’d elope. No wedding, no ceremony, no guests, none of this rigmarole.
The wedding was in two days. Thank goodness. Then they could all go their separate ways, and she could stay away from Bear Canyon Valley. She’d miss the girls. God, would she ever. But she could have lunch with them in the city; that way she wouldn’t be around shifters and wouldn’t have to be around Tanner.
Was he just visiting or would he be living here? Even if he didn’t live in the valley permanently, he was bound to come visit his brother. And if Marti was in the valley, she’d have to run into him. No, the best thing she could do was stay away from Bear Canyon Valley after her perfunctory attendance at the wedding.
She told everyone goodbye and headed toward the door. The others lived locally; they could stay and visit as long as they wanted to. She still had to drive back to the city, and she needed to get home early.
She’d hugged everyone—except for Tanner—as she said her goodbyes. When Tanner offered his hand for a shake, she couldn’t very well be rude, could she?
Taking a deep breath, she put her hand in his, thinking she’d deliver a quick shake then yank it back.
No such luck. Tanner took her hand in his, eclipsing hers. A heat surged through her, and a gasp rose up her throat. She clamped her lips around it.
He took custody of her hand and held it captive. Not painfully, but definitely letting her know he had hold of her.
“Nice to meet you,” he said. His voice sent shivery sensations up and down her spine, radiating throughout her body.
“You too.” She frowned and pulled on her hand gently. He still held it. She didn’t want to make a fuss, but dammit, what was this about? “I should go.” Why the hell were her words breathy? She was giving Marilyn Monroe a run for her money. Jeez.
“It’s a long drive, maybe…?”
She didn’t let him finish. “It’s not that long.” This time she did jerk her hand out of his. “Thank you for your concern.” She zipped around him as quickly as she could and headed out the door, fishing her keys from her pocket, feeling the heat of his gaze on her as she left. She knew he was checking her out.
A different sort of heat rose through her body, and she was happy for the night’s chill that strove to dampen it.
Chapter Seven
Tanner stared at the dark fluid in his coffee cup. “Maybe you’re wrong,” he told Mae.
They were alone at a corner of the table. Everyone else was gathered around in circles of two or three.
Every so often, Doc would glance at them with a serious look on his face. Doc had been in Florida with Astra the last time Tanner had been in the valley. Tanner had just met him tonight for the first time, but if he didn’t know better, he’d have sworn the other shifter was merely tolerating him for the others’ sakes.
Why would he have animosity toward him? Tanner was a stranger. It wasn’t like he could have done something wrong to Doc.
“I don’t think so,” Mae said. “There’s just something I’m not getting here.” She stirred the coffee absentmindedly. “I really don’t think so.”
“She asked to not be my plus-one. Or for me to not be hers, or whatever you call it.” He set the coffee cup down with a bit more force than he should have. Some of it spilled out, marring the pure white saucer with droplets of dark brown. “That speaks for itself.”
“You’re not giving up, are you?” Mae frowned.
“Giving up? You don’t give up something that you haven’t even started yet.” His voice was more of a snarl; clearly his bear was coming through. He knew what he had to do. He had to take the bear out to the forest and let it have its head.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he told Mae.
“Where are you going?”
“Out.”
Chapter Eight
Marti was pissed the next morning. She hadn’t slept a wink because a bearded, hunky bear shifter had been on her mind all damned night long.
And she’d been horny and couldn’t even use her vibrator to alleviate her needs because Dominic had been next to her all night. She couldn’t take the chance of waking him up.
No, pissed didn’t even begin to cover it. She had a perfect plan set up. The furniture would be ready and waiting with the delivery guys. They’d follow her to Bear Canyon Valley, and she’d tell them where to unload it. She’d meet her contractual obligations with Mae for decorating the B & B.
But no. Nothing was working out at all. Her morning went like this: She went to get the furniture and it was loaded in the truck. Then they informed her that they didn’t have anyone to drive the truck, and no one to unload the furniture.
She put her hands on her hips. “What the hell do you mean?”
She glared at the warehouse guy. Derek, the name on his sweat-stained, grimy shirt said. “How can there be no one to deliver or unload it?” She pointed to the furniture on the truck. “How’d it get on the truck? Whoever put it there can just unload it. Come on, it’s half a day’s job and I’ve already paid for it in advance.”
No, she hadn’t paid for it, Mae had, but Mae was the client, and this was the delivery date that Marti had promised.
“I’m sorry.” The man l
ooked at a clipboard. “There’s nothing else I can do for you. It will have to be tomorrow.”
“I’ll cancel my order.”
“Ma’am. I’d rather you didn’t.”
Yeah, what Derek didn’t know was that she couldn’t. There would be no way she could get everything there before the wedding if she tried to get it anywhere else. Not to mention that some of it was custom upholstered.
“I’ll drive it.”
“No. I can’t let you do that. You don’t have a CDL.”
“The hell I don’t.”
“What’s a little lady like you doing with a CDL?” Derek sounded doubtful and condescending.
You just guaranteed yourself that I’ll never do business with you again, you jerk. But for this order, she needed him.
“So if I show you my CDL and my insurance, then I can take the truck?”
“That’s not a cheap rig. And it’s not small. You sure you can handle it? You really have a CDL?”
“Yes, I used to drive a horse trailer. I had to get a CDL for it, because it was too long.”
That was a lifetime ago, wasn’t it? Marti didn’t rodeo anymore. Hadn’t. Not since that night.
Paperwork settled, Marti drove away from the warehouse. Derek had said he had to have the truck back that day.
She’d figure out who could help her unload once she got there. At least they could see that she was doing her best to get things delivered and set up on time.
* * *
Marti pulled into the B & B driveway. She’d call Mae as soon as she parked. No, scratch that. She’d go inside and see if Kelsey had a pot of coffee on. The way today had been going, Marti could use a gallon of it. Or maybe an IV hook-up to coffee would be better.
She parked the big truck, jumped out, and straightened her dress. What a day to wear a dress. She’d have been better off in jeans.
The front door to the B & B was open. She knew that Kelsey was an early riser, Teague too, so she wasn’t too worried about waking them up. Even if one of them had slept in, she wouldn’t have to disturb them on the way to the kitchen.
She wasn’t concerned about guests. The B & B wouldn’t be open for guests until after the wedding.
She inhaled deeply. Ah, she smelled coffee! The scent of ambrosia from heaven. She made a beeline to the kitchen, a smile ready on her face to greet her friends with.
She pushed the swinging door open and barged in, though she did it quietly, in case one of them was still asleep upstairs.
And. She. Froze.
Tanner.
Shirtless.
Tanned.
Hot.
Chest.
Abs.
It was as if she couldn’t process more than one thought at a time. And the thoughts were completely centered on his body.
She raised her eyes from his body to his beautiful face with the beard that intrigued her.
Marti opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She cleared her throat, trying to shove away the sawdust that seemed to be clogging it.
“I was looking for… I thought maybe Kelsey… I didn’t know…”
“They’re out.” He reached for a mug of coffee, his back to her. Triceps bulging, biceps showing off, back wide and muscular, a tattoo making a complete circle around his upper arm. A solid band of a tattoo, emphasizing how thick his arms were.
Marti couldn’t move while he poured a cup, this vision of masculinity. Her eyes were glued to his.
He held the cup up. “Want some?”
God, yes. No, not some, all of it, every bit of it. She tried to smile, but lust screwed it up for her. “I’d take a cup.” Boy, would she ever. Please and thank you.
She needed to leave, like now, before she did or said anything foolish. What was it with this man?
He came close, which was a good thing because Marti couldn’t move to save her life. His eyes looked different than last night. They glowed with an amber light that superseded the dark brown she’d seen the night before. Maybe it was the morning light.
“You’re up early.” He handed her the cup. “Sugar? Cream?”
The way he’d said cream… She swallowed the lump back down. “No. Yes.”
He cocked his head. “Which is it?”
“No to the sugar, yes to the cream.” She almost couldn’t say the word cream.
His eyes, the look on his face… the intensity of it made strange things happen in her body. Fluttering, buzzing, an electric current flowed within.
“Kelsey and Teague aren’t here,” he said. “Were you thinking that they would be?”
I was thinking that jackass’s men were going to deliver the furniture and I could just supervise it and it wouldn’t matter if anyone was here.
“I didn’t know. I hadn’t thought of it, exactly.” What else was she supposed to say? She already felt like an idiot.
“Did they maybe forget that you were coming? They went into the city. I’m not certain they’ll be back before dark, based on what they said.”
“Oh.” She leaned against the counter. Gosh, she was screwed. Tears welled in her eyes.
She couldn’t have her business fail. It was too new. She was aware that Mae liked her, and that they all considered her a friend, but this wasn’t about friendship. Her company had to succeed. And it couldn’t succeed if she wasn’t reliable.
She looked out the window at the big truck.
Think, Marti, think.
But she couldn’t think. All she could do was feel, and all she felt right now was pissed off that she might lose the opportunity for repeat business and good recommendations.
She knew Grant was thinking about redoing some of the rooms at his place. She’d probably lose that chance now.
She felt Tanner join her by the window. She couldn’t turn to look at him. She didn’t want to share any of this failure. If he saw the tears, he’d pry, she’d cry, then she’d share.
“Wow.” He gestured at the truck with his cup. “You drove that here?”
She felt his gaze on her, maybe even admiring.
“Yeah.” For all the good it did her, since now she had no way of getting the furniture unloaded without… She wasn’t a dainty flower. Would Tanner? Could she and Tanner…?
“What’s in there?” He put his hand on her elbow, turning her to face him.
She swallowed back the tears, blinked hard to force them back, and made a smile appear on her face, even if it wouldn’t reach her eyes.
“Just some furniture. For the B & B.”
“You deliver your own… No wonder Mae holds you in such high regard.”
Shit. That almost made a gush of tears come out, knowing that Mae looked up to her and that she’d disappoint her.
“Can I be straight with you?” She looked into his eyes.
They’d gone back to a dark brown again. How odd were those eyes?
“I’d say it’s about time,” he remarked, and the double meaning wasn’t lost on Marti.
“The guys who were supposed to drive it and unload it bailed. So I got it here. But I can’t unload it alone. No one could. It’s not so much that it’s heavy as much as it is bulky. So…”
“You need some muscle.” He stated it bluntly.
“That sums it up.”
“I’ve got some muscle.”
I noticed. Did I ever. “Yeah, I see that.”
He was still shirtless, and not even worried about how she had been looking at him earlier.
Chapter Nine
Tanner enjoyed the way she checked him out when she first walked into the kitchen. This was the same electricity he’d felt the night before, when she went outside, wigged out, then came in and asked for him not to be her plus-one.
He was impressed that she’d driven that rig in from the city. There was a whole other side to this woman, a side he’d like to spend a lifetime getting to know. He surveyed her body while she was busy looking at the truck.
Her hips flared out from a waist that opened upward to a set of
breasts that would be more than a handful. Christ, he’d like to worship that set. He wanted to taste her nipples, feel them pucker in his mouth while his fingers explored her mound, feeling, flicking, plunging.
Damn.
His cock was definitely responding. So was his bear. The bear growled, feasting on the curvy beauty with an ass he’d admired last night in slacks. The dress was sexy, too. It would provide easy access.
His pulse started to race. The throb in his johnson was overwhelming; it felt like it was attached to his brain because he couldn’t stop the primal beat from filling his brain.
He could barely talk. He shook his head and turned away from her, looking at the truck again, trying to gain control over his heart rate.
“I’ll help you,” he managed to say a moment later. “But…”
“But…” Her face was crestfallen.
“But there are conditions.”
“Is this one of those no ass, no gas type of bullshit things?” Her words were lined with steel. She was obviously not interested in nonsense.
“What?”
She’d caught him off-guard. He couldn’t lie about that.
“No.” Tanner put his cup down and took her by the arms, turning her to face him.
She looked down at where he was holding her, but he was gentle, and not imposing or threatening at all, and he hoped she recognized that.
There wasn’t the slightest bit of fear on her face when she said, “Then what?”
“Truth. I ask a couple of questions, and you answer truthfully.”
“We’ll see.” She set her full lips into a tight line.
Tanner wasn’t going to push her. She didn’t need to be treated that way. He nodded. “Why’d you ask to not be my plus-one? Do you have something with Joe?”
Her eyes widened, pupils dilating as her gaze rested on his face. It almost felt like she was drinking him in.
“No. Joe’s like… a brother.”
