“With Maxim?”
“Of course, not.” I grabbed my phone and pulled up the picture of Mitch. He was handsome and smart, according to a friend of a friend of my cousin. And he lived in Miami, so not too far for a date. “This is Mitch. He’s a rabbit shifter.”
“Oh, Parker.” Laila stood up and looked down at me, a frown etched deep onto her face. “You’re so stubborn.”
I gritted my teeth. I wasn’t being stubborn. I was protecting my species. And myself. Maxim was a threat to everything I held dear. I wasn’t willing to give up my convictions or be just a number to him.
“Alright. Go out with your rabbit shifter and be bored to death again. You’re courting trouble, though. I hope you know that.”
I watched her leave and sighed. There was a chance she was right. On the other hand, there was also a chance that I could meet a nice, rabbit shifter guy who would affect me more than Maxim affected me. I had to try.
I didn’t sleep well that night. Normally, I would have shifted and let my animal take over and roam the island for a few hours to tire myself out. But, it was my rabbit that had me tossing and turning as she kept bugging me to let her get to Maxim. No matter how much I tried to quiet her, she was too busy yearning for the man she kept trying to convince me was our mate. I was too afraid to shift for fear of what she’d do.
That next day at work was rough. I’d never been so sleep deprived before in my life. By the time the end of the work day rolled around, I was ready to go home, climb into bed, and pass out, but I couldn’t. I had the date with Mitch. Safe, well-mannered Mitch who worked as a branch manager for First Federal Bank.
I went overboard primping in order to make myself feel better about the evening. Hair spiral curled, the latest trend in autumn makeup, according to the YouTube tutorial, low cut dress with a back cutout. Heels up to my ass. I was dressed to impress. Or fall on my face.
I’d suggested we meet at Tuna’s Seafood House, despite the last ‘disastrophy’ that I’d weathered there. When I arrived, I found Mitch already waiting for me. He was early, dressed to the nines, and had adorable dark, curly hair that lent his looks a boyish charm.
Still, when he looked at me, there was zero spark. Zero. None of the heat I felt when Maxim was anywhere within fifty yards of me, and none of the passion. My sour mood turned even worse as I sat across from a perfectly respectable option for a mate and had to stifle a yawn.
Mitch was sweet and kind. He complimented me and made sure to point out how nice I looked. He kept his eyes above my cleavage and held so much eye contact, I started to get itchy.
It wasn’t fair that my reaction was so insipid. He’d driven his own car, respected his parents, paid his own bills, and was charming. He would’ve made a perfect mate and our kids would’ve been adorably cute. Yet, I couldn’t stop thinking about Maxim’s cocky smirk and confident swagger. I wanted to rip Maxim’s head off. Or stick my tongue down his throat. I couldn’t decide which.
It wasn’t until I noticed Mitch’s eyes trail over the waiter’s ass that I realized why he wasn’t having any trouble not looking at my cleavage. Our waiter did have a nice ass, and Mitch was gay. Of course, he was.
Why did I feel so relieved?
17
Parker
“Can I get you to sign my petition?” I pulled my clipboard out of my purse and waved it in front of Mitch. “I just… We face enough stereotypes as it is. I hate that we have to be labeled with this name, too.”
Mitch looked like he wanted to decline, but the clipboard was in front of him and I was handing him a pen, so he hastily scribbled his name on the paper before smiling. “I don’t actually mind it, but I can see how it might feel more derogatory for a female.”
Before I could launch into my spiel about our species being the namesake of one of the biggest playboys in American history, the door to Tuna’s flew open and Maxim came storming in like a raging bull. Or raging polar bear. Whatever. He practically had steam shooting out of his ears as he scanned the place until he spotted me. Then, his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits and he stomped our way. Next to me, Mitch looked as though he was trying to crawl inside of himself. The scent of his fear permeated the area. I couldn’t say I blamed him. Maxim was a pretty imposing sight all pissed off like that.
“Are you fucking kidding me, woman? You can’t seriously still be on this kick!” Maxim didn’t stop until he was standing over our table, his fists balled at his sides. He glared at Mitch. “If you touched her, I’ll rip your intestines out and use them to decorate my Christmas tree.”
Mitch raised his hands in surrender as he scrambled away from the table and made a hasty exit, wisely refraining the entire time from showing Maxim his back. A couple seconds later, the loud squeal of tires as Mitch peeled out of the parking lot could be heard above the quiet din of dinner conversations.
I chewed on my bottom lip in an attempt to fight the urge to lay into Maxim in front of all the other diners. Over and over I tried to convince myself not to make a scene, but myself just wasn’t listening.
I was going to make a scene.
I stood up from my chair and glowered at Maxim. In my heels, I was almost eye to chin with him and those few inches gave me a little extra confidence. “What the actual fuck is wrong with you? How could you think it’s okay to burst in here like a maniac and scare away my date?! We’re not cave people. We don’t beat our chests and throw people over our shoulders to claim them, asshole.”
He leaned into me. “No, we sink our teeth in to claim them. I’m pretty sure you’re still wearing a temporary mark on that gorgeous ass of yours right now. You’re mine, Parker. What more do you need to understand that?”
I jabbed my finger into his chest. “Don’t talk about my ass in public!”
“Don’t try to make babies with strange men in public!”
I let out a frustrated squeal and stomped my foot. “You’re a complete barbarian!”
“And you’re a stubborn brat.”
I felt steam building in my head and felt like I was going to explode. “I am not yours. I am never going to be yours. Get that through your thick, Neanderthal skull.”
“Um, excuse me? Ma’am, sir? I’m going to have to ask you to please sit down and lower your voices.” The waiter looked like he was going to pee himself as both Maxim and I swung our angry glares around to him.
I grabbed my purse and rooted around for my wallet, a déjà vu of my last disastrous date. “You can’t just ruin every date I have. And stop saying I’m yours. You and I are not together.”
“The fuck we’re not. I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but you and I both know that we’re mates. We’re—”
“Nothing! We’re not anything! Yesterday was a mistake. I shouldn’t have let that happen.”
“You really think that meek little shit that ran out of here like the place was on fire is your mate? You think he can handle a woman like you, Parker? You think he’s going to satisfy you the way I will? Did you forget that I can hear how hard your heart races for me? Did you forget that I can smell your arousal, Bunny? I know what you’re feeling right now and those feelings have nothing to do with the rabbit turd that just ran out of here.”
“What I’m feeling right now is complete and total fury.” I threw money on the table and glared at him. “And you’re right. That has nothing to do with Mitch. It’s all for you.”
“Don’t say his name.”
“Mitch! Mitch, Mitch, Mitch! What are you going to do about it?” I marched towards the exit but stopped and turned back on him. “Mitch was sweet and kind. Mitch complimented me and was interested in me. Mitch would make a great mate.”
The waiter poked his nose in. “Again, I need to ask you two to keep it down. And, not that I want to get in the middle of this or anything, but your date, uh, Mitch, slipped me his number.”
I threw my hands in the air and let out a frustrated scream before storming out of the restaurant. Maxim was right behind me, his
angry growl making me weak in the knees.
“Bunny, you’re making me fucking nuts. Stop trying to mate other men.”
I ignored him and kept walking. I was so angry and embarrassed that I couldn’t even process what all I was feeling.
“Fuck, Bunny, I know you feel the chemistry between us.” He caught my arm and pulled me to a stop. “What happened yesterday, that intensity, that connection, it’s a once in a lifetime thing. We’ve got something special, you and me.”
I shook my head. “No. I refuse to believe you’re my mate. You’re about as likely to stay committed to me as a cab in rush hour.”
“That isn’t true. I couldn’t touch another woman, if I wanted to. And even if I could, I wouldn’t. I don’t want to.” He shook his head. “What’s wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?”
I jerked away from him. “You did touch another woman. I saw you. I heard you. Did you forget that? God, you’re so full of it. You’re why I’m like this. Men like you.”
“Come on, Bunny.”
“Don’t call me that!” This time when I walked away, he let me.
I drove back to my house and made a beeline straight to my liquor cabinet. My hands were shaking and I felt nauseous. I needed a drink of something. Anything. I didn’t know what I was doing anymore, but the feeling of dread was growing. I didn’t know what it was from. Should I be running harder from Maxim, or should I give in and run to him?
My rabbit thought she knew the answer, but I had plans for my life—a mate, children, a happily ever after—and none of that involved a polar bear shifter.
18
Maxim
I went to my room and slammed the door shut. When that didn’t make me feel better, I opened it and slammed it shut again, this time so hard it fell off its hinges. Still didn’t feel better. Turning to face my room, I let out the anger that I’d been holding in, and trashed the place. I punched holes in walls and ripped shelves down before shoving my dresser over and kicking the shit out of it. I wasn’t sure how long it went on, but at some point I noticed Serge was standing in the room with me. At that point, the whole place was destroyed and I still didn’t feel better.
“You want to explain why the hell you just ripped a hole through your bedroom wall into the bathroom?” He stood with his hands on his hips, looking pissy.
I surveyed the damage and growled. Fuck. Nothing left to break and I still had excess aggression to release. I needed to get away. No, I needed my mate to stop rejecting me. My bear was pouting like a little cub and I felt awful. I was angry at Parker and I was angry at myself for being angry at Parker. She was so stubborn, though. Why she thought she could deny fate was beyond me.
“Maxim?”
I shook my head. “It’s nothing.”
Serge rested his hand on my shoulder and sighed. “Talk, bro. What’s this about?”
I glanced back to see Roman, Dmitry, and Alexei standing outside of my door, concern on their faces. I envied every single one of them. Serge, too. They were all basking in the disgustingly syrupy sentimentality of newly mated men. You could just look at any one of them and practically see little red hearts flooding their eyes like in the cartoons. I couldn’t tell them about Parker. Not with them being so happy and all. I wasn’t ready to say anything yet, anyway.
“What the fuck are we doing here? Why are we sitting on this island squandering our talents, not to mention wasting the extensive and rigorous training we’ve received? Fuck, we’re doing bullshit that anyone who has gone through a two week security guard course is qualified to perform. What’s next, directing traffic and issuing parking tickets? This place is turning us all into pussies.”
Alexei rolled his eyes and walked away. Serge groaned and moved towards the door. “You need to get over yourself. We’re here now. And the work that we’re doing, although it may not exactly be adrenaline pumping enough for a thrill-seeker such as yourself, is still valid and important.”
“Don’t you guys even care that we’re stuck in the armpit of one of the hottest climates on the planet?”
Roman shrugged. “Well, some of us have come to the conclusion that fate guided us here. Me, Dmitry, Alexei, we’ve all found our mates here. Trust me, man, a little heat is a small price to pay for that.”
“Oh, so since fate gave you three your mates, you’re advice for me is to shut the fuck up, keep doing jobs that a twelve year old girl can do, and drown in my own ball sweat? That’s it, huh? I’m just supposed to the sacrificial lamb so the rest of you can live a life of happily mated bliss?”
Serge pressed a hand to Roman’s chest to keep him at bay. “What’s going on with you, Max? You’re usually not this much of an asshole.”
“Maybe this is who I really am. An arrogant asshole and a man-whore.” I shoved past them and took the stairs down three at a time. “I’m getting the fuck out of here.”
Heidi was standing in the kitchen with Alexei, her eyebrows drawn together. “What happened, Maxim?”
I just kept moving without replying. I felt like I was about to explode and the best thing was to get far away from all of them. I stormed out and stomped down the beach, sand flying as I trudged angrily away from all the mated fucking mates and their mated fucking mates. When I realized I had marched my seething self in the direction of Parker’s house, and was in fact only several yards away from her front door, I knew it was a bad idea to confront her in the state I was in.
But I couldn’t stop myself.
Climbing the stairs to her porch, I stood outside and pounded on the door. “Bunny!”
A couple of seconds later, I heard a rustle coming from within. “Go away, Maxim.”
“I’m not leaving. I’m tired of this shit. Just admit that I’m right and open the door.”
“Go home. I’m not doing this.” She sounded sad.
I smacked the door with my palms. “Let me in. I’m not playing games with you anymore.”
“You know nothing about me, Maxim.”
“I know that you’re my mate. What else do I need to know?”
“You seem to think that you can tell me what’s what and then I’ll just cower submissively and expose my neck. If you actually knew me, you’d know that I don’t respond well to orders—or threats. I’m going to bed. You can stay here and knock all you want, but I’m not opening the door to you. Not now. Not ever.”
“Fuck! How can you say that?”
“I can say it because it’s the truth. You’re not interested in me. Not really. You don’t know my likes, dislikes, the things I care about—do you even have the slightest bit of interest in knowing any of that?”
I leaned my forehead against the door. “Just open up and talk to me face to face, Parker! I don’t want to have this conversation by shouting back and forth through a closed door.”
“Goodnight, Maxim.”
I heard her muffled footsteps as she walked away. I smacked the door a few more times. “This isn’t right! This isn’t how mates are supposed to treat each other.”
But, she’d already closed herself in her bedroom, and was probably tucking herself under the covers. Meanwhile, I felt like I’d been gone over with a baseball bat.
I sank onto her front steps and sat there with my head in my hands for what felt like hours. I couldn’t believe where I was, the situation I was in.
I’d never given much thought to finding a true mate, but I certainly never would have guessed that having one would leave me feeling so awful.
19
Parker
“What’s going on, Parker?” Penny waved a cinnamon roll in front of my face and snapped her fingers. “Earth to Parker?”
I looked up at her and frowned. “Why are you waving that around in front of my face? What am I, a dog at the race track?”
“Well, you’re just sitting here staring into space. I was starting to worry that you’d been body snatched, but I can see you’re still your normal, snarky self. Nothing to worry about.”
“I’m
fine.”
She took a big bite out of the cinnamon roll, just staring at me while she chewed. “Uh huh.”
“I’m fine, Penny.” I brought my coffee mug to my lips and took a big gulp, only to find it was ice cold. When I realized it had to be at least twenty-four hours old, I spit it back into the mug and gagged. Had I forgotten to get coffee before work today?
“Yeah. You don’t act fine. What’s going on? Talk to me.”
I shook my head and leaned back in my seat. “Nothing’s going on. Nothing at all.”
Penny stared intently through narrowed eyes with her mouth drawn tight. Knowing Penny as well as I knew Penny, it was pretty obvious she wasn’t going to walk away without an answer.
I waited for a few seconds and then groaned. “Fine! I’m not feeling my best. I didn’t sleep well last night.”
She nodded. “Why not?”
Truth be told, I hadn’t slept well since meeting Maxim. Last night had just been the icing on the insomnia cake. “I don’t know. I just didn’t. So, I’m tired.”
“Would this sleeplessness have anything to do with that hunk, Maxim?” She leaned against my desk and finished off her roll. “Laila told Paige she walked in on you two doing the dirty.”
“Oh, my god. I’m going to kill her.” I scowled. “Who else knows?”
“Um, it’s Paige we’re talking about.”
I threw up my hands. “The whole friggin’ island knows.”
She shrugged. “Probably.”
“Great. Just great. Now, I’ll be even less desirable to Florida’s eligible bachelors.” I was so frustrated. I was even farther from my goal, all because I dropped my pants for Maxim. The worst part was, that I missed him, and I hated that I missed him.
“Parker, come on. You’re talking crazy. Are you sure you feel up to being here today? If you need some time, Marvin and I can hold down the fort for the day.”
Tactical Bear (P.O.L.A.R. Series Book 4) Page 7
