Joel (BBW Bear Shifter Wedding Romance) (Grizzly Groomsmen Book 5)

by Becca Fanning

  She nodded, and followed his instructions. He started the bike and took off down the street. It was such a thrill! The wind brushed past her, her chest pressed into his back. She was almost sad when they stopped.

  Brian got off the bike and helped her with her helmet again. They walked into the restaurant. They ordered quickly, and then Brian turned to her.

  “So why are you working at Jeanette’s?”

  Carrie picked up a roll and spread butter on it. “I used to work at this really fantastic start-up that worked with schools in low income areas. It was a literacy program. We organized volunteers to tutor kids, we had publishing houses donate books that kids could take home. But then we ran out of money, and I had to find other work. I’ve been applying to other things, but for now I’m at Jeanette’s. What do you do?”

  She was curious. She couldn’t quite imagine Brian doing anything but riding a motorcycle. She wondered if he had an office job. “I’m a paramedic. And I help out at Brett’s car shop sometimes.” She remembered Brett from the bar. He was one of the guys in Brian’s motorcycle group.

  “What made you decide to be a paramedic?”

  “My old man always rode bikes with his buddies, and every once in a while, something would happen and someone would get injured. It was always such a rush to me when I got to help fix people up.” He took a bite of his roll. “Your job sounded amazing though.”

  Carrie looked away wistfully. “It really was. I loved it. I just wish I was able to figure out what my next step is.”

  “I’m sure you will. You seem like a girl who goes after what she wants.” He winked at her, and she laughed.

  Brian’s sense of humor made the time fly by. By the time they finished desert, Carrie was wondering if it would be weird to order another slice of cake just to keep them at the table. Brian paid for the meal and took her hand as they left the restaurant.

  She reached for her helmet, but Brian stopped her. He pulled her in for a kiss that made her toes curl. His tongue slid against hers; his hands cradled her limp body as he made love to her mouth. Kissing him was quickly becoming her favorite activity.

  When they finally broke away from each other, Brian tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He climbed onto the bike and she followed suit.

  She threw her leg over the bike, but before she could put on the helmet, a group of bikers pulled into the parking lot. Carrie could tell that these guys weren’t part of Brian’s gang. The design on their cuts were different. “Fuck,” Brian muttered.

  “What’s wrong?” Carrie leaned against Brian’s back and tried to peak over his shoulder to get a good look at his face.

  “Tribe bikers. Anti-shifter assholes.” The bikers pulled up near them, and they took off their helmets. One of the men, a tall good-looking blond, stepped towards the two of them.

  “Bear shithead. Is that a human girl?”

  Carrie looked at him, surprise painted on her face. How could this guy even tell if she was human or not? Shifters looked exactly the same as other person in their human form.

  “Fuck off, Dempsey. It’s none of your business.”

  “It is my business if you’re defiling human women.” Carrie had never seen such disgust on anyone’s face. Why would this guy say something like that? He didn’t know her, and he clearly was prejudiced against shifters. Carrie knew people like that existed, just like racists, but she had never encountered anyone who hated shifters like that. And hate was the right word. The man looked livid.

  She tugged on Brian’s sleeve. “Bri, let’s go.”

  The man looked at her, as if stunned she could even speak. “You don’t have to go with him. We can help you, sweetheart. If you’re under duress just tell me, and I’ll take care of it.”

  The word “sweetheart” rang in her ears. Whenever Bri called her that, her stomach did little flips. Coming from this man’s mouth, the word burned her like acid.

  “I’m fine. Your concern is unwarranted.” The man’s eyes narrowed, and she could almost feel the hatred pour off of him.

  “Hush, Carrie,” Brian’s voice was soft but harsh. She knew he wanted to handle it, to keep her out of the line of fire. He turned to the biker and spat, “Fuck off, Dempsey. What I do is none of your damn business.”

  “It is when you are fucking human women, half-breed scum.” Dempsey pulled a knife from his boot and Carrie’s heart leapt into her throat. Brian steadied her as he slid off the bike. He took a few long strides to where the other biker was standing, and Dempsey brought the knife down. Carrie saw it connect with Brian’s arm, but he didn’t even flinch. Instead, he knocked it out of the man’s hand and then his fist connected with Dempsey’s face. Carrie heard the crunch and closed her eyes, trying hard not to be sick.

  “Leave her the fuck alone. Are we clear?” She couldn’t hear Dempsey’s reply over the roaring in her ears, but she felt Brian get back on the bike. He revved the engine. She took two deep breaths, and the motorcycle began to move.

  She could hear Dempsey’s voice over the roar of the engine. Filled with vitriol and violence. “We’re going to find you bitch. And then we’re going to show you just what it means to betray your kind.”

  By the time Bri pulled into her driveway, she was shaking. She felt him help her off the bike, find her keys in her purse, and get her inside. He gently placed her on the sofa. She took a deep breath and looked at him.

  “Is that like a normal occurrence with you? Assholes threatening you?”

  Brian shrugged. “Sometimes. The Tribe is full of absolute assholes. They hate everyone who doesn’t look like them or share their idiotic ideology.” He put his large, warm hand on her knee. “They’re all bark, no bite.”

  “That was no bite?”

  “Carrie, I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I promise.” Carrie took a deep breath and let Brian’s words wash over her.

  “I trust you.”

  He smiled. It made him look almost boyish. “Good. I had a great time today. I’d like to do it again sometimes.”

  Carrie leaned forward and fused her lips to Brian’s. When they broke apart she was practically panting. “Absolutely. Now I need you to go. I need to get ready for my shift.”

  Brian pouted but let her direct him out the door. Before he left, he kissed her one more time. Once the door was shut she leaned against the wood, her legs almost too weak to hold her up.

  Carrie’s shift at Jeanette’s passed quickly and without a hitch. It was busy but not overwhelming. She finished cleaning up and headed out to the parking lot. There were two bikers with the Tribe cut sitting on their bikes on the periphery of the parking lot. She slid her keys between her fingers, creating a makeshift weapon. She watched them carefully as she went to her car. She unlocked it and started it quickly, but they didn’t make a move. When she pulled out of the parking lot, they followed her. They weren’t very close, and only followed her to the main traffic light near the bar.

  Carrie’s heart was pounding as she drove through town. She took the long way to her house, making sure she wasn’t followed. When she got home she locked all her doors, set the alarm and grabbed a massive knife from the kitchen.

  She wasn’t some damsel in distress and as scared as she was, she wasn’t going to let some asshole bikers with a chip on their shoulders know.

  The bikers weren’t back at the bar the next night but Carrie couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. She would look over her shoulder at the grocery store, and there one of the Tribe bikers was. They never got too close, or did anything overtly menacing. She wasn’t sure if the cops could even do anything if she called them. She didn’t even mention it to Brian, even though they saw each other every day. She didn’t want him to get in a fight.

  Finally, two weeks after her first date with Brian, they made a move. She was putting groceries in her car, when Dempsey, the guy Brian punched approached her. She could still see the hint of a bruise along his jaw line.

  “Hello Carrie.” He
aring her name on his lips made her skin crawl.

  “What do you want?”

  “There is no need to be rude. I just want to talk.” He leaned against her car, blocking her way.

  “I don’t want to talk to you,” she hissed. “Leave me alone.”

  She turned to go back into the store, somewhere where there would be people to see this, but he grabbed her wrist and yanked her back.

  “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be, doll.” He pressed a small knife against the small of her back. “Stop fucking around with the bear, and all this will go away. Find some nice human boy. Settle down. Have a kid.”

  “Fuck you.”

  The knife pricked through her shirt. “Behave.” He leaned down so his lips brushed her ear. She felt sick. “Leave the bear. I’d hate to see your pretty face all bruised and bloodied.” A sob rent through the air. It took Carrie a moment to realize that it was her sob.

  He let her go. “Are we clear, doll?”

  She nodded. Hot tears streamed down her face. What was she going to do? She liked Brian a lot, but was her safety worth being with him? She wasn’t sure. She sagged against the trunk of her car. “Have a good day, sweetheart,” he said before he turned and walked away.

  It took her a few minutes to stop shaking and get in her car. It even took her a few tries to get her seatbelt buckle into the slot. When she arrived home, she unpacked her groceries, and touched her face. She was still crying.

  She called Jeanette and told her that she was sick. She apologized profusely and promised to keep her updated. Then she turned off all the lights in her house, set the alarm and crawled under the sheets. She was cold, despite the thick duvet. She took deep breaths and tried to decide what to do.

  Her phone vibrated, startling her out of her thoughts. She pealed the sheets back and looked at the caller ID. It was Brian.

  “Hello?” her voice had none of its usual pep.

  “Carrie? Sweetheart, are you okay? Jeanette told me you were sick.”

  “Um, I’m okay.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “I’m fine. I promise.” Better to keep Brian at arm’s length, it would protect them both.

  “You don’t sound fine.” His voice was gruff. He was in alpha-male protective mode. She knew it would be hard to shake him. “Do you want me to come over? I can bring you soup or something.”

  “I, uh,” her voice wavered. She wanted Brian with her so much. She wanted him here to hold her, to keep her safe. She wanted to tell him about the Tribe’s threats.

  “I’m coming over. I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” he growled into the phone. “Stay on the line with me.”

  “Okay,” Carrie whispered. She pulled the covers back over her head and brought the phone with her. She listened to his voice as he talked to her. He told her about some of the funny calls he’d been on. He told her about the time Will flipped his bike over and the kickstand went through his calf. It was a gory story but he made her laugh.

  “I’m outside, darlin’. Let me in.” She slid out of bed and padded to the front door. She looked out the peephole to confirm that it really was Brian. She turned off the alarm and let him in.

  He scooped her up, and held her tightly. “Brian,” she whispered his name against his chest. He closed the door and walked to the bedroom with her. He kicked off his shoes and climbed in. He pulled her close, and she cuddled into his warmth.

  “Tell me what’s going on,” the demand was soft, but still a demand.

  And then she told him everything.

  Two days later, Carrie was in Jeanette’s bar before opening with all the Clan’s bikers. There were a lot more of them than she had assumed. She recognized Brian’s good friends, and sat near them as Brian explained what was happening.

  As he was talking Will, the gorgeous, dark haired bear, looked at her. Anger in his eyes. “They’re harassing you?” The growl that came from him would have frightened her if she weren’t already so scared of the Tribe. “No one fucks with one of our people.” For a moment, Carrie was flattered at being considered one of the Clan’s “people.”

  Brett put a hand on her shoulder. “We’re not going to let anything happy to you. We protect our own.” She raised an eyebrow at his pronouncement. Carrie wasn’t sure what to think about how quickly the shifters had accepted her as one of their own. She had only been dating Brian for a few weeks.

  Brian finished speaking and let someone else take the podium. He crossed over to them and sat down next to Carrie. She looked at Brian. He was looking at Brett’s hand on her shoulder. “Bro, remove your hand from Carrie.”

  Brett and Brian exchanged glances and Brett slowly removed his hand from Carrie’s shoulder. “Sorry, dude. I wasn’t thinking.”

  Brian nodded tightly, and turned to London, Aiden’s younger brother. “London, take her to the back. We’re going to have a little chat with the Tribe.” London was seventeen, still brand new to everything. Carrie liked him. He made her feel protective, like he was the little brother she never had.

  “Why do I—“

  “Because you’re still in training. Clan business is Clan business and you’re not wearing the cut yet,” Brett said.

  London nodded sullenly. It was clear to Carrie that Brian didn’t consider the younger boy a threat to his relationship with her, but that he considered him strong enough to protect her. She was going to have to take notes on all of her interactions with Bri’s clan until she figured out all the weird shifter rules.

  “Go inside London,” Will pointed to the bar. “Keep her safe.”

  London took Carrie by the elbow and dragged her behind the bar. She wasn’t sure whether the bar was any safer than going home but she was going to trust the guys. They both sat on stools. “Sorry you’re stuck hanging out with me instead of joining them,” Carrie nodded her head towards the other bikers.

  London shrugged, “It’s not my time yet.”

  She threw her arm around the young boy. “You’re going to be an awesome biker one day.”

  He shrugged her off but smiled. “Thanks, I appreciate that.”

  The bar was empty save for London, Carrie and Jeanette. The Clan was out…handling the Tribe. Carrie didn’t want to imagine what was going on. Her eyes were tired, and she couldn’t help but doze off every once in a while. It was torture just waiting around for something to happen.

  Carrie was woken by the sound of shattering glass and a whoosh of heat. Her eyes snapped open and she almost fell off her stool. The bar was on fire.

  London jumped up and grabbed Carrie. “It’s the fucking Tribe.” He tried to push her towards the back door.

  “Hell no, I’m not going out there.” Carrie reached under the bar for the fire extinguisher and began to spray.

  There was another crash and a bottle with a rag on fire soared through the window. London eyed it for a moment before picking Carrie up and throwing her over his shoulder. “We’re out of here.”

  He ran out the back door. His rapid movement almost knocking Carrie off balance. Carrie looked around for her car but didn’t see it. With a screech of tires, Jeanette pulled in front of them in Carrie’s car. The windows were rolled down. “Get in!” She shouted. Carrie had never been so happy to see Jeanette’s dramatic painted-on eyebrows before. She and London jumped into the back seat and Jeanette floored it.

  “The bar—“ Carrie began.

  “Is insured. Don’t worry.” Jeanette took a turn with such force that Carrie was sure her car was going to fall apart. “I’m dropping you and London off at your place. Stay inside, lock the doors when you get there.”

  London growled. “No. We’re dropping Carrie off. I’m going to help you.”

  Jeanette sighed. “Fine, but it’s your ass Brian will tan if anything happens to her.”

  “I’ll be fine. Just make sure everyone else is okay.” Carrie directed Jeanette to her house. The drive, which usually took about half an hour, took ten minutes. Carrie was amazed that th
ey weren’t stopped by cops.

  They pulled up to her house and she jumped out of the car quickly. “Stay safe,” she said.

  “We will. And we’re going to give the Tribe the beat down they deserve. They’ve been going after my bar and shifters for years. It’s ridiculous. I’m a damn human and I see no problem with spending my time with shifters.” Carrie had never seen Jeanette so fired up about anything but business.

  “Go get ‘em.” London gave her a thumbs up and Jeanette floored it, leaving skid marks on Carrie’s driveway.

  Carrie quickly went inside and locked the door. She punched in ‘911’ on her phone and sat by the window with the knife she had been keeping in her room lately. If they were coming for her, she was going to be as ready as she could be.

  She didn’t have to wait long. Fifteen minutes after she arrived home, six bikers pulled into her driveway. Her heart pounded. She ducked out of the view of the window and crawled on the floor. She realized when she was halfway across the room that she had left her phone on the table. She crawled back over, staying low, hoping that they would think she wasn’t home and then leave. She reached the window and peaked outside.

  They were still parked in her small driveway, and sat on their bikes. Her heart pounded, wondering what they were going to do. Were they going to continue to harass her? Were they going to kill her? Would she become an example of what happened when bigots took over a town? She picked her cell phone up off the table and dialed Brian’s number.

  “Hey there, sweetheart. Are you and London still at the bar? Are you alright? What—“

  She cut him off, her voice frantic. “Bri, the Tribe is in my front yard.”

  “What?” his voice lost the kind, drawling tone with the snap of that one word. “Stay inside. I’m coming to you.”

  She wasn’t going to stay inside. Not when a bunch of tattooed assholes were threatening her, her boyfriend, and her place of work. This was insanity! There was something so wrong with them. The thought should have freaked her out, convinced her to stay inside and wait for Brian but she was too fired up. She was going to handle this.