Bear in a Bakery

by Liz Paffel

  So why did she feel so numb inside?

  “I bet she’s a total bitch.” Becks licked the fork before diving in for another bite.

  “Who?”

  “Blake’s fiancé. Think about it. That ass wipe cares more about himself than, say, orphans, or endangered whales or...”

  “Dead puppies?” Allie finished with a small grin.

  Becks waved her fork. “Exactly. What kind of woman marries a man who doesn’t care about dogs?”

  Her friend wasn’t wrong. Blake had always been self-centered. But it had been easy to overlook because she’d loved him. Because she thought he was the kind of guy she was supposed to marry. And when he started saying unkind things to her, she overlooked that, too. When the unkind comments turned into outright derogatory insults and talking down to her, Allie tried to rationalize why he was doing it.

  She tried to fix herself so he’d be happier with her and stop.

  She tried to change.

  She tried to be better.

  And she’d allowed the whole thing to continue because Blake was familiar, accomplished and successful. He was prime mate material. Isn’t that what every girl wanted? She’d thought so, until she woke up one day and realized what he was doing was verbal abuse. And then he’d snapped in anger and shoved her into a wall with a hand on her chest, preventing her from slipping away.

  And now there was Dax, and he was... different.

  With a wan smile, she grabbed the fork from Becks and took a bite of cake. Her hips were already cushy, so what was one bite of cake? She owned a bakery, for crying out loud.

  “That’a girl.”

  Figuring she’d better see how things were going, Allie gave Becks a kiss on the cheek and headed out front. The bakery had quieted with only a couple of people milling around the coffee bar. Dax stood under the front window, looking up with his hands on his hips. Her heart skipped a beat, as it always did when she saw him. He turned as if he sensed that she was there. For a moment, their eyes caught and all she could do was stare at his golden beauty. Was this gorgeous, strong man really interested in being hers?

  He was everything that Blake wasn’t. He was everything her soul and body and heart craved. How Dax had managed to get so deep inside her mind and emotions in such a short time confounded her. He could have any woman—Jesus, just look at him! — yet, he said he wanted her.

  “Come look at this.” He nodded for her to come over. She sided up to him as he pulled a folded paper from his back pocket.

  “Good news. What you’ve got up here isn’t anything harmful. Some heavy duty cleaner and fresh paint, and it’ll be good as new. Here’s a rundown of what I’m going to do for you.”

  His arm bumped into hers and he stayed there, resting his skin against hers. This was how it was supposed to be, she thought. Her, beside him, side by side. Dax handed her a paper. She tried to look it over, but she couldn’t concentrate on anything but him and the emotions unfurling inside her. All the doubts were starting to fade. What if she really was his fated mate? What if she was supposed to have a lifetime with him?

  He gave her a curious look. There was a handful of hope there, too.

  “What?”

  “Nothing,” she replied. She needed more time to figure out her thoughts before she dare say anything to him.

  “So, we’re going to fix up the pipes in the ceiling that caused this mess, replace the part of the frame it damaged and seal up around the entire building to stop the raccoons.”

  Right. She’d forgotten about the raccoon.

  “I’m going to get rid of this little strip of harmless mold and give the affected areas a new coat of paint. I’ll fix the walls and the woodwork. Most of my men will be involved in my family’s gathering, so we’ll start the day after and be done in less than two weeks.”

  The heavy, comforting weight of his arm slipping around her shoulders was unexpected, but she welcomed it by leaning her head on his shoulder. The strong lines of his neck begged her lips to cruise its length.

  “Hey,” he said while giving her a squeeze. “I’m going to make everything just as it should be, okay?”

  “Even me?”

  The words slipped out as they formed in her mind. Where had that thought come from?

  “You don’t need fixing, Allie. You’re perfect the way you are.”

  He turned her to stand in front of him and took her arms in his hands. Her eyes began to burn as tears tried to push their way through. How many times had she longed for a man to understand her for exactly who she was? It seemed as if she’d waited a lifetime to have a partner who accepted her as is.

  “I need to go slow, Dax. I need time to let this do whatever it’s going to do.”

  Doubt flagged in her mind. Dax was the kind of man used to getting what he wanted, and he’d made it abundantly clear that he wanted her. Maybe he wouldn’t want to wait.

  Allie was about to throw her arms around his neck and lift herself up into his kiss when the bell over the door jingled. The man coming in had to duck to avoid smacking his head. Behind him, a not much shorter version followed suit. Dax jerked away from her, one hand sliding down her arm to grasp her hand and entwine their fingers together.

  “Dad? Are you well enough to be out of bed?”

  Dad?

  Allie gaped at the older man, who was virtually a spitting image of Dax. The younger man next to him had raven-black hair and swarthy skin, so unlike Dax, though their features were eerily similar.

  The older man stood beside Dax and crossed his hands together. Her pulse raced at his intimidating stature. He was inches taller than Dax and bigger through the chest, with arms that could probably break a tree clear in half. Despite his obvious strength, lines of fatigue were etched around his eyes and a pale tint colored his face.

  He raised greying eyebrows and pierced Allie with a stare.

  “Is this her?”

  Dax cleared his throat as if he were annoyed. “Here I thought you came in for sticky buns.”

  “I did. But this first. Is she?”

  Dax turned to her. “Allie, my father Rowan.”

  A small muscle jumped in the side of Dax’s cheek as he clenched his jaw. So, he’d told his father about her. She wasn’t sure if she should be flattered or irritated that his family already thought... well, whatever they thought about their relationship.

  “Yes.”

  “We have a problem.”

  Allie pulled away from Dax. She was curious what this was all about, but the sinking feeling inside said she might be better off not knowing. She tried to untangle her fingers from his, but he wouldn’t let her go.

  “What problem?”

  Rowan’s expression was equally hard and fatigued. Allie got the sense that when he was done with this conversation, he’d grab some sticky buns and take a nap.

  “I got a call from Marybeth. Seems you had a misunderstanding with one of her fancy guests for her party— Blake something or other.”

  Allie put a hand below her ribs. That was the connection between them. She’d been confused when Blake had brought up MB, but now it seemed the two were cozy in some way. Blake never could let go of an insult to his pride. He held a grudge, a big one, until he felt he got even. Nothing had changed in the time they’d been apart.

  Dax mimicked his father’s authoritative stance. “I should have beat the life out of him for speaking to Allie the way he did. What’s going on?”

  “He said you chocked him by his car.”

  “What?” Allie turned to Dax.

  He made an unapologetic, so-what expression. “Way less than what he deserved.”

  The younger man pushed his way forward, hands in the front pockets of his jeans as he glanced around the store. Stopping in front of Allie, he offered her a rugged hand. She took it on rote.

  “Jett Mitchell, Dax’s brother. Nice to meet you. The problem is that Marybeth is so pissed over my brother’s behavior, she’s threatening to shut your bakery down if you continue
to, as she put it, “fraternize with that brute.”

  Allie’s face felt numb. “Shut me down? On what grounds?”

  Jett shrugged. “Something about a rodent problem.”

  “Rodent problem? It was one raccoon!”

  Allie put a hand to her forehead. Marybeth would not settle with a single raccoon but would use her shitty ability to fabricate a different story. One that likely involved an infestation of rats and rare but deadly Guatemalan cockroaches or something. And she’d spin it so expertly that the entire town of Estes Park would believe it... and she’d be ruined.

  “Oh,” Jett said nonchalantly. “She’ll also pull her order and giving it to Bella Blu if you don’t comply. She wants your answer tonight.”

  Feeling as if the breath had been knocked out of her, Allie pulled up a stool from the coffee counter and plopped down on it. Dax was immediately at her side, his hand on her shoulder. There was little comfort in it. It wasn’t that she needed Marybeth’s massive order, or that she’d already purchased the bulk ingredients and gotten things started. With the order cancellation would come a pointed and poisonous slander of how Allie couldn’t hold up her end of the deal. Of how Marybeth was slighted and forced to take her business elsewhere.

  It was another form of ruin—delay, at the very least— that could do long term damage.

  “Why the hell is this woman making you her messenger?”

  Dax’s fingers kneaded the tender flesh over between her neck and shoulder a little too hard. Allie shrugged him off.

  The elder shifter sighed. “I suppose she thought it would be more threatening coming from me directly. She’s a pain in the ass, barely worth a second of my time. I’m only cooperating with her request because of the urgency you’re facing Dax.”

  Dax’s eyes went wide in that way people do when they want someone to secretly shut up. His father must have noticed, because he closed his mouth and cleared his throat.

  “In any event, I figured you’d want to know. Allie, it was nice to meet you.”

  The older man gave her a warm smile, but she couldn’t return the sentiment. In the blink of an eye, things were threatening to crash down around her again. He wavered on his feet, causing both his sons to rush to steady him. Without a word, Jett and Dax assisted their father outside.

  How dare Marybeth play at her emotions and her livelihood like this! Truth was, she did need Marybeth’s order, so she could make her bank loan payment this month. With the moon party being the exclusive event that it was, hundreds of guests would get a taste of Sticky Sweet’s deliciousness and it was too important of a marketing opportunity to pass up.

  Staying away from Dax would keep Marybeth’s mouth shut. But for how long? Sure, she could fill the order and run into Dax’s arms after the party was over. But knowing the conniving woman at face value, Allie realized there would be a second wave consequence. Marybeth would find a way to make her suffer.

  Worse, she seemed to have Blake in her back pocket.

  Allie’s stomach fell. She already knew how good Blake was at making her pay.

  Chapter Twelve

  The bell above the front door jingled and even from the back room, the tingle that went down Allie’s spine told her Dax had come in.

  She didn’t have time to fill Becks in on what Dax’s father had said, and she was grateful. She had no desire to voice out loud that Marybeth was holding this over her.

  “I’m cutting out early. You got this?” Allie gathered her purse and keys from the backroom and rushed back into the kitchen. Becks had her hands on her hips, her expression saying she was waiting for more information.

  “Seriously, you’re going to leave the woman who sleeps on a stool in the corner in charge?”

  Allie grinned. “Smartass.”

  “Come on, tell me what’s going on.”

  No. Because if she gave voice to it, she might change her mind. If she talked about it, she might not do the best thing. Impulsivity had always been front and center on the Loser Allie List. Instead of rushing into what her heart wanted, she was going to think this blackmail shit through and do the best thing, not the emotion-driven thing.

  “I’ll be back tonight. I’ve got to bake MB’s shit.”

  “And the bacon cupcakes.”

  Ha. She’d forgotten about those. “The filling and frosting are made. Just bake and assemble.”

  And reserve one to rub all over Dax’s body so she could take her sweet time licking him clean. He appeared in the kitchen as she was trying to pull her mind off that delicious scenario. The hard, sleek lines of his body only made it worse. Warmth pooled between her legs as sudden and intense arousal pumped through her. Just like that, her panties were soaked.

  Dax gave her a questioning look and she didn’t even care that he could probably sense the need in her. Of all the times for her hormones to go insane. It was probably stress from Marybeth’s stunt. That, and the all-nighter she had ahead of her.

  Or, maybe, it was because Dax was so damn hot and it felt like forever since he’d touched her. Since his lips had cruised her neck, or his hands hand parted her legs so his tongue...

  And Marybeth didn’t want her to see him anymore? The woman clearly had no idea what kind of man-crack this bear shifter was.

  “Come with me,” she snapped, pointing at Dax before she spun on one heel and headed to the back door. She didn’t need to look to see if he followed her. Every beat of her heart said that he was. Allie pushed out of the back door and made it halfway to her car before she stopped.

  Turning to look at him, Allie was on the edge of a razor-sharp tension that her primal self said could only be smoothed one way.

  Him.

  Her nostrils flared as his scent wafted to her, her chest aching with her attempt to control her breathing. Dax observed her silently. His pupils dilated, taking up most of the amazing blue. His own breathing was coming faster, his body turning toward her as if he was trying to take up the space between them without reaching for her.

  “I need you.” The words fell from her lips, followed by a sob she couldn’t control. Her lower lip trembled so she curled it inward and tossed back her hair. Damn it, she was in control of herself! She wasn’t going to let that evil woman, or her psychotic ex make her lose it.

  Dax’s lips parted, his gaze falling to her mouth. “How do you need me?”

  His cocked his head, exposing the masculine line of his neck. The ache between her legs became a demanding, pleasure-pain throb. She resisted touching herself there, just to make it go away. Dax was so fucking sexy. She wanted to climb him, to jump on and ride until she collapsed in exhaustion—and then hop back up and do it again.

  No way would one time be enough to kill this ache. This raw, powerful need.

  With a little groan, Allie advanced on him. She grabbed the front of his shirt with one hand and his belt with the other, pushing him downward. With the raise of one eyebrow, Dax complied and sank to his knees before her. This was crazy. It was like some sex-crazed woman had possessed her body. She just needed him. Again, and again.

  Threading her fingers into the hair at the side of his head, she pulled his head back and kissed him. Dax gripped her thighs right below her ass, his fingers like bands burning into her skin. Their tongues clashed and slid against each other as Allie leaned into him as far as she could. Like she wanted to melt into his kiss; to twine her body with his.

  She pulled back enough to get a breath. God, he was so hot on his knees before her. So submissive and ready to serve. Dax’s eyelids fell halfway as he gripped her hips and buried his face at the apex of her thighs.

  Allie cried out, her hands gripping his head as he nuzzled the fabric that separated his amazing mouth from her skin. The tip of his tongue brushed against her sensitive slit. Even though the fabric of her red skirt, Allie felt the pleasure of his touch. Almost squirming with need, she adjusted her hips so his face fit against her thighs as his tongue swiped up and down, gently pushing and seeking until he cont
acted her clit. Dax blew a hot stream of breath there, before closing his lips around her mound and gently sucking.

  “I need more!”

  He rocked back to look up at her. The sight of him on his knees like this was nearly her undoing.

  “I know you do, angel. Do you have any idea what’s happening right now?” A smile crossed his face like he was surprised and pleased and a little blown away.

  “Yes, you’re about to get fucked.”

  A deep sound rumbled from his throat. “Where? Where do you want to fuck?”

  Her legs trembled, her pussy demanding more of his touch. Her place seemed hours from here. Going back in meant too many opportunities to be interrupted. She glanced at his truck parked on the far side of the back lot. It didn’t matter where they made love.

  She just needed it now, right damn now, before her body split in half.

  “God, Allie. You have no idea what this is doing to me.”

  As if reading her mind, he stood and grabbed her hand, leading her to the truck where he threw open the back door. She slid inside, Dax pushing her down onto the seat as he crawled in with her and slammed the door. Bless tinted windows!

  She clawed at his jeans, fumbling with the button and zipper, yet managing to get them open without trouble. Her body seemed on sex-driven autopilot... like something terrible was going to happen to her if she didn’t get him inside her. Now!

  “I need you,” she panted. “I need you now, right now. Dax, please, please.”

  The words sounded jumbled to her own ears, but even as she pulled him closer and thrust herself at him, pressing against the erection he freed, he knew. The urges going through her were new and exciting and scary.

  “Hold me down. Dominate me, Dax. Just... please.”

  His hand snaked to the front of her neck, his fingers closing over the base of her throat as he pulled off her pants with his other hand.

  “Is this what you want? Is it?”

  Her legs fell open as far as they could in the small space. Allie heard herself whimper as Dax slid the tip of his cock into her pussy and thrust deep. He applied more pressure, restricting her breathing as he began a hard, steady pace. She cried out over and over as pleasure came fast and immediate. She drew a thread breath around the pressure on her neck and the dual sensations of his dominance on her neck and his cock driving into her were almost too much to handle.