Bears of Burden: HUTCH

by Candace Ayers

  I’m embarrassed to say that I acted like he wasn’t there. I was frozen in place, hovering on the ground, much like the pet Thorn seemed to consider me.

  “Leave her alone. She’s looking for something.”

  Brilliant. I pretended to grab something and stood up so suddenly that I was already dizzy when my head connected with his solid jaw. Pain shot across my skull and I yelped as the sound of teeth cracking together ricocheted around the room.

  Hutch swore vividly and when I looked up, I watched as he held his jaw and worked it back and forth. “You’re a goddamn menace.”

  I bit my tongue and tried to hide the pain his words inflicted.

  CHAPTER 5: Hutch

  I knew I’d hurt her feelings as soon as the words were out of my mouth. Her wide green eyes never even met with mine, but she chewed on her plump bottom lip and nodded once before turning to Allie. Allie was giving me the nastiest stink eye I’d ever seen on anyone, as though I didn’t already feel like a dick.

  “I should be going now. Thank you so much for breakfast, Allie.”

  Allie jumped up and tried to block Veronica’s exit, but there was no stopping the woman. “You haven’t even touched your food yet. Stay, Ronnie. Hutch is leaving.”

  Ronnie shook her head. “There’s some work I need to get done at the library. I’m sorry.”

  She hurried down the hallway and the front door closed softly behind her a few seconds later. She still looked different—her clothes, her hair. Her actions seemed back to normal, though. I knew I should feel glad about that. If she was back to normal, she’d start avoiding me again. Maybe she’d stop flashing me parts of her anatomy that I wanted to devour whole. Maybe I’d be able to get the woman out of my damned head instead of having visions of her plaguing me 24/7.

  Allie appeared back in the kitchen, her face red and blotchy. “You are the biggest bag of dicks I’ve ever met, Hutch Mallory. Ronnie is a nice girl. She doesn’t need you grumpy-growling down her throat for the smallest of things. Why are you so mean to her? Don’t think I didn’t see the pained expression on your face last night when Thorn asked you to help with her. What’d she ever do to you to deserve your shitty treatment?”

  I held up my hands in a gesture of surrender. “I’ve got to go.”

  “You need to apologize to her.”

  “Apologize? To her?!” I growled and made a beeline for the front door. “I’m not the one who’s been flipping her off,” I called over my shoulder, “I’m not the one who keeps flashing private body parts. Your friend isn’t as innocent as you think.”

  Allie sniffed. “If she did those things, you obviously deserved them.”

  I slammed the door behind me and stormed out to the sidewalk before hurrying to the other side of the street, into the woods, and shedding my clothes. I left them in a pile and shifted, letting my bear take over my mind and body.

  As a bear, I lifted my head and sniffed the air. My bear scented her immediately and chuffed. He wanted her. He was impressed with her, no matter how she acted. If she was shy and quiet, he liked that she would only come alive for us. If she was bold and flipping us off, he liked that she was tough and sassy and would be soft for only us. I heard all of it. I didn’t completely disagree with him. She was stunning, no matter how she was acting. But I needed to stay strong. I needed to control the beast.

  This newer, wilder Veronica was harder for me. She was in my face more and that wasn’t good for me. It had been hard enough just knowing that my mate was in town, so close, and catching the faintest whiffs of her scent here and there, and not acting on it.

  It wasn’t that I didn’t want a mate, but Veronica, the bookworm? Christ, I was already up to my damned eyeballs in stress and business. Add in a mate, and I might as well have been fifty, would I never catch a break? She deserved better than me, anyways. My life was responsibility-laden—work and more work. That was okay, because that’s how it had to be, but what the hell kind of thing was that to offer a woman?

  That didn’t stop my bear from doing what he always did—heading through the woods that ran around the town, and ending up sitting just beyond her back yard, inhaling deeply, searching for her.

  She was there, in her house. She’d lied about going to the library, lied just to get away from me. I couldn’t blame her. I deserved it, but I hated it. Jesus, I was fucked in the head over her.

  As if I’d summoned her, she came out wearing a tiny bikini and dragged her one and only lawn chair farther into the yard, away from the shadow of the house. She sat down and stretched out, opening a book and then she seemed to get lost in it.

  From where I hovered, she was all soft curves and smooth skin. I tried to leave. I knew I needed to, but I was glued to the spot I was standing in. My bear refused to budge.

  Veronica shifted her thighs against each other and her right hand trailed over her thigh seductively. The scent of her arousal hit me like a brick and I actually shifted back instantaneously, out of shock.

  I had smelled that sweet, addicting scent a few times before, when we ran into each other. Especially that very first time. She was more responsive than anyone I’d ever been with. Her body readied itself for me almost on sight and there was nothing hotter to a man than that.

  Jealousy bit at me like a rabid pack of Chihuahuas, slightly painful and annoying as fuck. Why was she turned on? Who had caused that reaction in her? Another man?

  Her hand slid up her stomach and lightly brushed over her small breasts. From where I stood, I could see her nipples respond immediately. Her lips parted and the smallest gasp carried across her yard to me.

  I should walk away, leave her to her privacy, but my feet wouldn’t budge. I didn’t even know if I could blink.

  She’d flashed me that morning when I was leaving Maggie’s house. I had the image of those perfect little breasts still burned in my brain. I wanted her to reach up to the nape of her neck and untie the string holding her top together. I wanted it so bad that I held my breath as her arm moved higher.

  A phone rang from inside the house and she jumped, startled from the shrill sound of it. She stood up and reached back to slip a finger into her bikini bottoms and hike them into a better position before heading inside.

  I let out the breath I’d been holding and scrubbed my hand over my face. I had to get to work. I couldn’t do this shit. I wasn’t the kind of guy who stalked women from their back yards. Jesus, what was happening to me?

  I was losing it.

  With a growl, I shifted back to my bear and trampled off through the woods towards my clothes. Maybe I’d be able to catch Thorn before he went inside and heard from Allie that I was a stupid son of a bitch.

  CHAPTER 6: Veronica

  Dinner at the bar. Dinner. Not drunk time where I embarrassed myself by being too rowdy for public. I adjusted the dress Georgia had come over and thrust into my face. I had no idea how she was able to wear this thing. She was taller than me and it barely covered my backside.

  Tight and black leather, it paired well with my hair. Huh, I looked like a Bond girl. The barely-there lingerie set I wore under it helped, too. I felt like a million bucks. If a million bucks had on a dress that was just slightly too short. My heels were strappy and dangerously high. I thought it was probably a little over the top for The Cave, but Georgia insisted.

  She was in a great mood. She’d worked things out with her mate and had decided to stay in Burden. It was great news. She’d done more for me in a few days than almost anyone else in Burden ever had. She also had something she wanted us all to talk about that night over dinner.

  I was eager to hear what she was cooking up. Georgia was like a hurricane when it came to making things happen. She was fun, she was full of energy, and she was infectious.

  I locked my door and stepped out of my house. Maggie was coming out of her house at the same time. Her eyes met mine and she smiled. I forced a smile in her direction and then headed towards the bar.

  Maggie fell into step beside
me and smiled again when I looked over at her. “You look so great, Veronica. It’s insane what a haircut can do for a woman. I have an appointment with Brandi for Wednesday. I need a little of whatever she did for you.”

  I absently reached up and brushed my fingers through my bangs. “She does amazing things.”

  “Not that you weren’t completely cute as a button before. She made you look like a sex-kitten, though.”

  The ridiculous jealousy I felt towards her slipped somewhat and I bit my lip. “You think?”

  She nodded. “When I saw you in this dress, my mind immediately went to the sexy heroines in those books of yours. You’re missing a blindfold and fuzzy handcuffs, but other than that, you look the part.”

  I laughed before I could help it. “No, I’ve got those.”

  Her head snapped towards me in shock and her own surprised laugh nearly choked her. She covered her mouth and coughed, while still laughing, and shook her head. When she was able to speak again, she let me know how shocked she was. “I never would’ve imagined. You seemed like such a good girl.”

  She had no idea. Technically, I was a good girl. The best, if you were counting hymens. If you were considering how bad I wanted to be, I was a very bad girl. I had a flashback to the book I’d been reading and felt my cheeks heat and my feet stumble a bit.

  She grinned at me and then winked before we joined a crowd outside of the bar. She went in search of her friends and I found Georgia immediately.

  Georgia was standing with her fists planted firmly on her hips, glaring at Thorn. “You can’t just all of a sudden say you’re having a boy’s night. It’s a public bar.”

  Allie was right there with her. “What’s this about, anyway?”

  Thorn was looking down at them with his arms crossed. “The guys want to be able to drink without worrying about you ladies breaking bottles over their heads or something.”

  “We weren’t ever that crazy.”

  I stepped forward and joined Georgia and Allie. “To be fair, I think I was the only one who broke anything.”

  Thorn suddenly grinned at me and reached out to pat the top of my head. I dodged it and he just grinned wider. “I was wondering when you’d show up. These two want to raise hell, so of course they bring in the sweet librarian to stir shit up.”

  I made a face at him and then noticed Hutch standing behind him. Bold Veronica was back. I scowled at him and put my hands on my hips. I was a fucking Bond girl tonight. I could handle a scary, hulking giant of a bear-man. “I’ve read all of the city ordinances and I’m certain I would remember if there was anything in them about it being legally permissible for a business owner to sort his customers by gender.”

  Sterling Mallory stepped forward and gave me a hot look. “I say we let her in. She can tutor me on all the ordinances so nothing like this happens again.”

  Thorn smacked the back of his head. “Cut it out.”

  Georgia hooked her arm around my waist and stuck her tongue out at Thorn. “See. You can’t keep all women out.”

  Allie nodded. “Not if you want to sleep in your bed tonight.”

  Hutch scowled right back at me. “Maybe just the one with the drinking problem should stay out.”

  Allie glared at him. “You’re still being an asshole, I see.”

  Thorn shot him a look, too. “You cut it out, too.”

  I stepped forward, getting as close as I dared to. “What’s wrong, Hutch? You scared to share this big bar with little old me? It’s interesting, really, what a yellow-bellied coward you are.”

  He shoved his brother out of the way and stepped closer to me. “Not scared, honey. I just choose not to share a room with someone who can’t hold her liquor.”

  “Oh, no? I can’t hold my liquor, and I get messy? Right, I shouldn’t be allowed out in public. You’d like that, wouldn’t you? It would make being a coward a whole heck of a lot easier for you, wouldn’t it, you… you… fudge nugget!”

  “Fudge nugget? Fudge nugget? What the hell’s a—? Georgia should’ve left you hiding in that damn library.”

  Red-faced, I spun around and headed towards the bar. “Thorn, are you keeping me out?”

  He closed his mouth and squeezed my shoulder. “Not a chance. You’re always welcome. Don’t know what I was thinking.”

  Allie threw her arm over my shoulder and glared at her mate. Georgia held up her middle fingers and flipped them all off before following us inside.

  We took the same table as the night before and I made sure to sit with my back to the rest of the bar, in case Hutch didn’t run away with his tail tucked between his legs. Allie sat on one side of me and Georgia the other. The rest of the women, Brandi, Samantha, Marley, and a few others, spread out. They were all staring at me, their eyes wide with shock and impatience.

  Georgia slowly clapped her hands together and blew out a breath. “So, I’m just going to do it. I’m going to ask. What. The hell. Was that?”

  My cheeks burned and I crossed my legs to try to alleviate some of the tension between my thighs. It was miserable, being turned on and turned down by a man who clearly hated me. “He’s a rackafrazzin shizbooger.”

  Allie nodded. “I second that. What happened between the two of you, though?”

  I stared down at my hands and tried to decide how much I should tell them. Not all of it. It was mortifying to be rejected by my own mate. I didn’t ever want to admit that to anyone. “We ran into each other in town one day. There was, um—a moment between us, or at least I thought so. I tried to kiss him and he was repulsed. He’s hated me ever since.”

  Georgia whipped around in her seat and glared. “I’ll rip his tiny little pea brain out of his head and fling it into the river. What the hell is wrong with him? A woman like you hits on a man, that man should fall to his knees. You’re beautiful, and brilliant. He’s a fucking idiot.”

  I couldn’t help laughing. “I guess he’s not into brainy nerds. Usually, I stay out of his way so it’s less awkward, but lately… You guys have made me feel bolder. I haven’t been hiding. I’ve been facing him head on. Maybe a little too head on.”

  CHAPTER 7: Hutch

  My blood pounded through my veins so fast I felt dizzy. The urge to shift and sprint into the woods was definitely there, but I wasn’t a coward.

  Thorn was suddenly in front of me, his hands on my chest as he shoved me. “What the hell was that back there?”

  I shoved him back, instantly feeling like he was the perfect person to release some of my anger and pent-up frustration on. “I could ask you the same thing.”

  His face was a mask of shock. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “You’re acting like she’s a fucking princess. You have a mate, Thorn.”

  Thorn’s fist slammed into the side of my face, knocking me back a foot. “Watch what the fuck you say, Hutch. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but it needs to work itself out.”

  I cupped my jaw for a second and then charged at Hutch. I hit him in the chest with my shoulder and we both went down. I got a shot into his side while he tried to lock his arm around my neck. I was bigger than him, I was bigger than all the guys, but Thorn was faster. I hit him again and then felt the air go out of me as he got in his own shot.

  Hands grabbed me and yanked me off of him, but I fought to get back at him. I wanted someone else to feel as miserable as I did.

  Sterling’s voice in my ear finally broke through. “What the fuck, Hutch? Calm your big ass down!”

  Wyatt was on my other side. “Stop fighting us! Jesus, what’s wrong with you?”

  Sam was in front of Thorn, getting pushed around while Thorn fought just as hard to get to me. We were all breathing hard and looking at each other with wild eyes. I knew the urge to shift was strong in all of us. It was more natural to brawl that way.

  The red haze that I’d been in finally started to fade and I stopped fighting. What the hell was I doing? Attacking Thorn just because he was being nice to my mate? I shoul
d be grateful for that, because, god knew, I wasn’t being nice to her.

  Thorn seemed to deflate too and just tossed me a sad look. “Brother, what’s going on with you?”

  I shrugged out of their hold and ran my hands down my face. I could already feel a bruise forming on my jaw, but it’d heal itself just as fast. Hearing him call me brother took whatever wind I had left in my sails right out. “I can’t explain it right now.”

  I couldn’t. They’d never understand, and if Thorn hit me for being an asshole to him, I couldn’t imagine what he’d feel like doing if he found out how I was treating Veronica. No, he wouldn’t understand. None of them would.

  “Are you okay?”

  And now they were concerned for me. I didn’t deserve their concern. “Fuck. I’m fine. I’ve got to go.”

  I walked away, ignoring their calls and got on my bike. Without waiting around to see if I could catch another glimpse of her, I headed towards my shop.

  That’s where I’d been going the night before when I ran into Maggie and let things get carried away. I should’ve shut her down. I wasn’t the least bit interested, but women had been the one little sliver of my life that was fun. Only, it didn’t exactly feel like fun anymore. Not since meeting Veronica. Thank god Maggie had been understanding.

  I pulled behind the shop that had my name on the front, and let myself into my office through the back door. I sat down at my worn desk and just let myself be welcomed by the silence.

  It wasn’t every day the shop was so quiet. Most of the time, it was abuzz with tools, cars, and motorcycles. I owned the only mechanic shop in Burden. The only one within sixty miles. While it should’ve been easier to run, it still wasn’t. There wasn’t a day that went by when there wasn’t someone or something that needed me. It was stress. Pure stress. I was a bear. I was meant to run in the wild, not sort through paperwork and figure out how to calculate my own quarterly taxes.

  It put bread on the table, though, and that’s what really counted. It was something I had to do. I’d been supporting my family since I was fourteen, when I first started working at the shop, back when it was owned by Jimmy Finnegan. I’d never lost focus of that responsibility. If I didn’t do a good job, my family didn’t eat.