by Cecilia Lane
Only, he was enjoying having her on his arm far too much. And the way Olivia’s eyes bored into him, she knew it, too.
“Doctor Garland, what a pleasure to see you out on the town,” Olivia greeted politely when she oh so casually stopped by their table.
Rylee dabbed at the nonexistent sauce on her lips. “Cole’s idea. He said if I wanted to observe the real side of Bearden, this is the place to go.”
“He’s a surprisingly intuitive one, isn’t he? How is your research going?”
“Fantastic! I had some promising results on the genetics front, though the physicists are still clamoring for more access with your Broken. If you have time, I’d like to schedule a meeting sometime next week? There’s a woman on that team that I think would be a great person to invite into the enclave.”
“Give my assistant Allison a call to set something up.” Olivia nodded, eyes flicking to Cole. “If you’ll forgive me, I need to steal Cole away for a moment. It was very nice chatting with you.”
Rylee smiled broadly. “Thank you. And I don’t mind at all.”
Mood souring, Cole rose to his feet and followed Olivia a short distance away out of earshot of the human.
“What are you doing, Strathorn?” Olivia hissed, keeping her voice low to hide from other shifters.
Cole spread his hands wide. “You wanted me to get closer to her, so that’s what I’m doing. You don’t get to ride in here on your high horse and tell me that’s wrong.”
“It looks a little more intimate than that.”
His insolence dropped into a growl. “What I do in my bed is no concern of yours. Don’t worry, Mayor. She’s human and I’m well aware of the danger that brings.”
None of the words were lies, but they didn’t tell the whole story. He knew humans didn’t stick around. He knew what Olivia wanted from him. But he couldn’t bring himself to use that bit of intimacy against Rylee. She trusted him for whatever reason and he couldn’t betray that. He could puff out his chest and play the lady killer for everyone who watched, but it was all for show.
His bear rumbled a warning to Olivia when she placed her hand on his chest to stop him from heading back to his booth and his woman.
“Watch yourself, Strathorn. Your brother can’t protect you forever.”
“With all due respect, ma’am, I haven’t needed my brother to protect me in years.” He plucked her hand from his chest and resisted the urge to scrub off the memory of her touch. “I don’t know why you’re so obsessed with her. She’s one of the good guys. If there was anything wrong, she’d tell us. This woman lives for her beakers and samples and shit. She’s not playing a game with us. You, though... Well, if you’re determined to make Bearden into your version of a spy thriller, I’m out.”
He looked past Olivia and found Rylee glancing around as casually as possible to avoid outright staring. There were more than a few bears on the outskirts of the deck, and the tables and chairs were packed with clumps of people together as a clan or on dates.
“It’s not just her we need to worry about. Don’t forget who she works for,” Olivia answered sharply.
Olivia pushed him to dig out Rylee’s secrets and he couldn’t. He wouldn’t. She owned them and he wouldn’t rip them away from her. She’d been shouted at and talked down to by her own people and Olivia was pulling the same crap with him. Fuck ‘em all.
Rylee tore at his heart and he knew he was going to get burned. But right then, he didn’t give a shit. He just wanted to get back to her. They could find a little comfort in each other before everything blew up in their faces.
Cole was a thundercloud as he stormed back to their table. Rylee stilled. Whatever had happened when Mayor Gale pulled him aside, it hadn’t been good.
“You want to get out of here?” Cole asked, barely sitting on the edge of his seat. His fingers drummed against the table and he shot angry glances to anyone who dared look their way.
“I’m finished,” she said quietly and pushed her plate away.
A wince passed across his face and he pressed his hands flat. Agitation still clung to him like a second skin, but he was holding it back from her. “Sorry. It’s not you. Finish eating if you’re not done.”
She shook her head. “It’s fine, really.” She popped one last hushpuppy between her lips. It really was delicious, but she couldn’t taste anything at that moment. Cole was upset about something and it spilled over to her. “All done.”
He stood, shoving his chair back as he moved, and threw a handful of bills onto the table. “Let’s go,” he growled. “I don’t want to stay here a moment longer than necessary.”
Silently, she nodded. She expected him to take her back down the stairs and to his truck, but he led her through the restaurant and out the front door. She dug in her heels and pulled them to a stop on the edge of the sidewalk.
His agitation and the unknown location swirled a hint of fear in her. The night had gone so well right up to his aside with Mayor Gale. She wasn’t about to let worry get the best of her. “Where are we going?”
Cole glanced down at her and another dose of tension sloughed off him. He favored her with a smile that dared her to trust him. “You wanted to see all of us, didn’t you? See how clans work together?” She nodded, and he stepped off the sidewalk and into the street. “The Strathorns are hitting up the bar tonight and I could use a drink.”
Feeling unsure, but desperate to give a night out with Cole a shot, she hurried after him. He held the door open and a wave of country music washed over her. Laughter and curses filled the hum of conversation.
“Cole!” Someone shouted from the back and a chorus of cheers rose up from the group gathered by a pool table.
Cole ushered her toward them. “This is the entire clan, minus Gray.” He pointed to the new faces one by one. “Hudson, Sawyer, Nolan. You already met Leah and Callum.”
Three big men all rounded the pool table and tried to ply her with handshakes. The suddenness of it forced her a step back, and Cole immediately placed himself in front of her and set a hand on Nolan’s chest. His voice was thick with warning when he spoke. “Don’t get any closer. Any of you.”
Leah slipped past him and stuck out her hand. “Come perch on the side with me, Riles. These barbarians can do our bidding and fetch our drinks while we shout at them.”
Callum took a pull from his beer bottle, then leaned over the table to line up a shot. “How’s that different from any other night?”
Leah’s lips twitched with a smile. She pulled a cue stick from the wall and nudged Callum in the side right as he took his shot. The ball jumped off the table and rolled on the floor. “Foul! That’s what you get for having a smart mouth.”
Rylee settled primly next to Leah on a row of stools lining the wall. Away from the others, and with Cole in sight, she relaxed. No one could sneak up behind her, and she was certain Cole would tear anyone apart who tried to hurt her. He made her feel safe enough to enjoy herself in a bar for the first time ever.
He took her order, only making fun of her a tiny bit for wanting a fruity cider, and disappeared in the direction of the bar. Not entirely hidden, she realized. She could see his messy black hair pushing through the crowd, there and back again.
“Where’s Gray?” he asked, passing her a bottle with a wink.
“He pulled the short straw for an extra shift,” Callum answered and passed him the cue stick. “You’re subbing in for me. Can’t trust Leah not to commit sabotage.”
“What makes you think she’ll behave with me?”
“Because she has someone new to impress.” Leah fluttered her eyelashes at Rylee.
“I’m impressed,” Rylee said. “Sabotage away.”
Cole placed his hand over his heart and made a hurt face. “Betrayal!”
The game went on, and she chimed in when she could think of something funny. The Strathorns were rough and crude, but their words were nearly always accompanied by a quick smile and laughing eyes. They gave each other
a hard time, but there was a lot of love between them.
She checked regularly on Cole. The tense agitation he had at Hogshead slowly melted away. Being around his clan, joking and slapping hands on shoulders, brightened him up again.
And, she realized, he watched her as much as she darted glances toward him. They were little looks, flicks of his eyes and a deliberate turning of his body to always keep her in his sight. There was a constant awareness between them, delicate like a spider web, then thicker as the night went on.
Cheeks heating, she barely noticed Leah leaning in and jumped when the other woman spoke.
“A little foxy told me you’re coming to brunch with us tomorrow.”
Cole shouted over the others, “By the Broken, Leah. You can’t go dragging her into your little cabal of mischief makers.”
“I can, and I will. I’m humanizing us, which is a shitton more than can be said for these guys.” She jerked her thumb toward Nolan and Hudson, who were raising their lips at one another in a snarl.
Callum passed a hand down his face. “No brawling,” he ordered. Neither man glanced at him. “No. Brawling.”
Leah piped in, “Nolan, I heard Becca doesn’t like scars.”
Nolan blinked and slashed his eyes to the side. That distraction was enough to ease the tension between them.
Rylee sucked air into her lungs and Leah flashed her a smile. “Sorry about that. Usually it’s not so bad for humans. But Callum is the big alpha man and I’ve got a monster inside me.”
“That was you two?” She would give anything to take notes but suspected they wouldn’t find it polite. She stashed away the little bits of information for future questions when she had Cole alone.
Leah nodded and waved her empty glass in the air until one of the others pulled it from her hands. “Mhm. It’s clan dynamics. The underlings have to submit or it messes with their heads. Good alphas don’t ever abuse it because, you know, good. And doing wrong things under orders fucks with a person and turns them rotten. Which is why Callum won’t ever team up with me to make these baby bears hold dance contests.”
Rylee’s mouth dropped open. “You can do that? Just order them to do anything?”
Callum jumped in. “Don’t listen to her. She wants to believe she can control everyone around her, and we mostly give in because it’s easier to deal with a happy Leah than a disappointed, power-hungry Leah. I could force them to shift back and forth, and halt that urge to fight one another. A strong enough will can throw off my control. And none of these guys are going to participate in Bearden’s Got Talent just for her.”
“Fascinating.”
“We are, thank you,” Leah said with a single nod. “About time someone recognizes that. So, you’re coming to brunch.”
Cole dropped a new pint of beer into Leah’s hand. He crossed in front of Rylee, temporarily blocking her from Leah and Callum, and planted a quick kiss on her cheek before she could object. She pressed her lips together to keep her smile from getting out of control. It’d been like that all week, from little looks to stolen kisses in the supply closet. Cole was good for her.
Cole pointed the bottom of his beer bottle at Leah but kept his eyes on Rylee. The dark grey swirled with a hint of gold. “She’s relentless. Don’t feel bad if you need to tell her ‘yes’ just to get her to shut up.”
“No, no. This is nice,” she insisted and surprised herself when she reached out and squeezed his hand. Maybe she could be normal. Maybe she stood a chance of fixing herself. He was making a night on the town feel utterly natural.
She couldn’t keep her smile from spreading when he gave her another wink and squeezed her fingers back. The beautiful gold of his eyes swirled faster and faster, until all the grey was overtaken. It was gorgeous to watch and left her speechless even when he moved away to take his turn at the pool table.
She knew he didn’t want a mate. He said so when he explained a little of the dynamic to her. But they were approaching something big. Something that felt like it deserved a name.
Rylee shook herself after a moment and leaned closer to Leah. “Something that hasn’t been made clear. You were human before, and now you’re mated and a shifter. Are those things one and the same?”
“Two different types of bites. Here’s the difference.” Leah crossed an ankle over her knee and hiked up her pant leg. “That’s the bite that turned me into a shifter. By a bear to make a bear.”
Rylee nodded solemnly. There was a vaguely silver sheen to the jagged scar around her calf.
Leah tugged her jeans back into place, then pulled the collar of her tank top sideways. A smaller, less horrific scar marred her skin where her neck and shoulder met. “And this is the claiming mark. By a shifter to claim their mate. Callum has one, too.”
Callum glanced over at the sound of his name. “She only nearly ripped my throat out, but yeah, I’ve got hers.”
“I heard no complaints at the time,” she purred and swiped her finger across the mark on Callum’s skin. His eyes closed, and he stifled a groan. He dropped his bottle on the nearest table, then planted a shoulder into Leah’s middle and picked her up. She squealed and kicked, but Callum didn’t let her loose. “We’re heading home. See you good folks tomorrow.”
Nolan snorted and rolled his eyes. “Indecent.”
Hudson punched him in the shoulder. “Would you please get laid? You’re starting to sound like my grandmother.”
Sawyer crossed his arms over his chest and said blandly, “Maybe he has gotten laid and that’s exactly why he sounds like Granny.”
“Too far, man. Too far,” Nolan growled and pushed away from the group.
Hudson shrugged and pointed at them all. “‘Nother game?”
“Nah.” Sawyer swallowed the last of his pint and set it down with a clink. “I’ve got a girl to go see.”
“Well, I’m out. Later, lovebirds,” Hudson announced and left them alone.
Cole quirked an eyebrow at her. “I can drop you off, or walk, whichever you prefer.”
After the rowdy evening, the air seemed too silent. She didn’t want that silence hanging over her for the rest of the night. Her cheeks hurt from smiling at the clan’s ridiculous antics and constant teasing, and that, too, she wasn’t ready to relinquish.
Rylee bit her lower lip and worked up the courage to say the words droning in her head. “I don’t want to go back to the inn. I don’t want the night to end.”
His grin split his face, dirty and sexy and happy all at once. He bent down and pressed his lips to her lobe. “Can I take you to my home?”
Rylee swallowed hard. Butterflies shook their wings in her stomach. “Yes.”
Chapter 15
Cole grabbed Rylee’s hand and strode purposefully across the street and into the quiet parking lot of Hogshead. Gruff gentleman that he was, he held open the door and helped her up the step into his truck. She always thought lifted vehicles were silly and unnecessary, but the thing fit Cole. She couldn’t imagine him cramming himself behind the wheel of the little compact car she drove at home.
His hand was hot and heavy on her thigh the entire drive away from Hogshead. She started to feel the swell of nerves just as they turned away from the streetlights and down a dark, unpaved road. She bumped along, Cole’s hand keeping her steady, until they burst into a clearing and pulled to a stop in front of a dark cabin.
Rylee hopped out of his truck and spun in a slow circle. Lights on other porches revealed the rest of the cabins in the clearing. They were within shouting distance and separated by huge trees and other foliage. Big trucks, all of them, were parked outside of most. More dirt than gravel ringed the clearing but left space in the center for a grill and a handful of chairs and a picnic table.
“I don’t usually bring anyone home,” Cole said right behind her.
She jumped at his voice, heart thudding in her chest. She turned and raised an eyebrow. “Usually?”
He smirked. “I’m not big into jealousy, little bit. But you m
ake it cute. Come on, I’ll show you my den.”
He thumped upstairs to a deck, and she was surprised to see a rocking swing in one corner. She was not jealous. She had no right to be jealous. And she certainly wasn’t thinking of Cole curled up with some other girl, swinging their summer away.
He turned and rubbed at his nose. “Easy, little bit,” he murmured.
A quick twist of his keys pushed open his door, and he escorted her inside. Her, she reminded herself. No one else was there. It was just them.
Just her, and a massive man who could use all those muscles for misery.
She pushed away the stray thought. Cole had done nothing to harm her. He’d gone out of his way to make her comfortable. Stolen kisses in supply closets and not pressuring her to see to his needs, that was what he offered her. She didn’t want to let panic win out against him.
A switch just past the entryway illuminated the kitchen with lights built into the high ceiling. The hideous voice shouting for her to worry and run was banished with the rest of the cabin’s darkness.
Work boots and running shoes were lined up by the door. A half moon rug decorated the edge, intended for dirty shoes to kick off the muck from outside. It was as clean as everything else she could see. The kitchen looked spotless, and a couple pillows were stacked neatly in the corners of his couch.
The space was at odds with Cole. He looked wild and ferocious, with dark tresses pushed back in a messy fashion. The tattoos covering his skin didn’t pair with the cabin.
“This is your place?” she asked.
Oh, he saw the bafflement on her face and it quirked a smile on his lips. “Now you see why I don’t bring anyone home. I have a reputation to uphold.”
He kicked off his boots and settled them in line with his other shoes. Not knowing what else to do, she did the same. Her sneakers looked tiny by comparison.
Cole stared for a long moment at their shoes lined up next to each other. Then he shook himself and continued leading her into his home, flicking on a pair of lamps on either side of the couch to give the living room a softer glow.
