by Amelia Jade
“So, how about it?” he pressed gently. “I’ll buy you dinner as your share of the booty,” he said with a wink.
“Okay, okay!” she relented with a gasp, catching her breath before a fresh round of laughter took her over. “An adventure it is. Let me get changed out of these clothes first, and then we can go, okay?”
“It’s a deal,” he pronounced, reaching for his glass of water to seal it with a toast. Trestin obliged before excusing herself from the table.
“Hey, you don’t have to do that,” he protested as she grabbed his plate from in front of him, piling it onto one arm as she took her own next.
“Cole, this is my job. I’m fairly positive I can handle taking a couple of empty plates back to the kitchen,” she told him, politely but firmly establishing the fact that she wasn’t a damsel in constant need of assistance.
“My apologies,” he said, acknowledging her unspoken words.
As revenge though, he swept ahead of her and held the door open as they exited the cafe a few minutes later.
“That was for the plates comment, wasn’t it?” There was a twinkle in her eye, even if she was doing her best to give him a glare.
“Absolutely. I know you can open the doors on your own. But that doesn’t mean I can’t be polite and hold them for you either,” he said before sticking out his bent arm, offering her his elbow as he tilted his chin toward the air, giving a very snobbish sniff.
Trestin laughed again, and snaked her arm through his elbow, her hand finding a comfortable place there.
He very much liked when she laughed. Hopefully the confidence he felt with her wouldn’t suddenly evaporate, leaving him fumbling for words, as it usually did whenever he was around a beautiful woman.
Which, he acknowledged, she truly was. Now out of her work clothes and into a pair of blue jeans and a black V-necked long-sleeve shirt, he truly could appreciate her voluptuous figure, and the way she wore clothes that fit it perfectly, accentuating each curve. It was driving him wild just having her next to him. He glanced at her once again as they walked through what passed for downtown Origin. There was a slight wind today, and it reddened her high-swept cheekbones ever so slightly, giving her face an almost elfin look.
Stunning.
“So, where to?” she asked as they crossed the street, which he realized they had done for no apparent reason. Trestin had simply followed him as he walked in his daze.
“I have no idea,” he said honestly. “I’m not even sure what to get her.”
“Where have you tried?” she asked.
“I tried the big-box stores on the south end of town, then I parked over at the grocery store,” he pointed across the street, “and explored most of South Main and Gryphon Drive that way,” he said, pointing west.
Main Street ran north-south through Origin, and led all the way back down to Bear Bluffs and eventually to King City way to the southwest. It was South Main on the south side of Gryphon Drive, and North Main on the other.
Origin Sandwiches & Cafe was on the southwest corner of the intersection, and the grocery store was on the northwest. Right now, as he swung his gaze around, they were standing on the southeast corner.
“Have you considered just making her something?” Trestin asked as they stood still for a moment while he tried to figure out a course of action.
“I have, but while I can work with wood, I’m not so great at building things,” he admitted truthfully. “My hands are much better suited for destroying things.”
“You’re a miner?” she asked, though it was more of a statement than a question.
“Sure am,” he said, somewhat surprised at the note of pride in his voice. Things had been better with his crew of late, but still not great.
“What crew?”
There it was, the dreaded question which he had known was coming, but didn’t want to answer. Cole was sure that Trestin was hoping he would say the Diamond or maybe the Emerald Crew.
“The Jade Crew,” he said cautiously, waiting for the look of disappointment that he knew would be visible upon her face.
Instead, he saw her blink in confusion, followed by a stare that could only mean she was processing something with this new information.
“Wait,” she said, a smile breaking out onto her face. “The Jade Crew?” she asked.
He nodded, confused.
“You’re shopping for Emma?!” she cried in astonishment.
He nodded. He was still confused.
“Oh this is perfect,” she said, still laughing to herself.
“Care to explain?” he rumbled after letting her laugh. Cole felt stupid at the moment, and it wasn’t a feeling he cherished.
“Sorry,” Trestin said, and he could hear the sincerity in her voice as she recognized that she needed to explain. “It’s just that Emma is one of my better friends here in town. I should have put two and two together when you said you were shopping for your Alpha’s mate, who has a birthday soon.”
Now it was Cole’s turn to smile. “Perfect! Then you know exactly who I’m shopping for, and can help me pull it off.”
“We’ll see,” Trestin said with a mysterious smile, before tugging on his arm as she pulled him along, crossing the street at the stop sign, and heading north along Main Street.
Chapter Two
Trestin
“Where are we going?”
“Just trust me,” she urged, “it’s going to be perfect.”
Cole gave a rather indignant grunt, to which she responded by elbowing him in the side.
It had seemed like the right thing to do. Holy hell, she thought, everything with him seemed like the right thing to do. That was precisely what scared her so much.
Despite the air of confidence she was projecting, inside Trestin was a tightly wound ball of fear. That didn’t mean her laughter wasn’t genuine, since she truly did find Cole to be a likeable, funny person. Nor could she miss her own body’s reaction to the way his muscles felt through the thin, gray T-shirt he was wearing. Or the warmth that seemed to simply surround him, seeping into her own bones as she held onto his arm.
Trestin had always known shifters were nice and warm, even more so than a human male, but this was her first true experience with it. She had to admit it was quite nice. Something that she could get used to rather easily, despite her terror at how quickly she had allowed herself to be seduced by him.
“You know,” she found herself saying. “You don’t strike me much as a miner bear.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he teased. “Is there some sort of stereotypical miner bear rule sheet that I was supposed to read? ‘Must be tall, angry and disinclined to be nice’? Hmmm,” he said, pretending to ponder the idea. “I guess I missed that in the orientation.”
She laughed and punched his arm.
“Jerk!” she said, shaking her fist. His arm was solid. “What I meant was that most of the miner bears are rather rough and tumble sorts, not very polite, and a lot of them are rude. You don’t strike me as one of those types.”
Cole laughed.
“Well, human women are supposed to be starstruck by my muscles and good looks. They’re just supposed to throw themselves on their knees for me. But you don’t strike me as that type,” he said with a smile.
“Well that would be because I’m not,” she said defensively, hoping that he didn’t assume that just because she was spending her day with him on a whim, that she was going to go home and spread her legs for him.
While the idea of screwing him was rather enticing in its bluntness, Trestin wouldn’t feel comfortable with it. He was hot, and she could picture it purely on a physical level, but that wasn’t enough for her. She needed to know him and who he was before she would let him into her bed.
“So, we’ll agree then that perhaps neither of us are as we seem?” he said.
She could tell that his smile was forced, and she wondered just what he was hiding from her.
“You’re not going to turn into one
of those assholes, are you?” she said, partly in jest, partly in seriousness.
“One thing you’ll have to remember, Trestin, is that I’m not a human. I may look it, but when it comes down to it, I’m not. While I’ll never be an asshole to you, I have done things that you wouldn’t like, for reasons that may not make a whole lot of sense to you. But I promise you that I’m not like the Sapphires.”
“I certainly hope not!” she exclaimed, both worried and reassured by his words. There was a sense of deep regret in them. But alongside that, she felt the gravity of his promise that he would never become the true “bad guy.”
“Yeah, I feel bad that you folks get screwed over by that situation,” he commented.
“Us folks? What situation?” she said slowly.
“The Windglades,” he said, calling them by their true name this time. “The fact that they’re actually allowed to live here in town sucks for you, the residents. They’re assholes. Everyone knows this, but somehow they’re still the only ones granted permission to take up residence in Origin. Blows my mind,” he told her.
“Yeah, definitely not ideal,” she replied. “Just a few weeks back, Emma actually helped me out when one of them was being a jerk while I was working.” She shook her head in disbelief. “I’m pretty sure he was on some sort of drug too. I know it takes a lot to affect shifters, so whatever it was, it must have been powerful.”
Cole tensed next to her. “I’m glad you weren’t hurt,” he said after a minute. “That could have ended poorly.”
She made a happy noise, and without thinking about it, pulled herself closer to him using the hand still lodged in the crook of his arm. Her head came up to his shoulder, where she rested it gently as their pace slowed.
What are you doing? Stop getting so touchy-feely with him! Her brain wasn’t happy with the way she was treating this “adventure,” acting more as if it was a date. Which, she told herself sternly, is exactly what it is, despite whatever silly label you tried to apply to it. Her stomach knotted itself tighter without asking, not that she felt it was inclined to listen even if it had.
Being with Cole was so comforting it was terrifying. It was such an oxymoron that it made her want to laugh and cry at the same time, which just piled on the ridiculousness, now that she thought about it. What a situation this was turning out to be.
Then she saw her saving grace.
“Oh, in here!” she said, pulling her head from his shoulder and darting to the store they had just reached.
The battered sign hanging out front read Origin of Art, and a tiny bell jangled as she opened the door and moved inside, not waiting to see if Cole was following her.
“An art store?” he said, thinking about it aloud. “That makes a lot of sense.”
“I know it does,” she told him with a smile. “That’s why I brought you here.”
She looked up into his eyes, somehow just now noticing the almost amber-brown hue to them. It was a strange color, but she found herself intrigued by it. She had heard a rumor that the color of a shifter’s animal often matched that of his eyes. Part of her tried to picture the massive bear with streaks of red throughout its brown fur. She was sure the image in her mind likely did no justice to reality.
“Emma was commenting about how—when she was painting your lobby—she accidentally ruined one of her brushes. So, because I’m awesome, I took a peek at her collection and snapped a photo of the one that needs replacing. I was going to get it for her, but it’s a bit beyond my price range.”
“How much beyond?” he asked, his deep voice going cautious.
“A little over one hundred?” she squeaked out, doing her best to look innocent.
“For one brush?” he said in astonishment, his eyebrows raising.
“Maybe,” she offered up with a shrug of her shoulders. “Don’t forget though, she ruined it for you.”
“Are you trying to guilt me into buying it?” he asked, frowning at her.
“Not entirely, no.” She blushed, scrambling to explain. “It’s just that it would go perfectly with what I did get her. I thought it would be cute.”
She blushed even harder as Cole smiled at her.
“And what did you get her?”
“Francois, the owner, was having a sale a few weeks back. He had fifty percent off on his good canvases, so thankfully I managed to snag a decent sized one for a reasonable price.”
Cole nodded, and she could see the flash of delight in his eyes as he realized just how well the gifts would go together.
“Okay,” he said, nodding. “But you have to act innocent when she wonders if we shopped together. It’ll be a good way to tease her.”
“Oh, you’re cruel!” she said, smiling, but she nodded her agreement, then moved to show him where the brushes were.
Cole moved at the same time, bringing the two of them face-to-face in a confined space with nobody around. She inhaled sharply as she looked up into his eyes, unsure of what to do.
Trestin felt like a deer in headlights. This is it, she thought, this is the perfect place for a first kiss. I’m caught off guard, in the open, and his lips are just inches from mine. He’s going to do it!
Her heart raced, pounding against her ribcage as she felt the tension grow to another level while neither of them moved. Time seemed to slow, stretching the moment into an eternity as Cole’s hand rose up toward her face. Trestin wasn’t sure this was the smartest move, but every ounce of her ached to have him touch her. To hold her. To caress her. Hopefully hidden beneath her shirt, she felt her nipples harden in anticipation.
Warmth from his breath washed over her. Normally she wouldn’t have found it pleasant, but right then goosebumps formed along her arms and neck as she realized that it meant they were extremely close. Her hands trembled as she placed them on his chest.
“May I help you?” The voice, tinged heavily with a French accent, came from behind her.
Trestin took back control of her arms, and shoved Cole playfully.
He rocked backward gently, and the moment was broken, even if the tension remained.
“Go buy the damn brush,” she ordered him with a smile, before turning away as she sighed in relief.
***
“This is the second time you’ve sat down at a table next to me in the past few hours,” Cole commented as she slid into the seat opposite him. “And both times now, I have to be honest, I’ve been extremely happy about it.”
Something flashed behind his eyes as he said it.
“I’m glad,” she said. “I’ll admit, it’s nice to know I’m wanted somewhere. But I have to ask, if you’re so happy, then why did you suddenly seem to upset there for a moment?”
Cole paused as if struck, before relaxing and focusing on her again. She looked at the way his strong, square jaw flexed before he answered. “A memory,” he said, speaking slowly, as if mulling over each word before he spoke. “I’m sorry you saw. I thought I had kept it hidden.”
“A memory of what?” she asked softly, amazed at her own boldness. Her eyes sought out and held his gaze as she awaited an answer.
“It’s hard to explain,” he said, meeting her eyes as he spoke. He wasn’t avoiding answering, she could tell; he simply didn’t know how to tell her. That was fair, and she told him that with a nod.
“Good evening,” the server said as he came to their table. “My name is Will, and I’ll be your server tonight. Have either of you ever been to Genesis Steakhouse and Eatery before?”
The two of them both answered in the affirmative. It didn’t surprise her that Cole had been here before. It was the fanciest place in town, and well renowned for the quality of its meat. She’d heard bear shifters did seem to have an appreciation for a well-cooked steak or chicken.
“And are we celebrating anything special tonight?”
The follow-up question caught her completely off guard. Trestin managed to force a smile on her face while Cole spoke.
“No, we’re not actually together,” he
said awkwardly.
“Oh, my apologies indeed,” the server said, embarrassed. Neither of them complained when he promptly took their drink orders and disappeared.
She could see Cole desperately searching for something to lighten the mood, but nothing ever materialized. Instead, the two of them sat there in silence, unwilling to even meet each other’s eyes.
I need to go home.
The single thought was playing on repeat in her mind. Each time it restarted, the words increased in volume until they were thundering against the side of her head. She shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t have let herself be swayed by his supposed charm and good looks. Even now, she was beginning to see through to the true Cole. He had turned quiet and brooding across the table from her.
Her fingers inadvertently gripped the table, squeezing until she looked down and saw that her knuckles were going white. With a deep breath, she managed to unlock her death clasp and fold her hands into her lap. That didn’t stop them from shaking, however.
Why are you so scared? He hasn’t done anything wrong.
She knew why. It was happening too fast. She couldn’t handle the speed at which things were going. That was the whole reason behind the move to Genesis Valley. City life, big city life especially, had overwhelmed her and sunk her completely. If she went through with it again, she would find herself in the same position, and she would spend more time—
Enough.
The sound of a throat clearing softly announced the return of the waiter with their drinks. She was thankful for the signal, because it allowed her to plaster a smile on her face and force her shoulders to relax. It also took her mind off of thinking about... other things.
“Here you are folks,” he said, smoothly setting coasters and then glasses down in front of them.
Ignoring the condensation, Trestin snatched up the glass and took a long, slow sip of her ice cold water. It took her a long moment to realize the server was still standing there, and that both he and Cole were looking at her expectantly.
