by Kim Fox
There was a shirtless man in the forest, boxing a tree.
Lauren watched in fascination as the man shuffled from side to side on his toes, ducking his head and throwing quick hard punches at the thick trunk of a tree.
He was so muscular. His body was all hard toned muscles with tattoos inked onto his sweaty skin. His wet brown hair was down, covering his eyes as he moved, throwing jab after jab, and then following it up with a right hook to the powerful tree trunk.
Wow. It was all that Lauren could say. He moved so gracefully. So quick. He looked like he was born to box.
The man stopped for a second to run his hands through his messy brown hair to get it out of his face, making Lauren gasp. He was gorgeous.
His face was stunning with a sharp masculine jaw that looked as tough as his fists. His nose was flat like it had been broken a few too many times, but it suited him perfectly and made him that much hotter.
The man’s eyes met hers when she gasped and she took a step back, gulping a little too loud.
He lowered his hands and stared at her with such intensity in his deep brown eyes that Lauren couldn’t look away. She tripped backward on a rock and fell on her ass, grunting as she landed.
“Shit,” she muttered, bouncing back up and wiping the dirt off of her shorts. Real slick, Lauren. Now you know why you haven’t been laid in years.
She was too embarrassed to meet his eyes again so she just turned back to the inn and hurried back, half walking, half jogging.
“You had to fall,” she muttered to herself as she couldn’t get to the inn fast enough. “Why do you always fall?”
Lauren glanced over her shoulder before ducking back inside and her breath caught in her throat when she saw him standing in the field, staring at her with his mouth hanging open.
She wanted to go back and apologize to him for being so uncool, or to introduce herself and ask for his name, or to tell him that she wanted to marry him and have his babies, but she just turned away and hurried inside of the inn instead.
Their food had arrived and Lauren was too focused on the image of the hot shirtless man burned into her brain to realize that her friends had eaten half of her French fries.
Yes, he was that hot.
two
“Are you sure you don’t want to come?” Pam asked as the three girls were walking out the door. “You’ll get to see fur from a real wolf shifter at the museum.”
“Sounds tempting,” Lauren lied, clutching her stomach which still wasn’t hurting. “But my stomach is still upset. I’ll have to settle for seeing the pictures later.”
“Alright,” Pam said, grabbing the door handle.
“Wait!” Summer said, pushing the door back open. “Does everybody have their avocados? You can’t be too careful with all of these shifters running around. We might need some protection.”
Brenna slipped a condom out of the back pocket of her jeans and held it up. “This is the only protection that I need from shifters,” she said giggling.
“But seriously,” Summer said as they disappeared into the hall. “Do you have your avocado?”
“Bye,” Pam whispered as she closed the door. “I hope you’re feeling better soon.”
Lauren laid on the bed and stared at the ceiling as the door closed. Silence. Finally.
I’m feeling better already.
After a few minutes of enjoying the quiet, she sat on the double bed and looked around the room, smiling to herself. It was a really cute place with old antique furniture that looked recently refinished. The hardwood floors were stunning and Lauren got down on her hands and knees to admire them properly. The thick planks must have been from the original barn but refinished and stained to a gorgeous rustic color. I would kill for these floors.
The whole place had a cozy, welcoming feel to it that she immediately fell in love with. I’d like to come back one day. Preferably with a boyfriend.
She grabbed her purse off of the chair to walk outside and explore the rest of the ranch. She wanted to see the rest of the views, get some fresh air, but mostly, she wanted to try and catch another glimpse of the hot boxer with the sexy tattoos that she had seen earlier.
Lauren couldn’t seem to get him off of her mind. She kept replaying the scene, picturing his flexed muscles moving as he pounded his fist into the thick trunk of the tree. He was exactly her type: dark features, hard muscles, with just the right amount of anger inside to make him a little dangerous.
Too bad you fell in front of him.
She shook her head as she made her way down the stairs, still not letting herself off the hook for her clumsiness.
The sun was starting to set outside, lighting the sky up in a gorgeous red and orange hue that had Lauren reaching for her camera. She dug her hand into her purse, laughing as she pushed the avocado out of the way and pulled out her phone.
“Not quite the same,” she said after taking a couple of pictures of the breathtaking sunset over the mountains. It never was. A picture could never capture the majestic feeling of standing at the base of the mountains as the sky lit on fire overhead. Some things you just had to see in person.
She walked around, hoping to spot the mysterious boxer again but she headed into the restaurant after a while when she came up empty. She had a quick bite to eat, enjoying the time to herself and walked back out to see the stars.
“Oh man,” she gasped when she looked up and saw every star in the galaxy shining down on her. I didn’t realize that there were this many stars in the sky.
It really was breathtaking. This beats a silly shifter tour any day.
The inn was lit up with soft lighting behind her, the music from the restaurant coming through in a murmur. Lauren strolled through the ranch with her hands in her pockets, looking up at the stars and pretending that she wasn’t wishing she had someone to share this nice moment with.
She walked over to the spot in the forest where she had seen the man earlier and looked inside. The forest was dark and creepy at night, sending cold shivers snaking down the back of her neck.
A movement between the trees in the distance caught her eye and she ducked down with her heart pounding in her chest. It was something big.
And scary.
And it was coming right at her.
She gasped and hid behind a tree with her heart pounding when she saw what it was. A big brown grizzly bear that shook the ground with every thunderous step that it took.
Her stomach was rock hard as she watched, her bladder threatening to give out on her. Her pulse was racing so fast as she watched the bear who was surely going to eat her.
But he didn’t even come close.
The bear still didn’t realize that she was even there. The mild wind was hitting her sweaty face and taking her scent away from the hungry apex predator.
I have to get the hell out of here!
Lauren didn’t know where to go but anywhere at all seemed better than just standing there like a ready made meal.
She crouched down, staying as close to the ground as possible, and started moving backward on her trembling legs.
There was an old gray pickup truck that was spotted with rust behind her. Good a place as any.
The huge bear sauntered out of the trees and slowly walked across the ranch, swinging its massive head with every step.
Lauren reached the pickup truck and climbed into the back, careful not to make a sound. The bear was still walking towards her but she felt much safer in the truck. There was a tarp in the back that she quickly hid under, holding her breath so that she wouldn’t make any noise.
She could hear the soft thud of the bear’s paws on the ground getting closer, causing her adrenaline to spike.
I have to get a video of this.
Her friends would never believe her unless she had video documentation of the bear. She slipped her phone out of her purse and carefully popped her head and hand out from under the tarp.
With the video camera recording, she peeked over the s
ide of the pickup truck and spotted the bear. He was gorgeous and Lauren was getting it all on tape.
The bear’s fur was a light tan, which almost looked golden in the soft moonlight. His head was enormous with the cutest little round ears on the top that had Lauren smiling.
He walked past the truck towards a cluster of trees close by. He was massive. His thick pure muscle rolling with every step.
Lauren watched the bear with her heart pounding, videotaping every second of it. The girls were going to be so jealous. She got to see a real live grizzly up close and all they got to see was a tuft of fur which was probably shaved from the owner of the museum’s balls.
The bear stopped beside a large oak and swung his massive head, looking around. Are those clothes?
Something was on the ground beside him. It looked like folded jeans and a shirt.
What the hell?!?
The grizzly started shaking and convulsing like it was having a seizure. Lauren leaned forward, wanting to call for help but she kept her mouth shut instead. It wasn’t like anyone in the inn would know what to do to help a bear who was having a seizure.
His enormous body shook violently and he threw his head back, gritting his powerful jaw closed as if he was in a tremendous amount of pain.
Lauren gasped as the impossible happened. The bear’s long brown fur began retracting into its skin as its huge body began to collapse in on itself. She watched with her skin tingling, her heart racing, and the video camera recording as the bear shrank, thrashing around as it phased into the shape of a man.
In a racing heartbeat it was over and in place of the bear was a naked man on his knees.
Holy shit!
Lauren was too shocked to move, too stunned to react. She just held her phone up and stared as the man got to his feet and grabbed the folded clothes beside the tree. He shook out the faded jeans and slipped them on but not before Lauren got a glimpse of his long package swinging between his muscular thighs.
She gulped as he grabbed the white t-shirt, turning as he put it on.
It’s him!
It was him. Lauren would recognize those sexy tattoos and handsome face anywhere. It was the boxer from the forest, the man who had been on her mind all day.
He was a shifter. A real live bear shifter.
Her friends had been right.
Shifters did exist.
And she had it all on videotape.
Lauren ducked back down, taking her phone with her. She quietly and carefully pulled the tarp over her head and waited there in the back of the pickup truck until the shifter was gone.
A million thoughts were racing through her head.
Shifters existed!
And she had a crush on one of them.
She squeezed her phone nervously, clutching it to her chest as she tried to listen for any movement outside. Was he gone yet?
Her hands were shaking and her mouth was so dry. She desperately wanted to get back to the safety of her room and rewatch the video. Especially the part before he put his jeans on.
His body was so hard and muscular, so hot and tempting.
She was lost in dirty thoughts when the door of the pickup truck opened, jarring her back to reality.
Oh no.
The engine roared to life, the metal truck vibrating under her terrified body. Lauren popped her head out of the tarp wondering what to do. If she jumped out, he would probably see her, but she couldn’t stay there.
The truck began rolling ahead before she could come up with a plan. She ducked back under the heavy tarp as she bounced around, starting to panic.
Horrible images of what could happen began flashing through her mind. Was he going to eat her? Claw her to death for taking a video of him?
Lauren all of a sudden wished that she had done as much research on shifters as her friends had. She had laughed it off and ignored them whenever they had talked about the best way to attract or repel a shifter.
Now she was wishing that she had taken notes.
“Oh, man,” she whispered when the truck began picking up speed. They were on the main road now driving away from the ranch, probably driving to her death.
This is why you never leave home. Because of this!
Lauren just closed her eyes and prayed that shifters were as good as her friends thought that they were. Because the night was going to go downhill from here very quickly if they weren’t.
three
Ashton drove down the dark road, seeing nothing but the image of the curvy girl from that afternoon in his mind.
She was spectacular. All-consuming.
He squeezed the steering wheel as he pictured her short black hair that framed her angelic face. She had been far, too far away but he could still remember every gorgeous detail from her dainty nose to her inquiring brown eyes. Ashton would have stared at her for hours if she hadn’t suddenly walked away.
The whole experience had been incredibly jarring. He tried to return to his workout after but all he could do was stand there in shock, staring at the knuckle marks in the tree with his head swimming.
Even now, sitting in the truck on his way to the Clawed Ranch, he could smell her intoxicating scent. It was like it was following him everywhere, taunting him with the delicious smell of vanilla and caramel.
Normally, he would be all business right now, totally focused on the night ahead. But all that he could think about was her.
Her.
He didn’t even know her name.
Ashton had checked the inn’s registry afterward and their room was registered to a Pam Shifter, but Ashton didn’t think that was her name. She didn’t look like a Pam. An angel, yes. A Pam, no.
“Okay,” he muttered, glancing at his dark eyes in the rearview mirror as he sped down the road. “It’s time to focus. You’re going to be facing some killers. Get your head in the game.”
He was on his way to the Clawed Ranch for a little fun. It was Thorn’s, the Clawed Squad’s alpha’s birthday, and the boys were celebrating in Ashton’s favorite way: by fighting.
The Clawed Squad had a barn on their property that they used for weddings and other parties, but every once in a while, the boys would clear everything out of it and host a shifter fight club.
The rules were simple: Bare knuckle boxing in human forms only.
They had tried to fight in their animal forms once but quickly scrapped that idea when Draven, the dragon shifter who worked as the town’s fire chief, almost burnt the whole barn down. The women had freaked. The rules were changed. Human fighting only.
Ashton didn’t mind at all. He was always better with his fists than his claws. He grew up on the tough streets of Boston, using his lightning fast fists to survive. He quickly became the undisputed bare knuckle boxing champ in the city, constantly beating guys way bigger than him.
He lived for this kind of stuff.
Which was why it was all so strange. Ashton had been excited about this all week but now that it was here, he couldn’t care less. He just wanted to turn around and drive back to the inn to try and get another glimpse of the girl.
He pulled off the main road in the pickup truck and finally started to get excited when he saw all of the cars and trucks parked outside of the barn. He could already hear the cheering of the crowd and the cracks of the landing jabs and uppercuts coming from inside.
It wasn’t like him to be late either, especially for shifter fight night, but the girl had completely thrown him off of his game. His inner grizzly bear had freaked after she had left, urging Ashton to go and claim her. He had tried everything to calm the agitated bear and finally decided to let him go hunt in the woods to blow off some of his pent-up energy.
A few too many hours later, his bear finally emerged from the forest and Ashton was free to leave. But it wasn’t his bear who was agitated by the girl right now, it was him.
Why can’t I get that scent out of my head?
He parked the pickup beside the fire truck and turned it off, taking a deep
breath to focus himself before stepping out.
Gunner was probably already inside. He had probably caught a ride with his friend Jax, the lion shifter who was part of the firehouse crew. Cole stayed back to hang out with Jennifer and Rory wasn’t into fighting. He was a bit too nice to fight. Rhett had stayed back as well, saying that he was a cop now and shouldn’t be seen at an illegal fighting club. He had an example to set, which was true. He could have closed it down but he knew that it was a good outlet for shifters to get some of their aggression out, and since everyone healed so fast, it wasn’t too dangerous.
“Well, if it isn’t The Boston Brawler,” Slate said, smiling as he slapped hands with Ashton. “Or should I say, The Boston Bitch? We didn’t think that you would show after Stetson beat you senseless last time.”
“Please,” Ashton said, rolling his eyes. “He never would have gotten the win if he didn’t bear hug me into submission. If he stuck to straight up boxing, I would have won.”
The twin wrapped his arm around Ashton’s shoulder and pulled him towards the entrance. “There can always be a round two,” Slate said, grinning.
“How about someone a little smaller?” Ashton said with a laugh. He was a tough shifter but so was Stetson and the polar bear shifter had at least a hundred and fifty pounds on him.
Ashton’s adrenaline spiked like a rocket as he stepped inside the barn. It was packed with male shifters, not a female in sight, who were mostly shirtless and all cheering at the fight going on in the middle of the crowd. The room was thick with testosterone. You could cut it with a chainsaw.
Slate and Ashton elbowed and pushed through the sweaty crowd to get a glimpse of the action. A large tiger shifter turned with an angry glare when Ashton pushed past him, but then stepped back when he saw who it was.
That’s right.
Ashton had a reputation in the town as being one of the better fighters. He got it after he knocked Stetson down to a knee with a right hook. Stetson had won the fight but it was close.
The crowd erupted with an ‘ooooh!’ as the two fighters in the middle of the circle collided. Alexander Vega, the giant polar bear shifter, was going at it viciously with Jax, the lion shifter from the firehouse. Both men were bleeding heavily but neither of them was letting up.
