by Cecilia Lane
A quick glance at the clock showed she’d be twenty-four hours into marriage if she’d stuck to her mother’s plan, and still counting down for her honeymoon to begin. Of course, it wouldn’t have been immediately after their ceremony. Bentley’s business was far too important for her to be a priority. He could only schedule a handful of days off at once, and even those would require him to check in with his office.
Now she knew exactly what kept him occupied and felt a little disgusted that she’d never questioned it before. He had business with just about everything and everyone, but she hadn’t imagined him responsible for targeting individuals with his hatred. Knowing the depth of his involvement in the pro-human movement only made her more firm in her decision to leave.
She was two glasses of wine and a takeout meal in when her phone rang. Her frown encompassed the delicious meal of pulled chicken and mac and cheese. God, her mother would throw a fit to see her pigging out on a dish like that. Feeling spiteful, Meghan shoveled another bite into her mouth before she answered the phone. “Hello?”
“How dare you disobey me. You will leave that shithole of a town and be on the next flight.”
Meghan pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it for a long moment. She wasn’t mistaken. It was her mother’s number on the screen, but Bentley’s voice tirading at her.
She interrupted Bentley’s continued demands for her presence back in his home. “Are you spying on me?”
“Your mother alerted me to the latest Meghan Wilcox news.” He enunciated each word slowly like she was incapable of understanding. “Your new landlord has posted pictures all over social media about her new guest. That’s not the image we’re projecting, Meghan. We do not stay in such places as the Rough Wood Cabins.”
Dang it, Rainie. The whole point of renting a cabin without neighbors was privacy.
Meghan scoffed. “There’s a whole lot of ‘we’ in that rant. Maybe I do stay in such places. Maybe that is the image I want to project. Better than intolerance and hatred. I can’t believe you’re dragging poor people through the mud, digging into their lives, and spreading malicious gossip about them.”
“If you knew what I know about these people you’re so suddenly interested in defending—”
“They’ve been nothing but kind to me since I arrived, which is more than I can say of you. You made me look like a fool to score points in front of all your friends. Why would I want to be with somebody like that?”
“You’re overreacting. I was simply—”
“And it’s not the first time, Bentley. Did you even bother reading the letter I left? We’re not compatible and I have no interest in continuing a relationship with you. Please leave my mother out of this.”
“She was the one who called me. She’s worried about you Meghan. We all are. You’re acting out of character.”
Meghan rolled her eyes at the false notes of his voice. There was no concern on his end. He was pissed that she wasn’t listening.
Bentley inhaled sharply and had better control of himself when he spoke again. “The American Futures Gala is tomorrow evening. I expect you by my side.”
Meghan wanted to pull her hair out in frustration. There was no getting through to him. He had his mind set on one conclusion and he wouldn’t accept anything else. Too bad she was done cooperating to keep the peace. “No.”
He growled, “Meghan—”
“No,” she repeated. “I won’t go anywhere with you. Not to your home, not to any gala, not to a courthouse for a shotgun wedding or any expensive resort where you say you’ll spend time with me and then abandon me once we arrive. Nowhere, Bentley. You don’t command me. Stop calling.”
She could hear footsteps carrying him away quickly. “Listen to me, you little brat.” His voice was tight and low. “Get on the plane, get back here, and don’t speak another word about how you’ve humiliated the both of us with your actions or I will burn your world to the ground.”
Meghan bit her lip. And that was the man her mother wanted her to beg forgiveness and marry. She made a mistake letting it carry on for as long as it did, but no more. “How quickly do you think I could get a restraining order? That might not look good for your business partners.”
Then she hung up.
She downed her glass of wine and tried to keep her shaking hands under control. She didn’t know how much clearer she could be. Three times he’d been told she didn’t want to be with him or marry him. And yet he still insisted that she fall in line. Not only that, but her mother was fully on his side.
Meghan didn’t like the idea of those two with their heads together. She’d underestimated Bentley’s character before. She prayed she was correct when she told Leah he wouldn’t escalate further with the enclave. If he was determined to make her life miserable, they might not be safe.
Chapter 9
Meghan bounced out of her room and dumped her plate of crumbs into the sink. Music blasted from her phone and she danced in a circle before turning on the faucet to warm. The quick minute was enough to prance back into the bedroom and tuck another set of clothes into the dresser. She was only staying for a week, but that was no excuse to leave her belongings out like a slob. She’d lived out of suitcases and wardrobe trailers enough during her days on set. She liked clean and cozy, and the cabin was jiving with her preferences.
She bumped the drawer closed with her hip and made her way back towards the sink to do dishes. The remains of her meal from the previous night as well as the bottle of wine she finished off after her conversation with Bentley were ready to be taken to the trash, once she figured out where that was. While Muriel’s Bed and Breakfast had a cleaning service, she wasn’t certain if the Rough Wood Cabins employed any housekeepers.
A knock on her door brought her dishes and dancing to a halt. She shut off the water and dried her hands, wondering who would be disturbing her. Other than the entire world on social media and a handful of enclave residents, no one knew precisely where she was staying.
She peeked through the peephole. Gray paced away from the door, then turned and marched right back for it. He scowled and turned around again. She expected him to turn once more, but he continued his stiff walk towards the truck parked next to her car.
Meghan threw open the door and ran after him before he could leave. “Come back!”
The shifter whirled. A stunning smile plastered across his face when he caught sight of her. He crossed his arms over his chest which did nothing but highlight the bulging muscles of his forearms and the solid slabs underneath his thin t-shirt.
Meghan skidded to a stop mere feet from him. She imagined she could smell his cologne. Something dark and earthy, like wood smoke, and all male, it curled through her nose and lingered in her senses. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
He brushed his hair back from his face and opened his mouth twice before speaking. “There’s a street fair going on in town. Do you want to go? With me?”
She hesitated and in that split second watched his confidence melt away. His eyes lost their brightness and his shoulders drooped slightly.
Guilt churned in her stomach. She felt responsible for dragging Bentley into his world. She hated that she’d seen details of his life that he probably didn’t want shared.
But most of all, she didn’t like seeing him disappointed. He wasn’t a man meant for troubles. She liked his smile and wanted to see it again.
Which brought a whole other world of difficulties before she remembered she owed no one her time. She was a free woman. She was allowed to be attracted to other people. Heck, she already saw him naked. Her cheeks felt hot. He’d seen her in a tank top and panties. Her mind slipped into dirtier thoughts and she wondered how his hands and beard would feel against her skin.
“Never mind,” Gray said gruffly. “It was a stupid idea. You wouldn’t like it. Forget I was here.”
“I’ll go,” she said in a rush. She pat her hair and wrinkled her nose when she felt the bumps from her h
astily gathered ponytail. Which made her remember she hadn’t dressed for the day other than tugging on a pair of shorts. No bra, probably water splashed on her tank top somewhere, shorts with holes in them, and no shoes. Her mother would die of a heart attack if that picture made it to the tabloids.
Feeling suddenly self-conscious, she spoke to her toes. “Just let me get ready.”
But Gray didn’t look at her like she was a mess. His eyes wandered down her form and then right back up without a blink. “Is that going to take long?”
“Ten minutes, tops.” She spun on her heel and was through her door before she remembered her manners. She braced herself on the door frame and leaned back out. “You can wait in here if you want.”
When she came back out, clad in a navy and white sundress, flip-flops, and a smoother hairstyle, she found the Gray had finished her dishes. Her heart melted. It was a simple, unnecessary action, and something Bentley had never done. He was of the opinion that a housekeeper should earn her pay.
“Ten minutes and thirty-two seconds. You’re late.” The words sounded chiding, but Gray’s grin made them teasing.
“Just testing to see if you’d stick around or if you’re utterly inflexible with your schedule.”
“Utterly inflexible. I almost left. But it is your first time, so I’ll let you slide. just don’t push your luck, Hollywood.”
She stuffed her phone, wallet, and keys into her purse and looped it over her arm. She marched for the door and called over her shoulder, “Are you ready yet? I’ve been waiting on you, Montana.” Gray’s chuckle sent a pleasant shiver down her spine.
The trip down the mountain went much quicker than her steady crawl up it. Gray took the twists and turns at a terrifying speed, though he slowed considerably the second time she grabbed the ‘oh, shoot’ bar above her window.
“So how long is the fair going on?” Meghan asked once her heartbeat was back to a normal range.
The nervous tension that tightened Gray’s arms relaxed. “This one is just for today. There’s one at least once a month. It’s kind of our thing. We celebrate a lot of firsts. First snow, the first rain of spring. That one’s tricky. It doesn’t matter if it poured the week prior, it’s the first rain after spring officially starts that counts. First calf born of the season. That one gets highly competitive with all the ranchers.” He brushed his dark hair back and flashed her smile. “I guess it made more sense when the borders were closed. We had to find fun somehow.”
“That sounds really... charming.” She just wanted to squeeze the entire place in a hug, it sounded so cute.
Gray snorted. “Hold your judgment until you see it.”
He turned down a side road before they hit a line of traffic and pulled to a stop by a sign designating parking for firefighters only. Then he was out of the truck and opening her door. A girl could get used to door service.
His hand smoothed against the small of her back as soon as her feet touched the ground and urged her forward. Warmth spread up her spine from the contact and she was almost disappointed when he moved away.
Then they rounded the corner and an entirely different Main Street opened up in front of her.
Tents had been erected and lined the street. The big trees shaded the fairgoers who moved between booths filled with food and activities. She didn’t need enhanced shifter senses to be blown over by the different options to eat.
A pack of children, some on two feet and others on four, darted around them and into the crowd.
Music swelled and was quickly followed by a groan of the crowd when the tune-up chords stopped. The musicians played along, teasing the crowd with another rift before another sudden end. Another collective groan was covered with the twang of a country song launching into full force.
Meghan turned to Gray with a grin. “This is amazing. What’s it for?”
“School closing down for the summer. What do you want first?”
A couple passed them with a huge stick of pink and blue cotton candy that they shared. She pointed. “That.”
He touched the small of her back again to lead her to the nearest tent with cotton candy. She frowned when she saw the size of the line, but that didn’t stop Gray. He reached around and snagged a fresh stick and tossed a few bills on top of the machine. The man running the booth barely had time to register what had happened before Gray turned around and handed her the treat.
“Just wait until you see the big Summertime Fest,” he said, drawing her away from the yelled objections like he didn’t hear them. “That one and the winter one are the biggest celebrations we throw.”
“When’s that?” she asked around a laugh and a bite. She couldn’t remember the last time she had the sticky treat. Sometime in college, perhaps. Certainly not anytime after she met Bentley. He wouldn’t have stooped to visit a street fair, either.
“Usually just after Independence Day. Though some years they get combined and a big fireworks show is set up down by the lake.”
Disappointment sank her good mood. Meghan scuffed her toe and picked off a piece of cotton candy. “I don’t know if I’ll be here,” she said softly.
Gray stopped dead and looked at her like she’d keyed his truck. He just… deflated. “You won’t?”
“I start a job in a month. Less than, now. It’s what I went to school for. Journalism. It’s a newer show. I’ll be able to report on stories I choose. I mean, I’ll still have to take direction and work my way up, but it’s a start. I’ll have a leg up with the camera work, rather than starting at the complete bottom in a newspaper newsroom,” she rambled.
He blinked and the deep blue of his eyes slowly resolved into gold. Goosebumps rose along her arms and her lungs refused to work. The press of the crowd around them faded into the background until it was just her and Gray, staring at one another and not breathing.
“Gray!”
The screech broke whatever held them in place and proceeded a very pregnant woman with fire in her eyes barreling towards them as fast as she could. Leah trailed behind with a look of amusement.
“Shit,” Gray muttered. He raised his hands in defense. “Whatever Nolan said, he’s lying.”
The woman planted herself in front of Gray and craned her neck to take him in. “By the fucking—”
“Language, Becca,” Leah muttered softly. “You said you wanted to be a good example.”
Becca placed her hands on either side of her belly like she was covering the ears of a child. “By the fucking Broken, Graham Jennings, if you don’t get your shit together, you will have me to deal with.”
The move was so ridiculous that Meghan couldn’t help herself. She laughed. She didn’t cover it quick enough and brought the full attention of anger on herself.
Becca poked a hard finger into Gray’s chest. “Who’s this?” she demanded. “You make Nolan worried about you and then bring a girl to my fair without telling me?”
“Dial it back, Becks,” Leah said around a grin of her own.
“Meghan, this is Becca. She’s the mate of one of my clan,” Gray interjected.
“One of? You ungrateful asshole!” She stomped her foot. “You find your supposed best friend and tell him where you disappeared to this morning and where are you go every night and why you’re so tired all the time and make him stop worrying.”
Becca then whirled and took in Meghan from her toes to her head. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said between clenched teeth. “Don’t expect me to treat you differently just because you used to be on TV and Gray likes you.”
Meghan’s eyes went round with shock. Nothing prepared her for the brutal honesty she’d encountered since she entered the enclave.
“And that’s my cue,” Leah interrupted. She wrapped an arm around Becca’s and turned her away. “Need to put some food in the pregnant woman before she eats us all.”
Gray liked her? Meghan swallowed and tried to control the butterflies that suddenly found their wings in her stomach.
“Sorry fo
r that,” Gray said gruffly. “Becca has been even more unbearable since she got pregnant with the twins and schemed her way into some sort of tourist mastermind. She’s responsible for making a lot of the human-friendly activities happen.”
“How far along is she?” Meghan asked to fill the silence.
Gray waved a hand. “Six months, maybe.”
“What did she mean about you making your friend worried?” It was hard to remember they didn’t know each other or their lives. He had problems of his own to balance with his relationships. No amount of feeling comfortable with him changed the fact that they were brand new to one another.
It didn’t stop her from wanting to know more.
“It’s nothing. Just haven’t been sleeping well.”
“Is that why you were there when...?” They were dancing around the darker edges of how they met. For all his smiles and easy laughs, there was a rougher side to Gray. Her mind slipped back to what she read on his rap sheet and how easily he’d taken down a team of men sent to snatch her. He could be trouble, this shifter.
But somehow, she doubted he’d ever purposefully put her in harm’s way. The animalistic instinct that told her to avoid Bentley’s car and triggered her flight response also pushed her closer to Graham Jennings.
He reached down for her hand and tugged her to the side of the crowd. “Yes,” he answered. “But for once I’m happy I couldn’t sleep. I’m glad nothing happened to you.”
“I’m happy you were there, too.”
Gray stood with his back to the brick wall of a building. The sound of the crowd faded away once again, but the heaviness in the air took on a different tone. It wasn’t sad or defeated. It felt full of promise and heat.
When she dared look up, she found Gray staring at her. His gorgeous blue eyes had darkened until they were almost black. A tiny ring of gold surrounded the irises. She wet her lips and his eyes dipped to follow the motion.
Meghan’s breath caught when Gray’s fingers met the skin of her wrist. Her inhale matched the trailing of the digits of her bare arm. Her exhale came as his palm cupped her bare shoulder. Her stomach flipped. He was going to kiss her.
