by Ruby Shae
Aiden
(Blackbeary Creek, Book 3)
Ruby Shae
Aiden
(Blackbeary Creek, Book 3)
Copyright 2016 by Ruby Shae
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
About This Book
Curvy girl, Elizabeth “Liddy” Reed, has hit rock bottom. For the past five years, she’s been looking for love in all the wrong places, and her last attempt at happiness landed her in Blackbeary Creek, broke and alone.
Black bear shifter, Aiden Chambers, knows the chances of him ever finding a mate are slim. In fact, his serious, solemn personality practically dictates it. No woman wants to mate a man she’s afraid of, and outside of his clan, everyone thinks he’s either scary, unfriendly, or both.
Aiden is shocked to find out the woman who stole his lunch is his mate, but what’s even more surprising is that she isn’t afraid of him. Earning her trust and love, however, is a different story. Liddy knows Aiden is different the moment they meet, but she also knows loving him is a mistake—one that will surely break her heart when he finds out the truth about her past.
Aiden
(Blackbeary Creek, Book 3)
By Ruby Shae
Chapter One
Elizabeth Reed fisted her fingers around the folded up ten-dollar bill in her pocket, and sighed as she stared at the menu on the wall behind the register in the sub shop. As much as she wanted something more to eat than cold, canned soup and crackers, she wanted a shower and clean clothes more, and she didn’t have enough for everything.
The family she’d helped at the campground early in the morning had been generous, but most people weren’t as kind. Many ignored her offer to work in exchange for money, and those that didn’t, usually paid very little for doing a multitude of less than favorable chores.
Actually, she didn’t mind washing dishes, scattering rocks, or carrying trash and recycle bags to the proper waste containers, but covering dug-out holes and trenches used for both human and pet waste really brought the reality of her situation to the forefront.
If she didn’t find a job soon, she’d be permanently homeless.
“Order four-fifty-seven.”
The clerk behind the counter called out the number at the same time he put down the bag, and then he hurried back to his station and started making the next order. Several people had entered the shop after her, and not only had the line to order grown, but many people milled around waiting for their orders to be filled.
The person making the sandwiches called two more numbers, and as soon as he placed the bags on the counter their owners snatched them up. He checked the seemingly abandoned bag, and called the number again.
“Four-fifty-seven.”
Elizabeth casually glanced around the shop, and when no one moved to claim the order, she quickly weaved her way through the crowd. She paused briefly in front of the counter, and then took a deep breath, stepped forward and grabbed the bag.
Shit! Shit! Shit!
She turned, careful not to make eye contact with anyone in the shop, and made a hasty exit.
When she pushed through the door leading outside, the warmth of the sun hit her face, and a sense of freedom washed over her, followed by a wave a guilt so strong she almost turned around. The loud, empty sound of her stomach growling forced her feet forward, and she moved down the sidewalk at a brisk pace.
Humiliation swamped her as she realized she now had to add thief to the long list of mistakes she’d made since her father died. Until now, her reasons for moving to Blackbeary Creek had been the worst of her bad decisions, but stealing trumped everything.
Daddy would be so disappointed!
Tears filled her eyes as she thought about her father, but she didn’t have time to dwell on his memory.
“Hey! Hey you!”
A loud, angry voice bellowed through the air behind her, and from the looks on the faces of the people she passed, the owner of the unclaimed bag wasn’t about to let her get away with taking his lunch.
Shit! Why did it have to be a man?
Her experience with men wasn’t vast, but she knew enough to know what would happen when the man behind her caught up. Anyone willing to chase her down, was also willing to teach her a lesson.
Fuck! This was a bad idea!
Elizabeth turned down a small walkway between two buildings and silently cursed. A chain link fence stood tall at the end, and there was no way out. Heavy footsteps echoed between the two buildings behind her, and she had no choice but to stop and accept her fate.
She stopped halfway down the path, and turned to face the man chasing her.
Hot damn!
Of course, she couldn’t have picked some ugly loser’s lunch to steal. She’d had to choose someone tall, dark and hot-as-hell.
Dressed in all black, his snug t-shirt stretched across his broad, toned chest, and the sleeves hugged well-defined biceps. His legs were covered in new-looking, black, relaxed fit jeans, but they didn’t hide the large package between his legs, or his thick, tree-trunk thighs. Steel-toed boots covered his feet, and she took an involuntary step back thinking about the damage the footwear could do.
Elizabeth hated hiding, and she forced herself to look up—and up—into his dark brown eyes. He stood at least six inches taller than her five-foot, nine-inch frame, and his black hair was cut in a short, spikey cropped style. The sharp angles on his face looked like they were carved from granite, and even though his expression was dark and serious, it did nothing to take away from his appeal.
Silence stretched between them as he studied her, and if things were different, and she didn’t know any better, she wouldn’t be afraid of him. In fact, she wasn’t afraid of him now, though she knew she should be.
Men who looked like him didn’t take shit from anyone, and they definitely didn’t appreciate hungry curvy girls stealing their lunch. Or thinking about what they looked like naked. Her pussy tingled, and she pressed her thighs together to try and dull the sudden need burning in her core.
Oh, hell! I need serious help!
Apparently, she had no idea how to not fall for the wrong guy.
If her present situation hadn’t driven that point home, then the man standing in front of her proved it. He looked like he wanted to kill her, and yet she still wanted to rip off his t-shirt and run her hands all over his smooth hard muscles.
As if he’d read her mind, or smelled her arousal, one side of his face pulled up into what she perceived as a smile. The move was miniscule, and if she hadn’t been watching him so closely, she would have missed it.
But she had been watching.
She had a feeling he was an expert at hiding his emotions, an
d even more versed at watching and reading others. Whatever he’d picked up from her had made him smile, and unfortunately, she had no idea whether he was laughing with her or at her.
She assumed the latter, though, and held out the plastic bag containing his lunch.
“I…,” she cleared her throat, and inwardly cursed. She didn’t want to sound anymore pathetic than she already was. “I’m sorry I stole from you.”
Her stomach took that moment to growl louder than usual, and the sound bounced off the walls of the tiny alley. His frown deepened, but she didn’t understand why.
"When was the last time you ate?" he barked.
She honestly considered lying, but the truth was easier.
“Last night,” she said, truthfully.
He nodded and fished his cell-phone out of his pocket.
“Don’t run.”
As if.
Even if she wanted to, his size and strength blocked her path and put her soft curvy body to shame. Forget getting away from him, she’d never even get around him.
He never took the bag, and she lowered her arm while she waited for him to type a quick text.
“Okay,” he said, grabbing her elbow. “Walk with me.”
His gentle hold was at odds with his hard, tough exterior, and she was instantly comforted as warmth spread all over her body. It had been so long since anyone had touched her with anything other than a firm hand, and even though she knew it would be over soon, she relished his tenderness.
She obeyed him easily, and walked beside him as he led her down the path.
***
Aiden Chambers ended the call on his cell-phone, and walked back into the sub shop. He’d only been outside a few minutes, but the crowd had nearly tripled since he and his cousin, Zach, had ordered their food. A long line waited to order at the register, and the pick-up counter was swamped.
Something about the shop felt different than it had minutes before, and he quickly scanned the place as he walked up to the table where Zach sat waiting for their order numbers to be called. Usually, crowds didn’t bother him, but the fact that he couldn’t put his finger on exactly what was different pissed him off.
Not that anyone would notice.
Zach’s laughter rose above the din, and Aiden marched up to his cousin’s table.
The other man was laughing with two women sitting at a nearby table, but the women quieted when Aiden approached. Luckily, he knew Zach wouldn’t care. Women were drawn to Zach’s friendly, playful personality, but his cousin rarely wanted to take things to the next level.
But at least he could if he wanted to.
Unlike Aiden.
Aiden’s serious, stern demeanor was the exact opposite of Zach’s bubbly personality, and aside from his parents and his clan, nearly everyone was afraid of him. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t unkind or rude; most people just found him unpleasant.
Zach dismissed the women with a comment about letting them get back to their food, and turned to face Aiden while flattening the two crumpled receipts he held in his hand. Normally, his cousin’s carefree attitude didn’t bother him, but anger swamped him.
“Did they call my number?” Aiden snapped, though he already knew the answer.
“I don’t know,” Zach laughed. “What’s with you?”
Zach seemed unaffected by the change in atmosphere, and that fact eased some of his tension. Though his cousin always laughed and joked around, he was never unaware. The man’s casual conduct could fool anyone…except Aiden. They’d been together for far too long.
“I don’t know,” Aiden said. “Something is different.”
“Different how?” Zach asked, standing and actively scanning the room.
“I’m not sure,” Aiden said, shaking his head. “I probably just need to eat or something. Give me my ticket.”
He knew Zach wasn’t convinced, but the man handed over the ticket at the same time two more numbers were called out over the intercom. Aiden watched as the bags were quickly snatched up, and a second later, the worker looked inside an abandoned bag, and then called his number.
Aiden started walking toward the counter, but he only made it halfway before he saw a woman take his bag, turn, and walk out the door. If someone was hungry, he'd buy them food, but he wouldn't let anybody steal from him.
He followed the woman out the door, and down the sidewalk, more desperate to reach her with every step. Catching up to her became an obsession, and not only because she stole his lunch. He had a feeling he was drawn to her for a very different reason.
Her straight auburn hair was pulled back into a ponytail that swished back-and-forth against her shoulders, giving him teasing glimpses of each side of her neck, and even though she stood about six inches shorter than him, she was still tall for a woman.
Her ample curves made her body far from average, and his cock grew heavy as his gaze traveled down her back. She was soft and round in all the right places, and he wanted to grab onto her hips and slowly sink his thick cock between the soft folds of her pussy.
He studied her waist and frowned. The fabric of her jeans moved loosely under her shirt as if she’d recently lost a few pounds, and he didn’t think the change was voluntary. If it was, it wouldn’t be a problem, but the recent theft of his food made him think otherwise.
She needed to eat more.
“Hey,” he yelled. “Hey you.”
Instead of stopping, she quickened her step, and Aiden picked up his pace to catch her. Suddenly, she turned down a paved walkway between two buildings, and he followed close behind, grateful for the fence at the end of the alley.
She had nowhere to run.
Defeated, the woman sighed, and abruptly turned to face him.
Time stood still as he looked into her light brown, coffee colored eyes.
In that moment, he knew why the air had felt different in the sub shop, and his suspicions about why he was drawn to her were confirmed.
The woman who stole his lunch was his mate.
***
Aiden knew he was staring, but he couldn’t stop.
Even though she’d initially taken a step back when he’d first approached her, she didn’t flinch as he studied her with what he knew was a look that could kill. She was strong and determined, but he sensed the pain she kept buried deep.
Dark circles framed her eyes, and he also sensed her fatigue, hunger, and…arousal. One side of his face started to lift involuntarily, but he stilled the action before she could notice. His new mission in life was to take care of her, but now wasn’t the time to declare himself.
She looked him right in the eye, and held out the bag of food.
“I…,” she cleared her throat, “I’m sorry I stole from you.”
God, she was beautiful.
She didn’t have any bangs to hide her forehead, but she didn’t need them. Her round face was perfectly proportioned with large round eyes, a cute nose, and full, kissable lips. He wanted to kiss her more than anything, but he had other things to deal with first.
As a reminder, her stomach growled long and loud, echoing around the alley, and he felt his frown deepen.
"When was the last time you ate?" he barked, trying to rein in his anger.
His mate should not be hungry, and guilt swamped him even though he knew her present situation wasn’t his fault.
A wary look crossed her face, and at first he thought she would lie.
“Last night,” she said, honestly.
He nodded, and fished his cell-phone out of his pocket.
“Don’t run,” he commanded.
The answering expression on her face was laughable, but he didn’t laugh. Instead, he typed out a quick text to Zach, slid his phone back into his pocket, and gently grabbed her elbow.
“Okay,” he said. “Walk with me.”
Luckily, she obeyed him easily, and they walked out of the alley together.
Aiden tried not to think about the feel of her soft, warm skin under his palm, or h
ow he wanted to explore the rest of her body with more than just his hands. His swollen cock pressed uncomfortably against the zipper of his dark jeans, and he silently swore at the loss of control. It had been years since the last time he’d been unable to hide his arousal, and he hoped she didn’t notice.
He knew that if she misunderstood his intentions, she’d definitely run.
They walked out of the alley in companionable silence, but he knew she was far from calm. Even though she didn’t protest, she stayed alert and catalogued her surroundings as they made the short walk to his chosen location.
When the green grass of the park came into view, she let out the breath she’d been holding, and visibly relaxed. Aiden picked a table under a large tree, led her to the shady spot, and then sat down across from her.
He knew Zach would arrive in less than a minute, and he suddenly realized that he’d never asked her name. He’d always thought things would be different when he met his mate, but apparently not. He still sucked at first impressions.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Elizabeth Reed,” she answered tentatively.
“It’s nice to meet you, Elizabeth,” he nodded, mentally practicing her name in his head. It was strong and beautiful, just like her, and it suited her perfectly. “I’m Aiden Chambers, and don’t be scared, but the guy walking toward us is my cousin Zach.”
She jerked her head up and sucked in a deep breath at the same time Zach approached the table and set down his bag from the sub shop.
“Thanks man,” Aiden said, ignoring his mate’s temporary fear. “Zach, this is Elizabeth Reed. Elizabeth, this is my cousin Zach Hernden.”
“Elizabeth,” Zach said, smiling big and bowing playfully as if she were a princess. After he righted himself, he held out his hand, and Elizabeth quickly glanced at Aiden before she timidly took it.
The shy smile she granted Zach made him see red, and waves of irrational anger and jealousy swamped him. Of course, Zach would be the one to make her light up. No one ever smiled around Aiden.
