What if she ever wanted to marry this guy? Okay, they were jumping the gun here, but it was something she’d never thought about, never bothered to ask the agent in charge. If she and Dane did end up together would the bad guys come after him too? Would he have to take on a new identity? Always keep something a secret?
Keeping secrets tore a person apart and that was the last thing she ever wanted to do to him.
The kids’ voices grew louder. She wanted to teach again. She wanted her old job back. Maybe she’d ask if she could go back to school to get her teaching license in her new name and start over again.
She jumped when Dane squeezed her knee. “You look miles away,” he whispered in her ear.
“Just thinking how lucky Emily is. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher.”
“There’s no reason you can’t.”
“I know.”
“There’s the University of Montana in Missoula, that’s not that far. You could take courses there.”
She smiled. He made it all sound so simple.
“I might look into that.”
He winked at her.
She’d ask the agent in charge if that was a possibility. A chance to do the job she’d wanted to do all her life.
****
Trent waved to Dane as they were in the line for the refreshments.
“I’ll be right back,” he told Melanie.
“You want me to pick up some cookies for you?” she asked.
“Yep, make sure to get some of the chocolate chip ones.”
“I think I’ll go talk to Emily while you’re gone,” said Melanie.
“Great idea.”
Dane walked over to Trent.
“You want to go for a run tomorrow evening? I asked Aiden if he wants to join us, but he’s promised to go pick up Lilly and Christopher at the airport.”
Dane knew run meant bear run and it would be the first time he’d run with his buddies since he’d returned from his exile.
“I’d love to.”
“Okay I’ll pick you up about seven. Oh, and I did some checking on Melanie.”
Dane had forgotten Trent’s offer to do that and now he felt bad that he was prying into Melanie’s background without her knowing.
“Not much to tell you. In fact, her information was skimpy to say the least. She’s definitely not been married before, not been arrested. One parking ticket two years ago, but besides that your lady is a model citizen.”
“So the photos I saw...”
“Don’t know what to tell you, but I mentioned it to Aiden and he thinks I should have one of the other guys in my department do a little more digging just in case she’s…”
“In case she’s what?”
“Knows about us and…”
“You’re implying that she’s not interested in me and is playing me until I reveal what I am and give up our secret?”
“Hey, that’s not what I meant or what Aiden meant, but you know we have to be careful.”
“Did you check your own wife out, did Christopher, and did Aiden for that matter? For all you guys know you could be married to undercover agents working to flesh out aliens.”
“Dane, buddy.” Trent grabbed Dane’s arm. Dane pulled away.
“I don’t think Melanie has an agenda or is an alien hunter or whatever you want to call it.”
“I think you do, so consider our run tomorrow night cancelled.”
Dane turned away and headed back inside. He’d collect Melanie and they’d leave. What made those guys think their women didn’t have motives for being with them and his did? Brown Bears were all the damn same. A bunch of high and mighty assholes.
His woman.
He’d just called Melanie his woman. Yeah, she was the big alpha bear’s woman and it was a full moon.
Chapter Thirteen
Dane had seemed in a mad mood since he’d gone outside to chat with Trent.
“I think it’s time we headed home.” was all he’d said when he’d come back into the building. Even the chocolate chip cookies she’d taken for him had remained untouched on a spot next to the gearbox in his car.
“Something wrong?” she’d finally asked.
“Buddies who think they’re so much better than anyone else.”
She’d guessed he was referring to Trent but didn’t want to pry into what went on between them.
Before she could ask him if he wanted to come in for a drink and those chocolate chip cookies, he’d leaned over and kissed her, his hand going down inside her dress and quickly covering her breast. Her nipple had hardened and her pussy throbbed. When he’d gotten out of the car, he pulled her out, lifted her up and, yes, carried her over his shoulder, and slapped her ass before putting her down in the kitchen, she guessed the answer was yes.
One thing that had always turned her on was a guy who knew what he wanted. He joked about it being a full moon and him feeling extra horny.
“Turn around, pretty lady,” he whispered in her ear.
She slowly faced the window in the kitchen and Dane’s hands moved around her body and untied the bow on her dress, causing it to fall open. He brought her in close to his own body, his erection pushing hard against the top of her crack. He’d figured out that her bra’s clasp was at the front and he popped it open, allowing it to part just like the dress. They both hung loose at the sides of her body, allowing the cool air inside the apartment to kiss her skin. He grabbed both her breasts and massaged them, his palms scraping her nipples. He slid his hands downward over her belly pushing them inside her hose and panties. She reached behind her and put her hands on the back of his head as he kissed the side of her neck. He worked her underwear down over her hips and ran his hands over her mound.
“I don’t want you to ever wax this or whatever it is you ladies do.”
She smiled. Not something that she’d ever want to do. She had a low tolerance for pain.
His fingers worked their way down through her pubic hair until his middle finger found her clit. He pressed it hard, nibbling on her earlobe before letting his finger slide toward her pussy opening. He playfully bit the back of her neck as the long digit traveled inside her. He wiggled it, making her legs tingle and her need to have his cock, and not his finger inside her, even more.
“Bend over and hold onto the edge of the sink,” he said. His voice sounded deeper, bossy and demanding, making her grow wetter by the second. She leaned over, hearing what she knew was Dane pulling down the fly of his pants and then tearing open a condom.
She grabbed the taps as he slid inside her. They began to ride together, him holding onto her belly, her caressing the cold metal of the taps. He licked her shoulder and kissed it as he pushed harder, the sound of his thighs hitting her butt echoing in the quiet of the apartment.
“Full moon, baby, drives a bear wild.”
Had she heard right? Had he referred to himself as a bear? She almost wanted to laugh. Guess he was big and strong like one. He did his old trick again, stopped moving while his cock vibrated inside her.
She closed her eyes, convinced she was going to fall over because her head was spinning with the pleasure he was offering her. Even her toes tingled and the pleasure worked its way upwards through her knees, into her thighs. Then, holy smoke, her climax exploded inside her. Then another, and then, dear god, too much, way too much. She held onto the taps, pushing her toes into the tiles on the floor and found release again, but this time she overdid the gripping part and pulled the taps off. Water shot into the air.
Dane laughed and so did she.
“Told you crazy things happen when it’s a full moon.”
****
Dane ran and ran. Being in his bear form helped clear his head. Lucky thing he’d been able to turn off the water and mend the taps until Melanie could call in someone from the Lodge’s maintenance crew to fix them properly.
He stopped and rubbed himself high on the trunk of the tree where he’d left his clothes. He went back on all fours and then
let his body relax so he could shift back. He lay looking up at the sky. It was a beautiful night and made for a bear run. How he wished that Melanie could enjoy it with him. Even running as a bear and feeling the wind travel past your face and body. Nothing quite like it in the whole world.
Lots of stars in the sky too. The shifters that had been unfortunate enough to crash land near cities had told him that they couldn’t see them because of all the bright lights. They’d been right and it was one of the things he’d missed the most about being banished like he had. He put his hands behind his head, using them as his pillow.
Nothing was as spectacular as the view in space from their own planet. He put his index finger into the air and tried to focus on the spot where that would have been. The gap between the two stars to the left if he wasn’t mistaken. The most beautiful planet in the universe.
A tear ran down his cheek. It was gone, there was no going back. Lucinda, who’d been his last true link to home, was gone too. He had to focus on the future or he’d grown insane. Melanie was it, he sensed it, and when they went on their boating and picnic date on Saturday he was going to tell her everything.
Chapter Fourteen
“There’s a man to see you at reception,” said Jodie who worked at the front desk.
It was probably something to do with business, but Melanie’s heart still skipped a beat. Stupid because people who wanted you dead hardly asked to see you and therefore had an eyewitness. No, they just put a bullet in you or planted a bomb in your car.
Her legs, as they always did when she went to meet someone, shook so much she could hardly walk straight. As usual, she walked into a door and guessed she’d have a bruise on her leg and arm.
Melanie turned the corner and immediately recognizing Joe, the agent in charge of her relocation.
“Good morning, I was told to talk to you about the possibility of booking the conference room for an upcoming meeting for my group of insurance agents.”
In front of others he always played a role and had taught her to do the same.
“If you’d like to step into my office I can check on availability and go over logistics and menus for you.”
She put out her hand to him, to indicate for him to go to the office to the left. Once inside, she closed the door. He sat without being asked while she as she always did. She leaned against the wall and folded her arms. He made her nervous every single time he’d stopped by.
“I think we might have to move you someplace else,” he said.
She squeezed her eyes shut. No, this couldn’t be happening. That meant they thought someone was on to her identity and location. Dane. She’d never see him again.
“Why?” she asked.
“Someone at the police department and sheriff’s office have been digging around in your files and looking for information about you.”
“You’re sure?”
He nodded. “Anyone in particular spoken to you, anyone new in your life?”
Dane. The photos. No, it couldn’t be him.
She swallowed. “I’ve been seeing a man I met here. He was a guest at a wedding.”
“I’ve told you to keep me informed and give me their name so I can run a check on them.”
“I know but this being the first time I’ve actually dated anyone I didn’t want to scare him off.”
“Scare him off. Even if he was hired to pretend to be a guest and get to know you?”
“He was a guest. The bride and groom can vouch for him. All the other guests have known him for years.”
“So how did the two of you get together?”
“He came into the kitchen because the ceremony had upset him. He’d lost his wife and I knew exactly how he felt. We got talking and we’ve been dating since then. He’s a really nice man and he just got a new job at the local elementary school. I don’t believe for one minute he has been sent by anyone to check me out or kill me or whatever.”
“Well, I was told that a Trent Burgress was digging around and has now asked a buddy to do some more background searches on you.”
“Trent Burgress, that’s Dane’s friend.”
She lifted up her necklace and began sliding it back and forth. The photos. He’d probably seen those photos of her and Mike.
“I think I can explain this.”
Shit, she was going to have to come clean about those photos and the bear. “I know you told me I shouldn’t, but I kept some photos. A wedding photo, a photo of me with my parents, me with the kids at school. I hid them in Uggy…that’s my teddy bear and when I left the bedroom, he must have found them.”
“Fuck, are you stupid or what? And I take it the relationship has gotten to the sleeping together part already?”
Melanie nodded, feeling like a teenager who’d just been busted by her parents. She had to sit now because she was sick and tired of running and being someone else. Maybe it was better that they did catch up with her. If it was Dane then at least he’d made her happy again before she died.
He pulled out his notebook. “I’ll run a check on this Dane character. He happen to have a last name?”
“It’s Reynolds.”
He wrote something down. “You and he have any plans to see one another again?”
“Yes, tomorrow, we’re going sailing on Flathead Lake and then heading to a concert in the park.”
“Perfect place to kill you and drop your body overboard.”
She couldn’t believe that Dane would do that. Her instinct about people had never been wrong. He wasn’t a hitman or anything bad.
“I assume you’re going to tell me not to go.”
“That would be my first inclination, but I think it’s the perfect way to finish this once and for all.”
“Using me as bait?”
He nodded. “I’ll have a team of men keeping watch and once he makes his move we’ll be there. Maybe we’ll finally have someone who will want to make a deal to testify against Sam Farfield.”
He was wrong and it was going to be a waste of time. Dane had no connection to that monster. She knew it.
“In the meantime, I’m going to run his name through the database. Don’t suppose you have anything he’s touched where I can run fingerprints too?”
She hated doing this but maybe when Dane’s name cleared, they’d leave the two of them alone.
“Sure, some glasses in my apartment.”
“Perfect. You go round them up using a napkin or paper towel, and I’ll get some evidence bags.”
She stood.
“Maybe this is a good thing. Maybe this guy’s going to lead us right to Sam and you might just be able to go back to your old life.”
Chapter Fifteen
While Dane hadn’t known Melanie that long, he did know her enough to sense she wasn’t her usual self. On the drive to the lake she’d looked out of the window a lot, fidgeted in her seat, and chewed on the nail of her index finger.
“You’re going to love the boat. Just so happens a buddy of mine knew someone who doesn’t mind us taking it for a trip around the lake this afternoon.”
She looked at him and simply nodded.
“Hope you’ve got lots of food on hand because I’m starving.”
“Yes, salmon mousse, some asparagus, and green salad with huckleberries.”
He actually licked his lips. He’d even bought a bottle of wine.
“The guy at the liquor store said if I tie a string around the wine bottle’s neck and lower it into the water it will chill it perfectly while we’re sailing. Not sure if that works or not.”
“I can’t do this,” she finally said.
“You don’t want to go sailing?”
“Pull over and turn off the car because we need to talk.”
He was frozen. Was she breaking up with him? He stopped but hadn’t turned off the ignition, so she reached across and did it for him.
She turned to face him. This seemed serious.
“I know you found those photos in Uggy.”
Damn, he’d forgotten about those.
He raised his hands. “I’m nosey and I took a peek. I should have owned up but I didn’t.”
“Did you really stumble into the kitchen at the wedding because you were sad and lost or were you supposed to run into me?”
“What?”
“Have you been sent here to find me?”
“I’ve no idea what the hell you’re talking about.”
“You’re not here to hurt me?”
“Shit, whatever gave you that impression?”
“Your friend Trent’s been checking up on me.”
Shit, fuck. He’d told him to be discrete.
“I was curious about the photos and the man with you in the wedding photo. I just happened to mention it to Trent and he being a cop said he’d do some digging.”
She pushed her hair back from her face. He put his hand on her arm. “What makes you think I’d ever hurt you? That’s the last thing I’d ever do, Melanie.”
She turned to face him again.
“We’re being followed here by two agents from the Witness Protection Program.”
“The what…why…I don’t understand.”
“I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I guess if you are out to get me you already know my real identity so there’s no point hiding anymore. On the other hand, if you’re the real deal and we’re going to continue with this relationship I think I need to be honest with you.”
Honest with him. He suddenly felt guilty about hiding a huge thing about himself from her.
“I’m not Melanie. My real name’s Chloe Reed and I’m from Florida. I’m a school teacher who was married to a wonderful man.”
Dane swallowed. Wow, he hadn’t expected quite this much information all in one go. “My husband, Mike, was an accountant. One of his clients... Well, let’s just say Mike figured out he was laundering money. Mike probably should have dropped him as a client or looked the other way, but he wasn’t that sort of guy, so he went to the authorities. They promised us he’d be safe. I’d be safe.” She looked down at her hands. “One morning when he was starting the car…”
Healing the Bear Page 8
