by Bryce Evans
“Apparently, her ex liked to hit her and knock her around. She always hid it, but Mr. Olsen knew it, even though she refused to talk about it until this last time. Terry Dunn was arrested for assault and attempted rape, but who knows if the rape charge will stick. He has been denied bail because he has a rap sheet a mile long, but eventually he will get one, and when he goes looking for her, Mr. Olsen will tell him Simone quit and left for California. She’s going by her mother’s last name. If he comes here, we will handle him then, but I can’t see this man hunting her down here in Georgia.” Arden explained. The Alpha was confident that this sorry excuse for a man wouldn’t show up, but Bane wasn’t so sure. What if he wasn’t finished? Bane needed to make sure she was safe, and the only way to do that was to stick to her like glue.
“I’ll make sure that he never bothers her again,” Bane expressed.
“Hmm.” Arden rubbed his finger over his chin. His lips curled in amusement again.
Damn, the man was starting to piss him off. He was being serious, and Arden was trying to play matchmaker.
“Well, I’m off to help get the store going. Simone wants to start getting the ovens going tomorrow and she needs some help to pull it all together.” Bane got up and started for the door.
“What an eager beaver we are.” Arden chuckled.
Bane threw up his middle finger as he walked out the door.
* * *
Bane pulled up behind the store and watched as Finn cut pieces of wood. The man was great at making anything, and he seemed to be making a bakery display where Simone could put all her sweets. He already had it going, and by tomorrow he would be finished.
“Need any help?” Bane asked.
“Nah, I got this, but she may need some help inside putting the shelving up in the back. She doesn’t need to be stretching up that high on a ladder; she could fall.”
Bane was already at the door and rushing inside. The thought of Simone tumbling off a ladder onto the hard floor made him insane. As he came inside, Simone was putting pots on some shelves. She looked happy as she stacked each of the bowls according to size. He hated to say anything, not wanting to disturb her, but her eyes met his as he walked in.
“You’re back.” Simone said, but her smile was gone.
He needed to put that smile back on her face.
“I’m back. I had to go and run an errand. Do you want me to leave?”
Simone eyes widened. “No, of course not. I just thought you left for the day.” He watched as Simone turned away from him and went to pick up another box, and almost fell. Bane rushed over and caught her before she could hit the ground.
“You shouldn’t be lifting boxes this heavy.” Bane could feel her body go stiff. His voice was a little too bossy. “Sorry, I was worried you’d hurt yourself.”
“Thank you.” She quickly pulled away from him, but he didn’t want her to let go. She fit perfectly in his arms. Their eyes locked as they gazed at each other. His instincts to protect her and make her happy were playing havoc on him.
Simone cleared her throat and turned away in mere seconds, “If you could pick that box up and put it here on the table for me to unload, I would appreciate it.”
“Sure.” Bane looked away and picked up the box. “Finn said you might need some shelves built. I can do that for you and lift any boxes. I don’t want you hurting yourself.”
Simone narrowed her eyes. “Do you do this for all the new residents who move to New Hope?”
“Just the pretty ones.” Bane smirked not looking up at her. When she didn’t answer, he glanced over at her. She wasn’t smiling. “Hey, I’m just playing.”
“So you don’t think I’m pretty?” Simone teased. When he looked up, she still wasn’t smiling. Damn, this woman had a great poker face.
“I would love to play poker with you.” Bane joked, but once he saw the expression on her face, he regretted his words. She wasn’t looking at him anymore, but he could see the guarded look had been replaced with fear.
“Hey.” Bane walked closer to her, but she immediately pulled away. “Simone, I’m sorry. I can tell it brought up a bad memory. I meant no harm, nor will I let anyone harm you. Nobody will hurt you ever again.”
Wiping away the tear, Simone went over to the shelves and started adding containers. Her back was to him, but he heard her whisper, “You can’t always protect me.”
“Yes I can, and I will.” Bane announced. He didn’t say anything further; she needed to see that he would. Picking up another box, he put it on the table, “Tell me where these go, and I’ll unpack them for you.”
Simone mulled it over, then nodded, pointing to the other steel-shelving unit. He could tell that she was having a hard time believing him, but only time would tell. Yes, Bane was a stranger to her, but he would change that. It didn’t matter the day or time, he would see to it that Simone was protected until he could make sure the threat was gone.
That meant Terry Dunn would have to be gone for good.
Chapter Six
“It’s looking good in here. You guys got it all put together. Hey Simone, there’s a deliveryman out her. He needs your signature.” Quinn advised.
“Thanks, I hope it’s my ingredients.” Simone could feel it all coming together. As she walked up front, Finn was putting the glass in the display counter. She had to stop and look at how well it was made. The designs he had put on the side of it were gorgeous too. It was bigger than she expected, but it would fit perfectly in the space.
Simone signed the paper and the deliveryman left. All her ingredients were here; she could start making everything tomorrow. Walking back over to the counter, she smiled as the glass slipped into the creases. Finn wiped the glue off the sides, taking care that none of it marred the work.
“Finn, this is beautiful. I didn’t think it would look like this. Do you know how much money one of these would cost if I bought it from a store?” Simone watched a big smile come on her new friend’s face.
“I have a refrigeration unit that can go in the bottom of it, so it will keep everything cool inside. The next one I build you can be for cookies and the like, that way it won’t dry out. Your cupcakes, cakes, or whatever you need to make cooler, can stay here. Is that okay with you?” Finn asked, looking concerned.
“Are you kidding? Look at this! You do spectacular work.” Simone jumped into Fins arms just as Bane and Quinn came out of the back room. One of them made a growl that sounded like a wolf. Slowly, Finn, put her down.
“What the heck was that? Did you just growl at me?” Simone tensed up when she turned around and saw Bane’s face. His eyes had turned a bright yellow color, and he was staring at Finn like he could kill him. “Your eyes,” she gasped.
“Simone, we need to talk. There is something you should know.” Quinn walked over to her, but Simone’s attention was on Bane and his eyes. They were actually glowing yellow. He looked like a wild animal.
When Bane came closer to her, she backed up. That’s it, she thought, he looked strange, as if he was a wild animal, and he was growling at her. Was she crazy now, imagining things?
“Bane, get a hold of yourself, you’re scaring her.” Quinn admonished. As soon as Finn backed away from her, Bane seemed to relax. His eyes had turned back to their natural hazel color. What was that all about? Why was his eye’s turning a different color? This wasn’t natural.
“Let’s sit down Simone. I hope you will better understand once I explain all of this. Will you sit and listen to what I have to say?” Quinn asked, pulling a chair out for her.
“Sure.” Simone glanced over at Bane, making sure he wasn’t near her. She didn’t know what was going on, but the growling he was doing seemed un-natural, and his eyes—that was definitely not right.
“I got to New Hope last year. I’ve been in town for six months now, and I have never been happier. What I’m going to tell you may seem strange, or you may even think I’m crazy, but if you will try and keep an open mind and let me finish before you
say anything, I think it will become clearer. You think you can do that?”
Simone didn’t say anything, she just nodded her head, but she kept glancing back and forth from Quinn to Bane. She made sure she could jump up quickly if something happened. She had learned a lot from Terry Dunn, even how to run fast.
“Okay, well here goes. You ever heard of shifters?”
This got her attention away from Bane. Now Quinn was talking about fairytales. When she nodded her head, Quinn continued. “It’s not just stories that are made up, you see, they’re true. There is such a thing as shifters and witches. You see we,” Quinn motioned to Bane, Finn, and then herself, “belong to a werewolf pack called the Dixon pack. Bane is the Beta, that’s the second in charge behind the Alpha, which is my mate, Arden Dixon. Finn here is a guard in the pack. Finn and I weren’t born shifters like Bane and Arden, we were actually bitten by a rogue wolf who was trying to build an army to take over the Dixon pack. However, that’s another story, but you with me so far?”
Simone crossed her arms in front of her. She didn’t know if Mr. Olsen had sent her to a town full of crazy people, making sure that Terry wouldn’t dare search for her there, but this had to be the craziest story she had ever heard and everyone in town seemed to be in on it. She nodded yes for Quinn to keep talking. This was getting pretty interesting now.
“I was a witch before I moved to New Hope. I was walking to my apartment from my car, when a wolf ran up and bit me. The saliva in their bite can turn a human into a werewolf. That’s what happened to me and Finn, and now we’re shifters. I can see the doubt in your eyes and I don’t blame you; if I was in your shoes I would think the same thing. A town full of crazies. But the only way for you to believe is to cut to the chase and see one of us shift. Would you like for Finn to shift, so you can truly believe this?” Quinn asked, like it was an everyday occurrence for the man she hired to build her display counters to turn into a werewolf. Oh yes, Simone wanted this charade to continue.
“Yeah, sure.” She couldn’t wait to see this.
“Let’s go into the kitchen, so nobody else sees.” Quinn and the others got up, making their way to the back room. Simone followed, but kept her hand on the door, just incase she needed to make a break for it. “Finn has to take his clothes off so he doesn’t mess them up.”
Again, Simone smiled, then watched Finn undress. Simone couldn’t help but stare as he stripped his shirt then his pants off. She should look away, but she couldn’t as he stripped out of his underwear and holy shit, the man was a freaking beast and not in the wolf department. She knew there were probably some women who would look away, but once they seen Finn they would have done the same thing and watched the man strip.
But before she could admire him further, Finn bent down and the air around him seemed to shimmer. Right before her eyes, Finn was no longer there—he was a wolf. Not just an ordinary wolf, but huge! The thing was almost taller than she was, and Simone was five foot six. Her hand was on the door. She knew she should run for it, but she couldn’t move. She stared in horror as the wolf turned his head sideways and walked towards her. She gasped, knowing this had to be some type of magic trick that they pulled on the new people in town, but how could they pull off a stunt like this? It looked real. Shit, it was real. Finn had turned into a wolf.
Once the wolf got to her, he nudged her hand, like a cat wanting to be petted. Simone was afraid he was going to bite her hand off, but she did the unthinkable. She took a chance, reached out, and placed her shaking hand on the wolf’s head. This was insane she was petting a wolf. But this was Finn, sweet Finn, not a monster.
“But how—” Simone still couldn’t believe what she was seeing. This was Finn, but he had just turned into a wolf, a freaking werewolf.
“We are shifters; the fairytale, the movies, and the books are true. I should say some of it is true. Nobody knows about us, and we have to keep it that way. That means you can’t tell anyone our secret. They would hunt us all down, Simone. I’m taking a chance in telling you, but you need to know, especially now since Bane has…” Quinn stopped and didn’t explain any further.
She hadn’t realized she was still petting Finn, until Bane growled. Finn nudged her hand again and licked it, then turned around and walked back to where his clothes were laying. The air shimmered, and he shifted once again. Before Simone could blink, Finn the man was back in all his glory.
Without a doubt, this had to be the weirdest day of her life. Maybe she did hit her head when Finn scared her. Simone couldn’t figure it out, this all sounded so strange, but she had seen it with her own eyes. Finn had just turned into a wolf, then back into a man. Shifter’s were actually real, not the made up stuff in Hollywood.
They sat there waiting for her to answer, but Simone didn’t know what they expected her to say. Quinn was right. If people knew about them they would be hunted and studied. No doubt about that, but why, why would they trust telling her? What danger was she in now that she knew?
“Say something.” Bane demanded.
“Why…” Simone cleared her throat and put her hand back on the doorknob. “Why would you trust telling me? You just met me.” Simone waited and when Quinn and Finn both looked at Bane, she turned her head and waited for the man to answer.
“Because of me. My wolf likes you, apparently, and seems to be very protective of you.” Bane admitted.
“Your wolf likes me?”
“Yes, my wolf.”
“But the man doesn’t.” Simone didn’t like where this conversation was going. She was pretty ticked off, but she had to know everything.”
“No…” Bane said, trying to get his words out.
“No, the man doesn’t like me. Well flea bag, you know where the door is, so why don’t you and your wolf use it.” Simone didn’t have time for anymore games from any man, much less one that just said he doesn’t like her. In fact, she was done with this conversation.
* * *
“You know, you have such a way with women, Bane. I stay up some nights wondering why you’re still single.” Quinn commented as Simone walked out and slammed the door, dismissing Bane.
“Rejected.” Finn snorted.
“Shit.” Bane muttered, dropping down hard in the seat.
“I hope you do like Simone and you’re simply so tongue-tied by her that you say stupid shit when she is around. Because buddy, that didn’t come out the way you wanted it.” Finn simply stated as he slipped his shirt over his head.
“Of course I like the woman, but she catches me at the wrong time, and then everything just comes out of my mouth wrong. Or I pause and she thinks that I’m done talking, and just makes up whatever she wants.” Bane rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m from the South, for God’s sake; we talk slower here. If she would just let me get finished, you know?”
“Maybe, since she’s from up North, you need to talk a little faster and get everything out, that way she doesn’t think you’re a stupid, ignorant hick.” Finn shrugged. “Just saying.”
“You’re not helping.” Bane said, looking away. “I need to tell her that I like her, me and the wolf.” He stood up and decided to do just that.
“Hey…” Finn put his hands up blocking Bane’s path. “Listen Hoss, maybe you should give her some time to calm down before you go in there and piss her off, again.”
“You think so?”
“Yep, I think you should let Quinn handle it. You can help me finish the other display and let them talk. Quinn has a way of explaining things that may not make since to us, but she’ll know what to do and make everything right in the Universe again.”
Bane hoped Finn was right. If not, he had a pissed off woman in the next room, and not talking to her again wasn’t an option. What was it about Simone that intrigued him? Every time he asked himself that question, he came up with too many answers.
“You really like her, don’t you?” Finn asked.
“Maybe…” Bane rubbed his chin. Did he like her? Yes, he did. He like
d how she didn’t care that he was second in charge of the pack. Simone told it like it was, and Bane respected her more for it. Not like some of the women of his pack, who were only looking for a way to get higher up in the rankings.
Smiling, Finn shook his head and opened the door to the back of the store. “I think it’s a little more than like.”
Bane knew the answer, but Simone was a human; she had no clue of what to expect from a wolf pack. Some of the women could be downright vicious, even picking fights just so they could slap them around and since Simone didn’t have their healing capabilities it wouldn’t be fair for her. Especially if they thought he was sniffing around a human.
Sure, he could act like he liked Simone when nobody from his pack was around, but in the presence of any of the Dixon pack he would just act like she didn’t mean anything to him. Bane had a plan now, and he had to stick to it, no matter how good she looked or smelled. Slapping the top of his head, Bane knew he was in deep trouble with this one, very deep trouble indeed.
Chapter Seven
Simone dragged the pots out of the box and put them on the stove, making sure they would be in the right spot for the morning. That damn man had to be the most irritating person on earth. His wolf liked her, but he didn’t. What kind of person says that? Bane Cross, that’s who.
Well don’t worry, Mr. Cross, I don’t like you either. The ego driven hick.
“Hey.”
Simone didn’t turn around to see if he was with Quinn. Nope, she just continued slamming her pots down on the stoves.
“Simone.” She turned around and found only Quinn standing there.
“Yes?”
“Look, you have every right to be mad. Sometimes Bane doesn’t get…”
“Don’t make excuses for him. It’s not your fault he’s an arrogant ass who thinks every woman should bow down to him. Look, all I’m doing is renting this building from him. We don’t have to be friends to do that. We’re in business together, so let’s not make this complicated. I need to get this done and get ready to bake. Tomorrow will be a big day. I planned to give some of the sweets away, hoping to bring in customers when the shop opens, but first I need to hire some staff to help me run the front while I get it all prepared. So, let’s just keep this professional between me and Mr. Cross, okay?” Simone hated being rude to her new friend, but they needed to get back to a business relationship with Bane and nothing else. No matter how attractive he was.
