The place was getting full, but she sweet-talked one of the ushers into getting her a ringside seat.
“Are you sure, miss?” he asked. “It can get a little intense being so close to the action, if you know what I mean?”
“It’s okay, I’m a nurse,” she lied, smiling sweetly. “Nothing phases me.” She took her seat and peered around the room, trying to see if any of the bears were in the stadium yet. For such a small venue, the crowd was very loud, but they sounded different from last time. There was less whooping and whistling, and more chanting. It was deep and toneless, and quickly began to sound sinister to her ears. She frowned. And what are those banners they’re waving? “Xander is a loser?” “My grandma could whup Ryker’s ass”. This is very weird, she thought. The Broken Hill Bears have so many adoring fans. Everyone loves them. You never hear anyone badmouthing them. But now, there’s all this.
The fighters came out one at a time, and her heart sank. The Broken Hill Bears’ fighter was Rocco, the younger brother of Xander the Great.
“Why isn’t Braxton fighting?” she muttered to herself. Rocco’s appearance in the ring was accompanied by a round of hisses and boos. His handsome young face didn’t betray any reaction, but she really felt for him. It can’t be easy competing in that atmosphere, she thought. Especially as his opponent emerged to a chorus of cheers and whistles. As soon as the fight began, she got to her feet and stood with her hands on her hips, trying to make the writing on her t-shirt as visible as possible. Maybe Braxton was somewhere nearby and he’d catch sight of her.
But she didn’t see him, during any one of the punishing rounds, even though she stood up at every opportunity and looked for him. And things went badly for Rocco. Neve’s stomach knotted and her heart clenched as he soaked up one punch or kick after another. This shouldn’t be happening. He’s in such amazing shape, she thought. She could see it in his face though, when the cameras beamed his image onto the giant screens. He looked shocked, as if he’d seen or heard something that’d knocked the wind out of him. He couldn’t focus on the fight, and his opponent had taken advantage of him being distracted. By the tenth round he was a mess, and then it was over. He was knocked out, by a bear she’d assumed he’d take down in the first few rounds. And Braxton didn’t appear, neither at the end of the rounds, nor for the finale. She was getting more and more frustrated. The whole thing had been a waste. She’d spent $25 and lost a shift at the diner for nothing.
As soon as she saw that Rocco was okay and on his feet again, she pushed her way through the howling crowd and traipsed outside, heavy with dejection. She was so deep in thought that she didn’t notice the huge, muscular man coming toward her, until she’d walked right into him, knocking the breath out of her. She began to fall, but he caught her up in his arms, holding her tight. And when she looked up into a devastatingly handsome face, with deep blue eyes and a strong angular jaw, she was so shocked that she almost passed out.
“Braxton!” was all she was capable of saying. And as her brain caught up to the fact that she was in the arms of a shifter, she started to tremble. His brow furrowed and his thickly lashed eyes showed a flash of recognition.
“We’ve met before,” he said, in a voice so deep and rumbling that it went all the way through her, turning her insides to jell-o.
“Yes. I was with Help U Win Events at the fight in Rayville. Well, I wasn’t really with them.”
“You’re the human who had the balls to speak to us,” he said. She nodded eagerly. “The temp.” She opened her mouth and closed it again as a wave of indignation warmed her cheeks.
“I was working with them, temporarily. But I’m actually a lawyer. Which was why I felt qualified to give you legal advice. And –” she faltered. He was staring at her with such uninterest and impatience that she was fast losing her nerve.
“And?” he prompted.
“And that’s why I’m here now. You didn’t hear everything I had to say, so I hoped I’d be able to catch you tonight so we could have a proper talk.” He stared down at her, his lip curling with an emotion that she couldn’t read.
“Is that why you’re wearing this t-shirt?” he demanded.
“Yes. I didn’t know how else to get your attention,” she said in a strained voice, ending with a gulp as her throat closed convulsively. The edges of his gorgeous eyes crinkled and his lips curved with the suggestion of a smile. But then it was gone again.
“Thank you for your efforts, but I don’t need your help. I’m afraid you’ve had a wasted journey. And a wasted cost of t-shirt printing,” he said. Now she felt even more stupid for wearing the t-shirt than she had before. The heat that had been threatening to break through hit the surface of her skin and her cheeks flamed red. Yet again, she cursed the fact that she was a pale-skinned redhead and therefore incapable of concealing any strong emotion. Every cell of her body told her to turn and walk away. She hated feeling embarrassed in front of anyone. But she’d come here to do something important. And she wasn’t someone who gave up easy – not by a long shot.
“Can you at least hear what I have to say? I can explain everything to you, and there will be no obligation to use my services after that.”
“It won’t make any difference, lady. And right now, I don’t have time to waste.” His tone was hard, and Neve quaked at the irritation flickering in his eyes, but she willed herself to stand still.
“I understand that you’ve got a lot of things to deal with right now. I also saw what just went on in there. Perhaps we can talk when things have calmed down a little.” She pulled her business card out of her pocket and held it out to him. He stared at it as if he had no idea what it was. “Just take it, please. You can call me anytime and I’ll explain how the law works in situations like this. I can help you. I have no doubt about that. And I won’t charge you any money for my services either. Please take some time to think about my offer and give me a call, if you want.”
“The human law,” he growled, continuing to glare at the business card.
“Yes – the law that will stop people from turning up to your fights wearing those t-shirts.” Braxton reached out, snatched the business card and tore it into four pieces before throwing it to the ground. He took a step closer to her, forcing her to crane her neck to maintain eye contact with him, and the tone of his voice sent a chill all the way down her spine.
“For the last time, I’m not interested in human interference. Not now. Not later. Never!” He spat the last word out with such vehemence that she suppressed a gasp. Then, to her great shame, her lower lip began to wobble.
“Bu-but –” she stuttered. He’d already taken a step to move past her, but at the last second, he halted, bringing himself even closer to her, and turned those flaming blue eyes on hers again.
“What?” he said in an icy tone.
“I’ve always been a big fan of yours. I’ve been to watch every fight of yours that I could afford to see. I look you up on the internet. I know all your stats. I was so excited when my stupid temp job gave me the opportunity to meet you. You don’t understand. I couldn’t sleep the night before for thinking that I was finally going to get to meet you.” She blinked hard, trying to clear the glassiness from her eyes. The hardness of his expression turned down a notch.
“And what of it?”
“You were my hero. I knew you were a good guy. When anyone was mean to me, I used to imagine that you were going to come and protect me. I thought you bears were all so great. But it sounds like you just hate us.” To her horror, his nostrils flared, as if he was trying to restrain another burst of anger. He raised one of his huge, muscular arms and stabbed his index finger in the direction of the venue.
“Look around you. Humans love us when they can watch us from the safety of cages. When we’re wild and free, it’s a different matter. Then we’re no more than targets to be shot at. In fact, I’m surprised that you’ve got the guts to speak to me face to face like this. Aren’t you going to run off and get a cop to come
and take me out?” She trembled all over, his presence suddenly feeling very threatening.
“No, I’m not. Because I don’t believe you’d hurt me. I know you shifters have good hearts. I could see it in your eyes when I watched you on the big screens all those times.” He let out a breath and she picked up the fresh, sweet scent of it.
“Is that so?” he said. Something passed across his eyes – an emotion that looked a lot like pain. But then it was gone again. He was close enough to kiss her. For one crazy moment, she imagined him dipping his head and pressing those firm, full lips against hers. He shook his head, as if clearing his thoughts.
“Listen to me, little human. I’m a bear, and we bears do things our own way. We’re nothing like humans, and the last thing I want is any human involvement in my life. Come and watch us, be entertained. But know that we’re very different from you.”
And then he left her, walking swiftly away and disappearing into an alleyway.
Neve drove back home on autopilot, refusing to give in to the tears that were threatening to flow. Braxton’s attitude had shocked her to her core. She’d never imagined that he’d be so unfriendly and downright hostile toward her. When he was in the ring he was a ruthless fighter – all hard muscle and fierce concentration. But after the fights, when he was celebrating a win or lavishing some attention on his adoring female fans, he’d seemed like a genuinely nice guy. There was always a good-natured light in his eyes, a sense that he was always about to crack a joke. He’d always been her model of what a man should be: strong and fearless when he needed to be, but decent and good-hearted the rest of the time. But she’d been completely mistaken. He was cold and hostile, and evidently hated what she stood for – namely her humanness.
I should’ve listened to him the first time he told me he wasn’t interested in her help, instead of wasting my time humiliating myself like this, she thought as she pulled into her lot, braking so hard that the car stopped with a jolt inches from the side of her trailer. All the lights were off, just as she’d left them. Thank goodness for that. She stormed through the door, went into her bedroom and stripped off the stupid t-shirt before hurling it into a corner of the room.
She lay down on the unmade bed that Kevin had left in a mess as usual and stared at the ceiling, absolutely crushed. She felt like a teenager whose idol had just been caught in the backseat of his car with a prostitute. And not only that, but her so-called legal career had just received its hundredth kick in the teeth. I can’t take any more; I really can’t, she thought. There was not a single thing that was good about her life right now. She wasn’t usually given to despair, but things really sucked. She mentally counted them off: no career, a boyfriend who did nothing but suck the life out of her, a home that was no more than a rundown trailer, and a sucker punch from some arrogant bastard who she’d mistaken for a big, sexy, chilled out man-bear. Wow. My instincts when it comes to men are unbelievable, she thought with a snort.
She allowed herself a half hour of wallowing in her misery before she went and got her laptop from the living room. She tried not to look around the room as she picked it up. Pretending to have tunnel vision was her method of coping with Kevin these days. But the beer cans and empty pizza boxes and junk food wrappings still caught her eye, fuelling her bad mood.
She lay on her stomach on the bed and clicked on the link to the legal jobs site. I must be their most frequent visitor, she thought miserably. But a wave of reluctance washed over her. She didn’t think she could cope with any more disappointment tonight. Stalling, she opened up Facebook instead and trawled through her newsfeed.
A recent update from Melanie Wells snapped her out of her aimless scrolling.
“Omg, guess who just became a second-year associate!”
It was like a knife in her stomach. Melanie Wells. They’d been at college together, before they’d both gone to law school. Melanie hadn’t been as good a student as she had, but she’d gotten into a decent school out of state. And now she was a second-year associate at a good law firm in Milwaukee. Neve would be lying if she said she wasn’t jealous of her success, but she genuinely wished her well. They’d been good friends at college, and had only drifted apart because their lives had taken such different directions. If Melanie knew that she was living in a trailer park with Kevin, she’d laugh her ass off. And Neve would laugh too. Melanie didn’t have a mean bone in her body, and she’d encouraged her to go to a better school out of state. “Don’t worry about the fees,” she used to say. “When we’re rich lawyers, it’ll be like pocket change.” Neve gazed around her bedroom, at the peeling wallpaper and the moldy patch in the corner that always came back no matter how hard she tried to get rid of it, and at Kevin’s crap, laying everywhere. Right now, she wished very badly that she’d taken Melanie’s advice.
“Congratulations, girl! You deserve it!” she wrote below the update. Having lost all energy for her job search, she decided to take a bath. As she got up from the bed, her message alert pinged.
“Thanks, Neve! It’s been hard work, I won’t lie! But so worth it! Anyway, what’s happening with you? Where are you working?”
The knife in her stomach twisted a little more, and she went to close the laptop and reply when she felt a little less raw. But maybe it would be good to talk to Melanie. Her friend knew more about her life decisions than most people.
“I’m not exactly working,” she began, and she wound up writing a long message about her life and relationship and struggles of getting taken on by a law firm.
“I’m so sorry to hear that, girl,” came Melanie’s quick reply. “I feel bad showing off on Facebook when you’ve been having such a rough time of it. But I’ve got to ask you the question – what are you still doing in Rayville? You know there are no jobs there.” Neve smirked at her directness. It was a quality she loved her for. Before she had time to reply, Melanie sent her another message.
“Why don’t you come to Wisconsin? You know there’s always a couch at my place where you can crash for as long as you want. And if I get this apartment I’ve been lusting after, there’ll be a spare room as well.” Neve drew in a breath as she read the message. And a moment later, a little tingle of excitement danced in her stomach.
“Seriously?” she found herself writing.
“Lol. Of course, Neve. I’d love to have you around!”
“And you think it’ll be easy to find a job there?”
“Yeah, there are like ten times as many law firms as in Rayville. At least. And I can help you out. I’ve got so many friends from other companies.”
Neve’s head spun. Move to Wisconsin. Could she do this? It didn’t just mean moving across the country. It meant leaving Kevin behind, of course. Her boyfriend of 11 years. Who now felt more like a teenage son than a lover. She was dimly aware that her heart was pounding.
“Let me think about it, Melanie. The idea’s got me excited, I’ll admit. But it’s a lot to take in. I’ll get back to you soon, ok?”
“Take all the time you want, girl. That couch isn’t going anywhere.”
Neve went into the bathroom and filled up the tub in a daze. She poured her favorite aromatherapy oil into the steaming water, climbed in and pictured every step of the process – telling Kevin that she was going, packing her stuff up, saying goodbye to her friends, leaving the trailer, and driving all the way to Milwaukee. She imagined Kevin’s reaction when she told him. He would totally freak. His main source of income would be cut off. That was what it would come down to. He wouldn’t declare undying love, get down on one knee and propose to her. He’d mourn the loss of his human ATM, and that was all.
But what if I can’t find a job in Wisconsin? she thought, as she climbed out of the tub twenty minutes later and wrapped herself in a bathrobe. Then at least you’ll know you’ve tried your best to make it happen, she reasoned.
5
Braxton took a taxi past the city limits, beyond the spot where the cops always assembled, guns drawn, to ensure that the bears
were safely out of their town, and waited for his clan to come by in their tour bus.
Speaking to that human was the last thing he’d needed just then, he thought angrily, as he stood with his hands in his pockets, kicking at the dust. As if he didn’t have enough to deal with. His bear let off a disgruntled growl. And the worst part was that at least half the reason why he was so pissed was because he wanted her. His bear had been purring and pushing at his skin the whole time he’d been talking to her, urging him to flirt with her. As much as it frightened him to admit it, she was the sexiest female he’d ever seen. Everything about her made his bear purr with desire: her soft, full curves, her petiteness, her long, wild red hair, which looked so much better when it was liberated from hair ties, those huge, intelligent eyes. And her fierce spirit. He didn’t have to like what she was saying to appreciate the way she said it. To be as afraid of him as she evidently was, and to keep talking said a lot about her. He smirked as he recalled how she was the only human who hadn’t cowered on the floor when he and Xander had had their angry outburst in the meeting room the previous week. Take her. Claim her, his bear said, and desire ran in his veins. Against his will, he imagined her stripped bare, her pale, creamy flesh vulnerable to his touch. He felt himself getting hard, his cock straining against the zipper of his jeans. “Stop,” he muttered. She was a human, and he hated her as he hated all humans.
Just then, a large black bus with tinted windows hurtled past and he stuck out his thumb. 50 yards ahead of him, it screeched to a halt. He raced after it and the front door slid open.
“I should warn you that we’re a big, bad bunch of bears, sir, and we don’t normally take hitch hikers,” Ryker called from the driver’s seat with a grin.
“If y’all don’t give me a ride, I’ll report you to the police for being on the loose,” Braxton dead-panned, in his best redneck impression.
Shiftr_Swipe Left for Love_Ryzard Page 14
