That image sharing wasn’t new to him. Just like with all Were-couples. He and his deceased wife had the mental link as well. He expected to have it again when he took another mate.
But it should not be happening with Riley. More importantly, he shouldn’t have bitten her. Strangely enough, she hadn’t caught Were-fever. Maybe enough of his essence hadn’t entered her system. Whatever the reason he needed to restrain himself around her and keep his distance, just in case, because a second bite regardless would cause her to begin to take on Were traits. The third and final bite, his saliva entering her blood stream, would complete it. Riley’s presence was temporary.
Putting on his pants and shirt he hid in the shadow of the back porch then went inside. Quickly moving past the guest room door, ignoring the tug of his bear, he went up the stairs and to the shower. He didn’t stop moving until icy cold water ran down his body.
Calm and under control. That was what he reminded himself. He just had to make it until she left. Then Friday night he would participate in the hunt like every other available bear male, seeking a Were-female to celebrate in the First Frost Moon with him. They would exert themselves sexually and physically, possibly have a mate connection and then he’d take another wife.
And Riley would be long gone, away from his body and out of his mind.
Exiting the bathroom, he was struck by her heady, spicy scent. He could almost feel his eyes shifting to gold as his vision began to narrow. Before he lost his mind completely to his bear’s lust, he went back into the bathroom to the icy water.
Three showers later and four releases, he was finally able to go to bed and allow sleep to claim him.
~YH~
“Nineteen to eighteen. Come on, Bernie, you can do it!” Riley chanted, two days later, with the other members of the kickball team playing on Theo’s side. The other team, also filled with men, women and children, was led by a man name Gordon. A guy Riley had learned was just as competitive as Theo. At one point in the game the man and Theo had been toe to toe over a call by the referee. The tensions were high in the community kickball game.
Now the bases were loaded and Riley was on third base hoping to make it home for the winning point. The rest of their basemen would just be icing if they made it in. Keeping the toe of one shoe on the base, she eyed Bernie at home plate ready to kick the ball. Being just a tiny guy, she knew his kick would not go far, so it would take all of her running skills to make it in.
The pitch went out, slowly. It seemed as if Riley and everyone else watched the ball roll an inch at a time. Finally, it arrived and Bernie’s small foot came out, connecting with the ball. He expertly sent a grounder spinning between the pitcher, Shayna Grizwald, and first base. Mostly likely, the little guy wouldn’t make it to first base without getting out, but Riley on the other hand had a chance to get to home plate if they went after Bernie first. Riley took off.
The cheers began from Theo’s team, her team, first for Bernie to run. Then it shifted with roars of excitement and encouragement with her name. Home plate was getting closer, and she could feel her own thrill knowing she would soon cross it, giving their team the winning point.
Halfway to home plate, she suddenly began to hear pounding feet among the chants and a movement at the corner of her eye caught her attention. Turning her head, she saw the youngest Grizwald daughter barreling toward her. Her heart, which was already pumping hard, gave a jolt and she almost paused at the determined look on the other woman’s face. Somehow, Shayna, who must have scooped up the grounder, had opted not to go after four-year-old Bernie. Instead, the pitcher had decided she wanted to stop the last point for Theo’s team—Riley.
Just as resolute to get to home plate as the other woman was in getting her, Riley pressed hard against the dirt ground of the cleared field and pumped her legs and arms with all her might. Theo was standing behind the referee waving his arms fiercely toward the base, as if he could help pull her along. Riley felt the adrenaline surging through her veins.
Shayna had the red ball stretched out aimed at her. Riley was sure that at the speed both of them were running, Shayna would tag her at the same time she touched the plate making the referee have to make the call.
Three steps from the plate, Riley made a split decision. Something she hadn’t done since her years of softball in high school. Something she possibly should have reconsidered, but it was too late. Seeing Shayna was aiming high, Riley dropped her body low and kicked her feet out, using her forward momentum to propel her sliding body to home.
Shocked, the pitcher tumbled over Riley, missing her as Riley skidded into home plate.
Three things happened; her team began cheering ‘we won’, Gordon’s team kicked up dust in disappointment and Riley’s thigh started burning.
Before she could investigate, Theo scooped her up off the ground.
“Riley, you did it! That was beautiful.”
Being in his embrace felt wonderful. The feel of his strong arms and the smell of his woodsy musk were almost enough to stop her mind from thinking about the stinging in her leg.
Unable to hold back her wince of pain as everyone on her team crashed her against Theo in an exuberant hug.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Theo pushed her away and looked into her face.
“Nothing serious. I think I’ve given myself a nice case of road rash.” Glancing down, she saw her jeans had a small tear in them and a whole lot of dirt.
“Are you alright?” Concern marred his features, making his eyes seem more dark and intense.
The look was causing her heart rate to pick up again. This time from the thrill of having that heated gaze on her more than the excitement of the game.
Stepping back, she took a deep breath. “I’m fine. It’s not my first home plate badge. I just need to rinse it out.”
“Let me take you to the first aid tent.” Theo reached out to take hold of her arm.
She moved away from the jubilant circle and out of his reach.
His scowl deepened when he saw how she avoided his touch.
She didn’t care. She needed to keep her distance from him. Theo was a handsome and captivating man. Just being close to him was causing lustful things to happen to her body, having him touch her was driving her nuts. No matter that they were in the midst of so many other townspeople, players and observers.
“Just point me in the direction. You stay and celebrate.” Riley waited.
Theo’s face showed his indecision, his eyebrows pulled to the center and he stared at her.
She wasn’t going to think that he was feeling the same pull and attraction toward her that she was experiencing. Not wanting to be away from him, but she had to maintain their distance. Hopefully in a day or two she would be gone. No need to encourage what couldn’t be.
Finally, he said, “Head back around the bleachers toward town. You will see a white tent. That’s it.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
He started to say something else, but Riley wasted no time in turning in the direction he had indicated. Moving quickly around the metal bleachers and weaving her way past townsfolk starting up the next events—bobbing for apples, cake walk, trampoline jump for kids, and other small town activities—Riley kept to herself.
Soon she found the white tent in a line with other tents she recalled passing on their way to the field. People were selling various craft items from knitted afghans to canned preserves. One lady was selling honey spiced peach pie that practically halted Riley in her tracks.
“You want to try some?” The older black lady smiled at Riley, holding up a taster plate.
The smell of honey was so strong Riley could swear the air around her became sticky. Her mouth began to salivate and her stomach started to ache, taking over the throbbing of her thigh. It took all of her strength to shake her head. “If I start eating some, I don’t think I’d be able to stop. But, I will come back by, I promise.”
“No worries, dear, all of us have the same problem. We just c
an’t resist the honey.”
What was it with honey and this town?
Nodding, Riley stepped toward the white tent quickly. A woman was sitting inside reading a book; she looked up when Riley entered.
“Yes, my first patient.” The woman with pale skin and short black hair smiled as she stood. “Probably my only.”
Returning the woman’s smile, Riley moved closer. “I hope that is because no one else is as crazy as I am to go sliding around the ground.”
“Take a seat on the table and let me have a look.” The woman patted the pop-up padded table.
Getting up, Riley was not looking forward to all of the bruising that came after a slide. She could already feel the blood that had oozed out was drying and sticking to her pants. The cut wasn’t going to be pretty. But she could not push aside the pride of scoring the winning point for Theo’s team. It didn’t take a genius to realize there was no love lost between Theo and Gordon. They were rivals.
Leaning over her leg, the woman stared down at the rip in the jeans. “Let me clean it up…it doesn’t look so bad.”
Not look so bad? Riley wondered at the woman’s expertise. True the injury wasn’t throbbing as bad as it had been a few moments ago on the field. But, the rocks and gravel had torn through her jeans, so it had to be a pretty severe cut. Hell, the thigh of her jean had a large amount of red that stained it.
“You a doctor or a nurse?” Riley wanted to verify the woman’s credentials. After three seasons of softball in high school, Riley knew what injuries felt like; from small sprains to deep cuts. This one was deep.
The woman dug inside of a case that didn’t look to Riley as if it held more than different size band-aids, swabs of cotton and a large bottle of antiseptic.
“I’m not in the medical field at all.” The woman turned back to her holding peroxide and a square cotton pad.
“Not medical?” Riley held up her hand. “Did I come to the wrong tent?”
Laughing, the woman said, “No. You are in the right place. We do have a doctor in town, but Doc Paddington sticks to birth and other serious emergencies. I’m Kaley Yogi one of three teachers in Den County.”
“A teacher?” Riley fell silent. What kind of pop-up clinic was this?
“Yep. Since I handle the elementary age kids, I come in contact with a lot of minor bruises and scrapes, so I usually get designated to handle the first aid tent for the festival in the fall and the birthing celebration mid-Spring. Not a lot of people stay wounded long.”
That was a strange way to put it.
“This may sting a second.” Kaley came to Riley and poured the antiseptic on and around the injury site then used the pad to dab it and added cream from a tube. “It will not only clean your scratch but keep the blood from staining your jeans too.”
“Scratch?” Riley glanced at the tear, ready to contradict the woman again when she noticed that there was a cut, but just like the woman said it was just a superficial scratch. Perplexed, Riley tried to figure out how such a small wound could have bled so much. “I don’t understand.”
“Everyone around here heals fast,” Kaley said returning to her case. “You want a Band-Aid?”
Shaking her head, Riley couldn’t take her eyes off of the cut.
“You must be new to town?”
“Not new. Just passing through.”
Now Kaley was frowning. “Passing through. Hm. Didn’t scent that.”
Scent? “You mean through the rumor mill. I’m sure in a small town like Den everyone is talking about the visitor.” Hopping down, Riley held out her hand. In the last twenty-four hours, she’d learned quickly not to extend her hand to the men in town, they had a sniffing problem. “I’m Riley Gold.”
“Nice to meet you.” Kaley shook her hand.
“I understand what you mean by you handle a lot of scrapes.”
“You teach?” Kaley’s eyes became bright with excitement.
“Pre-K. Mostly in daycares have been my experience.”
“Excellent. We don’t have many in Den, but then we don’t have a large flood of kids either. Pre-K. Too bad you’re just visiting.”
“Yeah,” Riley agreed. For the first time since wrecking her car and being stuck in the county, she didn’t feel like a fish out of water. Talking about school and kids was her passion.
“Riley!”
She and Kaley were standing outside of the tent still talking when Riley heard someone call her name. Turning toward the street that lead back to town, Riley’s heart leaped into her throat. Fred, her ex, was barreling down the lane toward her.
Shit, how did he find me?
“Riley…I need to talk to you.”
Seeing him moving toward her, anger evident in the piercing stare he gave her, made her take a slight step back. He had never been violent toward her in the past, but she wasn’t so sure at the moment. If it would have been colder, it was possible she would have seen steam coming from his head.
“Don’t run away from me.”
Planting her feet firmly on the ground, she stared him down. “What are you doing here, Fred?”
“You know how much time and effort it took me to find you? I had to walk two miles into this damn rinky-dink town to get in, because of some damn cinderblocks.”
“Can’t you get the message? It is over between us.”
Grabbing her arm, he pulled her to the side away from all the people starting to gather from tents and around the fairgrounds.
She stepped away with him, but wasted little time in yanking her arm out of his grasp. “Don’t manhandle me.”
“Look, Riley, this silliness has gone far enough. Your supervisor told me you quit your job.”
“You had no business going to my job.” She spoke through gritted teeth; furious that Fred would show up at her job browbeating people to find out where she was.
“I wouldn’t have to do it if you just would have stayed put…better yet, answer your damn phone when I call.” He ran his hand over his head. His blond hair was all over his head, appearing as if he’d dragged his fingers through it one too many times. He looked ragged in the wrinkled clothes he wore, as well as the dark circles under his unhealthy pale complexion.
“I didn’t want to talk to you. It was over…we were over.” She slashed her hand through the air between them. “How did you find me?” Various ideas raced through her mind.
“Your cell phone.”
“It doesn’t work.” She folded her arms over her chest.
“The locator does,” he declared.
“Locat…” her words drifted away. Shit. She had totally forgotten they were on a family cell plan. She’d been so intent on not answering his phone calls, she forgot some time back she had added him to her service. Not to mention she’d been carrying the damn thing around in her pocket like it was the Holy Grail since she arrived. “You put a locator on me? When?”
He shrugged. “You were asleep one night so I went into your phone and turned it on. I have to protect my asset.”
“I’m not your damn asset.”She wanted to kick him or punch him she was so pissed. The bastard had violated her finances and her privacy. “You are a bastard, Fred. A real bastard. I wish I’d never met you.”
“We were good together, Ri—”
Seeing him reach out to her, she raised her hands and stepped back. “Maybe in the beginning but not for a long time. Ask my bank account that.”
She just needed to get away from him. She turned but found her arm caught again. Shifting she faced Fred again about to give him a piece of her mind when a shadow fell over them.
In an instant, Fred’s hold slackened as he found himself grabbed by the throat.
Chapter Eight
“Don’t fuckin’ touch her,” Theo growled, holding Fred tight with their faces less than two inches apart.
“Who, ah…who...what the…”Fred’s blue eyes stretched wide as he babbled and stared at the massive male who made him look like a ragdoll.
Rile
y would have laughed at the view if the situation wasn’t so serious. She’d never seen Theo angry before this moment and he looked like he could easily snap Fred’s body in half. Fred was an asshole, but she didn’t want to see him dead. “Theo, he’s not worth it. Just let him go.”
“You heard her. You heard her,” Fred croaked as his hands grappled Theo’s thick wrist, attempting to loosen himself. “I’ll stay away from her…just let me go.”
All was silent as Theo held Fred a moment longer before releasing him. Fred crumbled to the ground, coughing and choking in air as he rubbed his throat. “What are you, some kind of steroid addict?”
“Just go away, Fred. Please.” Riley sighed.
“You’re not welcome in Den County. Get the hell out,” Theo told him.
“Fine. Fine. I’ll go.” Fred scrambled to his feet. “You can have Riley’s ass. I just want my stuff.”
“You’re a liar. I don’t have anything of yours, Fred.” Riley stared at her ex trying to determine what angle he was playing.
“Do you have something that belongs to this asshole?” Theo gazed down at her.
“No. It has been over for a long time. I only took the things that were mine when I left. Hell, I left him all the furniture that I paid for.”
Fred took a step toward him, but then he heard the deep rumble come from Theo’s chest and stepped back. Swallowing, Fred said, “I need that sculpture.”
Confused, she tilted her head and assessed him. Fred wasn’t the type of guy to collect artwork. All the paintings and decorations in their place she had bought and left with him. “What sculpture?”
“That ugly animal with all the paint splatters.”
Ugly animal? How did I ever date such an idiot? She shook her head. Her class had seen the small wooden coin with a bear face carved, and thought she collected bears or liked them. Because the kids didn’t know the story surrounding it, only that it was a gift from her childhood. “First of all it is a bear and not ugly. The paint is not splatters, my class painted if for me—eleven three year olds.”
Bear's Gold (Erotic Shifter Fairy Tales) Page 8
