Grizzly Promise: A Werebear Shifter Romance (Arcadian Bears Book 4)
Page 7
She was nervous. She could count on one hand the number of times she’d been alone with a man—human or shifter. It happened occasionally at school or an event, but it made her sweat. She was also smart enough to realize her reaction to all men was irrational. No way in hell was Wyatt a threat to her safety. Nevertheless, she wiped her hands on her jeans and swallowed her fear.
He shut the door, took her hand, and led her toward the front porch. There was nothing on it. Not even a rocking chair. “It doesn’t look like much from the front. But wait until you see the back.”
It looked like Heaven from the front, and she didn’t need to see the back. Or like the back. Or grow attached to the back. Or grow attached to the owner of the back. Or grow attached to the owner’s back, she amended in her mind as she stared at his ass. She tugged her hand free of his grip to sever at least that contact. If she could have found the words, she would have demanded he return her to Alton’s apartment. But instead, she found herself following him as if a magnet pulled her toward his porch.
He opened the front door and led her inside.
She followed, unable to stop herself, knowing it was a bad idea. Knowing what would happen when she stepped inside. And sure enough, his scent filled her lungs, intoxicating her even further than the ride in the truck.
The first thing that grabbed her attention was the floor-to-ceiling picture window straight across the great room. She headed in that direction, ignoring the rest of the house and gasping at the beauty that lay beyond it. She could see for miles in several directions. Mountains. Evergreens. Valleys. “Heaven,” she muttered.
“I thought you’d like it,” he stated from far closer to her than she realized. He stood inches behind her.
She could feel him as if he were touching her. And every breath filled her with his pheromones. He wanted her. He couldn’t mask it. Then again, she was aware she couldn’t mask her need to have him, either. She couldn’t shake it. It had its talons in her, gripping her so tight she felt as though she might suffocate. “We can’t do this, Wyatt,” she muttered.
He said nothing. The silence was deafening.
After several long minutes, she turned around to face him. “We can’t.”
He stared at her, his eyes deep brown and penetrating. He’d removed his jacket. “Do what? Talk? Get to know each other? Why not?” He didn’t blink.
She blew out a breath and stepped around him to put some distance between them. The rest of the room drew her attention. It was so warm and inviting. All browns and oranges and reds. The woodwork and cabinets in the adjoining kitchen were dark. The paint was a warm beige, and the tile separating the kitchen area from the living room was a deep tan. When she was across the room, leaning against the back of his brown suede sectional, she finally spoke again. “I have a boyfriend.”
“So?” He lifted his hands in the air, palms facing her as if he were totally innocent. “I haven’t suggested anything salacious here. I’m just showing you around town.”
She rolled her eyes. “This is not town. This is your home. I’m not in the habit of spending time alone with men in their homes.” She immediately realized how ridiculous that sounded.
He swallowed. Shocked? “Because of Gavin?”
She cocked a hip. “That’s a pretty legit reason.” He was too perceptive.
He shook his head, frowning. “I don’t think so.” At least he didn’t approach.
Yeah, way too perceptive. She sucked in a sharp breath. “Why would you say that?”
“Because it’s true. I don’t know what your deal is with him, but I’m not buying it.”
She hated that he could read her so well. “Are you always this blunt?”
“No.” He took one step forward. “We need to talk.”
“We are talking. We’re done talking. In fact, you’re making me uncomfortable.”
“That’s not my goal.” He stopped walking and ran a hand through his hair until it slid back across his forehead in disarray. Sexy disarray.
She had to glance away. “Well, it’s your result nevertheless.”
He sighed, stepping backward until he leaned his ass against the enormous window. She noticed for the first time there was an unfinished deck outside. It ran the length of the house, and it would be spectacular when it was done.
Wyatt cleared his throat. “Listen, you can ignore this thing for as long as you want. I won’t pressure you.”
A burst of nervous laughter left her mouth. “You won’t pressure me? What do you call blindsiding me this morning and carting me away in your truck and then bringing me to your home? If that isn’t pressure, I don’t know what is.”
He shook his head. “Nope. Pressure would be if I plastered you to the front door and kissed the life out of you until you saw reason. Pressure would be if I demanded you admit the deep scent of your arousal has filled my truck all morning and is now permeating my home.”
Her face heated to the point it burned. And the wetness in her jeans increased until she was sure he could see it through the denim. She shuddered involuntarily.
He lowered his voice. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. Like I said, I’m not going to pressure you. But I do want you to know how things stand, so there will be no misunderstanding. I seriously considered tiptoeing around you all summer, but then I changed my mind. I’d be lying to myself and you if I didn’t say something. I want you. You’re like a drug. Just being in the same room as you is a treat that will sustain me for a while. And you can say anything you want, but the truth is you can’t hide your reaction to me, either. So, I’ll let you do what you need to do, but you need to know that when you’re ready, I’ll be here.”
She shook her head, panicking. “It’s never going to happen, Wyatt. You need to let it go.”
“It’s never going to go away, Paige. You need to accept that.”
“I disagree.”
“What are you afraid of?”
She inhaled sharply. “What makes you think I’m afraid of anything? Maybe I’m just not interested in you. Maybe I’m committed to someone else.”
“Gavin.”
“Yes.”
“Why Gavin?”
“I’ve known him most of my life. We grew up together. We love each other. Why am I explaining myself to you?” Aggravation filled her, but mostly because she wasn’t able to hide anything from Wyatt. Damn grizzly pheromones.
Wyatt hesitated, his mouth partly open, seemingly deciding what to say next, or perhaps judging how wise his words might be. “You do realize he’s gay, right?”
She jerked her gaze to the floor. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
Wyatt sighed. “Oh my God. You know he’s gay. What the hell are you doing, Paige? Explain it to me.”
A tear fell from her eye before she could stop it. And then another. For no good reason. Emotions flooded her. She’d never been called out on this before. Never. Not once in all her years had anyone ever accused Gavin of being gay, at least not to her face. How dare he?
More uncomfortable silence and then, “Is he using you? To hide?”
She bit her lip, hoping he didn’t notice the tears. Her hair fell forward enough to cover her face.
“Paige, talk to me. Why are you staying with him? Make me understand. If he’s using you…”
She jerked her gaze up, no longer caring about what he saw on her face, but needing him to stop prying. “Maybe I’m using him, smarty pants. You think you know everything?”
Wyatt winced. “What for, Paige?”
“None of your damn business, Wyatt.”
“See, that’s where you’re mistaken. Because everything that has to do with you is my business. I can’t stop it any more than you can. Whatever it is, I need you to tell me. Lean on me now. Not Gavin.”
A maniacal laugh escaped her mouth, and she wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. “Don’t be so cocky. You may be older, but you don’t know everything. Some things can’t be fixed. And I’ve made my choice. Gavin is a k
ind, decent man who adores me. Your efforts to convince me otherwise are futile and annoying.” She shrugged her backpack off her shoulder and unzipped it with trembling fingers to extract her cell. Two seconds later she typed a text.
Please come get me. I’m at Wyatt’s. His address is in the address book Joselyn made for me. I think it’s on the table.
Be there in ten, Gavin sent back.
She tossed the phone back in her pack.
“I would have taken you home.”
“You would have filled the truck with your pheromones.” She gasped as soon as those words left her lips. Damn.
She didn’t look at him, but she knew instinctively he was smiling. He shoved off the window and headed for the kitchen area. “Why don’t you take off your jacket? Sit. You want a beer?”
“No.” She didn’t move from the door.
“Paige, I’m not going to bite you. Sit.” He turned and nodded toward the couch.
She winced. Him biting her was exactly the problem.
He grabbed a beer from the fridge and opened the bottle, and then he rolled his eyes as if just realizing the poor word choice. “Okay, that wasn’t my best line. But I won’t bite you today and certainly not without your permission. So, sit.”
She wanted to be defiant. She wanted to open the front door and wait outside. But she found herself padding toward the couch instead. Fine. She would sit. But she wasn’t going to remove her coat.
The sectional was enormous, and Wyatt sat on the opposite end, facing her. He took another drink of his beer and then tipped it to the side and stared at the label. “It’s a pretty good IPA if you like that kind of beer. I have others if you prefer something less hoppy.”
“I don’t like beer at all.”
He smiled. “Now that’s a problem.”
“I don’t see why.”
“It’s in my blood.” His grin widened. “But you’re young. It’s an acquired taste. How many times have you tried it?” He sounded like Gavin.
“Never.”
He chuckled again. Damn, his laugh was infectious. It calmed her even though she wished it wouldn’t. Every time he made that sound, it reached into her and tugged at her heart. “Then how do you know you don’t like it?”
“The smell.”
“Ah. Well, when you’re ready, I’ll educate you. You’ll come around. You can start with one of our new citrus brews. Glacial Lemon or Glacial Orange. You can’t go wrong with those.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
He sighed, his shoulders falling. “I won’t give up, you know.”
She knew he wasn’t talking about beer. “I wish you would.”
“It doesn’t work that way.”
“Of course it does. When someone turns you down, you walk away. When they turn you down again, you grab your tail and stick it between your legs. If you keep this up, you’re going to start looking foolish.”
“Eventually, I’ll wear you down.”
“Nope.”
He leaned back in his seat and ran his free hand through his hair, the thick locks falling back across his forehead and making her wonder what it would feel like between her fingers. “Where did you meet Gavin?”
“Small talk?”
“Yes.”
She sighed this time. “We grew up on the same street.”
“And you went to school together all the way until now?”
“Yes.”
“And your parents? What do they think?”
“They love Gavin.”
“I didn’t ask if they liked him. I’m sure he’s a great guy and all. But what do they think about you hiding behind a fake relationship with a man who can never be yours in so many senses?”
“My parents are progressive, Wyatt. They let me make my choices. And I wish you’d stop being so condescending about Gavin.”
“I’m not being condescending. I’m merely pointing out the facts. He’s not a shifter, so you can’t bind to him. You can’t have kids with him. Hell, you can’t even have sex with him because he’s not straight.” His voice rose a bit again, the frustration evident. “Dammit, Paige, make me understand.”
Something behind him caught her eye, and she jerked her gaze to the window. “There’s a man on your porch.” And not just any man. A large man. A shifter. First Nations if she wasn’t mistaken. His long black hair was pulled haphazardly into a ponytail at the base of his neck, tendrils hanging loose around his face and shoulders.
Wyatt twisted his head to glance outside. “That’s Dale Gerben. He’s a close friend. He’s building my deck. He was on lunch break when we got here, I guess.”
“I see.”
“You want to meet him? I’m sure you’ll meet his family eventually while you’re here.”
“No. That’s okay.” She didn’t want to meet Wyatt’s friends. She didn’t want to do anything that would add to their already infuriating connection. She wanted to run from the house and get as far away from Wyatt as possible, never to return. She was considering forfeiting her education to get out of this town and this internship. Maybe if she called and pleaded with her professor…
“We could go for a run if you want.” Was he a mind reader?
She furrowed her brow.
“How often do you shift?”
“Rarely. Can’t do it in the city. Banff National Park is about the closest place we can go.”
“Well, lucky for you, we’re in Banff National Park, and you can indeed shift here anytime you want. I usually walk straight into the trees behind my house, shift, and run. It’s such an amazing place to live.”
“I’ll be sure to include that in my research notes.”
He laughed again.
She really needed to stop making him do that.
“Maybe there’s something to that idea.”
“Something to what?”
“The shifter population of Silvertip being in good shape because we can run freely in the mountains for exercise. Perhaps the better study would be to compare grizzlies living in Silvertip to grizzlies living in Calgary.”
“Perhaps, but I don’t think my professors had that in mind.”
“I’m sure they didn’t. I assume they’re all human?”
“Yes.” Damn, his smile. She had to glance away again.
“I make you uncomfortable.”
“Yes.”
“It’s natural, you know. Did you ever date a shifter? I mean, before Gavin the Human? Or have you been with him since like ninth grade?”
If he only knew how accurate he was. “No. Never dated a shifter or a human, and again, I’d appreciate if you didn’t demean him. His name isn’t Gavin the Human.”
“Again, I have nothing against Gavin except he isn’t right for you.”
She wondered if he was homophobic, but she didn’t want to point out the possibility since she hadn’t admitted to him verbally that Gavin was gay.
The sound of tires on gravel made her jump to her feet.
Wyatt stood also. “Jesus, Paige. Relax. You act like I’m going to attack your friend. Good grief. I’m just going to invite him in like a nice guy.”
“No way in hell.” She started to round the edge of the couch, a bit too warm because she still wore her jacket.
Wyatt was at her side in a heartbeat, his hand on her arm.
She yelped a bit louder than necessary and jerked her arm free, stumbling backward until her ass landed in the spot she’d vacated.
Wyatt’s eyes went wide. “Paige?”
She shoved farther across the couch, needing more space and feeling foolish. If he hadn’t gotten under her skin, she wouldn’t be freaking out so badly. There was no way to hide her anxiety.
His brow furrowed. “Be right back.” He left her there, darted across the room, and opened the door before Gavin knocked.
“Hey, Gavin. Come in.”
“Hey?” Gavin’s voice sounded weird. And it should. After all, he would have recognized the distress signal from Paige.
Wyatt wandered back across to the kitchen area. “You want a beer, Gavin?”
“No, thank you.” He shot a wide-eyed look at Paige as if to say, What the fuck?
“Have a seat,” Wyatt continued, angling back toward the spot he’d vacated.
Gavin’s attention aimed for the picture window, and he headed in that direction instead of sitting next to her. Not surprising. Every first-time guest probably did the same. It was mesmerizing out there. “This view…”
“Yeah. I get that a lot,” Wyatt said, winking at Paige. Why did he have to be so damn endearing? He was killing her.
“You’re building a deck,” Gavin continued.
“Yep.”
“Your place is fantastic.”
“Thank you.” Wyatt never took his gaze off Paige, making her squirm. “I like it.” His gaze burned into her. His words might have been directed at Gavin, but his eyes were pinned to her.
She licked her lips. Again. Unable to release the hold he had on her. He was consuming her. This was not going well. She needed to get out of his house. Now.
“Mind if I step outside?” Gavin asked.
What? What the hell? Gavin no. No no no no no. We need to get out of here. Why couldn’t he sense her vibe? How unlucky that her best friend in the world was human and had no telepathic ability to read her.
Gavin didn’t even turn around before Wyatt said, “Go right ahead. Wander around if you want. I know it’s enticing.”
Paige’s eyes widened. She leaned forward, but she couldn’t get any words to form before Gavin opened the glass door and stepped outside. She jerked her attention back to Wyatt, who still stared at her. “What are you doing?”
He raised his eyebrows. “What did I do?”
“You’re encouraging him. He has no idea.”
Wyatt shrugged. “I can’t help he doesn’t have shifter senses. He’s human. The view is awesome. He wants to check it out. You wanted me to be rude to your boyfriend and say no?”
She pursed her lips. “Are you this annoying all the time? Or is it just me?”