Beth came to a stop behind me, coasting away from me with her hands on the top of her head. She had even cheated and could not beat me. She apparently misjudged me and thought I was way too nice to do the same thing. Well, I guess I showed her.
“That was awesome!” Derek said arriving on the scene. He gave me a big hug and did his weird little victory dance.
“Congratulations!” Bill said shaking my hand.
“Thanks,” I replied. “I didn’t know I still had any of that in me.”
“Oh, it’s like falling off a log,” Bill replied. “You did great.”
I was not sure if either he or Derek could tell that both Beth and I had used bear strength, but I wasn’t sure if they would have said anything if they had noticed.
I did not expect Beth to say anything to me, but she didn’t even shake my hand on a good race. That was pretty pathetic, but it was showing Tony more of what her true colors were like. So, it actually felt like a double victory for me.
"Great run," Tony said. He was standing right behind me somehow and my heart almost leaped into my throat.
When it came to him I was always a little on edge. He had the uncanny ability to make me feel like a fourteen-year-old schoolgirl again with a crush on the Homecoming King.
“Thanks,” I said. I wished I could have thought of something cool or clever to reply with to downplay what actually was a pretty awesome display of skiing but I had nothing. Thanks was all I could come up with. The attorney who used her verbal skills every day for five years to argue cases for large sums of money was tongue tied. What was this man doing to me?
“Now, it’s our turn!” Derek said. He assumed his ‘let’s get it on’ fake posture.
Tony laughed. “Ok, you are on,” he said.
“Wait, you guys are going to have a race now? Oh, I have got to see this,” I said.
“Well, don’t blink because it will be over already,” Derek joked.
“Over, because you’ll be on your face already,” Tony added.
I decided to stay at the finish line so I could take in the race properly. I had to see the end. I would never tell Derek this, but I was totally rooting for Tony. Although just watching him ski was going to be a victory for me.
Beth also decided to stay by the finish line, but she was keeping her distance from me. I wasn’t sure if she was afraid that I would out her in front of everyone for cheating and using her powers, or if she was just so mad that she lost that she couldn’t bear to be anywhere near me. I hoped it was a bit of both. Making her paranoid and angry was starting to get really fun.
Ten minutes later and Bill was yelling “Go!”
I could not believe how fast they both flew down the slope. The start of it all was exhilarating, to say the least. Tony was off to a commanding lead right at the start, but Derek was not to be done in so soon. The man was just as strong-willed and competitive as his siblings were.
He was catching up to Tony quickly, but I had faith that Tony was pacing himself. I could see the way that he moved how powerful and athletic he was. His moves were so fluid and shapely as if he was just twitching with the idea of moving one direction or the other and then his body just responded because it knew exactly what he wanted out of it and it performed perfectly for him.
I envied that ability and that prowess. I imagined that Tony had been an athlete at the collegiate level. I did not know this, but I could just tell by his build, his movements, and now seeing him competing in a physical endeavor it was apparent.
I made a mental note to later ask him what sport or sports he had played. Yea, I didn’t see him as committing to just one type of sport. His commanding, alpha nature combined with his strong body and his agility said that he might have done football, wrestling, maybe even baseball or basketball.
As these thoughts rolled through my brain and my eyes remained fixed, almost trance-like on Tony and Derek’s race I realized that I was becoming a bit obsessive and sounding like a gushing teenager. I knew that it was wrong; he was involved with another woman and as far as I could tell, he was happy with his relationship. I needed to just leave this one alone and turn my feelings off about it. The whole thing was silly.
But it wasn't so easy. Usually, it was. Usually, if I made up my mind to forget about something or to forget about a man who did not seem to be what I was looking for then I had no problem shutting the door on the topic. But Tony was different. His essence had burrowed its way inside of me, entrancing my mind, my body, and I couldn't stop thinking about him. What would it feel like to have his strong arms wrapped around my naked, quivering flesh… pulling me close, kissing me, caressing me, and penetrating me…?
Derek was closing in on Tony, but I still did not think he was going to be able to overcome him. Or maybe I just didn’t want him to. If Derek won the race would that have changed my feelings about Tony? Would it make him less perfect somehow?
No. I didn’t think so. Well… maybe…Ugh! What was I doing? It was silly to be so infatuated with a man that I could not have.
But maybe I could have him. There had been obvious moments where the spark, the chemistry between us had been real. The others had almost seen it. The thing at lunch... then Tony leering at me at the start of the race… those things had been real. I did not imagine them. I was not the type of woman who supposed things that were not real, even though I wanted them to be.
I tried to shift the thoughts out of my mind and just enjoy the crisp, cold air and the fun race unfolding in front of me.
The guys were getting close to the final stretch. They would be crossing the finish line soon. Tony was still in front of Derek, but not by much. Was Tony tired or was he holding back?
I couldn’t tell. Maybe he didn’t care to humiliate Derek so he was making it look close just for his benefit? Or he might have been continuing to pace himself because when you got right down to it—winning was winning.
Suddenly Derek jerked out of control. His ankle looked like it twisted about one hundred and eighty degrees the wrong way and his body veered off course. His arms flailed wildly as he tried to regain his balance.
I don’t know if he might have hit a jagged boulder sticking out from under the snow that was missed, or if he was just trying to go too fast for his abilities, but he was not getting himself back under control. And Tony was not aware anything was wrong.
He didn’t see Derek’s body suddenly fling towards him. I saw what was going to happen in my mind a split second before it did.
Derek collided into Tony with a sickening smack. Tony’s body flipped off the slope as he went head first down the side, tumbling and falling hard. I could hear his body hitting the ground with sickening echoes. This might have been very bad.
“Oh, my God!” I heard Beth exclaim as she started running towards them. I was right behind her.
A minute later we reached Derek and Tony. They were both lying on the ground in pain. My heart was thudding in my temple resounding loudly down towards my ears. I tried to shut it off to no avail.
“Are you ok?” I asked. It sounded like a stupid question, but they were both already starting to get up.
Derek took off his skis and stretched his legs and his back out. Tony removed his skis and began to check his shoulder mobility. I was not sure how Tony was not hurt worse than he was. Derek, I understood being a shifter and all that he would heal in just a few minutes. But most normal people would have at least had the wind knocked out of them and maybe suffered a broken bone after a fall like the one they just took.
Tony seemed fine. Except he was really pissed.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” He said stepping towards Derek.
“What? What the hell are you talking about?”
“Don’t give me that crap. You lunged into me on purpose.”
“You’re off your meds if you think I did this deliberately. I lost my footing and overcorrected. It was an accident.”
Tony shook his head. “No, I don’t buy it. I think you did it because yo
u are a sore damned loser.”
“I don’t need to pull stupid crap like that to win a ski race. You are just a loser period,” Derek grunted.
“What did you call me? You are about to get beat!” Tony said pushing Derek to the ground, catching him totally off guard.
Derek was on his feet in an instant. I could hear the growl erupting in his throat and I saw this whole thing getting really out of hand here in broad daylight on a ski resort with people fairly close by who might have been interested in the fact that two guys just totally wiped out on the slope.
I saw the flash of Derek’s claws ripping through his gloves as he reared back to take a swipe at Tony. He couldn’t!
But he did. His huge claw came ripping right at Tony's head. I leaped forward but I was too late to stop it. I couldn't believe that Derek was about to kill Tony. This was it. He'd lost his mind.
Suddenly, Tony was blocking the blow with lightning fast reflexes and strength that no human should have been able to possess.
Tony stepped forward and punched Derek hard in the stomach sinking him to his knees. Derek slumped to the ground, an odd whimpering sound escaping his throat.
Bill was suddenly standing in front of Tony. “That’s enough!”
That was when I saw Tony’s face. His eyes were red, his teeth were long and sharp, and his own claws were rupturing through his gloves.
I didn’t believe what I was seeing and I could not understand why I had never pieced this together before. But suddenly a few things made a lot more sense to me.
Tony was a bear shifter too.
Chapter Six
“You still up?”
I looked up from the book I was reading to see Tony standing in the doorway. I was sitting in a very comfortable chair in the middle of a bedroom, turned library.
This cabin had a lot of the classic books on hand. I was impressed. I used to read all the time to relax and to escape the world that I was living in. No matter how tough things seemed, I could always open up a book and just escape for a while. It always helped me.
“Yea, I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to check this place out,” I said.
Tony walked into the room and began perusing the shelves of books. I tried not to check out his strong, muscular body standing in front of me wearing just a tank top and a pair of exercise shorts. I wonder if he slept in that or he was wearing it for our benefit. I figured he was the kind of guy who would sleep naked, or maybe that was just my crazy mind going to work on things.
“Oh, they got all the good stuff,” Tony said.
“You got any favorites?” I asked grabbing my glass of wine from the coffee table.
“Oh, I love Dickens and Poe. Those are the two classic guys that have always had the biggest influence on me. There was just something about the way they put things into words. They could paint a masterpiece of color and theme with perfect word placement.”
I smiled. I had never heard it put so eloquently.
“I agree,” I said.
Tony grabbed a book off the shelf and sat down on the other end.
“Hope you don’t mind if I join you,” he said.
“Not at all,” I replied. “If you don’t think Beth will mind,” I added with a smile.
Tony laughed. “Oh, I think she would not approve. But that’s her problem.”
“So how did you two meet?” I asked.
"It's kind of a funny story. I was having a few beers at Jack's, my favorite local hangout. A few of my friends that I've known since college were indulging in a few beers and some pool. Suddenly Beth comes from out of nowhere and asks me if I think I could beat her. I was intrigued, to say the least, and I just had to go ahead and give it a shot."
“And I take it you won?” I asked.
“Yea, I won four racks out of six,” Tony said. “And on the last rack we made a wager.”
“What were the stakes?”
"Well, if I won then she had to go out with me and if she won then I had to sing 'Don't Stop Believin'" in the bar. It was karaoke night after all. Hell, she could have just waited until I had too many beers and I would have sung karaoke if someone just dared me to do it," Tony said.
“That sounds like quite an evening,” I said.
“So, how long have you been one?” Tony asked.
“How long have I been what?” I teased.
“How long have you been a pain in the ass?” Tony joked. “How long have you been a shifter?”
“Well, I‘ve been a pain in the ass since birth, but I’ve been a shifter about a year.”
“Wow, that’s rough. I knew you were made because I could smell it on you. But I did not smell it the last time we met after you whipped my butt in court. You were human then; what happened?”
I took a deep breath and told Tony the whole terrifying story.
"Wow, I guess I can't totally hate Derek anymore. He saved your life. That gives a fellow several high marks in my book. Although, I’m pretty sure he just tried to end my life so maybe it balances out.”
I laughed. “I don’t think he meant to do that on purpose. I think he was trying to impress me.”
“Oh, well I can understand that. Are you two having a little thing going on?” Tony asked coyly.
“No, we are just friends, but I’ve known for a long time that Derek would like it to be more. But it is just what it is.”
“Wow, the poor dude is in the perpetual friend zone. That is cold.”
“It’s not my fault. I just don’t feel that way about him,” I said.
“Well, I can’t say I’m terribly upset about that,” Tony said a sly smile creeping across his face.
I felt the blush coming on. I had caught him red-handed now. "Hey, you can't keep doing that," I said.
“Doing what?” Tony said playing innocent.
“Flirting. I have excellent flirt radar. You can’t fool me,” I said.
“Well, with you I can’t help myself.”
“What about Beth?” I asked.
Tony took a deep breath and looked at me. The expression on his face was serious.
“I don’t think it’s working out,” he said. “You’ve met Beth. Well, I’ve spent considerable time with her and her controlling, weird, bitchy nature is really starting to drive me up a wall.”
I could not help the smile that spread across my face right then. “You’ve noticed that?” I asked.
“Well, not at first. I mean she hides it well, I guess. I’m not even sure why I came up here,” Tony asked.
“That is a good question. How long have you been feeling this way about Beth?”
"We've only been dating a few months, but I'd say about the past two weeks is when I've really noticed that she isn't at all who she pretends to be with me. But I coasted with it for a while. Things have been rough for her at work and I just thought that she was dealing with some of that stuff. I mean, we've all been there, but it's becoming a more persistent problem. She is starting to constantly ask me where I am and what I'm doing and accusing me of lying about random things. I shouldn't have come up here, but I guess I was just hoping that the fresh air and getting away from everything might help to get Beth back to being the girl I first met."
“That is understandable,” I said. “We’ve all made mistakes getting into relationships only to regret them later, but I like to think that all relationships are learning experiences and so I tend to value them, even the bad ones.”
Tony looked at me as if he was digesting what I said. “You have a good point. But the thing is, I don’t want to hurt Beth and I definitely am not going to break up with her while we are here on Christmas vacation.”
“I’m glad to see you realize that might be in poor taste,” I laughed.
“So, you see my flirting is not in total bad form,” Tony said.
I could feel my eyes bugging out. "Are you serious? It is in totally bad taste," I said. "You should be ashamed of yourself," I said adding a bit of flirt to it.
“Oh, I am. I�
�m totally in the wrong here,” Tony added. “I guess I just can’t help myself.”
I tried to keep my smile from growing any wider and pretended to go back to my book. I desperately wanted to reach over and just kiss Tony right then. When he flirted with me I could not help but feel tingly all over. It was maddening knowing that I wanted a man that I could not have… yet.
“So, what is the plan?” I asked.
“I figure I’ll just play things by ear for now,”
Tony said. He had sat the book down and draped his arm over the back of the couch. I felt it close to me. I could almost feel the warmth, the heat rising off his arm and caressing my shoulders. But he wasn’t even touching me.
I tried again in vain to concentrate on my book, but it was just not happening. I wanted to read and ignore Tony for a bit. I was feeling like this had started to get a bit out of hand. We could not be seen flirting and hanging out like this.
Even if someone saw Tony’s position on the couch they might get the wrong idea about things, or the right idea as it was starting to become. What was I doing? I had been invited as a guest to this family’s Christmas and I was on the edge of indulging with stealing Beth’s boyfriend.
But they were basically broken up, right? I tried to rationalize it and remind myself what Tony said. He was going to break up with her. It was not working out. She was pushing him away by being Beth. It was not my fault.
Ugh! But I still felt so guilty. He was not broken up with Beth yet. She had strong feelings for him, that was obvious and if somehow this did come out it would ruin the entire trip for everybody. And I was also a guest there.
I had to get out of there. If I stayed on that couch with that amazing man for another minute I had a feeling I was going to end up hating myself.
“Well, I think I’ll head to bed now,” I said.
I hoped that Devon was still asleep. He was not making any noise, so it was likely. That was a relief.
I stood up and placed the book back on the shelf, sliding it into place.
“Goodnight,” I said. I took one last glance at his amazing looking form and felt my insides flutter as I walked towards the door.
The Bear Shifter's Virgin Page 29
