by Ruby Shae
Layla tried to pull back and undo his belt, but he tightened his grip and held her in place with more force than necessary. She could easily get away, but his sudden aggression made her curious. The sound of gravel crunching beneath someone’s shoes registered too late, and a second later another body pressed against her back. The hard dick pushing into her ass doused her arousal, and she smelled who it was before he spoke.
“Don’t worry beautiful,” Tony said, grabbing her breasts. “I don’t plan on just watching.”
John’s smile turned up in a satisfied grin, and she barely stifled the maniacal laugh that threatened to escape. She should have figured out their plan in the bar, not sandwiched between the two of them outside in an empty parking lot. She would get away, but she’d been looking for a different type of adrenaline rush. Why did they have to fuck up her plans? The answer was simple, and the reason she would remain alone forever.
Men sucked.
“As I said before,” Layla said. “I’m a one-man woman.”
“Not tonight, beautiful,” John said.
His confidence pissed her off. She would enjoy taking him down a notch.
She smiled and leaned in as if she was going to kiss him, and then flung her head back and connected with Tony’s nose.
“Fuuuuck!” The wimp immediately let go of her and backed away. She could smell the blood in the air, but she didn’t have time to see her masterpiece. John tightened both arms around her waist, giving her the advantage, and she pushed her arms between them and connected her fists with his jaw.
The hit jarred him and his arms fell to his sides, releasing her. She stepped away, but he recovered faster than she’d anticipated, and he reached out and slapped her across the face. Tiny needles of pain raced across her skin, but she ignored them. He’d moved away from the car, giving her the advantage once again.
He reached out and tried to grab her arm, but she dodged him easily. She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward her, kneed him in the nuts, and then pushed him away. The swift movement straightened his arm all the way out and she struck him in the bend of the elbow.
He screamed and fell to the ground in pain. She turned to face Tony again, but the man backed away still holding his nose. Blood coated his hands and dripped down his forearms, marking the ground beneath him.
They were done.
She left them there, bloody and broken, and walked to her car with her head held high and her senses on alert. They were stupid enough to come after her, but luckily they didn’t. If they attacked her again, she’d have to call Logan, and she didn’t feel like dealing with her brother or the rest of his team right now.
The smell of coffee greeted her when she let herself into her apartment, and she smiled sadly as she made her way to the shower. Her business, Java Corner, was located in the center of town and her apartment sat above it. The smell of coffee never dissipated, but she didn’t mind.
If she was destined to live the rest of her life alone, at least she was surrounded by the most heavenly scent on the planet.
Chapter Two
“Shit, that’s my sister’s place. Hang on.”
Tobias held onto the frame of the truck as Logan did a U-turn in the middle of the four-lane highway. They bounced over the wild grass and rocks covering the median, and then headed back into town without slowing down. The late hour didn’t mean the road was empty, and the sounds of screeching tires and blaring horns filled the air. Logan ignored them all and raced toward the coffee shop.
Tobias hadn’t been inside Java Corner yet, or had the privilege to meet Logan’s sister, but he knew the exact location of the building. It surprised him that anyone would pick such a high profile site to commit a crime, but apparently he was in for a lot of surprises. A couple of months ago, Logan’s mate had been attacked in the shop, and now it had been targeted again. He silently wondered if the two incidents had any connection.
The night before, Tobias had explored the town for a couple of hours, and then entered the nearest grocery store and stocked up on some basic essentials. He hadn’t made a list, but years of moving around had given him a lot of experience in shopping without one.
When he arrived back at the apartment, he ordered a pizza, put away the groceries and settled on the couch with a longneck and his laptop connected to the TV. After an hour of head-bobbing, he turned off the movie, threw the half-empty pizza box in the fridge, and pulled a sheet and blanket out of the linen closet. He hadn’t had the energy to go shopping for pillows and new linens, so Jase’s old stuff would have to work for now.
He put the sheet on the mattress, dropped the folded blanket near the headboard to act as a pillow, stripped off his shirt and jeans, and fell into bed. As soon as his head hit the blanket, he remembered to set his alarm and quickly fished his cell-phone out of his pants pocket. He’d never been able to master the art of getting up on time without an alarm, but he prided himself on accuracy and attention to detail. Being late for his first meeting with his new boss wasn’t an option.
The annoying beep had sounded through the room too early, but he’d mastered the art of surviving on a few hours of sleep years ago. What he couldn’t handle was surviving without coffee.
Shit!
It was the one thing he’d left off his list, and the only thing that mattered.
After a quick shower and a hearty breakfast, he drove through the closest fast food restaurant and walked into Logan’s office five minutes early.
“Tobias,” Logan said, standing and extending his hand. “Logan Price. It’s good to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Tobias said. “Thank you for agreeing to give me a chance.”
“Not a problem,” he said, motioning toward a chair and retaking his seat. “Jase is a good man, and I trust him. I’m glad he found what he was looking for.”
“Me too. He and Violet are perfect together,” he smiled, settling in the offered chair.
He didn’t have to force the words because they were true. Violet had needed a hero, and Jase had needed to be a hero again. They’d saved each other in all the best ways.
“We have a lot to go over, but first things first,” Logan said. “Your coffee has to go.”
“Excuse me?”
Tobias’ mind ran rampant. Did bears have some sort of aversion to coffee? Were they allergic? Did Logan insist his team follow insane, and completely unnatural rules?
Maybe he wouldn’t fit in after all.
“Trust me on this,” Logan said, standing. “Once you try Layla’s coffee, everything else will pale in comparison.”
He followed Logan to a tiny kitchenette, and a travel box of fresh brewed coffee sat on the counter. The Java Corner logo was on the side of the box and he noticed several bags of beans and pods stacked on the counter between two coffee pots. One was a high-end one cup brewer, and the other was an inexpensive model, capable of brewing twelve cups at a time.
“Yeah, we take our coffee pretty seriously,” Logan laughed. “Layla will only give us one box of fresh brewed a day, though, so we mostly fight over it. Today I made them save you some. Tomorrow, you’re on your own.”
Tobias laughed and poured himself a cup of the dark brew. He didn’t usually care where his coffee came from, but as the warm liquid glided down his throat, he knew he’d found a new vice.
“Damn, that’s fantastic,” he said, taking another swallow.
“I told you,” Logan said, filling his cup.
The door to the small room opened and a tall, lean man with black hair entered, followed by a bigger man with dark brown hair. They were both bear shifters, and though the first man seemed lean compared to his partner, Tobias sensed his carefully veiled deadly strength. The second man looked intimidating, but his demeanor was welcoming and serene.
“Hey man, it’s nice to meet you,” the black haired man said. “I’m Mason and this is Jacob.”
The four men talked, refilled their cups, and stayed huddled around the travel box until it was empty. He
learned Jacob was Logan’s best friend and the second Enforcer in command, and Mason was next in line. While Jacob handled a variety of communication and planning tasks, Mason specialized in surveillance and patrols.
The rest of the day included a lengthy lunch with Logan and the clan alpha, a meeting with most of the team and tons of paperwork. He’d left Price Security for some down time at five o’clock, but he and Logan to meet up again at eleven for night patrols.
He’d already toured most of the town the day before, but late-night always revealed secrets. Aside from being populated by a clan of bear shifters, the town was relatively sleepy, but that didn’t matter. There were always surprises, and he respected the fact that Logan didn’t try to hide anything from him.
Neither did the alpha.
His request to join the Enforcers and the clan had been approved on a conditional basis, and he had ninety days to prove his allegiance and loyalty. If he wanted out amicably, he would be released, but if he betrayed them…he would lose his life.
The terms seemed fair, and he’d easily agreed and signed the legal, binding contract.
Logan pulled into the L-shaped driveway from the left as Jacob pulled in from the right, and both men came to a screeching halt in front of the damaged side of the building. The large bay window overlooking the parking lot had been shattered, and a giant hole had been carved out of the middle. A few shards of glass lay on the concrete outside, but he assumed most of the pieces had flown inside along with whatever had been used for the attack.
Inside the shop, the light was on, and a tall, slim woman holding a fire extinguisher stared at them through the broken glass. Her long brown hair hung wild, as if she just rolled out of bed, and her thin, pink tank top and shorts confirmed his assessment. She looked like a warrior, strong, determined, and powerful, and he instantly wanted her.
When they exited the vehicles, he pulled in a deep breath and his wolf went wild.
Underneath the smell of gasoline, coffee, and his teammates, was the sweet and sexy smell of fresh cut roses and vanilla.
Mate!
“Holy shit,” he swore.
“What is it?” Logan asked as he rounded the vehicle.
“Nothing,” Tobias shook his head.
Logan narrowed his eyes and watched him carefully as he made a call, but the man didn’t question him further.
Thank god!
Tobias had no idea what Logan was thinking, but he knew declaring his undying love for new boss’ sister wouldn’t go over well right now. His wolf paced, angry at the bear and desperate to claim it’s mate, but he took a deep breath and controlled the animal.
“You okay?” Jacob asked.
“Yeah, I’m cool,” Tobias nodded.
Jacob seemed to understand and let it go as they followed Logan to the front door of the shop. Luckily, Jacob wasn’t a threat, and they all three entered the building with the same agenda.
Protecting the she-bear was the only thing that mattered.
***
The piercing alarm jolted Layla out of bed, and she landed on the floor with a thud after banging her face on the nightstand on her way down. She reached for her alarm clock and pushed the button down, but the noise continued.
What the… Fire? Was there a fire?
She raced around the tiny apartment, but nothing looked amiss and the indicator lights on the smoke detectors all remained green.
The shop!
It was only then that she realized something had happened inside her store. She slid her feet into slippers, grabbed her keys and ran out of the apartment. At the bottom of the stairs, she used the key to unlock the back door to her business, and then she entered the building and shut off the alarm.
The ensuing silence was a blessing and a curse. Suddenly, her skimpy tank top and pajama shorts seemed too revealing to chase down bad guys and she cursed herself for not grabbing something to use as a weapon.
Though her bear had excellent night vision, she flipped the on light to help calm her breathing. She quickly surveyed the small stock room, but the smell of gas forced her to grab the fire extinguisher and run into the main room of the shop.
The huge bay window overlooking the parking lot and the shops to the east had been shattered. Large and small veiny cracks extended to every corner, and they could all be traced to a huge hole in the center of the glass. Small, broken bits around the hole had concaved from the force of the object, and as she observed the intricate web, a few shards of glass seemed to jump free and crash to the floor.
Layla followed the direction of the hole and saw a charred brick on the floor under one of her tables. Thankfully, her vandal hadn’t really known what they were doing, and the flames on the brick had quickly died out instead of spreading.
She used the fire extinguisher anyway, just in case, and looked up to see two trucks race into the parking lot and come to a stop in front of the window.
Her brother and Jacob were here to save the day.
As she watched Logan and Jacob exit their vehicles, a third man got out of the passenger side of her brother’s truck and her bear came alive. His scent assaulted her nose, and she nearly melted into a puddle of goo. Crisp coffee and chocolate blended together with something uniquely him to create a special, iced tonic specially made for her.
Mate!
She’d been wrong before. This man—her mate—was the most heavenly scent on earth. Her previous love, coffee, came in a distant second.
The fact that he was a wolf and not a bear only added to his appeal. Aside from shifter basics, she knew next to nothing about wolves, but maybe he wouldn’t mind a mate who could take care of herself.
Logan was a big man, but this man was bigger. He only stood an inch taller than the other two men, but he was nearly half a person wider. His biceps and chest bulged out of his t-shirt and paved the way to a flat stomach. Eight-pack abs. She would bet money he had eight-pack abs. Her bear sighed in delight and she kept her lips closed so the sound wouldn’t escape.
The dim light, combined with the shadows and darkness, made it hard to see his equipment, and she silently cursed as she moved her gaze to his tree-trunk thighs. What would it feel like to sit on his lap, or have him shove one of his thighs between her legs?
The sight of her brother marching toward the front door of her shop pushed the wicked thoughts from her mind but she was rattled to the core. She felt on the verge of hysteria, and her feelings had nothing to do with the broken window, or the fact that someone had tried to hurt her.
No, her every thought was on the man walking toward her. Inside, she warred between running into his arms and running away, but she forced herself to remain still and face him head on.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Logan’s booming voice echoed around the room, and a few more pieces of glass fell from the window. Jacob and the third man remained silent, and her smile fell. She didn’t expect to be rescued, but her mate looked completely unaffected by her brother’s outburst.
“What are you talking about?” she asked, turning her attention toward her sibling.
“What the hell are you doing down here? There’s been a crime and you’re running around half naked!” he yelled.
Her cheeks burned from both anger and embarrassment.
“I’m not naked,” she snapped back, “and you know perfectly well that the alarm went off or you wouldn’t be here. I had to investigate.”
“You should have waited for us,” he growled. “Or at least put some clothes on first. Did you even lock your apartment when you ran out into the night?”
Shit!
So much for mystery. Or making a good first impression. In the excitement, she’d forgotten to lock her front door. Damn! Jacob, unfazed by her mistake, quickly swiped open his phone and dialed a number, but the new guy just stared at her.
“This is why you wait for me,” Logan reminded her gently.
“One mistake doesn’t negate the fact that I can take care of myself
,” she reminded him back. “If the damage had been worse, I would have needed to be here.”
“You should have locked your door,” Logan grunted.
“You’re right,” she admitted.
“Mason is checking right now,” Jacob said. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she smiled at her friend.
Jacob was Logan’s best friend, and the three of them had grown up together. He’d always been more rational than her brother, but that was why they made a good team.
“This is Tobias Black,” Jacob said, motioning behind him.
She focused on where her mate had been standing seconds ago, but he was gone.
“Hey,” he said.
She looked down to find him crouched low, inspecting the brick on the ground between them. He’d moved without a sound, and worse, he seemed perfectly calm and unaffected by her presence.
“There’s something written on here,” he said, basically ignoring her.
“What does it say?” Logan asked.
Tobias brushed away the thin layer of white foam and read the words out loud.
“DIE BEAR SLUT.”
Well, damn!
This just didn’t seem to be her night.
“Any ideas on who would do this?” Jacob asked gently.
“No,” she shook her head. “None.”
“Okay, what’s the status on the window?” Logan asked.
“Ordered, but it won’t be here until morning,” Jacob said. “Mason has two men on their way to patrol until the window is installed. Layla, you’ll need to close for at least part of the day tomorrow.”
“You should close for the full day,” Logan suggested.
“I’ll think about it,” she said.
“And I don’t want you sleeping here tonight. You’ll stay with me and Becca.”
“No, I will not,” she said, firmly.
“Yes, you will. It’s not safe,” Logan countered.
“I’m not sleeping in here, and my apartment is fine.”
