by Ruby Shae
In a matter of seconds, the shop filled with patrons, and the flow of people remained constant. As the day wore on, Layla greeted each customer with the same infectious smile, and every person smiled back and offered some sort of friendly small talk. Many filled her in on their family’s daily affairs, and some discussed the news, weather or community events. All of it seemed mundane and unimportant to him, but Layla seemed genuinely interested in the lives of her customers.
Because of the mayhem the night before, she’d given both of her employees the day off, but that didn’t seem to slow her productivity or dim her mood. She gave each and every person the same service, and he loved how friendly and patient she was with everyone. It was obvious she loved her job.
For most of the day, he sat with a magazine in his lap and a full cup of coffee on the tiny table beside the chair. Pretending to read and acting totally unaware of his surroundings was one of the best ways to uncover information, especially in a town where he had no contacts and no suspects. In reality, his position allowed him to see and hear nearly everything happening in the shop, and he could view the parking lot and street without looking obvious.
Fifteen minutes before closing, a short, bear shifter with a medium build walked in the door. Layla didn’t see him approach the counter, but Tobias watched as he crossed the room with heavy, determined steps. He held his face in a mask of anger that dissolved the moment Layla turned to greet him.
“Hey, Danny,” Layla said. “The usual?”
“Of course, beautiful,” Danny said.
Tobias’ wolf went crazy, but he remained seated and listened to their conversation.
“So, what happened with that guy you picked up the other night?” Danny asked.
Layla set Danny’s black coffee on the counter, and made the mistake of glancing in his direction. The man, if he could be called that, immediately reacted.
“Was he big enough for you? Did he fuck you hard?”
For some reason, the guy wanted to play with Layla, but the weak little bear had no idea what he was up against. Tobias’ wolf could bare his teeth and knock the guy down, but his scent was still masked and it needed to stay that way. Fortunately, that didn’t mean he couldn’t deal out justice with his fists.
He grabbed his coffee cup, got up, and approached the counter.
“Shut up, Danny,” Layla hissed under breath. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing is wrong with me, beautiful, I was just wondering how your night went.”
“It was fine,” she said through clenched teeth.
“Can I get a refill, Layla?” Tobias asked.
“Sure,” she said, glaring at Danny.
“So, who’s this?” Danny asked.
“This is Tobias,” Layla said, handing him back his cup. “He’s visiting Logan for awhile.”
Good girl.
“If he’s visiting Logan, what’s he doing here with you?” Danny asked.
“Killing time, obviously,” Layla said, sarcastically.
“So he’s not your new boyfriend, then?”
“Don’t be stupid,” Layla snapped. “Of course not.”
Tobias hated the way she denied their mating, but there was nothing he could do about it. For her safety, he’d been the one to push her away, and now wasn’t the time to reveal his true feelings.
“Okay, okay,” Danny laughed, holding out his hands. “I was just going to warn him. I saw that guy from the other night in the club yesterday and he looked pretty beat up. Either you like it rough or you beat the shit out of him, but neither option puts you in a positive light.”
“He said I beat him up?” Layla questioned, clearly shocked.
“No, he said he got mugged, but I think we both know what really happened.”
“Why are you acting so weird?” Layla asked. “I thought you were my friend.”
“I am your friend,” Danny said. “I’m just playing with you, beautiful. Of course you didn’t beat him up. You don’t go around beating up men. It’s nice to meet you by the way.”
Danny held out his hand, and Tobias wanted to rip it off. Something about the guy was off, but he needed more time and information to completely understand the situation.
Neither were accessible to him right now, so he smiled and shook the man’s hand. Layla’s sad, surprised reaction nearly broke his heart in two, but he ignored it. Again.
Fuck!
Things were getting out of hand, and he needed some serious damage control. Unfortunately, that was another thing he couldn’t get his hands on right now. When the mission was over, he fully intended to grovel for as long as she deemed necessary.
“Likewise,” Tobias said. “See you around.”
Danny ignored his blatant dismissal and smiled at Layla.
“See you later, beautiful. Thanks for the coffee.”
Layla started cleaning up, and when the last patron left the building, Tobias locked the door and found her in the kitchen. She was hand-washing pieces of the expresso machine in a huge stainless steel sink.
“Did he pay for that coffee?” Tobias growled.
“No, he didn’t,” Layla said. “He never pays.”
“What? Why not?”
“I don’t know,” she sighed, “because he’s an old friend I guess.”
“An old friend,” he growled. “Like an old boyfriend?”
“No, just a friend. We dated a couple of times, but it didn’t work out.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why didn’t it work out?” he barked.
“Because…,” she shook her head, and he realized she was stalling. She hadn’t looked at him since he’d walked in the room, and her avoidance grated on his nerves.
“Layla, look at me.”
She shut off the water, and faced him head on. Her steel gray eyes bored into him, and he could feel her anger swarming around the room.
“What do you want from me, Tobias?” she said, exasperated. “Why do you even care? We dated twice. On the second date he kissed me, there was no spark, and I ended it. We remained friends and he hasn’t paid for a coffee since. It’s not a big deal.”
“Do you give all of your exes free coffee?” he asked.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, turning the water back on. “Of course not.”
“That’s why it’s a big deal,” he said calmly. “What happened in the bar the other night? Did you go home with someone?”
“I don’t think that’s any of your business,” she snapped. A piece of the machine banged against the side of the sink and echoed around the room. Her whispered curse wasn’t audible above the clanking metal, but he’d read her lips. He hated that he’d upset her, but he couldn’t stop yet.
“I’m trying to figure out who wants you dead,” he said. “Everything is my business.”
She shut off the water and laid the clean pieces on a soft mat to dry. Her hands clenched into fists, and her eyes shone with unshed tears. There was something else going on. Something more than a simple one-night stand.
“Fine,” she said, her voice just above a whisper. “Two nights ago, I went to the club looking for someone to spend the night with. When I found someone…decent, I approached him, but his friend joked about coming along. I refused, but he assured me his friend wasn’t serious, that it was just the liquor talking, blah, blah, blah. In the parking lot, I found out they’d both been lying. They tried to tag team me, and I defended myself.”
“Did you get hurt?” he asked, taking a step toward her. “How far did it go?”
“Not far,” she said. “None of my clothes came off, and all of my bruises healed by morning.”
“I’m sorry that happened to you,” he said, honestly. “How does Danny fit in?”
“He showed up when I was about to give up, and pointed out the guy I approached.”
“Okay,” he said. “First we hit the gym, and then the club.”
***
Later that night, Tobi
as stood near the back of the club with Layla half-hidden behind him. He wasn’t worried about her safety—not after spending two hours in the ring with her—but he was worried her attackers would run when they saw her lithe form walking toward them.
He surveyed the room, found her attackers almost immediately, and couldn’t hide the smile forming on his face. Layla had left out quite a bit of information, like that fact that she’d literally left the two men beaten and broken. Aside from several cuts and bruises, one had a swollen, taped up nose, and the other wore his casted arm in a sling.
“In the far left corner?” he said over his shoulder.
Layla peered around him, and nodded.
“Yes, but why are we doing this again?”
He found her hesitation odd, especially since she’d done some major damage on the men, but he talked her through it.
“Not a lot of men are going to insist on a threesome, especially if it means giving up sex entirely. Something doesn’t add up, and I think there’s more to the story. We need information, and right now, talking to them is the only way to get it.”
“Okay,” she nodded, even though he was in front of her.
“Good, lets go.”
As they moved through the crowd, he thought about their time in the ring earlier in the evening. They’d run drills for nearly two hours before breaking for dinner, but he’d known in the first fifteen minutes that Layla hadn’t been lying when she’d said she could take care of herself.
She got up every time he knocked her down, and she refused to give up no matter what he did. And he did it, too. As much as he hated pounding on her, even through their protective gear, he’d tested her in every way possible.
Logan’s decision to assign someone to watch her back had been a good idea, he would have done the same for Violet, but Layla could definitely hold her own in a fight.
Which led him to another problem.
The sight of a woman glistening with sweat had never been a turn on for him, but he’d never been in the ring with his mate. Watching Layla get worked up trying to kick his ass over and over again had made his cock harden to the point of pain. Repeatedly. The smell of fresh cut roses and vanilla intensified the harder she worked, and he fought the urge to tackle her down, rip off her clothes and fuck her in the center of the mat.
Images of brutal missions helped abate his arousal, but continually conjuring up the pictures while masking his scent and defending himself hadn’t been easy. After their last drill, she stood on the opposite side of the ring, soaking wet and gasping for breath, and he still wanted to kiss her and sink his cock into her warm, wet channel.
Her shirt and shorts had been soaked, she’d literally been dripping in sweat from head to toe, and though her long brown hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, the strands had clumped together and stuck to her shoulders, face and back. That had been the image tempting him while they were in the ring, and yet, she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
At first glance, her long, lean body looked like an easy target, but one touch of her perfect, smooth skin dispelled the myth. Carefully veiled muscles covered every inch of her sexy body, and she had more strength than many men he’d encountered. She stood six inches shorter than him, but for a woman, her five-foot, eleven-inch frame was above average height.
Except there was nothing average about her.
As they moved closer to the table, the damage she’d caused became more evident, and his cock started to harden again.
Shit!
He’d wanted a mate who could take care of herself, but he’d had no idea her skills would make him burn with lust. The bruised, beat up men in the corner booth only made him want her more. Now he had to figure out how to exude badassery with his dick bulging in his pants, and thoughts of fucking Layla until she screamed his name filling his head.
“Hey guys,” he said. “Let’s take a walk outside.”
“No thanks,” the one with the broken arm said.
They both refused to look at him, but they remained in the booth.
“Okay, then we’ll join you,” Layla said, stepping out from behind him.
She sat on the edge on the booth, and both men scooted out the other side.
“Outside sounds good,” one of them called over his shoulder.
“Great,” Tobias said.
The two men exited the back door of the club and stood nervously against the wall.
“We just want to talk, guys, there’s no reason to be so nervous,” Layla laughed.
“Yeah,” Tobias added. “We both know you’ve already had a tough week…being mugged takes a lot out of you. Kind of like being assaulted by two men after using the word no.”
“We barely touched her,” the one with the broken nose said, “and she went crazy.”
“So you admit to being beat up by a girl then?” Tobias laughed. “Mind if I share the news with everyone inside?”
“What do you want?” the one with the broken arm said.
“Who hired you, and why?” he asked.
“We don’t know his name,” the leader said. “He said he wanted to teach her a lesson, something about being strong and weak…I don’t know, I didn’t exactly understand it all. All we had to do was fuck her together, make it a bit rough, and we’d get paid. He even gave us five hundred dollars up front, and said we’d get the rest when the job was done.”
“What did he say when he found out you failed?” Tobias asked.
“Nothing, he hasn’t come to us again.”
“What do you mean?”
“He approached us in the parking lot, from a distance, and stayed in the shadows. We don’t even know what he looks like.”
“So it could be anyone.”
His statement was met with silence, and Tobias inwardly swore. They wouldn’t get anything useful out of these two idiots. He was a great judge of character, and for all they knew, he was the one who hired them.
Shit!
Layla took a step forward and got in the leaders face.
“You took money to try and force me to have sex with you? From a stranger?”
“Hey, you approached me, babe,” the leader reminded her. “I was just making some money while helping you scratch that itch.”
Layla balled her hand into a fist, and pulled her arm back level with her shoulder.
“And how the hell did that work out for you?” she asked.
The guy visibly flinched, and his buddy took a step as if he were going to run. Tobias looked him in the eye and shook his head.
“Layla,” Tobias warned. “We didn’t come here to beat the shit out of them. Besides, you already did an awesome job of that, sweetheart.”
The two men smiled as if they’d somehow bested her.
“However,” he added, “if either of you run before I dismiss you, then all bets are off.”
They both frowned, and he looked over to see Layla smiling. The look was feral, and she intimidated them with her body language, and dared them to run with her eyes.
His dick swelled again.
Fuck!
“If that man approaches you again,” Tobias said, “call Price Security and report it immediately. If you don’t, and I find out about it, you won’t have to worry about being beaten up by a girl…because I’ll kill you. Do you understand?”
They both nodded, but they didn’t make a sound. One of them held his breath, and the other swallowed erratically.
“You actually need to say the words,” he said. “Do you understand?”
“Yes,” they both said in unison.
“Good, now get out of here.”
The men ran back into the bar, and he turned toward Layla.
“I think that went pretty well, considering they don’t know anything.”
“I guess,” she said, turning away from him.
He hated the quiet of her voice, and realized it must have been difficult for her to approach her attackers. She seemed so strong, it hadn’t even o
ccurred to him she might be uncomfortable going back to the scene of the crime.
Damn!
He’d been doing too much thinking with his cock, and he’d failed her again.
“Let’s get you home, sweetheart.”
She led the way to his truck, and he drove her home in silence.
Chapter Five
Layla took a deep breath and held up her hand in surrender.
“Again,” Tobias yelled.
“I need a minute,” she said, reaching for her water bottle and towel.
If Tobias hadn’t already rejected her, the past four days would have been enough to sever any mating. Though she looked cute in the coffee shop, in the ring she looked like nothing more than a hot mess. Unfortunately, he basically ignored her in the coffee shop, and he chased her around the ring as if she were one of his sparring partners.
Sweat soaked her hair and clothes, and she was pretty sure she smelled. When she stopped to take a drink of water, a puddle formed beneath her and she’d slipped on the mat twice while running drills. Tobias, of course, looked fantastic in comparison and she’d spent most of the sessions wanting to dig her own grave and climb in.
“Let’s go again,” he said. “After the first night, you’ve done nothing but slack off.”
“What if I just had an exceptional first night?” she snapped.
Damn!
She was seriously getting sick of him riding her ass, but he was right. She wasn’t giving it her all. Maybe she should, maybe it wouldn’t matter anyway, but after they confronted her attackers in the bar, she realized she was too aggressive. She’d wanted to beat the shit out of the men again, but Tobias, her mate, had been able to hold back.
The truth had rattled her confidence, but it had also given her an idea. If she acted more like a girl, and less like a man, maybe he would change his mind about her one day.
So far, her brilliant plan had turned out to be incredibly stupid and demoralizing, and Tobias seemed to dislike her even more.
“We both know that’s not true,” he said, his voice normal again. “What gives?”
“I…”
Want you. Need you. Can’t think around you.
