Bears of Burden: THORN

by Candace Ayers

  I felt my body readying itself for a fight and shrugged. “He wants to brawl, he knows where to find us. I, for one, am fucking ready.”

  Sterling swore. “And it just keeps on coming. Red alert, boys. Allie just walked in and she’s looking to start her own fight, it seems.”

  I breathed in and her scent hit me like a brick to the face. Freedom, sunshine, and wild flowers. I felt her eyes land on my back and then her smell grew stronger. She was coming my way.

  Hutch grimaced and sat back in his chair. “Here it comes.”

  “Fuck your life, brother.” Sam pushed back from the chair, just in case he needed a quick exit. Chicken shit.

  Allie stopped next to me and when I looked up, there was a smile curling her painted red lips. It didn’t reach her smoky eyes, though, and I could feel the anger emanating from her. “It’s good to see you back at work, boss. Hope whatever you had isn’t contagious.”

  Before I could reply to her, she tilted her head, made a face at me like she’d smelled something she didn’t like, and then turned and headed across the room. With ease, she sat down at a table of women who greeted her fondly. I recognized at least a few of my past hookups.

  Wyatt whistled. “Damn. She’s hot as hell when she’s mad. That little dress ain’t half bad to look at, either.”

  Before I knew what I was doing, I had the collar of his shirt bunched in my hands and I was growling in his face. I could feel my jaw starting to elongate with the shift, but I couldn’t stop it right away. My bear was furious that he’d looked at our mate and I couldn’t say that I wasn’t just as pissed. “Keep your eyes to yourself, brother.”

  Wyatt grinned. “See. Look at that. You react to me just like a mate would. How about you react like a mate would to her?”

  I jerked back into my own seat and scowled. “Not a funny trick, Wyatt. My bear wanted to rip your head off.”

  He shrugged. “I could take your bear any day.”

  My skin bristled and I squeezed my eyes shut. “Stop fucking challenging me, Wyatt.”

  “What are you going to do about it? Hide some more?”

  I knew what he was doing. He was pushing me to act, but I wasn’t going to. I bit my tongue hard enough to draw blood and leaned back in my chair, trying to appear relaxed. “Go bother someone else.”

  Sterling sat forward in his chair and laughed. “She isn’t taking any prisoners tonight, boys. Hot da-yum.”

  I looked over and watched as Allie tossed down a couple of shots back to back. The arch of her neck as she tilted her head back and let the liquor roll down her throat, had me hard instantly. Her hair flowed freely down to the middle of her back and she casually raked a hand through it, flipping it from one side to the other. The curls teased me, touching her all over.

  The red dress she wore was killer. Tight and fitted down her hips, then flowing freely around her thighs. It was another one that would blow up with a slight breeze and I wondered what color her panties were underneath.

  Everything about her was calling me. I wanted to go to her and fuck her up against the bar again. My bear didn’t care if everyone watched me mark her. He just wanted me to claim her as my own so the men in the bar would get the fucking hint. I needed to run, though. I needed to get the hell out of there so I didn’t claim her without thinking. She’d made no promises to me. She didn’t owe me staying in Burden. She could leave at the drop of a hat and let me rot away wallowing in my own shame and misery. Like my mother had.

  Panic kept me in my chair. The guys talked around me, the music blared, people laughed. I barely breathed as I waited for a space to either calm down or run.

  CHAPTER 21: Allie

  I’d kept myself busy all day. After talking to Georgie for hours the night before, I woke up with a newfound determination to piss Thorn off. I went to the one and only salon in town and was able to get an appointment right away. I had my hair styled and then had them do my makeup. I still hadn’t gotten around to purchasing any cosmetics, so it was different to be wearing it again. I felt sexy and confident.

  I clicked with the women there and with a little prompting, very little, a few of us made plans to have a girls’ night out. The Cave, of course, was the only place in town so, ta-da. Here we were, drinks in hand. Turned out that they were a little wild, and I loved it. I could feel Thorn across the room, itching to leave. I had to give him something to look at before he could slide out and make his escape.

  I turned to Randi, the bubbly blonde next to me who’d styled my hair. “I’m going to dance.”

  “Not before you do a couple of shots, you’re not!”

  Shots magically appeared, delivered by Kayla with a wink. “Tip it back, pretty lady!”

  I did as suggested and was met with a warmth taking over my body and cheers from all the women around me. I slammed the shot glasses back on the table and stood up. “It’s time!”

  Samantha, the blonde I’d saved Thorn from my first night, bumped hips with me. “Tear up that dance floor!”

  Very aware of the table across the room, the one with the large, angry looking boss-man, I slunk onto the dance floor and positioned myself where he could see me. Before I could even scan the male-heavy dance floor for a partner, a tall cowboy shimmied into the space in front of me and smiled.

  “Mind if I have this dance?”

  I smiled back at him and shook my head. “It’d be my pleasure.”

  An old country song was playing and the stranger wasted no time in slipping his arms around me and swaying us to the music. He smelled nice and he didn’t stomp on my toes, so win-win in my book. When he spun me out and then curled me back into his side, I got the feeling he was going to kiss me, so I quickly spun myself back out and grinned. I wanted to infuriate Thorn, but I couldn’t imagine my lips touching the stranger. Something about the thought repulsed me to my very core. I didn’t understand it, because he was a good-looking man, but my body would have none of him.

  I finished the song with him and then a faster song came on. He tipped his hat at me and let a younger guy cut in. I laughed as the new stranger shimmied his hips for me.

  “These hips know how to move, little lady.”

  I laughed again, feeling the alcohol, and danced with him. I worked my hips too, hoping and praying that Thorn was affected by me. I could feel his eyes on my body and he was definitely having an effect on me. I felt slightly wild, swaying and moving.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Thorn grabbing a whiskey bottle from a passing waitress and blow out a frustrated breath. Shit! I wanted him going crazy with desire, not getting black out drunk. It didn’t seem to matter what I wanted, however, because he pushed up his stupid John Deere hat, tilted his head back and took a long pull from the bottle.

  Feeling angry beyond description, I pulled my stranger a little closer and wrapped my arms around his neck. “I love this song.”

  He nodded and brushed his cheek against mine when leaning in to whisper in my ear. “I don’t want to give you the wrong idea, ma’am. I’m gay.”

  I snorted. “That is perfect. I’m trying to piss a man off. You against helping with that?”

  He tugged me even closer and pressed his lips to my neck. “No, ma’am. Wait. Is he big enough to kick my ass?”

  I winced and nodded. “Yeah. He’s really big.”

  A careless shrug later and he captured my lips in a kiss that probably looked a lot hotter than it felt. When he pulled back, he pulled a card out of his pocket and made a show of slipping it into the cleavage of my dress. If a straight man would’ve done it, I would’ve knocked his block off.

  “My name’s Logan. That’s my number. I’m going to head out so I don’t get smashed by whatever hulk you’re trying to piss off. Call me if you’re ever in need of another beard. Or, just drinks. I’m up for either.”

  I let him kiss me again and then he slipped through the crowd, away from me. I couldn’t help the silly grin on my face. I knew Thorn had watched the kiss. It was like I had a
direct wave length to Thorn’s emotions. They were volatile, for sure.

  I danced by myself for a bit, winding my hips around and arching my back in a move I’d practiced as soon as I’d gotten my curves in when I was just hitting puberty. Samantha joined me with more shots and I was hard pressed to find a reason not to drink them.

  The combined effects of all the drinks were starting to hit me hard when I sensed Thorn move. I knew he was headed my way, so I distanced myself from Samantha and the others. When he finally got through the crowd to me, he felt twice as big as normal. His eyes flashed and his smell seemed even more dangerous. It hit me from ten feet away, despite there being at least five other guys between us.

  My heart sped up as I met his eyes and my back hit the wall behind me. Thorn didn’t stop coming until he was towering over me and I had to tip my head back to keep the eye contact.

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  The growl in his voice was like a tongue stroking my most private parts. I crossed my ankles and squeezed my thighs together. “I’m having a good time. What does it look like I’m doing?”

  His eyes fluttered down to my legs and then back to my face. I watched as he took a deep breath in and then growled. He put his hands on the wall on either side of my head and narrowed his eyes at me. “You’re playing with fire.”

  “What would you know about fire? You’re too chicken-shit to get close to the heat. We both know you’re going to run away again. Save me the trouble and go now, Thorn. Run.”

  He grabbed my arms and easily lifted me as if I weight nothing. He only stopped when he could pin me to the wall with his rock-hard erection against my core. “You have no clue what you’re getting into.”

  I couldn’t look away from him. I didn’t care if the entire bar was watching us. My body felt like it was going to explode under his touch. “So, tell me.”

  He suddenly dropped me and moved away. “It’s better that you don’t know.”

  I bore a hole through his back with my gaze as he strode away. The way my body reacted to his, the way I just knew what he was feeling… It was crazy, but that right there was the moment I knew. Thorn was without a doubt my soulmate. A concept that I hadn’t even believed was real a couple of days ago, and couldn’t explain in a way that didn’t sound ridiculous, was now something I was convinced of with my whole heart. My soulmate was either a complete asshole or a giant idiot, though.

  It was just my luck.

  CHAPTER 22: Allie

  I sat at the bar for the next hour, nursing my wounded ego. I turned down a few offers to dance in favor of letting myself sit and mope. I wanted to find Thorn and kick his ass. He was being cryptic and weird, instead of just giving us a chance.

  “Well, you don’t look like you’re using your day off to feel more relaxed.” Abram slid a shot to me and watched as I took it. “What’s your deal?”

  I slumped on my stool. “I’m just going to say it. I’m going to say it, even if it sounds insane.”

  “Say what?”

  “I think Thorn is my mate but he keeps running away from me.”

  Abram dropped a beer bottle he’d been opening and stared at me. “What did you say?”

  I let my head fall onto the bar and groaned. “I told you it sounded insane. He told me about mates and I think he’s mine. I’m his. I feel it with him and I know he feels it, too. He’s being a pusscake, though. He won’t face me for long enough to even have a conversation about it. He just keeps hiding or running away.”

  “He told you about mates?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. He told me about his parents, too. I don’t blame him for being scared, but I do blame him for being a coward.”

  Abram leaned across the bar and lowered his voice. “He told you about his parents?”

  I made an exasperated sound. “Abram, keep up. He told me about soulmates and his parents.”

  “Holy shit. You are his mate.”

  I shook my head at Abram and turned on my barstool to look out at the crowd. A familiar face caught my attention and I gasped. “Oh, god! My boyfriend, I mean ex-boyfriend, just showed up! How the hell did he find me?”

  “I thought you said you weren’t running from him?”

  “I’m not. I don’t know why he’s here. Shit. I’m sneaking out of the back. Make sure no one tells him where I’m staying.” I snuck through the kitchen and let myself out the back door. I was slightly drunk and overly paranoid about Eric finding me, so I was extra wary of the door being loud. I made sure it silently shut and then turned around to map out my quickest route to the trailer.

  Only, standing not ten feet from me was a huge bear carrying a bottle of Jack Daniels. Thank God it hadn’t noticed me yet as it stumbled across the grass, swaying back and forth. It was grunting and making sounds that almost sounded like growly talking.

  I watched on in horror as it tipped the bottle back, finishing the liquid, and then chucked it. The sound of glass shattering startled me out of my stupor with a slight squeak. I slapped my hand over my mouth and reached behind me with my free hand to try and get the back door open.

  It was too late, though. The bear turned to me and I realized that at the top of its giant head sat a little John Deere cap. I screamed then, horrified at what it meant. Had the bear attacked Thorn? Had it… oh, God… eaten him? Stolen his hat? Drank his whiskey… okay that was weird. My heart felt like it was caving in as I thought of Thorn being eaten by a bear.

  The bear waved its arms at me and I took a step backwards. It had oddly human movements as it headed over to attack and eat me, too.

  With my back pressed against the door, I couldn’t find the handle to let myself back in. I fumbled around searching, but when the bear stepped closer again, I froze. What was one supposed to do in the case of a bear attack? I thought it was make a lot of sound, but I didn’t think my throat would allow anything else to come out.

  The bear seemed to let out a massive sigh and then, in the blink of an eye, it was gone, and Thorn appeared. Naked. Holy moly, Thorn was naked as the day he was born and his downstairs waved in the cold night air, still large and seemingly leading the way.

  “Shit, I’m sorry, Allie.” He stepped closer, his hands out in front of him like he was approaching a scared dog. “I didn’t mean for this to happen quite like that.”

  I stared up at his hat, still sitting on top of his head, like it hadn’t just been on a bear’s head. “What happened?”

  He smelled like whiskey and man, and despite the situation, my body still responded to him. He tilted his head back and breathed in before closing the gap between us. His body pressed against mine and my breath caught in my throat.

  “How can you still want me after what you just saw?”

  “What exactly did I just see?”

  The back door pushed against me as Eric’s voice reached my ears. “Allie?! I heard you scream. Are you okay?”

  Thorn swept me behind him and growled at Eric as he pushed his way blindly into the night. I could see him and his clean sweater and it was such a stark contradiction to Thorn’s naked muscular form.

  “What do you want?”

  Eric moved to step around Thorn, but Thorn wasn’t having it. Finally, Eric stopped and frowned up at him. “Why are you naked with my fiancé? Is he the reason you tried to break things off with me, Allie?”

  “You’re the fiancé?”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean? Of course, I’m the fiancé.” Eric looked back at me and held out his hand. “Come on, Alyson. I’m taking you back home.”

  Still in shock, I backed away from both of them. I stepped on something slippery, and lost my balance. As I tumbled backwards, I heard Thorn cry out for me. Then a sharp pain burst at the back of my head and the night grew even darker.

  CHAPTER 23: Hawthorne

  The little guy sitting across from me shivered in the chilly Texas night air. I couldn’t help the predatory grin that curved my mouth. “Go on back home, boy. You’d probably do
better in a warmer climate, huh?”

  He scowled at me and stood up. “This is crazy. I’m going inside.”

  I unfolded my body from the lawn chair I’d been in for the past hour and stepped in front of the door. “You’re not going inside. It’s a small trailer. Doctor Mae said to wait out here.”

  “Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but Alyson is going home with me. She and I… we’ve been together for a long time and a roll in the hay with some good ol’ boy in hick-town, USA isn’t going to change that.”

  I stepped closer to him and tried to remind myself that Allie would probably be upset if I ripped his limbs from his body. “I might’ve been hearing things funny, on account of my hick-town, good ol’ boy hearing and all, but I thought you mentioned she broke things off with you. Did I hear that wrong or did she really dump your sorry ass?”

  Eric had the good sense not to push it. He stumbled back to his seat and dropped into it. He wasn’t all that small by normal standards, but next to me, he resembled a child. His pale blonde hair and pale skin didn’t help his delicate appearance. I could see where she might consider him pleasant looking, but there was no way she was hot for that twerp.

  “She’s clearly confused. I don’t know what’s been happening here, but whatever it is, it’s over now. She’s going to come home with me where she belongs and she and I are going to work things out.”

  “She told me you cheated on her. What the fuck is wrong with you? You had the perfect woman and you stepped out?”

  His cheeks turned red under the security light hooked up on the side of the trailer. “Our relationship is none of your concern. I’m done talking to you.”

  I sat back down and crossed my arms over my chest. I still hadn’t bothered with finding a shirt. I’d pulled on my jeans, but my body temperature was up from the anger of seeing Eric. The cold wasn’t touching me.