Bears of Burden: THORN

by Candace Ayers

  "This,” she gestured back and forth between herself and him, “Could never work between us. You're everything that I despise." Bree ran out of the restaurant and Jakob stood looking after her, baffled, as patrons at the tables around them pretended not to notice.

  Chapter 6

  Blake paced the room again. The moon was bright tonight, soon it would be full. No matter. Blake was a master at self-control. Hadn't he proven that time and time again, assisting Jakob with his business ventures?

  Mark walked into the room and snapped the light on just as Blake's plan was beginning to shape itself.

  "Blake?" Mark asked. He'd come in for some of Jakob's scotch—Jakob allowed them to it whenever they wanted—and found Blake standing in the dark, looking crazed. Mark thought the moon had gotten to him, which it did from time to time to all shifters, and some humans too, or so he was told.

  "What?" Blake snapped.

  "Err..."

  Blake liked Mark most of the time. He did as he was told. Blake wondered how deep his loyalty to Jakob ran.

  "Doesn't it upset you?" Blake shouted from his place near the window.

  "What?"

  "Jakob. Out with his Bree. Blowing the deal with Remy because of her."

  Mark shrugged. "He found his mate." It was simple to him. He was happy for Jakob.

  "Yes, but does that mean he should choose to disregard us? Forget his pride?"

  "Well," Mark said, suddenly uncomfortable. He wasn’t comfortable with where this was going. "The pride has plenty of money. Jakob’s always done right by us."

  "Jakob's money," Blake corrected.

  "I guess. But, we all share it. We all have our own interests in the companies—"

  Blake cut him off with a growl. "How can you defend him? He chose a woman over us, his brothers."

  Mark hadn't really thought of that way. When viewed in that light, it was sort of irritating.

  Blake saw Mark's doubt and dialed down his outrage, he needed to sound calm and rational. "If he wants to be with his mate, that's fine. I have no desire to stop him. But does he need to neglect his royal duties? There are others amongst us with no mate who would be happy to fill his alpha position as King. That way, Jakob could concentrate on what's truly important to him now—his mate."

  Mark thought Blake might have a point. If Jakob didn't want to devote time and effort to leading the pride anymore, someone else could be crowned.

  Blake didn't want to push. The seed was planted. He could see it in Mark's eyes. Mark would tell William, and William would tell Tony. The seed would spread quickly.

  "Did you come in for scotch?" Blake questioned. Mark nodded. "I'll join you."

  ***

  Bree raced down the sidewalk, her hand waving for a taxi she couldn't afford. The tears stung her eyes, and worse, her dignity. She'd been stupid enough to almost let herself believe there could be something real between her and Jakob. Now, it was obvious she had allowed herself to be blinded by his handsome leonine looks, rather than open her eyes to the reality of who he was as a man. There could never be anything more between them than an awkward pairing of social class.

  "Bree, wait!" Jakob was running towards her. He moved so fast and so gracefully, it almost seemed as though he was flying. "Tell me what I did," he said when he reached her side.

  She shook her head and turned away. He grasped her shoulder—not too roughly, just hard enough to spin her around—and force her to face him. She closed her eyes, afraid the sight of him would make her forget herself again. Bree did not date. She did not take lovers. She did not have money and did not care to know anyone who did.

  Jakob surprised her by wrapping his heavily muscled arms around her. She gasped at how good he felt. The warmth of his body, the strength of his muscles, the nearness of him was like nothing she'd ever felt. It was as though her body was melting into his.

  Jakob explored her voluptuous curves beneath his fingertips. He dropped his hands to her waist, and when she didn't protest, her rounded hips. The flesh under her clothes filled his palms and set his heart racing. Her scent was all over him now. He drew it into his nostrils in long, deep breaths and held it, refusing to let it go.

  "This won't work," she said. Her voice was muffled, her face buried against his shoulder. "I don't like money."

  He started to laugh, then thought better of it. It seemed preposterous to him, but she was serious.

  "We shouldn't have come here," he said.

  She nodded into his chest. She could hear people walking past them and hoped she and Jakob weren’t drawing too much attention.

  "Let's just walk then," Jakob said. His voice was deep and velvety smooth.

  When she looked up at him, her eyes were glistening and he longed to kiss her full, ruby lips.

  "Walk?"

  He nodded and took her hand in his, pulling her along. Stunned, she fell into step beside him. The moon was large and bright, and her hair glowed under it. He liked the short, sassy style she chose. So different from the women of his past.

  They walked in silence to a park and strolled over a bridge with a small creek running beneath it. There were no words exchanged, but both were invigorated by the buzz of electricity that ran between them in the starlight. Bree was the one to break the silence.

  "I like you," she admitted, though it pained her to do so. "But this can't work."

  "Let me try again,” he asked, a little too demandingly, “Tomorrow."

  She shook her head. "Your job... your money..."

  "Is that all you see when you look at me? Money?"

  She bit her lip. Jakob longed to bite it too.

  "No," she said. She didn't know what was wrong with her. Normally she would never give a guy like this the time of day. There was no such thing as lasting love, or a love that could overcome obvious differences like social class and values. She knew that. Yet, she hadn't been able to get her mind off of Jakob for longer than two minutes since she’d bumped into him.

  "Tomorrow," he said again, forcefully, but not as demandingly as before.

  "Maybe if I plan things?" Bree piped up.

  "No. I'll plan it." His voice was harder than he'd intended. "It will be perfect. I promise."

  Bree wanted to argue, but she was too entranced by his eyes. They were glowing. She thought it was the moonlight at first, but they kept getting brighter and lighter. It was as if glistening golden flecks were floating inside them.

  Jakob took a deep breath and forced his eyes back to their normal hue. Now was not the time to reveal his secret. His mate looked so beautiful in the moonlight. Jakob couldn't resist. He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers.

  Jakob's lips were almost as hot as his hands as they descended over hers, and she felt as though they would devour her. Bree's mouth opened instinctively. A strange tingling began in her toes, nipping at them like static electricity. The tingling spread to her legs, increasing its strength. Soon her entire chest was embraced by a heat and an energy not of this world. When the heat moved to her head, it stretched to Jakob like the tentacles of a jellyfish, and a lightning bolt struck Jakob and Bree at the junction where their mouths met.

  She drew away, gasping for breath. Jakob's hands trembled. He hadn't known what to expect when they kissed, but this... this was beyond anything he could have imagined.

  "Tomorrow," she said, unable to decline. She let her hand graze his cheek. It buzzed against his skin. He nodded his head, prepared to do anything necessary to claim Bree as his Queen.

  Chapter 7

  Sunday came and went. Bree had completely forgotten that she'd promised to have dinner with her parents, and was duty-bound to cancel her date with Jakob. He suggested going with her to her parents’ house, but there was no way she'd ever let that happen.

  Bree was a bit frightened of what was happening to her. She dreaded the time away from him. During the night, she'd dreamt of him again—of their bodies touching, skin against skin. She still hadn't seen his bared chest muscles, bu
t at times they seemed impossibly huge, like under his clothes lurked the body of the Hulk.

  Bree and her parents were just sitting down to dinner when the bell rang. Her parents introduced Walter. Walter was a bachelor stockbroker who was worth millions. Bree cringed. "Nice to meet you," Walter said, taking Bree's hand. It felt cold, and she immediately longed for the heat of Jakob’s touch. She smiled and nodded, but said next to nothing all through dinner.

  "Our anniversary is coming up soon," Bree's mother chimed in between mouthfuls of veal.

  "Yes. I know," Bree clipped back.

  "Will you be coming?" Bree's father asked. She smiled at her father, feeling slightly warmer towards him than her mother. He'd been ill lately, and despite Bree's dislike of their lifestyle, he was still her father.

  "Yes," Bree sighed. There was no way around it.

  "Wonderful!" Her mother clapped her hands together. "You can attend with Walter."

  Bree shot Walter a look. He was beaming stupidly at her.

  "No!" Bree said, a little too loudly. Walter's brow furrowed and her mother scowled, which made her look like an octopus. "I mean," Bree gulped. She didn't want to go with anyone, let alone the idiot sitting across from her. "I already have a date."

  Bree's mother raised her eyebrows, clearly disbelieving her daughter’s claim. "Who?" she demanded.

  "Jakob Moore." Bree regretted it as soon as she said it. Everyone around the table laughed.

  "What?" Bree asked, feeling the heat rise in her chest. "Don't you believe I could get a date?"

  "Of course," Bree's mother said, "but Jakob Moore?"

  "What?" Bree asked again, feeling like the butt of a joke. "Who is Jakob Moore?" That was a great question. One Bree hoped to answer on their date tomorrow.

  "Only one of the richest men in the world," her mother said, looking at Bree with pity.

  Walter handed Bree his cellphone. A picture of Jakob blazed across a website, the caption above it read: WORLD’S TOP TEN RICHEST ELIGIBLE BACHELORS. Number one was Jakob Moore. She quickly scanned the article and learned that Jakob was not only one of the riches bachelors in the world, but also one of the top ten richest men. Period. It showed a picture of Jakob with a very stern, almost scary looking man standing next to him. She wondered if the man was one the brothers Jakob had spoken of.

  "It's a different Jakob Moore," Bree said, handing the phone back to Walter.

  ***

  Monday at work was rough. Bree couldn't believe her dumb, stupid luck. Of all the guys to fall for, why did it have to be one of the richest men in the world?

  It's just a crush. It will pass. But she wasn't sure she believed her inner voice this time.

  She spent the day at work trying to listen to her clients, but gave up halfway through the day. They were all rehashing the same stuff anyways. He cheated. She cheated. They cheated. It was a great big circle.

  At the end of the day Bree rushed home. She was actually eager for the promise of a perfect date with Jakob. She hoped it was a picnic in the park where he'd first kissed her the other night. Or maybe watching old movies at his house and eating popcorn from the same bowl, so their fingers could touch every time they went for more.

  When Jakob finally knocked on her door, she was dressed in dark blue jeans and a green blouse that hung low on her chest and made her eyes sparkle.

  Jakob's jaw dropped open when he saw her. "You look beautiful," he said, and handed her a large box with a giant bow wrapped around it.

  "A present?" she asked, excited.

  "Something for tonight." Jakob flashed his perfectly straight, gleaming white teeth in a confident and easy smile, certain he'd gotten things right this time. "Open it."

  Bree ripped the box open and her face fell. The dress inside was beautiful, sequined, glittering like diamonds, a Christian Dior, worth at the very least, five thousand dollars.

  "I thought we were keeping it casual tonight," Bree choked out, trying not to sound as upset as she felt.

  "Yes. But we still need to eat. Would you rather we go to McDonald's?"

  "No, but there's a wide range between McDonald's and Christian Dior dresses!"

  "You're upset." Jakob was floored.

  "Damn right I am. You just don't get it. I... this isn't me." She pushed the dress back towards Jakob. His eyes shimmered with astonishment in the glow of the early evening.

  "Well I don't know how I'm supposed to please you if you insist on behaving like a crazy person. Most women would kill for a dress like this."

  "I'm not most women." They stood in Bree's hallway, glaring at each other. Bree couldn’t believe his arrogance. "Why would you bring me this after the other night?" she demanded.

  "I… I thought that you felt out of place the other night."

  Bree narrowed her eyes. "I did."

  "Well, if you had a dress that was even finer than what the other women, none of whom were even half as beautiful as you, were wearing, that you'd feel more comfortable. You deserve the very best, Bree. I don't know why you won't allow me give it to you. I don’t understand."

  Bree couldn't stop her lips from turning up in a soft smile. No, Jakob didn't understand, but it wasn’t fair to fault him for his ignorance. His intentions were actually sweet in their own way. She couldn't help but be flattered.

  Jakob watched her face. Even when he was angry and frustrated with her, his mate was still the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen. He relented. "Why don't you tell me where would you like to go tonight?"

  Chapter 8

  They sat on a bench, packed in like sardines, while the home team hit a baseball into the stands and the crowd roared. Bree stuffed a hot dog into her mouth while Jakob cringed as the man next to him sloshed beer on his Italian leather shoes.

  "Would you try to relax?" Bree said.

  Jakob sighed. There was no winning with this woman. He gave her Dior, and she wanted hot dogs. He laughed to himself. Of all the females for the fates to pair him with, why a woman so different from himself? Because she challenges you in a way no one else does.

  His breath caught in his chest. My god, that was true. In his day to day life, he was surrounded by ‘yes’ men. Even his pride, who he relied on for everything, dared not contradict him. Bree challenged him on everything. She completed a part of his life he hadn't, until now, realized he was missing.

  "I love you," he said.

  "What?" she screamed against the sudden roar of the crowd.

  "I LOVE YOU!"

  Bree's jaw dropped. Love? That couldn't be true. They'd just met. They were wrong for each other in every way. The guys behind them snickered. An older woman to Bree's right shoved her hard. Bree looked at her.

  "What are ya? Simple or something? Go on and kiss him, honey," the woman said.

  Bree laughed, she couldn't help it. This whole thing with Jakob made no sense, but she thought, no she knew, that she was pretty enamored with him too. She leaned towards Jakob and did as the woman suggested.

  When her lips landed on his, the world felt right, and all the passion that burned within her, the passion that she had up until now buried deeply within, rose to the surface. She suddenly could not imagine being without this man. Not now, not in a thousand years. She wrapped her arms around him and somewhere a flash went off.

  ***

  The game turned out to be fun. Bree loved baseball, and Jakob, once he relaxed, enjoyed himself too. Bree was right. Not everything they did had to cost a lot of money. He smiled at her across the table in the late-night restaurant she'd insisted upon, picked up his beer mug, and threw another peanut shell on the floor.

  "Where'd you ever find this place?" he asked.

  She laughed. "It's a pretty popular restaurant. You know, for us low-class folk."

  Jakob’s eyes burned into her. "There is nothing low-class about you, Bree."

  He was always so intense, Bree found her cheeks flushing and wasn't even quite sure why. "I love you," he said again. The look on his face left no room to dou
bt his words.

  She smiled. She felt the same intensity, but was it… love? "I... I…"

  He leaned across the table and kissed her. The electric surge between them felt like a physical hammering in Bree's chest. He took her hand in his and held it tightly. His hands, so large, swallowed hers up. "Marry me."

  Bree almost spit out her beer. "What?"

  "You heard me," he said. His eyes were incandescent in the low light of the restaurant. Peanuts crunched under feet as people moved around. Bree stared at Jakob, searching his face to see if he was joking. His skin began to glow like a firefly. His eyes burned. She looked around to see if anyone else had noticed.

  "Jakob... you're glowing."

  His eyes immediately darkened. It was like he'd flicked off some internal light switch. "Sometimes I have a hard time controlling myself around you," he said.

  "What's going on?" she asked. "That wasn't just a trick of the light. You really were glowing."

  He smiled a crooked smile and cocked his head. "You're right." Bree waited, but he just kept smiling. "You haven't answered my question," he said.

  "You haven't answered mine," she replied. Bree felt her nerves jump. Jakob wasn't going to let this go. But marry him? She couldn't... could she?

  "I... don't know. I need to think." It sounded kind of lame, but she didn't have anything better.

  "What is there to think about? You're mine. Don't you feel it?"

  Her pulse throbbed in her chest. "Yes."

  "Then what is it?"

  "I just... A thousand things," she spat out, exasperated. "I don't believe in marriage. There's no such thing as happily ever after. We only just met. How can you be so certain?" Bree heard the words that she was emitting, and they made sense, they really did but her heart, she knew, was captured.

  His eyes were hypnotizing and Bree wondered if they would start to glow again. "Are you ready to go?" he asked.

  "Won't you tell me what's going on with you?"

  "Yes, but not here."

  Jakob paid their bill and they took a cab to the park where they'd first kissed. The night that had started off all wrong, had ended so right. They were back at the very place Bree now loved most, because it would forever remind her of Jakob.