by Anya Nowlan
Exhausted and annoyed, Tiana stopped for a second, taking a deep breath. Yes, her bakery was doing well, so well that she could hire people to help out and share the wealth. But that seemed like a wasted effort if those people didn’t want the job and just kept adding to Tiana’s responsibilities. She loved her little family of employees, but sometimes she really wanted to wring their necks.
Especially when it was two a.m. and she was there making five hundred cookies from a recipe that Layla had only half-assed when writing it down.
“Lord, give me strength,” Tiana said softly, plunging into the dough again while mentally recounting every step she took to be sure she hadn’t missed anything.
It was then that her evening was slated to get even darker. Suddenly, she heard a loud crash in the front of the bakery and then movement. She froze for a moment, knowing that from the front, no one could see that there might still be someone in the kitchen. Glaring, Tiana stood up and very quietly sneaked toward the door.
In the corner behind it sat a big baseball bat, Old Louie, which Tiana kept for just such occasions. The lively little shop wasn’t situated in the worst part of town, but it was on the cusp of it, and sometimes the visitors who found their way to her bakery weren’t exactly the kind she wanted around. Especially the kind who liked to visit her after hours. Gripping Old Louie, coating it generously with flour in the process, Tiana grabbed hold of the doorknob and pulled quickly, running in with the bat held high.
“Get the hell out of my store you damn bastards!” she screeched, seeing two men busily putting away loaves of bread and pastries and trying to get into the till.
She emptied it every night after closing, but those poor saps certainly didn’t know it. Conking one over the neck and upper back, Tiana raised the bat again with a mighty hiss.
“Jesus fuck, lady!” one of them grumbled, grabbing the bag of bread and backing out toward the door. “Keep your fucking cool!” he yelled, his beady eyes flicking right and left behind his improvised black ski mask.
“Keep out of my damn store then! Get a job, you bum!”
Who wore a mask to steal from a bakery, anyway?
The other guy wasn’t so fast, possibly because Tiana had already gotten a good knock in. She smacked him over the head again and he slipped, half-running-half-crawling toward the door. Tiana whacked him on the ass for good measure before he got to the door, surrounded by glass shards from the big pane window they’d broken to get in, and snatched the bag of treats out of his hand before he could vanish into the darkness.
“And stay out, you louts!” she roared, swinging her bat at the two men, running at breakneck speeds down the street with their one bag of stolen baked goods.
When they got out of sight, Tiana sighed, dropping to her haunches in front of the bakery. She propped her chin on Old Louie and looked at the shattered window, now reading only “...own Tea Shop” in golden-tinted letters. It wasn’t the first time this had happened; it was already the third time when she’d been present during the robbery, and at least the fifth time altogether. It wasn’t that she was being targeted or anything, but simply that she had a nice, clean establishment with possible food and money. Some people didn’t need much to result to violence and thievery.
At least they didn’t have a gun this time, Tiana thought morosely, remembering the one time when her being there at the time of the break-in had almost ended tragically for her.
One of the thieves had pulled a gun on her and told her to get down on her knees while his buddies emptied the kitchen of all of her valuable professional cookware and got the week’s earnings from the safe in the backroom. She’d found that unlike in the movies, when you had a gun to your temple, you really didn’t feel like being a hero.
A few seconds later, she heard her cellphone ring in the kitchen. With a groan, she got up and wiped her hands into her apron, strolling back inside. Keeping Louie with her, she grabbed the phone and answered.
“Yes, thank you. I’m all right. There was a break-in but I scared them off. No need to come down here,” she replied to the pleasant female voice asking whether she needed assistance. “You can tell the patrol to turn back.”
After the second burglary, Tiana had gone out of her way to get a good silent alarm system that would keep her livelihood safe. Unfortunately, that still didn’t save her from the smash-and-grab crowd who got a yearning for challah bread in the middle of the night and figured that the best way to get it would be with a brick and determination.
Laying the bat next to the forgotten cookie dough, Tiana strolled deeper into the kitchen and toward one of the smaller refrigerators. She was dialing a number on her phone at the same time and by the time she got to the fridge, she had the phone shoved between her shoulder and her ear.
“Hey, Bobby! Sorry to wake you. Yes, another one of those nights. Could you get here as soon as possible? The whole front window needs replacing.” She snaked a bottle of white wine out of the back of the fridge, hidden behind piles of baker’s chocolate and cans of fruit. “Yes, again,” Tiana chuckled sadly, snatching a bottle opener and a big wine glass on her way back to the central table.
Bobby promised to show up in an hour or two, as Tiana knew he would. It was becoming a bit of a habit. At least once every few months, this sort of nonsense would happen. Someone would break in, or tag the bakery, or a new hire would steal, or her workers wouldn’t show up when they were supposed to. Her mama had taught her to be strong, but Tiana had to admit she was teetering on her last nerve and wine just wasn’t cutting it anymore to make her think happy, sugary thoughts.
The glass could fit almost the entire bottle, so almost the entire bottle got poured into it. She needed it that night. Even when the window got fixed, she still knew that she would be stuck there for the whole night, finishing up orders. A little moment of self-deprecating sorrow was allowed between all of that, right?
Flipping through her phone, she came to the open SassyDate app. Tiana scrunched her nose, realizing that she’d left it open a few days ago and had never gotten back to it. She didn’t even know why she had it. Not like she had the time or the energy to go out on a date. And even if she did, who would she see? While SassyDate was definitely meant for both humans and shifters, most of the men on it were shifters for obvious reasons.
Not every woman on the planet wanted a big, burly man to call their own, and the human men who used online apps probably didn’t want to be compared to a werebear or a lion, so that left the majority of the users on the app as shifter guys and human women. But the kind of shifters who lived within driving distance from Tiana were often not the kind of men she would ever consider seeing. They were either sowing their wild oats, taking time away from their responsibilities, or they were just plain too much for her.
No, Tiana Rossum had pretty much given up on finding a man who could handle her, shifter or human. If it wasn’t her business that drove them away, then it was the fact that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself and that she was a proud, confident woman of color in a town that still sometimes looked weirdly at women like her.
I could really use a hug right now though, she thought glumly, sipping on the wine and mentally cursing herself for the tough-chick persona she’d created for herself.
She was about to close the app when one profile caught her attention. Pursing her lips, she took in the image of his rugged chin and the proud, calm way his gray eyes seemed to bore into hers even from a simple picture. What she found on his profile surprised her all the more, though.
“Practically minded firefighter werebear looking for an equally sensible woman to share his short-term future with. Arrangement is of a delicate nature, regarding a homestead, and requires a woman who understands the concepts of working hard and keeping to herself when need be. Romance strictly not required. Will provide room, board, and protection in Idaho in return for kept confidence.”
Tiana snorted, reading that. Yet, instead of deleting it from her feed outri
ght, she saved the ad in her favorites and scrolled through his images some more while sipping her wine. He was devilishly handsome though, she had to admit that. Smirking slightly, she imagined the kind of man he had to be to write so… coldly about something so sensitive as love.
They seemed to share the same mindset about it. Love, psh! It was nothing more than business anyway, providing goods and services in return for payment. It was just that the goods and services were emotional and physical support. Both of which she could have used badly at the moment.
You did always want to open up a new branch… she thought idly, letting the wine do its work.
Yup, it was one of those days.
CHAPTER THREE
Tiana
This guy better not be yanking my chain, Tiana thought to herself glumly, driving through the winding Idaho roads like she’d been born as a rally driver in another life.
She was used to making her way through teeny tiny back alley streets in Dallas while making delivery runs in a huge truck. Navigating these nearly lifeless and perfectly serene roads in the truck she rented was no trouble whatsoever.
Having passed through Shifter Grove, she’d already decided that she liked the place. Now only the small inconvenience of meeting her new “beau” remained. In a fit of wine-induced silliness—the only thing she could blame it on other than the very real possibility that maybe she needed a bit of a break—she’d gotten in touch with Royce Hamilton and found him as sensible and grounded as he was mouthwateringly hot.
It wasn’t her ideal combination in a would-be fake suitor, as she would have preferred to think of him as just mildly okay instead of completely fuckable, but it would do. It slightly troubled her that their conversations over the phone had gone from matter-of-fact discussions about possible preparations and how things would work, to laughing about their favorite movies and bitching and moaning about their old lives. They might have even dreamed a little bit about their “new” lives.
Tiana shook her head with a sigh, shooing those thoughts away. She checked her phone quickly as she took the fork in the road that Royce had described, only to discover that there really wasn’t a lot of cell reception available in bumfuck Idaho.
I hope Kaylee manages on her own. If she doesn’t, I’ll take the first flight back from here!
Kaylee was the baker-turned-entrepreneur Tiana had met during a trade fair and who she’d hired to take over Tiana’s Downtown Tea Shop in Dallas for the extent of her stay in Idaho. She hadn’t specified how long she would be away, but in her mind, she was going to stay for a few months to recharge her batteries and get back to her roots and then go back to Dallas.
Tiana drove up to the farmstead and parked her dated blue Ford Ranger next to the hulking Chevy in the yard and jumped out of the truck. She was impressed by the scene unfurling before her. The grounds were beyond gorgeous and she completely understood why Royce had sounded so excited when he talked about it. The buildings needed some paint and tender loving care, but with a bit of elbow grease and plenty of enthusiasm, Tiana could see the place transformed to a true beauty.
Still in awe, she walked toward the sounds coming from what seemed to be the barn, the distinct noise of a chainsaw cutting through wood catching her attention. She stopped at the doors, flung wide open, and the sight before her was even better than the majestic ranch she found herself in. Usually having no problems with voicing her opinions and speaking her mind, Tiana found herself thoroughly silenced by who she could only guess to be Royce Hamilton, her new fake husband-to-be.
He was clad only in a pair of jeans and work boots, safety goggles digging into his nose and the strap splitting his dark, short hair, slick with sweat. Beads of perspiration rolled down his wide, muscular back, the kind that seemed to be made from a collection of curves and ridges and invited to be felt and kneaded. Subtly, Tiana found her hand rolling into a fist and then releasing again, a nervous tick she couldn’t control.
Holy hell... they don’t make bears like that in Dallas!
She must have been staring at him for a good minute or so before Royce turned off the chainsaw, apparently pleased with the long beams he had been cutting to size. He stood up, setting the saw on top of the cut wood, and stretched, giving Tiana the best view in the house to really get a feel for that perfectly molded back of his. Muscle after muscle, she could read them like a map of his anatomy. Clearly a man who worked with his whole body, not just his hands… though those forearms of his could curl around her body any time he wanted.
Stop it!
Royce turned around and took off the safety glasses, grinning warmly. She didn’t miss the way his eyes rolled down the length of her body, her light, milk chocolate skin looking radiant against the sapphire blue top and casual blue jeans she’d chosen. Her hair was tucked back in a braid and she’d gone minimal with the makeup, reminding herself that she was not trying to impress this man. Not one bit. This was a business deal, nothing more.
But upon seeing him, she desperately wished she’d put on her sexiest dress and showed up in high heels to show off her legs.
“Tiana?” he asked, grinning that smile of his that made her knees buckle. “How long have you been standing there?”
He strode toward her, long, powerful strides eating up the ground, until he stood right in front of her. Words caught in her throat and for a brief moment, she considered choking on them entirely. But years of dealing with every manner of awkward situation, both business and pleasure, got the better of her and she could only force out a faint smile and a shake of her head.
“Oh, I just got here! Didn’t want to disturb your work,” she fibbed.
“Mm-hmm,” he huffed, smirking, a look in his mysterious dark gray eyes telling her he didn’t believe her one bit. “In any case, welcome to Hamilton House,” he said, taking her hand in his and shaking it firmly. “I’m sure we’ll have decades of joy here, future Mrs. Hamilton.”
The wink he gave her when he released her hand and guided her to turn around and walk toward the house made her mind skip at least a few beats and skid right along without protest. Oh God, his voice. And his body! His back had been a work of fiction, but his chest and abs were pure science fiction, no doubt about it. She could grate cheese off of those things, and she bet that if she put her hand on his chest, he’d feel firm, yet just soft enough to lay her head on and fall asleep soundly.
To say that she got wet in a second would have been a vast understatement of the amount of time it took. A scarlet blush soundly set on her cheeks, she tagged along, intimately aware that Royce kept his hand on the small of her back as he walked her around the grounds. Her hand still tingled where he had touched her and lightning bolts of excitement scooted through her as if she was a girl on her very first date.
And his smell! Oh, don’t get me started.
“You’re awfully quiet, Tiana. Something not to your liking?” Royce asked when they got to the main stairs that led into the big house.
That shook her out of her stupor. “Oh, no, sorry! It’s just… everything’s so much better than I thought it would be!”
And she wasn’t even lying when she said that. When she and Royce had gotten to talking, she’d thought she’d be coming to help some attractive, but a bit too romantic guy get back his old family home while snagging a vacation out of it on her way. Tiana had always loved nature and adored being with her thoughts and not much else when stress ran her over and wouldn’t let her get up. So it had seemed like the ideal arrangement.
She had to show up long enough so they could get married in Idaho—part of some inheritance requirements—but after that she was free to go. At the end of the deal, he’d fund the startup costs of another bakery in Dallas and they’d both go on their way, thoroughly satisfied.
He’d made it very clear that physical affection was not required and this was one marriage that was definitely not going to get consummated. But damn, now with him standing so close that she could feel his skin with every pore of her
body, she was starting to regret that point in their verbal agreement. Never had she thought that she’d regret her marriage of convenience for a reason like that.
Of course, thinking about it made her sort of cringe that she’d ever thought it had been a good idea to begin with.
Royce seemed to be on the same page with her, though she wasn’t entirely sure which page she had landed on at this point. He grinned, nodding mildly.
“It is gorgeous land,” he said.
The way he looked into her eyes made her wonder if that statement had been entirely about the house and the land they were standing on, or something else.
“Come on, I’ll show you the inside,” he said, taking her hand and leading her up the stairs.
She followed like an obedient puppy dog, smiling in a silly way because he was holding her hand. It felt so right she could have screamed. And it meant she had a moment to examine the breathtaking curve of his triceps and shoulder, rolling into a strong, lickable chest.
You’re in so much trouble, Tiana.
CHAPTER FOUR
Royce
Shit. Shit, shit, shit, he thought, even though his mouth kept on talking and his legs kept on walking.
Distantly, he noted that he was still making small talk about Tiana’s trip to Idaho and how she’d enjoyed Shifter Grove and which room she’d be sleeping in—the one across from his. But all his conscious effort was directed at keeping his bear hidden underneath and his dick in his pants, in more ways than one.
“It’s a bit basic, but we can pick you up whatever you need at the store in Shifter Grove. Pearl’s been a gem about getting me everything I’ve needed,” he said, chuckling at his own pun about the town’s only dragon’s wife.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
She smiled slightly and he felt a surge of pride that he’d made her feel good. Yes, it felt ridiculous to him as well, but suddenly making her happy seemed like the most important thing he could do. His bear was thoroughly in agreement, though his take on the whole mess was that Tiana should be bent over the next flat surface and fucked into happy, moaning acceptance of the fact that their arrangement had to be changed.
