He scowled. I knew from experience that the easiest way to wind up a Bow Mar was to not take him seriously.
“I’ve come to talk to you. No threats, just a friendly chat,” he replied, his voice smarmy. I wanted to kick his ass just for deigning to plant his loafers anywhere near my home, but I internally wrestled with my bear. I was setting new standards, not stooping to their level – my bear just didn’t know that yet.
“A friendly chat? What are we, geriatrics playing chess in the park? No thanks man,” I held the trash bags aloft, “I’m busy cleaning house.”
“I’ve got a proposition for you,” he disregarded my sarcasm, “One that I think you’ll find interesting.”
I ignored him, and continued to dump my trash as loudly and obnoxiously as I could. Yeah, I was behaving like a child, but as a fight wasn’t in the cards, then it was the closest I was gonna get to riling the asshole.
“It’s no secret that you hate being a shifter.”
I froze momentarily. When I turned to him, I saw the gleam in his eyes. He’d caught my attention and he knew it.
“Oh, really? What makes you say that?”
“Look at you, no job, no education, no life. Compared to your brother, you’re worthless. Everyone knows it’s because of your bear.”
I closed my eyes, focusing on my breathing. It was taking every ounce of control I had not to rip this fuckwad’s head clean off.
“That’s sweet of you to say,” I retorted through a clenched jaw, “Wanna get to the point, before shit starts getting ugly?”
“We have an antidote.”
“Huh?”
“An antidote. For shifters.” He clarified, sounding more and more pleased with himself by the second.
He had my attention now. My eyes narrowed, “How does it work?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “It’s like you’re reborn. No more bear inside of you, it kills the bear off and leaves just a regular guy. No more violent urges or fighting against your instinct. Normal, like everybody else.”
It was music to my ears. Of course, I had my suspicions. The Bow Mar clan couldn’t be trusted for one. And, for two, I’d never heard about an antidote before. Not a word, and I’d spent quite a few years traveling from Shaman to spiritual healers to gypsy mystics to get rid of, or at least gain control of, my damn bear.
“The price?”
“Your brother.”
I rolled my eyes. The Bow Mars and I had run-ins regularly, but it was always Nathan they wanted. Besides being the clan alpha, he was the wealthiest man in Denver. With Nathan out of commission, his empire would crumble and the city would more or less fall into their hands.
“Be more specific. What exactly, do you want?” I sighed, tired of this stand-off. I wanted to go back inside.
“Just your brother, delivered alone to a location of our choosing, without the rest of your clan. That’s all. And then the antidote is yours.”
I’d be lying if I said the offer wasn’t attractive. It was. Especially when it came to Brianna. Damn, without the beast inside, I could actually be a better man for her, hold down a job, make some money, wine and dine her. Be the kind of man she deserved.
Not at the expense of my brother, of course. As much as he was a massive pain in the ass, I’d never betray my kin. Besides, I owed Nathan. Big time.
“No deal. You really don’t get the concept of a clan, do you?”
“Whatever,” the shifter growled back, “Your loss.”
I was gaining the upper hand once again, and I liked it. I decided to rub salt into an old wound.
“How is Kurt doing, by the way? Pretty sure I saw him in the bear sanctuary this afternoon…did he hurt his wittle paw?” I snickered. The shifter looked furious, his face turned a hideous shade of puce. It made me laugh all the more.
“You’re a dead man, Byron.” He retorted.
“Yeah, yeah, doctor’s been saying that for years.”
I shrugged and hopped up on the porch. When I turned back around, the asshole was gone. I went inside to finish cleaning up, trying to block out thoughts of an antidote and the possibilities it held for a new life.
6
I’m so glad you agreed to this,” Chloe beamed at me from her reflection in the mirror. I was studiously applying eyeliner in catlike flicks above my lids, focusing on not smudging and trying to stem my nerves at the same time. I wasn’t finding either task particularly easy.
“Mmm,” I agreed non-committally, “We’ll wait and see.”
“He’s a good guy, Brianna, I promise you that.”
I believed that she thought that, but it didn’t mean it was entirely true. Still, I would try to give him the benefit of the doubt, and not judge based unrelated events from on my past.
“Is this about Derek?” Chloe asked.
And there it was. My past. The guy who I’d dated for two years, who had treated me like crap before I finally mustered the courage to stand up for myself and leave him. Six months after we broke up, I found out that he’d been sleeping with another woman the entire time we’d been together. I’d thought he’d been flying back and forth between Denver and L.A. on company business, and he had been. He also had a complete second life in L.A. with a girlfriend who hadn’t known about me either.
“I think so,” I sighed. “It’s a bit difficult to bounce back from that, especially when it comes to guys like Byron. They just seem to spell danger and heartbreak.”
“Derek was psychotic,” Chloe replied sternly, “I promise, Byron isn’t like that. I’d know. Nathan would know, and never let his brother anywhere near one of my friends.”
“I believe you, logically. I just see the buff body, the sinfully good looks and think he’s going to break my heart.”
Chloe laughed, “I could say the same thing about Nathan, but you’ve just got to trust that everything’s going to work itself out. Try and let go a bit, tonight especially.”
“Okay,” I smiled at her in the mirror, “Find me something amazing to wear and I promise, I’ll try to relax.”
“Deal.”
Chloe fished through my wardrobe while I applied my make-up. Just when I was adding the finishing touches of a light bronzer, Chloe appeared behind me with a few of my prettiest summer dresses.
“I vote the Grecian-type yellow one, with your strappy sandals.” Chloe stated, holding it up toward me.
She was probably right. It was my newest purchase and I hadn’t worn it yet. I just wondered if it was over doing it a little. I shared my concerns with Chloe, who just laughed.
“Absolutely not. We’re going to a fancy restaurant and it will make you feel more confident. Plus, Byron won’t be able to stop staring at you.”
I rolled my eyes at her and slipped it on. It did look amazing, pretty revealing around the cleavage area, though. Not normally a look I went for.
“Yes,” Chloe declared when I stepped out of the bathroom, “That’s the one.”
“Not too much?” I questioned for the final time.
“Not at all.” She confirmed.
There was nothing left to do but hail a cab and head to the restaurant. For the first time in my life, I wanted a pre-dinner drink to quell my nerves, but I knew that would be a stupid thing to do. I was a total lightweight when it came to alcohol, and the last thing I wanted to do was embarrass myself silly by getting overly tipsy.
“Ready?” Chloe asked.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
As the hostess escorted us to the table, both men were waiting for us and rose as we approached.
My heart almost stopped when I laid eyes on Byron. He wore a black suit, his top shirt button undone. His hair was tousled as usual, and his jawline sported a dark stubble that worked to give him a classy but casual and unbelievably sexy look. I wasn’t the only one who thought so. The hostess couldn’t take her eyes off of him either.
He greeted me with a devilish smile, and tingles ran up and down my spine. I felt a hot flush consume me.
“Hey,” I g
reeted, smiling shyly.
“You look breathtaking,” he murmured in my ear, as he leaned down and kissed me softly on the cheek. And just like that, we were encased in our own private bubble, just the two of us, the restaurant and the rest of the world melting away
He pulled out my chair for me, and I was glad to sit. I was feeling lightheaded and woozy, literally stunned by the effect my date had on me.
I managed to smile at Nathan in greeting, but he only had eyes for Chloe anyway and didn’t seem to mind that I could barely muster up a ‘hello’ for him.
Chloe immediately engaged Nathan, purposefully drawing him into a conversation which would allow Byron and I some privacy.
I met his eerily bright blue gaze. “How’s your small talk?” He questioned with a smirk.
“Not great,” I admitted, “Yours?”
“Passable. But with you, I’d rather skip the small talk. Tell me how you got that scar.”
He lightly grazed a mark on my neck, a barely perceptible nick that I hadn’t even noticed myself in years.
“You’re astute.” I remarked, impressed.
“I want to know everything about you.”
I smiled shyly, “It was caused by a someone’s home-made Frisbee when I was really young. The edges were sharp and it cut me. Blood everywhere, a total mess.”
He nodded, leaning into get a better look at my scar. I could feel his warm breath tickling my skin, sending ripples of pleasure running through me.
“What was young Brianna like?” He asked.
“Quiet. Studious. Liked comics, hated sport, loved slasher movies.”
He threw his head back and laughed, “You too, huh? Name your favorites.”
“I’d have to name some of the classics: Friday the Thirteenth, Nightmare on Elm Street…oh, and definitely Halloween,” I replied in delight.
“I wouldn’t have pegged you for a slasher movie fan,” he looked at me quizzically.
I shrugged, “They’re fun. I remember watching them with my older sister when she babysat me. We would practically make ourselves sick O.D.ing on junk food and sugar. Good old days.”
His eyes sparkled with amusement. I couldn’t really believe that he was taking such an interest in my boring suburban upbringing, and I wondered what it had been like growing up in the shadow of a brother like Nathan. I doubted that Nathan ever hung out watching movies and drowning in candy and chips.
“You too, huh? Who did you watch slasher movies with?” I asked him.
“Myself. Nathan wasn’t really into them. I stayed up late at night and scared myself silly.”
“Well, if you ever feel like a Halloween marathon, you know who to come to,” I replied without thinking. Woah. Had I just asked Byron out on another date?
“I’ll take you up on that.”
Clearly, I had.
The waiter came to take our orders. I barely glanced at the menu, ordering haphazardly, not really caring what I ate.
After the waiter left, a silence fell between Byron and me. It wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, but it made me hyper aware of his nearness. Every so often, our legs would brush under the table, and each time I felt the soft fabric of his suit against my leg, my stomach twisted and unfurled with lust.
“What do you do for a living, Byron?” I asked, strangely hesitantly. It felt rude that I hadn’t asked him that before.
“I’m a musician,” he replied, “Not a very successful one.”
I couldn’t understand why. Unless he was terrible, of course. But his drop-dead good looks must have sent female fans’ hearts fluttering.
“What makes you say that?”
“I only do session playing now,” he shrugged, “I couldn’t really hack being on stage.”
I looked down at his hands. They were faintly calloused, capable looking. But the fingers were elegant and dexterous. I imagined them wrapped around the fret board of a guitar, manipulating the strings. I drew my legs tighter together, trying to quell the hot tingling sensation at the apex of my thighs.
“What kind of music do you play?” I asked, curious to why he wasn’t more forthcoming. I’d met a few musicians in my life, and most of them wouldn’t shut up once you got them going on the subject.
“A bit of everything, rock, indie…don’t tell Nathan,” he smirked, “but I’m still a huge country fan. Our dad turned us on to it and Nathan is as anti-country as you can get.”
I tried to hide my exuberance. Country music was my own personal favorite. It was quickly appearing as though Byron and I had more in common than I’d originally thought.
“Brianna.”
Someone spoke my name, and I turned to see Derek standing next to our table, with a huge grin on his face.
“Err… Derek,” I replied, wondering why he had approached. The last time I’d seen him was when I was throwing his clothes out of our third floor apartment.
“Bri, you look amazing.”
He leaned forward and enveloped me in a hug. It lingered too long, and I started to feel faintly nauseous at the smell of his aftershave.
“Thanks,” I replied, doing my best to untangle myself from his embrace.
“I mean seriously amazing.” He clasped my face in his hands. “Like a cool glass of water for a dehydrated man in the desert.”
He was drunk. I was sure of it. His eyes weren’t really focusing right, and he seemed completely oblivious to the rest of the table.
“Take your hands off of my date.” The voice was a low growl, and everyone turned, stunned, in the direction of Byron.
7
Take it easy, Byron.”
I heard Nathan try to calm me, but my bear would have none of it. Both the beast and I were on the same side for once, completely fixated on the smug prick who was grinning like a fucking drunk-ass moron and practically slobbering over my mate.
I stood up, dwarfing the man. Normally that was enough to let most men know they should be on their guard. To let them know that they should get the hell out of whatever situation they were in that had pissed me off. Before my bear had time to rise to the surface.
“Who the hell are you?” He squinted at me, mean, beady eyes glaring into mine.
“Not your business. Back. Off.”
My bear was trying to fight its way out, but I was able to keep my voice calm, icy. Trying to keep the man in charge and not the animal. But the bear’s instinctual need to protect our mate was crazy strong and threatened to take over. My bear wanted to rip to shreds this asshole in front of me that was making my woman uncomfortable.
The scent Brianna had been giving off as we talked had been warm, sensual, and lust-filled. Now it had turned bitter and acrid. I could sense waves of unease rolling off of her. Unacceptable.
“Byron, just leave it,” Brianna murmured, “It’s okay.”
Like hell it was.
“Bree-zee,” the man cooed, “Why don’t you and I get out of here, catch up?”
He placed a thick, meaty hand on Brianna’s shoulder, his fingers diving toward the open neck of her dress. I could sense the shiver of revulsion she felt at his touch.
“Last warning,” I replied, my voice clipped.
Brianna tried to remove his hand, “Please go, Derek. I don’t want you here.”
He clasped it tighter, digging into her creamy skin. That was it. I’d had enough.
“Byron,” Nathan warned me again.
Too late, brother. I slammed my fist into Derek’s jaw, knocking him backwards with one clean punch. I heard the crack of bone, and watched as he comically lurched through the air, suspended for a moment with a look of complete shock and disbelief.
He landed on the restaurant floor with a thud. The silence from the other diners was deafening.
Seeing the man crumpled on the floor allowed my bear to sit back and rest easy. But I could still feel him, pacing below the surface as my adrenaline still wavered and angry blood still pumped through me.
Sanity partly returned and I looked down at Bria
nna, hardly able to meet her gaze. When I did, I didn’t see the anger I was expecting. Far worse, she wore a look of disappointment and confusion.
I hated myself in that moment. Utterly and completely. Nathan opened his mouth to say something, but I held my hand up for silence.
“Leave it. I know,” I growled.
Chloe reached out for Brianna’s hand, checking to see that she was okay. Unspoken words passed between them, and Chloe glared up at me as though she’d prefer to see my body slumped on the restaurant floor instead of that dickhead’s.
We were guests of Nathan Varga, Denver billionaire and all round ‘good guy,’ so the staff came rushing over, but said nothing to us. They just dragged Derek off into the back kitchen. He was muttering and moaning, but thankfully it didn’t look like any real harm had been done. I don’t think Nathan would have appreciated shelling out more bail money.
“Brianna, I’m… I’m sorry.”
“What were you thinking?” She hissed.
The answer was that I wasn’t thinking. The beast had been running the show. He’d been trying to defend his mate. How could I explain that? I paused for too long, and she rose from her chair.
“You know what? Don’t even bother. I’m not interested in hearing it anyway.”
She dragged her purse off the back of the chair, and before I could do anything to stop her in my stupefied state, she was through the restaurant and out the front door.
It took only a split second to pull myself together, and I went after her.
“Byron, leave it!” I heard Chloe shout after me, but it was too late. I was gone.
Bursting through the front doors, I glanced wildly up and down the sidewalk. I didn’t see any sign of Brianna, but she couldn’t have disappeared so quickly.
I sniffed the air. She’d turned left, but as I walked that way the scent suddenly vanished. I looked around, and saw a small alley running down the side of the restaurant.
Among the almost overpowering smells of rotting trash, I scented the sweetness of her skin and the light floral perfume she’d been wearing.
“Brianna?” I called out. I didn’t get a reply.
Byron_Heartbreaker Bear Page 3
