by T. S. Joyce
“Because we weren’t playing by his rules.”
“Which were?”
“Do everything he says, no matter what. He was blackmailing us with exposure to the human public if we didn’t do these black ops missions for him. I killed… Fuck, you should know what you’re in this with. I killed people.”
“You were at war. I know you did two tours.”
“Yeah, there, but here, too. Krueger told us we were keeping terrorist threats under control, but it turned out he was just having us kill other shifters who weren’t useful to him anymore. When we found out, we balked, and he tried to end us. He even had…well, you heard it in the meeting at town hall. He had trackers in Gage’s cubs, too, but we didn’t have any idea they were kill switches. He kidnapped Rory and called us with her location. We knew we were walking into a trap, but if that was our last stand, we were going to do it together, me and Dade and Cody. We left Gage with Ma and the cubs in case we couldn’t get out of there, and he had strict instructions to take the crew underground if things went south. We barely made it out of there, and only because my half-brother, Bruiser, showed up.”
“You have a half-brother? Was he the dark-headed man at the back of the room in town hall? He had strange colored eyes, like yours.”
“Yeah. Bruiser was part of Dad’s hidden family. I told you my dad was a lying asshole? He had this entire secret life while I was growing up. He’d convinced everyone he’d bonded to Ma, but he hadn’t. If he was bonded to her like he said he was, he wouldn’t have been able to go behind her back and breed someone else. His mistress died having Bruiser, but Dad hired a nanny for him and raised him not thirty miles from here. Bruiser came to us right after Dad died, and it broke Ma. Just shredded her, and I hated my dad for what he’d done to her.” Boone shook his head as he clenched his teeth so hard his jaw muscles twitched. “He’d worked on that damned truck with me every chance he got, and never once did he mention any of the awful ways he was betraying our family, betraying Bruiser.”
“Oh, Boone, I’m so sorry.” Her mom had been a wreck, but at least Cora had always known where she stood with her. Boone had grown up thinking his father was this perfect hero, but he had betrayed them all along, for years.
“Nah, don’t worry about it. It’s done now. Maybe that stupid truck was supposed to be demolished. It was my way of clinging to the good memories I had of my dad.” He poured shampoo into his hands and massaged her scalp.
She smiled despite the heaviness of their conversation because this dominant apex predator and alpha sexpot man was shampooing her hair with a gentleness that surprised her.
“What?” he asked through a questioning smile.
“You’re really good at this.”
“Well, I have longer hair so I know how to shampoo, Cora. That’s not exactly trophy worthy.”
“Not just shampooing my hair. I mean, you’re good at balancing your life. Last night, you were in this intense hand-to-hand combat with a highly trained operative, and now, those same hands that pummeled him are gently washing my hair. Deep down, you are a softy, Boone Leland Keller.”
A soft growl rumbled from him as he tilted her head back and began to rinse her under the showerhead. “Only with you. And if you tell anyone, I swear I’ll deny it.”
“Your secret is safe with me. Boone?” She gripped his wrists and steadied him stroking her hair.
“Yeah?”
“All of your secrets are safe with me.”
Chapter Ten
“Here,” Boone said, offering her another slice of strawberry.
Cora opened her mouth from her seated position on his kitchen countertop. The sweetness burst against her tongue.
He chuckled so she asked, “What’s so funny?”
“You kick your legs like a kid at sleepaway camp when you taste good food.”
“Do not.”
“Do so, and what is that you’re fiddling with?”
“It looks kind of strange, but it’s a video camera,” she said sarcastically. “Maybe you’ve seen one on the history channel? Not everything is done on phones, you know. There are these complicated contraptions called cameras whose sole purpose is to take photographs and video.”
“All right, smartass, what are you going to be using that ancient gadget for?”
“Cody is organizing the interviews for tomorrow, and I’m kind of nervous. I haven’t run a camera since college.”
“What about hiring the cameraman who shoots for your assignments?” Boone asked as he scooped up the fruit salad he’d made into a plastic storage container.
“Carl?” The camera was fully charged, so she pulled the cord from it and opened the viewing screen. “Because I don’t trust him. Not with you and your family. He’s on the fence if he is for or against you having to register as shifters with the government, and I know for a fact he voted against having you reinstated in the fire department.”
Cody rinsed his hands and dried them, then threw the dish towel over his shoulder and leaned against the counter. “And how do you know that?”
“Because he wasn’t exactly quiet about it in the break room at work. The station is divided on how they feel about you guys. I don’t want someone assisting me on an interview who doesn’t have a clear agenda. Sorry, chum. It’ll just be me this time around.”
“Hmm.” Eyes narrowed, he pulled the camera from her grasp and hit record, then turned it on her. “Cora Wright, on a scale of one to ten, how terrifying is it landing the first exclusive interview with a secretive crew of bear shifters?”
She grinned and played along. “I’d say about an eleven. Bear shifters can Change whenever they want to, and what if they get a hankering for human à la mode? I’d be toast.”
Boone snorted and shook his head. “We bears would probably rather eat the toast.” He leaned forward and kissed her smiling lips, settling his hips between her thighs. “And strawberries, and you taste like those right now. Maybe you’re in danger after all.” A soft growl rattled his throat as he leaned in and kissed her again, a sweet smack on her lips.
“Are you growling at me? Well, grrr to you.” Her growl was borderline pathetic, but Boone looked appropriately scared and clutched his chest, eyes wide, though he couldn’t quite seem to lose the grin.
“And though she be but little, she is fierce,” Boone murmured, looking at the camera he held in front of them.
Butterflies flapped around her stomach. “Wait, did you just recite Shakespeare?”
“Does that surprise you?”
“Tatted up bad boy bear shifter reciting lines from A Midsummer Night’s Dream? I couldn’t be more surprised.” She canted her head and let the smile fall away from her face. “Or happy. How am I supposed to keep my heart if you say things like that to me?”
“You aren’t,” he murmured, matching her serious tone. “You’re supposed to give it to me.”
“Aw,” she said, feeling giddy down to her toes.
Boone set the camera down and pulled her off the counter. Her feet dangled in the air as he hugged her tight and inhaled deeply against her hair.
“You should bring your camera. You can get comfortable with it on our hike, then you won’t have to be nervous using it tomorrow.”
“We’re going on a hike?”
“Yeah, I want to show you something.”
“What is it?”
Boone eased back and smiled as he searched her eyes. “I’m going to show you me.”
She nearly squealed, “Really?”
“Really, really.”
“Can I pet you?”
“Cora,” Boone warned.
“I won’t tell your brothers.”
Boone set her on her feet and shook his head as if she was being unreasonable. A grin still ghosted his lips though, so she didn’t feel too bad about the request.
“Please, I’ve seen your bear twice now, and you look soft.”
“Oh, geez. Fine. Fine, just stop calling me soft.”
Cora
ran her feet in place, and then stood up on tiptoes, kissing him on the underside of his smooth shaven chin. “You are soft for me.”
“Cora—”
“I know, I know! Don’t tell your brothers.” She giggled and bounded off to grab her hiking boots.
Boone was opening up to her, little by little, and something about that made her insides feel like they were glowing. She’d been afraid he would shut her out and hurt her like Eddie had, but Boone wasn’t anything like Eddie. He was a good man, a protective one, who tried when she needed more.
And despite the gravity of what had happened yesterday, he was letting her see his playful side. The one she’d seen him have with his brothers after the town meeting. The happy mood that had enamored her and made her heart thump oddly in her chest when she’d seen him in the hallway clapping Cody on the back, saying something too low for her to hear but that made his entire crew laugh. And his smile… She hadn’t given too much thought to Boone at the town hall meeting back then, but now, pieces were coming back to her. Important moments that she was glad she remembered now. The color of his bear when he’d Changed near the vet clinic with his brothers for the first time, when she’d hidden behind the fire engine in fear. The way he hovered protectively around the cubs in the Breck Crew when they walked into town hall, heads held high and proud despite the mixed emotions from the crowds. They’d locked eyes in the meeting, she and Boone, for just a moment before she glanced away, unable to hold his gaze.
They had connected somehow, even back then. There was something that had hovered in the air between them, drawing her to him. Some magnetic force that said their story together had only just begun, but she’d been helpless to see it back then.
Now, everything seemed so clear.
Eddie wasn’t meant to be hers. He hadn’t known what to do with a strong woman and had acted out with mistresses, trying to prove his dominance in the relationship. It had been a challenge for him to accept his girlfriend was as successful as him. Eddie wrote for the town newspaper and was accomplished at his job, but she was recognizable when they went out together because of her time in front of the camera. Her success as a reporter was a constant battle between her and Eddie, but Boone was the type of man who was secure with himself. He was strong and required a strong woman to weather the things he and his crew had to endure.
With Boone, her strength was an asset, not a hindrance.
And now, it was becoming obvious she’d been meant to have that draining relationship with Eddie so that she could fully appreciate Boone’s good qualities.
When she re-emerged in her hiking boots and heavy jacket, Boone was zipping up a backpack full of their brunch. His greeting smile just about buckled her knees. “You look gorgeous, Trouble.”
She dragged her appreciative gaze up his powerful jean-clad legs to the sky blue sweater that clung to his fit physique. The color of his shirt made his eyes look even brighter under his baseball cap. “You’re not so bad yourself, you hunky bear.”
A deep chuckle sounded from Boone’s chest as he shouldered the backpack. “You know,” he said, leading her out the front door, “you’re a lot different than I imagined from seeing you on the news.”
“Everybody says that.” She snatched the camera from the counter and flipped the screen closed. “The personality you see on television is my professional one. What people don’t realize is that it’s just a job, and when we go home at night, we have our own lives and opinions and ups and downs. I try to maintain my public image when I’m out and about in town, but I think it’s a little harder to do in a smaller place. If I’d landed a job in Denver, the city would be big enough that I might not get recognized as much. Here, sometimes I feel like I always have to be on. You know what I mean?” The lawn was dry from the autumn season, but still springy under her shoes. Boone’s yard was probably impeccable in the spring and summer months.
“I know exactly what you mean.” Boone waited, halting his strides long enough for her to catch up. “If I screw up for even a second, it could mean awful things for my family. The entire Breck Crew is feeling the pressure right now. But then again, we’ve always had to hide, so I’m kind of used to the public image gig.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think about that. It’s probably a lot harder for you than me. Messing up for me would just cost me my job. But for you, it could mean stricter rules for you, your cubs being banned from public schools, or shifter registration.”
“It feels like people are just waiting for us to mess up. Like last night. That could’ve gone really bad if you hadn’t taken that video and showed it to Monroe when he was taking your statement. Your quick thinking probably kept me from a night in jail while they corroborated everyone’s story.”
She shivered when she thought about Boone shifting inside of a tiny jail cell at the local police station. At least when he’d had an uncontrolled Change here, he had been able to get out of his house and find woods immediately.
“You know, humans aren’t all bad. I have tons of footage of people protesting your treatment, who want equal rights for you. It’s not just me and the Blue Haired Ladies advocating for you. There is an entire country-wide movement. It’s like online. People are mostly wonderful and supportive when they talk about me on the station’s webpages, but it’s just that one harsh remark that hurts so much and negates all of the positive ones. I don’t know why it’s like that. What right does one negative comment have to outweigh all of the positive?”
Boone shot her a sideways glance, then stared ahead quietly as they made their way around a snarl of brambles across the trail.
“I like the way you see things,” he said at last. “You see the good in people. The honest parts.”
“There’s lots of good to see, Boone. The meanest people are usually the loudest. Get past them and you’ll see the chain of support that is growing every day.”
“I know you’re right,” he murmured, offering his hand as she climbed up onto a mossy tree stump.
Up here, she was as tall as Boone, so she threw her arms around his neck and tossed her hair out of her face. “Say it again.”
Boone huffed a laugh, and the corners of his eyes crinkled with his smile. “You’re right. I can tell because of the online forums we’ve been answering questions in. There was a lot of hatred there at first. It was hard continuing without telling them all to shut the fuck up. But then the coolest thing started happening. Other people started defending us, and after a while, we had to only respond to those angry questions once, then the others in the forum would take over and cut off inappropriate commenters. Rory said the same thing, that she could see it getting better. She’s the one online the most, trying to dispel rumors.”
“It’ll get better and better, Boone. You’ll see.”
His eyes softened and he leaned forward, then bit her neck gently. “I think the government has lost control of the IESA.”
Cora pulled his baseball hat off and replaced it backward so she could see his face better. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, last night was sloppy. IESA going after me in town with a shitty-placed wreck, and trying to take you, a well-known public figure down, too? That’s amateur shit. Krueger kidnapping Rory was sloppy before that. I think they are pulling desperate measures to remain a relevant agency.”
“Good. I hope the government finds out what they’ve been doing and burns the IESA to the ground.”
“And how are they going to find out? We have to walk such a fine line between defending ourselves against IESA and admitting what we’ve done for them. The public won’t accept us if they knew what we were forced to do for Krueger.”
“You didn’t have a choice.”
Boone shook his head sadly. “There is always a choice, Cora.”
Cora bit her bottom lip and nuzzled his cheek with hers. Pulling her chin back, she pressed her lips onto his. No more talk of the past and things he couldn’t control. She wanted right now with him, the part where they’d both survived I
ESA and lived for this moment.
Boone cupped her head as she tasted him, brushed her tongue against his. That soft, approving rumble rattled his throat and revved her up. Heat pooled between her legs when he dragged her waist closer, pressed her against his erection. She imagined him inside of her again and a soft moan left her lips.
Cora shoved the straps of the backpack off his shoulders. His hat hit the ground, and she scrambled to lift the hem of his shirt over his head. The bruises on his ribs were almost healed, but she kissed him there, anyway.
“Why’d you do that?” he murmured, looking at her with the most curious expression.
“So it’ll feel better. Does it?”
He frowned in disbelief down at his torso and nodded. “Yeah.”
She grinned triumphantly and unzipped her jacket. Boone’s hands went to her chest immediately as she shrugged out of it. He cupped her, then blew warm air onto her sweater, right over one of her nipples. It drew up taut at the sensation. Arching back, she exhaled languidly, closing her eyes against the sunlight filtering through the canopy above.
Boone pulled her shirt over her head and popped her tits out of her bra, then pushed them together and sucked on one of her nipples. Holy hell balls, she loved him like this. In control, focused, adoring her body and casting away all of her insecurities. This wasn’t a lights-off-five-minute-fuck like it had been with Eddie. This was heart-pounding, pussy-pulsing, desperate-for-touch love-making with a man who made her feel like she was everything.
The slow rip of her zipper was the sexiest thing she’d ever heard, but he only pulled her pants down just enough to slip his hand in and cup her sex.
“Damn, woman, I love how you soak your panties for me.”
She gasped sharply as he slid his long finger inside of her and brushed her clit with his palm. He stroked again, and she rolled her hips, setting the pace as she clutched onto his shoulders.
“Boone,” she panted on a breath.
“Fuck, yes, more of that.”
“Harder.”
