She could hardly remember how they’d fallen into this ongoing banter. Since the first time they’d met, they seemed to have this unspoken understanding between them that they would keep this little rivalry up between them. To his credit, Connor had come around to each shop just a month ago, taking the time to meet all the new clerks of the winter season. Brooke had watched all the other shop girls melt in Connor’s presence, and thought Connor enjoyed it all a little too much. When he’d come by Cole Couture, Brooke had all but ignored him, and when he’d teased her for it, she’d snapped that his suit was out of style.
Now, here they were. Connor Strauss couldn’t seem to get enough of her mocking.
“No, really.” Connor stood up straight and took off his suit jacket. Brooke’s gaze wandered to the bulging muscles that strained the seams of his shirt. Broad shoulders and a solid chest tapered into a trim waist, and she could see a hint of abs that on anyone else would make her drool.
He probably waxes his chest, she thought, trying to talk herself out of how attractive she found him and frowning down at the cash register.
“I’ve heard my wardrobe is outdated and so am in the market for a few new suits,” Connor said. “What do you think?” Connor pointed to a headless mannequin wearing a double-breasted suit and raised an eyebrow. “Also, is it me, or is the waist on that thing crazy high?”
“It’s in,” Brooke said loftily. “But it wouldn’t look good on your body type.”
“Everything looks good on my body type,” Connor said matter-of-factly.
Brooke grit her teeth, I wish he was wrong. “Oh brother,” Brooke said under her breath. “Alright, if you really want to know, you should be taking more risks. You, sir, buy boring ass suits. All that charcoal and black. You should spice them up with ties and pocket squares with bold colors, bright patterns. That’s my advice.”
Connor leaned on the counter again, his suit jacket hanging off his finger. Up close, she noticed how long and thick his eyelashes were, and how much his blue eyes glittered when he grinned. “Thanks for the advice,” he said.
All the heat rushed to Brooke’s face.
“Maybe I’ll come by later for a fitting…” He tossed her a wink and was gone in a flash, leaving Brooke to wonder how he’d managed to make the word ‘fitting’ sound so dirty.
“I hate him!” Brooke glowered, and her breath steamed in the chilly air.
Her cousin, Carlo, walked beside her as they crossed the employee parking lot. Carlo was smirking and looking way too amused. Brooke had a tendency to rant about Connor Strauss nearly every day after work. She couldn’t seem to stop herself.
“Tell me how you really feel, cuz,” Carlo cackled He was nineteen, a young wolf with thick dark hair and a carefree smile that hadn’t broken even after his pack had been driven out of their home after years of turf wars with a rival pack. Now he operated the gondola at the lodge. “He must be something if he can drive a steadfast alpha like you crazy.”
Brooke snorted at that. He wasn’t wrong. Brooke was never usually so riled up, even in the face of difficult men. She’d come across enough of them, especially ones who felt threatened by a rare and powerful female alpha. But some men clung to their traditions of entitlement and seemed to take it as a personal affront that she, a female, was alpha of her pack.
“I wonder what Connor Strauss would think of me being an alpha,” Brooke mused, as they reached her Jeep and climbed in. It was fairly new. She’d leased it soon after getting her shop job, finally getting rid of the rusty old beater of a van that had brought many of her pack members from Nebraska to Colorado.
“Does it matter?” Carlo asked, then smirked. “For the record, I think he wouldn’t care.” He stared out the window at the delicate snowflakes flurrying outside as Brooke pulled out of the lot.
“You like Connor,” Brooke said flatly. “Why? He’s a bear and he’s - he’s...ugh!”
“That was really articulate,” Carlo teased. “Ugh. I’m convinced.”
“He’s still a bear.” Brooke pursed her lips. She was being ridiculous. Connor Strauss just seemed to bring that out in her sometimes.
“Not all bears are bad,” Carlo argued. “I mean, the only shifters who have ever given us trouble were other wolves, and you know it.”
“Hashtag not all bears,” Brooked deadpanned.
“Ha ha ha.” Carlo stuck his tongue out at her and she chuckled. “I’m running tonight with the guys. Just thought I should let you know.”
Brooke nodded, tensing slightly as her Jeep crawled through the traffic of the twisty road that led them from the lodge to the cheaper side of town out to the renovated motel where she lived with the rest of her wolf pack.The motel had been turned into basic apartments.
Brooke said, “Just be-”
“Careful,” Carlo said, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, I know, cuz.”
“I’m serious,” Brooke said gravely. “Don’t cross into their territory. Stay in the neutral areas. If you see anything, smell anything...”
“Brooke, we live here now, too,” Carlo said tightly. She saw him clench his fists from the corner of her eye. “At some point, it’s our home too, right?”
“Right,” Brooke said softly. “Just...be careful.”
3
Connor
Connor’s brother, Cody, had been going on runs more often than ever before. But these weren’t like the runs he’d used to go on with his brothers. Now Cody had six little cubs to look after. He spent more time babysitting in the woods than fishing or hunting, and though Connor knew his brother was very happy with his life, he also seemed like a guy who needed to let off some steam.
Connor cleared it with Cody’s mate, Jess, first. As the older, alpha brother, Connor was always careful about overstepping into mates’ territory. When he was thoughtful about such things, the mates always noticed. They were fond of Connor and appreciated that he looked after each of their families as well. Connor considered it very important that his brothers’ mates like him.
At eight pm, Cody came to find Connor out beyond the lodge, having driven up from the big old house where he now raised his brood. He was wearing a big blue parka and he grinned at Connor as he came running through the snow to the edge of the woods.
“Hey! Jess informed me that I’m going on a run with you,” Cody said, laughing. “I’m always the last to know these days.”
“I thought you could use an old fashioned run without cubs,” Connor said.
“You’re right,” Cody said, slinging his arm round Connor’s shoulders. “Man, I love those kids more than life itself, but goddamn they are exhausting.”
Connor chuckled under his breath. He’d had Jess send Cody to one of their favorite spots - the foot of the mountain behind the lodge around the east side, up the road where the woods were thick. The road was snowy and difficult to drive but they weren’t very far up and it was still early winter yet.
They chatted about Cody’s family life, and business at the lodge, and even a crime show they were both watching, which they loved to argue over with each other. They hiked into the forest and when they hit an icy creek, they finally cast each other a silent nod and shifted into their bear forms.
It had been days for Connor since he’d had the chance to go on a run and it felt good to be in his bear body, especially in the bracing chill of a new winter. For a while, they just played, pouncing at each other in the snow and wrestling. When Connor waded into the creek, nosing around for fish, he knew that there would be a competition. He had a trout half in his mouth when Cody barrelled into him with the full weight of his huge body. Connor was bigger, but taken by surprise he was easily shoved into the icy water, soaking his thick coat. He staggered to his feet and roared at his younger brother, but it was playful, his tongue lolling out as he rammed Cody back. They didn’t end up catching any fish, but it was a lot of fun anyway.
Then the wolves showed up. Connor was thrown off, not least because he could only smell one of them, and ev
en that was faint. It was harder to pick out the unfamiliar scent, especially when the air was so cold.
There were three of them in total. Connor caught the scent of one of them and he stopped cold in the woods. He’d been sniffing around something interesting under a log - a frozen over honeycomb. He could tell when Cody caught the scent because he bumped into Connor and then tensed, looking around, his ears perked up.
Regular wolves they wouldn’t have been worried about. But other shifters could be tricky. And more than that, they were in bear shifter territory. They couldn’t have missed the markings, or the scent of so many bear shifters all in one place. It was hard to believe it was a mistake.
Yet, the last thing Connor wanted at the start of his lodge’s busiest season was a turf war with the new wolf pack in town. He felt a surge of anger. His bear wanted to fight, and took a lot of concentration for Connor to calm down and assuage that fighting part of him. It would show strength, sure. But it would also cause trouble Connor didn’t need.
Instead, he let the wolves approach. Cody, mercifully, followed his lead. Before Jess he might have gotten in the intruders’ faces, overly aggressive, but fatherhood and matehood had mellowed him a bit. Still, Connor knew if a fight came, Cody would be there backing him up.
The three wolves were all pretty young but not children. They were gray and were undeniably beautiful walking through the snowy woods. They didn’t get into the bears’ space, instead stopping short and playing casual, sniffing at each other and at the trees.
Connor stood up on his hind legs and gave a warning bellow before dropping down again. That was a clear sign that any of them would know. It meant this was his turf, bear turf, and they had better turn back. But it also meant that he didn’t want to fight.
The wolves should have immediately turned back toward the road to get out of bear territory as quickly as possible. There were woods at the foot of the mountain and that whole area was considered neutral. They could run and hunt there, but wolves hanging out on the mountain were likely to cause all kinds of trouble that Connor couldn’t stand the thought of.
But they didn’t leave. They paced around in little circles, panting and making a show of ignoring Connor. Cody shook himself, pawing at the snow. He was wanting a fight and was holding himself back.
Connor shook his head, his fur shaking off snow. He roared a little louder. One of the wolves charged at him and snapped. It wasn’t a serious challenge, but it was meant to convey that the wolves didn’t particularly want to leave.
The ensuing fight was short. Nobody was killed. The five of them went at each other with snaps and swipes, just feeling each other out. Cody got in a vicious swipe at the largest of the wolves, tearing up the interloper’s shoulder and making the trio fall back. The wolf that had charged at Connor earlier paused to growl before disappearing into the trees after the other two.
Once they were gone, Connor nodded to the road and Cody followed him back to their cars. They shifted back just before the trail ended, catching their breath as it steamed in the chill air.
“The fuck was that about?” Cody asked. His cheeks were red, his expression dark. He looked pissed, like when he was younger and loved nothing more than jumping into a fight.
“They’re just douchebag kids,” Connor said. “Testing their boundaries. Let it go-”
“Let it go?” Cody said, throwing his hands up. “Wolves on our turf, and you’re going to let it go? What kinda goddamn alpha-”
A growl ripped from Connor’s throat, a snarl twisted his face as he spun on his heel in the snow, looming over his brother. He got in Cody’s face, glowering. “I’m the kind of alpha who knows better than to start serious shit over a couple kids being assholes. That’s a smart alpha. You gotta problem with that, Cody?”
Cody was silent for what seemed like a long time, mouth a straight line, before finally muttering, “No.” He looked away from Connor, whose bear was satisfied with the show of submission. Cody gulped audibly but continued speaking, “We just gotta watch out for them. If they mistake that for weakness, we’re gonna have a problem.”
“Don’t think I don’t know that,” Connor sighed, grimacing at the thought of a new wrinkle in what was supposed to be the best Black Bear Lake Lodge season ever.
The next day, Connor couldn’t stop thinking about the wolves. If they became a real problem the whole thing could easily turn into a war, depending on how big the pack was and how aggressive they were. It was hard to tell from just the three young wolves he’d come across. He went about his business that day and kept having the familiar urge to go bother Brooke at Cole Couture.
Except he didn’t want to pester her like usual. Normally, he got a kind of thrill out of watching the way her cheeks flushed and she fluttered her eyelashes every time she looked at him, even while telling him he was ridiculous or that he had bad taste in suits. It made his blood hot, driving him crazy, and at the same time he had the feeling she truly did not like him, which made the whole thing at once confusing and exciting. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.
Yet, this time, he wanted to go to her for solace. He wanted to take her out for a drink and just talk, not banter. He wanted to tell her about the wolves, and the worry that was a constant itch under his skin. But they didn’t just talk like that. They chatted lightly, playfully antagonizing each other until she demanded he leave or she went on a break or he caved and left by himself.
They weren’t friends.
He found himself wishing they were, and instead of going to bother her, Connor brooded on his own. He resisted the urge to talk to Eric and Nathan about the wolf thing quite yet. He had to keep in mind that him talking about a problem was different from the others talking about a problem. If the alpha was worried about some troublesome wolves it was a real issue, and they would make a big deal out of it. Better to keep it to himself for now, just until he knew for sure if it really was an issue or not.
After dinner, Connor retired to the guest lounge. There was a good crowd and some of them recognized him. He was forced to chit-chat with some of the important guests, making sure they felt special, before finally finding a dark booth to himself with a glass of that brandy he liked.
When Connor spied Brooke walking through the door, he brightened up quickly. He waved her over and saw her hesitate, standing frozen in the middle of the lounge. She had changed into her regular clothes; her jeans hugged her hips and her ass. Her cozy red sweater fell slightly off one of her creamy white shoulders. Connor’s mouth watered.
There was a group of businessmen at a table and one of them whistled at Brooke. They were already half-drunk. She sneered at them and sighed, heading straight for Connor’s table. Rage mixed with the alcohol shooting through his blood. He was nearly overtaken by a desire to punch the whistler for even daring to come at Brooke that way, but he resisted. He took it as a good sign that she was headed this way.
“You’re joining me,” Connor stated firmly, feeling far too pleased as Brooke sat across from him in the booth. He waved the bartender over.
“Not like there’s much choice,” Brooke said, gesturing at the rest of the lounge. It was pretty crowded, but Connor did spy a few empty seats Brooke could have taken and felt his smile widen.
The bartender came over. Connor nodded at Brooke, who ordered a gin and tonic. Then it was just the two of them.
Connor threw back a sip of his brandy and said, “You seem tense.”
She huffed; her jaw clenched. Her head tilted to the side, eyes flashing in a way that reminded him of a wolf shifter. He shook the thought off; he was trying to take his mind off the wolf shifters, not continue to obsess over them the way he had all day.
“Just some...family stuff,” she said, sighing. “I have a young cousin. Told him to stay out of trouble, but did he listen? No. He’s going to get us all…” She glanced up at him as if only just realizing he was there. “Nevermind.”
“Oh, I know how that is,” Connor said. “My brothers, th
ey’ve been better since they all fell in love, but even now they’re not exactly easy.”
“Exactly,” Brooke muttered. “I just… It’s hard being in charge sometimes.”
“Are you in charge?” Connor said, tilting his head.
“Maybe not here,” Brooke’s cocktail came and she took a long swallow. He watched her shoulders drop and her brow relax. “But in my personal life, yeah. With family I’m definitely in charge. I don’t mind it. It’s just a lot sometimes. A lot to be responsible for.”
“I know how that goes,” Connor said easily.
“No, you don’t,” Brooke said, and he looked up in surprise. “I mean I’m sure you think you do. But you have more money than you could possibly ever need and you’re powerful. You have nothing to worry about. You don’t know what it’s like at all.” She glowered at him, lips pursed. Brooke sounded almost angry, and he frowned, agitated and a little baffled.
What had he ever done to her?
Connor opened his mouth, about to offer help or, more likely, about to offer to fix whatever was wrong. Because that’s what he did. That’s what all alphas did. They took charge of problems and fixed them. People didn’t want to fall in line or see what was right, what was best for them, and alphas made them. But he saw the flash in Brooke’s eyes when she looked at him. She wouldn’t like that.
She was like him, and he couldn’t explain how he knew that.
“You want to talk about it?” he offered instead. If she was like him, he could understand her in a way nobody else could.
“We don’t talk, Connor.” She knocked back half of her drink. “We fight.”
He frowned and reached across the table, reflexively about to cover her hand in his. But he stopped short. “Maybe I don’t want to fight anymore,” Connor said. His mouth was a tight line. He felt a surge of desire for Brooke when she looked into his eyes. He’d never wanted to fight with her. He’d never even thought of what they did as fighting. He didn’t like the thought that she did.
Connor (Strauss Bear Shifter Brothers 0f Colorado Book 4) Page 2
