BAD BOY ROMANCE: DIESEL: Contemporary Bad Boy Biker MC Romance (Box Set) (New Adult Sports Romance Short Stories Boxset) (113 page)

Of course, Bruce had forgotten about that. Christmas was the season of being together.

“But I’ll be back,” Jenna said. “I’ll be back, and I want to help you fix this. I want to fix us.”

It was the first time that there was a positive comment toward their relationship. It broke through the invisible wall between them, and Bruce reached out and wrapped his arms around Jenna. He pulled her body against his, and her warmth flowed through him. She completed him. With her body against his, he felt like the fullest version of himself.

The smell of her hair was in his nose, the heat of her body traveled through him and he felt her heart, beating in time with his through all their clothes.

“I love you, Bruce,” she said first. “I really do.”

“Then come back to me,” Bruce a said, even though she already had. She nodded her head against his chest, and then she slipped out of his arms. He didn’t follow her when she disappeared between the trees. It felt like a part of him had been torn off and he was losing it. He could track her scent through the trees, feel her warmth slowly fade as she moved away. He stood there, staring into the darkness that hung between the tree trunks until she was long gone. The cold had wrapped itself around him and when he breathed he smelled only the snow in the air.

He turned and headed toward the plateau. He believed that Jenna wanted to help. Not just because he loved her and she’d said so, but because it was knowledge lodged inside of him. It was truth that wouldn’t buckle now.

The only that was left to do was to convince the pack of the same thing. It was going to be harder than he thought. Jenna was a human. She’d been involved with an Assassin. And above all, Dwayne the Psychic had seen something, and he’d stated that she was the enemy. Whatever it was that he’d seen, he was convinced.

And that was going to be hard to counter.

But they would listen eventually. They were all scared, even Tara, and they didn’t have many options left. They were going to be outnumbered without a doubt, and there weren’t that many ways for them to fight the Assassins without getting killed.

At this point in time, their only hope lay with Jenna and her loyalty to a pack that she didn’t belong to, and to people that kept wanting to have her killed.

And still Bruce believed that this was going to be their way out.

Chapter 2

Jenna got on a plane and flew to El Verano. She hated flying. She would have taken the bus if she’d had a choice. Growing up in the mountains hadn’t made her comfortable with modern technology and how fast the world had become, but she’d had to take the plan to get to Bruce and back to El Verano again without Darren getting suspicious.

She’d told him she’d gone to visit an aunt. Somehow, even thought she was sure now that he could read her mind in one way or another, he’d believed her.

She’d been gone for just one day and a night. If she arrived back home in the morning everything would be alright.

She hadn’t wanted to leave Bruce behind again. For the first time in months it had felt like there was something there again. Bruce had held her and in his arms she’d felt home. She didn’t know why she’d thought it good to run in the first place. Being with Bruce was right.

And she was going to make it work now. This part, the part where they were being hunted by their enemies, was her fault. They’d wanted her isolated – now she understood why.

She’d left to make things easier on Bruce. Instead she’d made in infinitely harder. But Jenna had a plan. If Darren had been playing mind games with her, she could do the same with him. She didn’t know how far his mind reading abilities went, but if it was anything like that psychic in Bruce’s pack had said – feeling intentions and emotions unless they were in a group – then maybe she could mess with Darren’s mind as long as he wasn’t with the others.

All this preternatural stuff was complicated. Where were the days when you only knew what someone said to you? It took deceit to a whole new level.

When Jenna landed she switched on the phone she’d gotten used to using. When she was outside the airport building she dialed Darren’s number and waited for his phone to roll over to voicemail. In the morning he was at his law offices. If that was really what he was.

Jenna suddenly doubted everything he’d said to her.

Instead of getting his voicemail, Darren picked up.

“You have perfect timing,” he said.

Jenna felt disconcerted – she hadn’t expected to talk to him directly, but she smiled so it would sound like it over the phone.

“Well, that’s always good to know. What am I in time for?”

“I was just having a terrible day and I was thinking that hearing from you would brighten my day. You must be psychic.”

Jenna rolled her eyes but forced a laugh.

“I just wanted to let you know that I’m back in town. Do you want to do something tonight?”

“That is just what I need,” he said. “What do you feel like?”

“Getting take away and staying in, talking,” Jenna said. Darren agreed and they ended the conversation. After he hung up Jenna stared at the phone in her hand. Stay in and talk – she had a lot to say.

When she stepped into the street the wind cut through her coat. The lack of snow was an illusion, it gave Jenna the idea that it wasn’t that cold. She huddled her coat closer around her and headed home where she dropped off her bag before she headed out again. She wasn’t going to stay home and work out what she needed to say.

She didn’t want anything around the place where Darren was going to be when she spoke to him that he could pick up on. She was at a disadvantage that she didn’t know how his mind word. But then again, so was he. Jenna was just a human, she was well aware of that, but she wasn’t stupid, and she could play this game. She wasn’t supposed to know about all these other worlds, but the fact was that she did. And she was going to use it.

She was planning on giving just enough away that it would work for her in the long run. It was a little like making a bet, she thought. You risk a little, but you stand a chance to win a lot. Jenna also stood the chance to lose a lot, but she didn’t think too hard about that. Losing wasn’t an option if she wanted the happily ever after with Bruce she’d signed up for when they’d gotten married.

And if she wanted to give Bruce his half of their happy ending, she had to make sure that his world didn’t fall apart, either.

By the time Jenna headed back home it was almost nightfall. Darren would already be on his way over to the apartment. If he was already there, that would be even better. Jenna started to panic as she got closer to her building. What she had to do wasn’t going to be easy, and she had to be convincing.

Her hands felt numb in her coat pockets and the wind around her brushed against her cheeks, making her feel small and insignificant. She had a knot of nerves in her stomach that made her nauseous. She concentrated on breathing steadily.

Darren was outside the apartment building when she arrived. He stood on the curb looking worried, huddled in his own coat against the cold that was taking over now that the sun was gone.

“I thought you’d be home,” he said.

“Sorry, I had some errands to run,” Jenna said, and her voice was strained. She was flustered and she fiddled with the keys before she got it in the lock. Her nerves were getting the better of her, but it looked like she was flustered. Good.

“Are you okay?” Darren asked, picking up on the emotions twisting inside of her.

“Uh…” she started, drawing it out. She took a deep breath and let it out with a shudder. It was all honest, but her words weren’t going to be. “God, Darren you’re not going to believe me if I tell you what’s going on. I can’t deal with this anymore.”

Jenna dropped her keys inside the door and fumbled when she picked them back up.

“Hey, slow down,” Darren said, taking the keys from Jenna and putting a hand on her elbow. He guided her toward the stairs and walked up with her. “You’ll be surprised how much I’ve been through. You know you can talk to me about anything.”

Jenna took another shaky breath and drew out her hesitation before she nodded. When they got to her apartment door Darren was the one that unlocked it and let Jenna walk in first. He closed the door and slid the bolt home before walking to the kitchen and filling the kettle.

The gesture reminded Jenna of Bruce and the way he used to be at home in her cabin at home. A pang shot through her and she sank down on the couch.

“I’m going to make us some tea, and then we can talk,” Darren said. Jenna nodded and shrugged out of her coat. She pulled the sleeves of her turtle neck shirt over her hands and tucked her feet under her on the couch.

Darren fiddled in the kitchen and then finally brought two mugs to the couch. He handed her one. When she sipped it the tea was too sweet. Instead of drinking it she held it in material covered hands.

“What’s going on?” Darren asked.

“I ran into my ex-husband today,” Jenna said. She looked into the cup in her hands.

Darren gasped next to her. “You have an ex?” he asked. Like he didn’t know. Jenna nodded.

“We never spoke about these things and it’s hard to talk about, so I didn’t mention it.”

Darren frowned, shifted closer in a protective way. “Did he give you any trouble?”

Jenna shook her head. “Not really. I mean, not the kind of trouble…” She stopped, rubbed her face with her fingertips. “Do you believe in magic,” she asked. The change of topic let Darren look confused. She knew he would use it.

“Magic,” he asked.

Jenna nodded.

“I guess I do, yeah. There are always stories that I think might be real.”

“Stories like werewolves and vampires?” Jenna asked in a voice that was almost a whisper. Darren shifted even closer as if the facts might be untrue if they didn’t speak about it too loudly.

“Why are you asking me?” he asked.

Jenna took a deep breath. She was already nervous, that wasn’t an act, but she hoped it looked like she was scared Darren would think she was crazy.

“My husband is different than us,” she said.

Darren was quiet and she let the silence stretch for long enough that he was the first to speak.

“Are you saying he’s a werewolf?” Darren asked.

Jenna looked into his eyes for the first time and shook her head. “A bear,” she said softly. Then she dropped her face into her hands.

“This sounds ridiculous, I know,” she said and her voice was muffled. Darren put his hands on her wrists, pulling her hands gently away from her face.

“Hey, don’t hide. It doesn’t sound ridiculous. I know what you’re talking about.”

Jenna faked surprise. “You do?”

Darren nodded and he looked around the room like he was the one that was worried about being crazy now. “I didn’t know there were more humans that knew about this,” he said and the worry in his voice was genuine. Jenna understood why.

“I wasn’t supposed to know, but I found out by accident. That’s why I left. I can’t live like that.”

Darren nodded as if he understood. Maybe he did.

“What did your ex do to you?” he asked as if the thought suddenly dawned on him.

“He just threatened me, told me to stay away from them if I wanted to stay alive. The rest of them want to kill me because I know, but he said if I stay away from humans I would be safe. But what was I supposed to do? They’re having some meeting tonight and he wanted me to leave my aunt’s place so that I wouldn’t be around when they… shifters… were all there.”

Jenna swallowed hard. She’d tried to sound scared. She’d tried to sound betrayed and hurt and all those things she wanted Darren to believe. Darren narrowed his eyes and looked at her. She could see him thinking, or feeling, or whatever it was that he did that was messing with her mind. Just to make sure, she imagined a house with someone that looked like she could be her father’s sister, and an open stretch of forest behind the house. Maybe Darren would pick up on images or something.

Jenna had no idea if it worked, but Darren nodded slowly.

“Where does your aunt live?” he asked.

“Just outside Ficksburg. Do you know it?”

Darren nodded. Jenna had never been there. He dad had never had a sister. But she’d looked it up on a map and it was about a day’s travel in the wrong direction, away from Williamsburg.

“She’s on the edge of that forest there. A little farm.”

Darren shifted on his seat. Then he got up and walked around the room.

“You don’t think I’m crazy, do you?” Jenna asked. She’d made her voice small and shrunken in on herself, a pathetic ball on the couch. Darren looked at her and his face softened. He walked to her and sat down on the couch next to her, taking both her hands in his. That buzz came again, and Jenna recognized it for what it was. Instead of letting it flow through her, draw out everything she knew, she broke contact and pulled her hands back, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I don’t think you’re crazy. I’m glad you told me so that I know what you’re going through.”

Jenna nodded, didn’t make eye contact. She hoped he was buying the act. She hoped he was buying her feelings.

“But enough about this. Let’s order take away and forget about the past,” he said. Jenna looked up at him and forced a wan smile.

“Shall I order for us?” she asked.

“You do that. I just need to make a call quick,” Darren said. Jenna walked to the phone in the kitchen and picked up the receiver without dialing. She listened, heard the front door click shut behind Darren and then hung up again.

She tiptoed to the front door and opened it carefully so it wouldn’t make a noise. Darren wasn’t in the corridor in front of the door. She heard his voice travel up to her in the stairwell. She stuck her head over the railing just a little and caught fragments of his conversation.

“I’m with her now,” he said. “I know. She knows. Not us, but them. She told me about the shifter she was involved with. He chased her away from a place where they’re meeting so she didn’t cause trouble…. Yes… I know the place. She told me… okay. I’m going to have to stay here a while before we can leave… I will.”

Jenna heard him start up the stairs again and ran back to her door, going into the apartment. She picked up the phone and dialed the Chinese shop. She was busy with an order when Darren walked in and closed the door behind him. He walked to her and put his arms around her waist, his head on her shoulder. She wanted to squirm out of his embrace, but she didn’t.

When she hung up she turned so she faced him, her face only inches from his.

“You wouldn’t believe how long I had to wait to get that order in,” she said. Darren narrowed his eyes at her. Whatever he did, he knew that part wasn’t true. But judging by that phone call he’d believed the rest. She couldn’t figure out how he did it.

She kissed him full on the mouth to distract him from the lie he’d just smelled. He hesitated for a moment before he let go and got into the kiss, pulled her body tighter against his and sliding his tongue into her mouth. In the back of her mind, she heard a low growl, almost like an echo or a memory, and she knew it was Bruce.

Whatever had happened between them in the woods the night before, his claim on her was back. She was scared Darren would hear it, but he carried on kissing her. Bruce got angrier in her head, and after a while, she broke the kiss because she felt like she was in the middle of a tug-of-war.

“Food will be here soon,” she said when Darren looked into her eyes with large pupils. She didn’t want it to go further with him.