Ethan (Blackbeary Creek 1) (6 page)

Graham might look bookish and nerdy, but they’d sparred before, and Ethan knew the man’s strength. The other bear wasn’t as strong as their alpha, but it would be a fair, well-matched fight.

One he didn’t ever want to have.

He knew how much Graham cared for Tegan, and he respected the man's warning.

“You’re a good friend to her, Graham,” Ethan said. “You always have been, and I appreciate that more than you know. I promise you’ll never have a reason to fight me.”

“Good,” Graham said. “Now get out of here, and go get your mate.”

Graham turned without another word, pressed a button on his phone, and started walking back toward his house.

Ethan slid the rest of the way into the SUV, turned the key, and sped down the paved driveway. Right before turning onto the main road, he glanced in his review mirror, and saw a pissed off Tristian standing on the porch of the main house.

Hopefully, the man would listen to Graham before pounding on him.

Chapter Five

“Room service.”

Tegan jumped at the loud knock on the door, thankful no one could see her cell-phone flying through the air. Though she had ordered the food minutes before, the loud banging on the door seemed inconsistent with the atmosphere of the hotel, and fear raced down her spine.

It didn't help that she wasn't fully awake from her nap.

Earlier, after the bellboy had dropped off her bags, she’d filled the huge tub with warm water and bubbles, and then soaked her tired muscles until her skin wrinkled and the water was ice cold. The soothing bath was followed by a warm shower, and she’d leisurely washed her skin and hair with the expensive luxury soap and shampoo provided by the hotel.

When she was mostly dry, she’d grabbed the thick, cozy robe hanging on the back of the door, certain it wouldn’t fit, but desperate to feel the soft, plush material against her skin.

Usually, one-size-fits-all robes didn't come close to covering up her extra curvy body, but the Locke’s didn’t do anything one-size-fits-all. The garment wrapped around her curves with room to spare, and she’d stared into the bathroom mirror for several minutes, truly amazed.

Although she’d already asked the Locke’s for so much, she needed the robe in her life on a permanent basis. If she had to live the rest of her life alone, she wanted this robe to do it in.

The fact that she’d basically settled for a robe instead of a man—any man, although she only wanted Ethan—made her realize how exhausted she was, and she left the bathroom, curled up on the couch, and instantly fell asleep.

An hour and a half later, she woke to the sound of her stomach growling, and the bellboy’s previous reminder from Jasper floated across her mind. She picked up the room service menu, looked it over, and then called in her order.

As she waited, she pulled her cell-phone out of her bag, and then cursed when the black screen wouldn’t turn on. She found the charger, plugged it into the nearest outlet, and then stared at the screen impatiently as she waited for it to come to life so she could input her password.  

The loud knocking brought her out of her trance, and sent the phone flying.

Tegan shook her head, and silently cursed as she raced toward the door. The fear that had plagued her for most of the day had been neutralized before she’d even made it to the hotel, and she had no reason to be so jumpy.

You’re fine. You’re safe.

She silently chanted the words in an effort to calm her nerves, unbolted the lock on the door, and swung open the wooden barrier as her stomach growled again.

The room service attendant kept his head down, and nearly ran over her toes as he barreled into the room with the cart. Tegan jumped out of the way, accidentally letting the door go, and the attendant kicked it closed behind him.

Shit!

He definitely wasn’t a Locke employee.

She made a break for the door, but the man caught her arm in his rough, calloused hand, and showed his face for the first time. She hadn’t needed to see it though; she’d recognized the scar across his knuckles as soon as he touched her.

It was her horrible date from two nights ago.

Tegan opened her mouth to scream, but before any sound could escape, his fist connected with her face. The whole left side of her face stung, but she brought her knee up and slammed it into something hard.

Fuck!

He was wearing a cup.

Her knee throbbed, but that didn’t stop her from kicking at his knees and punching him in the gut. Unfortunately, he still held her arm firmly in his grasp, and though she made him lose his balance a few times, it wasn’t enough to bring him down.

“I’m ready for you this time, you fat bitch,” he laughed, taunting her. “The sooner you stop fighting the inevitable, the sooner we can get this over with.”

“I’ll never stop fighting you,” she said, punching him in the gut again.

“Enough,” he yelled, grabbing her free arm.

He expanded one hand around both of her wrists, and pulled her toward him.

“I didn’t want to do this the hard way, but you leave me no choice,” he spat in her face. “You will learn your place, and give me exactly what I want, or you will hurt.”

His free fist crashed down on her already bruised cheek, and then he let go of her wrists and pushed her further into the room. Her face felt like it was on fire, her vision blurred, and she reached out her hands, desperate to catch her balance.

One minute she was falling fast, and the next she was motionless as another sharp pain seared through her skull. A loud, earth-shattering bear roar filled her ears, and then everything went black.

***

Tegan opened her eyes and waited for them to adjust in the dark hotel room. The clock on the nightstand read five minutes after three, and she figured it must be three in the morning because not even a thread of light filtered through the narrow seam between the window and the room-darkening drapes.

A blanket of warmth seemed to surround her, and she smiled, loving the comfortable, cozy feeling. She closed her eyes, nestled deeper into the blankets, and then froze when her ass came in contact with something solid.

Suddenly, everything came flooding back, and she realized the warmth surrounding her wasn’t a blanket, it was a man. More specifically, the creepy date from two nights ago who had followed her to Maple Bear Falls, and forced his way into her hotel room.

She needed to get out of here.

Now!

Tegan jumped up from the bed, fighting the arms trying to hold her in place, and started for the door. She nearly fell down from the migraine threatening to split open her skull, but she kept moving.

“Tegan! Tegan, stop!”

A voice called her name, the sound echoing around the room, but she didn’t dare stop. She needed to find help. A pair of steel bands wrapped around her arms, lifted her off the floor, and stopped her escape, but she swung her legs wildly and kept fighting until a familiar voice whispered in her ear.

“Tee, stop!” he said. “It’s me…Ethan.”

“Ethan?” she questioned, even though she didn’t need to. Now that he held her in his arms, she didn’t have to see his face to know it was him. His smooth, sexy voice fought through the migraine, and she immediately relaxed.

“Yes, baby, it’s me. I’m going to set you down now, okay?”

“Okay.”

He set her down and turned her to face him. The faint purple mark on his cheek surprised her, he rarely let the other guy get in such a good shot, but it did nothing to mar his good looks.

“How do you feel?”

“My head hurts,” she said, honestly. “What happened? Why are you here?”

“Let’s get you back in bed, and then we can talk,” he said.

“Okay.”

Tegan took one step toward the bed, and then squealed when Ethan scooped her up in his arms. She instinctually wrapped her arms around his neck, but still shrieked in protest.

“Ethan! Put me down! What are you doing?”

“Shhh…I’m taking care of you,” he said, handling her weight as if she weighed next to nothing at all.

“I realize that,” she said, “but why? And why are you naked?”

Oh,
damn
, the feel of his skin under her hands made her want to lay her head down on his shoulder and never let him go. Though he was nearly all muscle, she somehow knew she would fit against him perfectly.

What the hell…

She felt like shit, and she probably looked like it, too, but for some reason, Ethan was taking care of her and carrying her around. She might as well take advantage of the situation, because she might not ever get another chance to touch him.

She placed her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes, suddenly content. It was as if his arms were exactly where she was always supposed to be.

“Because it’s my job, and I’m not naked. Not yet.”

She frowned as he set her on the edge of the bed, and her face flamed when he grunted softly. So much for thinking he could lift her big body easily.

Of course it was his job to take care of her, he was her brother’s second-in-command, but what did he mean about not being naked yet? She shook her head, obviously delirious, and waited for him to adjust the pillows. Once they were piled to his satisfaction, he carefully laid her back against the softness. 

“Sorry,” she whispered, smoothing out the blanket on her lap. “I should have warned you. I weigh a lot more than I look.”

“You’re kidding, right?” he asked, his voice stern. “You think I had trouble lifting you? Tegan, look at me.”

Though she wanted to hide under the blankets, she met his angry glare.

“I don’t know how much you weigh, and I don’t care,” he said. “You’re perfect, just the way you are, and you felt perfect in my arms. I have a cracked rib, maybe two, and that’s the only reason you heard any distress from me.”

She looked at his torso, and noticed the bruised area for the first time. She also noticed he was right about not being naked. He’d removed his t-shirt, but his legs were still encased in well-worn jeans.

“Oh my god! I can’t believe that guy was able to get you with two good shots.”

“That maniac didn’t get me at all,” Ethan said. “I got these back home.”

“Really? What happened?”

“It’s not important,” Ethan said. “Not now. I’ll be right back.”

He rushed into the other room, and she salivated over the way the muscles in his back, legs and ass moved. Strong, solid and graceful.

Damn!

He was sinfully sexy, and she desperately wanted to see what he looked like completely naked.

What the hell was wrong with her? Her head still felt like it was about to explode, one side of her face throbbed, and she was pretty sure it was slightly swollen, and yet she couldn’t stop thinking about seeing Ethan naked.

Stop it!

Ethan walked back into the room carrying a water bottle, a container of pills, and some kind of bandage.

“Is it okay if I leave that light on?” Ethan asked.

She nodded, and watched him approach her side of the bed. The soft light filtering in from the other room formed an aura around him, making him look even more sexy, which she hadn’t thought possible a few seconds ago.

She wanted to reach out and touch his flawless, taut skin, but she didn’t dare. Whatever was happening, it would soon be over, and she would be on her way to the cabin again, and Ethan would be on his way back to Blackbeary Creek.

“I ordered you some food,” he said, setting the supplies down on the nightstand. “I know you probably don’t feel hungry, but the doctor said you need to eat as soon as you wake up. Here, take these.”

He placed two pills in her open palm, twisted the cap off the water bottle, and then handed her the drink.

“What are they?” she asked, looking at the capsules.

“Pain pills,” he said. “I also need to change your bandage.”

She downed half the water bottle, and handed it back to him.

“Okay,” she nodded.

He carefully pulled back the medical tape holding the gauze to her forehead, and when it was fully removed, he opened an antiseptic wipe.

“This might hurt a little,” he said, wiping the wound.

Mother fucker!

A little? Holy hell, it was worse than the migraine. She flinched, and drew in a sharp breath, but otherwise remained still.

“Sorry,” Ethan said, applying the new bandage. “I know it’s painful.”

“It’s okay,” she managed through gritted teeth. “Thank you for helping me.”

“My pleasure,” he said, sitting in a chair he’d pulled close to the side of the bed. “Do you remember what happened?”

“Well,” she said, thinking back. “I remember ordering room service, and having that jerk from two nights ago show up instead. He punched me twice in the face, and then threw me into the room and I fell and hit my head on something. Is that right?”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Ethan said. “Graham did some background work, and apparently he’s wanted for kidnapping, assault, and murder in three states. All three cases were nearly identical to your encounters with him, starting with one horrible date, only those women were attacked in their homes. Apparently, he enjoyed forcing himself on curvy women who told him no.”

“Oh god…”

“He’s gone, Tegan,” Ethan said. He leaned forward in the chair, covered her hand with his, and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You don’t have to worry about him ever again. I’m just sorry I didn’t get here sooner.”

She didn’t have to ask what he meant by gone. All the men in her clan had killed at least once, and Ethan would never let anyone who touched her live.

“Thank you for saving me,” she said, “but—”

A knock at the door stopped her next line of questions.

Tegan tensed uncontrollably, and Ethan squeezed her hand again.

“You’re okay, baby,” he said. “I’ll be right back with the food.”

Even though she knew it really was room service this time, and that Ethan could definitely take care of himself against any threat, she still waited with baited breath until he returned to the bedroom pushing a cart of food.