Her Grizzly Outlaw (5 page)

Pushing her feelings for Lucas
aside, because he was so oblivious to how she wanted him, she put on her game
face and said, “So, spill it, girl.”

Alexis was silent for a moment,
but then finally spoke. “We got close a couple of times, but then my dad almost
caught us and it just didn’t feel right anymore. We just decided to wait.”

Tarren
looked over at Lucas, and when
she glanced at Alexis again it was to see her smiling.

“Oh my God,” Alexis said on a
breath. “You had sex with Lucas?”

God, she shouldn’t have kept
looking at Lucas, because clearly her game face was off tonight. She breathed
out, put on this fake-ass smug look to play it off like it had meant nothing,
and said, “Yeah, last night in fact. We were sitting in the back of his truck
by the lake, and talking about what we planned on doing for college, and then…”
She shrugged, but there was a smile that stretched across her face, one she
could feel. “One thing led to another, and I think I am in love.”

Alexis snorted. “No, you’re not.”

Tarren
grinned, playing it off like she
wasn’t, but the truth was she was. She loved Lucas, had for longer than she
cared to admit, but playing it off like it was one big joke was safer.
“No, but definite lust for sure.”
She glanced at Lucas
again, and when she glanced at Alexis she knew the other woman had seen her
checking him out. But the young grizzly twin had given her a look that said he
wanted her as much as she wanted him right now.
 
“And his dick is like
sooo
big,
Alexis.”
Tarren
was playing the bad girl card, but
that was her personality, and that was how she blocked out her true emotions.
“I bet
Nico
is just as impressive in that department.
I mean, they are identical.”
Tarren
wagged her brows
at Alexis.

Alexis shrugged, and her face
grew red.

“Yeah, you don’t even have to say
it because I know
Nico
is probably like the damn
Hulk, too.”

They didn’t say anything for a
while, just watched the guys bullshit with each other. The music was blaring
loud, angry beats, and
Tarren
sighed, not realizing
that the sound had left her until it was too late.

“I know that sound.” Alexis
looked at her and smiled. “You’re going to do something you probably
shouldn’t.”

She smiled, knowing that she was
totally going to do something she regretted, and that was sleeping with Lucas
again, even though being with him had brought her emotions for him up even
higher. But she played it off as not a big deal. “Girl, I am going to do
something that I
should
.” She acted like she didn’t care that she had
done it with Lucas, but the truth was since last night that was all she could
think about, and she worried that Lucas had already forgotten about it and
moved on.

Tarren
lifted up her cup to Alexis and
moved over to the keg. She refilled her Solo cup with beer, and when she faced
Alexis again it was to see her talking with Dakota. God, that man, even though
he was only human, could give any Grizzly a run for his money. He was big and
muscular, older, too, and definitely took after his father Malice in the
gorgeous department. Yes, she might be only eighteen, but she could appreciate
a handsome older man and Malice was definitely that. Dakota had this bad boy
thing going on, not like Lucas of course, but he was still one hot piece of
ass.
Tarren
took a swig of her beer, feeling
ridiculous for using the lingo that the guys had said too many times to count,
and blamed it on the beer.

She had the attitude right now
that she just didn’t give a shit, or at least that was the way she was leaning
toward. It was easier to pretend that she wasn’t bothered by anything and had a
snarky sense of humor.

And then she watched as Dakota
reached out and placed a hand on Alexis’s shoulder. It was totally innocent,
but
Tarren
glanced at
Nico
regardless because she knew if he saw that small touch he’d go ape shit. Dakota
then smoothed his fingers along the bare skin of Alexis’s arm, and her friend
took a step back. Even through the music and conversation
Tarren
heard Alexis and Dakota clearly.

“Dakota, what are you doing?”

“I’m sorry, it’s just…” Dakota
said and turned away from her.
Tarren
heard him curse
under his breath. “Totally inappropriate for me to touch you, but I’m drunk
and—”

And then
Tarren
glanced at
Nico
when she heard the sound of something
low and deep. It was very animal-like in quality, and the look on
Nico’s
face was intense.
Nico
was
right behind Alexis a second later, and had her pulled back behind his big
body. Lucas was watching the whole thing, a beer in his hand and this arrogant
smile on his face. Even though Dakota was just as big as a Grizzly MC member,
he was human. He might be able to hold his own for a while against
Nico
if it came down to it, but if
Nico
called forth his animal power, Dakota was toast.

“You just couldn’t fucking back
off, could you?”
Nico
said, his voice rough, harsh
and sounding like his father, Jagger, when he was pissed. The scent of his bear
was close to the surface, too.

“
Nico
, please.
Dakota didn’t do anything,” Alex said, clearly trying to stop a fight that was
really close to happening. “Ever since you have been able to shift you’ve been
acting insane.” Alexis’s voice hardened. “Maybe you should go.” She addressed
Dakota this time.

Tarren
didn’t move for a second, but
then snapped into action until she now stood right behind Alexis. “Girl, this
is going to end really, really badly if he doesn’t leave and the parents have
to come out here.”

Nico
took a step forward, and the
fact his bear was pushing to get out, to take control, was pretty damn clear.
He kept clenching and unclenching his hands into fists at his sides.

“I could fuck you up right now,
just tear you apart before any of The Grizzlies came out here and stopped me,”
Nico
growled out, and then Lucas stepped up beside
Nico
.
Tarren
blew out a relieved
sign when
Nico’s
twin tried to bring him off the edge
of shifting and starting a very big problem.

“Brother, calm down before shit
gets real and out of hand,” Lucas said.

“
Nico
, please.
You’re acting ridiculous,” Alexis said again.

Nico
looked at Alexis then. “I’m not
overreacting, Alexis. He touched you earlier today, and it was your dad stopping
me from going over there and kicking his ass.”
Nico
faced Dakota again and then took another step forward. But Dakota held his
ground.
Tarren
had to give the human credit for his
balls of steel.

“It was innocent,
Nico
. You’re acting like a damn child right now.” Alexis’s
voice rose, and
Tarren
could feel her friend’s animal
rising.

“You think I’m afraid of some
eighteen year old shifter?” Dakota chuckled humorlessly. “I grew up with The
Brothers, asshole. You may be able to shift, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t
get I some serious damage to you before that happened.” Dakota took a step
forward now, and
Tarren
felt the tension and heat in
the garage intensify. It was eerily quiet right now, despite the music still
pumping through the speakers.

“You want to try and make this
something it isn’t, fucking fine by me. You’ve been acting psycho any time any
guy even talks to Alexis. You need to get your fucking head on straight, man,
and realize that there are only two types of people in this world.
Men and women.”

Tarren
didn’t want to get an adult to
stop this, because that would shut down this party. But she knew that her
father, or any Grizzly for that matter, would kick both
Nico
and Dakota’s asses for even going this round in the first place.

“
Nico
, just stop.”

Tarren
took a stop back, about to say
something, but Alexis started speaking again.

“I love you, and if you’re going
to let your jealousy take control and push you to get into a fight with a guy
we grew up with, then I won’t stand here and watch.” And then Alexis turned
this icy, death glare at Dakota. “And you’re adding fuel to the fire.” Alexis
turned away. Alexis shook her head at
Tarren
when she
tried to stop her, and then headed out of the garage.

Tarren
couldn’t move, couldn’t even
breathe as she watched the almost brawl take place. Everyone had come close,
forming this circle around
Nico
and Dakota, as if
they couldn’t wait for the fight to begin. They were savages, all of them, and
Lucas was front and center, this smirk on his face as he watched
Nico
and Dakota staring at each other.

“Fuck this,” Dakota said, and
glared once more at
Nico
before turning and leaving
the garage. A few minutes later the sound of his motorcycle starting could be
heard over the music.
Tarren
glared at Lucas, and when
he faced her his smile faded. For a second all anyone did was stand there. The
air still tense from the almost fight, the people looking wide-eyed around the
garage, and then some tossing back drinks. And then the motion was instant.
People went back to talking and getting drinks, and it was like nothing
happened.

Tarren
glared at Lucas again, slightly
annoyed because she was letting her emotions control the rational side of her
brain. Even though she had loved Lucas for a long time, hid it well, and was
able to keep her jealousy from everyone, having sex with him had opened up that
wall she had thought she had erected pretty damn sturdily. She turned and
grabbed her
purse,
made sure her joint was still
tucked inside, and turned to leave the garage. It didn’t matter that
Nico
had stormed off to find Alexis, and that they would
probably be all kissy and hugs in trying to make up. She planned on going to
the pond at her father’s house, the one that he still owned but didn’t live in
anymore. It was a solitary location she had gone to on several occasions,
mainly to smoke a joint or two and not be caught, but also to just think about
shit.

She walked by Lucas, shrugged off
his grip when he tried to stop her, and turned to face him.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
he asked with this angry tone to his voice.

Tarren
sighed, knowing she couldn’t
fault him for anything or be upset. But she was heartbroken that she had let
herself have sex with him, pretending that it hadn’t meant a damn thing to her,
and then to know that for him it
did
mean nothing. But then he had thought fighting with Dakota was funny, and that
annoyed her, too. He was a bad boy at heart, and although Lucas had grown up
with Dakota, his brother always came first, no matter what. Even if that meant
one of their own—which Dakota was—got seriously hurt in the process.

“Nothing.
It’s just me having a bad day.”
She turned and walked to the door, left, and got in her car. Then she started
her engine and headed toward the cabin where getting blissfully high would make
her feel a semblance of detachment.
 

****

Lucas stared at the door to the
garage, cursed low, and glanced at his brother. He didn’t know what was wrong
with
Tarren
, but she was upset, and he didn’t think
it had anything to do with the almost fight that happened between
Nico
and Dakota.

“Dude, come have a shot with me,”
Jakob
, Diesel’s son said, and motioned to where his
younger brother, Bodhi, was standing. Bodhi held up a bottle of Crown, and as
much as Lucas would have liked to finish partying, he needed to leave now. He
wasn’t drunk, and seeing what was wrong with
Tarren
was more important.

“Later, man.” Lucas left without
explaining any more, headed to his truck, and got in. He didn’t know for sure
where
Tarren
was heading, but he had a pretty good
idea.

Chapter Three

Lucas had parked his truck in
Dallas’s driveway and had trekked through the woods that lined the property.
Dallas had been living in this place before he had found his old lady and
started a family. After all of that had happened the biker had gotten more land
on the other side of the private pond that was on this and built a fucking huge
cabin, and settled in there.

The leaves on the ground crunched
under Lucas’s boots, and the sound of the wildlife all around him told of the
nightlife in this secluded area of Steel Corner. The trees parted, and he saw
her sitting on a large boulder in front of the five-acre pond. The closer he
came to her, the stronger the scent of pot filled his nose. He stopped a few
feet from her, stared at the pond for a few seconds, and then heard her inhale.
She exhaled slowly, the foggy smoke surrounding her and illuminated by the
moonlight.