Red And The Bear (Grimm Bears 1) (6 page)

Nan poured the coffee into
three mugs and said, “Rose doesn't have any siblings. I'm so
glad that now she has two caring, protective brothers.”

“Nan!” Rose's
brows shot up and she flushed a deep red.

“Oh, did I say
brothers? I meant brothers-in-law.” Nan ignored Rose's gasp
and dug into her breakfast with gusto.

CHAPTER
FOURTEEN

Rose glanced up and her heart
almost burst with love and pride at the sight of Jack bending
solicitously over a harried single mother and her two noisy young
children to get their orders. He recommended new dishes to the
customers and took orders efficiently. He was the perfect waiter,
friendly, hardworking and observant.

Jack had driven them to the
restaurant after breakfast and insisted on working at The Cottage In
The Woods to earn his keep.

“You gave me food and
lodgings. The least you can let me do is work in your restaurant,”
Jack declared. Nan and Rose had clapped their hands over their
mouths to stopper their gasps and giggles when Jack nonchalantly
plucked a red apron from the hook on the wall and tied it around his
waist.

“I have to wear your
uniform. How will the customers know that I'm one of your staff if I
don't?” Jack reasoned.

Rose and Nan wore similar red
aprons, but on Jack, the apron looked exceeding tiny. Rose hid a
smile as she watched Jack hurry in and out of the kitchen with trays
of food to serve the customers.

She knew that Jack was the
CEO of the Grimm Group. He dealt in the high-stakes, high-flying
world of corporate acquisitions and mergers. The Grimm Group owned
chains of resorts, theme parks and restaurants. Jack definitely knew
a lot about the food and beverage business. He knew how to market
and expand a business, how to read profit and loss statements at a
glance, and how to keep ahead of the competition.

Never in her wildest dreams
did Rose imagine that she would have the CEO of one of the largest
corporate groups in the country waiting tables in her restaurant.

Jack was good-natured, humble
and unassuming. He had no airs or hang-ups. Rose heard Jack telling
some of the customers that he was on probation but if he performed
well, his two lady bosses might consider offering him a permanent
position.

Rose snorted out a laugh when
she saw that many of the customers had left Jack very generous tips
for his excellent service.

The three of them worked
steadily and seamlessly together. Jack made himself useful in the
restaurant and in the kitchen. He helped Nan chop and pound the
spices, and carried big pots and pans around for her.

“Let's have dinner
here,” Nan told them. “We'll close the restaurant early
this evening, and I'll cook us a nice, sumptuous dinner here. I'm
thinking of adding a new dish to the menu, so you can be my guinea
pig, Jack.”

Jack grinned. “I'll
drive out and get a bottle of good wine. We'll have a lovely,
relaxing evening right here in The Cottage.”

As it turned out, there were
fewer customers at dinner time and they could close early without
having to turn anyone away.

Jack gave Rose a quick kiss
at the corner of her lips as he pushed out the door. “I won't
be long.”

“Okay. Just drive
straight down the road until you see Everson Emporium. You can get a
decent bottle of wine there,” Rose told him.

Jack nodded. Then he pulled
her in for a long, deep, searing kiss.

Rose leaned towards him,
needing to feel his body against hers. She would always want him and
hunger for him, she realized. He could set her body alight with just
one scorching kiss. And the way he looked at her made her heart
tighten with lust and longing.

She loved the way he made her
feel. But she also loved the way he took care of her and Nan. He
was protective but he wasn't overbearing. He had a natural, genuine
charm, and he was a hit with the ladies. But he didn't flirt with
them. He was polite and professional, and he gave every customer his
full attention.

“You're a good man,
Jack,” she whispered.

“I hope to be deserving
of the love of a good woman,” Jack answered, looking straight
into her eyes. “I want to be the kind of man a woman like you
would love.”

Rose gasped. “Oh
Jack...”

Jack touched her cheek softly
and jogged to his car. Rose waved as she watched his car disappear
down the road.

She wrapped her arms tightly
around herself and shivered in the evening breeze. It was twilight,
and the sky was darkening rapidly.

Glancing over her shoulder,
Rose hurried back into the restaurant. Why did she get the feeling
that she was being watched?

CHAPTER
FIFTEEN

Rose was wiping down the
counter when Nan walked out of the kitchen and stretched.

“All done,” Nan
announced. “Dinner's ready. Where's Jack?”

“He went to get the
wine.”

“Oh, I thought he'd be
back by now. Ah, I think I'll go wait for him out front. I've been
in the kitchen the whole day. Some fresh air will do me good.”

“I'll come with you,”
Rose said, unconsciously reaching for her shotgun.

“I may be old, but I'm
not infirm,” Nan chided. “I'll just take a stroll in
front of the restaurant and stretch my legs.”

With that, Nan yanked the
door open and sauntered out.

The musical tinkle of the
door chime echoed round the empty restaurant. Rose threw down the
rag and picked up the gun.

She just had a niggling
feeling that danger was lurking somewhere around the shadows outside.
The hairs on her neck were standing on end and she felt increasingly
uneasy and anxious.

Rose scrambled out the door
and skidded to a stop at the front step.

“Nan!”

She raised her gun and
pointed it at the man who was holding Nan by the throat.

“Let her go!”
Rose yelled. “You, it's you again!”

It was the same yellow-eyed
wolf who had harassed her in the restaurant the day before.

“Let my Nan go,”
Rose said, taking a step forward.

The wolf shifter ignored Rose
and whistled over his shoulder. Rose's heart hammered wildly as she
watched the shadows move behind him.

Three men stepped forward and
came towards Rose.

“It's her, Lucien,”
the wolf said, nodding at the tallest of the three men.

Lucien smiled. “Well
done, Trenton. You did good.”

“I smelled your blood
in her, Lucien,” Trenton replied with a smirk. “Her
scent was unmistakable.”

Rose gripped her gun tighter
as Lucien kept walking towards her. “Step back!” she
yelled.

Lucien stopped and arched a
thick brow. He was taller and leaner than the other three wolves.
Rose knew that all the four men in front of her were wolf shifters.
Their glowing yellow eyes were locked on her, and Rose ground her
teeth in defiance.

They might think they had
their prey cornered, but she was nobody's prey.

Lucien sniffed the air
repeatedly and smiled at Rose. “You do indeed have my blood in
you. I don't know which bitch gave birth to you. I fucked so many
of them. But—the cunt was human.” Lucien's face twisted
in disgust. “You're only half wolf. What's your name, girl?”

“None of your fucking
business,” Rose spat.

“Her name is Rose,”
Trenton offered helpfully. He swore viciously when Nan kicked him in
the nuts. Trenton gripped Nan tighter around the neck and shook her.

“Let her go! Don't
touch her,” Rose screamed at Trenton. “I will kill you!”

Lucien looked amused and
impressed at Rose's outburst. “Wow. My girl has fight,”
he laughed.

“I am not your girl!”

“But you are,”
Lucien said. The smile was still on his face but Rose saw how cruel
and cunning his eyes were. She shuddered and backed away.

No.

No. He couldn't be.

“No, you're not,”
Rose said in a strangled voice. She shook her head. “You're
not...”

Lucien spread his arms wide.
“I am your father, Rose.” He moved his eyes down her
body, and rubbed his chin slowly. “I think I know who your
mother is. A delicious, horny human with flaming red hair and the
juiciest, most succulent tits and ass. Her pussy...” He
shrugged. “I can't remember what her pussy was like. Pussies
all taste the same.”

“Shut up! Don't talk
about my mother like that!” Rose shrieked. “You just
shut your filthy mouth!”

Lucien's smile vanished. He
jerked his head and his minions stepped forward.

“You'll come with me
now,” he said to Rose in a hard voice.

“I'm not going anywhere
with you!”

Lucien grabbed the barrel of
her gun and tried to pull her forward, but Rose resisted. “I
am the Alpha of the Westclaw Wolves. You are the Alpha's daughter.
You will do your duty as the Alpha's mongrel daughter.”

“What duty?” she
snarled.

Lucien's eyes flicked to her
neck and he let out a derisive laugh. “You are a whore just
like your mother. You will service the pack.”

“S-service?”

“Yes,” he
drawled. “There are only a few she-wolves in the pack.”

Rose reeled back. He wanted
to capture her and drag her back to the pack as a sex slave for his
wolves.

“Go. To. Hell!”
Rose spat.

“I thought you'd be
more pliant and biddable,” Lucien said, stepping back with a
scowl. “The tough ones always break first. You'd be taught
how to behave properly in the pack.”

Lucien gave the signal and
his two minions shifted into wolf form. Rose faced the two snarling
black wolves and gulped. Her eyes darted to Nan. Trenton was still
holding her by the neck but Nan had stopped struggling and was acting
like the obedient, submissive hostage. But her hands were curled
into claws at her sides and her eyes were glinting with pure fury.

Rose's gun wavered between
the two approaching wolves. She hoped she could fire quickly and
accurately.

The wolves crouched, and Rose
saw that they were getting ready to pounce. She wasn't afraid of
dying but she knew that they would not kill her. Not yet.

They would knock her out,
mutilate her to teach her a lesson, and drag her back to the pack.

Rose muttered Jack's name
under her breath and tightened her finger on the trigger.

She screamed as the wolves
leaped towards her, fangs and claws arching towards her face.

CHAPTER
SIXTEEN

Jack exploded from his car,
shifting into bear form as he threw himself in front of Rose. He
swore at himself for leaving Rose and Nan alone, even for a little
while.

The two vicious black wolves
slammed into his massive side and dropped back to the ground.

There was a bark of jeering
laughter. “So this is your Prince Charming. I saw his mark on
your neck. My mongrel daughter is spreading her legs for a grizzly
bear. Well, I guess that makes me your father-in-law. I'm Lucien
Westclaw, but I can't say I'm pleased to meet you.”

Jack turned to face a
raven-haired man with close-set yellow eyes and hard, crooked
features. Jack growled at him, standing firmly between Lucien and
Rose.

This piece of shit had
insulted his Rose. He had shamed, humiliated and hurt her. And he
had even ordered his wolves to attack her. What kind of father was
he? He didn't deserve a kind, loving daughter like Rose.

Lucien glanced at the two
black wolves flanking him and smiled pleasantly at Jack. “These
are my two most loyal lieutenants. They will tear out your throat in
a heartbeat. Why don't you just walk away? This is none of your
business. It's a family matter. A little domestic dispute, shall we
say. You can get yourself a nice, warm female, a pure bear shifter
like yourself,” Lucien said reasonably. “Why would you
settle for a half wolf, half human whore?”

Jack roared in rage. He
wanted to slash his claws right across Lucien's throat. He had
called Rose a whore. A whore! How dare he!

Lucien laughed. “You
sound mightily worked up. Maybe you can take on three wolves at
once. Trenton!”

Trenton snapped to attention
and nodded. Lucien grabbed Nan from Trenton and held her by the
scruff of her neck. Nan let herself go limp like a ragdoll but Jack
saw her hand inch to the pocket of her apron.

Trenton shifted into a large
black wolf and joined the other two. The three wolves advanced
towards Jack and spread out to circle him.

Jack saw the first wolf fly
towards him at the corner of his eye. He raised his paw and felt
sharp teeth bite through his fur. He shook the wolf off just as the
other two wolves raked their claws down his side.