Shifter Legends (2 page)

She breathed in the scent of lavender as the hot water filled her senses. It was pretty much all she needed to feel better about herself. That and a pint of chocolate cherry swirl. She sucked in breath after breath, letting the lavender sooth her soul as she tried to sooth her ego.

When she finally got out of the tub, she was exhausted. Those headaches knocked her out and made her tired. She crawled back into her bed, and let sleep overwhelm her. At least she wouldn’t pass out and leave a hot guy to fend for himself in her own dreams.

.

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Briana

Briana woke to the sound of the doorbell ringing, her head finally completely clear and the feeling of exhaustion lifting off her shoulders.

She grabbed her robe and pulled it on, wrapping it around her curvy frame. Briana couldn’t help but run her hands down her curves. She felt good, for the first time in a long time. Not too thin, like when she was in high school and never got enough to eat, and not too heavy, like when she was in college and finally had access to all the food she had wished for. She felt perfect.

She opened the door to find the fierce-looking hottie from last night standing there, waiting for her.

“I just wanted to check on you. See how you were.” Grant leaned against her door frame, his hand in his hair, looking down at her. There was more than concern in his eyes, something deeper. Something that she couldn’t place.

“I, uh, I’m doing a lot better. Thank you for asking.” She eyed him suspiciously.

“I,” He waited, but she stood in the doorway, not letting him in, “I was wondering if you wanted to go for a ride?” He held up a helmet to her and grinned. She swallowed. It looked like the smile of a hungry man about to sit down to a steak dinner.

“Why are you so interested in me?” She asked, unable to keep her inquiry at bay. She was always just a bit too forceful, a bit too perceptive. It kept her safe in all of those foster homes.

“It isn’t often I get noticed by a beautiful woman like you.” He looked into her eyes, the spark between them still there. “Besides, you have amazing eyes. They just pulled me in.”

 She couldn’t help but look for that glow, but all she saw was a fierceness. He was more masculine than she realized, but he did a good job hiding it. But that raw fierceness was there. Like an alpha male from a really cheesy teen fiction novel.

He’s one to talk.

“Come on, please?” Grant’s face begged her, using his charm on her. She knew all the women fell for it. Especially with the added thrill of his leather cut, and long dark hair, making him look like a real badass. That wasn’t what did it for her, not at all. For her, it was his smile. It was genuine. She just couldn’t say anything but yes, the energy between them was undeniable, and he felt it too.

Did women ever say no to him?

“I guess I’m not doing anything else, so why not?”

“Great, I’ll give you a few minutes to get dressed. Meet me down at my bike.”

She had a feeling he wouldn’t have accepted any other answer.

What had she gotten herself into?

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The first thing Briana noticed was the way the wind pulled on her, tugging her like it wanted to take her away with it. She grasped at Grant’s sides just a little tighter, pulling her body into his, fighting the urge to just let go. That would end in disaster, she knew, but the urge to be free overwhelmed her.

This was as close as she could get.

Briana felt the rumble of the motorcycle under her, the warmth of the machine as it moved along the paved country road traveled up her body and across her arms into Grant.

His flesh was far from soft, the muscles providing a firm area to grab onto. She couldn’t help but sigh as she leaned into him, his body hard and strong against her softer curves.

As they climbed the side of a mountain Grant pointed out over the landscape. The Appalachians were beautiful. Their older slopes were littered with trees, the canyons full with rippling creeks and fat rivers as they made their way through them. This view was no less breathtaking. She watched as he revved his engine and navigated the twists and turns of the curves, finally turning off onto an overlook, where he parked it in the gravel. She hopped off first, using his shoulder as a fulcrum to pull her body off the seat.  He took her helmet from her and set it on the back of his bike along with his. Her hair had to have looked terrible, but she didn’t care. All she cared about was taking in everything as quickly as she could.

Briana took a deep breath of the mountain air and exhaled slowly, letting the cool air out as she tried to calm down. She was too mature to feel this giddy with excitement. She needed to just let out breath after breath.

“I’m really glad you asked me here. It is absolutely beautiful.” Briana looked out over the guard rail that kept them from a dangerous edge, taking in the mountains and the line of trees.  They touched the sky, the way she wanted to, free the way she wished she could be.

“I couldn’t think of anywhere better to take you, anywhere more precious to me. I come here often, to think, to meditate. There is just something about the forest… Sometimes I just feel so drawn to it, you know?” She saw a little piece of him, the man beneath the fierce exterior, for the first time.

“Like it’s calling for you…” She answered, feeling the call of the forest, the wind blowing through her hair. She wanted to shed all of her clothing and run into the woods, but she couldn’t. It wasn’t realistic.

“Makes me just want to run away and live in the woods.” He almost whispered it.

“Me too.” She let it out in a whisper, a breath, but she knew that this place was special. Sacred. 

“So why don’t we?” He asked, a slow smile spreading on his too handsome face.

“Because it isn’t the 15th century? I need my computer to edit, it pays the bills. I don’t think an oak can give me electricity.” She tore away from the landscape and looked up at him.

“Yeah, I know what you mean, my camera runs on batteries, not tree sap.” Grant explained, “Still, it doesn’t hurt to dream.”

“You’re a photographer?” She asked as she looked up at him. He made her dizzy, even there with his hair all mussed up from his helmet.

“Yeah, it is something I do along with a few other odd jobs. I mostly do nature landscapes and still shots for advertisements. It gives me the ability to be immersed in nature, but the kind of living that doesn’t leave me wanting for much.”

She saw it out of the corner of her eyes. His eyes were glowing, shining in the light as they connected with hers. The steely blue glow was more than she could have ever imagined. It was real, it had to be.

Then it was gone again, suddenly. His eyes reverted back to normal, the look on his face as though it never happened.

“Over here,” He said, gesturing at a bench that had the perfect vantage point, and quickening his pace. “I have a favorite spot. A place to take it all in.”

Grant spread his leather jacket on the seat of the bench for her, and gestured for her to sit.  She sat down on the jacket, still warm from his body, and looked around. It really was the perfect view. The field, the edge of the woods and the lake met perfectly in her vision, creating a painting-like effect.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Certainly is.” But Grant wasn’t looking at the landscape. He was looking directly at her. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized it.

Briana tucked a strand of hair behind her ears, and hoped her makeup had enough coverage to hide the crimson flush that was forming on her cheeks.

Before she knew it, Grant bent down and kissed her, his lips connecting with hers. A surge of gentle energy flowed between the two of them. Such a small kiss, yet it was unlike any she had ever experienced before. The spark of their touch left her wanting more of him, more of his touch, his taste. He filled her senses completely and left her yearning for more.

Grant broke apart from her. “I’m sorry. It’s just… you’re beautiful. And you’re sensitive. And you love nature. I knew when I saw you, that we would have a connection.” He threaded his hand through her hair, sending super-charged tingles up her spine.

“It isn’t often that I see that kind of yearning in someone’s eyes. Someone who looks as haunted as I am.” He dipped down and kissed her again, and this time it wasn’t nearly so chaste.

  His lips came down hard on hers, smashing together as he pulled her into him, his arms wrapping around her tightly. She threaded her hands through his hair and deepened the kiss, parting her lips for his tongue to enter into her mouth. He tasted better than she had imagined from their first kiss, his nectar like a drug, making her forget where she was and who she was with. Before she knew it she was tangled up in his arms, half on his lap, her body panting hard against his.

The two separated when she heard the familiar rumble of another motorcycle, interrupting her reverie. She didn’t normally do things like this, go off with strangers she barely knew, and let them shove their tongue down her throat. Especially not a biker, like Grant.

She straightened her shirt and pushed away from him, giving herself a little distance.

“Whatcha got here, Dixon? A pretty little cat, no doubt?” A large man with a greying goatee winked at her, a shit-eating grin on his face. He wore more leather than a cow and nodded in her direction afterwards.

They clearly knew each other.

She suddenly felt even more embarrassed.
Who was Dixon?

“This one is a lady, Shepard. You know what those are, right?” He let out a small chuckle as he stood and gave the man one of those handshakes that turns into a hug.

“So, Grant Dixon, are you going to introduce me to your
Lady
or are you just going to stand there and be rude?”

“Yeah, sorry,” He put his hand through his hair, “This is Briana Braun. Briana, Mason Shepherd. He is a good friend.”

“Do you have a lot of biker friends?” She asked, innocently.

Shepard barked out a laugh, “Dixon? You might say he is the Vice President of our little club. Group of wannabe bad asses, if you ask me. Men with a good soul, though.” He was pleasant enough, for jolly man that looked like he could snap her neck with the flick of a wrist.

There was definitely a lot more to Grant than he let on. He was no mere photographer, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to be involved with someone like that.

“Anyways, I didn’t come out here to look at the scenery. Talked to my brother, Book. He thought you might be out here, said if you can’t be reached, you were likely here. He wants you, we have a situation at work.”

“Work?” She couldn’t help but ask.

“Grant owns a bar out off of Route 212, with Book. Real Shifter Legends, those two. You should stop by sometime, it’s real nice. Got his art up and everything.”

“Thanks, Shep. I will be there shortly. Gotta take Briana home.”

“I’m sure she would be more than welcome to come too. Bet the guys wanna met a pretty kitty like her.” His gruff voice made her flinch at the term. She was no one’s “kitty.”

“I don’t think this is the right time, Shep. But thanks for the invite.” She recovered gracefully and held her hand out for him to shake it.

“Well, I’ll be. She really is a lady. Where do you meet ‘em? ”

Grant glared at Shepard and he finally took the hint. “Hey, I’ll meet you at the bar. Nice meeting you, Briana.” He shook her hand and then walked towards his bike, hopping on without donning a helmet. He was off in a flash.

“I am really sorry about that.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you owned a bar?”

“Because when I tell people that, they think I have money or something. I don’t. It’s just something my dad left me, and I don’t consider it part of the things that I do.” He shrugged. She could appreciate his honesty.

“What, are you part of a biker gang or something?”

“Something like that.” He was tight lipped, his cold stare back in place.

Shepard had blown his hand. That much Briana could tell. She didn’t want to be judged by her past, or the people she associated with so she cleared her throat.

“I… I don’t know what I am doing here. I barely know you, you are some guy I just met.”