Winston (BBW Bear Shifter Wedding Romance) (Grizzly Groomsmen Book 3) (70 page)

“I’d love to.”

“Daxton?”

“Yes, Blair?”

She squeezed her eyes shut and gulped, then said the words quickly before she changed her mind. “I’m not busy Friday.”

There was a long pause. “Are you saying you’d like to go out with me?”

“I… think so?”

He laughed. “Good enough for me.”

Daxton had come in earlier that day to bring the soap and set up a display. Then, she couldn’t stop looking at him and had to walk away so she didn’t make a fool of herself. But now, she sat across from him at the table, and couldn’t keep the grin from her face. It didn’t help that he kept handing her his flask and they snuck sips of moonshine like they were teens drinking in secret.

“How many times have you been stung?” she asked. He’d been telling her about the bees, which was far more fascinating than she’d imagined.

“Lost count a long time ago. They don’t bother me much. And I’m not at home as much as the rest of my partners. I’m usually out making sales calls and taking care of the business end of things.”

“The fun part,” she said sarcastically.

“It can be. When I have a customer that turns out to be incredibly beautiful.”

“Did you go to school to learn that charm?”

“It comes naturally.” He pulled his mouth into half a smile. “I needed it when it came to you. I couldn’t believe it when you said you’d go out with me.”

“Ah.” She looked down at the remains of her pasta dinner. “The whiskey may have had something to do with that.”

“I knew it. You drunk dialed me, didn’t you?” He chuckled and took her hand across the table.

“I wasn’t drunk. But it did make me think I was being silly saying no.”

“Well, whatever the reason, I’m glad.” He kissed her hand.

The waitress brought her a box, and Daxton paid the bill.

He took her hand to help her out of her seat and picked up the box of her leftovers. They stopped just in front of her car. She took the box and set it on the roof so her hands would be free.

He put his arms around her and squeezed her in a tight hug. She inhaled deeply, his scent and the sips of whiskey making her head buzz.

“I had a great time with you,” he said. “Can we do it again?”

She nodded and waited. Surely he would try to kiss her. She looked up at him, into his golden eyes sparkling in the moonlight.

He smiled and let his arms fall. “Drive safe.”

“Wait a second.”

He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Is that it?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re not going to kiss me?”

Daxton smiled and looked down. “As difficult as it was to get you to go out with me? Hell no. I wasn’t going to push my luck.”

She stepped forward, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled herself toward him. He pressed his lips to hers and she felt an eruption of heat in her chest. It had been far too long since she’d been kissed. And she’d never been kissed like this.

His mouth moved against her hungrily, passionately, like he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anything. His hands ran along her back and she slid hers into his hair. Should she ask him back to her place?

Someone whistled loudly. Their kiss broke apart and they looked over to see a man leering at them. The man and his three friends laughed.

“I’m next,” one said, and grabbed himself.

Daxton stiffened and moved to stand in front of her, glaring at them.

“Oh, we’re sorry,” another one said, “weren’t you done with the little slut? Want us to hold her for you?”

Daxton’s jaw tightened. “You need to go now.”

“What’s that?” the one who had whistled, the one with the scraggly brown beard, stepped toward Daxton. “What did you say to me?”

“Get in your car and leave. Now.” Daxton’s hands hung in fists by his side. Blair hid behind him, fear coursing through her.

“Fine.” The man with the long blonde hair spoke now. “Give us the girl and we’ll go.”

“Not a chance in hell,” Daxton said. He turned his head to tell her, “Get in your car and drive as fast as you can.”

But taking his attention off them had been a mistake. When Daxton looked back, the man with the beard punched him square in the jaw.

Blair let out a startled squeal. The man in the torn flannel shirt moved in front of her car door.
 

Daxton punched the bearded man and quickly ducked a punch from the blonde. Blair reached for her phone in her purse, but realized she’d dropped it while she was kissing Daxton. It sat just in front of her car door in the dirt.

One of the men tried to grab her, but Daxton stepped back and kicked him in the ribs. The man grunted and his face broke into a rage that made him surge forward, fists flying.
 

Punches landed on the men, on Daxton. He moved fast and fought well, but it was still four on one. She had to do something. There was no way he could win this fight. She watched closely, looking for an opportunity. She thought she could kick one of them if they moved close enough.

The man with the flannel shirt straightened up. “Enough,” he said. In his hand, he held a shining blade. “Get out of our way,” he said to Daxton.

Daxton looked back at her one last time, kissed her briefly, then exploded before her eyes. She didn’t know what had happened. All of a sudden, shreds of his clothing were in the air, fluttering down. And then she saw him.

Where he’d been standing a moment ago, now stood a huge black bear. He stood up and roared, and the four men took off running. He sat down and waited. The men got into their cars and drove off.

Blair picked up her purse, her hands shaking so badly, she couldn’t get the door open. She hit the unlock button instead and pulled open the door, her heartbeat pounding in her ears. She started the car on the fourth attempt of trying to put the key into the ignition.
 

She looked at him, met his golden eyes, and let her gaze fall over his thick fur and bear paws, then sped off, her box of leftovers crashing to the ground behind her.

Blair paced her kitchen the next morning, her head spinning. When she got home last night, the mix of adrenaline from fear and lust had overtaken her and she fell into an exhausted sleep. But now she was wide awake, had drunk far too much coffee, and her mind was whirling.
 

He’d already called twice and texted her three times. That’s not counting the calls and texts from last night. He wanted to make sure she got home okay. He wanted to see if she slept okay. He wanted to know if she was ever going to talk to him again.

She’d heard of shifters, of course. It was one of those urban legends that everyone knew about. But they weren’t real. They couldn’t be real. And Daxton? Had he really turned into a bear to save her from those men? To protect her?

Well, whatever had happened and whatever he was, she could never see him again. She wasn’t ready to handle something like this.

All weekend, she ignored his continuing texts and calls. By Sunday afternoon, they’d stopped. He seemed to have gotten the hint, finally.

“Soooooo, how was it?!” Vanessa grinned and clapped her hands together when she saw Blair on Monday morning.

“Dinner was nice,” Blair said, putting her things down in her office.

“And?”

“And we did kiss and it was nice.” She forced a smile. The kiss had been nice. So nice. And she’d never get to experience it again.

“Okay. So, why don’t you seem happy about all this?”

She shrugged. “I don’t think he’s really my type.”

“Oh no, come on! You have to give him a chance.” Vanessa tugged on her sleeve and whined. “Please don’t let the super hot honey guy get away because he’s too… what? How is he not your type?”

“I think we just have different ways of going about life.” That was true enough, right? He was a bear, after all. And she wasn’t.

Vanessa pouted, but moved onto discussing the new display for cookies that would be set up later.

That afternoon, Blair went to inspect the new display. She stood with Vanessa, looking at it from every angle. It was too close to the honey display, but it was a good set up. Then she looked again. Only two bottles of Daxton’s honey remained. She raised an eyebrow at Vanessa.

“Yeah. And that’s the second shipment.”

“What? I didn’t order more.”

Vanessa shrugged. “Well, Daxton brought more the other day.”

She crossed her arms, irritated for a moment. But, if it was selling, that’s what really mattered. “Fine. We’ll work it into our regular ordering. How’s the other stuff selling?”

“The soap is flying off the shelves.”

“Oh. Is it? I meant the other local honey.”

Vanessa spun around to look at the other display. “Not so much.”

Blair nodded. I guess if you were going to be a bear, you better be good at honey, right? Apparently, Daxton was good at honey. She shook her head at the thought. “This all looks fine. Just move it over a little.”

She headed toward her office and stopped when she saw Daxton leaning against her door.

“We need to talk,” he said. “I think you owe me that.”

She closed the door behind them and sat in the chair behind her desk.
 

“I had a nice time,” she said, lacing her fingers on top of the desk, “I just think we maybe go about life in different ways.” What she’d said to Vanessa had seemed true enough. Why not use the line again?

“Still in denial, huh?” He sat down and leaned on the desk. “It can take a while for some people.”

“There’s nothing to deny.”

“Blair. I turned into a bear in front of you.”

“I recall. And I appreciate you protecting me. I hope they didn’t hurt you… before… when you were fighting.” As she looked more closely, though, she saw faint bruises around his eye.

“I’m sorry it happened like that. I never would have just changed without talking to you first, but it was our first date. I would have told you when you were ready. Those men didn’t leave me with much of a choice. I had to protect you. Even if it meant scaring you.”

“And like I said, I appreciate that. Very much.” She thought of the way the men had looked at her. If he hadn’t been strong enough and changed to scare them away, the night could have ended very differently for her.

“So, is that it, then? Have I scared you?”

“No. I don’t know.” Her throat burned and then her eyes filled with tears. “How can it ever work, Dax? You’re a bear.” She choked on the words.

“Not all the time.” He pulled his mouth into a humorless smile. “I know it’s weird. Believe me. People have called me a freak all my life. That’s why we live out in the woods alone and keep to ourselves. The world hates us. They’d hunt us if they knew. Anything that’s strange or different must be bad, right? I’ve been different my whole life and there’s nothing I can do about it. It’s not like I chose this. Shifters are just born and we have to deal with what life gives us, just like anyone else.”

Blair looked at her hands for a long time. She was trying hard not to let the tears spill. She blinked and blinked, but finally, they tripped down her cheeks. All she could think of was her own childhood.
 

When the store had been hurting and her parents couldn’t buy her nice clothes. She’d had to wear thrift store clothing or things that were so old they were frayed and falling apart. It had been horrible having people make fun of her for it, and she got so mad because there was nothing she could do about it. Until, of course, she finished high school, got a business degree, and went into debt to make sure her wardrobe was the top of the line. She knew what it felt like to be the butt of the jokes. Not only that, but she’d also judged Daxton for having clothing and a house that didn’t live up to the same standard she’d been trying to reach her whole life.

“I’m sorry you’ve been treated badly,” she said. “I know something of how you feel.”

He handed her a tissue and, as she gave him the shortened version of her childhood, he reached out and took her hand.

“You know what it’s like, then,” he said softly. “I wish you didn’t know.”

“I’m sorry that you have to deal with this, but I don’t know how to handle it. I don’t know what it means or if you’re dangerous or not, and I don’t know if I can trust you not to hurt me. All the stories—and I know they’re just stories—but they always involve someone getting mauled.”

“Did I hurt you Friday night?”

She shook her head. He’d sat there, perfectly calm and still after the men had run off.

“Then give me a chance. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. You can talk to the rest of the clan and ask them anything, too. And you can talk to Beck’s girlfriend if you want, to see what she says. Whatever womanly questions you might have about how… things work.”

She raised an eyebrow and he shrugged.
 

“I don’t think it’s any different for us, but how would I know?” he said.

“You’re all bears? The five of you who live in that house?”