Don't Moose With Her (Bearbank Book 1) (4 page)

“Mine neither.”

***

Damn. He hadn’t meant to admit that. He had been so determined to stay out of her way. He had no time for a mate. Yet, the minute he had seen her leaning against the bar, he had made a beeline straight for her, leaving his bemused partner standing there. He just couldn’t stop himself from talking to her, or from standing closer than was necessary. Every fibre of his being wanted to be near her. His wolf pranced like a puppy inside his head, basking in her scent. Her hair was loose now, spilling down her back and his fingers twitched to touch it. Her clothes were a vast improvement on that horrendous uniform she’d been wearing earlier. Her dark jeans hugged her curvy hips and butt in a way that made him quite jealous. Black suited her much better than pink. She wore a fitted black t-shirt with a cartoon moose and the words ‘Moose are people too.’ Cute. She had been pretty even in the uniform. In casual clothes, she was stunning. He wondered how she’d look dressed up. Breathtaking, no doubt. Then he wondered how she’d look undressed and squirming under him. His wolf panted in approval.

Like the first time they’d met, she was flustered. Another man might have given up and walked away but she intrigued him. He found that he enjoyed her confusion. He did not feel entirely in control and it eased him to know that he wasn’t alone in that. Besides, it was just so damned cute that it made him want to pick her up and squeeze her. Then rub her, stroke her, and bury himself in her.

He had been surprised that her other side was a moose. Unlike their animal counterparts, shifters were free to move wherever they liked. It did mean that they had to be a little more careful when shifting. Lions, for example, were not normally seen in Scotland. Moose weren’t among the rarer shifter species but Ethan had never met one before. He liked the thought of her being a moose, tougher than other types of deer and less vulnerable. He felt relieved that she would be able to take care of herself. The more he spoke to her, the more he liked her and staying away was seeming less and less easy. His wolf snorted at him, making its feelings perfectly clear. For his wolf, it was simple. She was theirs and he should get off his ass and claim the woman before someone else did. He’d only end up maiming the guy to get her back. Easier to just claim her in the first place.

When he admitted that his brain wasn’t entirely online, Dana looked up at him, those beautiful green eyes looking right into his soul.

“Really?” she asked. “You feel it too?”

This was his chance to lie and walk away. Back to a simpler life. All he had to do was deny any knowledge of what she referred to.

“Yeah,” he answered. “I feel it.” He couldn’t do it. Claimed or not, this was his mate and he couldn’t lie to her. Couldn’t cause her pain by denying their connection. He owed her honesty. It was all he had to give her.

She frowned slightly. “So, what now?”

He shrugged. “Right now, I’m actually working. I should really get back to it. I shouldn’t be long. Will you still be here?”

She nodded. “I’ll be over there with my friends.”

He couldn’t help himself, he leaned down and kissed her forehead, hearing her gasp of surprise. “I’ll find you when I’m done.”

She picked up her drinks and walked back to her table. Two other women sat there, Leo’s cousin Katie and a small woman who looked like a goth. He watched Dana bend over to deliver a drink across the table and he instantly went hard. His mind immediately pictured her bent over for another reason.

“Quit checking out that girl’s ass,” his partner’s voice startled him.

He only just managed to avoid a full out shift. Wolves did not take well to being startled and the fact that he hadn’t noticed his partner’s approach embarrassed him.

Leo gave him a strange look. “What’s with you today? You’ve been acting weird all day. Now you ditch me in the middle of an investigation to chat up a cute girl?”

“Don’t touch her,” he practically growled. His wolf snarled inside him. He didn’t like the thought of anyone else noticing Dana was cute. Irrational, yes. Shifters were a possessive lot and Dana was special, no matter how much he wanted to deny it.

“Hey,” Leo said, holding his hands up in surrender. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Ethan wrestled his wolf back under control and took several deep breaths. His wolf muttered sulkily that it was all Ethan's fault for not claiming her already.

“I know, I’m sorry,” Ethan apologised. He had to get himself back under control. Fast. “She’s my mate, Leo. I’ll admit I’m a little distracted.”

Leo’s eyes widened. “Congratulations! No wonder you’re distracted. Look, I can handle this. You need to go claim your mate.” He stopped. Looked at Ethan. “Why the hell aren’t you over there already?”

“Working, remember?” Ethan grumbled. He sighed. “I don’t have time for a mate, Leo. We need to catch this guy.”

“From what I’ve heard, you won’t have much choice,” Leo pointed out. “The mating instinct can’t be ignored for long. It’ll drive you nuts until you either give in or you break the connection entirely.”

“That can happen?” Ethan asked. “I thought that was an old wives tale.”

“No, it can happen,” Leo said, giving him a sharp look. “It happened to a cousin of mine. His woman had some issues and wouldn’t accept the mating. Eventually, the bond broke. It didn’t work out well for either of them. So don’t be getting any ideas.”

“Do you know Dana?” Ethan asked. He knew little about his mate.

Leo shrugged. “Not really. I’ve met her a few times through my cousin, Katie. She seems nice enough.”

“Yeah,” Ethan sighed. She was. Pulling his gaze from his mate, he looked at Leo. “Where’s Darren?”

Leo gestured to the other end of the bar where a man was laughing with a female customer. The man had the build of a shifter, fit and strong. His skin was naturally tanned, hinting at a more exotic ancestry. His eyes were dark and his black hair was long and straight. Ethan made a mental note to keep the attractive shifter away from his mate. Getting closer, he could smell that the man was some kind of feline shifter. It wasn’t like Leo’s lion scent or even a tiger. Leopard, probably.

“Darren?” Leo called to him, leaning against the bar.

Leaving the woman with a disgustingly charming smile, the barman walked over to them.

“Hey, Leo,” he said, picking up a glass. “You here for business or pleasure?”

“A bit of both,” Leo answered. “We need to talk to you about Becca.”

The man’s expression became serious. “I heard that she’d been found. Damn shame. She was a sweet girl.”

“Did you see anyone pay her extra attention that night? Or was there anyone unusual hanging around?” Ethan asked.

“No one who stood out,” Darren said, pulling a pint and handing it to a customer. “She did seem to be getting along with one of the customers though. Not a regular exactly but not a stranger either. He’s been in a few times. Becca seemed to like him. Always chatted with him. It looked friendly enough and Becca never complained about him.”

“Any idea who he was?” Leo asked.

“No, sorry.” Darren shook his head. “I don’t know him or his name. Human, I think. Average height and build. Short blonde hair. Wore glasses. Tended to keep to himself.”

“He here tonight?” Ethan asked, scanning the bar. He couldn’t help but look at Dana talking quietly with her friends. They seemed a little subdued. Was something wrong?

“No, I haven’t seen him recently,” Darren said. “I can call you if he comes back in.”

“That’d be great,” Leo said, fishing in his pocket for a card. “Was he here until closing?”

“I think he left before then but he was here most of the night,” Darren said. “It was pretty quiet towards the end of that night. I’d told Becca she could leave early and she called a taxi. Then she was gone.”

“There were still people here at that point?” Leo asked.

“A few. Not many,” Darren said. He shrugged. “A few stragglers I was encouraging to leave.”

“Do you have their names?” Ethan asked. If they left at the same time, perhaps they saw or heard something outside. Or perhaps one of them was their man.

Darren thought about it. “David Campbell, John Adams, and Ben Andrews, as usual. Sandra and Hazel Matthews too. A handful of others I don’t know.”

“We’ll speak to them,” Leo said, noting down the names. “Thanks for your help, Darren.”

“No problem. I just hope you get the bastard.” Darren’s expression was grim. “I liked Becca and no one deserves what happened to her.”

“Hey,” Ethan added. “Did Becca ever talk to you about her secret admirer?”

Darren’s face blanched. “That’s what this is about? The Shifter Stalker? He’s the one who killed Becca?”

Leo nodded. “Looks that way, yeah. She never mentioned her admirer?”

“No,” Darren looked thoughtful. “She did mention that she thought she’d discovered that someone liked her. I didn’t ask for details. I’m her boss and it was girl talk, so I’m not really the person she’d talk to. All I know is that she was excited about it. I guessed that she was talking about her customer. Now I think about it, she did seem a little flirtier than usual with him. It was nothing too over the top though.”

“We’ll need to see if we can find this guy. It could be innocent but we’ll look into it,” Leo stated. “Now then, business is done. I’ll have a pint please, mate.”

Darren looked at Ethan.

“Same, thanks,” Ethan looked back towards Dana’s table and caught her watching him. She ducked her head and returned to her conversation.

Leo nudged him. “Go get your woman.”

Ethan scowled at him. “I’m not claiming her. This is not a good time to have a mate.” He'd just have to explain that to her. She'd understand, right?

Leo snorted. “When is a good time? When you’re too old to do anything with her? If I had a mate, I wouldn’t be sitting here with you. No offence. Not everyone is lucky enough to find their mate. You have. Don’t throw it away. Go talk to the woman.”

Ethan grunted but took his drink and walked to Dana’s table, determined to let her down gently and get on with his life. As he approached, he caught her scent, calling to him and exciting his wolf. She smiled up at him and he found himself pulling a chair close to hers and sitting down.

Bitch! He had seen her with that man. The one that looked like a shifter. After a while, you learned to recognise them from the way they moved. The man was dangerous looking, everything about him screamed 'predator' but he wasn't the only predator in town.

Watching them together, it was obvious that she wanted the shifter. Standing at the bar, if they'd been any closer to each other they'd have been arrested for lewd acts. They'd clearly been flirting and he'd seen the blush on Dana's face. It was intolerable. She was just like the others. Fickle and untrustworthy. Impure. It was time for a warning. He didn't know why he bothered. They never heeded the warning. He had the perfect thing in mind. He'd procured it, hoping it wouldn't be necessary but he liked to be prepared. Just as well.

He watched as the male shifter sat next to her at a table, sitting far too close. Why didn't she push him away? Disgusted, he drained the last of his pint and stood. Time to deliver the first warning. It would be waiting for her when she got home. Assuming she even went back to her own house. Bitch.

Dana had been permanently aware of him since he had sneaked up on her. She had tried to focus on her conversation with her friends but her eyes had kept straying to the wolf at the bar. At one point, he had turned and caught her staring. Could she be any more obvious?

Now the wolf in question was sitting right next to her. So close that their legs bumped together, sending a shiver up her spine. Katie had greeted him warmly, clearly knowing him through Leo. Dana suppressed a brief flare of jealousy. Katie was a lion shifter like Leo. All golden hair, tanned skin, brown eyes, lean limbs and beautiful. If Dana hadn’t loved the woman so much, she’d have hated her. Thankfully, Ethan had merely responded politely and returned his attention to her.

“Still working on getting drunk?” he asked her.

“If you’re still accepting that excuse for any oddness, then sure. We can go with that.” She smiled at him.

He grinned back at her and she nearly melted into a little puddle of goo. The expression doubled his delicious hotness. It was as though the universe had taken everything she’d ever found attractive and formed this man out of them. She was totally out of her comfort zone here. She was so nervous that she felt that she could burst out of her own skin. Part of her desperately wanted to get to the claiming. Her moose mooed at her telling her to get on with it. Her human half, though, recognized that she barely knew the man and was telling her to get to know him better. Admittedly, her human half thought that half an hour should be enough time to get to know him. She just wanted him but wasn’t sure what to do about it. She could almost see her moose rolling its eyes at her.

“I see we have similar taste in wardrobe,” he said wryly, gesturing to both of their all-black ensembles.

“Great,” she snorted. “Everyone will think we’re doing it on purpose.”

She was dimly aware of Fiona and Katie leaving the table but she couldn’t take her eyes off Ethan. His dark gaze held hers until she blushed and looked away.

“Do you have family here?” Ethan asked her, breaking the tension. Ah, small talk. She could do this.

“Yes,” she answered. “Both parents and three brothers. Do you have family?”

Ethan shrugged. “Not really. A cousin I never see. A half brother somewhere but we’re not close. I’m not even sure where he’s living right now. Dad ran off when I was a kid. My mother died when I was twenty.”

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. His tone was matter-of-fact but she saw a sadness in his eyes. He was used to being alone, had accepted it, but part of him clearly yearned for something more. She wondered if he even realized it.

“No big deal,” he said, shrugging. “It makes it easier for me to move around. No ties holding me back.”

Dana frowned. Is that how he saw her? An unwanted tie to hold him down? She was afraid to ask, too unsure of their connection. Glancing away, she saw her friends at another table, giving them privacy but unwilling to leave Dana alone. She smiled at them and Fiona gave her a thumbs up.