Her Reluctant Bear: A Hot Paranormal Fantasy Saga with Witches, Werewolves, and Werebears (Weres and Witches of Silver Lake Book 5) (21 page)

She rushed up to him and placed her hands on his chest. “No. This isn’t about us. It’s about why I’m here in Silver Lake. Why I’m
really
here.”

“I thought you came to Silver Lake to visit Dalton.”

She didn’t want him to think she’d hid everything from him. “That’s partially true. Come sit next to me, and I’ll tell you the rest.”

“Why now?” His voice had turned gruff and his movements stiff.

“I didn’t tell you before because I’d already dumped enough crap on you. How much could you have handled after I told you shifters existed? And guess what, sport, you’re one too.”

“Fine, so you had your reasons. Go on.”

Jillian ran a hand down his arm, as much to calm him as herself. “The night before I came out here, I witnessed a murder—more or less.”

“Oh, shit. I’m sorry, but what does kind of witnessed a murder mean?”

She began with how she’d seen her father’s killer when she was six, and how she’d spotted the same man in the police station before noon the same day as the second murder. “Mind you, it was twenty-five years later.”

“Are you sure it was the same man? Memories can blur in that time.”

“Trust me. I know. I smelled him, and scent is ingrained in my brain,” she said.

He shook his head and glanced off to the side. “I can’t imagine waiting all that time to find him. What did you do when you realized who he was?” His concern warmed her heart. Brian was such a protector.

“I acted as if I’d never seen him before, but I don’t think he believed me. You probably wonder why I think that. It’s because that same night was when he came to my house and murdered my friend Dalia who was asleep in my guest room. The two of us look similar—same length blonde hair and same height—so I’m thinking he must have thought it was me that he had shot and killed.”

Brian reached out and drew her close. “I’m so sorry. What did the cops say?”

He must not have connected the dots. “I didn’t tell them. The killer is a cop, and he was assigned to lead the case.”

His jaw slowly lowered. “That’s horrible. Can’t you complain and ask for a new detective?”

She actually chuckled. “What would I say? I recognized Detective Whitlaw as my dad’s murderer, but since I was six at the time, I have no proof—other than his scent.”

“Ah, I see. And you can’t say you recognized his scent without telling the world you’re a shifter.”

“Exactly. Even worse, Whitlaw is a shifter too.”

While holding her in his arms, he leaned back. “What are you going to do?”

She twisted toward him. “What I’m already doing. Hiding out in Silver Lake. Just so you know, when we were at the skating rink, I smelled him again.”

Brian jerked up. “He’s here? In Silver Lake?”

She wanted to be completely honest. “I think so, but there were a lot of people in that rink and the smells might have mingled together. I looked around but didn’t see him. I’m hoping I’m wrong.”

He shook his head. “I don’t like it. You need to tell Dalton right now.”

“I will. I just needed a moment to think this through.”

“Dalton is a cop. Maybe he or one of his friends can track Whitlaw down. You know what he looks like, right? Can’t they put out flyers or something?”

That almost made her smile. “I don’t think wanted posters in the post office work for men like Frank Whitlaw. Besides, what would anyone do if they found him? They can’t arrest him. He’s covered his tracks.”

“If a Los Angeles cop suddenly shows up in Tennessee, doesn’t that implicate him?”

“No. He’ll say he’s here on vacation in the beautiful Great Smokies. I’ll ask Dalton to look for him, but if Whitlaw’s not here, it’ll cause a lot of work for people.”

Brian dragged a hand down his face. “But if he is here and you say nothing, the consequences could be lethal.”

“True.” She snapped her fingers. “Duh. I’ll ask Camille.”

“Who’s Camille?”

Jillian felt bad that she hadn’t let Brian in on anything about her life. “She’s a good friend of mine who I was visiting at the police station in Los Angeles that day when I saw Whitlaw.”

“She’s a cop?”

“Yes.” Jillian swiped her finger across the burner phone and dialed Camille’s cell. Her friend would either be out with their usual gang, or curled up on her sofa reading a good book.

“Jillian! How are you?”

“I’m good. Say listen, was Frank Whitlaw at the precinct today? Or didn’t you go in.”

“It was my day off.”

Shit. “Was he there yesterday?” Jillian held her breath.

“I don’t think so, but then I don’t always see him. It’s not like we work together.”

“Do you think you can find out for me?”

Jillian was met with silence for a few seconds. “What’s going on?”

“I think Whitlaw followed me to Tennessee. I swear I caught a whiff of him.”

Brian was leaning close, the lines around his eyes pronounced.

“Oh, my God, Jillian. Sure, I’ll discreetly ask Maria Rodriguez. She’s Frank’s partner.”

Poor woman. “Be careful.”

“Always.”

They chatted a few more minutes. “Look, I gotta go.”

“Stay safe.” Camille disconnected.

Jillian stuffed the phone back in her purse and faced Brian. “My friend isn’t—”

“I heard,” Brian said. “It’s inconclusive.”

“Yes. I hope you don’t mind, but I should call Dalton.”

“Absolutely.”

From the noise in the background, her brother was still at work. She explained she thought she’d smelled their father’s killer.

“If you’re right, you’ll have to be extra careful. I’ll do some checking to see if he flew in, and then I’ll check the rental car companies too. I’m thinking he won’t bother with a fake ID either since he won’t have any clue that we’re on to him.”

“Can you get that information without a warrant?”

“I can’t, but I bet Jackson Murdoch can. The man can hack into anything.”

As a lawyer, Jillian frowned on illegal activity, but for this she’d make an exception. “That’s good to know.”

“Jilly, if Frank Whitlaw is in town, we’ll find him.”

“Even if you do, you can’t touch him. Technically, he’s done nothing wrong.” She didn’t need to be lecturing her brother on the law.

“Even so,” Dalton said, “we can watch his every move to make sure he doesn’t harm you.”

Knowing Dalton, he’d ask someone to keep an eye on her. Finding out if Whitlaw was in town would require calling in quite a few favors or hiring people for the job. “Do whatever you need to do, but if you hire McKinnon and Associates, I can’t pay until I get home.”

“Don’t worry about it. Connor McKinnon will do right by you. Where are you now?”

“I’m with Brian.”

“Have him follow you home. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“I will.”

After they both disconnected, she faced Brian. “Dalton said he’ll speak with McKinnon and Associates about finding Whitlaw.”

“Who are they? The name sounds familiar.”

“You’ve met one of them—Jackson Murdoch. Apparently, Jackson and the team he works with are Jack-of-all-trades security specialists. They do everything from finding people to doing what needs to be done for the greater good so to speak—especially if Changelings are involved.”

Brian smiled. “So, basically they tread anywhere the cops can’t legally go.”

“That’s what I’ve gathered from Dalton. By the way, because my madman might be in town, Dalton asked if you’d follow me home tonight.”

“Of course.” He scooted closer. “You’ve done all you can for now. You’re safe here.”

“At least he can’t enter this building without a key code.” Then she remembered the man had broken into her place with ease. “Just in case, do you think you could put the deadbolt on the door?”

He smiled. “You got it.” Brian secured the door then dragged a chair over and jammed it under the doorknob. “Not sure if this will stop anyone, but they always do this in the movies.”

She laughed. “That they do.”

“I know what will cheer you up.”

“What’s that?”
Making mad passionate love with me?

“Wait and see.” He disappeared into the bedroom. A door slid open then closed. Seconds later, he came out with a beautiful box. “I made you a jewelry box.”

Jillian was stunned. The box was slightly bigger than a loaf of bread. What was so amazing was that the lid had wood inlays in different colors that were cut and placed together to form flowers. “You didn’t have to get me anything or make me this. It’s too beautiful.”

“Like you.”

“Aw, thank you. How did you do this?” She lightly ran her fingers across the top.

“I just made a pattern, cut out each piece, and then glued them together. Open it.”

He made it sound so simple. Inside was a drawer that lifted out. “It’s like a secret hiding place,” she said, her voice full of awe. Jillian closed the lid and once more smoothed her hand along the surface. “What are you doing working at a hardware store if you can do this? You should sell your work.”

He looked away, clearly not comfortable with compliments. “If I ever get enough money, I’d like to open my own woodworking shop and make custom furniture and stuff.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

“What sounds even more wonderful is a kiss. I’ve been staring at those lips all day and have been dying to taste you,” he said with eyes so dreamy that Jillian wanted to dive right into them and search his soul.

“What’s stopping you?” she asked, placing a hand on his thigh. It was fun to tease Brian. Every experience they shared was fresh and novel.

“Absolutely nothing.” Brian slipped his present from her fingers and set it on the coffee table. A second later, he was sprawled on top of her on the sofa. Brian then brushed her lips with his, and the soft kiss sent spikes of pleasure across her body. As much as she enjoyed it, she wanted to be taken—hard and fast.

“Thank… you… for… a… wonderful… day,” she said, kissing him with tiny pecks in between each word, hoping he’d be equally frustrated with the brief contact.

Brian lifted his head and looked deep into her eyes. “No. Thank
you
. I’ve never met anyone like you, Jillian. Not only are you beautiful, you’re smart, kind, and thoughtful. I’d need at least another thousand more words to describe you.”

Brian was so sweet. “Have I told you how much I love your eyes? They’re soulful.”

“Soulful, huh?” He quirked his lips to the side, seemingly unable to decide if that was a good thing or not.

“Yes. They show a depth of character few men possess. They intrigue me. You intrigue me. I know that big heart of yours is hiding inside you, and it’s your eyes that reveal your fear of showing your true self to people.”

His confusion changed to delight. “That so?” He tapped her nose. “I was waiting for the right person to come along. Then I will give my heart to her freely.”

“You mean me?”

“Of course.”

Her heart nearly burst. Jillian didn’t believe she’d earned his trust, but if she had, she needed to do everything in her power not to break it. “I accept.”

“Right now, my brain is only thinking of one thing I can give you,” he said as he pressed against her a bit harder.

She wiggled her hips, loving how hard his cock was even through their clothes. Excitement coursed through her knowing he wanted her just as much as she wanted him. “I can tell.”

Kiss him
.

And she did—fully, totally, and with complete abandon. Wanting more, Jillian tugged his shirt from his jeans and ran her hands up his corded back. The skin-to-skin contact ignited her. Who knew lifting wood all day would make him so ripped?

Brian dipped his tongue into her mouth and immediately possessed her, his scent making her tiger beg for release.

After a long, intense exploration, she broke the contact. Breathless, she ran her gaze downward, as if inspecting both of them. “I think we’re both overdressed.”

“Totally.” He sat up and unbuttoned his jeans.

While it was more efficient if they each took off their own clothes, it definitely wasn’t as rewarding. “How about if I do that for you?” she asked. “Can you stand up? I want to take off your clothes this time—slowly.”

His eyes widened, and a second later Brian climbed off her. The last time, he’d made her stand still. Now it was his turn to be tormented by need. “Where do you want me?” he asked.

She glanced over at the window and found the curtains drawn. Perfect. “Right where you are is good, but first take off your shoes.”

As he shucked off his boots, she kicked off hers. Her tiger took over and Jillian stalked toward him with one thing on her mind—having Brian. Even with all the injustice this man had gone through, he’d managed to fight his own inner demons and found a place in his heart for her.

Mate, mate
, her tiger huffed out.

You know it can’t be completed until Brian shifts one time and returns my bite.

Brian stood in front of her and held out his arms. “I’m all yours.”

‡

J
illian loved Brian’s
attitude and hoped he meant it when he said he was hers. She tapped her lips and hummed as she perused his body. “Where to start? Where to start?”