Mary and the Bear (7 page)

For once in her life, she was in control. There was no one telling her what to do, how to think, and what to wear. She was finally free. The only person she had to please was herself. Hugh would ruin all of that. The sad thing was, she was the one that instigated this whole mess. Therefore she was the one who had to fix it. It was time for some damage control.

"Mary Elizabeth, I think we need to take a step back and think about what we're doing before this goes any further. You're a nice woman, but you're my tenant. A relationship between us wouldn't be a good idea."

"Oh, I'm so glad to hear you say that. This is all wrong. I know I gave you the wrong impression just now. I'm really not the type for one night stands. The last thing I want is a relationship with you.” She was so relieved. He understood perfectly how she was feeling and was on the same page. She tucked her breasts into her top and tugged on her skirt, making sure everything was covered.

Hugh's eyebrows came together as a ferocious frown crossed his face. “What's wrong with me?"

"What?” she asked distractedly, her mind already on something else. She had to drag her mind back to the conversation. “As far as I know, nothing.” She inspected herself to see if she missed anything.

"You said, ‘The last thing I want is a relationship with you.’ Why me, specifically? Is it because of Charles?"

Mary Elizabeth snapped to attention. “Are you crazy? Didn't you just say a relationship between us wouldn't be a good idea?” Men! See, this was one more reason why she didn't need a man in her life. She turned and opened the door, peeped out to see if anyone was nearby.

Yes, but it was different when he said it. He never expected her to agree. Why was she so against a relationship with him specifically? He was a good catch. He owned his own business. He was decent enough looking and he was a nice guy. What more could she want?

Women always wanted him. He never had any problems attracting women. He was usually turning them away. He watched her reach under her skirt, pull off her thong and throw it in the trash before tugging her skirt back into place. Then she walked out the door. Knowing she was naked under her skirt caused the blood to drain from his head and flow straight to his cock.

He stalked out of the room behind her, determined to get an answer to his questions. What did she have against him and who the hell was Charles? She was his, not this Charles guy. It didn't matter that up until now he hadn't wanted her. That all changed the minute he discovered she didn't want him. What kind of game was she playing? The woman virtually threw herself at him and now she was saying it was a
mistake
? He caught up with her in the kitchen only to pull up short. Kiesha got to her first.

"Carol had her baby.” Kiesha was positively glowing with excitement. “And I got to watch. This is the first birth I've ever witnessed."

"What!” The shock of what she was saying caused Mary Elizabeth to forget all about Hugh, who was standing there glowering.

"I know. Unbelievable. Apparently she was having contractions and didn't tell Mark. She was determined to be here tonight. You saw that. Well, her water broke and Mark came to get Alex. Get this, instead of lying down and screaming for drugs as any sane woman would do, she set up the spare bedroom, turning it into a delivery room. She set up the equipment, laid out the supplies ... Alex had to make her lie down."

"Get out of here. Are you serious?” The very idea of it was mind-boggling.

"Very serious.” At that moment, Shannon walked up and asked Kiesha about Carol.

"How did you find out? I wasn't aware that anyone not in the bedroom with us knew what was going on. We tried not to draw any attention to ourselves."

"I was talking with Alex when Mark came to get him,” Shannon explained.

"Carol's doing great. It's a boy. Mark is beside himself with excitement."

"What are they going to name him? Have they decided on a name yet?” Both Shannon and Mary Elizabeth spoke, their words overlapping.

"He's being named after his father, of course."

Mary Elizabeth looked at Shannon and they both rolled their eyes. They knew whose idea that was. Women rarely chose to name their sons after the father. There were just too many names to choose from, not to mention the confusion of having two people in the same house with the same name. No, that was a man thing.

Laughing, they pulled out chairs at the bar and settled in for a chat. They talked about other births that they had seen or heard about. Mary Elizabeth, who wasn't doing as good a job ignoring Hugh as she was pretending, heaved a silent sigh of relief when he finally stalked off.

As soon as he was gone, Shannon turned to Mary Elizabeth. “So, what was that all about?"

"I don't know what you're talking about.” But her face turned red and she looked everywhere but at Shannon.

Kiesha glanced back and forth between the two them before turning to Shannon. “What's going on? What did I miss?"

"Nothing,” Mary Elizabeth mumbled, hoping Shannon would let it drop.

"Oh, I don't know. Which nothing would that be? The nothing where you kicked Hugh after he kissed the breath out of you on the dance floor? Or the nothing where you two were going hot and heavy at it while dancing just before you disappeared together?” Shannon grinned, obviously enjoying herself.

"Really. Oh, my. Do tell. Mary Elizabeth, is there something you'd like to share? Miss, ‘I don't have time for a relationship'. Come to think of it, where were you? I know you weren't in the kitchen when I first walked in. Then
poof
! I turn around, and there you are. But you didn't come from the living room."

Shannon leaned forward and sniffed Mary Elizabeth, causing her to jerk away. A devilish glint lit her eyes. “Hugh's sent is all over her. Wherever she was, Hugh was there, too."

Kiesha raised both eyebrows, silently demanding she tell all.

"There's nothing to tell."

"Of course not,” Shannon stated with a grin.

"There isn't. So we got a little carried away. It doesn't mean anything."

"Not a thing,” Kiesha echoed, obviously trying not to smile.

"Even if I were interested in him—not saying I am—nothing could come of it. Think about it. The man's my landlord."

"Right. Landlord. Major problem,” Shannon teased.

"It wouldn't work. He's too masculine ... too dominant ... too ... too..."

"Alpha?” Kiesha suggested.

Mary Elizabeth snapped her finger. “Yes! That's it. He's too alpha. I've had enough of people telling me what to do. Tonight was interesting, but it just won't work. Hugh said the same thing."

Kiesha and Shannon looked at each other doubtfully.

"Really, it's true. We both agreed."

"Are you sure
both of you
are in agreement? That man looked mighty determined just a minute ago. I don't think you've heard the end of it from him."

Mary Elizabeth hoped Kiesha was wrong.

Alex gave a great big smile. “Everyone's just fine. I wish all of my deliveries went as smooth as this one did."

Hugh grinned in return. “Did you really expect anything less from Carol?"

"No, can't say that I did.” They shared a laugh. “I can't wait to see her running around after the little one. He's bound to have her stubbornness and attention to detail. Throw in Mark's sense of humor and it should be very interesting."

Alex looked around him. “Have you seen my mate? She disappeared while I was cleaning up."

"She's in the kitchen with Shannon and Mary Elizabeth.” Who was trying her best to ignore him. Standing where he was, he should be able to see her the minute she exited.

"What do you think of her?"

"Who?” He hoped he wasn't talking about Mary Elizabeth. He hadn't made up his mind on the subject yet.

"Mary Elizabeth. What's your impression of her?"

Damn, he is. Hugh couldn't lie. Alex would be able to smell it. The best he could do was stall. He really didn't want to talk about his suspicions right now. “I haven't really been around her much. She's helped out in the diner a few times and what she did to that apartment was nothing short of amazing.” He hoped Alex would let it go at that. He wasn't ready to tell anyone yet that she might be his mate. He was still having a hard time believing it.

"So she hasn't said anything about herself?"

"No. Why?” What did Alex know that he wasn't saying?

Alex looked as though he were debating on whether or not to continue. Hugh held his breath, mentally pushing Alex to tell him. Finally, Alex nodded as though coming to a decision. He motioned for Hugh to come a little closer to the wall, away from any ears that might overhear what he was going to say. “One of the reasons I wanted her to rent your place was so that you could keep an eye on her. You know that. What you don't know is that Mary Elizabeth just buried her twin. From what Kiesha's told me, the relationship between them wasn't a good one. But still, it was her sister. I was at the funeral with Kiesha when the mother threw herself over the casket and cried out that she wished it had been Mary Elizabeth that had died, not the other one."

Hugh whistled under his breath. “Man, that's messed up."

"There's more. Apparently she's the one the family relies on to do everything. The one that died was the beautiful, spoiled one. Mary Elizabeth is the caretaker who never gets acknowledged. Kiesha wanted her here to get her away from her messed up family."

Hugh digested that in silence before asking, “Do you know who Charles is?"

"If I'm not mistaken, that was the name of the sister's husband. Why?"

"Just something she said. So, she came here to get away and start over?” That might explain some things.

"Yes. I'm hoping that she'll be a match for one of my wolves. Kiesha would be happy to have her here permanently."

Hugh felt his beast stir, rejecting the idea of Mary Elizabeth with anyone but him. Then what Alex said sank in. “I thought she moved here for good. Are you saying this is temporary?"

"No, it's not supposed to be. Kiesha's concerned that once her family realizes just how dependent upon her they are, they'll put pressure on her to come back. They just lost one daughter. They can't be happy about losing Mary Elizabeth, too."

"You think she'll go back if they apply enough pressure?” Over his dead body. She wouldn't be going anywhere without him.

"It's possible. She has no family here and she's very family-oriented. The only person she knows here is Kiesha. There's the job but Kiesha wouldn't fire her if she wanted to return. If they play the guilt factor just right, she just may cave and head back. We'll have to see. They'll have to get to her before she has the chance to put down any roots. That's when she'll be the most vulnerable to their persuasion."

"If you hadn't told me she had just lost a sister, I wouldn't have known. She isn't acting grief stricken. Well, she seemed kind of sad when she first arrived, but nothing since."

"From what I observed at the funeral, Mary Elizabeth's not the type to let her feelings show. When her mother made that comment, there was this brief flicker of pain, then nothing. It's like she sucked it all deep inside. Kiesha doesn't believe it's hit her yet. She thinks Mary Elizabeth has been so busy taking care of everyone and everything else that she hasn't allowed herself time to grieve. We're both worried about what will happen when the grief does hit. She shouldn't be alone when it happens. That's where you come in. We need you to keep an eye on her without making her suspicious."

Hugh thought about it for a moment. “I think I know how to do it without her knowledge. She already spends a lot of time in the diner with Anne, though that may change when she starts work. She makes these amazing desserts. I can ask her if she'd be willing to make some for the diner. That would give me a reason other than being her landlord to keep in contact with her."

"You think it will work?"

"I don't know. Anne suggested it and she turned her down flat. All I can do is try. If it doesn't, I'll think of something else.” It would give him the excuse he needed to get close to her without her suspecting a thing. He stopped talking when Kiesha walked up, looking around expectantly for Mary Elizabeth.

Alex reached out and pulled Kiesha close to his side. “How are you holding up?"

With a sigh, Kiesha looked at Hugh and rolled her eyes. “Alex, I'm still in my first trimester. I'm fine. Are you going to be like this the whole pregnancy?"

"Yes.” Hugh and Alex answered simultaneously, both of them grinning at her.

"Are you hungry? Thirsty? Can I get you anything? Do you need to sit down and rest?"

"No, I grabbed a plate while I was in the kitchen talking to Shannon and Mary Elizabeth. Mary Elizabeth told me about this drink she tried and how good it was. She said it was real fruity and you could barely taste the alcohol. I wish I could drink. I want to try one."

Hugh and Alex looked at each other in concern.

Alex asked, “Did she happen to mention the name of this drink?"

"Shifter something. I thought it was kind of cool that ya'll had a drink named after you."

"Us, baby. You're one of us now,” he reminded her. “Was it Shifter Surprise?"

Kiesha snapped her finger. “Yes, that's it."

"Where is she now?” This time the question came from Hugh. He was looking around, trying to spot her.

"She went home.” Kiesha was grinning like she knew something he didn't.

"What!” Again Hugh and Alex spoke in concert, this time in stereo.

The grin slid from Kiesha's face to be replaced by a frown. “I said she left. She was getting tired. Is that a problem?"

Hugh turned to Alex. “I'll go after her and make sure she's okay. You explain to your mate.”
And when I find mine, I'm going to turn her over my knee.
Hugh turned and left.

"What's going on? Why is he going after Mary Elizabeth? If she's in trouble, you'd better start talking ... Now. This is my friend you're talking about."

"Shifter Surprise is a drink made especially for shifters. Because of our high metabolism and lean body mass, it's difficult for us to become intoxicated, no matter how much we drink. The alcohol doesn't stay in our system long enough to even get a buzz. To get around this, some of the guys created a special drink—the Shifter Surprise. It's made with several different liquors and fruit juice, plus one extra ingredient that forces the alcohol to hit the bloodstream fast and hard, before our metabolism can burn it off. It's like having five shots hit your system at one time."

"So this drink is really strong, I get that. Why did Hugh run after her? She seemed fine to me."

"Is Mary Elizabeth a hard core drinker?” He was allowing her brain time to come to the correct conclusion.

"No, she's not. She gets drunk off wine coolers."

"What's going to happen when all of that liquor hits her system, especially if she happens to be driving down a dark mountain road at the time?"

Kiesha's mouth formed a silent “O” as she finally understood what he was getting at. Before she could comment, Shannon joined them. “What's wrong Kiesha? I can smell your fear."

Alex answered Shannon, knowing she would understand his concern. “Mary Elizabeth drank a Shifter Surprise."

"I know. I watched her drink it."

"You saw her with it and you didn't stop her?” Alex couldn't believe it.

"No. She only had one and she was eating the whole time she was sipping on it. If it were going to have a major impact on her system, it would have done so by now. Is that why Hugh left?"

"Yes. He went to ensure she makes it home in one piece."

"Well, she should be okay. Mary Elizabeth's a smart cookie. I don't know why ya'll are so worried.

"Maybe not,” Kiesha said slowly, a pensive look on her face.

Her tone got both Shannon and Alex's attention. “Why do you say that, honey?” Alex didn't want any more bad news. He was just starting to relax.

"She liked that drink so much that she got another one on her way out the door."