Shift Out of Luck (Bear Bites Book 1) (2 page)

P
at Samson’s
tour group shows up around four in the afternoon. They’re young, cute, and bubbly. Samson’s tour guide webpage has multiple pictures of him shirtless, holding an ax over his shoulder, and sweating lightly. Running around in the North woods without a shirt in the summer is asking for Lyme disease.

But the ladies eat that shit up. Rumor is that Samson sleeps with at least one of his guests each trip. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but there’s no way Adelaide is going with them.

No way.

I bite my tongue as the ladies flit around the shop, cooing over some wood carvings that Mal Standard whittles in his solitary cabin on the other side of the lake. If these women picked their camping guide based on the amount of oil Samson pours over himself for a photograph instead of the actual reviews full of angry and unhappy customers, they deserve whatever happens to them. Still…after the last one hops out the door, I pick up the phone.

“Pine Lodge and Resort,” a young man answers.

By the tremor in his voice, it must be Dillon. Dillon’s thirteen and undergoing a lot of puberty changes. On any given hour of the day, his voice could be two octaves different from the last time you spoke with him. “Dillon, it’s Cole Braxton. I need to speak with Eli.”

“He’s got a group with him.”

I scratch my head. “Get a pen.”

The Solberg boys are forgetful. On the other end of the line, I hear Dillon rummaging through at least four drawers before he huffs back to the phone. “Got it.”

“Write down there’s a group of three women who are heading out with Samson as a guide starting tomorrow.”

“Make that four,” Leo breezes back in and starts plucking items off the shelf. My eyes narrow.

“Four?” Dillon chirps.

“Three,” I say firmly glaring at Leo. He’s unfazed.

“Okay. What else?” he asks.

“That’s it. Your uncle will know what to do.” I hang up and round the counter.

Leo holds up a lightweight backpack. “This your best woman’s pack? I want to make sure I get a good one.”

I grab it from him and hang it back on the hook. Arms crossed, I glower at Leo. “What are you doing?”

“You’ll need to call Eli back and tell him it’s four women. I don’t want him passing up the Samson group just because of a miscount.” His eyes dance as he taunts me. It doesn’t take much brain power to guess who the fourth one is.

“She’s not going,” I tell him. The pulse point at my temple starts throbbing.

“Oh, she is.” He pulls the pack off the wall again. “I was just over there, and she was telling me how excited she was. It’s her first real vacation from the spa, and she wants to get the true native experience.”

I rip the pack away from him and take it into the back room. Leo trots after me. “She’s not getting anything but bit up to hell by bugs and fed shitty water. She’ll come home with the runs and won’t be able to work at her shop for five days. Then she’ll hate this town and leave for Minneapolis where she’ll meet some pansy-assed actuary and be bored out of her ever-loving skull.”

His eyebrows shoot into his forehead. “I see you haven’t given any thought to this at all.”

I clench my jaw and turn away in frustration. Yes, I want Adelaide. I’ve wanted her for three fucking years, but the sad fact is that I’d rather have her be hooking up with an actuary than dead because I couldn’t keep my animal urges under control. “Just make sure she’s safe.”

“No can do,” he whistles merrily as if I hadn’t just ripped open my guts and laid them on the floor for his inspection. “I’ve already told Adelaide I’d help her out. If you really think she shouldn’t be going on this trip, then you’ll have to stop her.”

I’m surrounded by a bunch of fools. “Watch the register.”

I ignore the muffled snort of laughter that follows me out of the front door. In less than ten seconds, I wrench open the door to Adelaide’s spa and step inside. The dim lighting and the soft music do nothing to decrease the pounding in my head.

“Is Adelaide here?” I rein in my irritation and opt for a smile for Adelaide’s little helper.

She grimaces and points down the hall. “She’s in her office.”

Adelaide’s office is tiny and smells—fuck me—like a perfumed bathhouse. I’ve got to get out of here. I back out. “Sorry, I’ll just wait for you outside.”

“No, come in, Cole.” Adelaide jumps up from behind her glossy white desk and the motion makes her tits bounce.

I’m instantly hard. Ever since she moved in here, I’ve gotten turned on by the scents of detergent and shampoos and basically every cleaning agent out there. I’ve had to avoid the bathroom aisle of the local grocery store so I don’t scare any children or old ladies with my inappropriate woodies.

I try to escape into the front room, but Adelaide is faster than me and has the door slammed shut before I can get my body out of the danger zone.

She leans against the door, breathing slightly heavily at the exertion. Her breasts rise and fall with each intake of air. Between my legs, my balls tighten and my cock thumps its head against the cold steel of my zipper. Of all the days to go commando, it would have to be
this
day.

I make a mental note to do laundry more often so that I won’t be unprotected around Adelaide. I need at least five layers of clothing to prevent her from seeing the erection I’m always sporting around her.

“Why are you here, Cole?”

Why was I here? My brain had short-circuited when she shut the door and plastered herself against the wood. In just two steps, I could be standing between her soft thighs. In another move, I could have the skirt of her pretty dress up around her neck with my cock pressed against her cunt lips. Would she be wet?

I take a deep breath, and the smell of her arousal staggers me. A bear’s sense of smell is better than a dog’s, a wolf’s, and definitely better than a human’s. I’ve never smelled this on her before. Maybe I’ve never been this close to her. Maybe I’ve been too focused on trying to get away before she realizes my cock wants to burrow into her body every time she’s within a five mile radius of me.

Against my better judgment, I take that step. And then another, until we’re so close that when she gasps, her hard nipples scrape against my chest through the thin fabric of her dress.

Somewhere in the back of my head, a warning bell is going off, but the blood rushing past my ears makes it impossible to hear anything but the raspy intake of air between us.

“Adelaide, you need to move away from me,” I whisper hoarsely. Fire licks along my spine, heating me to a desperate boiling point that has only one outlet. My mouth on hers.

“Make me.”

I can’t help myself. I press my mouth against hers. I mean to punish her for being so goddamned sexy, for refusing to move, for daring to spend time with that asswipe Samson. But the moment I feel her soft lips part under my mouth, I’m done for. She owns me, and has from the minute she placed her beautiful toes in this town.

I’ve fought this for so long and for what? I can’t even remember now why I’ve stayed away. I stroke my tongue inside of her. She moans, and it makes me feel a thousand feet tall. I could go outside and fell a forest of trees powered by this one kiss.

I reach behind her and lift her against my diamond-hard cock. The need to be inside her is an incessant drumbeat in my head. I have to claim her.
Now
.

She wraps her legs around me, and I fit my cock against the notch between her legs. She shudders and begins to ride me. Through the denim of my jeans, through the thin fabric of her dress, through whatever scraps of lace and cloth cover her pussy, I swear I can feel her heat and wetness. The top of my head nearly comes off. That pussy surrounding my cock? I need that. Holy hell, do I need that.

I rip my mouth away from hers and trail it along her jaw. She tastes like strawberries and sunshine. As I reach her ear, she tilts her head to expose the long, smooth column of her neck.

I can’t resist the invitation. Her skin is softer than a lamb’s. What does she put on herself? Unicorn tears? Jesus Christ.

“You are so fucking soft,” I mumble against her throat. “So soft and so fucking delicious.”

“And you are so very hard,” she whimpers.

Too hard. My cock could break her. My physical strength is too great for her. I shouldn’t be here, I remind myself.

“Adelaide, please,” I plead, breaking away from her sweet mouth. “Make me leave.”

She shakes her head numbly and tightens her legs around me, grinding against me. “No way. I’ve waited a long time for this.”

She’s waited?

Fuck.

Whatever scruples I may have had are gone. I need this skirt gone. I need her on some table. I need to be between her legs.

I swing her around, looking for some kind of surface to place her on. The only thing I see is her desk. It’s got bottles on it and papers and other shit.

I stumble toward it, tripping over a chair and nearly dropping her. She yelps in surprise or fear and clutches me tighter.

“I’m sorry. Shit.” I manage to get her to the desk and sit her on the edge, but in the process knock over several bottles.
Goddammit
. “Shit,” I repeat. I try to right the mess, and my big paws accidentally push papers onto the floor. I drop to my knees to gather stuff up, and my rock-hard cock screams in protest as it folds over in my jeans.

“It’s nothing, Cole. Really. I’ll get it later.” Adelaide jumps down from her perch and tries to help me.

Somehow, my shoulder knocks into the desk, and I watch in horror as her expensive laptop totters and then slides off the surface. It crashes to the floor, and we both wince at the sound of breaking glass.

The lust that fogged my mind since I stepped inside this office finally burns away. I push to my feet and look at the wreckage. Paper and broken bottles lie in a drunken, sodden mess near our feet. The computer is lying on its side, but the glass screen is clearly cracked.

The desk is askew and one chair has tipped over. Adelaide rises and pushes a hand through her hair. I turn away before I can see the dismay and disgust in her eyes.

“Don’t touch anything in here. I’ll get one of the Solberg boys to come over and clean everything up,” I tell her as I open the door.

“You’re leaving?” she asks incredulously.

“Haven’t I done enough?” I gesture toward the wreck in the room.

“So we made a mess. It can all be cleaned up.” She starts toward me. I hold up a hand to stop her. This is just a sample of the real havoc I’d wreak on her. Better I destroyed her office than I hurt her.

I don’t know how to rein in the animal when I’m with her. She makes me lose my mind. On the way out, I spot a pair of hiking boots in the corner. Fuck. I’d forgotten why I’d come over here.

“Don’t go with Pat Samson,” I say gruffly.

“Why?”

“He’s dangerous.”

“And you’re not?” She makes a frustrated sound at the back of her throat.

“Exactly. Stay away from both of us.”

The fallen expression on her face cuts me to the bone, and I leave before I bleed out in front of her.

I
touch
my lips as Cole storms out of my office, leaving a hurricane of destruction in his wake. Oddly enough, I don’t mind the busted computer or the expensive testers of scents that are now stinking up my office.

I mind that he left. I flung myself at the guy and he ran away like I was a leper. Jeez. That hurts a girl’s ego.

Still…he did kiss me.

In a daze, I ignore the mess on the floor and return to the chair behind my desk. I sit down and pull a drawer open. I should be cleaning up the spilled bottles and the papers. Instead, I pull out my bullet vibe.

Oh, come on. Like any girl wouldn’t have a vibe in her desk if she got to look at Cole every day. I hike my skirt up under the desk and push the vibe into my panties. God, I’m so wet just from that kiss.

I’m baffled as to why he ran. But that kiss—oh, that kiss—is going to fuel my fantasies for months. Years, even. I flick the vibe on, and a jolt sears through me as it starts. I begin to rub it against the hood of my clit as I close my eyes and picture Cole’s face, not angry with frustration, but dazed with lust. The smoky look in his eyes when my legs went around his hips. The feel of the bristle on his cheek as his mouth slid over mine.

I come nearly instantly.

•••

C
ole doesn’t come back
, and my horny hopes die a slow and painful death over the next few days. And with the death of my hopes, irritation returns. Who does Cole think he is? He doesn’t want to take me camping—lord knows I’ve coyly hinted at it more than once—but he doesn’t want anyone else to take me camping either. Am I supposed to sit around and wait another three years for him to kiss me?

I mean, there’s only so much entertainment in this town, and my Netflix account is down to suggesting foreign art films because I’ve seen everything else.

And really…the only thing that’s driven him to actually kiss me is jealousy. So that camping trip with Pat? Totally on.

I’m strategic about things, as well. My apartment’s across town, but I decide to head for the Lodge straight from work on Friday. And I make sure to wear my ‘sexy’ camper clothing. I have a tiny white undershirt that peeks out from under a red flannel shirt that’s been artfully hemmed by the local tailor so it emphasizes my breasts. I let it gape open, naturally. I pair this with a pair of cute, rather brief cargo shorts and some cute hiking boots. My hair’s fixed into two long, curly pigtails over each shoulder, Elly Mae Clampett style, and my red lipstick is out in action. When I’m satisfied that my appearance can’t be improved on, I check my teeth for lipstick stains, pop a mint, and then shoulder my backpack for the saunter across Main Street.

If Cole sees me, he doesn’t come out of his store.

I’m super disappointed. I even walk a little slower, just in case he’s busy with customers. No dice. With a sigh, I give up and head toward the Lodge.

Pine Falls is a cute, touristy sort of place with one main street full of shops that more or less lead up to the Lodge, where all of the winter happenings start. I don’t know more than the bare details about it, except that there are a lot of skiers and dog sled teams and the like. My business isn’t the guys as much as it is the wives left in town who don’t want to be all sporty, though.

The Lodge is just up the hill from the main road, but it takes me forever to hike up there with my backpack. Guess I should have driven. By the time I make it up to the front of the Lodge—the meeting place for Pat’s group—I’m huffing and sweaty, and my oh-so-carefully arranged curls are now sticking to my forehead and neck.

I’m three minutes early, but Pat’s waiting in the main lobby of the Lodge already. He’s wearing a flannel shirt like me, and ours are both open with a similar number of buttons undone for a sexy gape. That’s…weird on a guy. I fight the instinct to button my own shirt a little higher in response.

Pat flashes a grin at me, his teeth toothpaste-commercial white against his tanned face. Actually, he doesn’t look tanned as much as he looks spray-tanned. His hair’s perfectly tousled in the way only good product can manage, and his jeans are tight. The bag he hauls over his shoulder looks brand new, and I’m always a little surprised at Pat’s appearance. Aren’t mountain men supposed to look a bit more…rugged? Pat’s definitely metrosexual. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s just odd in a trail guide.

“Addie!”

My smile becomes a little more forced. If I’m honest, I hate the nickname ‘Addie’. Probably because no one ever says my full name…except Cole. Damn it, I’ve still got Cole on my mind.

Pat moves toward me and his arms go out, and I realize he wants to hug me. Okay, weird. I give him an awkward half-hug and pull back quickly. Maybe he’s just super friendly. We’ve been occasionally chatty here and there, but nothing that warrants hugging.

“Or is it Lady?” he says as I pull away.

“Huh?”

“Is it Addie, or Lady?”

Ugh. Seriously? It takes work to keep the smile on my face. “Let’s go with ‘Addie’.” I think I’ll puke if he really starts calling me ‘Lady’.

“How we doing today?” He rubs his hands and looks eager.

“I’m great.” I scan the Lodge for other campers. It’s pretty empty right about now. Off-season, I tell myself. “Looks like I’m early.”

He gives me another dazzling smile, and takes my pack from my shoulder and hefts it onto his.

“Um, I can carry that.” I’m pretty sure that’s supposed to be part of the plan of roughing it?

“Nonsense,” he says, and puts a hand on my shoulder to steer me. “And you’re not early. It’s just the two of us tonight.”

I stare at him, planting my feet. “Wait, what?”

“It’s just the two of us tonight,” he says, and either winks or has something in his eye. God, I hope it’s the latter. I’m starting to get a weird feeling about all of this.

“But…I thought this was a group tour.”

“Oh, it is,” he assures me. “Tomorrow night. Tonight it’s just us. You said you wanted to rough it, so I’m taking you to one of my favorite spots. We’ll just need to watch out for bears and other wildlife.”

“I don’t know if I want to rough it enough to warrant a visit from bears,” I tell him nervously. “Maybe we should just wait for the rest of the group—”

“Trust me,” he says, and puts that steering arm around my shoulders again. “You’ll love this, I promise.”

“No, really—”

Pat pauses and looks shocked. “Are you worried about being alone with me?”

“What? Don’t be silly.” I wave a hand, trying to dismiss my fears. “And um, I guess, a little. It’s just weird, you know?”

He leans in. “Between you and me, I don’t know how much of campers the others are going to be, so I thought we’d hit all the cool spots today and tomorrow, and swing back to get them for the kiddie shit. But if you’re uncomfortable—”

“No, no, it’s fine,” I say, despite the weirdness of the situation. I did ask to rough it. I did ask to see a few of the local spots. He’s giving me what I asked for.

I can’t be weird about this. Pat guides groups out all the time, a lot of them full of women. The nervousness is all in my head.

•••

I
t’s not
in my head. Pat’s a creep.

It started out innocuously enough, but the longer we hiked up the mountain, the more convinced I became that this was a bad idea. For one, he left the trails behind, telling me he knew a ‘shortcut’.

‘Shortcut’ seemed to mean ‘cut through the trees and bushes and forge your own path that even Bigfoot wouldn’t want to take’.

As we walk and my legs get bitten by bugs and slapped by branches, I worry about tonight. I’m not interested in Pat. Like, not even slightly. He’s a nice guy, but there’s something a little…heavy-handed about his jokes that’s pinging my rape-dar.

“So where’s this great stargazing spot?” I ask for the hundredth time as I watch the sun disappear behind the trees. “You said we were almost there?”

“We are,” he agrees, and checks his wrist-compass. “Isn’t this some great scenery?”

“Lovely,” I agree. And it is pretty. Everything’s alive and lush with early summer…including the black flies. I slap at one that lands on my arm. I hear the crinkle of paper and see that Pat has his back to me. Curious, I move forward to peer over his shoulder. “What are you doing?”

“Hm? Nothing!” He hides something that looks suspiciously like a map.

“Are we lost?” I ignore the quiver of terror in my stomach. Cole was right, I think, then squash that idea.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Pat says, and then gives me another toothy smile. “We’re just taking a breather to enjoy the twilight air.” He inhales deeply.

I slap at another bug.

“Are they biting you?” he asks, all concern.

“Everywhere,” I agree. He should have mentioned that I’d need bug spray, but all he’d told me to wear was a smile. I’m really regretting this trip. I should have waited for Cole. After all, what’s another three years to a lonely virgin? I sigh.

“Sit here,” Pat instructs me, and his hand on my elbow steers me toward a fallen log.

As he does, I hear a branch snap in the woods. I turn, scanning the trees. It’s dusk and so it’s getting harder to see. “What was that?”

“Probably just deer—”

“You said there were bear in this area—”

“It’s just a deer,” Pat repeats, and presses on my shoulder. “Sit and let me look at your legs.”

I sit as instructed, and the moment I do, he picks up my foot and slides a hand along my calf. A startled “Eeep!” escapes me.

“Oh my,” Pat murmurs, stroking my leg. “It’s a shame to see these beauties all torn up. You poor baby.”

“I’m fine,” I say, and try to jerk my foot back. This trip has gotten Officially Weird.

He doesn’t let me have my foot back. In fact, his hand strokes over my knee and then to my thigh, where I slap it away.

“Hands off!”

“Don’t be like that, Addie.” He gives me a flirty grin. “You want me to rub some lotion on you? I’m real good at making girls feel better.”

“Ew. Just leave me alone.”

Another branch snaps in the woods.

He doesn’t let go of my leg, and I do my best to kick his crotch. “I’m serious, Pat. This is not funny. I’m not interested in you like this!”

His smile grows harder around the edges. “Don’t be a fucking tease. Why else would you want to come up here with me alone if it wasn’t to get laid?”

I gasp. “Because of nature! And I didn’t want to be alone!”

“You don’t have to play hard to get anymore, baby,” he murmurs. “I’m a sure thing.” And he reaches to slide a hand up my thigh again.

This time, it sounds like something’s thundering through the woods…and heading right in our direction.