Night Shift (Grizzly Cove Book 3) (5 page)

“Everything I have seen of your settlement gives me hope that we can be allies from this point forward. You have good people here, John,” Hiram nodded toward where John was standing a few feet away. “I extend the hand of friendship to you and yours, Alpha,” Hiram went on, walking up to John and holding out his hand for a shake.

John’s eyes narrowed, and he paused a moment before taking Hiram’s hand. “Our Lords speak highly of you, Master Hiram. I’m glad we can work together and coexist. And I’ll go one step further. We’ve heard reports from the Lords of renewed activity by agents of evil. My men and I are retired now, but we’re still warriors at heart. If evil shows its ugly face in this region, we’ll be fighting it, and we’ll come to your aid if it’s in your territory.”

“As I will for you, my new friend. I have long stood against the forces of darkness. As long as you and your people serve the Mother of All and fight on the side of Her Light, I will stand with you.”

The handshake was as fierce as the men who shared it, and even if Tina didn’t understand everything they were talking about, one thing was clear—Hiram and her werebear friends had decided to become allies. Again, she got the feeling this was something momentous.

The men left, John and Hiram in the lead, talking like old friends. Tina closed up the shop, but when she looked for Zak, he was near the door. Tom was waiting to drive her back to his place because Ashley didn’t want Tina staying in the apartment alone until the vampire was gone for good. Or so Tom said when she asked.

Zak shrugged and left, letting Tom help Tina lock up. She’d wanted to talk to Zak some more, but it looked like tomorrow would have to be soon enough.

CHAPTER SIX

Zak wanted everything to be perfect for his date with Tina. He spent the morning organizing things and preparing a lunch he hoped she would enjoy. He liked cooking and pulled out all the stops for this special lunch date.

He had a spot picked out near the cove, but not so close to the water that they’d be out in the open. He’d found a secluded area on the property he’d recently purchased that was like a little glade, surrounded by rocks, down near the water. It was open to the beach, but few would see them if they picnicked inside the rocky area, just before the tree line.

Zak picked Tina up at twelve on the dot. She was pretty as a picture, wearing a pair of jeans that hugged her curves and a pretty peasant blouse that was white with colorful embroidery around the neckline and sleeves. It looked Mexican, but Zak wasn’t an expert on women’s clothing. Still, he liked the outfit. It made her look like the free spirit he knew her to be, unhindered by convention and comfortable in her own skin. He liked that about her. She was a confident woman but easy-going by nature.

“You look beautiful,” he told her, wishing he was a little smoother around the edges. He’d spent most of his life in the military, trying to prove his worth to the bigger guys. He hadn’t spent a whole lot of time wooing ladies—at least not ones who really mattered.

And Tina really mattered to him. And to his bear.

More and more, he suspected she was the one for him, but time would tell. Zak was younger than most of the other guys in Grizzly Cove and didn’t have quite as much experience, though he’d joined them when they decided to quit army life. They’d been his family more than the shitty Clan he’d been born to, and when Big John had wanted to settle down to civilian life, Zak had decided to follow his lead.

“Thanks,” Tina said, ducking her head in a shy gesture that charmed him.

She was a woman of contrasts. Confident, yet flustered by his compliment, as if she didn’t receive such words often. Zak made a mental note to tell her how gorgeous she was at every reasonable opportunity. Several times a day ought to do it.

“Where are we going?” she asked when the silence dragged on a little too long.

Damn.
He’d been staring at her, lost in space. He had to work on his powers of concentration. She had a way of mixing him all up when they were alone.

“Just a little ways down the road. I recently bought some property near town with the idea of building a place for myself, but I haven’t started work on the house yet. Still, the property has some gorgeous views, and there’s a perfect place for a private picnic between the trees and the beach.” He led her toward his patrol SUV while he spoke.

“Sounds perfect,” she said as he opened the passenger door of his vehicle for her and helped her hop up into the high seat.

They talked of generalities as he made the short drive from the bakery, which was along the main stretch of roadway at the center of the cove, to a smaller road that led around one side of the horseshoe-shaped inlet. His place was close to the central part of the small town. He’d wanted to be near the action, but also on the water, and this parcel of land accomplished both goals nicely.

“Ready for a little off-roading?” he asked, shooting her a challenging grin right before he turned the wheel onto his land.

There was no driveway. No road. Just weeds, grass, bushes and trees. The land was wild, as nature had made it, and he had already staked out an area where he would start building. His goal was to have his home make as little impact on the environment as he could manage, while still offering all the creature comforts his human side enjoyed. His bear side wanted the wild places to stay just that way, so he would have territory to roam, mark, and explore.

This place was going to be the perfect compromise between the dual parts of his nature. As soon as he got the place built, that is.

Zak looked over at Tina, to make sure she was okay with the rough terrain.

“How are you holding up over there? Sorry it’s a bit bumpy. Nothing’s been levelled or graded yet.” He raised his voice a bit to be heard over the increased engine noise, accompanied by the scrape of leaves on the outside of the vehicle.

He wasn’t worried about the SUV. It was built to handle tougher stuff than this. But he wasn’t sure about his passenger. Did human females like off-roading? The males seemed to enjoy it from what Zak had seen, but he’d never really run across a woman on the trail.

“I’m fine,” she replied. She’d reached for the handhold that was placed conveniently above the passenger door and was holding on as they bounced along. “This is fun,” she added, sending him a grin.

Well, that answered that question. This female—human or not—was adventurous. Just one more thing to like about her.

Before too long, he reached the spot he’d chosen for their picnic. It wasn’t too far, as the crow flies—or the bear rambles—from the site he’d staked out for his den, but they hadn’t been able to see it from the path he’d taken through the trees. That was partially by design. Zak wanted to show her the floor plan he’d laid out with poles and twine, a little later, and see what she thought of it. He had it all planned.

Picnic first. A glass of wine. The food he’d prepared. Then he’d show her around his new home site.

He parked the SUV at the side of the little glen, surrounded by rocks on three sides. There was a small opening in the rocks on this side, close to where he’d parked, that would give them easy access to the vehicle and the feast he’d packed in back.

Zak got out and rushed around to the passenger side to help Tina down from the high seat. It amused him that she was so petite. She made him feel huge, and that was a feeling he didn’t often have since he hung out with massive grizzly shifters most of the time.

Oh, sure, he was larger than most human males, and that had been useful in the service, but the guys he worked with day to day were even more massive. If he’d had a weaker personality or was less sure of himself and his place in the world, it could have given him a complex. As it was, he felt himself grin as he helped Tina slide out of the seat.

He spent a little more time holding her than was strictly necessary, and she didn’t seem to mind, so he dipped his head and stole a kiss.

Damn.
She was as amazing as he remembered.
He’d been wanting to taste her lips again since that very first kiss. She was just as sweet, just as luscious, with a hint of spice that intrigued him. But he counseled himself to leave her be for now. They had a lot of getting-to-know-you stuff to get through before he could jump her bones. At least, that’s what he thought human females wanted, and he wasn’t going to do anything that might scare her off. She was already too special to frighten away by being too aggressive.

So he let her go, stepping back so she could walk past him, through the rocks and into the little clearing.

“This is amazing,” she said, looking out to the water, her hands behind her back as she paced forward. Was it his imagination or were her cheeks pink? He took it as a good sign, though he wasn’t entirely sure what that charming little blush meant. “You own this property?”

“Just signed the deed last week.” Pride filled him. He’d worked a long time to be able to afford this little slice of heaven right here. “I hope to start construction in the next few weeks.”

“It’s a gorgeous spot on the cove. Not too far out toward the ocean, and not too far from town.” She turned toward him, her expression alight with pleasure. “It’s perfect, Zak. I’m very happy for you.”

“Thanks.” Their gazes met and held for a long moment until her cheeks went a little pink again, and he realized it was probably a bit rude to stare without speaking for so long. “Uh, I’ve got lunch in the back of the truck. You like spicy food, right?”

“Love it,” she confirmed. “Can I help?”

She walked a few paces back toward the SUV while he went around to the back and opened the lift gate. He tossed her the large blanket he’d packed for them to sit on.

“You could spread that out and have a seat. I’ll take care of the rest,” he assured her as he began lifting parcels out of the back of the truck.

There wasn’t all that much. Just a cooler that held their food and the bottle of wine he had on ice. Glasses, napkins, plates and utensils were in a bag he slung over his shoulder. He brought the whole lot over to the blanket she was smoothing over the grass and set it down on one corner.

He felt more than a bit of pride as they shared the meal he’d prepared, especially when she praised his cold Cajun chicken, black-eyed peas and corn bread. The meal was easy and carefree, and they talked about their families a bit. He hadn’t expected that, but when she launched into a discussion of her sisters and their new mates, he felt compelled to share a bit of his own background.

He wasn’t looking for sympathy, and he especially didn’t want pity, but if they were going to get involved, she deserved to know at least the bare bones of his past.

“My father never got over my mother’s death,” he admitted, though he’d rarely ever spoken about this topic with anyone. “He blamed me a lot of the time and, sometimes, took it out on my hide.”

“He beat you?” She looked appalled, which was what he’d tried to avoid, but he was in it now, and he had to see this through. He figured it was going to be hard to make a human understand how it was for shifters, but he tried his best.

“Some,” he acknowledged her question with a shrug. “But when you can both turn into bears, there are other ways—other weapons—besides just fists. And we heal fast. I learned to run fast. And climb really high onto thin branches, where he couldn’t reach.”

“That’s pretty awful,” she said, and he dared to look over and meet her gaze.

What he saw there didn’t hurt like he’d expected. She didn’t pity him. No, she looked angry. Angry on his behalf. That was unexpected. Then again, Tina had more fire than any human woman he’d ever known.

“Well, that’s over now. It’s been over a long time. I got out of there as soon as I could and never looked back. I joined the Army and met up with Big John and the other guys. Things have been really good since then. They’re my family now.”

She was silent a moment before answering. “I like that,” she said finally. “From everything I’ve seen of these guys, they’re all pretty amazing. Strong. Steadfast. Like brothers who would never leave one of their own in the lurch. I like that you found that and made it your own.” She smiled at him, and he felt the impact clear down to his soul.

He leaned over and just had to kiss her.

Finally. She was getting some lip action from Zak. She felt wanton as she encouraged his kiss to grow hotter and deeper. She’d been wanting to kiss him since forever, it seemed, and the little tastes she’d had of him already had only whetted her appetite for more.

She climbed over him, straddling his lap without breaking their kiss. Feeling bold, she pushed his shoulders back so he was lying beneath her, her hair cascading around them, enclosing them in a private world of hot lips, swirling tongues and pleasure the likes of which she had never felt from just a kiss.

Zak lit her on fire, and she wanted more. So much more. She was through waiting for him to make a move. They were alone, on his land where nobody would trespass, and she had him almost precisely where she wanted him. The time for games was over.

What she wanted most was for there to be no clothing between them. No fabric barriers, nothing to keep her from climbing on his cock and riding him to the stars. Or, at least, that’s what she’d been imagining it would be like with him. She wouldn’t know for sure until…well…until a few minutes from now, if all went as she planned.

She clutched at his shirt, wanting it gone. Zak seemed to get the message, lifting up to rip it off over his head. Their lips were apart only long enough for the fabric to slip in between their bodies, and then, he was back, kissing her like she’d never been kissed before. There was something special about Zak. Everywhere he touched her, she tingled. His lips brought her to another state of consciousness, it seemed, where all she wanted was more. More of him. More of his lovemaking.

She pulled at her own clothing, helping him remove it until she felt the slight breeze off the water against her bare skin. But he still had his pants on. She reared back, rising up just a bit, knowing he could see everything and reveling a bit in the way his gaze flowed over her body.