ROMANCE: BIKER ROMANCE: Werewolf Rider (MC Shifter Pregnancy Romance) (New Adult Paranormal Romance Short Stories) (44 page)

Rejection stung his words and struck at her heart, and Amber wrapped her arms around herself as he walked away to join his unit. It wasn't what she'd wanted to happen, but it was for the best. She couldn't tie him down.

Dominic disappeared around a corner, leaving her on her own again. As much as it hurt to say goodbye, Amber's life had changed since he'd last been to Oakridge. There were groceries to stock up on, and Caden to get back to. Lust, and the deeper feelings she knew bloomed inside of her for him, would have to wait.

But just as he had done two years ago, Dominic haunted her. As she checked items off of her grocery list the touch of his lips lingered on hers and distracted her. As she picked up Caden from the daycare he set his fiery gaze on her through her son. On the way down her gravel driveway, the car rocking and shaking as it passed over the uneven surface, she saw him drive off in the jeep that one night two summers ago. And that night, when a heavy crash woke her from her sleep, Amber heard his voice.

"
Don't be afraid of bears,
" he told her upon the swinging bench. Amber's heart raced as she sat in bed, trying to calm herself. The crash felt like it had come from inside the house, but that was impossible.

Then another crash, the sound of items skittering across the wooden floor, and Caden laughed. Amber had to clasp her hands over her mouth to stop from screaming. The video monitor she'd installed in Caden's room revealed that he wasn't alone at all — a bear stood on all fours by his crib, its snout pressed up against the tall bars of Caden's toddler crib. He had risen to both feet, grasping the bars with his tiny hands. Amber watched in horror as one hand released the bar, and he reached through the slats to place his hand upon the fur above the bear's nose.

"Caden," she gasped, voice dry. But even as she scrambled out of bed to run to his room, the bear grumbled low and affectionately, then turned and left the room. The sound repeated itself, and Amber turned her head to look at the video feed. Caden was intoning exactly as the bear had, with flawless mimicry that even an adult would struggle to match.

At the frame of her bedroom door, Amber watched as the intruding bear wandered down the hall and out through the door that let out onto the mountain. It hung open. She knew she’d locked the door before bed that night, but there was no sign that the bear had broken it down.

When it was gone she rushed forward and closed it again. When the lock was securely fastened she ran to Caden's room and scooped him up. The light of the full moon streamed through his window even though plumes of thick smoke obscured most of the night. He still grunted and growled as a bear might, and Amber broke down crying.

The rest of the night Caden slept in bed beside her as exhaustion from fear dragged her into a deep sleep. As tired as she was, Amber didn't stir when the emergency broadcast advocating evacuation played. The wildfire was racing towards her section of the mountain.

The smell of smoke woke her. Caden was awake at her side, gazing out at the round moon that hung low in the sky. Amber could barely see it through the black ash and smoke that clung close to the window. The night was instead lit up by hellish red. The color was far more intense than anything she'd seen before.

"What's going on?" she mumbled as she woke in full. Black plumes of smoke curled outside the window, and reality began to dawn on her. These were no clouds, no distant patches of darkness as the forest burned. This was something more serious.

"Caden," she said, trying to keep her tone even and without fear. The smell of smoke was near staggering, Amber realized as she sat up. The house was on fire. It had to be on fire, and they had to get out. "Mommy is going to take you for a drive, okay bud?"

He looked at her with his father's eyes, and Amber scooped him into her arms. Once again she was in her tank top and panties, her typical summer sleepwear. Caden was in a lightweight onesie. There was no time to grab anything else.

Amber rose from the bed, Caden in her arms, and crossed the room. The smell of smoke had her dizzy, and a voice in the back of her mind told her she should be crawling. Keeping Caden calm was what mattered right now, though. Keeping him safe. Amber put her hand on the doorknob to open it and found it superheated. With a startled cry she jerked her hand away.

On the other side of the door she could hear crackling. Smoke curled from beneath the door, rising.

The hallway was on fire, and unless she could find a way to break the door down or use the heated doorknob they were stuck.

Caden had started to cry, arms wrapping around her neck as he held himself close. Amber rocked him as she panicked, running scenarios through in her mind. She could try to kick the door down. She would kick the door down.

"I need you to be a good boy and stay really still on the bed," she told Caden as he wailed and clutched at her. Rapid footfalls saw them return to where they'd slept, and she pried him away and set him down. He began to cry harder.

"Caden, baby, it's okay. We're okay. I'm going to get us out of here."

If the house was on fire, the forest was on fire. If the doorknob was too hot to touch, her car would be too hot to touch. Even if they got out, would they be able to find safety? Amber didn't know, but she knew she had to try.

With a running start she slammed her foot into the door. It rattled, but did not collapse. Again and again she slammed the flat of her foot down against it, but each time it held fast.

Maybe the window..?

But as Amber ran for the window to see if there was any way they could climb down, a sickening crack broke through the night from where she'd kicked at the door. Another crack followed, and a piece of the door fell away to reveal a brown bear on the other side. He swung his paws again and again, tearing pieces of the door apart. In seconds nothing was left, and the bear fixed her with his eyes. Russet brown, like the muddy red sky of a burning forest at night. Like Caden's. Like Dominic's.

One moment a bear stood in the doorway, and the next Dominic stood before them, naked. The heat didn't seem to bother him.

"Oh my God," Dominic choked, eyes set on Caden. Flames burned in the hallway, but he'd managed to extinguish a path leading from the upstairs back door to her bedroom. "He was right."

"Dominic!" Amber cried. She scooped Caden up from the bed and held him close, near running to the newly opened door. Dominic kicked down what was left, planted a firm hand on her back, and led her out into the night.

Fire burned all around them, but other men from the unit had gathered. One of them wrapped a thick blanket around her shoulders and guided her away while Dominic shouted instructions and rushed into battle against the flames.

It was a night Amber would never forget, even though she wanted to.

Prologue

Caden in her arms, Amber huddled beneath the blanket she'd been given back at the firefighter's encampment. Dominic sat in front of her, expression more serious than she'd seen it before.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, words sharp and almost bitter. Amber rocked Caden back and forth; he was falling asleep.

"I didn't want to hold you back," she muttered, lowering her gaze. "You have a career, a home back in the North, ambitions... I didn't want you to throw all of that away for some girl you slept with once from the middle of nowhere."

Frustration played across his face, but he did not lash out at her. Instead he reached forward and caught her chin as he had so long ago, forcing her to look at him.

"You are not some girl. In your arms sleeps my son. If he means half as much to me as you do, I'd still never stop loving him."

Tears stained her eyes. How could Dominic tell her these things and mean it? Love. He wanted to stay with them.

"I can't think of a better place to raise children with my... Affliction."

"He's a bear too, isn't he?" Amber asked. She'd seen Dominic transform from beast to man right in front of her, and Caden had always acted so strange. The bear noises he'd made earlier that evening made so much sense now.

"He is. Another bear from the area caught his scent and investigated your house. When he found me to tell me, the fire had already spread. If not, we would have had this conversation long ago."

There was still so much to learn. Dominic's touch lingered, keeping her head steady.

"I'm sorry I hid him from you," she whispered at length.

"And I'm sorry I gave up on you so quickly back in the parking lot," Dominic replied. He drew closer, and Amber's eyes closed. When their lips met there was sweet sincerity between them that promised the future.

"I'm going to take care of you," Dominic whispered. "Both of you. I've already talked to the boys on my unit and Oakridge's, and they're going to organize a transfer. I'm going to build my life here with you and give my son the father he deserves."

A future with a gorgeous firefighter and the father of her child. As they sat there in the early morning, the encampment abuzz with activity, the forest burning, Amber knew that no matter what happened, Dominic would care for them.

There were to be no more lonely nights beneath the stars. She'd found more than a home in the Colorado mountains — she'd found a family. Forest fires had brought them together, and forged as they were beneath the flame, not even the hottest fires would ever draw them apart.

*****

THE END

The Gambler’s Bride

CHAPTER ONE
The Suitor Doesn’t Suit Her

Annabel Revere had everything she thought she could ever want. She was eighteen years old, with long auburn curls, a pink porcelain-smooth complexion and catlike blue eyes that were usually filled with slightly naughty mirth. As a wealthy girl from Boston, Massachusetts, she was well-bred, well-educated and well-off. Although she was happy with her life, her parents felt the need for her to be married to a wealthy suitor as soon as possible.

One of the things about money was that, even if a person came to be rich, they would only remain rich as long as the profits continued to come in. Annabel’s father was older now, planning to retire, and a recent strike at his factory had left his company’s finances lower than anticipated for the year. Annabel was aware of this, but being a girl who was much more attuned to parties than to business, she did not understand the ramifications of a personal financial crisis such as the one her father was now dealing with.

“Mother, I would like to buy a new dress for the ball next Saturday,” she said, striding into the living room where her father read the newspaper and her mother was writing a letter.

Her mother set down her pen and looked at Annabel’s father.

Mr. Revere lowered his newspaper and looked into the eyes of his daughter. He was embarrassed and sad to upset his daughter. “I’m afraid that we cannot make any more purchases like that, my dear… Times being what they are, we need to keep a close watch on everything we buy from here on out.”

Annabel watched her parents, confused and a little irritated. She was far too used to getting whatever she wanted. “But I need to have a new dress at the ball! All of my friends will be there. Mother…”

Her mother sighed a little bit and shook her head at Annabel. “I’m sorry, Anna. You can wear your red dress to the ball. It is so pretty and you always look beautiful in it.”

“I’ve had that red dress for ages,” Annabel complained. “I want something new. You two are always talking about how you want me to get married. Well, how am I going to find a beau if I only ever go out to parties in- in old rags?”

She started crying, not because she was actually feeling sad enough to cry but because she knew that crying often worked in getting her what she wanted.

Her father rose to console her, giving her a light hug and patting her back gently. Her mother, on the other hand, was onto her theatrics. “There shan’t be any danger of you not finding a husband,” she said calmly. “At this very moment, I am writing a letter to a Mister George Hughes. He works with the Railroad.” She said the last bit with her blue eyes all lit up as though she had just admitted that Mister George Hughes could make rabbits disappear and walk on water, too.