Shifters on Fire: A BBW Shifter Romance Boxed Set (23 page)

Grabbing her purse, she ran out of the dinner and was on the road faster than she would have thought possible. She was half way down the road when her lack of paying for lunch hit her. Mal pulled over, letting her head fall on the steering wheel.

Her rationality started to return. She had not only acted like a jealous freak over someone whose name she had known for less than a minute, but she’d also stolen her lunch. She could send the money in the mail, clearing her conscious. That seemed like the perfect answer until it hit her—April knew where she was going and who her new boss was. If she didn’t go back and pay, she put her whole new start on the line.

She would have to go back, and if fate was on her side, she could pop a twenty on the table without anyone noticing and be back on her way to start her new life.

Time For a Promotion

The trip back felt like an eternity. She wasn’t even a mile away, but the dread that filled her made it seem so much further. What if they already called the cops? What if he was still there? Worse, what if he was gone? The biggest question of all was: why did he matter at all? He’d had a grand total of one mini conversation with her. One.

When she pulled into the diner, her insides got all mixed up again. The clarity she’d had when she pulled over was gone. It had run away faster than she had.

Taking three deep breaths, she tried to center herself before she exited the car. She fumbled in her purse, grabbing a twenty before reaching for the handle and pushing it open when it hit her again. That feeling of home. What was it with this place? If she didn’t know better, she would have said it was magic.

Mal was out of the car and shutting the door when she felt him. She couldn’t explain it, but she felt him close. She was halfway to the café when he stepped into view. Darn man had been outside the whole time. He was probably watching her and laughing at her inability to act like a normal person.

“Hi,” he said. His voice still oozed sexiness, but it contained something else. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

“I came to pay the bill. I was in a hurry and I forgot. I wasn’t stealing. See?” She held up the twenty, a prop for her one-woman show of awkwardness. “I’ll just go bring it in. Excuse me.”

“The bill is taken care of.” Al’s voice dropped an octave and Mal’s panties were instantly soaked even in the midst of this cluster of a late lunch turned misdemeanor. What was it about this man?

“Did … did your wife call the police?” If they called the police, she was sure it was still salvageable. They would understand. If, however, they called her new boss, she was fucked, and not in the fun way.

“Who? What? Police, no!” Al grabbed her hand and, goodness help her, she let him. “April said it was on the house. She was actually cracking up when you left, saying I deserved it.”

“You, what? Why would your wife say that?”

“Wife? Oh …” He squeezed her hand. “April is my sister, not my wife. I have no wife.”

“She said you were
her
Al.” Mal wanted to go hide under a rock. First, she met someone nice who had the potential to be a friend, then she met potential friend’s hot brother who, at least initially, showed signs of being interested in her—curves and all—and what did she do? She committed a crime and made a bumbling fool of herself.

The rich laughter that filled the air enveloped her like a hug. He was not making fun of her or enjoying her mistake, though. It was something else. Something akin to, dare she say, joy?

“Yes, hers. It is a nickname from when I was tiny.” He walked them over to the vacant smoking bench outside the front entranceway. “There were two Als in school, and she, being my older sister, would pick me up from class to walk me home. She would always tell the teacher she was here for “my Al” and it stuck. She still calls me that.”

“Oh.” What else could she add to that? Nothing, without sounding crazy. For that matter, why was she sitting here at all? The long drive must have worn her out in more ways than one. “I need to go. I’m already running late on account of my stealing lunch and all.”

“Do you
want
to leave?”

Weirdest question ever, especially with the way he said
want
. Honestly, no, she didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stay here and climb up onto his lap, something so beyond uncharacteristic for her, it was terrifying. They were on the gross bench by the ashtrays for smokers who still long for days when smoking was allowed in restaurants. Not someplace she ever wanted to be, but right now, with him, no she didn’t want to go anywhere except closer to him.

“I have to be in Cedarville tonight, and if I go now, I can take the short cut while it is still light out.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“I know.” Mal went to stand and was met with resistance as his arm wrapped around her shoulder.

“I don’t want you to leave,” he whispered against her ear. Just the feel of his breath did things to her Josh had never done in all their years together. She had butterflies in her belly that felt more like humming birds. Mal was a hot mess. A hot hormonal mess. She was someone who barely liked sex and here she was wanting to climb him like a tree. What the heck was happening to her?

“I need to get there. Good bye, Al.” Mal forced herself up. Everything in her called her to stay. She took two steps away before turning back to him. His eyes held a struggle. Al expressed so much with those silver blue orbs of his. “My name is Malory. Everyone calls me Mal.”

Before she could change her mind, Mal headed back to her car. She replayed their interaction over and over again in her head as she drove down the narrow road toward her new home. She over-thought every minute detail and decided it was best to give up. She had much more important things to think about than a tall sexy man with eyes that called her to him and a touch that made her panties all but fall off. At least Mal tried to convince herself that she had more important things to think about.

April had been right about the route. It was not one she would care to venture in the rain, the winter, at night, driving an SUV, or any number of other scenarios. For today, however, it was perfect. The scenery was gorgeous and the lack of traffic was refreshing. She had seen only a handful of cars in the two hours she had been driving.

Mal smiled as the intersection for the main road in town came into view. April had drawn little angels where the little old church was. Her map help was filled with many such additions. It was a shame that she had gone out full-blown crazy on the woman because it would have been nice to have a friend, even if it were one two hours away. From the looks of the town she was coming upon, most things were going to be a trek any which way.

The town looked like it came out of a story book. It was so different from the city atmosphere Mal had been living in pretty much all of her life. It was easy to find her bed and breakfast; it was the only thing resembling a place to stay on the whole main drag.

The B&B was an older home that had been converted to guest rooms, if Mal’s first impression was correct. It had beautiful architectural detail. Originally Mal had wanted to be an architect, but structural engineering seemed to be a better and shorter path to stability. It wasn’t an ideal match for her love of design, but it pigeon holed nicely with her life
somedays
.

A cat pounced out the door when she opened it to go in.

“Never mind her, dear. She always wants to go in or out when the door is open. Whatever side she is on becomes the wrong side as soon as that door knob is turned.” Standing in front of her was an older woman with a tea tray in hand.

Mal dropped her bag. “May I help you with that?”

“Oh no, dear, I’ve got this. I am only putting it on the table in the next room for guests. I’ll be just a minute.”

Mal looked around the front room. There was a little settee in one corner, an umbrella stand in the other, and a desk front and center. It looked more like a home office than the front entrance to a B&B. Mal loved it. If she had to stay some place short term, this was so much better than any budget hotel.

“Sorry about that, dear. I’m guessing you are Malory.” The woman went behind the desk and started rustling through papers. “Here is your key and such, dear. The paper explains how to get the hot water to work, when we have breakfast, local places to run your errands. You know, the normal things a guest needs to know.”

“Thank you.” Mal thought it best not to mention that turning on a shower didn’t normally require a section of the hotel handouts. Mal pulled out her license and credit card and handed it to the woman. “As I said on the phone, I’m not sure how long I will be. At least a week, though.”

“I have you in the books for four nights dear.”

“You want to do four days at a time? Yeah, that can work.”
Small towns
, she inwardly chuckled.

“No, dear, four days total. Christina told me that was all you needed.” The old woman ran her credit card.

“I don’t know Christina. She must have meant someone else. Can you add the days back on?” Mal had planned everything to a tee to avoid this kind of thing. She was a planner and things like this had her on edge.

“Sure, dear, but only if you need them.” The woman winked at her. “They call me Ms. Maybell around here.”

“Nice to meet you. Thanks for being flexible on the days.” Mal watched as the older woman swiped the credit card again.

“No problem on the days, dear. You won’t need them anyways. There is a problem with your credit card, though.” The older woman looked embarrassed for her.

“That makes no sense.” After a lot of extra shifts, Mal had paid off her credit card three months ago. There was no reason for it to be declined. “I bet it got a fraud alert since I never stay at hotels. Let me give them a quick call.”

Mal went outside after being on hold for five minutes. It seemed rude to just stand there. Ms. Maybell tried to get her to just take the keys and they would work it out later, but Mal’s nerves wouldn’t allow her to do that. She needed to deal with it now.

The phone call to the credit card company consisted of almost an hour on hold followed by what she thought was her identity being stolen, and then the real kick to the crotch, realizing that Joshua had somehow found and maxed out her credit card in the week before she left. He was officially promoted from ass-hat.

She dialed and he had the audacity to answer on the first ring as almost as if nothing had happened.

“Hi, sweetie. You make it okay?” His voice twitched slightly and gave away his nerves. He knew why she had called.

“I am promoting your sorry ass!” she shouted into the phone, walking back to her car as she did. She had a feeling this conversation was going to get loud.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“I am promoting you. You are no longer an ass-hat.” She was seething.

“A what?”

She had always been the nice girl, and that clearly had been a mistake she was going to be paying for a shit long time.

“I used to think of you as Ass-hat in my head when you first started your dead beat ways, but now you have a mother-effing promotion, big guy. Now you are a
huele bicho
! How dare you steal all of my money!” His chuckle into the phone set her off. “You are a fucking thief and now I get the pleasure of sleeping in my car tonight.”

“I told you if you left me you would be sorry. We lived together when you made that money, so it’s only fair that it is mine.”

“Say that again.” Mal sent up a silent prayer hoping beyond hope she heard him wrong, and when he repeated it word for word, she started to cry. She hung up on him and checked her bank account. Joshua cleaned the whole thing out. It had a grand total of under five dollars. All she had left was the cash in her purse. He truly was a
huele bicho
, a cock sniffer.

Her tears dried up as her anger took over. First she needed to make a plan. Sleeping in her car would probably work for a day or two, and if she filed all the paper work with her bank and the credit card company, she might be able to recoup her losses. At the very least, she hoped to put his slimy ass in jail. How had she been so stupid as to give him ten years of her life?

Mal pulled on her big girl panties and walked back into the B&B. She not only owed Ms. Maybell an explanation, but she needed to get her bag. Walking in here felt even worse than going back to the diner to pay for her lunch. She had no idea why April said it was on her, but right now that twenty dollars was desperately needed and she was grateful for it.

“Okay, dear, let me show you the way,” Maybell greeted her as she entered. “I already have your bag in the room.”

“About that, Ms. Maybell.” Mal sucked in a deep breath. “I need to cancel my reservations. I’m so sorry. Someone stole my credit card number and emptied out my bank account, or I would offer to at least pay a cancelation fee.”

“Nonsense. Christina said you were staying four days and told me which room to put you in. The rest is just details. The details apparently includes the fact that some jack arse stole all your money. That will not sit well with your mate.” Maybell started to walk away. “Well, come on now.”

Mal scampered behind her. “Who is Christina?” That was the second time Ms. Maybell mentioned her, and Mal was fairly confident it had nothing to do with the gum smacking airhead who sat behind her in Calc II named Christina. “And who will it not sit well with?” The old woman talked in code and could easily win a speed walking competition. It was all Mal could do to keep up. “Here you are, dear.” Maybell opened the door. The room looked like an English garden threw up in it, right down to the floral carpet. On any other day, Mal would have found great humor in that. “Towels are on the shelf behind the bathroom door. Everything else is in the paperwork on your bed.”

Mal grabbed her suitcase. “I appreciate your kind gesture and all, but I best be going. Who knows how long it will take to straighten this mess out, if I can fix it at all?”