BAD BOY ROMANCE: DIESEL: Contemporary Bad Boy Biker MC Romance (Box Set) (New Adult Sports Romance Short Stories Boxset) (89 page)

Jenna sighed. “I’m not with him, I just want to see where it will go. And I’m tired of being alone. Surely you understand that? I know you have Tara now, but it hasn’t been that long. You know what it’s like to be the only one. I’m the only one now, after my mom…” She took a deep breath and blew it out with a shudder.

“I think you’re making a mistake,” Bruce said softly before she could pull herself together enough to finish her sentence.

“Why?” she asked.

He looked at her, looked like he wanted to say something. She waited for it, but it didn’t come. Finally he just shook his head with such a small movement Jenna was almost unsure if she’d really seen it.

“You have Tara, Bruce. You have someone. I want someone. And Drew isn’t a bad guy. I’m not going to stand here and let you tell me that I’m not supposed to be happy. We’re all just trying to make a space for ourselves in this world.”

“That’s not your space,” Bruce said.

“So what is, Bruce? Who do I belong with if it’s not with him? You’re so sure of everything, you tell me what has to happen then.” She was upset. She could feel the anger creep in and it was a foreign feeling to feel towards Bruce.

Bruce just looked at her again, and she’d had about enough. She wasn’t going to stand there and have Bruce tell her that she couldn’t be with the one person that was actually interested.

“Look, Bruce. I appreciate the concern.” If that was even what she could call it. “But I’m a big girl and I think I can figure this out.” She turned her back on him and started walking away.

“What about us?” he called after her and her stomach lurched. She stopped and turned to look at him.

“I mean, our friendship,” he added, and her stomach sank. She kicked herself for taking that sentence wrong. But she was quick enough with an answer so that her emotions didn’t show.

“Your girlfriend doesn’t want us to be friends, Bruce. Remember that?  My choices didn’t get between us.”

With that she turned and walked away from him. She didn’t know what she expected – for him to call after her, to ask her to come back, to say something more. There was nothing, and she was disappointed that whatever it was hadn’t come. But it just strengthened her resolve in her choices. It just proved that she couldn’t keep waiting for something that was never going to come.

Chapter 3

Jenna wasn’t home. Bruce checked. He hadn’t seen her since the day in front of the convenience store, and he was starting to get irritated with the fact that he couldn’t reach her. He’d been out hunting the last three nights, getting more raw meat and blood than he really needed to make sure the change was kept at bay.

That morning after the fight with Tara, when he’d seen Jenna with Drew and then confronted her later, hadn’t been a good morning. He’d been on the verge of losing it. And Jenna had looked at him like he was a stranger. Or worse an animal. It was as if on some level, she’d known.

If he was still a human and just some of his animal showed, and that already put her off, how much more would she shun him if she found out what he really was? But that wasn’t going to happen. It wasn’t something he had to worry about, because he would never put her in that kind of danger. Not emotionally or physically, because she would never find out.

If she knew what he was that could cost Jenna her life. And that could cost him, too. He would lose her. He would lose everyone and everything. He would make sure they were all safe.

But still, he wanted to make sure. He never wanted to be that close to losing it around her again. Bruce was angry. Angry and annoyed. Half of it was aimed at Tara, who seemed to have disappeared after their fight which left him alone to lick his wounds and expect the worst.

Half of it was at Drew, who’d effectively stolen Jenna away from him. And there was also the fact that he’d never really had her to start off with, so she was fair play.

Bruce walked to the pub just before sundown. The chances that she would be there were slim, but he was going to try. It wasn’t impossible. His shadow was long and thin in front of him, the setting sun drawing all the shadows out so that the world looked a little skew.

He walked into the Inn and the light swallowed him, pulling him into the gentle murmur of chatter that rose over the music and the cloud of smoke that swirled just below the ceiling.

“What will it be, Brucie?” Murphy asked from behind the bar. Usually it was cool to have nicknames around town, to be a regular. It meant he fit in. Tonight it annoyed him. Brucie sounded small. And dammit, he was not small.

If he hadn’t worked so bloody hard at fitting in all the time, maybe he would have stood out enough for Jenna to give a damn.

“Where’s Jenna?” Bruce asked Murphy, not answering him. Murphy shrugged.

“I don’t know. Home? You know she doesn’t really spend time under my roof. This isn’t a woman’s place, after all.”

Bruce’s fingers tingled and he felt uncomfortable in his own skin. The clothes he wore scraped against the skin on his shoulder that somehow still felt tender even though he was healed completely.

“Sit down, have a drink,” Murphy said. “You look like you could do with one.”

“No thanks. It would be better if I could find Jenna.” His voice was hard and the town’s folk that surrounded him were starting to look at him.

“Is she in some kind of trouble that you’re so eager to find her?” Murphy asked.

“Is it wrong to want to talk to her?” Bruce asked and his voice was louder than it should have been. Murphy raised his eyebrows at Bruce the moment the words were out of his mouth. He took a deep breath and held it for three counts before he blew it out slowly.

“I don’t need that kind of attitude in my pub,” Murphy said and his face was stony. His eyes were cold. Bruce held up his hands, palms toward Murphy.

“Sorry,” he mumbled and looked around him at the other drinkers, too. They were all looking at him now, some of them frowning like he was being ridiculous. And he really was. Bruce knew that he was being out of line.

But he just couldn’t get comfortable. It felt like he was in the wrong skin. He would feel better if he could see Jenna, just make sure she didn’t think the worst of him after the other day. That was what would help, he knew it. Fridays were usually a good day for Bruce, with everyone drunk he could slip away, but it was getting very close to the full moon and he could feel her pull.

He turned his back on Murphy and the other regulars and walked out into the dusk. The sun had already set but the last light of day hadn’t drained away yet. He closed his eyes and his face turned instinctively to the moon. He could hear her song, a whine in the distance that called to him, begged him to come.

And he wouldn’t answer, because she wasn’t his mistress. Not the way she was with the wolves.

He took a deep breath and the cold evening air filled up his lungs, spread through his body. A little better. If he could just keep doing this he was going to be fine.

He started walking, anywhere his feet would take him. The night tasted of magic, like there was something in the air that wasn’t there before, and he knew that this full moon was going to be a lot more intense than the others. He would have to face Tara again, he knew he would, and he had no idea where they stood now – what she expected of him. Surely she wouldn’t just free him of his commitment to her as mate. His power was too precious.

Then again, it was precious to him too. He didn’t want to share.

He stopped between the trees that surrounded the village and looked back into town. Everywhere windows were lit up, dim lights that pushed the darkness away just a little, and the town had a pulse of its own. He closed his eyes and searched for her, sending out his feelers. He swept the town with an invisible hand – his ability to track life – and finally, he found her. She was on the other side of town, and she wasn’t alone. He could feel the warm bodies all around her, but he couldn’t place them. Her heat signature was the only one he knew without even thinking.

He started walking into town. He followed the pull of her, her heat, like a map. He could tell where she’d walked. And that, again, she hadn’t walked alone. There was another trail that ran next to hers. Bruce was irritated. He couldn’t tell who she’d been with. Usually he didn’t care, but tonight he wanted to know.

Most of the cabins around the outskirts of Williamsburg were quiet and empty. The Inn was alive with the essence of people. And the café. That was where she was. He suddenly knew, now that he was close enough. He could feel her breathing, almost feel her heart beating next to his own, and her heart beat was faster than usual.

He finally got to the café, and pushed open the glass door. Lisa, one of the three waitresses that helped run the café, greeted him.

“It’s nice to see you here, Bruce. I thought you’d be at the Banbury Inn on a night like tonight.”

He shook his head. A night like tonight? What made tonight any different than other nights for a human? His animal was way too close to the surface and he tried to push it down.

“Can I show you to a seat?”  Lisa asked. Bruce slid his eyes over the café, taking in the people sitting around the small round tables, talking, eating, drinking. Finally he spotted her.

Her hair hung loose down to her waist and it shimmered in the light, the red showing. Her green eyes sparkled and she was smiling, broad and beautiful. Bruce felt the pull toward her. He’d been looking for her, and there she was.

Only then did he notice she was with someone. He sat with his back to Bruce. He. And there was only one man she’d been talking about lately. Bruce’s mood blackened when he recognized Drew. He watched them, watched her laugh when he said something.

She wore a green shirt he hadn’t seen before, and it made her eyes stand out. He glanced at her legs underneath the table. A skirt. Jealousy vibrated through him, and he closed his eyes.

“Bruce?” Lisa’s voice came through to him and he opened his eyes and looked at her. She’d been talking to him, it was clear from her expression that she was waiting for an answer.

“I see my party,” he answered gruffly, ignoring whatever she’d asked before, and walked between the tables.

Jenna saw him just before he arrived at their table. Her face fell a little, her smile drained away. Bruce was irritated that he’d had that effect on her. It was the opposite of what used to happen when he’d walk up to her before.

“Bruce,” she finally said when he reached them. “What are you doing here?”

Drew turned.

“Hey, man,” he said and stood up, shaking Bruce’s hand. Bruce fought the urge to use his power and squeeze harder than he should have, stopped himself from showing his dislike. When he glanced back at Jenna her eyes were on him and she looked serious.

“I thought I’d have a quick bite, and then I saw you here. I came to say hi.”

Jenna shook her head slightly, enough to show Bruce that she didn’t believe him. Drew was smiling but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“That’s kind of you, Bruce. We’ll talk tomorrow, though, okay?” Jenna said. It was a dismissal. Bruce looked at Drew, challenged him with his eyes. Drew looked away. In the animal world, looking away was a sign of submission. Drew didn’t know what he’d just done.

A small victory, but it was good enough for now. It made Bruce feel better.

“I thought I’d join you guys, if you don’t mind,” he said and pulled out a chair to sit down. Jenna took a deep breath.

“Can I talk to you?” she asked Bruce and stood up, not waiting for an answer. When he looked at Drew, the other man just shrugged, so Bruce got up and followed Jenna to the back where a door led to the restrooms.

“What are you doing?” Jenna asked.

“I told you, I was in the area—“

“Don’t, Bruce. You’re not making this easy for me. I’m trying to just find out what the hell I want in life, and you’re pushing into places where you’re not welcome.”

Her words made him wince. Not welcome? He took a deep breath.

She saw his reaction and her face softened.

“You know what I mean. I just want to spend some time with him. I’m not going to know if I really want to be with him or not, if I don’t know who he is. We all know each other well enough to care in this town, but we also don’t know each other at all. Give me a chance to fight my own fights. You’ve been watching me since you arrived in this town.” 

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” he finally said. Not the truth, but he wasn’t about to tell her that he wanted to stick around so he could drive Drew away. He wasn’t going to tell her that the thought of her with another man made him want to break something. He couldn’t tell her that you could live side by side with someone and still lose them.

“That’s very sweet of you. You know I appreciate you looking out for me. But Drew and I are on a date. I’m not trapped under that tree anymore, Bruce. You don’t have to keep saving me.”

Bruce opened his mouth to answer her, but he had nothing to say. She nodded when he failed to produce anything, and walked away from him. He stayed behind, watching the sway of her hips, the curve of her waist, the way her hair hung straight down her back. He watched her walk to another man.

He hung around the back of the café for a while, just watching them. He wanted to wait for Drew to come to the bathroom so he could threaten him. He wanted to whisk Jenna away and put her somewhere out of reach. But he couldn’t do either of those things. So when Lisa came to ask him if he was okay, and if he’d like her to bring him a drink at the table where Jenna and Drew sat, he shook his head.

“I think I’m going to call it a night,” he said. “I’m not feeling too great.”

She nodded and he left the café. He walked out into the night air and felt Jenna’s heat slip away until he had no tie to her.

He ran. He used all that pent up frustration and energy, all that jealousy and anger, and he ran it out. He ran into the trees, and the forest was alive around him. He weaved through the trees and it was like nature bended all around him, making space for him.

When he was high up enough into the mountains, he let the beast loose, and he changed shape. As a bear his movements were different, bigger and bolder, but he still moved through the trees at a speed that was faster than a normal animal would have moved.

He worked his way up the side of the mountain, further than he’d gone before. The trees became denser, the trunks so close to each other Bruce had to squeeze through. But he did and moved on.

Movement caught his attention through the trees and he froze. He sniffed the air and caught the smell of another animal. A smell he knew. When he weaved through the trees and finally reached a clearing with a small stream, there was another bear.

He sniffed the air again, and his nose told him what he’d suspected. It was Lori, the other bear. When he was close enough to her, she looked up. She sniffed the air too, and when she realized it was him she kept on eating. She was tearing into some pink flesh, blood darkening her muzzle. Bruce walked up to her and sat down. He wasn’t going to take of her kill, but he wanted to be around someone.

So he sat high up in the mountains, away from the people he loved. Lori was a horrible woman in human form, and as a bear she was annoying at best. And still, right there in the woods, high up against the mountain, he shared the night with her because it was the only person that understood in some small way what it was like to not fit in.