Bearliest Catch (6 page)

When he turned around and found her watching
him, he smiled at the look on her face. If he wasn’t much mistaken,
he’d caught her ogling him.

“What do you think?” he challenged, a big of
deviltry running through him.

“About what? The food?” She took a cautious
step into the kitchen, seeming unsure. He liked throwing her just a
little off balance. She seemed like the kind of woman who enjoyed
repartee, which was good because he liked it too.

“No. About my ass. You were just checking it
out, weren’t you?” He slid two plates full of food onto the kitchen
table as she paused her steps, her mouth dropping open.

“Was not,” came her immediate denial.

“Were too.” He winked at her, grinning
broadly as he finished bringing things to the table.

He liked teasing her. She fumbled a bit with
embarrassment, but then, he saw the moment when she decided to give
as good as she got.

“In a purely aesthetic way, it’s not bad.”
She tilted her head to the side, looking him up and down.

“What? The breakfast?” He played along,
wanting to prolong the banter.

“No. Your ass.” She giggled, breaking the
serious pose in the most adorable way.

He wanted so much to take her in his arms and
kiss her senseless right at that very moment, but it was too soon.
She’d only just come to him. They hadn’t had time to build trust.
She hadn’t had time to get to know him and discover what kind of
man he was…or that he’d sooner die than hurt her in any way.

Whoa.

He shook his head at his own thoughts. It was
too soon to be thinking that way. Wasn’t it?

He waited for her to be seated before taking
his own place at the table. His mama would tan his hide even today
if he didn’t act like a gentleman when there was a lady in his
presence. And his mama was not a woman to be trifled with.

Jetty smiled at him and bowed her head for a
moment. “With thanks to the Goddess,” she said briefly, surprising
him by praying before she picked up her fork.

He let the moment stretch while she began to
eat, and he followed suit. The quiet of the earliest part of the
morning surrounded the house and permeated through the walls into
his kitchen. It was usually a lonely time of day for him, when he
was running out to his boat, his demons chasing him from sleep and
sending him to the water.

But today, all that was different. He had
Jetty in his house now, and it was as if her presence had chased
the demons away altogether. As if they couldn’t stand in her
presence.

Wasn’t that a wonder?

“Are your people generally religious?” he
asked, trying to make quiet conversation.

“We usually thank the Goddess before we eat,
but that might just be my pod. I don’t know about other groups. In
water, the thanks are silent, but when on land, we can do it either
way—silent or spoken.”

“It’s important to you,” he observed, eating
his toast.

She shrugged. “It’s habit and shows respect
for the lives of the fish we hunt so that we may continue to live.
So, yeah, I guess it is important to me. But it isn’t to you?” She
looked at him, frowning a little.

“On the contrary. My mom always had us give
thanks before every meal. Of course, she’s a priestess, so…” He let
the sentence drift off as he concentrated on his meal.

He could feel Jetty’s surprise, but he didn’t
look up. He had no idea why he’d just revealed that about his
mother. Even his teammates hadn’t learned about his mother until
after he’d been injured so badly he had to be sent back home. Only
then had Big John become aware of Drew’s circumstances. Mom had met
his stretcher at the airport and taken charge from there.

His teammates had been duly impressed with
her resources and intensity. She wouldn’t let him die, and he knew
he could thank her for the fact that he’d survived. Now he just had
to get his head screwed on straight again before he could face her,
but he knew she understood.

His mother had been the one to advise him to
go to Washington and rejoin his friends. She’d said it would be
good for him, and she hadn’t been wrong. Drew was doing a lot
better since rejoining his unit and working with them to fulfill
another mission—this one the oddest of them all, but the most
valuable long-term. They were building this town from the ground
up, and it felt good to be part of the team again.

“Your mother doesn’t live close?” she asked
softly after the silence had stretched a bit.

“No. Though she and dad are thinking about
moving here eventually, but I told them not to come just yet. Not
until we’ve made it safer. I couldn’t tell her why or she’d have
been here like a shot, trying to help. I just don’t want her in so
much danger. She’s supposed to be slowing down, teaching the next
generation, but her most recent apprentice is almost done with her
studies, and Mom will probably be nosing around here sooner than I
want. She’s really curious about this experiment.”

And why in the world was he being such a
Chatty Cathy today? Drew put it up to Jetty’s influence. Something
about her made him want to open up and tell her his life’s story,
which totally dismayed him. What the hell?

“My folks live in Los Angeles,” she offered.
“I lived there, too, until a few years back when I dove into the
ocean and decided to stay for a while.”

“After you broke up with your ex, by any
chance?” He pried a little, wanting to know more about the ex that
she’d mentioned before. His jealous bear wanted to claw the dude
and make him bleed.

“How’d you guess?” She made a face and forked
up more eggs, stabbing them like she was stabbing her ex.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up bad
memories.” He tried to convey comfort in his softly spoken
words.

“No. It’s okay. I was dating an actor, and I
thought it was serious. I didn’t realize he was just playing the
role of besotted boyfriend to get what he wanted. Eventually, I
moved in with him, giving up my apartment and most of my stuff
because his place was small and we couldn’t fit it all. I put many
of my things in my parents’ garage, thankfully. But when the
breakup happened, it was sudden, and I only stuck around long
enough to pack up my things, drop them at my parents’ and take off
for the water. I’ve been living in the ocean ever since. Things are
a lot simpler there.”

Drew nodded. “I bet. And I’m sorry you had a
bad breakup, but I’m glad you kicked the jerk to the curb. I could
go kill him for you, if you like.”

Was he serious? He looked awfully
serious.

“No, it’s okay,” she was quick to say. She
didn’t want him killing anyone and going to jail for her. “I put it
behind me, but it’s funny you called him a jerk. That’s my little
name for him. Dirk the Jerk.”

“His name is Dirk?” Andrew’s expression was
far too calculating for her comfort.

“Yeah, but it’s really okay. I don’t want him
dead.”
At least not anymore.
“And I do my own killing, these
days.” She chuckled. “I’m part of a hunting party that fights
predators near the pod to keep the rest safe.”

“You’re a warrior.” He seemed surprised by
her revelation.

“Didn’t Grace tell you?”

“No. She’s only shared a little with her
mate, but he’s kept quiet. They must’ve told John the few things he
needed to know to trust her. We all understand about needing to
protect our people’s secrets, and we generally respect each others’
privacy.”

She thought about that for a moment. “Things
are easier in the ocean. We don’t have to dodge humans and their
laws much. Living on land, surrounded by them, and the possible
threat of them, is hard.”

“But you lived on land for a while, right?
You lived with your folks and your ex,” he prompted.

She sighed. “Yeah. I grew up on land. I
didn’t flee to the ocean until after…”

“After you broke up with Dirk the Jerk,” he
supplied, finishing her sad thought.

“I totally ran away from my troubles,” she
admitted. “It was cowardly, but the ocean has a way of washing away
all your troubles, you know?”

She looked up at him, hoping he’d understand,
and she saw more than she bargained for in his eyes. He nodded
slowly.

“I know. Why do you think I’m always out on
my boat? I crave the peace of the water, but you must know the
ocean in ways I could never experience. I envy you, in a way.”

She hadn’t expected that.

“What are you trying to forget?”

She saw him withdraw at her direct question,
sitting back in his chair and looking down at his empty plate.
She’d pushed him too far, too fast. For a moment, she considered
reaching out to him. Apologizing. But he stood from the table
before she could make a move toward him and headed for the sink
with his empty plate.

“It’s complicated,” he allowed, at least
giving her the courtesy of some kind of answer as he rinsed his
plate and then tucked it into the dishwasher rack. “A sad story for
another time. Right now, I think it’s time to call Jack and Grace
and see if they’re ready to come up for a little air so you can see
your friend.”

He pulled a slim phone from his hip and hit a
few buttons, then held the device up to his ear. She could hear it
ringing, and then, a deep, male voice answered. The earpiece was
set loud enough that she could hear both sides of the conversation,
and she smiled as the men traded insults before Andrew got down to
business. When the man on the other end of the call relayed Jetty’s
arrival, she heard the undeniable squeal of Grace’s delight in the
background.

Well, that answered that question. He wasn’t
lying about Grace, and judging by the rest of the men’s short
conversation, she and her friend would be reunited within the hour.
Things were moving right along. If everything continued to check
out, she’d be able to give the green light to her people regarding
the safe harbor offer, but she was still reserving judgment. She
would have to meet the Alpha and see more of the town after meeting
with Grace.

One bite at a time. That was the only way to
eat a whale.

The visit with Grace was all Jetty could have
wished for. Grace was glowing with happiness, and it was obvious
her bear shifter mate was equally besotted. As the day dawned
bright and beautiful, Grace and Jetty sat on the deck of Jack and
Grace’s house, looking out over the water. Andrew took Jack a short
distance away, to walk along the beach for a few minutes, letting
the ladies have a few private minutes to themselves.

“I wish you could find the kind of happiness
I have, Jet,” Grace gushed, truly in love. “Jack is the best man
I’ve ever known. He saved me on more than just the physical level.”
At this point, Grace’s gaze went dark. “The leviathan had its hooks
into me on a magical level. I kept trying to go back into the
water, right back into its clutches. It was calling me. I’ve never
been so scared in my life, but Jack saved me. He figured a way—with
the help of the local shaman—to join his magic to mine. We’re truly
one now, and I’ll never leave him. I love him so much, Jet.”
Grace’s eyes lit from within with the shine of true love.

Jetty was convinced. Between the way Grace
gushed over her new guy and the way Jack looked at Grace, the love
clear in his open expression, Jetty knew they were meant to be. She
hugged her friend, truly happy for her. Finding a mate that matched
your heart and soul was every shifter’s dream.

Grace insisted on coming into town with
Andrew and Jetty later that morning, to introduce her around and
show her the sights. Grace had loaned her more presentable
clothing, and the four of them took two vehicles—Andrew’s
convertible and Jack’s SUV—down the rough road that led to the apex
of the cove, where the town center was laid out.

Grace seemed to be having fun showing off her
friend to the people they met as they strolled along Main Street,
visiting several art galleries, a souvenir shop, and finally, the
much acclaimed bakery. The town’s famous bakery was everything
Jetty had imagined, and then some. Two of the sisters who owned the
place where there and seemed genuinely happy to meet a friend of
Grace’s. Jetty liked the way they teased Jack and Grace about their
newly mated status. It was clear Grace had made good friends in
this small town.

They all ate lunch at the bakery, spending an
hour and more nibbling on delicious sandwiches and pastries and
sipping rich, hot coffee. It was truly one of the nicest meals
Jetty had shared with anyone in a long time. She missed this
camaraderie, living in the ocean. She missed the simple act of
dining out was good friends, talking and laughing.

Life under the waves was great, but it was
harsh as well. One always had to be on guard against predators, and
communication was more difficult. Oh, Jetty had friends among her
hunting party, but it was different underwater. Even her
relationship with Grace was different in the sea.

They were much more at ease on land. Able to
spend time just enjoying each other’s company, without having to be
on the lookout at all times. And the company was pretty fantastic
too. These bear shifters were polite, funny, and very easy on the
eyes. In fact, Jetty hadn’t met one person yet, who wasn’t tall,
athletic, and very attractive.

Living in Los Angeles, she’d been surrounded
by beautiful people. Actors and actresses always tried to look
their best, and it felt like the prettiest people from around the
country all went there, trying to break into show business. It had
been hard to compete with some of the bombshells that populated the
city. Not that Jetty had low self esteem. She knew she was fit and
reasonably attractive, in the mer way…but Dirk the Jerk, and so
many of the men she had dated, seemed to want perfection.

Sure as hell, Jetty knew she wasn’t perfect.
Not by a long shot.