Bears in Flight: Book Four - Supernatural Bounty Hunters Romance Novellas (3 page)

Chapter Two

Mia grumbled as she searched through her cavernous purse. Where were her darn keys? After searching for five minutes, and mumbling various hellos to her coming and going neighbors, she smiled in success and eagerly let herself in.

She frowned as she looked at the boxes. Her new apartment wasn’t as nice as her old one, and she was having trouble getting used to it. She’d rearranged the furniture five times to make it more appealing, but so far – zilch.

Although, the fact that someone had broken into her old apartment and smashed all her mirrors made that place unappealing. She was hoping it was just some random destruction, but it sure felt personal.

Naturally after that, she had to move out of that apartment. It had been hard enough getting permission to move out of her parents’ home. It would have been hell trying to stay there after that. Her dad had taken to posting guards outside her apartment 24/7.
And that had put a serious cramp in her private life…
So she gave in and moved.

Mia locked and bolted the door before leaning against it. She took a moment to enjoy the familiar, lingering scent of cinnamon and honey.
Hmmm, glorious
. Her rabbit twittered in agreement.

While her dad’s minions had been guarding her old apartment, she couldn’t have her boyfriend, Logan, come round and see her. That would have been reported directly back to her father, and then she would have been in serious trouble.
It would have been Armageddon time in the Blau household.

Her dad didn’t know about Logan…
yet
. She was planning to tell him, but she was waiting for the right moment. Perhaps in about sixty years time, ten years after he’d died, she’d go and whisper it to his gravestone.
Maybe
.

No, seriously, she fully intended to tell him after her 25
th
birthday. Then, according to Den laws, she’d be an adult and her dad wouldn’t be allowed to boss her around anymore. Well, he could, but he certainly wouldn’t be permitted to force her into an arranged marriage. Yep, she just had to make it to her birthday.
Three months and counting.

Her dad wouldn’t be happy that she was intending to mate, and blood bond, with a seven-foot bear shifter who was a good nine years older than her, but he’d get over it. Logan was her true mate, and she was not going to give him up.
Nuh-uh, no way.

Mia kicked off her shoes and made her way into the living room and flipped on the light. She jumped as the hulking form sprawled on her couch was illuminated.

Her heartbeat thumped louder than a drum, and she clutched her hand to her chest. “Jeez, Logan, you gave me a fright. Why were you sat in the dark?”

His tough but handsome face twisted into a frown. “Why didn’t you wait for me?”

Mia shuffled her feet awkwardly. “I didn’t know how long you would be. I didn’t want to put you out.”

Since her apartment was broken into, her dad wasn’t the only one overly concerned about her safety. These days, Logan barely let her go anywhere on her own.

His massive chest heaved up and down, and she saw that his eyes had already darkened to the black of his bear. She felt a thrill of fear mixed with arousal making her little rabbit sigh.

She knew Logan would never hurt her, but, oh, he was just so big and brawny. He could snap her like a twig if he wanted, and she found that mixture of burliness and restrained power to be intoxicating.

Slowly, he stood up and in two strides he was standing before her. She craned her neck to look at him and gasped as she felt her panties moisten. Whatever she did to deserve this Adonis of a man, she was eternally grateful.

He put a meaty hand on her shoulder and rubbed his thumb over her collarbone. Oh, her legs felt like jelly. Why did he make her feel like a love-struck teenager? Shyly, she looked at him through her lashes. Did she have the same devastating effect on him? It was something she often wondered. Whereas she was perpetually panting after him, he always seemed so stoic and self-contained around her. That wasn’t to say he wasn’t passionate in bed and didn’t make her feel loved, and he was clearly affected by her physically. She just had trouble believing that he was even a quarter attracted to her as she was by him.
But then, why would someone like him want someone like her?

“I worry about you,” he murmured.

Oh, lord, he was going to have to peel her off the floor if he continued looking at her with those dark, impenetrable eyes.

She reached out a hand and hesitantly placed it on his chest. She felt a thrill as his huge muscles quivered. She did that to him. It was only a small reaction, but her touch broke through his calm exterior and she made him tremble.
It was a powerful feeling
.

“I know, and I’m sorry.”

Her contriteness threw him for a second. He’d been expecting the same annoyed exasperation, like when they’d had this argument the last nine times.

His other hand tangled in her hair. “I told you this morning I was going to pick you up from work.”

An image of her dad flashed through her mind and she quickly banished that. Logan was not like her dad. “You were all the way across town; it was a waste of your time…”

“You’re never a waste of my time,” he interrupted, softly. “I need to know you’re safe. My bear needs to know that you’re safe. Without you, there’s… there’s nothing for me.”

Oh, her little beast may have just fainted. Her hand felt the rapid tattoo of his heartbeat. “Let’s go to bed,” she whispered urgently.

His eyes narrowed in irritation, but he couldn’t help the twitch of his lips as he tried not to smile. “I’m still mad at you for not waiting for me.”

Mia pulled up his shirt and started flourishing kisses over his hard, taut stomach. “Ummm hmmm.”

He let out a soft snarl. “Aww, hell.”

He scooped her up and pressed his lips to hers in an ardent kiss. Pulling back, he took in the flush of desire sweeping over her body and cursed.

“This discussion isn’t over,” he growled as he rushed her to the bedroom.

“Ummm hmmm.”

*

Mia sighed as she dozed in her warm cocoon. Logan’s body was curled round hers and, oh, she never wanted to leave this bed.
To hell with the outside world!

She scowled as she heard a phone ringing. Was that her phone? No, hers didn’t have Black Sabbath ring tones. Logan’s cell had Black Sabbath for everyone except her. No, for her he had managed to program Elmer Fudd singing ‘run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run…” – he thought it was hilarious. She was not amused.

He brushed a kiss over her shoulder and carefully slipped out of bed, pulling the covers over her now-shivering body. Her rabbit mewled slightly at the loss, but Mia told her to shush. He’d be back in a second. She considered following him to make sure everything was okay, but she was just too darn tired to move. Logan had been… almost insatiable.
Almost
. He never shouted at her when she did something he didn’t like, but it did push him to be overly fiery in the bedroom department.
Hmmm, she should misbehave more often.

Her ears pricked up when she noted the surprise and displeasure in Logan’s hushed voice. She strained to hear his conversation.

“No… I can’t… I don’t have that kind of money… Maya, don’t, please don’t cry.”

Maya? Who on earth was Maya?
She racked her brain trying to remember a Maya. Friend? Ex-girlfriend? Family member? Nope, Logan had never mentioned a Maya. He seems to know her quite well if she would ask him for money, though.

He groaned. “Look, I can’t do anything now, I’ll deal with this in the morning… yes, you will… I’ll see you tomorrow… I promise, Maya.”

Mia heard him padding back to her and firmly snapped her eyes shut. The bed dipped as he snuggled behind her.

“Mia?” he whispered.

She didn’t answer and allowed her breathing to deepen. She wasn’t sure that she was quite ready to ask him the questions that were chasing through her mind.

He sighed, in relief she was sure.
Oh, no!
He didn’t want to tell her about what had just happened.

He wrapped his arms around her and was soon snoring softly.

Her rabbit whimpered, and Mia tried to hush her. She was worrying over nothing. There was bound to be a perfectly reasonable explanation.
Right?

Chapter Three

Tuesday

Mia shivered awake. The bed was cold without Logan.
Too cold
. She was disappointed to find Logan gone. Not just gone from her bed but gone from her apartment.

She found a note on her fridge – ‘you looked so beautiful sleeping, I didn’t want to wake you – L xxx.’

She clutched the note in her hand and felt a wrench in her heart. He never ran out on her like this – he always stayed with her until she woke up. Did this have something to do with Maya?
Did he run out of her apartment to be with this mystery woman?

Her head said that there had to be a good explanation. Her heart and her rabbit, on the other hand, felt burgeoning panic on the horizon. Mia quickly tamped that down. Logan hadn’t done anything wrong. Getting phone calls in the middle of the night and leaving her apartment early were hardly crimes. When she saw him later, she would talk to him; he would provide her with a perfectly reasonable explanation and then she could relax.
Simple as that.

To ignore her worry, she busied herself with showering and getting ready for work.

Her phone rang as she was eating granola for a moment she was elated to think it might be him. No such luck. The caller ID showed that it was her dad. She felt the familiar frisson of fear that had started right after she met Logan. She was always convinced that her dad was calling to tell her he knew about their relationship.

Sucking in a breath, she answered, “Daddy?”

“Baby girl, I need to talk to you. I’ll be with you in five minutes.” He rang off.

Crap
. She rushed to grab the air freshener and liberally sprayed ‘mountain dream’ scent all over.

Boa constrictor shifters were not known for their excellent sense of smell, but even her dad couldn’t fail to smell the musky bear and sex odors wafting through her apartment.

Her rabbit huffed. She loved the smell. Mia rolled her eyes.
Well, tough
. She didn’t love her dad getting angry at her. She was still trying to maintain the illusion that she was a virgin. She hadn’t been for six years now, but her dad didn’t need to know that.

At least her dad never just dropped in; he always called ahead. She dreaded to think of what might happen if he caught her and Logan
in flagrante
. He almost had on his last visit.
It hadn’t been easy to persuade Logan to climb out of the window.

Mia knew it was coming yet she still jumped a foot in the air when he banged on the door.

Trying to compose herself, she opened the door and her father, immaculate in a black suit, strode inside, planting a small kiss on her forehead as he went. His accusing eyes scoured every inch of her small home.
Yikes, it was like he was looking for her hidden lover.

Mia clasped her hands in front of her. “Is everything alright?”

He stopped and frowned at her. “Of course.”

“Is Mom okay?”

A charming grin spread over his face. “Yes, she’s fine.”

She wriggled her toes in her shoes. The mere presence of her dad turned her into a squirmy little girl again. “You said you wanted to talk to me…”

He looked her up and down, and an unbidden blush heated her cheeks. “In the car,” he said shortly.

She blinked at him, and he huffed impatiently. “I’m driving you to work.”

She opened her mouth to object but thought better of it on seeing the steely look in his eyes. Experience had taught her that there really was no point in arguing.

“I’ll just get my purse,” she mumbled and he smiled at her acquiescence.
Always the good girl
. Well, mostly always.
If only he knew…

He ushered her out and into his car. As he drove, he flashed small, disconcerting glances at her. “Do you have plans this evening?” he asked nonchalantly.

That set her rabbit on edge. Her dad was never nonchalant. He was up to something. “Actually, I do have plans with a friend.” Or more like she was hoping for a repeat of last night, intermingled with a little talking.

“With Julia?” he asked curiously.

Mia looked out the window so he couldn’t see her reddening cheeks. She had apparently mentioned the name Julia a few too many times, now her dad was starting to wonder why he had never met her. She still saw the real Julia – meaning Julian – from time to time, but not as often as she used to.

“Ummm, no, someone from work.”
Which was actually true.

“Who?” he demanded pointedly.

“Zara,” she blurted, thinking of the witch bounty hunter.

“Hmmmm.”

She dared a glance in his direction and saw that his mouth was set in a grim line.

“Can you cancel your plans? I have someone I want you to meet.”

Uh-oh.
That meant he had someone he considered suitable for an arranged marriage. Since she’d met Logan six months ago, her father had pushed a further eight potential hubbys in her direction.
All to no avail
. Naturally, she wasn’t interested in any of them, but it had been a close call with a couple of them who had been more than keen to drag her kicking and screaming up the aisle.

Although it bothered her rabbit, she hadn’t told Logan about any of this. She didn’t want to needlessly upset him. He was already consistently tense about the fact that she needed to keep their relationship a secret – she didn’t need to make the situation any worse.

Her biggest fear was that one day she’d turn up for dinner at her parent’s house, and they’d have a groom, wedding officiator and cake all ready and raring to go.

“I don’t want to let her down,” replied Mia. “She’s having a tough time at the moment; she just went through a nasty break-up, and she needs my support.”

Whoa, where had that come from?
She’d never considered herself to be a good liar before, but that wasn’t half bad. Practice makes perfect she guessed.

“Hmmmmm.”

Mia wrinkled her nose as her glasses started to slip down. “I’m sorry, Daddy,” she said quietly.

He let out a long breath but surprised her by chuckling. “That’s okay, baby girl. Some other time.”

She tensed at the words ‘some other time.’ There was a tinge of a threat in his voice.

Her dad lapsed into silence and Mia took the opportunity to stare out the window. She considered texting Logan to see where he was, to ask him why he left her that morning…

Last night, he was adamant that he was annoyed about her driving to and from work on her own, and yet he was happy enough to run off that morning. How did he think she was going to get to work?
The freaking car-pool fairy?

It’s not that she really minded. She was happy to take herself to and from work – she didn’t need babying. She was just agitated by the mention of this unknown female, Maya.

Her fingers itched to get out her phone, but then her dad would demand to know who she was calling, and then she’d have to lie…
Was it worth the effort?
Her rabbit said yes, definitely; her rabbit had been restless since last night.

Mia clasped her hands together to stop herself from doing anything. Cool, calm, collected. She would probably see Logan at work, and he would explain everything.
Yep, he better.