Bunny Bear - Wild Bear 02 (3 page)

Since when did he hit walls to deal with anger? Or lash out at the people he loved? Why hadn’t he talked to his mate calmly instead of accusing her of being a whore? His whole world seemed off-kilter and he felt as if he were going insane.

He needed ice for his hand, and then he needed to talk to Michelle again and convince her to stay at the
Wild Bear
.

He was about to leave his office when the phone rang, and nothing surprised him more than to hear Hunter Black’s voice on the other end. The man questioned him about Michelle, and he made it easy for Gabe to tell the absolute truth: Michelle was a good waitress, but she hated shifters and he only kept her on his staff because she was the mate of a very close friend.

Black ended the call quickly, and Gabe knew he’d never hire Michelle. The man needed willing, single women. A mated shifter hater wouldn’t garner him any money.

He searched his head for a shred of guilt, but nothing surfaced. He would do everything in his power to keep his mate on his staff, even if it meant outing her to every business owner in town.

His bear grunted in agreement, and he left his office in search of ice for his hand.

Chapter Three

“I’m sorry, Miss Larsen, but we’ve decided to go with another applicant.”

Unlike the other possible employers who’d snapped at her and then abruptly hung up the phone, the woman delivered the words in a calm, but firm, voice. It was her fifth rejection in three days, and she was beginning to lose confidence in her abilities.

“I understand your decision, but can you give me any feedback? Is there something…off-putting about me?”

“It’s the shifter thing, dear,” the woman sympathized.

“Um… I’m not a shifter,” she said.

“Yes, I know. That’s not the problem.”

“Then what is the problem?” she asked.

“It’s not that you are one,” the woman explained. “It’s that you hate them. This town is full of shifters and I can’t hire someone who openly dislikes most of our clientele.”

“Wait. I don’t—”

“I’m sorry, dear, but my decision is final.”

“I understand,” she conceded. “Thank you.”

Michelle pressed the off button and sat down on the sofa. The fact that the woman thought she hated shifters was laughable. Nearly half of Liberty’s population was composed of shifters, and she’d lived in the town her entire life. She didn’t know any other way, but if she’d truly hated the species, she would have moved a long time ago.

There were still a few places in the nation that boasted about being
pure
with only full human residents, and they weren’t impossible to find. She shook her head and frowned. The thought of living in a town like that creeped her out, as did the fact that they still existed. A place with so much hatred could never be considered home.

She thought back to all of the other calls she’d received, starting with Hunter’s. He had been cold and borderline cruel when he’d told her he didn’t need another fattie on his staff. The other calls had been less forthcoming. A simple, but harsh,
we’re not interested
sounded in her ear before each call ended. Today was the first time she’d had a chance to ask any questions, and she was dumbfounded. Why would they think—

Gabriel!

Gabriel had smirked when she’d told him about Hunter’s possible call. She’d yelled at him, admitted to needing the job, and then threatened him about finding a replacement. He was probably telling everyone she hated shifters as punishment for her behavior, and to force her to grovel and apologize when she couldn’t find work.

It seemed he had the upper hand in their little spat.

She had no idea why he wouldn’t let her go without a fight, but she wasn’t about to throw in the towel. She remembered last Halloween when he’d sent her home, claiming to dislike costumes. The lie had obviously been an excuse for something else. She thought back to that night, and the only thing different had been her short, frilly skirt.

He obviously had a problem with her curvy, thick thighs being put on display.

They didn’t have a dress code and Tanya wore short skirts all the time. If the other waitress could get away with it, she should be able to as well. Aside from the one costume, Michelle always dressed in jeans. The sturdy, easy to clean fabric had several pockets and allowed her to move through the crowd easily. Paired with comfortable shoes, she was able to blend in without disappearing completely, and the men rarely tried to grope her ass.

She’d tried to do the right thing and it had gotten her nowhere. It was time to up her game. If Gabe didn’t want to be civil and accept her resignation, then she’d force him to fire her.

***

Three hours later, Michelle walked into the
Wild Bear
five minutes before the start of her shift. In the storage room, she put her purse and keys into her locker and tied her apron around her waist.

It’s now or never.

She took a deep breath and walked into the area behind the bar. It was Friday night, their busiest night of the week, and both Isabelle and Jared were manning the counter. The two usually split the bar in half when they were both behind it, and tonight Jared was covering the waitress’ end.

“Hey Jared,” she said, grabbing her tray.

Jared glanced in her direction and swept his dark, ominous eyes over her form. The orbs looked nearly black, especially in the darkened room, and they seemed at odds with his brown hair. The t-shirt he wore stretched across his muscular form, and the edges of unseen tattoos peeked out from under his sleeves.

The shifter was quiet, but he rarely relaxed, and before Gabe hired Lucky, Jared had been involved in numerous brawls and arrests. She didn’t know why he’d never been fired, but she suspected it involved the men’s mutual respect for each other.

“Looking good, Michelle,” Jared said.

He didn’t smile, but she wasn’t offended. Jared could never be mistaken for happy.

“Thank you,” she said.

A short blond, with long, straight hair, jumped off a barstool, leaving her drink behind, and weaved her way through the crowd and out the door. Jared removed her drink and wiped the counter as if nothing was out of the ordinary, but she’d seen the way he’d watched the woman retreat.

Michelle wanted to ask, but she didn’t. Aside from being tense all the time, as if expecting the worst, and ready to fight at a moment’s notice, Jared didn’t share his feelings. He was the most private person she knew. If he wanted her to know something, he’d tell her.

“See you soon,” she said, hurrying out to the main part of the bar.

She and Tanya also split up their work space, and after she visited four tables in her section, she went back to the bar and gave the beverage orders to Jared. As she waited for him to mix the drinks, she saw Gabe enter the room from the hallway leading to his office.

As usual, the sight of him sent her body into overdrive and she felt as if someone had suddenly turned up the heat in the room. He’d always been a favorite with the ladies and tonight was no different. They blatantly ogled him, and a few brave souls approached him, voicing their opinions on his beauty, or clumsily asking him out. He’d always handled the attention with class, but the need to run into his arms and stake her claim consumed her.

She wasn’t a shifter, she couldn’t mark or claim him, but she still wanted everyone to know who he belonged to. His eyes met hers, as if reading her mind, and she looked back toward Jared. He wasn’t hers, and he never would be.

“Hey, hot stuff,” said a man on the stool next to her.

“Hey,” she replied.

“Want to take a ride on the Jimbo express?”

He cupped his cock through his jeans, and she barely kept in a giggle.

“No, I’m sorry,” she said, sweetly. “I have a boyfriend and he doesn’t like to share.”

“I can see why,” he said, perusing her with his eyes. “If you ever find yourself single again, keep me in mind.”

“You got it,” she said, lifting her tray off the counter.

As if!

“Thanks Jared.”

She delivered the drinks, and collected payment from each table one at a time. The men flirted more than usual, and she’d been right about the tips. The money rolled in and only one loser had the nerve to grab her ass.

She stepped away from the offending hand and opened her mouth to reprimand the young guy attached to it when Gabe appeared behind her.

“Touch her again and you’re out of here,” Gabe said, his voice hard.

“Who says?” asked the guy with the wandering hands.

“I do,” Gabe growled.

The guy opened his mouth to respond, but his friend whispered frantically in his ear.

“Sorry man,” the guy said. “It won’t happen again.”

“Thank you,” she smiled, and started walking back toward the bar.

Gabe grabbed her bicep and growled in her ear.

“My office. Now.”

“I have to cash out with the bar first,” she said, smiling.

She refused to let him see how much he affected her.

“Later,” he growled.

He dropped her arm and stormed through the crowd. One look in his direction and the patrons tripped over themselves to get out of his way. Even the women who had hit on him earlier kept their distance.

She didn’t have to see his face to know the look, and when combined with the way his growl had rumbled through her body, she nearly melted into a puddle of goo. His words had raced straight to her core, and her pussy tingled, desperate for his touch. Liquid heat soaked her panties, and she silently swore. Another gush of heat, and her essence would drip down her inner thighs.

Might as well get this over with!

She tucked her tray under her arm and made her way through the crowd to Gabe’s office. She knocked twice on the forbidding barrier, and then let herself inside.

***

Gabe made it to his office two full minutes before Michelle. He balled his hands into fists as he waited, affronted by her leisurely following pace, and his bear grunted in agreement. He toyed with the idea of tracking her down, but he didn’t want to make a scene. He still had a reputation to uphold, and while they were at the bar, business had to come first.

After wearing nothing but jeans for a little over a year, Michelle had arrived for her shift in a short, frilly skirt. The same one she’d worn last Halloween if he weren’t mistaken. The fluffy material amplified her big, round ass and he’d seen more than one shithead try to reach out and grab a handful of her soft, perfect flesh.

When he’d walked out of his office earlier in the evening, he’d honed in on her easily, as if they were already mated. When he’d seen the short skirt, his cock had hardened to the point of pain. Michelle turned away from him, and after fighting off the usual crowd of groupies, he’d made it to the bar in time to hear her say she had a boyfriend.

Everything around him blurred as the words sank in. He felt as if he’d been kicked in the chest, and the momentary lack of oxygen threatened to send him to the floor. Somewhere in the distance someone shouted his name, and he followed the sound and gasped for air.

“Gabe!”

He looked at Jared and the man looked ready to jump over the bar. The bartender might be trouble, but the man always had is back.

“You okay, man?” Jared asked, filling a glass with water.

He walked the few feet to the bar, and downed the cool liquid.

“Yeah…thanks.”

He searched the crowd for Michelle, and when he could breathe normal again, he continued his covert following. If he hadn’t had a minor freak-out, the guy who’d dared to touch her ass would have never made contact.

It had taken every ounce of willpower he’d possessed not to break the guy’s hand without a warning. When the younger human had questioned him, he’d been ready to prove why you never mess with a bear shifter in love.

Shit!

He might not understand it, but he knew the thoughts were true. He loved Michelle, and he had since the moment they’d met. Some of his anger abated, but he couldn’t relax.

He stood in front his desk, in the center of his office, with his hands still balled into fists, and that’s how Michelle found him. Her gaze immediately went to the hole he’d made in the wall earlier in the week, and then she focused on his hands, as if searching for injuries.

Her eyes widened the moment she zeroed in on his hard cock, and the damn thing jerked in approval, desperate for her touch. Her wide eyes met his and she licked her upper lip as if issuing an invitation. He knew the move wasn’t conscious, and he cleared his throat, walking past her to switch their positions and lock the door.

She took a deep breath and he watched her breasts rise and fall with the action. She held her tray flat under her right arm, and her wavy, auburn hair was pulled back into a ponytail. As if she remembered how much she hated him, her green eyes narrowed and regarded him with contempt. His anger returned with a vengeance.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he yelled. “You’re out of dress code.”

They didn’t have a dress code, but it was the only thing that came to mind. Luckily, the room was insulated well, and the base of the jukebox drowned out their voices. No one would hear their spat.

“We don’t have a dress code,” she challenged, “and Tanya wears short skirts all the time.”

“Well, she isn’t—”

My mate.

Fuck!

He couldn’t admit the truth.

“She isn’t what? A fattie like me?” she yelled. “Well, you’ll just have to get over it. I may not be perfect, but some men like my body and they tip a hell of a lot better when my ass is in a short skirt instead of jeans.”

Of course they did. Every damn man in the place wanted a piece of her luscious ass, but that wasn’t what bothered him.

“What the hell are you talking about?” he roared.

“I know you’ve been telling potential employers that I hate shifters. A lot of those jobs paid more than you do, with tips, and I—”

“No, not that,” he growled. “What do you mean
a fattie like you
?”