Grayslake: More than Mated: UnBearable Secrets (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read online

  “Why?”

  “Think about where you are, Olivia. Grayslake isn't really a tourist stop. Not even for those who are like us.”

  Olivia sucked in a breath. She hadn't realized that he was a shifter. She certainly should have—his large size should've given it away immediately, except she was too busy thinking about what was underneath his clothes to notice. “Like us? I guess you have me all figured out then.”

  He raised an eyebrow at her. “Not quite. But I think I might like to.”

  Olivia began chewing on her lower lip, a nervous quality that her mother always scolded her for, as Lucy bustled out of the swinging door from the kitchen and delivered their food.

  “You two… are sitting together?”

  Sam beamed at Lucy. “It seems that way. Dinner looks amazing, Lucy, thank you.”

  Olivia could smell exactly why Sam had such a fondness for Lucy. The Alfredo sauce wafted into her nose and gave her all the tingly good feelings about food that she loved. “That smells awesome!”

  Lucy set the pasta down in front of them. The delicate China pattern was light blue and white. She certainly had an eclectic taste.

  “Well, I hope you two enjoy,” Lucy said hesitantly. “Be nice to our guest here, Sam, maybe show her around the downtown later.”

  Sam nodded as he twirled some linguine on his fork. “I think that could be arranged.”

  Lucy smiled and walked away as Sam stared into what Olivia felt was her soul. What was it about this guy? Why did he make her feel so crazy?

  Chapter Three

  Sam

  Sam stared across the table at the girl in front of him. She had on this perfectly form fitting purple dress that made his cock stir in his pants. But of course, she had interrupted a deep train of thought, so as he lifted his eyes, she had caught him staring at her breasts. She was always catching him doing things he wasn't supposed to be doing.

  Like reading the book, for example. He was studying werebear law. Trying to figure out the best way to eventually return to Louisiana, to home. But there wasn't anything in there that gave him any indication he'd ever be able to go back. His whole family history was in the book, everyone who had ever been clan chieftain. There was no information on how to take a clan back, especially when you were trying to take it from your own blood.

  The history had given him some other insights into his past, though. He learned all about his mother's lineage and how her family had settled in the area nearly fifty years ago. He learned all about how they had kept their secrets from the humans so that no one would suspect them.

  It made him laugh to think that the humans believed in their voodoo and vampires, but shifters were completely foreign to them. In their eyes they were just mystical beings that didn't exist, when the truth was he didn't know a single vampire. And most of the people who practiced voodoo were just for the tourists, but shifters were very real.

  Grayslake was a perfect example of that. He knew why Olivia was here—people spoke about the different towns all over the country that accepted shifters. Where their own kind had infiltrated the police force or the mayor's office, so that they could go unnoticed.

  She crossed her legs underneath the table and accidentally kicked him.

  “Sorry,” she said, smiling at him through a mouthful of Alfredo.

  She liked to eat. He could certainly appreciate that. Lucy’s cooking was some of the best he had ever had. He was lucky that she had taken him in. He showed up on the doorstep one day asking about a job that he had seen posted on the town's bulletin board. She eagerly offered it to him with a place to stay almost immediately. She had an air-conditioning system that wasn't running at the time and as soon as he proved that he could fix that, she was enamored with him. Sure, Lucy was a little quirky, but he didn’t mind. She was kind above all else, and to him that was the most important quality a woman could have. But as he looked at the woman across the table from him, suddenly he was thinking that her feisty nature was what drew him into her so deeply.

  “Good dinner?”

  She nodded as she sat her fork and spoon down. “Some people say I’m a little overzealous when I eat. And my mother says that I’m not a real lady.”

  He watched as slight crimson rose in her cheeks. Damn, she was cute.

  “No, I think it's great that you like to eat. When we go downtown later, I can take you to a couple of the local places I like to go.”

  She picked up a fork again and began twirling the pasta on the spoon. “Places you like to go? Anyplace in particular?”

  He shook his head. “Not really. Grayslake has a lot of good spots. It’s one of the reasons I like it here.”

  Part of him was hoping that she would agree, maybe even let him know how long she planned on staying. But she didn’t respond. Instead, she just smiled and took another bite. Why wasn't she telling him where she was from? What was the pretty girl with the dark hair hiding from him?

  Chapter Four

  Olivia

  “This is downtown?” Olivia said, trying not to sound as unimpressed as she was. The streetlamps were just beginning to come on around them and she noticed the temperature finally drop enough to be bearable.

  “This is town. Lucy may have exaggerated a little bit when she used the term downtown.”

  “How long have you been here?”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Well you said you’re not a local, but you’re pretty familiar with the place, so how long have you been in Grayslake?”

  He studied her for a moment as they continued to walk along the sidewalk. “A couple months, I guess.”

  Their hands brushed against one another as they walked side-by-side. Olivia pulled her hand away and crossed arms, pretending to be chillier than she was. “So why don’t you tell me about Louisiana? Is it this hot there too?”

  “Why are you so full of questions?”

  She rolled her eyes at him. “It's called making small talk. That's what civilized people do, you know?”

  “But maybe I'm not civilized.”

  Olivia raised an eyebrow at him. Part of her wished that he wasn't. Part of her wanted him to pull her into one of these darkened alleyways and have his way with her. She knew hardly anything about him though, which made that whole fantasy even more alluring.

  “Fine. What do you want to know about me?”

  “Where are you from?”

  Shit. Of course he would ask that question first. He couldn't ask what was her favorite color, or favorite food group. No, it had to be a heavily loaded question… That she had already asked him.

  “Fine. New topic. What type of ice cream should I buy at that place?”

  She pointed across the street at one of the only places that seemed to still be open. An ice cream parlor with a gigantic cone in front of it let her know that it was her type of place.

  “Any kind you want. But I definitely suggest the salted caramel. It’s one of my favorites.”

  She smiled at him and cocked her head a little. “You have a favorite ice cream?”

  He scowled at her and made her giggle a little bit. “Only idiots don't have a favorite ice cream. And I didn't say that salted caramel is my favorite, just what I would recommend. They make all the ice cream themselves.”

  “So there's a dairy around here?”

  “Yeah, a couple towns over, what about it?”

  “I was just thinking with all the… you know. People like us around, that it might be hard to keep the dairy running.”

  He stopped on the sidewalk right before the crosswalk that would lead them over to the ice cream shop. “What the hell does that mean?”

  Olivia was already in the middle of the crosswalk by the time she realized that Sam hadn’t followed her. “What do you mean? Come on, let's just go get some ice cream.”

  “No, what did you mean? You act like we’re savage.”

  “Savage?” she asked as she turned around and approached him. “We’re a bunch of bears, we’re p
redators,” she said as she lowered her voice to a whisper. A young family passed by them pushing a stroller and she smiled weakly. They weren’t really talking about this here, not out in the open.

  “Listen, I'm sorry if I offended you or something, but I just really want to get some ice cream.”

  “I just don't like the assumption that we can't contain ourselves. I don't know about you, but I have my bear completely in check.”

  Clearly she had pushed a button that she wasn't supposed to. Sam's chest was heaving and his eyes turned a familiar black. She knew what was coming. “If that's so true, then why are your eyes turning colors right now? Colors that signify a certain change.”

  Sam shut his eyes tightly and shook his head. Whatever she had set off in him, she regretted it. She put her hand on his enormous bicep and tried to calm him. “Listen, I'm sorry, okay? Can we please just go get some ice cream now?”

  He nodded slowly, opening his eyes, and they returned to the dark brown Olivia had become accustomed to seeing.

  “I just don't want that to be anything I'm ever known for.”

  As the light changed again they crossed the street, this time walking next to one another.

  “Why is that? Usually guys want to be all big and burly and the protective type. What's your deal?”

  “I'm fine with being protective. Burly is an interesting way to describe a guy, but a savage beast is a real punch in the gut for me. I'm not savage.”

  He said it like he knew someone who was. Olivia decided not to pry any further; whatever Sam was hiding underneath that tough exterior was something that could wait. A level of honesty that could be reached after ice cream.

  “So salted caramel still?”

  “Actually, you seem more like a mint chocolate chip girl to me.”

  He opened the door for her and she heard the bell go off above them. The place was busy, but not packed; they would have to wait for just a few minutes. “Mint chocolate chip?”

  “Yeah, mint chocolate chip. Something unexpected with a little bit of a chill. And somehow refreshing at the same time.”

  “Are you calling me cold?”

  “I also called you refreshing.”

  So she was cold but refreshing. Sam certainly had a way of making her feel like her head was spinning. And as the girl behind the counter took their order and he chose a banana split, she realized maybe he was the one who was unexpected and refreshing, and exactly what she needed.

  Chapter Five

  Sam

  The next morning, Sam was working on the radiator in the sitting room at the end of the hall in the second floor. It had been acting up again. Steam was springing out at all ends and he honestly had no idea how to fix it. He tore off his shirt and wiped his forehead with it so the sweat didn’t drip down into his eyes. He didn't know which guest had decided to turn it on; it certainly wasn't cold enough outside yet, but they turned it all the way up. And now that it was broken, he couldn’t turn it off. It was like a freaking sauna in that room. He bent down behind it once more, but as he saw that a gasket was loose, he reached for his wrench in his toolbox and remembered it wasn't there. He let Lucy borrow it for some projects she was doing in the potting shed out back. He’d have to go down to the front desk to retrieve it from her.

  Of course he had forgotten to get the wrench back from Lucy—he could hardly think about anything but Olivia from the night before. Why had he acted like such an asshole? She had no idea the issues that he had with his father. That wasn't her business, anyway. So why did her comment about their animal side bother him so much?

  He was a bear.

  He was a ferocious shifter.

  He was a predator.

  But every time he thought about Olivia, he didn’t feel like a vicious animal—he wanted to be the bear she could curl up with on a cold winter’s night. He could be cuddly! Well, maybe he wanted more than spooning. Truly he wanted to tear into her and make her his mate. But he hardly knew her! Sure, she had that adorably cute little body, and the dark ringlets that framed her face had a bounce to them when she laughed, and she was feisty. Stubborn, even. And he liked that. None of that mattered—she was just a guest in the B&B and he was the handyman working on the radiator like he was supposed to. He needed to go down to the desk to grab that wrench.

  It was early enough in the morning that none of the guests were up and out of bed yet. Lucy would be the only one downstairs, so he didn't think to put his shirt. But just as he was passing by Olivia's room, she came out with headphones in and a tank top and shorts and running sneakers. Shit. Of course she was up. Why couldn’t he just do his job? With her around, he felt like everything was chaos.

  He watched her from behind, her delicious ass filling out the skintight shorts better than he could've imagined. Sure, he had already seen her naked, but skintight fabric just did something for him. He was right behind her as she fumbled with her keys.

  “Let me help you with those,” he said, reaching for her.

  She jumped, spinning around to smack him, and he fell with his back against the wall. She clumsily fell right into his arms. It couldn't have happened better if he had planned it that way.

  She didn't pull away as she pulled her headphones out of her ears. “Sorry! I always jam out before a run.” She stood up and backed away from him slightly, but the hallway was still tight and her breasts were still just grazing the front of his chest. He felt compelled to kiss her. So without any warning, he threw his hand behind her head and pulled her into him, playfully nibbling on her bottom lip.

  For a moment, he expected her to pull away, to protest that they didn't know each other well enough, or that she wasn't that type of girl. But instead, he felt her body melt into his. He began ripping off her tank top and throwing it to the side on the floor. His mouth released her lips and reveled in her flesh as he moved down to her breast. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around him, grinding against his already hard cock. She was giving a whole new meaning to morning wood.

  He inhaled the scent of her body, the smell of sex filling up the air. He tasted her, teasing her bare skin with his lips. His rough hands found the smoothness of her body so appealing and she rocked against him.

  Just as he was about to remove her shorts, he heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

  “Someone's coming,” she gasped against his skin.

  “Sam? Are you working on the radiator? I have your wrench!”

  Lucy was just about to come around the corner as Sam dropped Olivia and she scurried back into her room. He stood in the middle of the hallway still shirtless and now breathless as well. He saw Olivia's tank top on the floor and he dove for it just as Lucy popped up around the corner. He looked up at her from the floor.

  “You all right, Sam?”

  “Yes. Yes, ma'am. I just dropped this.”

  “You dropped a hot pink tank top?”

  “He nodded slowly. “Yeah, I mean… you know men can wear pink too.”

  She handed him the wrench; it felt heavy in his hand. He knew there was more weight to it than just the metal on its surface. He knew she didn't believe him.

  “Whatever you say, Sam. Just get that radiator fixed. It's so hot up here. And then you need to take a shower before the guests wake up, you smell all…” She put up her hand and made a circle around his body. “You just smell. I'll see you downstairs in an hour for breakfast.”

  He nodded to her and sighed heavily as she walked away. He stood in the hallway for a moment, half expecting Olivia to pop her head out of her guest room door and invite him in, but she didn't. He trudged back down the hallway with the wrench in his hand, frustrated at the interruption and intrigued by what could have happened next.

  Chapter Six

  Olivia

  Shit. Why did Lucy have to come up at that exact moment? Olivia wasn't sure what would have happened next but she was positive it would've been good. But instead she was left wondering and waiting. However, she realized she would be having s
ome pretty good dreams that night. She had lost her tank top but she still had a sports bra on, so after she was sure that Sam had passed by the door she snuck out quickly and quietly to avoid any further suspicion. As soon as she was outside and her sneakers hit the pavement, she took off like a shot.

  She didn't really know what she was running from, Sam was hot, and he made her feel things that she didn't quite understand. But she knew one thing: she wanted to be his. Gravel crunched under her feet as she turned off the main road and onto a path into the woods. This was where she could be at peace, finally clear her brain of all the thoughts that she was having about leaving home and now about finding Sam. She could just listen to the wind in the trees and the sound of her feet slapping against the ground.

  The woods were beautiful. There was a nice breeze today, so it felt more like fall than the day before. Finally, not so muggy. Maybe the South wasn’t so bad. Maybe she could stay here a little longer, get to know Sam better. She would have to consult with the local Itan, of course. She would need permission to stay, but no one needed her back home. Grayslake could be the escape she had been dreaming of. She would have to get over the cats in her room, though. They had kept her up for hours last night with their beady little eyes and blank stares. Or maybe she was up because she had been running over her semi-date with Sam instead.

  Why had he been so upset about her assumption that cows would go missing? She knew the damage shifters could do when unchecked. She had seen it a thousand times before. Without a release, the bear could take over completely. She then considered taking her clothes off and shifting, going for a run as her wild side. But just as she was about to find a rock to hide her belongings underneath, she heard the sound of water. She ran through the trees to the left and found herself at a wide expanse of lake. Immediately, she stopped. She was breathing heavily and put her hands on her knees as she watched the water lapping up on the shore. The lake was peaceful and serene and beautiful and it should've evoked some sort of calmness in her heart, but instead she had only one thought.