Bear Claw (4 page)

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Brandy stepped inside the small coffee shop where she met her cousin once a week. Pleased to see their regular booth was free, she hurried to claim the back seats. She always looked forward to these breakfast meets. Christopher was the only person in her family who she spoke with on a regular basis.

Growing up, the two of them had bonded against the rules and constant scrutiny they were bombarded by. The family name was everything to the others. Her parents, aunts, uncles, siblings and cousins cared only for power and money. Proving that they were better than everyone else was her relatives’ mission.

Choosing to go her own way and live the life she wanted had been an easy decision for her. The fact that she had to defend her choices, however, still made her heart ache. Deep down, Brandy knew she didn’t belong in the world of political dinners and fundraisers.

Hidden in the worlds of her imagination and books was all she ever wanted. While her family didn’t know about the publishing, they continued to badger her about wasting her life. How anyone could call spending time with children, teaching them to enjoy words and losing themselves in new universes a waste of time, Brandy would never understand. She loved working at the library and would never let anyone take it away from her.

But her parents’ wish was that she marry well and start to contribute her own generation to the Brooks name. She wanted her own children one day, but she wasn’t going to wed any of the men her parents kept pushing on her. She had nothing in common with any of them.

She grinned when the doorbell rang and Chris stepped inside. Her cousin’s blond hair hung too long and covered his forehead, falling into his clear, blue eyes. He wore an old pair of jeans and tight white T-shirt. Anyone who didn’t know his pedigree wouldn’t have any idea he came from wealth.

She respected Chris so much. And loved him like a brother. Actually, she adored him more than her real brothers.

Chris had taken an even bumpier road than she had. Instead of staying out of the limelight and in the quiet, Chris was out in the city streets voicing his beliefs—
loudly.

While she was very proud of her cousin, Brandy worried about him. Chris’ tendency of throwing himself behind every good cause wore on the young man’s physical and mental health.

“Hey,” Chris greeted as he plopped down across from her.

“Late night?” she teased, accepting the mug of coffee the waitress had brought over. “Morning, Anna.”

“Good morning, you two,” Anna replied with affection.

Brandy and Chris had been coming to the diner for years and had gotten to know the older woman well. Not only did Anna work there, but also each of her six kids had put in time learning the ropes at one time or another. “The usual?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Chris nodded, smiling. “And keep the caffeine coming.”

“You got it, sunshine.” Anna sent Chris a wink, moving on to another table.

Chris gulped down half his coffee then set the cup down. “Damn, that’s hot. I burned my tongue.”

Brandy frowned at him.

“But so worth it. I swear I can’t find another cup in the entire city that tastes like this.”

Pouring sugar into her mug, she shook her head. “So?”

He held up a finger as he gulped the rest of his coffee. “Ah, that hit the spot. Okay, guess what I did last night.”

Brandy really didn’t want to play the guess-what game. “Why don’t you just tell me and I’ll pay for breakfast.”

Dramatically rolling his eyes, Chris grunted.

“Now tell me before you explode.”

“So you heard about the government trying to make the shifter population register?” Chris started excitedly.

“Yeah, I caught the news last night.”

“I have a plan.”

Brandy knew that somehow Chris’ plan was going to involve her and she’d be in trouble. “Okay,” she said cautiously.

“First, we need to have a meeting. Find both humans and shifters who are against the new laws the government is trying to enforce.”

That didn’t sound so bad. “I’ll attend.”

“Well, actually, I was hoping we could use the room at the library.”

Of course he was. “Sure, when?”

“Tomorrow night? I think, anyway. Some of the guys are rounding up people and I was going to stop by the Coalition headquarters hoping they would know who I could contact.”

“You’re going to the Coalition?”

“Sure, I’ve met a couple of the agents and they’ve all been really great. I think they would help. They are shifters, after all.”

“How did you meet agents with the Coalition?”

Anna stopped by with a fresh pot and refilled their cups. It amused her to see Chris squirming in his seat. “Your food will be right out.”

“Thanks, Anna.”

Once the waitress had moved to the next table, Brandy eyed her cousin.

“Quit looking at me like that,” Chris muttered.

“The Coalition?”

“Remember the protest I organized in front of the cosmetic animal testing lab?”

“Yes. I also remember something about paintballs,” Brandy responded. That was one of Chris’ better causes. Brandy had been out of town at the time but his demonstration had made national news.

“Well, there had been some shifters as part of our group, so when the cops got called, so did the Coalition.”

“You never told me that!”

“It wasn’t that big of a deal. There was one agent who agreed with us. Instead of taking us all to jail, he stood in front of us and kept guard. He was really great.”

“That’s good.” Leave it to Chris to go from handcuffs to best friends with one of the shifter cops.

“This is something that should concern everyone. If the government can make the shifters register, what’s next? Making humans wear chips so officials know where we are at all times? If we don’t stop this now, the snowball will start rolling. It won’t be long before it will be too late.”

“Okay.” She reached over and patted Chris’ hand that he’d clenched on the table. As her cousin’s voice had risen, people were starting to turn and look at them. “You’re right. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

“Thanks,” Chris said. “So has your man been back?”

Brandy pulled her hand away and picked up her mug. Heat singed her cheeks. Chris was the only one who was aware of her crush. “He stopped by yesterday. And he’s not my man.”

“He would be if you would give him any sign you were interested in him instead of just playing the friendly librarian.”

“You don’t know that. He could be married and have six children waiting at home every night,” she argued.

“Really?”

Brandy was glad to see Anna heading their way with breakfast. She didn’t know why she talked to Chris about Jamie. Okay, yes she did. Her cousin understood. And while he teased her, he always gave her good advice.

“Here you go,” Anna said as she set their plates down.

The sweet aroma of her French toast with a side of bacon made Brandy’s mouth water. She glanced over at Chris’ dish of biscuits and gravy. This was one of the reasons they came every week. There was no better food in the city.

“Thank you,” Brandy said sincerely.

Chris was already starting to stuff his face but grunted in agreement.

With a laugh, Anna left them to their meals.

Pouring a liberal amount of syrup over her food, Brandy glanced at Chris. “I think he might ask me out. He sometimes acts like he wants to,” she confided.

“Ask him,” Chris suggested around a mouthful.

“Ew, swallow before you speak.”

Snorting, Chris shook his head as he gulped down the food in his mouth. “I mean it. Ask him. You’re a modern woman. And some guys like that.”

“I don’t know.” She could think about it, though. It had been months, and Jamie still hadn’t asked her for coffee. Maybe it was time for her to make a move instead of waiting on him.

As a matter of fact, Chris was right. There was no reason she couldn’t ask Jamie out for coffee. Oh, God, what if he didn’t like coffee? That would be awful. She had to have her fix several times a day.

She would have to take a chance.

“You could invite him to the meeting tomorrow night,” he suggested.

“Yeah, that might not be the best first date.”

“Are you kidding? Get a bunch of humans and shifters together in a small room. Start talking about the government and plan an exciting protest. The pheromones in the air would be overwhelming. I can almost guarantee you’ll get laid.”

Choking on a bite of bread, Brandy reached for her coffee. “Jeez.”

“Maybe he’ll be able to give you some inspiration for your next book. Hopefully he—ha-ha—measures up.”

“I have no doubt he’ll
measure
up,” she taunted. Taking a big drink of her now-cool coffee, she cherished the strong brew.

“Brandy, hey.”

She glanced up and found her gaze caught by Jamie’s. She sucked in a breath but still had liquid in her mouth.

Panicked, she set her cup down and tried to stop coughing. Jamie placed his hand on her back, rubbing and soothing.

“You okay?”

Unable to speak just yet, she nodded. She looked over at Chris for help and found her cousin almost doubled over in laughter.

“Uh…Jamie…” Brandy said.

His hand remained on her back, stroking her skin in circles. She found herself unbelievably aroused.

“Hi,” she managed lamely.

He grinned but removed his palm. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I saw you sitting over here and thought I’d say hi.”

“No, I mean yes, I…I’m glad you did.”

This time Chris snorted loudly.

Jamie turned to him. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. Chris?”

Standing, her cousin held out his hand. “Hi, Jamie. Good to see you again.”

“You too, man,” Jamie replied as the shook.

Wait, how in the hell does Chris know Jamie?

“Staying out of trouble?” Jamie asked her cousin.

With a shrug, Chris smirked. “Well, you know.”

Jamie laughed and focused on Brandy. “I really don’t mean to impose. I wanted to say hello.”

“Oh, no, it’s all right,” Chris assured him. “My cousin and I were just talking about you, actually.”

“Really?” Jamie sounded surprised. “And cousin?”

Did Jamie seem to relax, realizing Chris was her cousin? Or was she reading more into his growing smile?

“We weren’t really talking about you,” Brandy stated before shooting Chris a glare in warning.

“Oh no, I’m sure we were,” Chris stated smugly. “You are her favorite biker library patron, aren’t you?”

To his credit, Jamie didn’t seem fazed by Chris’ teasing.

“I sure hope so,” Jamie responded softly, once again peering down at her.

Realizing he was still standing while they sat, she scooted over. “Would you like to join us?”

“I wish I could. I only stopped in to pick up my takeout order. I’m heading in to the office.”

“It’ll be right out, honey. Sit while you wait,” Anna told him as she passed by.

“Hey, that’s great! I was going to try to get a hold of you later anyway. You’ll save me a trip to the Coalition,” Chris said to Jamie.

Brandy gasped. “Coalition?”

Jamie stiffened. Taking a step back, he put distance between them. “Uh, yeah. I guess I never told you what I do.”

“Or that you were a shifter,” she accused.

Jamie appeared really uncomfortable now. As he glanced around the diner, she could tell he wanted to get away.

“Are you going to sit?” she asked, hoping he wasn’t going to run. She probably should have worded the question about him being a shifter better, but she was surprised.

With a shocked expression, Jamie frowned. “Are you sure?”

“I’d like you to.”

His eyes lit up. Brandy was so glad she could make things better between the two of them again. As he slid in the booth next to her, their thighs brushed and she shivered.

She liked the feeling. Taking a deep breath, she pulled in Jamie’s pleasant masculine scent. He also smelled of cinnamon. She’d gotten only traces previously.

“So you work at the Coalition?” she inquired.

“I do. I lead one of the special units.” He kept his tone cautious, as though testing how she was taking in the new information.

“That’s great,” she said and smiled. “And you apparently know what a troublemaker my cousin is.”

Jamie laughed, the tension around the table disappearing. “Last time I saw him I had to stand in front of him to keep some doctors from hanging him.”

The lab?
How funny that Chris had barely shared that story with her.

“Wasn’t my fault,” Chris grumbled.

“It never is,” she teased.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” Jamie questioned.

“I have an idea to help beat the legislation against the shifters. We’re going to have a meeting tomorrow night at the library and I wanted to see if you or any of your friends could make it.”

Nodding, Jamie ran his hand roughly over his face. “I know a few people who would probably like to attend.” Then he peered over at her. “Are you going to be there?”

“Of course,” she replied.

“Good.” He pulled out his wallet and removed a card. “My cell is on there. Text me the details.”

She had his number! Oh, this day was just getting better and better. Plus, she would be able to see him the next night. Holy cow, she had truly turned into a teenage girl with her first crush. Good thing he couldn’t read her mind.

“Here’s your food, Jamie,” Anna interrupted as she set a to-go container on the table.

“Thanks, Anna.”

Brandy was sorry that his food had arrived. Jamie smiled at her, hesitating to stand. She hoped it was a sign that he didn’t want to leave her yet.

What would he do if she leaned forward, reducing the small distance between them, and pressed her lips to his? She wished she had the nerve to find out.

But she didn’t.

“I better go,” Jamie said with obvious reluctance.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” Brandy stated softly.

“Yeah, sure will,” Jamie replied. “It was good to see you again, Chris.”

“You too, Jamie.”

Brandy watched as Jamie strolled away. Damn, the man’s ass was fantastic in those tight jeans. He had on black biker boots and a short-sleeved black Henley.