Bear Necessities (4 page)

He’d
missed the little squirt.

But
there was something behind her eyes, a sadness that hadn’t been there before.
If it turned out that the sheriff
had
broken Chloe’s heart, he’d have to
have a few very private words with the man. “We’re staying at the Holiday Inn,
checking out the town. Ryan’s on his way here to see you, Aunt Laura and Uncle
Steve are still in Maryland with Mom and Dad, but they’re thinking of visiting
soon if we all decide to stay here. And we got here yesterday.”

Chloe
bounced again. “It will be so good to have family around again.” Her smile
turned wistful for a brief second before her innate sunshine came out once
more. “So, what’s new with you?” She nudged Bunny’s arm.

He
leaned in and whispered in her ear. The joy of finding the one woman who could
complete him still rode him. “I found my mate.”

Her
jaw dropped. “No shit! Since when?”

Bunny
was struggling with a smile. His cousin’s bubbly personality was infectious.
“Today. She works in the tattoo parlor.”

“Living
Art?” When Bunny nodded Chloe’s eyes went wide. “Does she have blue hair?”
Bunny shook his head. “Okay, not Glory then. Pink hair?” Bunny grinned and
shook his head again. “Not Cyn, either. Oh! Tabby? Cool!”

Bunny
started to laugh. He still couldn’t get over his mate’s name. He planned on
having some fun finding out what in hell her parents had been thinking.

“Chloe!
Order up!”

“Be
right there, Frank!” She turned to Bunny, giving him a quick hug. “Get the
fruit salad, you’ll love it.” She laughed and waved goodbye as she headed back
for the kitchen.

“Bunny?”
Anderson was hiding a smile behind his coffee cup. “Seriously?”

Bunny
gave Anderson the one-finger salute. He still wasn’t certain he shouldn’t rip
the good sheriff’s arms off just to be on the safe side.

Something
was bothering him, though. That look in Chloe’s eyes was so wrong. His cousin
had always known who she was and where she was going in life, and today she
looked like she’d lost her way. “Is she having problems with something?”

Anderson
shrugged. “I’m not certain what’s going on. She’s not talking, but I think the
man she’s…
interested
in is giving her fits.”

Huh?
Bunny stared at Anderson,
startled. At Anderson’s nod, he damn near reeled in his seat.

Chloe’d
found her mate? Since when?
Bunny took a deep breath, but couldn’t
detect anything other than Chloe’s lingering scent. Ryan was gonna love that.
His little sis, still in college, and already mated? The man would go
ballistic.
“Why? What’s wrong with him? Chloe’s cute as a button.”

Anderson
shrugged. “I’m not sure. But I wouldn’t worry too much.” He smiled tightly.
“I’m sure she’ll help him figure it out. And if she doesn’t, I’ll rip his head
off and give it to her wrapped in a bow.” And he sounded like he’d relish the
opportunity. The kind of eager happiness on the sheriff’s face was usually
reserved for kids and Christmas presents.

Bunny
snorted. The only way Anderson would lay his hands on Chloe’s mate was if he
beat Ryan to the man.

Pumas
might be fast, but Bears, when motivated, were faster.

“Ohmigod,
ohmigod.” Tabby pulled her hair, staring into her closet. It was six forty-five
and her mate would be here any minute, she didn’t know his name and she had
nothing
to wear.

“Little
black dress.” Cyn stuck her head in Tabby’s bedroom, grinning at the pile of
clothing around Tabby’s feet. “Can’t go wrong with a little black dress.”

“Guh.”
The panic was threatening to tear Tabby apart. She stared at the three black
dresses hanging in her closet, her hand moving between them like a demented
butterfly.

Glory’s
head peeked in from the other side of the doorway. “The sleeveless one.”

“Uh?”
She held up her sleeveless black dress, the one with the red belt and matching
shoes.

Two
heads bobbed in agreement.

Tabby
stripped, more than used to being naked in front of her roommates. Hell, when
she’d first moved in with them, they’d been shocked at how easy she felt being
nude. Glory had actually asked her if she was gay and trying to tempt them to “the
dark side”. She’d giggled and said that she might be susceptible to temptation
if the dark side had chocolate. Tabby had just shaken her head and put some
clothes on. She’d spent so long as a Wolf, she’d forgotten some of the basic
parts of being human, like pants. The first time she’d used a toilet after so
many years had been an interesting experience, something Mrs. Anderson still
chuckled about.

When
Cyn and Glory had found out what she was, they’d freaked a little. They hadn’t
accepted her immediately. In fact, there’d been another girl, Brit, who’d
worked at Living Art. Brit had left, refusing to believe what she’d seen the
night Tabby, drunk off her ass for the first time in her life, let her Wolf
loose in the middle of the apartment. She’d gone so far as to quit her job when
Glory and Cyn refused to fire her or kick her out of their apartment. But Glory
and Cyn, after the initial shock had passed (and after, they claimed, they
wiped up the dog drool), had accepted her without reservations. Hell, they’d
mocked her once the hangover had passed. There was still a huge bag of Kibbles
N’ Bits in the pantry the bitches refused to throw away “just in case”.

If she
thought they’d take it, she’d make them Pack in a heartbeat. She missed having
that connection, the knowledge that there were others for her to rely on
without a shadow of a doubt. Part of her wondered if her dipshit ex had ever
told his father the truth, or if he’d shrugged and let it go. Let her go.

Tabby
shook her head and reached for her hairbrush, smoothing down her hair. That
didn’t matter now. Her mate would be here any minute. She slicked on some berry
gloss and stared at herself in the mirror. Then she stuck out her tongue and
made a face. She was so nervous, her Wolf was whining. She slipped her feet
into the red high heels, grabbed her favorite purse and headed for the living
room. “Well?”

Cyn
circled her finger. “Twirl.”

Tabby
twirled.

Glory
wolf-whistled. “See you at work tomorrow.”

Cyn
snickered and threw a bunch of condoms at her. “You’ll need these.”

Tabby
swallowed. “I’m gonna throw up.” Nausea roiled in her belly. She bent and
picked up the condoms just as the doorbell rang.

Glory
had the door open before Tabby could hide the packets. “C’mon in!”

In
stepped the hottie from the store. He wore a green shirt that really emphasized
his hazel eyes, dark wash jeans that looked painted onto his thighs and
thick-soled black boots. Now that she was upright, she could see how tall he
was. He towered over her, the top of her head barely reaching his upper lip,
even in her four-inch heels. She’d hit his chin in her bare feet. His bald head
gleamed, his jaw clean-shaven. She could see the tattoo that circled his biceps
and her fingers itched to trace the design. In his hand, he held a daffodil.

My
favorite flower.
How did he know?
Tabby smiled, knowing her mouth was trembling. She
couldn’t remember the last time someone had given her flowers. “For me?”

He
held it out, a smile on his full lips. “Hello, Tabby.”

“Thank
you.” She reached for the daffodil.

He
coughed. “I’ll take those.” He reached over and removed the condoms from her
hand, grinning at her embarrassed squawk. “It’s okay, honey. I’m just glad one
of us is, um, prepared.” He eyed the condoms. “
Very
prepared.” He
unrolled them, one eyebrow rising in disbelief. “And optimistic.”

Glory
was practically doubled over with laughter. Tabby’s face was beet red. She
snatched the condoms back with her free hand, snarling as one got left behind
in his big paw. She could hear Cyn snuffling and snorting behind her and just
knew they were practically choking on their laughter.

She
turned to her two roommates with a smile. “Don’t make me forget I’m
housebroken.” They stopped, but from the way they were clinging together, Tabby
figured it was only a matter of time before one of them broke again. She turned
back to her new mate. “And you, whose name I don’t even know.” She smiled at
Mr. Chocolate. “Thank you for the flower. My name’s Tabitha Garwood.”

Mr.
Sin held out his paw, the condom miraculously gone. “Bunny.” She wondered if
he’d dropped it or shoved it into his pocket for later.

Wait.
“Bunny,” she repeated
carefully.

“Alexander
Bunsun, but everyone calls me Bunny.” He grinned.

She
sniffed.
Nope, his scent is definitely Bear.

“Are
you laughing at my name?” Bunny’s hands went to his hips, but she could tell he
wasn’t pissed by the way his lips quirked up.

She
blinked. “Yes.”

He
coughed, but she could tell he was trying not to laugh. “Dinner?” He held out
his arm.

She
gave him her sweetest smile and took it. “Yes.”

“Hold
on.” Glory stopped them by placing her hand on Bunny’s arm, her expression
worried. For all that Glory liked to flirt like mad, when it came down to
actual dating she could be a real worrywart.

Bunny
chucked her under the chin. “I’ll take care of her. My word on it.”

Glory
studied him, and Bunny stood still, allowing her intense scrutiny. Glory
relaxed and nodded, looking relieved. Tabby wasn’t sure she felt the same.

Chapter
Two

“Tabby?
Seriously?” Bunny shook his head and helped her off his bike. “And you’re
making fun of
my
name?”

“At
least I can blame my seriously screwed up parents. What’s your excuse?” Tabby
nodded at Bunny regally as he held open the door to Noah’s. He’d asked Anderson
to recommend a restaurant in the area and from his enthusiastic endorsement he
had decided to give Noah’s a try. He’d made the reservations and requested a
nice, private table.

“It’s
taken from my last name. It’s a nickname.”

“It’s
a sucky nickname for a shifter to have,” she muttered softly. “Bunny. Geez.
Might as well call you Food.” She shuddered delicately as they waited for the
hostess to seat them. “Who came up with that anyway? And why didn’t you tell me
to wear pants?”

Bunny
grinned, knowing it looked predatory. “
I
enjoyed it.” She’d ridden on
the back of his bike, those long sleek legs of hers bared almost to the point
of indecency. The heat of her had been intoxicating.

Tabby
rolled her eyes and followed behind the hostess. “Are you
sure
you
aren’t a Wolf?”

Bunny
began singing “Little Red Riding Hood” under his breath, that deep, gravelly
voice sending shivers down her spine. But when he reached the point about being
everything a big, bad wolf could want, Tabby had to stop for a moment. She
shook her head at him, amusement lighting her face. “Don’t you mean big, bad
Bear?”

Bunny
held out her chair, a wolfish grin on his face. She allowed him to seat her,
shaking her head. Lime green strands drifted across her face. And damn, what a
face. She had the exotic good looks of a woman who had some Mediterranean blood
somewhere in her gene pool. She was golden-skinned and full-lipped, with big
brown eyes and lashes a mile long that perfectly framed a strong nose and
determined chin. She wasn’t classically beautiful, especially with her hair the
way it was, but Bunny was already hooked. He could almost taste her. Like a
ripe golden apple, she’d be tart and sweet on his tongue, a craving that would
never go away.

This was
going to be fun.

“Well?
Out with it,
Bunny
. Who, what, where, why and how badly did you mangle
them afterwards?”

He
chuckled, trying to hide how uneasy the word mangled made him. She had no idea.
“My cousins. I have five of the little shits. Ryan, Chloe, Keith, Heather and
Tiffany are all my first cousins. They’re the ones who gave me my nickname.”

“Wow.
Your aunt must have been churning them out.”

“Don’t
make me order you a bowl of milk.” Bunny didn’t even flinch when Tabby punched
him in the arm. She, however, got a very pained look on her face and
surreptitiously tried to shake out her hand. “Ryan and Chloe are brother and
sister and the children of my dad’s first cousin, Uncle Steven. Keith, Heather,
and Tiffany are my Aunt Stacey’s kids. Aunt Stacey happens to be Uncle Steven’s
twin sister.”

“Big
family. Must be nice.” She looked sad for a moment then shook her head. He wondered
what that was all about. “You have any brothers or sisters?”

“Eric.
He’s my younger brother. He thinks, like you do, that Bunny is a stupid-ass
nickname. He refuses to call me that. He mostly calls me Alex.” And that meant
something to him, that only those closest to him called him Alex. He’d never
tell the cousins that, though. They loved the nickname they’d given him and,
frankly, he was amused by it.

“Good
for him.”

“He
also calls me SFB.”

“SFB?”

“Shit
For Brains.”

She
choked on her water. “Seriously?”

He
nodded, and waited for her to stop laughing. It took longer than he’d thought
it would.

“So?
Why Bunny?”

He
shrugged. “I hate fighting. They’d try to get me to fight and I’d do my best
not to. After a while, they started calling me Bunny because, and I quote, I’m ‘soft,
fuzzy and completely harmless’.”

It had
taken him
years
to shrug off the fury that sometimes rode him with
vicious spurs. Meditation, yoga, even avoiding certain foods helped him keep
control of the anger that had been his bane as a teenager. Now he wore the
nickname Bunny as a badge of honor, a way to remind himself of where he’d been
and was now headed.

That
direction now included the woman toying with her water glass across from him.
He couldn’t wait to get started.

“So,
what do you do for a living?” Tabby took a bite of her twelve-ounce steak and
moaned. Bunny damn near came in his jeans at the sound. She opened her eyes to
find him staring at her mouth. “What?”

“Nothing.”
Bunny took a bite of his own seafood alfredo. “This is good. Remind me to thank
Gabe.”

“So.
What do you do for a living, Bunny?”

Bunny
swallowed another bite of alfredo. “I’m a landscape architect.”

She
stared at him. He waited for the question most people asked him. “What’s the
difference between a landscaper and a landscape architect?”

“It
means I have a Bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture. I’ve worked in a
corporate environment for years designing landscapes, both soft and hard. I
understand the horticulture of the area I work in, and what laws need to be
followed where. I design for people who have pools, need stonework, or want
their landscape graded but have to deal with county restrictions on water
drainage. I design structures to code, and help them deal with regulatory
boards. In other words, I’m fully licensed and accredited in the state of
Oregon, and I’m usually in a suit.”

His
mate stared at him like he’d grown a second head. Finally Tabby gulped. “Is
that Bunsun with an ‘e’ or a ‘u’?”

He
smiled. He was surprised. She didn’t look like someone who would have dealings
with corporate landscaping. Maybe she had a relative working for him? They had
branches all over the United States, and he’d pegged her accent as Deep South
right from the beginning. “U. My parents are Will and Barbra Bunsun.”

“Holy hell.”
Tabby sat back and stared at him. “I thought your name sounded familiar.”

Bunny
held up his hand. “Before we go too far, I live off my wages, not my dad.” He
put his hand down. He’d been thinking about this for a while. “And not even
that right now. I’ve decided I don’t want to do corporate anymore. I want to
start working residential.”

Tabby stared
at Bunny in shock. “Bunsun Exteriors. Damn. Never thought I’d meet one of the
Bunsuns this far north.”

“I’m
surprised you’ve heard of us.” Most people not in the business didn’t even know
who Bunsun Exteriors were. From the sound of her accent, she
had
to know
his name from someplace other than their Oregon branch. They had some
southeastern branches, but they were small. His father was looking at expanding
further up the east coast, but it was going to take time.

Tabby’s
face closed up tight. “I have an uncle who works for your company.”

Bingo.
From her southern accent, she had to be from Georgia, or one of the Carolinas.
Maybe Tennessee? All of them had a smallish Bunsun branch, nothing like the
corporate offices they had on the west coast. “Dad’s company.” Bunny leaned
back, wondering why she’d suddenly gone cold. “Tabby?”

She
blew her bangs out of her eyes. “Guess you should know. I’m Outcast.”

Bunny
paused. Being Outcast was a serious thing among those who lived in Pride or
Pack families. Bears, not being pack-minded, didn’t have nearly the same
reaction to that sort of thing. Bears were more into small family groups and,
unlike wild bears, the males stuck by their mates. “Mind if I ask why?”

She
bit her lip, that small hint of vulnerability waking every protective instinct
Bunny had. “I was seeing the son of the Alpha. Micah. He was…sweet, and kind,
and liked being around me. The Alpha didn’t approve, he thought I was trouble.”
She shrugged. “Maybe I was, maybe I wasn’t. I liked to dye my hair different
colors, I had some trouble in school, and I had a tattoo.”

She
had a tattoo? He couldn’t find one on her arms, legs or shoulders. He’d
definitely have to explore that later.

“But I
never broke anything that belonged to someone else,” she continued, “I never
hurt anybody who didn’t throw a punch first, and I
never
stole
anything.”

The
fierce way she said that last had Bunny growling. “You got Outcast for stealing?”

She
winced. “Yes.”

Bunny
was already shaking his head. “You’re not a thief.”

Her
eyes went wide. “You believe me?”

“Yes.”

Her
hands covered her mouth, those brown eyes of hers filling with tears. “Oh, God.
How can you believe me? You don’t even know me.”

Bunny
covered her hand with his. “I just do.” Not that it would matter if she had.
She was his
mate
. He’d tell her the sky was orange if it would make her
smile. “Tell me what happened.” Maybe he could find out what had happened and
clear her name for her.

Tabby
took a sip of her water. Her hand was visibly shaking. “Um, I was seeing Micah,
like I said. Well, he asked me to come over to his house when his parents were
out. I did, and we wound up in his room. His parents came home before we got
too far, though, so I tried to sneak out of the house. Of course, the Alpha
caught me trying to leave, but instead of asking me what I was doing there, he
assumed I was there to rob the place.”

“What?”
Bunny was outraged. How could an Alpha make assumptions like that? Where had
the Omega been during all of this?

She
nodded. “He was fed up with me. So he gathered the Pack and asked if anyone
would speak for me.” She swallowed hard enough for Bunny to see, and she
wouldn’t look him in the eye. “Not even my parents would.”

“What
about your lover?” And didn’t it just bite his ass to say that?

She
laughed. “Are you kidding? Micah couldn’t stand up to his father. The Alpha was
furious,
I mean scary angry, and if Micah had tried to defy him I don’t
know what would have happened to him.” She rubbed at her wrist. Bunny wondered
if she was remembering a bruise there, or some other damage.

“So he
declared you a thief and threw you from the Pack.” Bunny could feel the rage
building under his skin. “How old were you?”

“Fifteen.”

“
Fifteen?
”
Bunny could feel his chest rumbling. He held back his roar of outrage with
difficulty. Some Alpha bastard needed to die painfully. He controlled his Bear
with difficulty. “How did you live?”

“I ran
mostly in Wolf form, lived off the land, avoided everyone and everything, for
fear they’d be able to tell what I was. I wound up in Mrs. Anderson’s backyard
about six months ago, and I’ve been here ever since.”

“How
old are you now?” Bunny knew he was about to lose it. That Alpha had thrown an
innocent child out into the woods, no Pack or family to protect her.

“I’m
twenty-three.”

He
felt his eyes turn brown. Bunny stood and walked away, knowing he was inches
away from shifting. Eight years. Eight
years
she’d been without
protection, alone and hungry and afraid. He could feel his Bear shifting
beneath his skin and knew that if he listened to her story for one more minute,
he’d be asking her the name of her Alpha. If he knew the name of her Alpha,
there would be a Pack looking for a new one. He’d be on his bike and heading
for Georgia to maul the son of a bitch.

He
walked out into the cool spring air and took some deep breaths, hoping with
everything in him that he’d be able to calm himself before he did something
stupid. Because Bunny wanted to kill for her, and until he got that side of
himself under control, he couldn’t go back into the restaurant.

Tabby
would have enough to deal with when she found out exactly what he was capable
of.

Tabby
watched Bunny stalk out of the restaurant, leaving her alone at the table.
Totally humiliated, she waited for the waiter to come and give her the check.
She hoped she had enough credit to cover the cost.

How
could she expect anyone to understand what it was like to be unjustly Outcast?
She was lucky the Pumas had taken her in. At least she hadn’t made the mistake
of going to the Poconos Alpha. If her own mate reacted like this, she could
just imagine what the Pack Alpha would have been like.

A warm
hand covered hers. “Tabby?”

She
stared at Bunny, his image wavering before her, and only then realized that she
was crying. “I’m sorry.” And she should be. She was an Outcast. Someone no one
wanted to be near.

Who
had she been kidding? Bunny could go his merry way now. Outcasts had no place
in their society. She hadn’t even bothered trying to make her way back into a
Pack. As far as he knew, she really was everything her old Alpha had accused
her of being.

“Shit.”
Bunny crouched next to her, his expression full of sincere regret. “Don’t cry.
I’m sorry, Tabby. I didn’t think about how you’d take me walking away.” A soft
kiss landed on the top of her head. “Do me one favor.”