Kodiak's Claim (15 page)

“You want to sow some oats, fine. Get her out of your system, but don’t forget who you are. It is one thing to dally with a human, but you’re alpha to this clan. You have responsibilities to those you protect and lead. A duty to your name. Don’t let lust cloud your judgment.”

“I won’t.” Yet he already had. “And you don’t have to worry. She won’t be here much longer. Now that I know someone’s making a bid for power, I’m going to have her chalk up the missing trucks to driver and mechanical error. The trailers as crimes of opportunity. We’ll swallow the financial loss and make sure future shipments are better guarded until I hunt down the culprit and take care of him and his bid to undermine me.”

Her shrewd blue gaze pinned him. “So when the time comes, you’ll let her walk away?”

No.
Oops, the word almost slipped past his lips. It definitely rang in his head as his bear answered. But Reid knew where his duty resided. He’d do the right thing, even if it fucking killed him.
Don’t I always?

Tammy dithered in her bedroom. Showered, dressed, and out of things to do, she hesitated before leaving the safety of her quarters. She feared facing Reid’s grandmother. Especially since the old woman probably knew where Reid spent the night—and what they’d done.

I wasn’t exactly quiet.
Then again, neither was he. The man practically roared when he came. Sexy at the time, not so sexy with the realization they might have been heard.

On the heels of facing the old woman was that of facing Reid. Sexy, glorious Reid, who made her see stars, fireworks, and the realization that not all men were the same when it came to pleasure in the bedroom. Not even close.

Sex with Reid was on a level she never imagined. And his unexpected tenderness as he cradled her, kissed her flushed cheeks, stroked her gently with calloused fingers? A girl could all too easily fall in love. A big no-no. He’d said it himself. He wasn’t meant for her. She wasn’t meant for him. He belonged to this town, this place and she … she just didn’t.

But back to her first dilemma. How to face the day without dying of embarrassment.

With warm cheeks and downcast eyes, Tammy slunk into the kitchen and practically flinched when Ursula greeted her with a warm, “Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

Sleep?
Didn’t do much of that.
“Um, yeah.” Her reply had Reid, who was sipping on a cup of coffee, shaking with suppressed laughter. It seemed he’d not run off to the office this morning but stuck around.
For me?
So the subtle caress of his hand on her waist seemed to indicate when she took the stool beside him.

After that first awkward moment, things returned to normal, normal if she ignored the fact Reid was a bear, his grandmother probably one too, and the fact she’d slept with him. Ooh, then add to that the attempted home invasion-kidnapping attempt. It took two cups of coffee before she felt her nerves smooth out enough to ignore the taped cardboard in the kitchen door—but nothing could stop the tingles of his touch.

It was decided, by Reid no less—
Mr. Bossypants
, which wouldn’t last long once she got a private moment
—
that Tammy was best off remaining with him for safety reasons, but not before he’d dropped his grandmother off at a family member’s house, despite her protests.

“I’ve been taking care of myself since before you were born,” his grandmother argued as he plucked her from his truck and carted her to the front door of a house in town.

“Yup. I know. You fought off trappers and settlers and the Abominable Snowman too. I get it. But humor me and stay with Auntie Jean, would you, while I go to work? I’d feel better knowing they had you on hand in case something happens. You know how Auntie Jean is with guns.”

Sly, but effective. By implying his aunt needed protection, he ended up giving his grandmother purpose and diffusing her arguing.

“That was slick,” Tammy said when he clambered back into the truck.

“Yet necessary. Sometimes my grandmother doesn’t realize she’s almost seventy years old. The idea of letting others care for her is like a vile sentence.”

“You don’t think she really fell for the whole protect-your-aunt bit, do you?”

“No, but it helps her save face. She might not admit it, but the fact someone was brazen enough to try and invade our home last night while I was away freaked her out. Else there’s no way I would have gotten her stubborn ass into my truck.”

“She’s lucky to have you.”

“No, I’m lucky to have her. Ursa practically raised me and then kind of took over my care after my parents death.”

“Did you lose them young?”

“Not really. I was almost twenty-five when the avalanche buried them.”

Tammy winced. “I’m sorry.”

“Accidents happen. Time heals most wounds. That was almost seven years ago.”

“So you inherited the company from your dad?”

“Yeah and my position as alpha. It meant getting a discharge from the army but—”

“You were in the army?” She couldn’t hide her surprise.

“Yeah.”

“But, you’re a bear. Weren’t you afraid they’d, you know, notice you were different?”

“My entire platoon was shifter-based. While the world might not know about us, the military and the government has for years. The battlefield isn’t a place you can easily hide your beast side.”

“Then why go and put yourself in that position?”

“Young predators, especially ones with alpha tendencies, need an outlet. Put too many of us in one place without a way to expend our energy and you can end up with some serious aggression problems. It’s why so many of us choose to serve a few years in the military. Their conditioning and a few missions into hostile territory are great lessons when it comes to control. Not to mention, it helps us appreciate our home that much more.”

“So you served in the war overseas?”

“I did my part. Many of us did. But it’s not something we talk about much. War isn’t pretty. Or glamorous.”

“Thank you.”

He shot her a look as he drove. “Thank you for what?”

“For serving our country. For volunteering to make a difference.”

A crooked grin lit his face with a boyishness she found much too endearing. “You’re welcome. And tell you what, if you want to thank me again later, I’ve got a scar or two you can kiss better.”

“Men! Does everything have to revolve back to sex?”

“Yes.”

She laughed. After that, their talk turned to more banal matters, such as the size of the town and its amenities. Despite her city living, Tammy couldn’t deny a certain appeal to living somewhere where everyone literally said hello to you by name. A small town might mean everyone stuck their noses in your business; however, given the level of camaraderie she’d seen and affection amongst the people she met, it didn’t seem to bother anyone much.

Once they arrived at the office, before Reid abandoned her for his office, he made her promise to meet him for lunch, and despite Jan watching, he dropped a light kiss on her lips. Silly, but it warmed her right down to her wooly-sock-covered toes.

Left to her own devices, Tammy ended up in the garage where a truck was parked with its hood up. She couldn’t have said what she hoped to find. Reid had confirmed the missing trucks and trailers weren’t accidents but the act of some rival. Technically that meant their disappearance fell under the heading of theft, but how could she incorporate that into her paperwork without revealing the odd politics and the town’s even odder circumstances? A bigger dilemma was given she knew there was nothing left to investigate, she could technically leave anytime.

She just didn’t want to.
Which means I have to.

No girl ever set out to be that pathetic one who whined and cried and held on longer than she should. The rules of the game were clear. No strings, no emotions, just sex. Great sex. An incredible guy. A bear. A bear who was expected to hook up with someone of his own kind.

Not me.

She needed to make plans to leave.

As she sauntered closer to the truck under repair, she ran into Travis. He tossed her a cocky grin. “Heard you had a bit of excitement last night.”

For a second, she wondered if everyone knew she’d slept with Reid, but then she caught on to what he meant. It didn’t stop her cheeks from heating though. “Just a little.” More like a lot. The trip had opened her eyes—and senses—to much more than she’d expected.

“Did you really shoot Reid in the ass? And then threaten him with a frying pan?”

She almost winced as she said, “Yes.”

Travis practically doubled over in laughter. “Oh, I wish someone had caught that on video. My big and growly cousin, taken down by a city girl armed with a non-stick pan.”

“Actually, I grabbed the cast iron one. It has more weight.”

He laughed even harder.

Given what she knew now of Reid and many of the town’s inhabitants, she eyed Travis, wondering if he was also a bear beneath his friendly, human demeanor. And what about scowling Boris, whom she now suspected had put her to sleep less by accident and more to ensure she didn’t witness something she shouldn’t have?

So many secrets this town hid. It worried her that given the level of violence she’d seen and heard of so far that, when the time came for her to leave, her knowledge might hamper her.
Will Reid try and stop me?
Would she stay if he asked?

As if he’d ask. That man would order her and expect her to obey. Like that would happen, although it did raise an interesting dilemma. What if, say, Reid did ask her to stick around, not because of any secret, but because he genuinely wanted her to? He’d admitted himself he couldn’t help but crave her. The night they’d spent proved that and then some. But he’d also made it clear there was no future for them together. So, by staying, she would, in effect, set herself up for heartbreak, and the deeper she got entrenched in his town’s problems, and secrets, the less likely they’d just let her go.

A theory reinforced when she ran into Jan just before lunch.

“So I hear you and the boss are an item. Given you probably didn’t pack for an extended stay, I contacted a cousin who’s about your size, and she’s going to send over some extra clothes.”

“Who said I was staying longer?”

Jan’s smile faded. “You and Reid hooked up.”

“Kind of, but it was just a casual thing. I’m still planning to go home. At this point, probably the sooner the better.”

“Sooner?” Reid’s deep baritone sent an excited quiver through her, and Tammy turned to see him silhouetted in his office door.

Tammy shrugged. “There’s really no reason for me to stay.” Other than to indulge in melt-your-socks sex.

“I see,” was his tight-lipped reply. “Jan, could you excuse me and Tammy? I’d like to speak with her. Oh, and hold any calls or visitors. I don’t want to be interrupted.”

He didn’t give Tammy a chance to refuse, grasping her by the arm and practically hauling her inside before slamming the door shut and locking it.

“Is there a problem?” she asked. She licked her lips as she looked at him. Her heart raced faster, not in fear despite the scowl on his face. Angry or happy, Reid was delicious.

“Yes, there’s a problem. You can’t leave yet.”

“Why not? You didn’t steal the shipments, and I got an email from my boss about twenty minutes ago saying my job here is done.”

“There’s been a development in the case. The trucks and trailers were recovered this morning. A little worse for wear, and empty of cargo, but intact.”

“What about the drivers?”

The bleak look on his face said it all.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Their families will have vengeance.” His dark tone rang with deadly promise.

She shivered. “So I guess since the investigation is back on with the authorities, I should pack my things and find out when I can hitch a ride back to the airport then.”

“Not yet. It’s too dangerous. We haven’t yet caught whoever’s responsible.”

“I can’t stay here forever. I’ve got a job to go back to. A life.”

“It’s not safe.”

Why did a part of her hope to hear the words,
“Because I don’t want you to go. I need you. Stay with me.”
One night of sex didn’t give her a right to expect those words. It didn’t stem the disappointment. Her chin tilted at a stubborn angle. “I’m going back, and you can’t stop me.”

“Are you really challenging me on this?” His eyes flashed, a glint of gold and wildness that made her heart rate increase. “You’ll go when I say you can.”

“You can’t keep me a prisoner.”

“I can do anything I want. I own this town. If I spread the word that you’re not to be given a ride back to the city, do you really think anyone will gainsay me?”

“Why are you doing this?”
Tell me it’s because you want me. Tell me you’ve changed your mind and you want to see if we belong together.

“I need to protect my clan, and in order to do that, you have to stay until I know that I can trust you.”

“Trust me?” She gaped at him. “Did you seriously just say that?”

“I have to do what’s best—”

She cut him off. “Don’t feed me that line of crap. You’re a bully.”

“I’m assertive.”

“I won’t have you giving me orders.”

“You will obey me on this.” He stepped into her space and tried to stare her down.

She met his gaze. Big, bad bear or not, she wasn’t about to let him cow her. “I’m going home.”

“No.” He grabbed at her, his hands rough at her waist as he drew her to him for a punishing kiss. But the ferocity of it thrilled her. His words might say one thing, but his kiss, oh my his kiss, said something else.

Despite her anger at him, with him and with herself for her weakness, she couldn’t help but melt in his embrace. What was it about him that blasted all her good intentions?

As his hands roamed her body, she couldn’t help but relax and mold herself to him, pressing the aching tips of her breasts against his rock-hard chest, angling her hips to feel the firm rigidity of his cock against her lower belly, a symbol that their kiss affected him just as greatly.

She forgot not only her irritation with him; she forgot where they were. That they had an audience right outside his office door.