Page 5 of Bearly Mine
“Why not?”
“It goes back generations, and it’s mostly over land. When the government officially established Shifter Alley, it cut off access to the forest people in Dryston were used to having. Some tried to continue hunting despite it being banned, and there were consequences. Now, anytime there’s an animal attack, or someone sights a bear near town, they try to blame shifters for it.”
“Despite all those scary stories about shifters, I can’t remember the last time I heard about an actual shifter attack.”
“It’s rare. I won’t say it never happens, because just like there are bad humans, there are also bad shifters. But even then, it’s more likely to be shifter on shifter violence, which the news rarely covers.” He slowed as we approached my car on the side of the road. Dylan was gone, but a man wearing blue coveralls was busy hooking up my rusty car to a large tow truck with a logo of a wolf on the door. Dean stopped and rolled down his window as the tow operator approached. He was leaner than Dean, with piercing blue eyes that gave me a cursory inspection before nodding a greeting at Dean.
“This your car, ma’am?”
I nodded. “Unfortunately.”
He barked a laugh. “Yeah, it’s in rough shape. Dylan asked me to tow it to his garage. He headed home to locate the parts.”
I let a curse word slip out and made a note to add a dollar to my jar. “I was hoping it would run when we got back here.”
“I’ll take you to Dylan for an update. If he’s looking for parts, he must think there’s hope for it.” Dean waved at the towoperator and pulled back onto the road. “Dylan’s better with engines than anyone I know. His garage handles most of the vehicles in Shifter Alley.”
After about a mile, Dean turned off onto a gravel road. Common sense told me I should be nervous about driving into the woods with a strange man, and a shifter at that, but he didn’t feel strange, and my instincts raised no warnings. We drove for another ten minutes before entering a clearing with a circle of eight cabins. A narrow road looped in front of the cabins around a middle area with a large fire pit and outdoor chairs. A twinge of longing struck me. This was a community. Far different from the impersonal city environment that was my normal.
Dean pulled into the driveway of a two-story cabin and hopped out of the truck. I rushed to get my door as he rounded the front hood. His eyebrow raised as I slid to the ground and flashed him a smile. The side of his mouth raised, and he shook his head, but said nothing. He stepped to my side, his hand finding the small of my back. My stomach fluttered as warmth from his palm radiated through my blouse. He guided me to the A-frame cabin next door and knocked.
Dylan opened the door, his hair a mess, like he’d been running his hands through it. He grimaced when he saw me. “Your engine is shot. It would almost be cheaper to buy another car. In the long run, it would be the wiser decision.”
“I can’t afford another car. What will it take to get it going?”
He sighed. “You definitely need a new crankshaft. Unfortunately, the earliest I can get it here is in two days. And you really should think about replacing your carburetor.”
“But it will run without a new carburetor?”
“Probably. But I can’t guarantee how long.”
“As long as I can drive it home.” Not that I had an actual home. Maddie’s couch was temporary, no matter how manytimes she told me I was welcome to stay. “I need to call my friend to arrange a ride.”
“You’re welcome to stay with me until it’s fixed,” Dean blurted out. It almost sounded eager and not like he’d been dealing with my problems all day.
“I can’t put you out any more than I already have.” I stepped away and lifted my cell, tapping Maddie’s contact info.
It almost went to voicemail before she answered, stress filling her voice. “Lily? Please tell me your car is working.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I have to work a double. Half the evening shift called out with the flu.”
I could hear the bustle of the hospital over the phone. Maddie was a nurse, and when they needed coverage, she had little choice. I didn’t want to make her feel any worse than she probably already did about backing out on her offer, so made a quick decision. “Don’t worry. I have somewhere to stay while waiting for my car.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” I glanced at Dean, who was watching me from the front porch. I licked my lips at the thought of spending a night with this man. He’d been nothing but a gentleman, but I couldn’t help imagining how his arms would feel holding me, and what it would be like to be kissed by him. His eyes widened, and a slow smile spread across his face, as if he knew where my thoughts had gone.
He clapped his hand on Dylan’s shoulder and said something to him before turning back toward me, his long legs eating up the distance between us. He stopped in front of me and held out his hand. His eyes daring me to take it.
I flashed back to the first time he offered his hand to me, and how big that moment felt. But it was nothing compared to now. All my instincts were firing, and I knew somehow that mylife would change if I didn’t put some distance between us. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to step back. I slid my hand in his and a rumbling purr that didn’t sound at all human came from his chest. But instead of scaring me, it made me sway even closer to him, my eyelids heavy and my lips parting. The way his touch drew me in, making me crave him, was foreign to me. My brain told me I should fear my reaction, but everything else screamed for me to give in and enjoy the moment.
FOUR
Dean
My bear pushed me to close the distance between Lily and me as she swayed, lips parted and eyes half closed. But as much as I ached to kiss her right now, I needed her to understand what she meant to me. I thought I could slowly court her like a human, but I knew now how wrong I was. If I kissed her, it would break me to watch her walk away after. I was a shifter, not a human man, and shifters did nothing halfway with their mates. We were all in.
