Adrian tossed and turned that night, unable to get her mind off the bizarre situation she had encountered with Kent that afternoon after she had been happy to believe she was rid of him for the rest of the day, then somehow he’d shown up when she least expected. Not only that, but he was naked. What a thing to see!
He had seemed sheepish and uncomfortable, so she was fairly certain he’d been up to no good. The last thing she wanted was to see him again the next day, especially if he was some kind of creep.
Should she tell her stepfather about this? He would put a stop to it right away if Kent turned out to be a sleaze-ball. But if she brought him into it, wouldn’t she have to tell him about why it was so weird in the first place? She wanted to talk to her father about her sex life even less than she wanted to see Kent again. What was she going to do?
She tossed and turned all night, mulling the puzzle over in her mind. If she didn’t make some kind of decision before the morning came, she would be stuck with Kent for the rest of the day doing who knew what kind of activities her father had planned out for them. Meeting Coty hadn’t been so bad, but not knowing what to do about Kent or whether she could trust either of them had been disturbing. Hadn’t Coty said he was the one in charge of the Valley? Were they both trying to spy on her, or something? She would never have all the answers she needed, and the whole thing was starting to really make her regret listening to her stepfather and moving away from Stonybrooke to Oak Mountain.
By the time the morning finally rolled around, she was surly and unrested, also bitter at Kent for being the asshole he was and angry he hadn’t refused her stepfather the position of taking her around the mountain. Although neither of them wanted to spend time with each other, that much was clear enough during the dinner. He hadn’t been man enough to refuse. Apparently, he cared more about his job than he did about the woman he had slept with then run away from. He hadn’t even said good bye. It was bullshit! She had been starting to like him, at least a little bit, but now that she knew what kind of person he actually was she never wanted to be near him again.
Yet there he was bright and early, pounding on her front door.
She went to answer it, barely able to keep the bite out of her voice.
“Stay away from me,” she growled, standing in the doorway, making it clear he wasn’t welcome. “I don’t want to see you again.”
Kent looked surprised for a moment, then grinned. “What’s the big deal? It’s not like you’ve never seen me naked before.”
“I’m serious,” Adrian said, glaring at his cocky, handsome face. She would smack it if she could. “I want you to leave now. You aren’t doing anybody any good by staying here. Okay?”
Kent’s eyes narrowed.
“I’m here to do my job and nothing more. We have to get you introduced to the townies, and then I can leave you alone.”
“I don’t want you to introduce me to the ‘townies.’ I don’t want you to introduce me to anyone. I want you to leave me alone.”
“Sorry,” Kent said, putting his hand between the door and the frame before she could slam it in his face, “but that’s not going to work for me. See, I have a job to do, and without you, I can’t do that job. So… you see the dilemma here, I’m sure.”
Adrian swallowed hard, their eyes locked and a crackling electricity passing between them. She wished so badly she could just kick him off her porch, but she had already seen how strong he was. She would have no chance if she picked a fight with someone like this. She had no choice but to do as he told her.
“I’m going to tell my stepfather what you did,” she grumbled, grabbing her purse and stalking out onto the porch.
“What, that I was roaming the Valley in my bear form and it just so happened that when I lost my balance I happened to be near you?”
“No! that’s not even the worst part. You were…”
She couldn’t bring herself to even say the word, and shook her head.
“You do remember that your dad is a shifter just like I am, don’t you? He isn’t going to think anything of it to know that I’d recently shifted out of my bear form in the Valley. So you go right ahead and tell him what you saw. I’m sure he’ll have a lot of fun questions for the two of us. They wouldn’t bother me to answer them, but out of respect for you, I haven’t told him anything that happened between us. If that’s a free topic to discuss, then I’d be happy to—”
“Don’t you dare!” Adrian shouted.
Kent looked at her in surprise, his handsome face breaking out into another cocky smile that made her blood boil.
“Then you’re just going to have to deal with this for a few more days until your dad is sufficiently convinced you’re nice and ready to go about your business on the mountain without any trouble. It’s pretty sweet of him, really. Don’t you think?”
“He’s a considerate guy,” Adrian agreed, stalking forward and slamming the door of her cabin shut. “Unlike you.”
Kent’s eyes flashed at her as if he wanted to say something, but he didn’t speak. Instead, he led her to the driveway where there was a motorcycle parked.
“I’m not taking another fuckin’ car ride on this mountain again,” he said. “This time, I’m driving.”
“You can’t expect me to get on that thing!” Adrian exclaimed. “I couldn’t possibly—”
“Oh, you can, and you will, and I bet you’ll even like it… even if it’s just a little bit. All you have to do is put your helmet on and hold on tight.”
Kent strode to his bike and took the helmet out from under the seat. He tossed it to her and she caught it, glaring at him the whole time. He grinned and waited for her to put it on before finally mounting the bike.
“Come on.”
Adrian made a sound between a sigh and a growl that made Kent’s lips curl into a bemused smirk. That just made her even more angry, but she had no choice. She slung her leg over the bike and settled in, heat rising to her cheeks as she felt the nearness of Kent’s firm, muscular body in front of hers. She hated her own body for betraying her with its unwelcome desires, and she could only pray that Kent was too busy focusing on his own tasks to pay attention to the shift in her energy. She had a feeling he was very in tune with his body, and if he thought she might not be serious about hating him, who knew what might happen? Especially now since they were obligated to spend time together. All thanks to her overprotective stepfather.
“You ready?” Kent asked.
From the sound of his voice, there was no indication that he could tell how she was feeling and Adrian relaxed as much as she could.
“Yeah,” she lied.
“Then put your hands around my waist. I’m not going to have you falling off the back of my bike. As great of a career move as that would be for me, I’d feel bad if you got road rash.”
Adrian gritted her teeth. She was on the bike behind him whether she liked it or not. Reluctantly, Adrian laced her hands around Kent’s torso, ignoring the small surge of heat that electrified her body. She didn’t want to have any feelings toward this man. Even her hatred was uncomfortable. But if she had to, she would reinforce it. The last thing she needed was to start losing herself in foolish desires that had no basis in reality.
“All right, that’s better,” Kent said, his deep voice reverberating his body. “Remember, hold on tight. Here we go.”
***
The ride up the mountain was surprisingly scenic, and Adrian found herself reluctantly enjoying the feeling of the breeze flowing over her body. She was even starting to like the way it felt to be sitting behind this broad, muscular man, humming quietly to himself while his radio played insert type of music here as they moved through the mountainside.
When they made it to the town, Kent stopped his bike where he parked outside a diner. The smell of fresh cooking wafted out. It smelled earthy and made her stomach rumble. Adrian had lived in Stonybrooke, which was world renowned for having a great menu in every restaurant. Wolf-shifters were well-known for their ability to create meals that engaged all the senses. For some reason, the food had always been a little bit too rich for Adrian.
Here though, the smells coming from the diner caught her attention. It reminded her of the way her stepfather would cook on those rare occasions during her childhood, and now seemed comforting and hearty.
“Are you hungry?” Kent asked, as if he could read her mind.
“Oh, maybe a little bit,” Adrian replied. “You did kind of get me up at the brink of dawn just to do something I don’t even want to do.”
Kent smiled. “Breakfast it is.”
Adrian followed Kent reluctantly into the diner. She didn’t want to sit down and eat with this man. She wanted to get the day over as quickly as possible. Still, her rumbling stomach and the intoxicating aroma of food drew her in.
“Hector, how’s it going?”
“Kent!”
The man behind the counter was a jolly-looking fellow with ruddy red cheeks and a short beard. He looked as if he enjoyed his fair share of the food at the diner, and it made her trust the food was most certainly as good as it smelled.
“Hey, I don’t know this girl. Are you two…”
Hector nudged Kent with a pleasant laugh and Adrian couldn’t help but feel at ease.
“No, not really,” Kent said quickly, shifting awkwardly. “This is Logan Mills’ daughter. He wanted me to show her around and make sure everyone knows who they’d be dealing with if they decide to mess with her.”
Adrian couldn’t help but wonder what her father might do should he discover that Kent had ‘messed’ with her, but that was a conversation she would rather not have with him. However, the idea of costing this obnoxious man everything was tempting.
“Oh, no way! I knew he had a kid, but I didn’t know she was human!”
“Yeah, he treats me like his own,” Adrian said, jutting her hand out. “My name is Adrian. My stepfather is a good man. He’s always looked out for me.”
“Right on,” Hector said, taking her hand and giving it a friendly pump. “Why don’t you two get a table and once you’re settled in I’ll be over to take your order.”
“Sounds good,” Kent said, leading Adrian to the back corner of the diner. It was bustling with activity, and Adrian watched Hector out of the corner of her eye as he weaved in between tables, serving customers and keeping the same genuinely friendly smile on his face the whole time. It seemed exhausting to have to stay positive and charming all day, but somehow on Hector, the act was effortless. Almost as if it weren’t really an act at all. Was it possible anyone could truly enjoy serving others that much?
“What’s on your mind?” Kent asked from behind his menu. Adrian grimaced. She had been caught in her thoughts, and now it was going to be an awkward conversation with a man she couldn’t stand.
“Just wondering what the specials are,” she lied. What would Kent know about what it’s like to be in customer service for years and years? He looked like he’d been born in the forest and had never spent a full day indoors in his entire life.
“We can ask Hector when he gets around to us,” Kent answered, glancing down at his menu. “In the meantime, I suggest you decide what you might want to order just in case the specials aren’t so suitable for someone of your kind.”
Adrian prickled. “What do you mean by that?”
“Humans. A lot of humans don’t like the shifter palate, that’s all. Our tastes are a little bit different, you know?”
“Yeah, kind of like our conduct after sleeping together apparently,” Adrian snapped.
Kent looked almost as if he’d been slapped. He opened his mouth to answer, but he was interrupted by Hector.
“All right, you two! What will you be having? Can I start you off with some drinks?”
“Drinks sound great,” Adrian said, smiling brightly. For some reason, seeing Kent’s stony face change and show a flicker of emotion had made her feel a hundred times better. Maybe he really did care about her, after all. She had no idea what bear-shifters were like when it came to mating and quite frankly, and she had never really wanted to find out. Everything that had happened with Kent had been a fluke.
“All right. What can I start you with, Kent?”
Hector’s pleasant face seemed to help Kent ground himself again and he pursed his lips in a tolerant smile. “Coffee for me. You know how I like it.”
Hector nodded. “Yep. And for you, my dear?”
Adrian sighed. “Maybe an orange juice for now. Thank you.”
Hector nodded and moved away from the table and she was left once again with the man she least wanted to see in the world. For a moment she was afraid that he might actually pick the conversation back up where she had left it. The last thing she wanted to do was to talk about the night they had spent together. Fortunately, he busied himself by looking at the menu, although she was fairly certain he already knew exactly what he wanted.
She decided to do the same, and by the time their drinks were served, they were both ready to order.
“So, what will the two of you be having?” Hector asked jovially, his jolly face shining as if the thing he wanted to do most in the world was to take their order.
“The wildflower combo,” both Kent and Adrian said at the same time.
They froze, their eyes locking.
“Ohh,” Hector said, his voice high-pitched with delight. “Do you want it all on one plate? Like one of those little milkshakes for couples?”
“No!” they barked simultaneously. This made Hector’s good-natured grin widen and he chuckled. “Well, all right.”
Hector left them at the table in silence, both refusing to meet the other’s eyes. It was embarrassing to be treated like a couple. Especially when it was clear that neither of them could stand each other.
When the meal arrived, Adrian smiled graciously at Hector, hoping he could forgive her for the outburst earlier. He seemed not to have taken it personally and she admired his “water under the bridge” attitude. She wished she could be more like that with Kent, but it seemed impossible. He was just too big of an asshole to forgive.
“You should try the slaw first,” Kent said, his voice a quiet grumble from across the table. “It brings out all the best flavors. That’s how all the bears eat it.”
Adrian studied him for a moment, but he seemed consumed by his meal, his handsome face serious as he contemplated the food in front of him.
Adrian didn’t answer him, but she did begrudgingly try the slaw first. When she bit into the burger, it was like an explosion of flavor in her mouth and she closed her eyes, relishing in it all. It was exactly what she had wanted. Even in the morning, a garden burger made of the freshest ingredients on the mountain, seemed to hit the spot unlike anything else ever could.
“What do you think?” Kent asked once they were both finished with their meals.
“It was actually really good,” Adrian said. She didn’t say it because she was willing to converse with this obnoxious man, she said it because Hector was within hearing distance and she wanted him to know just how much she loved and appreciated his effort.
“Good,” Kent said, standing up to go pay the bill. “Maybe after this we can go meet the rest of the townies that were on my list. Your stepdad is very thorough.”
“You can say that again. I kind of wish he would butt out of this one,” Adrian sighed.
“He’s just trying to protect you,” Kent said, fixing a serious, almost caring look on her. Still, she wasn’t going to let herself believe that this man was capable of any genuine emotion. He wasn’t a good person. He had already proven that much.
“I guess so.”
Kent nodded, and they headed out of the diner. Adrian followed him down the road and they went on foot from place to place so that Kent could introduce Adrian, and she had a chance to meet everybody in town. They all seemed impressed to find out that she was Logan’s daughter. He had always been a high-ranking man among the bear shifters, and it was strange to be living on the highly-esteemed Oak Mountain. She had heard about it and visited once or twice, but it had never been anything extensive. The longest she’d been there was the week she had been working on the internship that her father had set up for her, but now that she was going to be staying a while, it made sense that she start to get to know the other shifters.
When they were finally done with their rounds, Kent led her back to the motorcycle. They had been having a pretty good day so far, whether she wanted to admit it or not. There was a point where she truly did enjoy this annoying man’s company.
“Do you want me to take you anywhere before I drop you off?” Kent asked, once she had mounted the bike behind him. She caught his eye in the rearview mirror and a warmth spread through her body like wildfire. She wished she could believe that he was actually a considerate and kind person. But the way he had left her in the motel like that, without a word or a second thought…
No, he was definitely an asshole. She wouldn’t let herself start to fall for the nice guy act. Everyone on Oak Mountain might think he was a good person, but she already knew better. It would be stupid of her to go against her better judgment and allow this guy a second chance that he didn’t deserve.
“Just take me home, please,” Adrian said quietly.
Kent held her gaze for a moment and then nodded grimly. For some reason, the unspoken emotion on his face made her chest tighten, and they rode down the mountain together in silence.