Bria opened the fridge and grabbed the container of leftovers. She popped a piece of cold roast beef into her mouth and took out a bottle of water. She tightened the belt on her robe and ran her fingers through her wet hair before eating another piece of roast beef.
There was a knock on her apartment door. She glanced down the hallway toward her bedroom, before checking the peep hole and opening the door.
“Hi, honey.” Kat kissed her cheek and pushed past her. “Why are you in your robe? It’s three in the afternoon. Are you sick?”
“No, I’m not sick.”
“Stripes, how’s it going?” Ronin grinned at her as he followed Kat inside.
“Hi, Ronin. Uh, what are you guys doing here?”
Kat and Ronin walked to the kitchen and she glanced at her bedroom again before joining them. Ronin was holding the container of roast beef and he raised his eyebrows at her as his hand hovered over the meat.
“Go ahead.”
“Thanks.” He popped a hunk of meat into his mouth as Kat took off her jacket.
“What, uh, what are you guys doing here?” Bria repeated
“Bowling.” Ronin ate another piece of meat.
“What?”
“We’re going bowling this afternoon with Willow and Mal, and Maggie and Porter,” Kat said. “Come with us.”
“Oh, thanks but I don’t -”
“I’m not taking no for an answer,” Kat said. “Mal and Porter’s brother Heath will be there too, so it’s not like it will be all couples and you.”
“They’re trying to set you up with Heath,” Ronin said.
Kat hissed at him and he laughed. “What?”
“That was going to be a…”
“Happy surprise?” Ronin leaned down and kissed Kat’s forehead. “Sorry, Kitten.”
“Thanks for the invitation but I really can’t,” Bria said.
Kat took her hands. “Honey, you can. Heath is a nice guy and I think you’ll like him. Just give him a chance and -”
“Bria?” Jace strolled into the kitchen with just a towel wrapped around his waist. “I was thinking that after my shower, maybe we could go out for a bite to eat. I’m starving and…”
“Jace?” Kat dropped Bria’s hands.
“Hi, Kat. It’s good to see you again.”
“Uh, you too.”
There was silence and then Ronin stepped forward and held out his hand. “Ronin Smith, I’m Kat’s mate.”
Jace shook his hand. “Jace Shepherd. Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
Bria tried not to blush. Kat was staring at her and it was too quiet in the kitchen, and why the hell did she even answer the door?
“Well, I didn’t realize you had company,” Jace said, “so I’ll just get dressed and… Bria I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay,” she said.
“How do you feel about bowling?” Ronin asked before Jace could leave the kitchen.
Jace stared blankly at him. “I’m sorry?”
“Bowling. You know…big balls, loud music, gross shoes…bowling.”
“Uh, it’s okay. I guess.”
“You any good at it?”
Jace glanced at Bria. “Not bad.”
“He’s on my team,” Ronin said to Kat.
“I thought I was on your team,” Kat said.
“No offense but I’ve seen you bowl before, and you suck at it, Kitten.”
“I’m not that bad,” Kat protested.
“You’re not that good.”
Kat hissed at him again and Ronin laughed. “What do you say, Jace? You in for a fun afternoon of bowling? I got my own disinfectant spray for the shoes. I’ll let you borrow it.”
Jace studied Bria. “Sure, if Bria’s okay with it.”
“I am,” Bria said. “I – I’d like it if you joined us.”
“Okay. Give me ten minutes to shower and I’ll be ready to go.”
He left the kitchen and Ronin fanned his face with his hand before whistling. “Nice work, Stripes. He’s not a bad looking man. Am I right?”
Kat took Bria’s hands again. “Why is Jace here?”
“I told you I was going to his cousin’s engagement party this weekend.”
“I know. I also know the party was over yesterday.”
Bria blushed but didn’t say anything.
“It’s Sunday afternoon. Why is he still here?”
“Pretty sure they were banging,” Ronin said cheerfully.
“Ronin!”
“What? Am I wrong?” He asked Bria.
She shook her head and a grin spread across his face. He held up his fist and she bumped it.
“He’s your boss,” Kat said.
“You’re my boss,” Ronin said.
“Not helping, bird!”
“What? I’m being very helpful. Why can I bang my boss, but Bria can’t bang hers? That doesn’t seem fair.”
“It’s more complicated than that,” Kat said. “Bria, I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“I know. Everything’s fine and we,” she glanced at Ronin, “can we talk about this later, Kit Kat?”
“Yes. But we will talk about it later.”
“I know. I’m gonna get dressed. Be right back.”
She hurried into her bedroom. Jace was standing by the bed and she smiled nervously at him before opening her closet. He touched her back and she turned to face him.
“Are you sure you want me to go?”
“Yes,” she said.
He searched her face. “I don’t have to if it makes you uncomfortable.”
“It doesn’t. Really. In fact, you’d be doing me a favour. They’re trying to set me up with a guy, but I’m not really interested. If you’re there…”
His eyes flashed bright green for a second and she could smell his jealousy.
It doesn’t mean anything, she told herself.
“Do you want me to pretend to be your boyfriend?” He asked with a small smile.
Her cheeks turned pink. “Yeah, I guess I do. If you don’t mind?”
He leaned down and kissed her. “I don’t mind at all, little tiger.”
* * *
“I had a lot of fun this afternoon. Thanks for letting me tag along.” Jace pulled into the parking lot of her building and put the car in park.
“I’m glad you came.” Bria fidgeted with her seat belt. She wanted to ask Jace to come upstairs, wanted to ask him to spend the night with her again, but that was crazy. Spending the weekend with him and pretending he was her boyfriend had been amazing. Too amazing. For someone who didn’t want a relationship, he was really good at it.
She’d had so much fun with him while bowling. They’d all gone for dinner together afterwards. Jace was funny and smart and got along well with everyone. He and Ronin in particular had hit it off, and they’d even made plans for Ronin to drop by and play pool. Jace had played the part of her adoring boyfriend to perfection, and she’d soaked in his affection.
“I like your friends.”
“They like you too.” Bria unclicked her seat belt. It was time to go before she started to think this pretend game of boyfriend/girlfriend with Jace was real. “Thanks for the ride home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Bria,” he caught her hand as she opened the car door, “invite me to spend the night.”
“What?” She had to have misheard him.
He rubbed his thumb over the pulse point in her wrist. His eyes glowed in the dim light. “Invite me to spend the night, little tiger.”
“Jace, would you like to spend the night with me?” She whispered.
“Very much.” He shut the car off and they walked silently to her apartment.
The moment she had locked the door behind them, he picked her up and carried her toward the bedroom. She giggled and kissed his throat. “You know, I can walk to the bedroom.”
“This makes me look strong and manly.”
Her giggles turned to laughter. “Oh yes, very manly. I can hardly control my need for you when you carry me around like a sack of potatoes.”
He growled at her and dropped her on the bed before stripping off his shirt. “Be nice or you’ll get a spanking.”
“Promises, promises, Mr. Shepherd,” she purred.
His eyes widened, and he grinned at her. “You may just be the perfect woman.”
“You’re just figuring that out now?” She relaxed on her back before rubbing her foot across the bulge in his jeans. “Why don’t you show me how naughty you can be?”
His purring filled the room and she moaned happily when he dropped down onto her and cupped her breast. “Whatever you want, little tiger.”
* * *
“Rosalie, will you tell me what’s wrong?” Bria touched the pretty human’s arm.
It was Monday and she was a little surprised that Rosalie was even sitting with her in the kitchen for lunch. She had avoided not just Bria all morning, but everyone else as well.
“There’s nothing wrong.” Rosalie poked at the sandwich, sitting half-eaten in front of her.
“There is, honey. I can smell how sad you are.”
“Of course you can,” she sighed. “Can’t I just be sad for no particular reason?”
“Yes, but I think there’s a reason. Did something happen on your date with Lincoln? You never told me how it -”
“It wasn’t a date.” Rosalie wrapped up her sandwich and tossed it in the trash. “I was wrong. It was just a friends thing.”
“I’m sorry.”
She shrugged. “Not your fault, I’m an idiot.”
“You aren’t. I thought it was a date too.”
“Well, it wasn’t. He ran into that rabbit waitress from Bud’s and sat with her during the movie, and then went to Trinity’s with her after the movie.”
“He what? You had to sit by yourself at the movie he invited you to?” Bria could have cheerfully punched Lincoln in his stupid face.
“The theatre was full and there weren’t three seats together.”
“Still, to make you sit by yourself when -”
“I didn’t sit by myself. I, uh, sat with Hudson.”
“Hudson? Hudson? Polar bear shifter Hudson from Bud’s?”
Rosalie brushed the bread crumbs off the table. “Yeah. He was at the movies too. We, uh, we keep running into each other at the most random places. Anyway, I sat with him and then he gave me a ride home when Lincoln decided to go out to the club.”
“Hudson gave you a ride home?”
“What?”
Bria shrugged. “Well, I don’t know the guy at all, but he seems kind of… not nice. Plus, if he’s a typical polar bear shifter, he doesn’t want to be around other shifters or humans if he doesn’t have to be.”
“He’s nice,” Rosalie said defensively. “Well, maybe not nice, but he’s not like mean or anything. We’re friends.”
“Seriously?”
“Kind of. I think. He said we could maybe go to the movies together sometimes.”
“Does he want to be more than friends?”
Rosalie laughed bitterly. “God, no. He made that perfectly clear. Friends only. Story of my life, you know?”
Bria patted her arm. “Lincoln is an ass, Rosalie. He’s not even a good friend.”
“He is,” Rosalie snapped. “He’s just…flirty and- and… oh, never mind. I don’t want to talk about it.”
Bria sat quietly and after only a few seconds, Rosalie said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you.”
“You didn’t. I’m sorry I was being so nosy.”
“You weren’t. How did your date go?”
“I didn’t have one.” Bria gave her a confused look.
Rosalie checked the door to the kitchen before lowering her voice. “Remember this morning when the phones were ringing off the hook and I took a couple of calls?”
“Yeah.”
“One of those calls was Jace’s cousin, Ashley.”
Bria’s sandwich tasted like sawdust in her mouth. She swallowed it down painfully. “Oh yeah?”
“Yes. She’s a sweetheart. The last time she visited Jace, he got bogged down with a client and Ash and I hung out for an evening. She still texts me and emails me from time to time.”
“That’s, uh, nice.”
“Anyway, she wanted to talk to Jace, but he was out of the office. We ended up chatting, and she happened to mention how much she adored Jace’s date at her engagement party this weekend. Said she was the tiniest tiger shifter ever, but super sweet. Said it was obvious how much she and Jace were into each other.”
Bria took a drink of water. Rosalie leaned closer and grinned at her. “She asked me if I had gotten the chance to meet Bria - Jace’s new girlfriend.”
Bria paled and set her water bottle on the table. “I can explain.”
“You don’t have to,” Rosalie said. “It’s no big deal if you and Jace are dating. Jace told me himself that he was attracted to you.”
“We aren’t dating,” Bria said. “I was just doing him a favour and posing as his girlfriend.”
“Why?”
“It’s a long story. Will you do me a favour and keep this to yourself? I don’t want people thinking I’m banging the boss or something.”
Rosalie studied her for a moment. “Are you banging the boss?”
“No, of course not.”
“Are you always this bad at lying?”
Bria pressed her lips together and stared at the table. Rosalie touched her hand. “I’m not going to say anything to anyone. I promise.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
They sat in silence before Bria gathered up her lunch bag. “I’m gonna go for a walk and get some fresh air. You want to come with me?”
“Sure. Just let me change out of these heels first.”
Bria returned to reception and slipped out of her heels and into her running shoes. Her cell buzzed, and she fished it out of her pocket. Her mouth dropped open as she read the text from Jace.
Hi. Hope your day is going well. Do you want to have dinner at my place tonight?
What the hell was happening? She read the message again. Her tiger was purring and trilling at the prospect of having sex with her mate again.
Knock it off, she snapped at her tiger. He said dinner, not sex. Besides, you just slept with him this morning.
Jace had woken her early, they’d made love and cuddled for a bit before he left for his own place to shower and change. He’d been out of the office all morning, and from the looks of his calendar he would be out this afternoon too.
She couldn’t go to his place tonight.
She shouldn’t go to his place tonight.
Her tiger whined pitifully at her. Fuck it, she decided. She would go to Jace’s house for dinner and ask him what the hell was going on. Either they were going to start dating or they weren’t, but she wasn’t going to play the “maybe we are, maybe we aren’t” game anymore.
Sure. What time? Can I bring something?
She put on her coat and buttoned it. Her cell phone buzzed again.
Seven. A bottle of wine. Leave your panties at home.
Heat trickled through her and she shoved her cell phone into her pocket with a guilty smile when Rosalie walked into reception. “Ready?”
“Yes.” She followed Rosalie out of the office.
* * *
“Hi, you look nice.” Jace kissed her on the cheek and hung up her coat before taking the bottle of wine from her.
“Thanks.” Bria followed him into the kitchen. “It smells delicious in here.”
“I’m an excellent cook. Just one of my many talents.” Jace opened the bottle of wine and poured her a glass.
“Yes, many.” She took a sip of wine and squeaked in surprise when Jace put his arm around her and squeezed her ass through her jeans.
“No panties. That’s my good girl.” He gave her a smug smile.
“You don’t know I’m not wearing panties.” She poked him in the chest.
He nuzzled her throat and rubbed her ass. “I can’t feel any panty lines.”
“Maybe I’m wearing a thong.”
“Are you?”
She hesitated. “No.”
He purred and she purred back. He rubbed his nose against hers before kissing her until she was moaning and clutching at his arms. “Why don’t we go to your bedroom?”
“Food first, then fucking.” He nipped her bottom lip.
“How about fucking, then food, then more fucking?”
He laughed. “Tempting, but the sauce will burn, and then I’ll have to order pizza, and I’ve had pizza way too many times this month already.”
She pouted at him. “Fine. What can I do to help?”
“Can you chop up some peppers for the sauce?”
“Yep.”
“Thanks.” He kissed her again and then set her up at the island with a chopping board, knife and two yellow peppers.
“How was your day?” He was browning the meat and he raised his voice to be heard over the sizzle.
“Good. Busy. How did the showings go?”
“First two in the morning were total busts, but the three in the afternoon were good. They all put offers in.”
“Were they accepted?
“Two were. One is in negotations. I might have to duck out to take a few phone calls during dinner. Sorry in advance.”
“It’s fine.” She sliced open the first pepper and cleaned out the seeds before chopping it into long strips. “Are you in the office tomorrow?”
“Yes. I’ve got some paperwork to do for the sales today, and a meeting with Betty.”
She sliced up the second half of the pepper before starting on the next one. She really should be talking to Jace about why he was suddenly acting like they were in a relationship, but she didn’t want to. She wanted to keep pretending this was all real. Wanted to act like she and Jace were a couple, and he was falling in love with her, just like she was falling in love with him.
She studied the back of his dark head, feeling another surge of affection that felt too much like love. Maybe he was changing his mind. The way he was acting certainly suggested he was. She knew she was grinning, but she couldn’t hide it. Jace was starting to fall for her.
“What are you making over there?” She asked.
Jace kneaded a ball of dough. “Pasta.”
“You’re making your own pasta?” She stopped slicing the pepper.
“Yep.”
“Holy crap.”
“Told you I had many talents.”
“I am sincerely impressed.”
“Yeah?” He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “Remember this moment later, because secretly, this is only the second time I’ve made pasta, and the first time it didn’t turn out so well.”
She laughed. “Fantastic. Looking forward to trying it.”
“I’m sure it’ll be -”
The doorbell rang and Jace glanced at his hands. “Would you mind getting that? I ordered some new balls for the pool table and they’re supposed to be delivered today.”
“Sure.” She set the knife down and headed to the front door. She opened it and stared in surprise at the woman standing on Jace’s doorstep. “Mrs. Shepherd. Hi.”
“What are you doing here?” His mother gave her a worried look.
“Oh, uh, Jace invited me for dinner.”
“Why?”
She didn’t know what to say to that, so she took a step back. “Um, come on in. Jace is in the kitchen.”
Jace’s mom swept past her and Bria followed her into the kitchen. Before she could say anything, Jace said, “Well, what do you think of my new balls? If you’re a very good girl, I’ll show them to you later. Maybe even let you play with them.”
“Jace!” Bria said. “Your mom is here.”
Jace swung around and stared at his mother. “Mom? What are you doing here?”
“We need to talk. Alone.” His mother stared pointedly at Bria.
“It’s not a good time,” Jace said. “I’ll call you tomorrow and -”
“No.” His mother was starting to sound a little hysterical. “We need to talk right now, Jace.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow and -”
Jace’s mom gave her a wild-eyed look. “Please leave. This is a family matter that I need to speak to Jace about.”
“Of course.” Bria grabbed her purse from under the island.
“Bria, no. You don’t have to -”
“It’s fine.” She gave Jace a faint smile. “We’ll talk later.”
“Bria -”
“Bye, Jace. Bye, Mrs. Shepherd.” She hurried out of the kitchen, shoved her feet into her shoes and snagged her coat. She could hear Jace coming down the hallway, and she quickly ran out of the house and shut the door. She climbed into her car and drove away as Jace stepped out onto the front stoop.
Her heart was thudding, and she drove only a few minutes before pulling onto a side street and parking. The fear and anger that had been radiating from Jace’s mom was making her hands shake and her stomach queasy. His mom both feared and hated her and there was nothing she could do about it. She’d never win her over, she’d never convince her that she wouldn’t hurt Jace… she’d been stupid to think that she could have a relationship with him. Even if she could persuade Jace to try dating her, there was no swaying his parents. They would drive a wedge between them, she knew it without a doubt.
You don’t know that. Jace is a good guy. If he wants to be with you, do you really think he’ll let his parents tell him he can’t?
Jace was a good guy and he loved his parents. Why would he choose her over them? He wouldn’t. He shouldn’t. She buried her face in her hands and tried to hold back the hot tears. God, what a fucked-up mess this was.
* * *
Jace slammed the front door shut and stalked back to the kitchen. His tiger was growling angrily, and he glared at his mother. “What are you doing?”
“What am I doing? What are you doing?” Velma asked.
“Having dinner with a friend, until you rudely interrupted.”
“She’s more than a friend. Stop trying to pretend she isn’t.”
“Fine,” he said. “She’s more than a friend, Mom. I like her. I like her a lot, and I want to date her.”
Velma paced back and forth. “Honey, you can’t. You know you can’t.”
“Yes, I can. She’s not going to hurt me. She’s really great and if you would just give her a chance, you’d see that -”
Velma hissed angrily at him. “Tabitha was really great too, remember? Until she decided you were too weak, too fragile for her, and she left.”
His cheeks reddened. “I’m not weak, or fragile.”
“I know you’re not. But does this Bria know that you suffer from depression? Does she know you take medication for it, go to weekly therapy?”
“No, but I’ll tell her. She won’t care. She’s not like Tabitha.”
“Honey,” Velma cupped his face, “you don’t know that for sure. How well do you know her, really?”
“I know her well enough.”
“You don’t. You like her, I know. I can see it, I can smell it, and, honey, I wish I could be happy for you. I really do. But this is a mistake. You’re not ready to be in a relationship again.”
“I am.” He gave her a stubborn look. “I’m fine, Mom. I’m in a good place.”
“Are you? Do you remember what it was like when Tabitha left? Because I do. You were a mess. You didn’t leave your house, you didn’t shower or eat. Your father and I were terrified you were going to do what your brother did and -”
“I’m not Jonah!”
His mom flinched back and guilt coursed through him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell.”
“We know you’re not your brother, but you suffer from the same disease. You were suicidal when Tabitha left.”
“Mom, I -”
“It almost killed your father when you got sick. Do you know that?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
She leaned against the counter, tears starting to drip down her face. “Jonah’s death was very difficult on him. When you got sick, the stress was too much, and he had a heart attack.”
Jace staggered backward. The meat was starting to burn, and he watched numbly as his mother shut the burner off and moved the pan to a different burner. “Dad had a heart attack?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you weren’t doing well yourself. You were still struggling, and your dad didn’t want to worry you.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”
“We wanted to protect you.” Velma squeezed his arm. “What happens if this Bria breaks up with you? What if you spiral down again? Your father wouldn’t survive another heart attack.”
He was being suffocated by guilt. His father had almost died because of him, and he’d had no fucking idea.
“Mom, I didn’t know. I…”
“We can’t lose you too, honey. I know you like her, but you need more time. Give it another year or so and you’ll be ready then. You’ll find a nice girl and be happy with her. I know you will. Please. Promise me you won’t see Bria again.”
He stared at his mother as guilt and sorrow and his growing love for Bria warred within him.
She cupped his face again. “We love you. Please don’t tear this family apart.”
“I won’t,” he rasped. “I won’t, Mom. I-I’ll tell Bria we can’t be together.”
She started to cry and pressed a kiss against his cheek. “I’m sorry, Jace. Really I am, but you’re doing the right thing. I love you, honey.”
“I love you too.”
She hugged him hard and he returned her hug as he stared out the kitchen window. The thought of not being with Bria, of never touching her soft skin, or hearing her mating call, brought the familiar black cloud descending over him.
She would never be his, and he’d have to watch as she found a new mate and built a life with someone else. More blackness crowded into him and he swallowed hard. He needed to talk to Bria and she was going to hate him when he was done.