“Like I said, Brian, it’s not exactly my fault!” Jo blew out a long breath, already irritated and beginning to get angry. “Well, you tell me how two bears coming out of the wood and attacking my car is somehow my responsibility!”
Brian's voice was loud in her ear, his high-pitched, fake British accent ramping up her frustration levels as he complained and whined.
“Yes, I’m getting it fixed! It’s a small town, I – ”
Pulling the phone from her ear, Jo stared at it for a second before hanging up. She'd had enough. Brian knew the situation now and knew she'd be late for the client so it was his responsibility to go sort it out. That wasn't her job and she wasn't going to put up with his idiotic voice complaining and criticizing her over and over. Ignoring the immediate worry that knotted her stomach, she tipped her chin up and closed her eyes. “He can’t fire me for hanging up on him,” she told herself.
After letting the cold wind cool her adrenaline for a few minutes, Jo walked back into the office, knowing that she’d made a complete fool of herself in front of Nick. First, she’d cried all over him and then he’d probably seen her practically yelling down the phone. “Sorry,” she muttered, as she walked back in. “Boss is a bit of an idiot.”
Nick tried to smile, seeing that she was completely miserable. Guilt prodded him as he came out from behind the counter. “That’s okay. Listen, we’ve just ordered the part we need, it’ll be arriving in a couple of days. I’m sorry we can’t do it any sooner for you. You’ve obviously got a lot going on.”
Jo’s eyes met his. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault.”
Yes, it is. “We’ll keep it as cheap as we can for you. Parts only.”
“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Jo sat forward a little, watching him intently.
The corner of Nick’s mouth lifted. “We’ll be charging you for parts only.”
There was a brightness in his eyes that she couldn’t quite place and Jo wasn’t sure she liked it. Nobody had been generous to her in a long time, and she’d never expect a mechanic to do something like this. “Why?” Not that she was going to pass up the offer but it didn’t seem right.
Nick shrugged. “It’s what we do round these parts. You’ve had a difficult time of it and we’re happy to work for free. Call it a good deed, or that ‘random act of kindness’ stuff that’s going around!”
Jo didn’t know what to say, blinking a couple of times. “That’s incredibly kind of you.”
“Not at all,” he replied. “Glad to help.”
Tom walked in, wiping his hands on a rag. “Has Nick told you the damage?”
“Yes, he has. Although I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your generosity!”
“No problem.” Walking behind the desk, Tom shared a look with Nick that Jo didn’t quite catch. Something was passing between them, something she couldn’t understand.
Choosing to ignore it, she got to her feet, wondering where she could get a room for a few nights. “Is there a place in town I can stay?”
The brothers glanced at each other and Jo’s stomach tightened in worry.
“No, there’s not.”
“Nothing?” Jo stared at Nick in disbelief. “There’s got to be somewhere!”
Tom shook his head. “Sorry. We’re a small town! Not much here and nobody tends to stop by.”
“Then where am I going to stay?”
Glancing at his brother, Nick got the message loud and clear. Don’t even think about it.
He frowned at Tom. She’s got nowhere else. “Well, we do have a cabin you could use.”
“A cabin?” Jo frowned. She certainly wasn’t going to stay overnight with two strange men in their cabin in the woods! “No, thank you. I’m quite sure you both need your space.”
Nick chuckled, a grin spreading across his face. "We don't live there if that's what you're worried about! We rent it out now and again, mostly to people we know who want a vacation. Otherwise, it's our weekend cabin," He could feel Tom's glare boring into his back, but ignored him completely. Naming his price, he saw her eyebrows lift. "From the sounds of things, your boss isn't exactly the nicest man in the world –"
“You’ve got that right,” Jo muttered, seeing the spark of laughter in Nick’s eyes.
“So, we’d be more than happy to help you with decent accommodation. Why not treat it as a vacation? Might make you feel better.”
Jo frowned. She didn't really have a choice since there was nowhere else to stay. "Is it far?"
“No,” he confirmed. “Just a mile up the road. It’s warm, dry and stocked with supplies. You’ll have the only key and no-one will disturb you, promise.”
“Fine,” she sighed. “Then I accept.” She didn’t mean to come across as ungrateful, but things just seemed to be going from bad to worse. Now she was staying in some kind of cabin where there was probably animal skins and all sorts lying about. Looking at the two of them, she suspected they were hunters. They had the muscles for it and were almost stealthy in the way they moved around. Hunters. Definitely.
“Great,” Tom muttered, refusing to even glance up from his paperwork. “We’ve got a lot to do on your car, though, so what we’ll do is give you our phone number just in case of emergencies.”
“I’ll give you mine,” Nick interrupted. “And I’ll have to drive you. Unless you’d prefer to walk, it is only a mile.”
Jo thought for a minute, before shaking her head. “Doubt I could walk there,” she replied, shivering at the thought of walking a mile in the wind with all her luggage.
“Then I’ll drive you.”
“Thanks,” she murmured. “I’d appreciate it.”
Turning around to find her purse, Jo shook her head to herself. “A strange man wants to take me out to his cabin in the woods and I’m not immediately saying no,” she muttered under her breath. She knew that she had her personal alarm in her pocket that would connect to 911 if she pressed it. If she wanted somewhere to stay tonight, then she’d have to take her chances with Nick.
Nick pushed himself away from the wall, trying not to grin. His ears had picked up every word she’d said and he’d found it difficult not to chuckle. “I’ll just bring the car round and load your stuff in. We can go straight away.”
“Thank you,” she replied, smiling at him.
His breath caught in his chest as he stared. Her smile completely transformed her, making her absolutely stunning. His bear seemed to like it too, a satisfied sound rattling through his chest. Without another word, he walked out of the office and outside to the car, knowing that she was watching him leave.
Nick walked away, breathing hard. What are you doing? You can’t have a human staying so close. You can’t go anywhere near her!
“What are you thinking?” Tom hissed, as they walked over to her car. “She can’t stay in the cabin, Nick!”
“She’ll be fine.”
“It’s not that I’m worried about,” Tom replied, his eyes dark. “You know why that’s dangerous! The pack -”
“The pack haven’t been seen for ages.”
“That doesn’t mean they won’t come back! She can’t stay there, Nick.”
Nick growled, turning on his brother as his muscles tensed. “What other plan have you got then, Tom? We caused the damage, we need to sort that out for her. Where else should she stay?”
“I don’t know why that’s our problem!” Tom replied, battling down his urge to leap at Nick, to force the change. That was how they usually sorted out their arguments, but they couldn’t do it now. Not when Jo was around.
Nick rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. That's one of the stupidest things you've ever said, Tom." He began to walk away, only for Tom to grab his arm. His jaw clenched. The urge, the need, to let the bear rip from his skin, was growing almost too strong to resist. A roar crawled up his throat but he refused to let it escape. "Walk away, Tom." His brother's eyes only narrowed, his breath frosting the air. His eyes began to glow, a warning that the change was about to happen. "I said, you need to walk away,” Nick growled, his teeth clenched. “We'll sort this later."
Shoving Nick hard, Tom turned around and walked into the garage. He didn’t want a human anywhere near their cabin. It was dangerous, not just for her. “You’re making a mistake,” he called, over his shoulder, his words disappearing into the wind.
No, I’m not. There was more to Jo than even Nick wanted to admit, but the instinct he had to protect her, from almost the moment she’d walked in, had only grown. More than that, he wanted her. He’d never been one for a ‘one night stand’ but already he was thinking about her in his bed. What are you doing? Humans are off-limits.
She was human, he was not. Shifters like him didn’t go near fragile little humans. It was too dangerous, just like Tom said but he couldn’t get her out of his mind. The way tears had pooled in her eyes, her hair falling around her face - vulnerable and soft. He wasn’t used to that. He was used to strength and power and she was the exact opposite. When she’d phoned her boss, he’d wanted nothing more than to rip the guy to shreds, even though he didn’t even know him. Something’s wrong with you, Nick. You need to stay away from her!
But he knew he wouldn’t.