Chapter Two
The last employee left hours ago, but Jackson was not ready to go home. So he brewed himself a pot of coffee in the back and settled down at his desk in hopes to getting some more work done.
He’d taken care of the weekly inventory last night, but he really wanted to revamp their emails. Micah was not very technological, and he was perfectly happy just slapping some text in the body of an email and calling it a newsletter.
Jackson wanted to add a bit more finesse to it. He practiced with a few templates before he found one that was both sporty and simple.
He smelled her before he heard her.
Feminine. Scared. Desperate. He stilled at his desk and held his breath. The door closing should not have been audible, but his hearing had always been excellent. Reaching over for his mouse, he brought up one of the security cameras that covered the floor below him. Sure enough, he saw a shadow moving quietly through the store. She made a beeline for the jackets, and he watched as she glanced around furtively before slipping one on.
She was careful to keep her face away from the camera, and she had a hat pulled low over to cover her face. He grimaced before switching off the camera.
Female or not, no one stole from him.
Careful not to make any noises, he crept out of the office and slid down the hallway. By the time he made it to the showroom, she was making her way to the door. In an instant, he was on her.
Her scream pierced the air, and she immediately swung her fist around. He caught it easily and tackled her to the floor. As he straddled her body and pinned her arms over her head, the attraction was instant.
Dark hair. Big blue eyes full of anger and fear. Sensual lips that begged for him to kiss her. He could feel her shifting her hips beneath him, and he nearly groaned when he got a good look at her body.
Full breasts, round hips. She was curvy in all the right places.
“Let me go,” she demanded as she tried to twist out from under him. Afraid that she might feel his growing erection, he let her slide out from under him. She tried to bolt when she got to her feet, but he easily grabbed her arms.
“I don’t think so,” he murmured.
Her breath was uneven as she stared at him. “Please. All I took was the jacket. I’ll give it back. Just don’t call the police.”
A growl from deep within his chest escaped him, and suddenly, she stopped fighting. “Bear,” she breathed. “Of course. You fucking shifters are everywhere.”
He raised his eyebrows. How she could already tell that he was a shifter was beyond him, but he could see the hate seething beneath the surface. It wasn’t rare to find a human that disliked his kind, but for some reason, it surprised him that she would hate him.
But he didn’t even know her.
“I am not going to call the police,” he said succinctly. “And you have the very fact that I’m a bear shifter to thank for that. Because my dear, we police our own.”
Her fear spiked, and she suddenly went wild. She kicked and pulled, bit and clawed, but he kept her in his iron grip. Hauling her to the back, he pulled her into the office and practically threw her in the chair. She readjusted herself and glared at him.
“You damn shifters are all the same,” she muttered. “Bully other people around until you get what you want.”
He laughed. “Sweetheart, I caught you stealing from me. You do realize that the only person in the wrong here is you.”
“If you’re not going to call the police, what are you going to do?” she asked as she eyed him.
He leaned against the doorframe. Normally, he would have called the police. Technically, the store was not on pack territory, and so the police had jurisdiction here. But there was something about her that made him hesitate.
“Why were you scared?”
“Because a shifter jumped me in the dark,” she muttered. “And you may not know this, but I am not a shifter. So that was a bit terrifying.”
“No. You were scared before you came into the store. Why?”
“How do you know that?”
He took a deep whiff. “I could smell your fear.”
“I was afraid of getting caught.”
He heard the lie as clear as day. He regarded her closely. She’d both eaten and bathed recently, but he could see the circles under her eyes. Moving quickly, he snagged the purse that she had resting by the chair. Her eyes lit up with anger, and she tried to grab it first, but he was much faster.
“That’s mine,” she hissed.
“And the jacket that you’re wearing is mine,” he said easily.
“Yours.” She rolled her eyes. “Please. This jacket belongs to whatever rich asshole owns this store. Me taking it isn’t hurting you in the least.”
He smiled slowly. “As a matter of fact, you’re right. It doesn’t hurt me in the least. But I do happen to be the rich asshole that co-owns this store, and you are stealing from me.”
She stilled as she stared at him. No doubt she was noticing his expensive suit for the first time. “Jackson Steward,” he said with a smile. Pulling out her wallet, he glanced at her identification. “And you are Natalie Mackleroy.”
Keeping an eye on her, he pulled out his cellphone.
“Brent Jenson.”
“Brent, it’s Jackson. I have a name I’d like you to run.”
He heard a chair scoot back as Brent moved to his computer. “Shoot.”
“Natalie Mackleroy. Glen Side, California. Twenty-eight years old.”
Once again, he felt her levels of fear spike. He swept his eyes up and saw that she was gripping her chair so hard that her knuckles were turning white.
“Got it. Actually, there’s not much to get. She’s human, and she has a clean record. She doesn’t even have a parking ticket. She works at a clothing boutique called Chaos Closet. Actually, there is something interesting here.”
Jackson kept his eyes on the beauty. “What?”
“Apparently her landlord called the police. Someone by the name of Paul Teller broke into her apartment and turned it upside down. Oh man. He’s a bear shifter.”
“Thanks, Brent.”
“Sure thing. Is there anything else I need to do? Want me to try to locate her? I have a cellphone number. I could track the signal.”
“That won’t be necessary. She’s in my office. I caught her stealing a jacket.” Jackson hung up and eyed her. “Care to tell me why a bear shifter is looking for you?”
***
In any other circumstances, Natalie would be in heaven. Jackson Steward was by far the sexiest man she’d ever laid eyes on. He had these almost supernatural grey eyes and dark curly locks that begged to be touched. Combine that with his stunning body and chiseled jaw, he was the man of her dreams.
Except that right now, he was the man of her nightmares.
Her intuition kicked it. She could tell that he didn’t intend to harm her, but of course, she hadn’t sensed any malice in Paul either. So clearly, when it came to men, her own judgment was crap.
And of course he was bear shifter. She’d seen it as soon as the moon lit up his face. The strength and beauty was barely confined just under his skin. The full moon was tomorrow, and clearly, his bear was ready to play.
Why couldn’t he have been a vampire? Or a cat shifter? Or a wolf shifter? None of them would have cared about Paul. But Jackson clearly wasn’t going to let her go until she told him the truth.
But that didn’t mean she had to tell him the entire truth. She didn’t know what his friend over the phone had told him, but she wasn’t about to let him put a kink into her plans.
“Paul is my ex-boyfriend. He didn’t take the breakup well,” she muttered.
He raised his eyebrows. “Paul’s pack allows him to mate with whomever he wanted?”
“Date, yes. Marry, no. There was no future with us.” No matter how badly she wished it were true.
He nodded his head. “That doesn’t explain why he tossed your stuff. Or why you’re afraid of him. If anything, he should have been happy to see you go. Sometimes it’s difficult to release yourself of some human mistresses.”
She rolled her eyes. “Rich playboy has found himself too many clingy women, huh?”
Jackson stiffened. “Why are you so far away from your home?”
“Visiting family,” she said automatically. “Actually, if you give me a ride to the city limits, you can have your jacket back, and I’ll be out of your hair.”
“Sure.” He straightened. “Give me the address. I’ll drop you off tonight. It should only take about thirty minutes.”
She eyed him carefully. He was giving in a little too easily. “I don’t know you, so I’m not comfortable giving you the address. I’ve already had enough issues with stalker bear shifters. You understand, right?”
“Natalie,” he said softly. She shivered. His voice curled around her seductively. “What is the address of your family?”
She lowered her eyes. “Okay fine,” she grumbled. “I’m not visiting relatives. I just wanted to explore the city. So the nearest hotel would be great. In the city, I mean. I need to get to the city before tomorrow night.”
“Before the full moon?”
She nodded.
“You think you can hide in the city? There will be too many different smells and sounds for him to detect you? It’s a smart move, but there’s just one problem with that.”
“What’s that?”
He smiled. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”