Beret Bear (Rogue Bear Series 3) (3 page)

T
he second glass
of wine went down faster than the first. Avery was glad when Rick finally brought out the burgers from the kitchen. She didn’t want to admit she was already in wedding dress diet mode, because that would mean she had a wedding dress to fit into, and it would mean there was a date in sight. She knew she had neither.

The burger tasted good with the wine. She dipped a French fry in ketchup, keeping an eye on Gage.

“If you don’t know where you’re going, can you tell me where you’ve been?” she asked.

The guy was nothing if not mysterious and brooding. He barely strung five words together at a time. But he seemed to finally be enjoying himself, and she had a feeling it had nothing to do with the last touchdown the Lightning scored.

He wiped his fingers on a napkin. “I’m back from Razastan. Last week actually.”

“You’ve been overseas?”

He nodded. “For a few years.”

“Wow. That’s crazy. And your first stop is St. Claire?”

He chuckled, his wide chest moving with the sound. “Not by design.”

“Oh right. The bike.” She picked up another fry. “It’s not such a bad stopover. There’s lots to do here.”

“Really? Like what? I’ve already been to the one restaurant, one gas station, one bar, and I’m staying in the only hotel. There’s more?”

She blushed. She knew what people that about St. Clair. She knew what Paul thought about it. But to her it was home, she couldn’t imagine living anywhere else, or doing anything else. The inn was ingrained in her heritage.

“Every town has it’s own charm. You just have to know where to look.” The clapping sounds behind them made Avery jump in her chair.

Gage looked around the bar. “I think they’re clapping because of the touchdown.”

“Right.”

He set his gorgeous blue eyes on her. “So why are you here? What brought you to St. Claire?”

“The Long Pine,” she stated. “My grandfather owned it, and when I was ten we moved here so my dad could help run it. He eventually took it over and I’m following in his footsteps. As long as I can I guess.”

“What does that mean?”

She shrugged. “I’m sure you’ve noticed we’re low on guests.”

She hadn’t meant to discuss the inn’s financial struggles with Gage, but there was something about him. She felt like he was hanging on to her every word. It had been awhile since someone had paid her that kind of attention.

“It’s quiet. I like it.”

She stared at him. She didn’t think she had ever seen such beautiful chiseled lines on a man’s face.

“You do seem like the type of guy who likes his solitude.”

He nodded, pulling his hat closer to his forehead. The bill looked small in his massive hands.

The wine warmed her as she finished her glass. “I bet you’d like the springs.”

His gaze landed on her, and for an instant she thought he was studying her throat, watching as her pulse beat rhythmically.

“Why?”

She sighed. “It’s quiet there. One of my favorite places in St. Claire.”

They finished their burgers, half-watching the game when Avery realized it was close to eleven.

She waved Rick down from the other side of the bar. “Rick, can I get my check?”

“I’ve got it.” Gage tried to wave him off.

“No, I can’t let you pay for my dinner.”

“I insist.” He eyed Rick, and the bartender seemed to take his hint. “Payback for that discount you gave me. I didn’t deserve it.”

“But I-I-” She didn’t know exactly what the protest was, only that she should make one. “If you’re in the military you certainly deserve it.”

“I don’t.” His deep voice reverberated over her ears.

Her lips clamped together when Rick handed Gage the check and they exchanged money for her dinner.

“Where do you live?” he asked while she slipped her arms through her jacket sleeves.

“At the inn. For now. But my fiancé and I are going to buy a place somewhere on the outside of town. We might build.” She suddenly felt the need to reintroduce Paul into the conversation. She didn’t want to admit that for the past hour she had forgotten about him.

“Hmm.” He held the door for her as they walked out of the Lucky Coin.

They crossed the street, entering the empty Long Pine lobby.

“So are you ever going to tell me what you do?” She was feeling slightly brave with a couple glasses of wine steeling her.

He exhaled. “I was in the Army. I’m not anymore, though.”

“Oh.” She saw the light reflect off the chain around his neck. She didn’t need to spend a lot of time with him to know there was something he wanted to keep to himself about the Army. Maybe it was best to stop pestering him about it.

“Well, good night Gage.” She stopped to face him before retreating to the room she kept behind the office. “Thanks for dinner.”

“You’re welcome.” His hand rested on the banister. “Good night.” He took a steady breath, his blue eyes piercing in the dim light.

Before she let the effect swim through her, she darted past the reception desk and closed the door behind her. But she knew it didn’t matter how fast she ran out of the lobby. She couldn’t outrun what was already happening.

She sank onto her bed and stared at the door, twisting the diamond on her left hand. Thank God he was leaving in the morning.

H
e hesitated
in front of the banister. Something had sent Avery running, but he couldn’t think of what he had said or done. He shook his head and climbed the stairs.

He knew he wasn’t sharing much with her, but he was torn. He didn’t want to talk about Special Forces. He didn’t want her to know about the demons chasing him. He reached the top of the stairs and turned down the empty hallway.

Tonight he would sleep under the same roof as his mate, only she would be four floors below him. He turned the key in the lock and flipped on the lights.

Before dinner he had planned on picking up his bike tomorrow and hitting the road as soon as Glen handed over the keys. He would put as many miles as he could between he and Avery. He would try to forget that his true mate was in St. Claire.

He wouldn’t think about how she had vowed to share her life with another man. He wouldn’t think about her living with him, giving him children, taking him to her bed. He would ride until there was so much space between them he wouldn’t be able to find his way back.

But just when he had resolved to leave town without her, she had given him the one thing he didn’t want. Hope.

There was a sliver of light. There was a glimpse of an open future. Avery didn’t belong with Paul. Gage knew that. But after hearing her talk, his bear knew it too. She was still available, and the hell if he wasn’t going to stay in St. Claire and make sure she figured it out in time.

G
age jogged down the stairs
. “Good morning.” The sun made streaks through the small lobby.

Avery was looking at something on the laptop. “Good morning.” She glanced up.

“Going to check on my bike.”

“I hope Glen is able to get you back on the road soon.”

He noticed how she shifted in her seat when he approached. “We’ll see.”

Her eyes were focused on the screen. He hesitated by the desk, feeling the need to draw something from her. Some kind of recognition, but she seemed distracted.

He felt surges of regret hammering through him. He had played this all wrong. Last night was a chance to connect with her, but his bear was at odds with the man. Everything happened quickly, and he didn’t exactly try to soften his rough exterior. Razastan had fucked up more than just his dreams. He didn’t even know how to act around his mate. He had to change that.

He groaned, pushing through the doors and walked toward Glen’s garage.

He nodded as a woman walked past him toward the post office. He overheard her talking to someone on the steps. He turned to see a couple outside of the Skillet talking to the waitress who had served him lunch yesterday.

He crossed the street, rounding the gas station and marching into Glen’s headquarters.

“Hello?” He didn’t know why the man was always missing.

“That you, Army?”

Gage chuckled. It was an annoying nickname, but he knew Glen meant it as a compliment. “Yep.”

Glen wiped his oily hands on a rag and tossed it in a bucket. “Bad news.”

“What is it? What happened to my bike?”

“It’s not the bike. It’s the part. The order won’t be shipped for two more days.”

Gage relaxed, feeling the alarm evaporate. Two more days in St. Claire was exactly what he needed.

“You look mighty happy for a guy who is stuck,” Glen mentioned.

Gage slapped the mechanic on the back. “You just made my day.” He walked toward the garage door. “I’ll be back in a few days.”

“It’s not a guarantee. Might be longer.”

“Sounds good.” Gage shoved his hands in his pocket and headed straight for the Long Pine Inn.

I
t had happened again
. She felt the tiny prickles under her skin when Gage Lincoln walked down the stairs this morning. She tried to ignore those damn sparkly eyes and the way his chiseled jaw made him look like the most gorgeous man she had laid eyes on.

He would leave today. Glen would have the bike repaired and he’d ride out of town just as quickly as he had ridden in. She sighed. He had to. She couldn’t handle the way her body tingled when he was near. How she felt the need to listen to his every word with complete focus. How she wanted to reach out and touch him.

Gage Lincoln needed to get on his motorcycle and get out of St. Claire.

She looked up as the Hatleys walked toward her.

“Checking out already?”

Mr. Hatley’s hand reached forward with the room key.

“Yes, we’ve decided to cut our stay short a night. We’re going to try a B&B near Spokane.”

“Oh.” Avery took the key, but felt the disappointment hit her. She had hoped to turn their trip around. Ever since the Hatleys had arrived they had seemed unimpressed with every aspect of the Long Pine.

Mrs. Hatley tugged on her husband’s elbow. “John, let’s go.”

Avery tried to smile, but she knew she wouldn’t see the couple again. They wouldn’t be return guests.

“Thank you for staying with us,” she called as they pulled their suitcases behind them.

Avery slumped into her chair. It was getting harder to have guests stay for long visits. And it was harder to find guests. She had advertised on every travel site she could find. Her father was convinced they could rely on customer loyalty, but Avery saw the books. That wasn’t working anymore. This wasn’t like the hospitality business her grandfather started in the forties.

People didn’t plan vacations like they used to. It was all about steals and deals. Going to places where they could do twenty things at once. St. Claire didn’t have that. It never had.

She heard the door jingle and looked up. Gage strolled through the lobby with a grin on his face.

“Hitting the road soon?” She realized she might have asked the question too eagerly, especially given the circumstances the inn was facing.

He shook his head. “No. The bike’s not ready.”

“Not ready?” She gulped. Shit.

“Glen said it will be a few more days before the parts are in.”

“W-why is that?”

Gage shrugged and she noticed just how big his shoulders were. They were like massive boulders, sculpted and round.

“Shipping delay.”

“Oh.” She tried to focus on the computer screen and not his eyes. Anything but his eyes.

“I was thinking.”

“Mmmhmm.” She pretended to type something. He wouldn’t know the page was blank.

“Last night you said St. Claire has it’s own attractions.”

“Right.” She didn’t know how much longer she could keep this up. He was standing in front of the desk and her pulse had started to race.

“I thought you might show me a couple.”

Her eyes flashed to his. “What?”

“I thought you could show me around. I’m sort of stuck. No wheels. Nowhere to go. What do you say?”

She knew what the right answer was. She knew exactly what she was supposed to say to the man standing before her. The man who could send shockwaves through her with just one look.

“Sure. I’d love to show you around.”

H
e thought about the missions
. He thought about the targets he had taken out. The lives he had taken. The men who relied on him to lead. He had given three years of his life to the effort in Razastan, but standing next to Avery his bear felt there might be something for him outside of the darkness.

“Where are you taking me?” he asked.

“You sound worried.” She walked past him, brushing her shoulder against his arm.

“Not worried. I just like to know what the plan is.”

She stepped over a log, and Gage fought the urge to plant his hands on her hips and ease her feet to the ground on the other side.

“Part of your Army training?” She slowed as they entered a clearing.

“You could say that.” His eyes followed the lines of her generous bottom. He couldn’t stop staring at each of her curves as she moved over the path. Every time she took a step it was is she was trying to drive him crazy.

“You don’t like to talk much about your job do you?” She turned abruptly and Gage had to jerk back to avoid slamming into her.

“No, I don’t.” His eyes landed on her chest. Holy hell, her breasts heaved with heavy breaths from their walk. He clamped his hands next to his side.

She twisted her lips together. “Why? Were you a trained assassin or something?” She laughed, but the lightness in her voice quickly faded.

Gage looked at her sharply.

“Holy shit. Is that what you are?” Her eyes darted back and forth.

He had a need to steady her. The last thing he wanted was for her to be afraid of him. “I was trained to do a lot of things. For the Army,” he added. “But I’m not doing that anymore.”

He wasn’t sure he had completely erased the look of suspicion from her face. “You’re not?”

“No.” He shook his head. “I’m done. Not going back.”

“Oh.” Her breathing returned to normal. “Why not?”

“It was time to leave. Three years in that country had started to do things to me I wasn’t sure I could undo.”

Avery’s eyes softened. There were depths in her chestnut eyes that were so warm he wanted to get lost in her. In every part of her. He felt his bear stir.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“For what?” His voice was just as low. He could hear every sound in the forest.

“For whatever you went through. For whatever keeps you from telling people you were in the military. For whatever hurt you.”

The rumble started quietly, but as her eyes spoke to him with soft waves of warmth, his bear didn’t know any other way to react. The growl shook him.

“What was that?” The warmth and light in her eyes was replaced with fear.

Gage took a step back. Damn it. “I’m hungry. Skipped breakfast. Sorry.”

“Oh. Well, I do have some lunch. Come on.”

After he had asked her to give him a tour of St. Claire, Avery had packed a bag for them and driven them a few miles from the inn.

He followed her into the clearing, blaming his bear for ruining the moment.

“This is one of the town hot spots?” He took in their surroundings.

“Very hot.” She smiled. “Hot springs, actually.”

“Really?” He walked closer to the creek running next to the low brush. He crouched to the ground then dipped his hand in the water. “It’s warm.”

“See?” She stooped next to him. “Natural hot springs. By the time the creek runs into town the water isn’t hot anymore, but it is here.”

He watched the water rush over his palm. Avery pushed her hand below the surface next to him. “When I was a little girl my mom told me it was magic.”

“Magic?” He couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

“She said it was the magic that made St. Claire special and it started out here in the woods.”

“And do you still believe in the magic?” His hand floated toward hers, grazing her skin under the warmth of the creek.

He heard the sharp intake of air as their skin touched. He looked at her, his eyes boring into hers.

She nodded. “I do,” she whispered.