Cyrus (3 page)

She was referring to the time I spent in her chambers answering questions about Vince. I’d always felt an undercurrent of disapproval back then. I wondered what had changed. “Thanks. Me, too.”

I started pulling out my samples, but she put up her hand, stopping me.

“I’ve already got all the wedding details in here.” She handed me a fairly thick file.

I glanced through the meticulous notes on flowers, caterers and menus, venues, and all the other details necessary to put on a wedding. Closing the file, I looked up, confused. “All the work is done. Why do you need me?”

“As I said before, Mathew is out of town on business. And Melinda is tied up, dealing with an issue that can’t be ignored. Neither of us have the time to deal with all the vendors. That’s where you come in. Handle all the details outlined in the notes, and I’ll of course pay your standard fee.”

“Okay. Sure. Not a problem.” Relieved this appeared to be an actual job and not some scheme to get me together with Vince, I gathered up the file and stood. “I’ll email a contract over later today after I go over everything again. Is that acceptable?”

“That’s not all.” She sat back in her chair and leveled me with a curious stare.

Crap. And that was the sound of the other shoe dropping. I sat back down and waited.

“I understand you had a visit from Vince Crane this morning.”

A pit of dread formed in my stomach. “Yes. He came by my house.”

“Then you’re aware the elders sanctioned a mating bond between the two of you?” One of her perfectly shaped eyebrows rose in question.

“Without my consent, or even asking me how I feel about it,” I said, doing my best to keep the disgust out of my tone. It wouldn’t pay to insult an elder. Especially one who’d just hired me for the easiest wedding coordinating job ever.

“It’s a good match. Mr. Crane comes from a respected family, and you’re here in Basin Bayou on your own now that your father has moved on. You’d do well to consider the possibilities.” The elder’s tone was full of fake concern.

“I’m dating someone already,” I said flatly, not at all happy with how this conversation was going. Vince wasn’t from a good family, and everyone knew it. He only lucked into his current social standing because of his mother’s recent remarriage. Not that it mattered to me. I’d never cared much about social standings. I just wanted someone honest and trustworthy. And Vince Crane was neither.

“Cyrus Doucet?” she asked with a disbelieving laugh.

“Yes.” I clutched the arm of the chair, trying to bite back my scowl. “What’s wrong with that?”

“Oh, Claire. He’s not the mating kind. You should know that by now. The men in his family have a long history of broken promises. He’s no different. You should really give Vince a shot. He’s been rehabilitated. Six years logging trees will do that to a man.”

“Uh, thanks, Mrs. Greyson, but I’m—”

She shook her head and cut me off. “Unless you and Cyrus can convince me and the rest of the elders you’re in a committed relationship and on your way to being mated, I’m going to have to insist you give Vince a chance. There’s a Bearly Enchanted ball happening two weeks from tonight. I expect you attend with Mr. Crane. We can’t go another mating season without a few more cubs around these parts. You know how important it is to keep our population up.”

Cubs? Now she was farming me out to reproduce. What would happen if I flat out refused? Would they kick me out of the clan? Run me out of town? No, but they’d make my life miserable and my business would suffer. Small clan towns were like that. They’d put out the word that I was anti-clan and encourage the members to give their business to someone else. Even if that someone else was a human.

“Trust me, Mrs. Greyson. Cyrus and I
are
an item. Attending the ball with Vince would be most inappropriate. I don’t know how close we are to making any kind of commitment, but we’ve been seeing each other for six months. I’m not going to drop him just because Vince is back in town and wants a wife. Perhaps he should try dating someone who’s interested in him.”

“Perhaps. But no one is going to be as good for him as you are.”

I said nothing, letting the pregnant pause speak for itself.

“Fine. Then I expect to see you and Mr. Doucet at the ball. If it appears he’s not as serious about you as you indicate, we’ll be having this conversation again.”

I pressed my lips together, willing myself to stay silent. The manipulation was enough to make my stomach turn.

“I presume we understand each other?” Mrs. Greyson asked.

“Perfectly.” I stood again, gathered my things, and walked to her door. Pausing, I turned and said, “Thank you for meeting with me. I’ll be in touch later this afternoon.”

“I’m sure you will. Think about what I said, Claire. Settling down is important for the strength of the clan.”

Right. For the clan. Who cared about things like love or happiness or hell, even personal preferences? As long as the clan had strong numbers, that’s all that mattered. The elders were always worried that if the clan shrank, they’d lose all their political power and control of their small piece of southeast Louisiana. I, on the other hand, didn’t give a flying fig about any of it. I just wanted a quiet life in my small house, with the opportunity to shift and roam the woods at will. It was why I’d stayed, and why I’d likely always stay. Bear shifters needed a safe place to run that was far away from nervous humans. Basin Bayou was one such place.

“Cyrus and I will be there,” I said and walked out before she could answer.

Fuming at the heavy-handed directive I’d just received from Elder Greyson, I tossed my samples in my car and jumped in the driver’s seat. A small fraction of self-satisfaction filled me as I peeled out of the lot and down the drive. I couldn’t get away from there fast enough.

But instead of going home, I headed for my best friend Elena’s house. If there was ever a time for some girl talk it was now. She lived in a small cottage only a few blocks off Main Street. After a right turn into her neighborhood, I pulled up to a four way stop and glanced around. A familiar white Jeep with the small black-bear-paw logo on the back door was parked in the driveway to the right. I frowned. That was Cyrus’s Jeep. And that was Cyrus walking out of the front door with none other than Melinda Greyson clinging to his arm.

I sat there in my Honda, stunned as I watched her tighten her red silk robe around her tiny frame and then reach up and wrap her arms around him in a way that was entirely too familiar.

Holy shit. Is that what was keeping Melinda too busy to plan her wedding? Her affair with Cyrus Doucet? And did Elder Greyson know about it?

A shrill horn sounded behind me, startling me.

Cyrus jerked away from Melinda, and our eyes met for one intense moment just before I sped off down the street.

I
’d been on dozens of first dates, but I couldn’t remember the last time I’d actually been nervous about taking a woman out. There was something about Claire Erickson that just got under my skin. Made me want her in a way I’d never wanted anyone before.

The only problem? Or at least the biggest problem? She’d seen me with Melinda Greyson earlier that day, and judging by the way she’d hightailed it out of there, she’d definitely gotten the wrong impression. Melinda Greyson had a bad habit of thinking everything and everyone was hers for the taking. Even though she was engaged, it didn’t stop her from flirting or vying for my attention every chance she got. It was as if she couldn’t help herself. She was a woman who liked men, and most liked her. That was fine, but I didn’t mess with women who were taken.

Ever. It wasn’t my style.

Christ. I’d known taking that job was going to bite me in the ass. I just hadn’t thought it would happen so soon.

No matter. I was making it my mission to romance Claire whether she wanted it or not. She was going to find out once and for all what it would mean to date a Doucet. And I was going to give it everything I had.

Dressed in jeans, a black T-shirt with matching blazer, and my favorite cowboy boots, I grabbed the large bouquet of brightly colored Gerbera daisies and headed next door. I had to knock twice before she finally answered.

I cast a curious glance down her body, taking in the ripped jeans and stained sweater she was wearing. “Interesting style choice,” I said with an amused laugh.

She waved a hand, indicating I should come in. “I need ten minutes,” she said on a yawn, wiping at her big blue eyes. “I fell asleep. Sorry.”

“Not a problem.” I strode straight into her house and back into her kitchen. “I’ll just put these in water,” I called. “Take your time.”

Her muffled voice sounded from the stairwell as she took two at a time. I leisurely arranged the flowers in a vase I found under her sink, and then because I had nothing else to do, I loaded her few dishes into the dishwasher.

“What are you doing?” she asked, leaning against the door frame between her dining room and kitchen with her arms crossed over her chest.

She had changed into skin-tight jeans, stiletto heels, and a silky top that hugged all the right curves.

“You’re gorgeous,” I said, my lips curving into a smile as I moved toward her.

“And you’re either being really helpful or really creepy. I can’t decide which.”

I laughed. “I’d go with helpful for now.” Reaching over to the bouquet, I pulled out one red daisy, snapped most of the stem off, and placed it behind her ear. “There. Perfect.”

She gave me a flat stare.

“What?” I gently brushed my thumb along her jawline, trying to thaw her chilly demeanor. “I thought that was romantic as hell.”

“It was. That’s the problem.” She removed the flower and tossed it on the counter. “You’re trying too hard when what you should be doing is explaining your afternoon. I know you saw me.”

At least she was direct. I sat down at her counter and shrugged. “There’s not a lot I can say, unfortunately. Only that there is nothing romantic going on between me and Melinda Greyson. And that’s the truth. What you saw today was Melinda just being Melinda. I don’t invite her flirting, and in fact, it makes me uncomfortable. But short of insulting her, there doesn’t seem to be much I can do to stop her behavior. What I can say is that she hired me to do a job that I’m unable to talk about, and I’d appreciate it if you’d keep this conversation close to the vest.”

Her eyes narrowed and then her brow creased as she took in what I’d said. “Let me get this straight. You expect me to believe you’re just
working
for Melinda Greyson? And what possible reason would she have to be wearing a tiny bathrobe while hanging all over you in front of God and everyone outside her house today?”

I grimaced. “Because there’s no reason to not trust me. As far as Melinda goes, your guess is as good as mine. I wish she’d wear something more appropriate. And if you’d been paying attention to me at all today, you would’ve noticed I didn’t return her embrace. I’m not interested in her.” He took a moment to sweep his gaze over me. “I’ve had someone else in mind for a while now.”

She took a step back, and suddenly, her righteous indignation melted away. “You’re right. That entire scene was all Melinda. I was focused on her, not you. And now that you point it out, you weren’t engaging. I apologize. I jumped to conclusions.”

I picked up the red daisy and handed it to her. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not the first time my reputation has been a little tarnished.”

She took it and frowned as she placed it behind her ear again. Then she lifted her gaze and stared me in the eye. “I’m not interested in being the town gossip. I know it’s not fair to you, but if we’re going to do this, pretend to date, then I have to ask that you keep any of your other personal affairs private for now.”

“Claire,” I laughed. “Relax. There isn’t anyone else. For now, all I’m interested in is helping you get out from under the thumb of Crane and the elders. Call it my neighborly good deed.”

Surprise lit her glorious blue gaze, and she finally graced me with her wholesome smile. The combination nearly knocked me to my knees as she leaned into me, giving me a half body hug.

Her soft curves sent a ripple of heat through me, and at that moment, I wanted nothing more than to brush my lips over hers, to claim her with my kiss and brand her as mine. But I didn’t. I squeezed her shoulder lightly and jerked my head toward the front door. “Let’s go. We don’t want to miss our reservation.”

“Where?” she asked, clutching a black wrap she retrieved from the back of a kitchen chair.

“Adelaide’s.” I held out my arm to her.

“The burger joint?” she asked, slipping her arm through mine. “I thought you said we had a reservation.”

“We do.” I nodded sagely. “Best table in the place.”

“It’s a seat-yourself-type diner.”

I laughed at her skeptical tone. “You’re right, it is. But tonight, Adelaide is helping me with something special. You’ll see.”

She tilted her head up and took a good long look at me. Then her lips quirked. “You’re full of a lot of surprises tonight, Doucet.”

I cuffed her chin lightly, stared into those deep blue eyes of hers, and said, “You have no idea.”

T
he night had started off with suspicion and mistrust, and now I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what Cyrus had in store for me. I was still blown away that he’d offered himself up as my fake boyfriend. And now he appeared to be romancing me. He was going way above and beyond what he’d signed up for.

The question was why? Just because he was a nice guy? Or did he have some rivalry with Vince I didn’t know about, and I was just caught in the middle?

I refused to entertain the idea that he was actually interested in me. That would be bad—very bad—for everyone. I couldn’t get involved with Cyrus. He wasn’t part of the plan. I needed someone safe. Someone stable with no surprises. A business man, or doctor, or someone who wanted a normal life and a family. No adrenaline junkies or men who made me wonder if they were coming home at night.