Shifters on Fire: A BBW Shifter Romance Boxed Set (24 page)

“Yeah, see that doesn’t work for me.” There was an odd quality to Maybell’s voice, and it both set Mal on edge and made her feel the need to obey.

“You were a school teacher, weren’t you?” Maybell looked at her, all perplexed. “You were either a teacher or a nun, and you don’t strike me as a nun.”

“Come here, child.” Mal stepped closer and the woman leaned over, close to her neck, and then pulled back, looked her in the eyes, and then did the same thing on the other side of her head before shaking her head and smiling. Maybell was an odd woman to be sure. “No, not a teacher. That was my mommy voice.”

“I had not thought of mommy voice.” Mal tried to tease her way out of the awkwardness of the whole night.

“So listen, dear. Christina is my nephew’s mate, I mean wife. Anyways, she wants you here in this room and she’s pregnant. Not a little pregnant either. She’s about to pop, and if I tell her you’re not here, that will only lead to worry.” Maybell wheeled Mal’s bag back to the luggage stand.

“I don’t know a Christina.”

“Christina Russel.”

Well crap on a cracker, Maybell was her new boss’s aunt. That meant he was going to know the cluster that was her life before he even met her face to face. She could only hope that he didn’t judge her on the mistake of an ex’s actions. She needed this job now more than ever.

Mal rustled in her purse and grabbed her wallet. “I can give you some now and the rest when I start getting a paycheck.” She offered the meager cash to Maybell.

“Did you not hear the part where I said she was
really
pregnant?” Maybell swished her hand in front of her as if to make the money disappear. “If it means that much to you, how about you help me out tomorrow after you get done with work? I have some things that need doing around here and I'm short on help.”

“I can do that.” Mal knew Maybell probably didn’t really need her. Nonetheless, she was going to be the best little worker bee she could. “And I promise to pay you back when I figure it all out.”

“Do I look worried?”

Mal gave the older woman a quick once over in jest and it hit her. No, the woman didn’t look the least bit worried. She looked mischievous. On a normal day, Mal would have needed to figure that out. Today was not a normal day.

“Not worried in the slightest,” Mal answered before reaching forward and giving the woman an impromptu hug. What was with her and touching strangers today? “Thank you. I was planning on sleeping in my car until I figured things out,” Mal confided in the old woman before she gave it a second thought. That was not something she did often and it was the second time today. There must have been a start-a-new-life-and-get-a-bonus-ball-of-stranger-trusting-for-free promotion going on.

“Now go clean up and get some dinner. I can hear your tummy growling from here.” Maybell had put on her mommy voice again. “There should be a free entrée coupon for Town Bar in that pile of welcome info in there. Or was it a free sandwich this time around? I don’t remember, but it is in there and you should use it. You have a big day tomorrow.”

Wasn’t that the truth.

After Maybell clicked the door closed, Mal followed her directions. Sad to say, the directions for getting hot water were needed. True to her word, there was a “Welcome to Cedarville” coupon in the pile of papers on her bed. It looked like someone made it on their computer, not one of those mass coupons you usually get at a hotel. Yet another example of how small the town was. Mal really hoped she could make a go of things here, even with the obstacles in her way. Obstacles that seemed to multiply by the minute.

Souper Sunday

Mal stood on her tippy toes trying to get a full look at herself in the dresser mirror. She wanted to make a good impression in town. She doubted that Maybell would spread the word about her financial situation, but you never knew. Small towns were notoriously gossip filled, and a good first impression went a long way.

Mal’s long brown hair was extra wavy tonight and she pulled it back in a loose pony. It was not the hottest look she had, but she was going for a good impression, not fabulous babe. She picked her lavender top. It brought out the slight lavender tinge in her eyes and hopefully that would distract people from the puffiness under said eyes caused by her earlier bawl-fest. She could barely see any of her jeans in the mirror, but they were her favorite pair so, barring a hole she hadn’t noticed, they were looking good and showing off every inch of her curves.

Town Bar was directly across the street. The diner earlier had been Town Café. She would have to ask if “Town” was a thing around here. Maybe it was a local term or part of history. Those kinds of things had always fascinated her.

Town Bar, not at all what she was expecting, was more of a restaurant than a bar, even though it did have a counter/bar area upfront. The counter seemed pretty popular with the locals. There was not one seat open. So much for meeting people. She would probably be wretched company anyway. The only thing keeping her going was knowing that she couldn’t turn back now. Any thought of going back to her old life was officially stomped out by the ass-hat’s new criminal agenda. Lazy was one thing, theft another.

Mal found a small booth in the back and sat down to peruse the menu. She needed to be extra smart about money. She hadn’t actually discussed salary with Luke. She’d figured she had enough to get by until she proved her worth to him at best, or gain valuable experience at worst. Anything she got paid had been going to be a bonus. Now it was a necessity.

Her coupon was for a free entrée and the fine print said no purchase necessary. That meant she could get her meal for the price of a tip. Her eyes immediately fell to the meatloaf. It was perfect. Dinner tonight, and she could save half for lunch tomorrow. If it tasted half as good as this place smelled, she was a lucky girl. It had been a long time since she had to penny pinch this deeply and it felt like a step back. Scratch that. A leap back.

“Why you so glum?” A waitress plopped a lemonade in front of her.

“I think you have the wrong table.”

The waitress looked around the room and then back to her. “I don’t think so.” The waitress held out her hand. “I’m Becky.”

“Nice to meet you, Becky. I’m Mal, and I didn’t order anything yet.” The lemonade looked homemade and yummy. Someone was probably getting antsy waiting for it.

“Oh, the lemonade! Yeah, I poured that on accident instead of tea for the guy at the counter with the pointy hat.” Mal looked over and, sure enough, the man’s hat was almost pyramid shaped. “And then you came in, and I got distracted and forgot it was in my hands so now it is yours.”

“Ummm, okay, thanks.”

The waitress sat down beside her. “I’m just going to hide here with you for a bit. The bartender is being a real bear tonight. Not sure what got into him, but he’s on edge.” Becky grabbed the menu from Mal’s hands. “Forget the menu. You should just order the meatloaf. It’s my brother’s favorite, and he’s really picky so you know that means it’s good.”

“I was planning on the meatloaf, actually. I smelled it the moment I walked in.”

Becky wrote it down. She might be hiding, but she was still in waitress mode.

“Baked potatoes are just about to come out of the oven, or we have garlic smashed tonight.”

“Baked please.”

“Dressing?”

“Ranch.”

“Veggie is broccoli today, or we have apple sauce.”

“Broccoli is good.”

“Chicken noodle or corn chowder?”

“Oh, just the entrée please.”

“You sure? It is
Souper Sunday
.” Becky pointed to the chalk board on the wall. “All entrees come with soup. That’s why it is so crowded tonight. Free soup brings all the old folks in.”

Looking around the room, Mal saw that Becky wasn’t kidding. She might very well be the youngest one dining.

“Corn please.”

“That’s my favorite. I should probably bebop back to the kitchen, put this in and such. It was nice talking to you.”

“You too.” Waitresses in this part of the country were so much nicer than the city she had been living in, for certain sure.

As Becky approached the kitchen door, it swung open and out came a tower of glasses to be put away. Mal had no idea how the person behind them was balancing them all or seeing where they were going. As he turned to the side, her heart leapt.

It wasn’t some random guy with the tower of glasses. It was Al.
Her
Al. A few hours and many miles later, even when dealing with being a grand theft victim and almost being without shelter, had not put a damper on the effect he had on her. One look at him and she was calling him hers and struggling not to walk over to him.

What was wrong with her? Maybe that wasn’t even the right question. Maybe the question should be: what was it about him that was driving her crazy? Sure he was hot, but she’d met a lot of hot men before. None of them drew her attention or messed with her hormones a fraction of what he did.

Mal could feel the moment he saw her. He must have caught her out of the corner of his eye because he was facing the wrong way. His body tensed and he turned to face her. Their eyes locked and he was on his way to her, leaving the glasses on the counter, still piled high.

He stalked over. Yes, stalked was the right word. She felt like prey. Happy to be caught prey, at that. Wait, she needed to reel it in. The last guy she’d had anything to do with just stole all that she had, and here she was wanting to be
caught
by this virtual stranger. No relationships for her. Yes. That sounded like the best plan.

Darn it.

She could feel him getting closer. It was an odd sensation. Of course she could see him, but this was more. So much more. Her panties were getting wetter by the moment and she really hoped the bra she was wearing hid her erect nipples. No need to parade those bad boys around on her first night in town.

“Hi. I missed you.” Wait, what was she saying? Where the heck had her filter gone? She needed it back, stat. “I mean, hi, Al.”

“No, that’s not what you meant.” Al’s voice was twice as smexy as she remembered it. He sat beside her in the booth. The spot across from hers was probably a better choice for conversation, but this was perfect for other reasons. Given her behavior at the diner, she could hardly blame him for his preemptive strike by pinning her in.

He was so close to her, their thighs only millimeters apart, and yet he felt too far away. Al leaned in close to her ear. “You meant you missed me, and I know exactly how you feel. I thought I would never see you again.”

“I hadn’t even thought of that. I knew you lived in Cedarville so I assumed …” She picked up her napkin and started fidgeting. “Your sister told me you lived here when she gave me directions, so I figured I would eventually run into you. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that at the time.”

His hand landed on her knee and she bit back a sigh. She was on fire for this man after one whisper and a touch through her jeans. She was a goner.

“And now. How do you feel about it now?”

Before she could answer, a bowl of chowder was placed in front of her, and she could have sworn she heard a growl coming from Al. It made her laugh and Becky quickly joined in.

“I see how it is. Huh, Christina was right.” Becky leaned in closer to them. “Break over soon, Al?” she taunted.

“I’m taking the night off. Cancel Malory’s order,” he all but barked out.

“Al, I ordered dinner because I’m hungry.” She put her hand on his, which was still on her knee. “Plus, I have a coupon.”

He looked at her like she had five heads. “I take care of what’s mine.”

“Okay?” She had no idea what he was getting at.

Becky did a fake cough and it sounded like she said “human” under her breath. She hadn’t been kidding that he was being a bear tonight, and Mal found Becky’s humor hilarious. Yes, they needed to be friends. It was decided.

“What I mean is, Mal, would you do me the honor of coming to my place for dinner? It’s in walking distance and I’m a really great cook.” He laced their hands together. He wasn’t playing fair. A small nagging part of her brain gave her the “what if he is a serial killer?’ warning from her self-defense classes, and she quickly pushed it down. For whatever reason, she trusted this man and knew that even with his oddities, he was of no danger to her and that being around him actually made her safer.

“He really is a good cook. I can attest to that.” Becky sat across from them. What a weird place. No one seemed to care that neither of them were working.

“Well, if you can cook.” Mal smirked and leaned into him as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Hey, before you two love birds go, can I see your coupon?” Becky held out her hand. She wasn’t actually asking, she was demanding and it was too cute.

“Sure, here you go. It is the one from the B&B welcome pack.”

“Ha, that sister-in-law of mine is something else.” Becky passed it to Al.

“Yes, she is. Please call her and give her all of the gossip. You know, that is probably the only reason she did all of this. She is bored waiting for her cubs and all.” Al got up and pulled Mal with him before she could ask what in tarnation he was saying. Everyone here talked in code.

“I’ll call her as soon as I feed all these people. It looks like I’m short a bartender tonight.”

He led Mal out the door, ignoring Becky’s taunt. He was a man on a mission, and she was his willing accomplice. She might not even come close to being ready for a new relationship, but she was beyond revved up and ready for some naked time with Al.

They turned the corner and with one swift move he had her pressed against the brick wall, one hand behind her head and the other around her waist. For all the speed in his initial movement, he was just there now, frozen, staring in her eyes effectively holding her in place. She wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but could pinpoint the moment he saw it—his lips brushed hers gently.

By all accounts, it was barely a kiss, yet it brought her to her knees. For serious, if he had not been holding her up, her knees would have given out, leaving her on the ground. She had to have this man and now.

She leaned forward, capturing his lips with hers, her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him hostage. Not that he seemed to want to get away. The kisses stayed light and sweet despite her determination to deepen them. She could feel him pressed against her. He wanted this as much as she did, if his erection was any indication.

He pulled away from her and she whimpered. Yes, the girl who was “eh” about sex whimpered because a kiss ended.

“Sorry,” she mumbled.

“Sorry?” He pulled her into a full hug. “That was the most amazing kiss in the history of all kisses, and you apologize?”

“But you pulled away.” She rubbed small circles on his back, needing the contact.

“Don’t remind me,” he mumbled. “We need to get home now.” He grabbed her hand and started speed walking down the road. “If I didn’t pull away, we would have done far too much in a place where all the town could see.”

“I hadn’t thought about that.” Making out against the side of a building should have sent some modesty alarms off somewhere in that head of hers.

“I know what is going on, so I’m being extra careful, or I would’ve been in the same place as you.” He gave her a squeeze as they turned the corner.

“You talk in code you know. Everyone here seems to.” The street they were on was residential and filled with older homes. It looked like a postcard more than a real neighborhood. She loved it.

“This is me.” He pointed to a Victorian with a wraparound porch. “About the code thing, it’s just locals being local. Soon you’ll be talking in code along with the rest of us.” He winked at her and she fell a bit more in love with him.

Love? No, not love, lust. She fell more in lust with him. Yeah, that was it. Lust. Just lust.