Surrounded By Fur [3xtasy Lake 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  River leaned back against the wall and slipped to the floor. Memories pounded at her consciousness, but she refused to give in. She wasn’t that little girl anymore. She, Feather, and Stone were safe, and they were going to stay that way. Doing the only thing she knew she could right now, she headed into the back to inventory the stock.

  Right after she called Lars.

  Chapter Two

  Boyd McNamera sat on a stool at the counter in the Shack. This had been one of his favorite places to come since they’d moved to this town. Partially because he loved the food that reminded him of his childhood, but also because of a woman who worked nearby and popped in for coffee on a regular basis.

  “There you go, young man.” Miss Catherine placed a plate with another three sausage rolls on it. “I love a man who can appreciate my cooking.”

  “Miss Catherine, have you been proposed to today? Because if not, I’d like to be the first.”

  She grinned as she refilled his coffee. “A lady never kisses and tells. Now eat.”

  He grinned at her and bit the end off one of the pastries. One of the many things he enjoyed about being a bear was that he and his brothers had large bodies and large appetites and needed large amounts of food to sustain them. He was about to polish off a second one when the delicious scent of honey crossed his nose. There was only one person that smelled like that, and she rushed into the shop like a house on fire.

  Boyd watched her closely from his seat in the corner. She was dressed in a short kilt with black tights and platform boots. A couple tank tops with various Japanese-looking designs on them hugged her torso. In those boots she might actually be the same height as him, and he liked the idea of looking her right in the eye when he kissed her. River’s hands were clenched together at her chest, and she kept darting looks over her shoulders. Something was very, very wrong. He fought the urge to jump up and stand between her and whatever it was that had her so frightened. His primal side wanted to pick her up and rush back home, where he, Hugh, and Gavin could protect her.

  “Hi, River.” Catherine placed a cup in front of her. “Large double double, hun. Is everything okay?”

  “Um, Catherine, has anyone been in here asking about me or Feather or Stone?” River darted a look around the room, and Boyd dropped his eyes to the paper in front of him. He knew the moment she looked at him. He could sense her awareness of him by a tingle on the back of his neck. Her gaze halted at him for a moment longer than anywhere else and then moved on. He was amazed he could be so in tune with someone he hadn’t met. But River had no idea who she was or any idea of how important she was to the McNameras. He didn’t particularly like this Stone person, whoever he was. This man was standing between him and his Mate.

  “No, sweetheart. No one.” Catherine reached out and wrapped her hands around River’s. “Sweetie, what’s happened?”

  “Nothing, no, nothing, only a little too much coffee in the last twelve hours, I think. I was trying to get ahold of Lars and hoped he’d be down here. I was going to go and visit, but you know he doesn’t like surprise visitors.” River’s gaze darted outside and she seemed terrified of an old silver Dodge cruising down the main street. “I was going to go back to the clinic, but maybe I’ll wait here for a while.”

  “I’ll walk you back.” It wasn’t until River’s gaze swung back to him and her eyes locked with his that he realized he said it out loud.

  “River, have you met Boyd McNamera?” Catherine said as Boyd got off his ass and headed over to her. Her gaze stayed locked on his, almost like a deer caught in headlights, as he approached. He was right about one thing. In those boots, she was almost eye level with him. There were hints of blue streaks in her black hair he hadn’t noticed before. Despite her strong-looking exterior, River looked terrified at the moment, and he didn’t like the way that felt in his gut.

  “Ah, no, not officially. You and your brothers opened the brewery a few miles outside of town, right?

  “Yes, that’s us. It’s nice to finally meet you, River.” He held out his hand and she slipped her smaller one into his. Her skin was so delicate, and he detected a slight tremor. There was a distinct edge of fear to her scent that rankled the bear inside of him.

  “I heard your brewery and restaurant officially opened yesterday. I hope it was a good event.”

  “It was a great event.” He casually drew her hand under his arm and then reached over and picked up River’s coffee. He could feel the tremble to her hand as it rested on his bare arm. Something had frightened her, and he wanted to know what it was so he could tear it apart. “I’ll walk you to the clinic, or I can give you a drive home if you would rather.”

  “No!” River replied quickly. “The clinic is fine, and I can call Lars again from there.” Her fingers curled against the hair on his arms and then relaxed. He wondered if River realized she was petting him but didn’t want to point it out. He liked the feel of her silky hand against his skin.

  “Oh, damn, I’m sorry, Catherine. I almost forgot.” He reached into his back pocket for his wallet.

  “That’s fine, Boyd. Make certain River’s safe and we can settle up later.” Relief poured through him because River seemed like she was ready to bolt at any moment, and he didn’t want this to end anytime soon. He’d been dreaming of an opportunity like this since the day he’d first seen her down by the beach eating ice cream. The way she’d dragged her tongue around the cone had made him wish it was his cock her tongue slid along. She’d fascinated him then, but they’d been so absorbed with opening the brewery that they hadn’t had the time to devote to getting to know her. His brothers felt the same way, and they’d decided to wait. Which was why he’d sat in the Shack for most of the morning, drinking enough coffee to fill Ecstasy Lake. He wanted to beat his brothers to the chase. He was willing to bet both Hugh and Gavin assumed he would sleep till one today but not a chance.

  “You don’t have to do this.”

  “Yes, I do.” Boyd handed her the take-out cup and then led the way out the door. She paused at the entrance and looked back and forth along the street. Boyd waited until she was ready, and as soon as she moved, he wrapped his arm over her shoulder and tucked her close to his side. He kept himself between her and the street as they walked. “So, what has you so alarmed this morning?”

  He was surprised when she didn’t make a peep at his high-handed technique, but as soon as he mentioned her fears she stiffened up under his arm.

  “I had a long night, and I guess I’m jumping at shadows today.”

  Boyd scanned the street but didn’t push her for more information than she was willing to give. He was playing for keeps here and didn’t want to frighten her away. “Where did you go last night?”

  “There’s a Finnish band called Apocalyptica I really like, and I went to their concert with my brother and sister. After, we headed over to Ademare to see a performance by a piercing artist named Hellspawn. Stone, my brother, gave us a lift.” She darted a look up and down the street and then at him.

  Boyd bit back the grin threatening to curl his lips. Her brother? That he could live with. What he wasn’t certain he could live without was the taste of her lips. With her standing so close to him and her lips so close to his own, it would only take a breath to discover if she tasted like the honey he always scented on her.

  “My brother Hugh listens to them a lot. That’s the band with four cellists, correct?”

  She grinned up at him and he felt some of the tension drain from her body. “That’s them. They’re really a great bunch of guys. I got to go backstage and meet them all. My sister Feather almost attacked Perttu. I practically had to sit on her to get her to behave.”

  “Sounds like you had a fun evening.”

  “Things around here have been stressful lately, and blowing off some steam was much needed.” She yawned slightly and made a soft, gentle sound in the back of her throat that made his cock stir. He did have it bad if the poor woman was half asleep and it turned him on.
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  “I thought the clinic was closed on Sundays,” he said as they approached her workplace. Whatever had spooked her earlier must’ve gone because she relaxed more and more under his arm.

  “It is. I needed to inventory some of the stock and make up an order to put in tomorrow. I think I may do some cleaning and see what else I can find to do.”

  She’d admitted that she’d been up all night and now was thinking of working? “River, don’t you think you should get some sleep? I mean, you must be exhausted.”

  “Oh, I don’t sleep much.” She took a sip from her coffee and he claimed her cup from her fingers. “Hey, what are you doing? Give that back.”

  “You need to sleep, River.”

  “You need to mind your own business, Boyd.” She snatched the cup back from him, and her chin popped up defiantly. Oh, holy shit, she does that to Hugh and he’ll have her bare-assed and spanked in no time. But she wasn’t taking care of herself. He knew very well a shifter metabolism could withstand a lot of neglect and bounce back, but that didn’t make it healthy.

  “Okay, you’re right, I don’t have any right to tell you what to do, but if you’re already nervous about something, then drinking coffee isn’t going to make it any better.”

  River shrugged and unlocked the clinic door. “Thanks for the escort. I’ll see you around sometime.” She entered the clinic and hit the alarm code. Boyd stepped in behind her and closed the door. She turned quickly, her eyebrows raised in surprise. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m staying with you until you get some sleep.” He propped one shoulder against the wall next to her.

  “Are you crazy?”

  “Not the last time I did one of those quizzes in Cosmo.”

  River did a double take and let loose an unladylike snort. “Cosmo?”

  “What?” He gave her what he hoped was a wide-eyed innocent look. “I only look at the pictures.”

  Any response she might have had died on her lips when the clinic phone rang. She picked it up, and it became pretty clear that it was Lars on the other end. He’d met the big man a couple times, and he’d helped out on some of the grunt work when building the brewery. Having some locals willing to lift heavy equipment instead of hiring the needed machinery certainly made things easier.

  Boyd was certain Lars wasn’t completely human, but wasn’t entirely sure that Lars was a shifter. Not that he cared one way or the other. What he did know was Lars never carried River’s scent on his skin, which meant they weren’t in an intimate relationship. That had to be the reason why his neck didn’t bristle when River mentioned Lars’s name so casually. Everyone in town knew River and Lars were close friends, and Boyd was secure enough not to see Lars as a threat to his claiming his Mate.

  “Lars is on his way over,” River said when she got off the phone. “I’m going to hang here and wait for him. You’ll be happy to hear that he thinks I should have a nap, too. He won’t be long.”

  Boyd nodded. He didn’t want to leave, but he couldn’t come up with any logical excuse to stay. “All right, it was nice meeting you, River.”

  “Thanks for keeping me safe, Boyd.”

  “I’ll always be there if you need me,” he couldn’t resist saying, and then he tugged River’s arm so that she teetered off balance on her boots and fell into his embrace. Before she could utter a word, he gave into the temptation and kissed those incredible red lips of hers. He half expected to feel the slippery sensation from her lipstick, but thankfully, he didn’t, and therefore didn’t have to worry about having her lipstick all over his mouth. She tasted like honey-sweetened coffee, and the bear inside him roared at the taste. Her fingers gripped his shirt as he dipped her slightly, keeping her off balance. He liked the feel of her in his arms. He ended the kiss before it raged out of control and sat her back on the table behind her. She blinked owlishly at him. Her surprise was evident in her shocked expression, and Boyd liked that his kiss stunned her so completely.

  “I’ll talk to you later, River.” He turned and headed toward the door. “Make sure you set the alarm behind me.”

  He stepped out into the sunlight and pulled his shirt out from where it was tucked into his pants. The last think he wanted to do was stroll down Main Street on a Sunday morning with a raging hard-on. At least his shirt partially covered him this way.

  He made it a few feet down the sidewalk when he heard Lars’s Harley rumbling in his direction. The big beast turned a corner and Boyd waved as he passed. Lars nodded in his direction but continued on to the clinic.

  Boyd flipped open his cell and called his brothers. He wanted them to know he beat them to her, but more importantly he wanted them to know that she was afraid of something and it was up to them to get rid of it.

  Chapter Three

  Normally, River would’ve argued when Lars insisted she come home with him, but after the run-in with the creepy guy this morning she was more than a little unnerved. Hiding behind Lars made her feel better because she knew he would keep her safe. Also, it would allow her the time she needed to process what happened between her and Boyd.

  She wasn’t the type of person to jump into the arms of anyone, especially a bear. There was something about Boyd that made her want to curl up with him and snuggle. He was a balm to her senses, and she’d never experienced it with one of his kind before.

  It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen any of the McNamera brothers around town in the past couple months. Often one of them had been grocery shopping at the same time as her, and Boyd popped into the Shack on a regular basis. In fact, when she thought about it, she’d seen one of them almost every other day since they moved to town. It hadn’t dawned on her till now exactly how many times she’d seen them but had never been formally introduced. The three of them were big men, especially the oldest brother, Hugh.

  She figured it was completely normal that she’d fantasized a few times about being with one or all of them. They often made an appearance in her dreams and when she played with her toys, but she never considered it ever becoming a reality. They were bears, and there wasn’t an animal that terrified her more. Their animal natures were bad enough, but now of all times when she was having a crisis of epic proportions, Boyd McNamera kissed her. It’d been a panty-melting kiss, too. Her toes still curled in her boots when she thought about it. His timing might suck, but damn, the man knew how to get her attention.

  “I don’t think it’s healthy for you to stay here all the time, Lars.”

  Lars frowned at her from the other side of the motorcycle engine he was rebuilding. “What are you talking about, River? I go out all the time or Cris comes over here and we work on our bikes.”

  River picked up one of his tools, held on to the end, and spun it around, enjoying the clicking sound it made. “I mean other than your bro-mance with Cris. You need to go out and find someone who will appreciate you. In fact, you two should find a nice girl to share.”

  “River, sweetheart, you’re like a magpie when it comes to shiny things.” Lars plucked the ratchet from her hand before she broke it. “Cris is working his way through most of the female population on his own, and I’m happy with my life the way it is. If fate had someone in mind for me, I’ve never found her. Can you pass me the quarter-inch wrench?”

  “When you’re lost, the best idea is to stay put and let someone find you.” River glanced around his toolbox and picked out the one he had asked for. “How are you going to find her if you don’t get out there and look?”

  Lars lifted his head, took the tool from her, and then looked back down at the bike he was working on. “I never said she’s the one who’s lost.”

  “Oh, man, Lars. That’s intense.” River loved the big guy. She had no idea what Lars’s inner animal was, but she never felt threatened by him. He had to be something soft and cuddly. “Do you think she’ll find you here?”

  “Ecstasy Lake attracts people who need her. I found my way here when I didn’t know I was looking.” He shrugged. “I figure if Fat
e has a plan for me, I’ll sit here and wait for it.”

  They lapsed into a comfortable silence. River nibbled on her salad as she sat cross-legged on one of the counters in his workshop.

  “Does this topic of conversation have anything to do with the McNamera brothers?”

  “No, why would you say that?” River could feel her cheeks warming up and tried to distract her friend from this topic. “Do you have a crush on them?”

  “Smart-ass,” Lars muttered from the other side of the engine as he fiddled with it. “I couldn’t help but notice Boyd coming out of the clinic this morning.”

  “Don’t think about matchmaking, Lars.” Especially not them. River tried very hard to ignore those images from her past that insisted on invading her thoughts at times. Seeing a bear tear into the person who had been trying to keep her safe was enough to frighten her away from that species for life.

  “What about you, River? Who are you hiding from?” Lars leveled a look at her from the other side of the bike.

  “You know what I’m hiding from.”

  “No, I know what Brittney was hiding from. She isn’t part of the equation anymore. We made her go away with a little help from our friends.”

  River cringed hearing that name. It was something associated with every bad dream she had and all that she and her siblings tried to escape from. “But today proves I’m not really safe. Not anymore.” She paced across the floor and looked at all the chrome pieces hanging on the walls. Her reflection looked back at her from all directions. Look at all of them…and none of them are the real me. “I don’t want to leave here. This is my home.”

  “Then don’t leave.” Lars had an uncanny ability to understand what she was thinking, so it didn’t surprise her when he voiced her thoughts.

  “Can I live in your garage?”