Bears On Bikes - The Complete Series (Shifter Romance Box Set) Read online

  “Where’d everyone go?” she asked.

  “They just took off in a hurry,” said Walter. “Something about business to take care of, but I didn’t ask any questions. As long as they don’t bring any more trouble back here, it’s not my problem.”

  Not feeling much like talking, Allison grabbed a bus tray and started clearing tables, dumping dirty coffee mugs and dishes into the big plastic tub. It took the two of them a while to clear up the mess from breakfast, and by the time it was all said and done, Allison felt exhausted.

  “You should get out of here for a bit,” said Walter when he saw how tired she was. “Go home, take a nap and a shower.”

  “Will you be okay here alone?”

  “Yeah, I don’t think those guys will be back until later tonight, and I might sleep for a bit too. Becca and Kaylee will be in for their shifts too, so we should be good for tonight once you get back.”

  Allison gave her brother a quick hug and left him alone to lock the place up so he could go take a nap. They’d always been extremely close as brother and sister, especially with Walter having to act as a parent for so much of their lives, but the danger of the previous night really made Allison appreciate having him there for her. She thought about someday finishing her degree and going to work elsewhere, and she couldn’t help but feel a little sad at the thought of not coming to the Oakwood to work with her brother every day.

  Still, there was something to be said for getting away from this lifestyle. All the late nights and regular drinking had been fun in her early twenties, but she was already getting a little sick of it. Add to that what had happened with Mike American in the back room, and she worried that it might just get easier to go from one fling to another with random guys who showed up at the bar. Was that really the kind of life she wanted for herself?

  By the time she got home and stepped into a nice hot shower, she knew she’d made a mistake with Mike. It had been fun, there was no way around that. He’d fucked her in a way she’d never really thought she’d enjoy, but it had been so impersonal that it left her feeling too empty to really be satisfying. She needed something more from her lovers, and although Miriam would probably say that Allison just needed to do it a few more times to realize how great the meaningless sex could be, she didn’t think it was ever going to be her thing.

  Allison finished her shower and crawled into bed. Sometime over the last half hour she’d switched gears from thinking about Mike to wishing it had been Craig that she’d gone into the back room with, and as she fell asleep it was his lips that she imagined pressed against hers.

  All was starting to feel normal, the bar was in full swing when Allison showed up to work. Feeling refreshed from her shower and nap, she was eager to talk to Craig to see how things would be between them, but it quickly became apparent that he wasn’t there with the rest of the Hellclaws. While serving drinks and clearing empty glasses, Allison became more and more concerned about Craig’s absence, but it wasn’t the sort of thing she felt she could ask anyone about.

  She certainly wasn’t going to bring it up with Mike American, not after what had happened between them earlier that day. He’d slapped her on the butt and made a comment about how pretty she looked, but other than that it was clear that he was going to keep his distance. He’d gotten what he wanted from her, and although he hadn’t become a complete jerk around her, it didn’t exactly seem like there would be another session of casual sex in their future.

  “What’s up?” asked Walter. He’d come out of the kitchen to see Allison staring off into space while a pitcher foamed up and overflowed onto the spill tray.

  “Nothing,” she replied, slamming the tap shut and using a rag to wipe down the side of the plastic jug. She’d sent Craig several text messages and even tried calling his phone, but she still hadn’t heard back from him. It was all she could think about.

  “That’s bullshit, and you know it.” Walter looked out to where Mike sat holding court with his crew. “Did one of these guys do something to you?”

  “No, it’s not like that. It’s just…” she trailed off to silence. Walter and her were close, but they never really talked about relationships or anything, and it wasn’t like she was going to tell him about what she’d done with Mike. “Have you seen Craig around today?”

  “No, he never came in with the rest of them. Why?”

  “I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but I think I’m falling for him.”

  “Ally—”

  “You don’t have to tell me how stupid it is,” she said, not giving him a chance to tell her what she already knew. “But I can’t help it. I think I need to go find him and talk to him.”

  “I really need you here tonight. These guys won’t be around forever, and we can’t turn down the money they’re spending. I don’t think it’s a good idea to get involved with a guy like Craig.”

  “You know what, Walter?” she said, raising her voice loud enough for people to take notice. “Fuck you. I am sick and tired of everyone telling me what to do. You, and Miriam, and even Mike American all have something to say about how I should live my life and what I should be doing, but I don’t care anymore. I have my own needs and wants, and it’s about time I started making my own decisions.”

  “Whoa, calm down, sis,” said Walter, his eyes darting nervously to the bar where pretty much every Hellclaw was watching them.

  “I don’t want to calm down,” she yelled. Allison untied her apron and flung it at her brother. “Fuck all of you, I’m going to find Craig.”

  She stormed out from behind the bar and was half way to the door when the bikers erupted in hooting and hollering. Several of them yelled encouragement, and she didn’t bother turning around to see if Mike was paying attention or how he was reacting. She saw clearly now that it had been a mistake to let Mike push his way into her pants when it was really Craig she’d wanted all along.

  The motel where the Hellclaws were staying was just a short walk from the Oakwood Tavern, and thankfully, she knew the guy working the shift at the desk.

  “I’m not supposed to give out that kind of information, but if he’s your friend and all…”

  “It’s cool, Jerry. We were supposed to meet up later tonight, but I wanted to come, you know,” she winked at him, “surprise him?”

  “Oh.” Jerry blushed deep crimson when he realized what she was hinting at. “Don’t tell no one I told you, but he’s in room 209.”

  Allison thanked him and practically ran up the stairs to find the room at the end of the second floor walkway. The curtains were open when she walked past, and she couldn’t help but look in to see Craig standing there wrapped in a towel, his eyes locking with hers when she peeked into the room. His gaze flicked involuntarily to the bed, and Allison saw a naked female body lying there, half covered by sheets. Allison recognized the girl immediately. It was her best friend, Miriam.

  Realizing that she’d screwed up by dropping in on him like this, Allison turned to leave, but she only made it a few steps away when a strong hand gripped her arm and turned her around.

  “What are you doing here, Allison?” asked Craig.

  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come. I… I just wanted to see you.”

  “For what? You wanted to rub it in my face that you fucked Mike? It wasn’t enough that you did it in the back of the bar while I was out front, so you had to come here to tell me?”

  “No,” she said, fighting back tears of frustration. “It’s not like that at all. I was so confused, Craig. It was you I wanted all this time, but he was there, and I was trying to be more like Miriam to just let go and have some fun. I don’t even know what I wanted.”

  “You don’t want to be more like Miriam,” said Craig, his voice softening a little.

  “You obviously like her well enough to sleep with her,” replied Allison, unable to hold back the acid tone of her jealousy.

  “It’s not her fault.” Craig ran a hand through his hair. “I did it to piss
you off after I found out about you and Mike. The other night when she came to talk to me, she was trying to convince me to make a move on you. I was just too scared to do it.”

  “So Miriam didn’t seduce you?”

  “No, she wasn’t into it at first, but I told her I really didn’t care about you at all.”

  “Do you?”

  Allison was up against the wall before she knew what was happening. Craig’s hand was on her face and his lips found hers, kissing her so hard that she thought she might cut her lip open on her teeth. It felt amazing though, and she grabbed the muscled skin of his back, her hand slipping down over the towel to grab his butt. They kissed fiercely for several minutes, his manhood stiffening under his towel where it pressed against Allison’s stomach.

  “Come inside,” he said.

  “What about Miri?”

  “She’s asleep,” said Craig. “Don’t worry about it.”

  Letting him lead her into the motel room, Allison tiptoed past the half-exposed form of her naked friend, and let Craig guide her to the second bed. They took their time stripping each other’s clothes off, exploring every inch of skin with lips and hands and tongue, until Allison had to suppress her urge to moan with pleasure when Craig finally buried his face between her legs and began to lick her pussy. Everything he did felt amazing, especially the way he traced his tongue around her clit in slow deliberate circles, but she couldn’t stop herself from glancing to the next bed where her best friend lay sleeping. The sheets had shifted a little, and one of Miriam’s bare breasts was exposed, her nipple hard and perky in the cool evening air.

  Allison’s eyes wandered down the curve Miriam’s body, taking in the smooth lines of her waist and hip down to the leg that lay across the covers. Heat flushed through Allison’s body at the combination of seeing her friend so exposed while Craig teased her towards an explosive orgasm. Her inhibitions fell away for the second time that day, and she turned her attention down to the man between her legs, running her fingers through his hair and pulling him into her while she bucked in silent ecstasy.

  “Get up here,” she said, pulling Craig towards her and spreading her legs wider.

  She opened up to him and bit down on his shoulder when he pushed his cock inside her. She raked her nails down his back and didn’t care if his grunting and the creaking of the bed woke Miriam from her sleep. Craig’s cock felt even better than Mike’s had, and she felt another climax welling up within her after only moments of feeling him grind up against her in just the right way. Kissing him hard on the lips, she dug her fingers into his back and arched up against him, whimpering softly as the orgasm tore through her body.

  Triggered by her soft noises and intense climax, Craig reached his own peak and thrust hard several times before coming to a rest on top of her. They lay together, enjoying the heat off each other’s bodies and the silence of the room, neither of them wanting to break the moment.

  “What was that?” asked Craig, suddenly perking up and looking out the window.

  “I didn’t hear anything,” whispered Allison.

  There was a loud crash of metal on pavement, and Craig leapt up off her to run to the window. Allison followed a half second behind, arriving just in time to see the last of the five motorcycles parked outside go down after being kicked by one of the goons she recognized from the night of the Kane fight. The guy looked up and saw them watching him, laughed and flipped them the finger, and then hopped into a waiting truck that peeled out of the parking lot.

  “Allison?” asked a sleepy and confused Miriam. “What are you doing here?”

  “Long story,” started Allison, but Craig cut her off.

  “You two stay here. I’ve got to go warn Mike that trouble is coming.”

  “But my brother—”

  “The safest place for you is right here.” Craig already had his jeans back on and was tugging his shirt over his head. “I’ll make sure Walter is okay.”

  Allison realized she was standing there completely naked and went to find her shirt. By the time she’d wriggled into it and located her underwear, Craig was gone.

  *

  “You’re not going to stay here and wait, are you?” asked Miriam with a sly grin.

  “Fuck no,” replied Allison. If there was a positive side to whatever was going on, it was that the interruption had made it easy to avoid the fact that Allison had slept with Craig less than an hour after he’d had sex with Miriam.

  “I’m coming with you, then.” Miriam flipped back the covers and started searching for her own clothes.

  “Maybe I can explain it to you later, but you have to trust me when I say that it’s not a good idea,” said Allison. She couldn’t exactly tell her friend not to come because there was likely going to be a fight between the Kanes and the Hellclaws as their animal counterparts. “The Kanes are going to be coming on in full force tonight, and it’s too dangerous. The only reason I’m going is to make sure Walter is okay.”

  “Well, promise me you’ll be careful, okay?”

  “Of course I will. You know me, I always play it safe.”

  “Always?” Miriam raised an eyebrow. “That’s not what it looked like happened in here before I woke up.”

  “Yeah, about that—”

  “Don’t even worry about it,” interrupted Miriam. “It was obvious he was into you, and I’m glad you two figured it out. I’m just sorry I got in the middle of it.”

  “We’ll talk later, I’ve got to run.”

  Allison slammed the door shut and sprinted down the stairs and across the parking lot. She could see the headlights shining around the Oakwood Tavern, but worse, there was a bright orange light that was only getting stronger. When she crossed the street and passed the thick line of trees that blocked the tavern from sight, she realized that the Kanes had followed through on their threat to burn the place down, and one corner of the building was covered in flames.

  Distracted by the fire, Allison almost didn’t see the wolf that jumped out at her until the last second before it slammed into her side. Her shoulder jammed hard onto the pavement, and the wind was knocked right out of her, leaving her dazed and unable to react. The wolf rolled and regained its feet, not waiting before charging at her again, but it was blocked by a large black hairy paw that Allison was pretty sure belonged to Mike American.

  “Thanks,” she managed, when the bear had beaten the wolf unconscious and returned to check on her.

  She struggled to her feet and gestured for Mike to go help Craig who she saw fighting off several of the wolves at once. Walter was outside as well, but he and several of the Hellclaws who hadn’t yet shifted were busy trying to use the hose and whatever water they could find to put out the flames that threatened to consume the whole building.

  Allison ran into the back entrance of the tavern and yanked the two fire extinguishers down from the kitchen. They were small and only designed to put out a grease fire or other kitchen mishap, but she’d seen that the intense core of the blaze was isolated to one small section, and she prayed that if they could put that out, then there was hope for the rest of the bar.

  “Good thinking,” yelled Walter when she handed him a fire extinguisher.

  They pulled the safety tabs and aimed the jets at the same section of the blaze, hitting it in several bursts to maximize the chemical foam in each of the small containers.

  “We need more water!” said one of the Hellclaws.

  “They just demolished the old warehouse next door,” said Walter. “There was a water truck there to keep the dust down. Is there any way we can get it over here?”

  “I can hotwire that thing no problem,” said one of the bikers.

  Allison ran over to the construction site with him and saw a pile of shovels that she thought might help with fighting the fire that was spreading along the grass towards the trees at the edge of the property. Once they took care of the tavern, they’d need to dig out a trench to stop the fire from spreading.

  “Good
thinking,” said the guy she finally recognized as Vince. “Toss ‘em in the truck and let’s go.”

  Vince smashed the window and opened the door from the inside. He flipped open a knife he’d taken from his pocket, pried open the steering column, and in seconds had the truck roaring to life. He shifted it into gear, mashed his foot down on the gas, and barreled through the parking lot towards the tavern, sending Hellclaws and Kanes alike scattering out of his way.

  Walter and some of the bikers ran up and got the hoses out to spray down the last of the fire. Allison was about to help them where she could when she saw Craig in bear form, lying on his back with a nasty looking wolf snapping at him. Several of the Kane wolves lay beaten around him, and it looked like they’d taken a few chunks out of his hide before he managed to fight them off. Now he was weak and exhausted, while the new wolf looked fresh and cunning.

  Without thinking, Allison picked up a shovel and ran towards him. She swung the shovel as hard as she could, catching the wolf just behind the ear. The wooden handle vibrated in her hands so hard that she almost dropped the shovel, but when the wolf fell over and tried to scamper to its feet again, she wound up for another swing and smashed it down again, this time knocking the wolf out cold.

  Allison let the shovel slip from her fingers and went to kneel beside Craig to see if he was okay. Before she could reach him, she saw the bear’s eyes widen, and she turned a moment too late. The wolf caught her on the cheek with its paw, sending her spinning in a circle before her entire world went black.

  EPILOGUE

  “Easy now,” said Craig when she opened her eyes and tried to sit up.

  She remembered the fire and the attack, smacking one wolf with a shovel, and then what she’d thought would be her last sight when the second wolf appeared out of nowhere. Now she was lying in a bright room with a steady electronic ping echoing in the background, and it dawned on her that she was in a hospital.

  “Walter? The bar?”

  “Everyone’s okay, mostly thanks to you. The fire mostly just did superficial damage to the structure since the bar is made out of brick, and we were able to beat back the Kane family once you knocked Ruth out cold.”