Double Bear Chase: Werebear BBW Menage Romance (Hockey Bear Season Book 3) Page 14

  It had taken her more time than it should have to realize Vince was not only a narcissist, he also lacked empathy. To him, she was just a thing to own, something he wanted to bend to his will. What she wanted didn’t matter to him and he couldn’t or wouldn’t consider the pain he was causing her.

  Okay, get a grip here, Hanna, she told herself.

  It was entirely possible the flowers actually were from a grateful patient, and not Vince. And the calls could be a coincidence. It didn’t have to mean Vince was here in South Dakota, lurking around somewhere. And if he was, the fact he’d sent the flowers to her work might mean he didn’t know where she lived.

  Convincing herself that there was no need to pack her bags just yet, she smoothed out her skirt and adjusted her blazer before marching into Matt’s office. Whether she was actually in danger or not, she knew she was in no shape to see patients right now.

  “Matt, I think I’m coming down with something. I feel really horrible. Is it okay if I go home early?” she said, peeking her head into his office after a couple of knocks.

  “Of course,” he replied, sounding concerned. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “No, no. I just need some rest. I’ll let you know how I’m doing tomorrow morning and have Jasmine cancel my appointments for today,” she replied.

  “Alright. I hope you feel better soon.”

  “Thanks,” she smiled before closing the door.

  She quickly grabbed her purse from her office before telling Jasmine what was going on. The woman also told her to get well soon and promised to take care of everything as far as the day’s appointments went.

  Hanna felt slightly guilty for lying to everyone, but she didn’t know what else to do. She definitely hadn’t wanted to give Finn and Foster the brush-off, but it seemed like the only option.

  Having already told Finn some of her fucked-up story, she didn’t feel like dumping even more of her past on them. And before she started spreading panic around, she should make sure the situation was what she thought it was.

  Feeling on edge as she walked to her car, she kept her head on a swivel, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary. Since she wasn’t exactly trained in spotting suspicious people or memorizing makes and models of cars she had seen around, she didn’t see anything suspicious.

  Of course she knew what kind of car Vince drove back in Florida, but he could have a different vehicle by now, so that information was pretty useless. Just in case someone was in fact following her, and knowing Vince and his friends, she wouldn’t rule that out, she drove around town for a while before heading home.

  She even went as far as parking two blocks away from her apartment building and walking the rest of the way.

  So if he knows the car I drive, he can’t use it to track down where I live.

  Hanna was fully aware she might be totally overreacting. But like the saying went, she’d rather be safe than sorry. Walking the familiar way home and passing by the business fronts and buildings that had started to feel comfortingly familiar to her, she couldn’t help but feel tense and restless, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

  Circling around her apartment building until she was sure no one was following her, she finally ducked inside, heart racing as she climbed the steps to her floor. Only when the two deadbolts were locked and the door chain in place did she feel somewhat calmer.

  Sinking onto her couch, she pulled out her phone from her purse, staring at the screen, waiting for it to ring again. Fortunately, it didn’t. But that didn’t make her feel a whole lot better. And she had promised to talk to Finn and Foster.

  She knew she was too freaked out right now to even contemplate leaving her apartment, nor did she want them to catch on something was wrong with her. They had their own problems to deal with, and they didn’t need to be distracted by her paranoid delusions.

  So as much as she wanted to see them, she knew she couldn’t.

  I can’t believe I’m letting Vince fuck with my life again, she thought, as her fingers tapped against her phone screen.

  Thirty-One

  Finn

  “Did you get the same message?” Finn asked, holding his phone screen up for Foster to read.

  Sitting at the back booth of their favorite bar, they were both nursing a beer, neither of them in the best of moods. The buzz of conversation filled the room, but it wasn’t loud enough to bother them.

  “Home sick, I’ll call you tomorrow when I’m feeling better,” Foster sounded out the words. “Yep, that’s the same as mine,” he confirmed.

  “Do you think she’s actually sick?”

  “I don’t know,” Foster sighed. “There was something up with her.”

  “That’s the vibe I got,” Finn agreed. “Maybe she just needs some space?”

  “And when has that ever been a good thing?”

  Finn was trying hard not to jump to the most negative conclusions, but his need to see Hanna again was probably clouding his judgment. Stretching out his legs under the small wooden table in front of them, he knew it was too early to worry about her blowing them off.

  It was the first time they’d wanted to make plans with Hanna like this, it wasn’t like she’d been avoiding them for days and days.

  Yet he had to agree with Foster’s assessment – something had seemed different about her. Whether it was cold feet or just a cold, he couldn’t be sure of, though.

  Maybe she just isn’t ready for a relationship, and one as complicated as this, no less, Finn wondered, thinking back on what Hanna had told him about her ex.

  Finn got the feeling there was a lot more to this Vince guy that Hanna hadn’t told her, but he hadn’t wanted to push her into revealing more than she was comfortable with. And hadn’t he himself thought he wasn’t ready for a relationship?

  Could it be that taking it slow was the right thing to do? He still had a way to go toward expressing his grief without turning it into anger, and Hanna was probably still dealing with the fact she had to leave her home because of her ex.

  The thought of her being so scared by that scumbag she had to leave everything behind made his bear growl and his hands clench around his pitcher of beer. But like she had said, that was in the past. There was nothing he could do about that now.

  And while he wanted nothing more than to see Hanna again, he knew he had to respect her boundaries. Especially after her last relationship turned out so poorly.

  “If she isn’t ready to meet with us right now, we have to respect that,” he said aloud, summarizing his thoughts. “We have another session with her the day after tomorrow, so it’s not like we’re never going to see her again.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. No need to rush things, anyway,” Foster replied.

  But for some reason, the words didn’t seem all that convincing.

  Sitting on that familiar blue couch, with Foster by his side and Hanna sitting opposite them, Finn was feeling uneasy as he watched the clock tick away the last minutes of the session.

  Hanna had been even more adamant that they not use session time for personal matters. But this time, Finn had talked to Jasmine to make sure Hanna didn’t have any appointments right after this one. He wasn’t going to let her rush them out of here again without telling them what was really going on.

  “You don’t have anyone else coming in. I think it’s time we talk about us,” Finn said, settling into the couch and giving her a look that said he wasn’t moving.

  “You’re holding something back. What is it?” Foster asked.

  Hanna sighed in her seat, setting her notepad aside. Measuring both of them with her gaze, she must have concluded their stubbornness outweighed hers.

  “There are some personal things I have to deal with. It has nothing to do with you. Even though it scares the hell out of me, I want to see where this could go. You have to know by now that I care about you?” she said.

  Finn had to smile at that.

  “I had my suspicions,” he replied.

  �
��I want to see you tonight. But here, we have to act like everything is normal. At least while you’re still my patients,” Hanna said.

  “Then we’ll make this quick,” Foster grinned, getting to his feet. “I’d like to take my time, but like you said… People might get suspicious.”

  Finn was already catching his drift, but Hanna looked confused.

  “Suspicious about what?” she asked, her brow knitting together.

  Eyes hungrily roaming over Hanna, Finn got up as well. Foster was already closing in on her, circling her chair.

  “Foster…” she objected weakly, when his hands slid down to rub her shoulders. “This is not the place,” she added, even though she was already relaxing against his touch, muscles winding down and head falling back.

  Seeing her slowly lose control spurred Finn on, her eyes fluttering shut reminding him of that amazing night back in Shifter Grove. All he wanted was to have her again, to forget the distance seeming to rise up between them despite her reassurances.

  So he knelt down in front of her, slowly sliding off her heels and running his fingers up the smooth skin of her legs. Hanna looked down at him, somewhat shocked at first as his hands slipped under her skirt and started pushing it up. But then she smiled at him, her eyes hazy and her body going limp.

  “You two are going to get me in trouble,” she whispered, but she sounded more amused by the statement than anything.

  “Trouble is kind of our thing,” Foster replied, before bending down to kiss her.

  With his hands crawling up her inner thighs, his bear growling deep in his chest, and Hanna melting in their arms, Finn felt like everything might actually work out. They had probably overreacted when Hanna told them she was sick and couldn’t see them. Obviously she still had feelings for them, she’d said as much.

  Which was good, because Finn was sure of one thing now – Hanna was their mate. There was no denying it anymore. He had felt it the first time they kissed. It was probably why he was feeling so protective and possessive of her. Now that he’d found her, he wasn’t going to let her go.

  It didn’t occur to him he might not have a choice in the matter.

  Thirty-Two

  Hanna

  Running a hand over her hair and righting her skirt, Hanna sat down at her desk, smiling to herself like an idiot. It had only been about five minutes since Foster and Finn left, and she was already looking forward to seeing them again.

  Clearly they wanted that, too, as they had made her promise to call them tonight, no matter what. She had no plans to disappoint them. Still on an endorphin high, and still feeling their touch all over her body, she sighed as she sank deeper into her chair.

  This was the most optimistic she’d felt in a while. It had been two days since the mysterious flowers, and while she still hadn’t found out who they were from, she at least hadn’t had any more weird phone calls. She had been hypervigilant about her surroundings, and hadn’t spotted any cars or people following her around.

  With all that in mind, she’d been able to relax a little. It was entirely possible she had overreacted, and there was actually nothing to worry about. Vince was probably still back in Florida, doing whatever it was he did.

  Her life here in Sioux Falls was really coming together. She was genuinely excited about the future, in no small part thanks to Finn and Foster. The excitement she felt thinking about giving this budding relationship a real shot almost made her giddy.

  It wasn’t going to be easy, she knew that. Firstly, they had to wait until the brothers were no longer her patients until they could think about going out in public together. And when that finally happened, there were sure to be some questioning looks and raised eyebrows. Especially since the brothers were so well-known around here.

  How could I even begin to explain how I’m in a romantic relationship with both of them at the same time? I don’t even fully understand it myself.

  But then she found herself thinking, why should she explain anything to anyone? They were all adults capable of making their own decisions. And with how happy the brothers made her, it felt like trying to justify the relationship would kind of mean she was apologizing for that happiness.

  Fuck that. I finally feel like this new start could be even better than the life I left behind, and I’m not going to let what other people may think ruin that for me, she resolved.

  It was scary, admitting to herself that she was falling, fast and deep, for the men, and there was nothing she could do about it. This was what her heart wanted, and she couldn’t fight it if she tried. Being around them felt so right, she couldn’t even imagine being without them anymore.

  And to think, I almost let my prejudice about them being shifters get in the way. Vince wasn’t a controlling, abusive jerk because he was a shifter, he was just a shitty person.

  Running on the high of almost not being able to wait to see what the future brought, Hanna’s day flew past. The group session she had scheduled for that day went without a hitch, without even a single rant or outburst from Jake. That was a first, and she was happy to see how the man was making progress.

  So when she finished up work at around five, she still had a smile on her face on the way to the parking lot. To put her mind entirely at ease, though, she still circled around town a bit before heading toward her apartment building. And she still parked two blocks away.

  I could use the exercise anyway, she justified it to herself.

  Truth was, there was still a small, nagging part of her brain that wouldn’t let her put Vince completely out of her mind. Without even meaning to, she was reverting back to how she used to move around when she first got to Sioux Falls - keeping her eyes open to her surroundings while trying not to look like she was watching out for something.

  So when she passed by a barber shop and caught her reflection in the mirror, it was that instinct to stay inconspicuous that kept her feet moving when she recognized a familiar silhouette on the other side of the street.

  Keeping her eyes low, she risked another glance at the reflective glass, feeling like her heart was about to burst out of her chest. Her thoughts turned into a blur, and for a moment, she didn’t even remember where she was or where she was headed. One thing was certain though.

  Vince is here, across the street, come to drag me back by any means necessary.

  How she managed to keep walking, she didn’t even know. It felt like she was running on pure adrenaline, with the edges of her vision turning hazy and her heartbeat deafening in her ears.

  Her survival instincts kicked in after a couple of moments, though, as her mind suddenly went from blank to rushing forward a mile a minute. She was reasonably sure Vince wasn’t aware she had spotted him, so she had that going, at least. And she wasn’t at her apartment building yet, which meant there was a chance he didn’t know where she lived.

  Trying to use all that to her advantage, Hanna put all her efforts toward coming up with a plan. Still strolling down the street, doing her best to look like she didn’t have a care in the world, she kept her eyes on the businesses she was passing by.

  When she got to the pizza place she’d stopped by at a couple of times, she quickly ducked inside. The guy at the counter was busy taking an order over the phone, so she slipped past him and made her way toward the back.

  There near the bathrooms, making her sigh in relief, was a back door. She was almost too scared to try and open in in case it was closed, but looking over her shoulder, she knew she had to try.

  Her fingers coiled around the cold metal of the door handle, and to her surprise, the door opened easily when she pushed it. Craning her neck to see if anyone was looking, she slipped outside, looking both ways as she did. The back of the pizza place faced some residential buildings with a small path leading back to the street.

  Without even thinking, Hanna ran toward the buildings, weaving between them until she could no longer see the pizza place or the street anymore. It wasn’t an easy feat on heels, but at least she di
dn’t sprain an ankle or anything.

  Slowing down and catching her breath, she took side-roads to get to her apartment building, obsessively looking over her shoulder the whole time.

  When she finally reached it and ran up the stairs, a shiver ran down her back as she fumbled with her keys before getting inside. This time, hearing the locks click into place did nothing to soothe her frayed nerves.

  With trembling fingers, she got out her phone. She really wanted to call Foster and Finn, but that didn’t seem like an option anymore. Now that she knew for sure Vince had tracked her to Sioux Falls, there was no way she was putting the men in danger by getting them involved.

  Tapping the call button, she pressed the phone to hear ear. A male voice picked up after a couple of rings. She was afraid her voice was shaky, but surprisingly, her words came out even and calm, despite the anguish in the pit of her stomach. This wasn’t what she wanted to do, but what choice did she have?

  “Hey, Matt. It’s me, Hanna,” she said. “I’m afraid this is my formal notice of resignation.”

  Thirty-Three

  Foster

  Foster woke up with a hollow feeling in his stomach. Hanna hadn’t called like she’d promised. Worried that something was wrong, or that she was sick again, both he and Finn tried to reach her, but only got back a short text about her being busy.

  What is going on? This seems so unlike her.

  Hanna had never struck him as someone who would break promises like this. And she had seemed more like herself yesterday, when they’d had some fun after the session was over. The memory of that almost made him smile, but he couldn’t. Not when she was back to avoiding both him and Finn.