Double Bear Trouble: Werebear BBW Menage Romance (Hockey Bear Season Book 1) Page 4

The thought didn’t sound particularly convincing, and Dante was beginning to notice how anxious she really was.

  “You must be in a real hurry to get to that party. I hope there’s not a guy there waiting for you.”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know,” she shot back, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “And I don’t think not wanting to be stuck in an elevator is all that weird.”

  “Alright, let’s see what we can do to get out of here. We can laugh about all of this over drinks,” he winked, and she found herself forcing away the smile hovering over her lips.

  He is not charming! she told herself, managing a more serious expression.

  “If we’re stuck between floors, the door to the floor should still be open. If I can get this latch open,” he said, reaching for the ceiling, “I could climb out and get some help.”

  Seeing his muscles bulge even under his expensive, exquisitely fitting suit as he got on his tiptoes and pushed on the latch almost distracted her from the terror that suddenly flowed through her veins. Being stuck in an elevator was bad enough, but being stuck in one alone? The only thing keeping her somewhat calm right now was Dante’s presence, as much as she hated to admit that.

  The confidence he exuded was reassuring, and his comments, even though crude, kept her mind away from how trapped she felt. But she wasn’t going to admit any of that to Dante.

  “The latch is too high. There’s no way you’re going to be able to push it open and climb up,” she argued. “And don’t you dare jump.”

  “Do you have a better idea?”

  Scrambling to come up with something that didn’t leave her alone in the elevator without letting Dante know how afraid she was, Chloe blurted out the first plan that came to her mind.

  “You can give me a boost and I can see if we can get out that way,” she said, pointing her chin at the ceiling.

  He gave her an odd look.

  “I don’t know… It sounds too dangerous.”

  “Are you arguing because I’m a girl?” she asked, raising a challenging brow.

  “I’m not walking into that trap,” he replied, holding up his hands.

  Thought so, Chloe grinned to herself.

  “Okay, get ready,” she said, kicking off her heels, committing to her hair-brained scheme, if for no other reason than to not think about the present situation. “Keep your eyes on the floor, and not up my skirt, okay?”

  “No promises,” Dante smiled, lacing his fingers together and holding out his hands.

  What an ass, she thought with a roll of her eyes, even as a part of her wanted to smile back at him.

  And find out what his ass really looked like.

  Balancing herself by grabbing onto his broad shoulders, Chloe stepped onto his hands. Popping her head out into an elevator shaft was not something she was keen on doing, but it beat the alternative.

  What has my pride gotten me into? she briefly wondered, her fingers already pushing the latch open.

  Seven

  Chloe

  Her body brushed against Dante’s as she pushed herself upwards, making her skin hum with electricity. He lifted her with ease, and before she knew it she was holding on to the edge of the elevator, her toes dangling in the air as Dante had to let go of her because she was so high up. Craning her neck, she tried to see if the door to the next floor was open, when the sound of metal on metal startled her, making her stop mid-motion.

  The elevator groaned back to life with a jolt, making her instinctively let go of the edge and sending her falling backwards. Letting out a panicked little yelp, she landed right in Dante’s strong arms.

  Cradled against his firm chest, she was having trouble forming a coherent thought. His blue eyes bore into hers, before flicking to her mouth, making her lips part slightly on their own volition.

  The elevator kept climbing upwards but they were stuck in their own bubble now, his hands on her body and his face so close to hers… If she just moved her neck a little bit, she could press her lips to his.

  That would be a terrible idea, her thoughts whispered, but she was beyond the point of caring.

  Dante leaned in, his warm breath falling on her face, when the elevator came to a stop. They were suspended in motion for a second, Dante obviously reluctant to give up on the would-be kiss, and Chloe wishing he wouldn’t.

  Gently setting her back down on her feet, Dante reluctantly released her. Her body felt cold now that she wasn’t in his warm embrace, and she cursed herself for even considering letting him kiss her.

  The doors opened as she hurried to get her shoes back on, music and chatter filling the elevator in an instant. Whatever moment she had shared with Dante in the elevator, it was over now. She let out a relieved breath, marching out of the elevator.

  “Now how about that drink?” Dante whispered close to her ear, falling into step beside her.

  “Yeah, uh…” she stammered, looking for an excuse to get rid of him. “I would but I promised to catch up with a friend…” she said, her eyes frantically scanning the crowd of ex and present employees picking at hors d'oeuvres and tipping back champagne. “And there she is right now! Sally, hey!” she exclaimed, making a beeline for the blonde woman leaning against the bar.

  “Later, then,” Dante called out, the words laced with heat. “I’ll be waiting.”

  Gulping, Chloe joined Sally at the bar, gesturing to the guy behind the counter that she would be having whatever Sally was having. She and Sally had always gotten along and while them having an agreement to catch up was a lie, she was still glad to be able to say goodbye to the woman.

  “Chloe,” Sally nodded. “Good to see you. You were never a jerk to me, and I appreciate that,” she said, her words slurring a bit.

  “Thanks, I guess,” Chloe laughed. “I’m sure you’ll land on your feet, Sally. You were a good agent.”

  “Apparently not good enough. But hey, at least I get to get wasted on the company dime before I’m kicked to the curb, right?” Sally said with a nudge and a wink.

  The bartender handed Chloe some fruity cocktail and she took a sip, swirling the sugar around in her mouth. The free booze was lost on her as she rarely drank, except when Amy declared enough was enough and dragged her ass out to bars in an attempt to make her life a little less dull.

  “You know what I won’t miss though?” Sally asked, waving her glass in the air. “Pompous jerks that think they can do whatever they want just because they have more money than you.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever had to deal with that. The guys I helped manage could be a little rowdy, but…” Chloe started.

  “Well, now that you got that promotion, you better get ready. I’m telling you, I’ve never met anyone more full of themselves than those two iceheads. Shifter hockey is bigger than ever, and it’s definitely made some people’s heads big.”

  Sally motioned wildly with her hands, evidently trying to describe how big those heads had really gotten. All Chloe could do was nod and try to steer the conversation… well, anywhere.

  “I’ve never been much into hockey… I mean, I know the game, but I haven’t kept up with it. The Shifter Grove Shovelers just won the playoffs, right?”

  “That’s right. I’m almost glad my guys weren’t on the winning team this season. If those egos get any more inflated, they might pop like a balloon,” Sally said, giggling to herself.

  “That bad, huh?”

  Chloe sipped on her drink, leaning an elbow on the bar.

  “The stories I could tell… The women, the practical jokes, the immature behavior, the lavish expenses… Did I mention the women? No wonder they think they’re God’s gift when girls keep throwing themselves at them.”

  “Sounds like your regular jerk to me. Except for the money.”

  The clients she had helped manage when she was still an assistant sports agent were not all the same. There were the womanizers, of course. And those who liked to flaunt what they had. But mostly, her clients were people who worked and traine
d hard, wanted to be the best at what they did and looked to give back to the community.

  Then again, she’d been working with the middle-tier crop. The regional finalists, the college athletes not being talked about on a national scale. Up and comers, some, but more often than not just people determined to make the best of what they had at the time being, knowing it could hardly last.

  It seemed Sally’s clients had all the questionable traits and none of the good ones. Minnesota definitely had its share of puck bunnies and the National Shifter Hockey League was full of built, handsome men. Even more so than the regular league.

  Shifters had been out in the open for a while now, and while they’d integrated into society pretty painlessly, they were still markedly different from regular humans. Their animal side made them stronger, more agile and heightened their senses. Which meant they had to make their own way in certain areas.

  Sports was one of those areas. Pitting a werebear or a weretiger against a human was unfair by any standard, so shifters made their own standards. More often than not, the shifter version of the sport became as popular as the regular version, if not more.

  Without meaning to, she found her gaze sweeping across the room, searching for Dante. He was chatting with some guy Chloe had never seen before, probably someone from higher up in management.

  Standing casually and holding a glass of what she guessed was scotch, he looked more like an action movie hero than a real person. From the way the other women in the room were stealing glances at him, she wasn’t the only one to notice that.

  As if he had somehow sensed she was watching, he turned and shot her a roguish grin, raising his glass at her. Chloe quickly looked away, angry at herself for even glancing in his direction.

  Like he needs a reason to be even more arrogant.

  Dante was probably just like the men Sally had described. Looking for a challenge, a new notch in his bedpost. Fortunately, she could avoid him. And hopefully, she’d be able to avoid clients like Sally’s two hockey players, as well.

  So when she saw Dante wrap up his talk and head towards her, she quickly said her goodbyes to Sally and slipped into the crowd, vowing to stay as far away from him as possible.

  I am not going to be another one of his conquests, she thought, even as her stomach filled with butterflies at the mere sight of him.

  Eight

  Dominic

  “Dante?” Dominic called out, banging on his brother’s door.

  They had arranged to meet at Dante’s house, to discuss their plans for next season. And to maybe play some Xbox, while they were at it. Dominic was, of course, about a half an hour late, like he always tended to be, but it wasn’t like this was some business meeting. It was brothers hanging out, and talking about their careers as pro hockey players.

  Timeliness was not a requisite.

  Sometimes I really love my life, Dominic grinned to himself.

  “Alright, you don’t have to break the door down,” his brother’s voice came from inside, before the door was pulled open.

  “You should give me a set of keys, you know,” Dominic said before strolling inside.

  “Why on earth would I do that?”

  “So I wouldn’t have to stand outside your door like an idiot? We hang out here most of the time, anyway.”

  “That’s because you choose to live in a loft.”

  Dante drew out the word with such disgust, one would think Dominic lived in a roach-infested basement or something. He didn’t. His place was actually a spacious, open-planned apartment in downtown Minneapolis, close to the heart of the city, just like he liked it.

  Not in the suburbs, like Dante’s house.

  “Excuse me, but hanging around soccer moms is not my idea of a good time, grandpa.”

  “And yet you’re here more often than not,” Dante scoffed. “Besides, I can drive into the city whenever I want.”

  “The fact you even say that tells me you’re missing the point entirely,” Dominic sighed, making himself at home on one of the couches in Dante’s large living room. “So, what did the doctor say?”

  Whatever good humor Dante had had when Dominic arrived, it seemed to evaporate immediately.

  “I made it worse by playing in that final game. I need to take it easy, or I might need surgery.”

  Dante sank into the couch opposite Dominic, wearing a sour expression. The seriousness of the situation didn’t escape Dominic, but he wasn’t going to let his brother wallow in this hole he’d dug for himself.

  Hockey was their life, there was no denying that. Injuries were part of the sport, but they were always taken seriously. Their body was their tool and livelihood, and it was way too easy to disregard your health while chasing the high of that next victory.

  But they’d recover. They always did.

  “Shit, man. That’s rough. But I wouldn’t worry too much about it. We’re bears, after all. Our bodies are made to take a beating and then bounce right back.”

  Dante didn’t look convinced.

  “This is the worst possible time to be taking it easy, though. We’re going to have to be at our best if we want a shot at making the Shovelers team. With the playoff victory in their pocket, they have their pick of players,” Dante said, letting his head hit the back of the couch.

  “They don’t have to know about your shoulder. We can keep a low profile, it’ll be fine by the beginning of the season,” Dominic assured him with a dismissive wave.

  “You’re going to keep a low profile? You’ve never met a party you didn’t like or a hot girl you didn’t want to fuck. And that’s not exactly the reputation the Shovelers are impressed by.”

  “They need to be impressed by my skills. Everything else is irrelevant. Now stop being so negative, you’re bumming me out,” Dominic said, waving the negativity away.

  “This is important,” Dante reminded him, making Dominic let out a frustrated sigh.

  “We’ll talk to our agent at TP and have him contact the Shovelers and let them know we’re interested in joining the team. That’s all we can do for now, so chill out.”

  “Our agent was fired, remember?”

  Right.

  “We’ll get a new one. In the meantime, you can talk to Janice.”

  “So you’re on board with the Shifter Grove Shovelers plan? You do realize that would mean spending a lot of time in the middle of nowhere, Idaho?”

  The thought of being stuck in a small town with limited cell reception and an even more limited pool of single women was somewhat daunting, Dominic had to admit. But he wouldn’t have to stay in Shifter Grove every second of every day. He’d find a way to keep himself stimulated, that much he was sure of.

  There were always away games.

  And being part of a winning team definitely had merits that outweighed having to wear snowshoes to get to the bar.

  “Work hard, play hard,” he grinned, shrugging his shoulders.

  “You’re incorrigible,” Dante sighed, but there was a smile on his lips. “That means-“

  “Spare me,” Dominic said, holding up a hand. “Okay, enough boring career stuff. Let me tell you about this girl I met when I went for a run yesterday.”

  “I skip one run and you’re already hitting on the poor women just trying to work out in peace,” Dante rolled his eyes.

  “For the record, she ran into me,” Dominic clarified.

  “Sure, she did.”

  Dominic didn’t let his brother’s remarks bother him. Not when just thinking about the mysterious woman who liked to pretend she was immune to his charms. Every curve of her body was etched into his mind, along with that gorgeous face of hers. She had a fire inside her, and while she had mostly used it to try and shut him down, he couldn’t help but wonder all the other ways it could be used.

  With the right touch, he had a feeling she would burn right through him. He had been distracted ever since that chance encounter, and he was determined to see her again.

  Would waiting for her ou
tside of her house be creepy? he wondered, forgetting all about his conversation with Dante for a moment. Yeah, definitely creepy. My best bet is to run into her again at the trail. A bit of cardio never hurt anyone, right?

  “You should have seen her, man. I think she might be the most beautiful woman in the world.”

  He could hardly believe the sappy sentiments coming out of his mouth, but whatever. She was worth it.

  “Did you get her number?”

  “I didn’t even get her name.”

  “Oh, I see what this is about,” Dante laughed. “She didn’t immediately fall at your feet, so now you’re obsessed with winning over the one that got away.”

  “It’s not like that,” Dominic protested, surprised at how defensive he got. “I have a feeling about her.”

  Dante grew serious at that.

  “What kind of feeling?” he probed.

  “You know. Like she might be the one.”

  “Your mate?” Dante scoffed. “I didn’t think you even believed in that crap.”

  “You know it’s not crap.”

  Fated mates were more than a concept for shifters, it was a biological truth, as real as their strength or superior senses. And while Dominic had never really discussed it with Dante before, he had always taken it seriously. Well, as seriously as he took anything.

  He wasn’t out looking for love, his lifestyle was proof of that. But he wasn’t against it, either. A mate was supposed to make a shifter better, stronger, happier. What could he possibly have against that?

  Considering how things were going lately, he could use a secret weapon.

  “I guess it’s not,” Dante murmured after a moment.

  “What? That was kind of a one-eighty,” Dominic commented.

  Even though Dante was only a few minutes older than him, he had always fallen into the more serious, jaded older brother role. While he was happy to go out and have a good time with Dominic, and had enough flings under his belt that he couldn’t really judge Dominic for his womanizing, he had never once expressed an interest in anything more.