Authors: Brittany White
Chapter One
Sage West took a deep breath as she stepped out of the bus. She’d decided to run until she hit the mountains, and the small mountain town of New Loveland was definitely the end of the line. It meekly admitted to a population of only several thousand, but the tourists flocked to this town that enjoyed a breathtaking mountain view and a clear and clean river that ran straight through town. As soon as she had both feet on the ground, she knew that this could be home.
The small picturesque buildings were painted in bright colors, and the sidewalks were packed with people. Sage had read that this place attracted people year round from their annual autumn harvest festivals and Christmas decorations to their spring flings and summer exploring expeditions. She was ready to shed her old life, and there was no better place to sell her unwanted possessions than the eager town of New Loveland.
She pulled up the email on her phone and glanced at the address. The woman she’d been talking to was situated in the 400 block of Main Street, and the bus stop was on the 200 block of Main Street. Glancing at the numbers, she turned herself around and headed to the rental office.
“Welcome! Welcome!” a little old lady toddled out of the back and came to greet Sage warmly. “You must the lovely Ms. West. It’s been so exciting talking to you these past few weeks. I just love the idea of picking up and starting somewhere new! So adventurous!”
Sage cringed as the woman touched her. It wasn’t so much an adventure as it was a necessity. Her old life had nothing left to offer her. “It’s been a long few days. I’d like to go ahead and get my key so I can get settled,” she said softly.
“Of course! You’ll just need to sign the rental agreement. Even though the apartment and shop are in one building, Mr. Weathers used to loan it out separately, so you’ll need to sign both agreements.”
Sage picked up the pen and signed her name in big loopy letters. “Will I need to send you two separate checks for the properties?”
“That’s something you can discuss with Mr. Weathers. Since he lives next door, I’m sure you could just drop the money off with him. He probably won’t mind one check.” The woman hesitated for a moment. “He’s usually fairly agreeable, but if he gives you any trouble, you can simply do all of your transactions through us. He’s actually quite attractive. You might enjoy getting to know him!”
Sage denied herself the pleasure of rolling her eyes. “I’m here because of men,” she said. “I’m not really in the mood to get to know a new one.”
The rental lady clicked her teeth sympathetically before handing her the keys. “Okay, you’re all set. You can, of course, walk to it from here, but there is a car rental place just down the street.”
“Walking is fine. I wanted a place where I could walk everywhere.”
“Excellent! Well if you’ll just walk towards the mountains until you get to Sara Beth’s Diner, and that’s where you’ll fine the best meal around, take a left, you’ll find your street just another block or two past that. If you have any questions or you get lost, don’t hesitate to call! We’re always excited to get some newcomers moving in here!”
Sage nodded. She wanted to shy away from any warm welcomes, but she needed a presence within the community if her shop was going to be successful. “Oh! One other thing. I had some boxes shipped here. Do you know if they’ve arrived?”
The woman’s eyes widened, and she nodded quickly. “Yes. Mr. Weather was…erm…gracious enough to keep the boxes in your new place. That’s quite a bit that you had shipped over.”
“Inventory,” Sage said with a smile. “Okay, well thank you for all your help. I’m sure I’ll have some questions about the town as I get going.”
“Good luck settling in and let us know when the store is up and running!” The woman waved energetically as Sage stepped cautiously out of the office.
She exhaled slowly. Talking to new people was exhausting, and that woman would have kept here there for hours if she’d let her. She followed the woman’s directions until she finally came to a beautiful empty shop encased in glass that was two stories tall. She inserted the key into the store and felt herself shiver with excitement as she entered it. It was completely bare, but it was the right size for what she wanted. With a few shelves and display cases, this would make a great start.
She ran her fingers along the wall as she moved up the stairs to check out the apartment. There she found a man lounging in the hallways, studying her.
She shrieked. “Christ. You scared the shit out of me,” she accused him.
He had dark brown hair that curled at the nape of his neck and beautiful golden flashing eyes that immediately gave him away.
Shifter. He was a shifter. She felt herself stiffen, and she prayed that this wasn’t her landlord. She’d had enough experience with shifters to last a lifetime.
“Davis Weathers,” he said gruffly. “I’m your landlord.”
Crap. She tried to give him a small smile. “Sage West.”
“I know. Why did you send all your crap here before you moved in? I could have left it out on the street to rot,” he muttered.
Irritation flashed through her. “The lady at the rental office said my things would be taken care of if they arrived before I got here.”
“She doesn’t own this place. I do.”
“I didn’t have your number. I had hers,” Sage snapped back. “Are we going to have a problem here? All I wanted was a nice quiet place to live and set up a small store. If you’re unable to provide that, please let me know now before I get settled in. I hate packing.”
An amused smile played out on his lips. “Welcome to New Loveland,” he said softly. “Rent is due on the first of each month.”
“Thank you,” she said coldly. She turned and froze when she saw two doors. “Why are there two entrances to the apartment?”
“The one on the left is my apartment. The one on the right is yours.”
She whirled around. “You live above the store? They said you lived next door. I assumed they meant a different building.”
“You assumed wrong. Are we going to have a problem, Ms. West?”
Desire coiled like a snake slowly inside her as she stared at those lips. She didn’t know whether she wanted to slap that smile off his face or kiss him. Unnerved, she shook her head. “It’s fine,” she muttered. She shoved her key in the lock and felt a little relief when it swung open. She didn’t even say good night as she slammed it shut.
God. The gorgeous shifter shared an actual wall with her. But it didn’t matter. She was done with them. All she wanted now was to be alone.
She was tall. Davis normally found himself with shorter women, but he loved that fact that she could meet his eye. She had curves in all the right places, an ass that would nicely fit in the palms of his hands, and thick red hair that he wanted to twist his fingers in.
Damn. He hadn’t known that his tenant was going to be a knock out. Or that she’d come with such an attitude either. He’d felt the vibrations between them as soon as he laid eyes on her, and he had a sneaking suspicion that this woman might be more than just a pretty face to him.
Davis had been second-in-command of his lion pride five years ago, but when he’d bedded the alpha’s wife, he’d been kicked out. It wasn’t his fault. He didn’t know his alpha had brought a wife home from his vacation, and although he’d ousted the woman as a shifter addict, his alpha was still none to pleased.
Two years ago, his alpha had finally found and married his mate, and he’d reached out to Davis and asked him to come home. Davis had refused. It wasn’t that he was angry with his alpha, but here, he didn’t have to worry about being in charge. He had a sense of freedom that was rare for him.
He was unattached, and he loved it.
He wasn’t the only shifter in the community. There was a wolf, a cheetah, several owls, an otter, and even a bear, but they were all submissive. He was the only alpha shifter in the town, and he found it irritating when the other shifters came to him for advice. They needed a leader, and he wasn’t willing to step up to the plate. The community begged him to help control them. The shifters, away from their packs, were often temperamental and difficult. Davis was no different, but he wasn’t here for that. He was here to be free.
He should avoid Sage West. It was clear that the beautiful woman would probably cause trouble, and he didn’t want trouble. He should have kicked her out when the first ten boxes arrived, but instead he’d hauled them in and carefully stacked them so they wouldn’t get damaged.
Even their conversation just now proved that he should end this business relationship. She clearly had a chip on her shoulder, and he didn’t need to deal with that, but instead, he’d let it go. He’d even been amused when she snapped back.
People rarely talked back to him.
So he’d keep his distance. He didn’t need trouble. He certainly didn’t need trouble from a beautiful woman.
Chapter Two
She slept soundly for a solid twelve hours. The past few weeks had been filled with gut wrenching sobbing, screaming, packing, and traveling. It wasn’t until Sage’s head hit the pillow in the furnished apartment that she finally realized what she’d done.
She’d left Connor. After two years of dating and an engagement announcement, she’d finally realized what had happened. She’d been swept up in all this talk of mating that she hadn’t even realized that she wasn’t in love with him. She never had been. She’d jumped from a shifter she loved who had never loved her to a shifter who simply loved to control women.
He’d proclaimed her his mate on day two, and she’d been swept away by his declaration. It wasn’t until she realized how many other women he’d been screwing to realize that he’d been lying to her. She wasn’t his mate, and if she’d taken the time to analyze the situation, she would have realized it.
Of course, Connor still wanted to marry her. He’d devoted his best years to cultivating their relationship and making her the perfect woman. So she’d packed in the middle of the night and left. If she didn’t, she knew she’d never leave him. He knew all the right things to say to make her stay.
She was long gone by the time the wolf had woken up, and although he threatened to come find her, she knew he wouldn’t. He had too much pride to drag her back. He’d find a new woman and who knows? Maybe the next one would actually be his mate.
When she’d finally woken up in the strange room, she was alarmed. She hadn’t slept that well in a long time, and she had no idea where she was. But the smell on the strange sheets lured her back into comfort, and she snuggled in them as she tried to decide what to do next.
The landlord, Davis, had agreed to furnish the apartment, but she wanted her own things. That would be step one. Buy her own furniture. Connor had been loaded, and he showered her with gift throughout their relationship, and now she was going to use those gifts to buy her own life.
He, at the very least, owed her that.
She was so excited by the thought of her own freedom that she decided to get started right away. She tossed the unfamiliar sheets aside and put on her slippers before padding down the stairs. As she surveyed the boxes with a sense of glee, she didn’t even think to check the time. Under the silvery glint of the moonlight, she began to unpack her things.
The sound of a drill woke him up. He was instantly alert as he rolled over and checked the clock. Three o’clock in the morning.
Someone was breaking in.
Thinking of all of Sage’s possessions in the store downstairs, he was immediately on his feet and creeping down the stairs. The sight startled him.
She was bent over a box, dressed in black yoga pants and a blue tank-top, and he could see her heavy breasts swinging as she dug through it, muttering to herself.
A shock of desire went through him as she swept her hair to the side, and he stared that the beautiful curve of her neck. He wanted to trace his lips over it and taste her.
“What the hell are you doing?” he roared instead.
She shrieked and immediately held the drill like it was a gun. Seeing that it was only Davis, she relaxed. “Why do you keep scaring me?”
“It’s the middle of the night. Why are you drilling into my store?” he growled.
“What? You’re not a nocturnal shifter?” She shrugged. “Sorry. I wanted to get started right away.”
“I’m a lion,” he said softly. “Do you have a problem with that?”
“I have a problem with you scaring the shit out of me every chance that you get,” she snapped.
“Well I have a problem with you drilling in the middle of the night.”
He watched as her shoulders dropped in defeat. “You’re right. It was rude of me. I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I slept for a long time. I just needed to start moving.”
Davis saw sadness cloud her eyes, and he immediately cursed himself. Why did he have to be so abrasive? He wanted to go and wrap his arms around her, but that would make them both uncomfortable. “I’m used to it being quiet here,” he said gruffly. “I’ll have to get used to is not being so quiet here.”
She put the drill down carefully. “I was putting up curtains, but that can wait until after the sun rises. Is it okay if I continue to at least move some things out of boxes? I’d like to go to the hardware store in the morning for shelves, and I need to know how many to get.”
“That’s fine.” Davis’s eyes wandered over the things she’d already unpacked, and his eyes widened. She had quite a bit of expensive jewelry, a collection of figurines, music boxes, and some hand painted home décor items. “Did you have a shop before?”
She reddened. “No. All of this is personal items.”
Jesus. Clearly, he should have asked for more in rent. “And you decided to move to New Loveland?”
He watched as she deliberately turned. “Some of these were gift from my ex-fiancée. I’d like to get rid of them. Some of them were things that I’ve made or designed. That’s what I’d really like to sell, but hopefully the jewelry and figurines will pull enough money in for me to start crafting again.”
An ex-fiancée? Clearly they didn’t leave on good terms. After all, the rental office had called to say that a young woman needed a place to stay immediately, and she’d wanted to open up a store. It sounded like a rash decision.
“Do I have to worry about this ex-fiancée coming back for his things?” Davis asked carefully. He felt this insane need to protect her.
She shook her head. “Connor was pissed when I left, but he’s not going to put the effort in to come for me. I left him his ring, and these things are mine to do with whatever I please.
Davis nodded. “Okay. I’m going back to bed, but I’ll help you install the shelves tomorrow if you’d like.”
“That’s not necessary,” she said quickly.
He shrugged. If she wanted to put up her own damn shelves, she could. “Fine. Keep the noise level down. I do have to work in the morning.”
She looked up sharply. “Work? What do you do?”
“I’m a business consultant.”
She snorted, and he raised his eyebrows. “Is there a problem?”
“No,” she said as she looked at him. For the first time during their encounter, he realized that he wasn’t wearing a shirt. “You just don’t look like you sit behind a desk all day.”
“See something that you like, Ms. West?” he purred.
She turned beet red. “I’ll be quiet. I’m sorry I disturbed you,” she said stiffly.
She went back to pulling things out of their boxes, and he realized that she was dismissing him. It irked him that she thought she could wave him off like that, but the idea that she was disturbed by him turned him on.
She wanted him, and if he played his cards right, he was going to have her.
She exhaled softly when he was no longer in her view. God, the muscles on that man’s chest would make any woman wet. Because he was a shifter, she expected he’d be hairy, but there wasn’t a strand of hair on that hard and golden chest of his. It almost seemed to beg for her touch, and if she weren’t standing so far away, she probably would have complied.
His pants had hung low on his hips, and her eyes traveled more than once down the V that peeked out from his waistband. Even Connor hadn’t been so sculpted, and he’d had the best body Sage had ever seen.
Before now, of course.
“Get it together,” she told herself sternly. “Not only are you swearing off men, but you are swearing off shifters. No more. You don’t need a man to make you happy.”
She chanted it over and over again in her head, but she knew her body wasn’t buying it. Only a man was going to ease that ache that had begun between her legs.
And that shifter would have done nicely, she knew.
But for Christ sake, what kind of independent woman would she be if she jumped the bones of her landlord the second night that she was here? A few weeks without sex shouldn’t have made her that desperate.
But it wasn’t the lack of sex. It was that man. And she knew it.
So she buried herself in her work in the hopes of pushing all thought of Davis Weathers out of her mind. Soon, she had all of her things lined up on the floor and stuffed under the counter. From the looks of things, she already had enough to fill the store. She would just need to start figuring out how to display it.
She’d lost track of time, and it wasn’t until she felt the hairs on her neck raise and she whirled around that she realized it was already morning. Davis was dressed in a suit, and he was lounging at the bottom of the stairs as he watched her.
Like a predator sizing up his prey.
She swallowed hard. He filled out his white button up nicely, and because he was not wearing a tie and chose instead to keep the top buttons of his shirt undone, she could only picture what he looked like underneath that suit.
“Undressing me you eyes already, Ms. West?” he asked teasingly.
She jumped. “It’s just a surprise to see how well you clean up, Mr. Weathers,” she said primly.
“Keep staring at me like, and you’re going to be surprised to see how dirty I can be as well.”
She glared at him. “Please don’t let me keep you,” she said coldly. It wasn’t fair how he could affect her so when she barely knew him.
“Please wait until I get home tonight before you start putting up shelves. I would prefer it if you didn’t damage my walls,” he said as he made his way to the door.
She made a face. “How hard can it be to put up some shelves?” she said, but the door was already closing.
Sage fumed as she watched his back retreat. Did he seriously think that she couldn’t put up shelves? Well she would show him.
She didn’t need him, his drool worthy body, or that gorgeous face. He didn’t know her. She had everything under control.
Five hours later, she was staring at the hole she’d accidently made in his wall.
Shit. Shit, shit, shit.