Beauty And The BBQ (The Feminine Mesquite Book 2) Read online

  “He’s got a point,” admitted Savina. “Plus, Clove’s a witness.”

  “Fine, fine, let’s get this over with,” said Abigail. “Come on.”

  Abigail walked in front of Clove. At the front door, in the chilly wind, was Jason. He looked just like Abigail remembered. He was medium height, with a stocky build, dishwater brown hair and eyes. He was no prize, especially compared to the Nordic billion-heir in front of him. How she had felt anything resembling love for him was a mystery.

  “Jason,” said Abigail curtly.

  “Abby, baby,” said Jason.

  “Don’t ‘Abby, baby’ me,” said Abigail. “What the heck are you doing at my house?”

  “I’ve wanted to get back with you all semester,” said Jason. “Didn’t you get the letters I left in your box?”

  “You know I did. You work in the frikkin’ mail room,” said Abigail. “We’re over, Jason. I don’t want anything to do with you at all.”

  “Who’s this?” asked Jason. “Is this Clove?”

  Clove’s bear was put on edge. How did this puny, weak human know his name?

  “It doesn’t matter who he is,” said Abigail. “I want you off this porch and off my sister’s property before I have to call the sheriff.”

  “I’m not leaving until you agree to date me again,” said Jason defiantly and started to enter the house.

  “You heard the lady,” said Clove, stepping forward and blocking the man from entering the large double door entrance to the manor. “Get off her property and don’t bother her again.”

  “Or what?” asked Jason. “I’ll have her lover to deal with?”

  “My lover?” asked Abigail.

  “Yeah, I know all about Clove,” said Jason. “I didn’t expect him to look like this.” Jason shoved Clove.

  “That was a mistake,” said Clove. “Let’s hope you don’t make another.”

  “Or what?” asked Jason, shoving Clove again. “You’re going to have your staff escort me out?”

  “That’s where you’re wrong,” said Clove. He took off his suit jacket. The polar always got changed for meals, force of habit. He was wearing a suit jacket over a long-sleeve thermal shirt. He threw the designer jacket to the ground and pulled up the sleeves of the shirt to his elbows.

  “You might know my name, human, but you don’t know a thing about me,” said Clove. “I don’t have my staff fight for me. I fight my own battles. I hunt my own hunts. I’m a Scoville, and I always give my opponents a chance to turn tail. I suggest you take it.”

  “‘Human,’” said Jason in a mocking tone. “So you’re one of those shifter types. Always wanted to fight one of those.” Jason threw the first punch. He tried to clock Clove right in the face but Clove turned, and the fist hit his shoulder instead.

  All bets were off. Clove’s bear was awake, and it was angry. Clove knew he couldn’t shift, not to fight a human, but he could still take this puny human in Clove’s human form.

  Clove shoved back, and Jason was knocked back onto the porch, out of the doorway.

  Clove looked over his shoulder at Abby.

  “Stay back,” warned Clove, but Jason took that as an opportunity to try to sucker punch Clove…the operative word being ‘try.’ Jason wasn’t even strong for a human. There was no way he could take on a shifter. Even as the future beta of the Scoville Clan, Clove could take Jason.

  Clove grabbed Jason by the wrists. The wrists felt so delicate in Clove’s palms, like the bones of a small bird, but Clove didn’t crush Jason’s hands to bits. He held them by Jason’s sides.

  “End this,” said Clove. “End it!”

  “Never,” said Jason, and he kicked Clove right in the groin. Jason fell backward onto his back, but Clove was grabbing his family jewels. Clove’s cock and balls were no small targets, and a kick to the nuts was a kick to the nuts.

  Jason took that as an opportunity to rush up to Clove and try to push him back, but Clove stood up again, ignoring the aching feeling in his balls, and pushed Jason to the ground. Clove was on top of Jason in an instant, holding him down to the ground.

  “Leave,” said Clove. “Now.”

  “Make me,” said Jason, wiggling free of Clove’s grasp to swipe at Clove’s face.

  That was it. The bear could not be contained anymore.

  Clove let go of Jason and let the bear take over. Clove’s clothes started to rip as his body expanded, the muscles of Clove’s body growing, his skin becoming covered in a thick coat of white fur. His Scoville grey-blue eyes remained the same through the transition, or at least, the same color.

  In place of the secondary heir to the Scoville fortune was a beast that was primal, the kind of beast that no fool would reckon with. Jason was face to face with the snout of the polar bear, the hot breath of the polar bear against Jason’s neck, the sharp white teeth gleaming and making Jason’s pupils dilate with fear.

  Clove roared in Jason’s face, and Jason could smell the scent of a hunter’s hunger. His body had never scented it before, but primal intuition told Jason that he needed to run.

  Jason scurried to his feet and ran off the porch.

  “You’re frikkin’ crazy!” shouted Jason, before getting back into the car he had driven to the house and driving down the driveway, swerving all the way.

  Abby looked at Clove. Had he really just shifted to get her ex to leave her alone? The evidence was in front of her, in the form of an unignorable giant, furry white bear.

  “Thank you,” said Abby, looking Clove in the eyes. She got down on her knees and faced Clove. What she saw in his brilliant blue eyes was not just a hunter. She saw someone who cared about her to the point he was willing to lose his cool, and from a man like Clove, who was always in control, always cool-headed, that meant the world.

  Clove looked into Abby’s eyes. He had expected her to be afraid of him. After all, he was a beast. The very word ‘bear’ meant ‘unspeakable, forbidden,’ and here she was, speaking to him, looking at him the way that he had wished she would look at him in human form. Could this beauty see something in him that made him less of a beast?

  Abby reached forward and hugged the polar bear tight. Her arms were around his shoulders and neck, and she nuzzled her face into his shoulders. His shoulders were broad, just like in his human form, but now, they were covered with thick white fur that felt like a heavenly cloud beneath her cheeks. Her ear against the dark black skin underneath the white fur, she could hear Clove’s heartbeat, the same heartbeat she had felt in the bedroom, filling the silence between them.

  And then, Abby felt something else. She felt Clove stiffen. He was uncomfortable. The last thing she wanted was that. Abby pulled away and looked at Clove.

  Clove turned from Abby and walked off, walking up the stairs, a large white predator that needed to retreat to his cave to cool down. Should she follow? Obviously not. Abby walked back to the dining room.

  “Is everything okay?” asked Alice. “We heard shouting.”

  “Everything’s fine,” said Abby. “Clove shifted, and went upstairs.”

  “Makes sense,” said Herb. “Shifting is exhausting. He probably just needs to rest. Did that Jason fellow leave?”

  “Yes, because Clove scared him off,” said Abby. “He was right. Jason was…saying all kinds of crazy things.”

  Abby thought about what Jason had said. How did he know about Clove, and why had he called Clove her ‘lover’? Did Clove know something that Abby didn’t? Abby finished her meal in silence and excused herself early to take a nap.

  * * *

  “Hello?” said Abby, knocking at Clove’s door. “You there?”

  “What do you want?” asked Clove.

  “Can I come in?” asked Abby, opening the door.

  “I suppose I can’t stop you,” said Clove, turning. He was sitting at his desk, reading a book. He had showered and was wearing different clothes, gray pants she would call ‘sweatpants’ but he would call ‘athletic gear,’ and a plain black shirt. />
  “Hey, I just wanted to talk about what happened,” said Abby, closing the door.

  “Why, are you shaken up?” asked Clove coolly. The bear roared. What was Clove doing? He should hold her, kiss her fears away. Clove shut the bear up. The bear had already come out and ruined everything, exposing Abby to what he was, showing off the side of him that he couldn’t control as well as he wanted…the beast.

  “A little,” admitted Abby. “Can I sit?” Abby gestured to the sofa in Clove’s room. She looked around. The room was relatively sparse. She had been expecting something far more ornate. The room didn’t have as many comforts of home as her room. The furniture was mostly black or red.

  “Of course,” said Clove, getting up to sit in the armchair next to the sofa.

  Abby took a seat.

  “It’s just…Jason said your name,” said Abigail.

  “And?” asked Clove. “You must’ve mentioned me to him sometime.”

  “No, I don’t talk about any of the Scovilles,” said Abigail. “I thought it would be rude, like namedropping. Plus, I don’t want extra attention. I’m just trying to graduate. I have no time for drama.”

  “It seems drama has time for you,” said Clove.

  “You say that as if it’s a joke, but…it seems to be true,” admitted Abigail. “No. I didn’t mention you or any of your brothers to Jason.”

  “How did he have your address?” asked Clove. “Is he stalking you?”

  “He works in the mail room,” said Abigail. “He always has. He must’ve gotten my address that way.”

  “So that’s how he knows my name,” said Clove.

  “What? I don’t see how those two things are related,” said Abigail.

  “The packages I sent you,” said Clove. “The flowers. None of that rings a bell?”

  “What packages? What flowers?” asked Abigail.

  “Are you telling me you never received anything from me this last semester?” asked Clove.

  “No, nothing,” said Abigail.

  “I sent you flowers the week after break,” said Clove. “I couldn’t stop thinking about what we did, and I wanted you. I wanted you so badly. I invited you to visit me in Europe, volunteered to fly over to see you for a real first date, but…you never replied. The packages were marked as received, so I assumed you had received them and weren’t into me.”

  “Are you kidding me?” said Abigail. “Jason…that rat! He must’ve hidden the packages and flowers, thrown them away or something. Clove, I never, ever received anything from you.”

  “I sent you flowers, I sent you chocolates, I sent you jewelry,” said Clove. “The trifecta of romantic gifts, right? And you never replied. My brother Sage said that I was acting like a crazy person, that you obviously wanted nothing to do with me, so I should give you your space and leave you alone.”

  “Space? Leave me alone?” asked Abigail. “Is this why…why you haven’t been talking to me?”

  “Yes, that’s the only reason,” said Clove. “But now, it’s a mess.”

  “It doesn’t have to be a mess,” said Abigail. “We can fix this.”

  “You said it yourself. You have no time for drama, and neither do I,” said Clove. “We have to work on our papers. Maybe if Jason hadn’t meddled, or if I’d just emailed you, things would be different, but…they’re not. Sometimes, we don’t get our fairytale endings, Abigail…because fairy tales aren’t real.”

  “So that’s it? You’re just going to give up?” said Abigail. “I guess you never wanted me that badly.”

  “I’ve wanted you since the moment I saw you at the law office,” said Clove. “I had to watch you from a distance this summer, and at the party, we got so close and then…”

  “And then I said I wasn’t ready for a relationship,” said Abigail softly.

  “What makes you think you’re any more ready now?” challenged Clove. “What makes you think that this is what is best for us?”

  “Because there’s nobody I’ve ever wanted to have hold me and kiss me more than you,” said Abigail, a hand on her hip. “Because even though I try and focus on studying, the one distraction I can’t remove from my life is you. You wouldn’t know anything about that.”

  “You think I don’t know that feeling?” asked Clove. “Ha. I feel it every day. I feel it more than you can ever feel it. It takes all my willpower to stop myself from taking you, and—”

  Abigail slapped a hand over Clove’s mouth.

  “Shut up,” ordered Abigail. “Are you going to tell me, or are you going to show me?”

  Chapter Six

  Clove’s bear roared as it took over his body. His eyes flashed a brilliant blue, and it was obvious this light was coming from within.

  “What was that?” asked Abigail.

  “You want to mess with the bear, well, the bear’ll mess with you back,” said Clove. He picked Abigail up off the couch and laid her down on the gray silk sheets of his bed.

  Abigail couldn’t believe it. Clove had picked her up like she weighed nothing and put her on his bed. She hadn’t felt his touch in so long.

  Abigail undid her sweater and pulled Clove next to her.

  Clove laid down next to Abigail and closed his eyes as he ran his hands over her curves, moving his leg between her legs with every stroke. He wasn’t just satisfied with touching her soft feminine curves. He needed to feel them. He used his hands and grabbed her ample buttocks, the folds of her back and waist, and inhaled the sweet musk that was released with every motion.

  “Is that all you wanted to do to me?” asked Abigail.

  “Is that all you wanted me to do to you?” challenged Clove. “You gonna lie there, or are you gonna take me like a woman?”

  Abigail reached for Clove’s head and pressed it to hers. Their lips met, and she took his lower lip into her mouth, giving it a swift hard nibble before their tongues met and she opened her legs to take more of his leg up against her petals. Abigail rode Clove’s upper thigh while she pulled him back and forth with each hard kiss. He tasted just as he had that night at the barbecue and at the party. It was a taste she had gone too long without. She had wondered what those lips had tasted like from the moment she saw him at the law office, and he had worn those sexy casual clothes to the county fair each time. She’d seen him shirtless at the fair, but hadn’t seen all of him. There was still the question of what mark he had on his chest.

  Abigail reached for Clove’s chest, but Clove grabbed her wrist and pressed it down. Clove rolled so he was on top of Abigail, his leg between her legs, his palm pressing her wrist to the bed.

  Abigail reached with her other hand, but Clove caught it and placed her two wrists under one of his strong palms.

  “Feisty, as always,” teased Clove, whispering the words into Abigail’s ears slowly and enunciating every syllable.

  “And you’re just as much of a tease as you were the last time,” said Abigail.

  “You have no idea,” said Clove. He kissed Abigail on the cheek gently while rubbing his leg up against her slit, hard. They were both still in their pants, but he could sense her arousal. A shifter could tell. Abigail’s cheeks were flushed and the scent of arousal permeated the room, his and hers. Clove was about to see just how close to the edge he could bring Abigail.

  As Clove left a trail of kisses down Abigail’s body, he handled her roughly, moving his other leg between Abigail’s legs. Abigail wrapped her legs around Clove’s hips and bucked up against his throbbing manhood, which was straining against Clove’s underwear. The polar roared. It had never wanted Clove to take a woman that badly. For a Viking descendent, Clove was taking far too long to take a woman. His ancestors would’ve had Abby on their beds and on their cocks in a quarter of the time.

  Abigail couldn’t believe Clove was treating her body this way. He was just as rough and as gentle as she had fantasized, neither the super powerful, mean dominant she’d wanted to have dominate her body and soul, nor the gentle lover that kissed her like a bee kissin
g a rose’s inner petals. He was a mix of the two, the best of both worlds, as shifters were. He had both a human’s passion and gentleness, and an animal’s primal instincts. He was a man who could make love and make a woman feel lust.

  Abigail had never been so turned on before. She had wanted Clove for so long and the last few minutes had been magical. She wanted him so much, and from the bulge in his pants, she could tell he wanted her, too.

  “I need you,” said Abigail, reaching for Clove’s zipper. “Please. I’m ready…too ready.”

  “No, this was a mistake,” said Clove, pulling back suddenly as the man regained control over his body. How had he let this get so far? The beast within had taken him this far, but the man couldn’t let this go on. No. They had been talking about why this was a bad idea and now, they were about to make the very mistake they had agreed they shouldn’t make. If Abigail wasn’t going to take control of the situation, Clove would have to, even if denying himself the beauty of his fantasies would be the hardest thing he’d ever had to do.

  “A mistake?” said Abigail, sitting up. She crossed her arms over her chest.

  “I didn’t mean that,” said Clove.

  “But you said it,” said Abigail. “How about this. Before you say anything else, I’m going to leave.”

  “Please, don’t,” begged Clove. “Abby…”

  “Don’t ‘Abby’ me,” said Abigail. “You don’t want to make things complicated. I get it. I’ll respect that, as long as you respect my one demand. Don’t break my heart, Clove. Not again.”

  Again? Before Clove could say anything, Abigail was out of his room and was walking through the study to her room.

  “Abigail, wait!” shouted Clove.

  “I’m going to study in my room tonight,” said Abigail. “Play your music as loud as you want. I don’t care, Clove. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Abigail locked the door behind her and locked her bedroom’s front door to boot. Abigail went to her desk. She couldn’t work on her thesis. It felt wrong working on it at the desk in her room when she had got so much work done in that study room with Clove. Abigail went to her bookcase and pulled out one of her worn fantasy novels and took it to her bay window. The circular bay window hadn’t received much use that winter break, but every time she’d used it, she felt like a princess in a tower. Now, for the first time, she felt as if her prince would never rescue her…even though it was Abigail who had put space between her heart and Clove’s.