Filed To Story: Secret Shifters Next Door Series PDF Free
After work, I went home, showered quickly and shaved. I didn’t get overly dressed up as we’d decided to go to the steakhouse downtown. For how small Lilly Valley was, the restaurant was a hidden gem. Not only did they serve beef, but
they specialized in more adventurous stuff such as elk, deer, bison. Some nights, they had specials like moose steaks or bear stew. I tended to stay away on nights they had the stew. Felt too much like cannibalism.
I was buttoning my shirt when I glimpsed movement outside my living room window. It seemed April was also going out too. I stopped dead in my tracks as my eyes locked on her. She was gorgeous. Every bit the supermodel. She’d done her hair and makeup; it was the first time I’d seen her dressed up since she’d been home. The strapless sundress she wore made me go weak at the knees.
The bear was almost desperately pawing to get out and agonizing that it couldn’t be with her. I pushed it all back inside. I had to stick with the original plan—push her away until she truly hated me, then reveal the truth. She would reject me, and the curse would be broken. We would both be free. It would work. I was sure of it, regardless what the other guys thought. I couldn’t change April into a shifter. I wouldn’t.
After April was long gone, I got in my truck and drove to Rachel’s place. Rachel was a paralegal… and gorgeous. She had an amazing body, long blonde hair and a face to die for. Usually the sight of her made me hard. Tonight, I was distraught to find that as soon as I saw her, disappointment swelled in my chest. The bear made himself heard again, and I ignored it. Even my body was betraying me. It was hard to find Rachel attractive since she wasn’t April. I cursed Emily in my mind. If she hadn’t already been dead, I’d have given her a piece of my mind.
Rachel and I talked on the way to the restaurant, but I barely noticed what she said. I was basically sleepwalking through the conversation while images of April in that dress kept creeping into my mind. It was all I could do to make Rachel think I was actually paying attention.
The parking lot of the steakhouse was packed. I’d gone ahead and booked a table, which looked like a good decision. After opening Rachel’s door, I took her by the arm and walked inside. Before we even got to the host podium, the scent hit me. Over the smells of the people, the bread, salad, even stronger than the smell of sizzling meat.
April.
I let go of Rachel’s arm and took two unconscious steps forward, scanning the tables. It took a few seconds, but I found her. She was seated right behind a large party of eight, and she was sitting with the fucking hunter who had been at the bar. Every single rational thought vanished from my mind. I stalked across the dining room.
“Steff?” Rachel called from behind me. I ignored her.
Before I circled the big table, the hunter spotted me. His eyes flicked to me, to April, and then back to me. A smirk flashed across his lips, smug and arrogant—a direct challenge. Before I could control what I was doing, I was standing over their table. Rachel, who had hurried after me, put her hand on my biceps.
I ignored the hunter and focused all my attention on April. She wasn’t looking at me, though. She was staring at my arm. Rachel’s fingers were still curled around the muscles above my elbow. The look on April’s face made my bear chuff and squeal. It was upset. The face April made was gone quickly, but it had obviously been pain or sadness at seeing another woman touching me.
Realizing what I’d done, and how weird it was, I tried to compose myself. “April, uh… can I talk to you for a minute?”
She didn’t even meet my eyes. She grabbed her glass of water, took a drink, and said, “There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Oh my god,” Rachel gasped, leaning around me to get a better look. “You’re Fiona Steele. Holy shit, I am a huge fan. I
want you to know that I don’t believe any of those things I’ve seen in the news.”
April went stiff and a blotch of red appeared on her chest and cheeks. I could smell her pheromones pulsing out of her. She was afraid. My bear couldn’t handle that. I spun on Rachel and hissed into her ear, “Don’t say anything to anyone about her being here. Do you understand?”
Rachel flinched away from me. “Seriously, Steff? I’d never do that. Especially not with all the stalker stuff going on with her.”
I wasn’t as oblivious now as I had been when Kellan had talked to me. I’d finally ‘fessed up to Miles that April was the famous supermodel Fiona Steele. He’d given me a look like I was messing with him. He hadn’t believed me until I showed him my senior yearbook. Once he knew I wasn’t lying to him, I asked him to try to figure out why she was really back in town.
“I know exactly why,” he’d said, surprising me.
“The hell do you mean? How do you know?”
Miles had rolled his eyes, and said, “You really do need to watch more TV, bro. She’s literally been all over it the last month or so. Some ex-boyfriend went rogue, sold all her dirty little secrets and pictures. Got everyone talking about her. A bunch of stalker weirdos decided to start harassing her. I guarantee that’s why she’s here. She’s running from the cameras and stalkers. She came back home because it’s safe.”
That bombshell had come a day or two before, and even though we weren’t together anymore, and she didn’t want anything to do with me, I still felt the need to protect her.
I gave Rachel a hard look. “Good, make sure your mouth stays shut.”
Rachel’s face creased into a frown, but she didn’t say anything else. She crossed her arms and took a step away from me. I sighed, and turned back to April’s table.
The hunter leaned forward. “I know we weren’t properly introduced the other night. My name is Ryland, and I think it best if you left. You’ve obviously upset April. We were having a pretty nice dinner until you showed up. I don’t mean to be like this, but you’re being rude.”
I ignored the hunter as well as Rachel. I could only focus on April. “Please, April. I really need to talk to you.”
She finally glanced up at me. All of my emotions and those of my bear flooded through me. I’d hoped, the longer I was around her, the easier it would be for me, but it wasn’t. Every time I saw her, she looked more beautiful. Even now, as upset as she was, she was gorgeous.
April’s voice was full of disappointment and sadness. “What could we possibly have to talk about? Especially when you have company.” She glanced over at Rachel. “I think you should tend to your date instead of someone else’s.”
NINE
APRIL
Steff’s face fell. He nodded sadly, then turned away, taking his date with him to a table on the far end of the restaurant. The emotions—sadness, anger, and most surprising of all, jealousy—that flooded through me when I saw that woman touching Steff made no sense. It had been years since Steff and I had been together. I had no right to be jealous of anyone touching Steff. Why would I? For years, he’d made it clear he wanted nothing to do with me.
I followed Steff and his date with my eyes. They sat, and when Steff reached across the table to take her hand, another stab of pain shot through me. The sight of him being intimate with another woman made me feel like shit. As silly as it was, I had a hard time not wondering what she had that I didn’t.
“…April? Hey, are you there?”
I blinked and shook my head to clear it. Ryland had been saying my name, trying to get my attention, and I’d been totally zoned out. Embarrassment and shame hit me in equal measures.