Gray Back Bad Bear(5)

He chuckled and tinked his beer glass against her drink. “Deal.” Damn, he liked talking to this girl. “So, how long are you in town for?”

“One week. We’re camping out at the state park—”

“About that,” Kara slurred from Matt’s other side.

He stifled a growl at the interruption.

“Me and the girls actually made a reservation to stay the week at the hotel down the street.”

“Wait, I thought we were having a girl’s campout.”

Willa’s tone sounded hurt again, and Matt wanted to shred everything.

Settle down. She can take care of herself. She’s tough.

“We just said that so we didn’t have to feel guilty we’d picked Saratoga. You wanted to go to the beach, and we know you’re super into camping.”

“But…I brought the camper. Why would you help me set it up and not tell me you aren’t going to stay there, too? I bought food for cooking out for all of us.”

Kara scrunched up her nose and attempted to look remorseful. “You can stay at the hotel with us if you want to. You know I hate camping. The bugs…” Kara gave off an overdramatic shudder.

“Oh.” Willa frowned and shook her head like it was no big deal. “That’s okay. I understand.”

“There’s a pool at the hotel,” Gia said helpfully from the other side of Creed. “It’s kind of like the beach.”

Seriously?

“Willa, you want to go to the beach?” Matt asked, surprising himself with what he was about to offer her.

She took a long pull of her drink as if she was trying to settle her emotions. “It’s okay. It’s not a big deal.”

More bullshit. Her voice was shaking now.

“I’ll take you to a waterfall that only the locals know about tomorrow. It isn’t the ocean, but it has a sandy beach. We’ll go swimming after I get off work.”

“Ewey, that sounds amazing,” Brittney chirped up. “I’d love to go.”

“Invite only,” Matt gritted out.

Brittney pouted her lip out and made her soft gray eyes really big. He imagined that look got her a lot of things she wanted, but Matt wasn’t affected by womanly wiles. Not tonight.

“You know the rules, Matt,” his dark-haired alpha, Creed, said, voice void of humor. “No woman on Gray Back territory.”

“No, you said no potential mates on Gray Back territory.” He tilted his head toward Willa and smiled. “Willamena here has been friend-zoned.”

“Creed, she don’t look anything like his type,” Jason said, staring at Willa like she was a bug. “Matt ain’t tryin’ to hit that.”

Jason was trying to help, but Matt still wanted to crack his skull on the counter.

“I don’t want to be any trouble,” Willa said, touching Matt’s arm again.

She jerked her hand away and muttered an apology, but she didn’t need to. Her fingers burned his skin less this time. Weird.

“Nah, you’re right,” Creed said. “It’s no trouble. Matt can take you up to Bear Trap Falls tomorrow, but I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tweet that shit. We like our privacy up there.”

“I’ll take the secret locale to my grave,” Willa said.

Her voice rang with such honesty that Creed nodded his approval.

Matt released the breath he’d been holding.

He’d just made sure he would see Willa tomorrow.

Now he knew for certain he was going mad.





Chapter Two




Willa was sloshed.

Okay, in her defense, she rarely drank, and when she did, it was one glass of wine. Two long island ice teas, plus the beers Matt had ordered for himself but given to her, and she was three sheets to the wind and feeling invincible. She kissed her tiny biceps as she stumbled into the parking lot behind the bar.

“Steady there,” Matt said, hooking his arm around her waist and pulling her from what felt like a ninety degree angle.

“This parking lot is tryin’ a kill me,” she slurred.

“I’m pretty sure you’re the clumsiest person I’ve ever met in my life, Nerd. The parking lot is just an innocent bystander.”

“Ha! You’re a funny bear.” Willa flung her arms around Matt’s neck to stop the world from spinning.

“Jesus,” he muttered, hesitating only a moment before scooping her up and pulling her against his chest.

“Oh, damn,” she muttered, poking the hard planes of his pecs. “You’re like a well done steak.”

Matt snorted above her, but didn’t look down. He’d been avoiding her gaze for an hour now, but she couldn’t figure out why. “Are you hiding your eyes from me, Griz? Because they don’t scare me, so you don’t have to.”