Fighter (Outsider Series) Read online

  “I’m going to take a shower,” I announced. It was the only thing I could think of to cool down. “And for the record, if you’re going to snuggle me like that every night, you better turn the AC up and get some fans.” I crawled over his body and out of the bed.

  “I’ll get that taken care of,” he rolled over and propped his head up on his hand, “because I plan to do plenty of snuggling.”

  I laughed at him and grabbed a pair of shorts and a tank top for the day.

  “Make it quick or I might have to join you,” he joked.

  I blushed and scurried into the bathroom. The door closed just as he started to laugh.

  I showered in under five minutes, afraid that Caeden would carry through with his promise.

  I blow dried my hair a little bit, so that it was damp instead of soaking wet, and then pulled it back into a messy bun. I finished my morning ritual and opened the door.

  Caeden was talking to the dogs. It brought a smile to my face. Was I the only person that got turned on by a guy talking to a dog? I really hope not.

  “Your turn,” I leaned against the doorframe.

  “That was quick,” he flashed me a smile.

  “I’m hungry,” I lied.

  “I won’t take too long then. We’re all going out for breakfast. There’s this neat little diner just outside of town.”

  “When was this decided?” I raised my brow.

  “We always use to go there with my parents,” he shrugged his muscular shoulders, “it’s tradition.”

  “Well, who am I to mess with tradition?”

  “Exactly,” he winked and I swooned.

  I’d be eighty years old and his winks would still make me swoon.

  He swung his legs over the side of the bed and rubbed his eyes before yawning.

  “Make sure the others are up and ready. If they’re not, we’re leaving without them,” he disappeared into the bathroom. A moment later, I heard the shower turn on.

  I shooed the dogs off the bed and dragged the covers up off the floor. I quickly made the bed and went in search of the others.

  I knew they were all downstairs but when I turned down the hallway, where the bedrooms were located, I discovered five different doors.

  Great.

  I tentatively knocked and opened the first door.

  Bathroom.

  Next.

  Empty bedroom.

  Next.

  Oh God! My eyes! I backed out of the room with my hand over my eyes.

  “Bryce!” I hissed loudly through the door. “Where are your clothes!?”

  “I got hot,” he grumbled.

  “So you just took off your clothes!?”

  “Uh, yeah. Doesn’t everyone else do that? Besides, you’re the one that opened the door.”

  “I didn’t think you’d be naked!” I said through the door. “Besides, normal people turn on a fan! Oh, God! Please tell me Charlotte’s not in there with you!”

  “Charlotte is a safe little virgin across the hall in a bedroom far away from me so that I can’t ravage her.”

  “Bryce, your sense of humor is disgusting.”

  “Actually, it’s charming,” I could hear the smile in his words. Shuffling sounds soon commenced and I sincerely hoped that pants would be involved. “Why are you waking me up anyway?”

  “Caeden wants to go to breakfast.”

  The door opened and I fell back against Bryce. He held out a hand to steady me.

  “You really just want to be all over me don’t you? I might have to tell my brother.”

  I blushed. “You are so annoying.”

  “I hear that a lot.”

  “Maybe because it’s true?”

  “Or maybe that’s what you all want me to believe, huh?” he grinned and pulled a t-shirt over his head.

  I shook my head. “You’re impossible.”

  He laughed and rubbed his stomach. His wavy hair was sticking up wildly around his head. He looked so much older than when I first met him. He seemed more like a man, than a boy, if only he’d act like one.

  “Want me to wake up the others so you don’t have any more mishaps?” he stifled a yawn.

  “That would be great!” I exclaimed. I was still trying to burn the image of Bryce’s naked body from my mind. I knew the others were all okay with being around each other’s nakedness, but I still hadn’t gotten used to it. I wasn’t sure if I ever would.

  “I’m on it,” he saluted.

  Instead of knocking on a door he banged the wall several times and yelled, “Wakie, wakie, eggs and bakie!”

  I had to cover my ears, as he yelled it so loud. I’m sure the neighbors heard it.

  “Jesus Christ, Bryce!” Caeden snapped coming around the corner. “You need to come with a muzzle.”

  Three doors opened. He smirked at his brother, “At least they’re awake,” and sauntered away.

  Caeden looked at me and rubbed his ear. “My ears are still ringing after that.”

  “Mine too,” Bentley said.

  Chris peeked out under his arm. A shirt that was definitely not hers covered her body. “What was that about?”

  “We’re going to breakfast. You have five minutes to get ready.”

  “Five?” Christian squeaked. “I can not get ready in five minutes.”

  “Ten. If you’re not ready Soph and I are leaving without you.”

  “Me too!” Bryce yelled from the living room.

  Caeden rolled his eyes. “Fine. Soph, Bryce, and I will leave without you.”

  They scurried back into their rooms and Caeden took my hand. He leaned down to whisper in my ear, “Sometimes I feel more like a babysitter than an Alpha.”

  “I heard that,” Bryce said from the couch. He was stretched out across it like a cat. His familiar, a beagle named Bella, licked his fingers. “And I think you should do a better job of babysitting your fiancé. She shouldn’t just open doors.”

  My face turned bright red.

  “What happened?” Caeden looked over at me, a smile quirking his lips.

  I tried to pull my hand out of his to make a quick escape. He tightened his hold on me.

  Bryce laughed hysterically. “Oh, she just saw me naked. I’m sure she’s never seen anything like Thunder before.”

  Caeden’s lips twitched with held back laughter. “You named your,” he cleared his throat and waggled his eyebrows for emphasis, “Thunder?”

  “Yeah,” he grinned. “Thunder from Down Under.” He patted the crotch of his shorts.

  “Oh my God, I have to get out of here,” I blushed and managed to pull my hand from Caeden’s. “Why didn’t we just come by ourselves?” I asked no one in particular.

  “Because my she-wolf, this isn’t the honeymoon.”

  I shook my head and left the brothers to laugh over Thunder, while I grabbed a glass of orange juice.

  Logan emerged from the guest room hallway. His light blond hair was slightly damp and he wore navy shorts with a yellow polo shirt.

  “What are they laughing about?” he asked me, a slight smile curving his lips.

  My relationship with Logan had never been a good one, he always kept to himself, but after sharing similar situations he had opened up to me. We definitely weren’t besties but there was an understanding between us. He’d also become more comfortable with the pack once he revealed that he was gay.

  “Trust me, you don’t want to know,” I smiled. I motioned to the orange juice bottle. “Do you want some?”

  “Sure,” he leaned against the counter, while I grabbed a glass and slid it across to him.

  “How have you been… dealing?” I asked him.

  He grabbed a napkin and wiped a bit of the juice from his lip before answering.

  “I’m doing a lot better,” he smiled. “How about you?”

  I let out a sigh. “After last night… not that good,” I answered honestly.

  Logan crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah, that was…”

  “Unexpected
?” I looked up at him.

  “Definitely,” he ran his fingers through his short hair.

  I finished my orange juice, grabbed Logan’s empty glass, and washed them both.

  Caeden sauntered into the kitchen. “Ya’ll ready?”

  “Yeah,” I nodded.

  He glanced down at the floor and I knew he was picking up on my feelings. “I’ll get the others,” he finally turned away.

  “Trouble in paradise?” Logan asked.

  I smiled. “Not really. I’m more upset now than angry. I was really pissed when he told me.”

  “Oh I bet,” Logan said.

  “I wanted to hit him. Scream at him. Do something. That’s why I left. I didn’t want to do something I’d regret for the rest of my life.”

  “Smart girl,” Logan remarked.

  * * *

  We piled into the separate vehicles the same way we had arrived and left the forlorn familiars behind.

  It was ten o’ clock in the morning and the streets were already packed with beach goers.

  We drove a short ways out of the beach community, no more than ten minutes, and parked outside a diner that looked like it should have been condemned years ago.

  Sensing what I was thinking, Caeden grabbed my hand in his, and said, “I know it doesn’t look like much but they have the best food.”

  I swallowed. “You better be right.”

  Chris scrunched her nose. “You woke us up early for this?”

  Caeden laughed. “Just wait, Christian.”

  She sighed and grabbed Bentley’s hand, dragging him from the back seat.

  I shook my head and followed them. Bryce parked his Jeep and hopped out, rubbing his stomach.

  I noticed that despite the condemned appearance, the parking lot was pretty much full.

  Caeden held the door open and ushered me inside. It closed in Bryce’s face and he glared at Caeden.

  Opening it, Bryce grumbled, “That was nice.”

  “I try,” Caeden grinned.

  Suddenly, a shriek filled the diner, and everyone turned to look at our group.

  “Is that the Williams boys I hear?”

  A short, plump, gray haired woman scurried around the counter. A pale pink apron was tied around her waist, covered in various stains, and her curly gray hair threatened to escape confinement.

  “Hey Meryl!” Caeden grinned, flashing his dimple.

  “Look at you two all grown up,” the woman I assumed to be Meryl glanced back and forth between Caeden and Bryce. “I haven’t seen ya’ll in years. Where’s your mama and that handsome daddy of yours?”

  Caeden and Bryce both slumped a little. “Dad passed away and mom didn’t come. It’s just us and our friends,” Caeden said and introduced everybody. He came to me last and leaned down, kissing my cheek. “And this is my fiancé, Sophie.”

  “Fiancé?” Meryl gasped.

  I waved shyly and said, “Hi.”

  “Hi sweetie,” Meryl said, but I could tell she was still shocked. Shaking her head, “I’m sorry, ya’ll are just so young.”

  “When you meet the love of your life you just know,” Caeden wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer.

  She smiled. “We’ll I’m happy for ya’ll but I’m also sorry for your loss.” She grabbed a stack of menus and led us to the back. The boys shoved two tables together so we could all sit together.

  “Drinks?” she pulled out a notebook and pen.

  We all told her and she disappeared behind the counter.

  I looked over the menu and finally told Caeden to just order me whatever he was getting.

  Meryl returned with our drinks and took the order. “I’ll put a rush on that,” she smiled. “I know how hungry you Williams boys can be.”

  “Thanks Meryl,” Caeden grinned and handed her the menus.

  “So,” Bentley leaned back and swung his arm over the back of Chris’ chair, “This is turning out to be some vacation. I can’t believe-”

  “La, la, la!” I stuck my fingers in my ears.

  Bentley snorted and took a sip of sweet tea. “I guess you were serious about the whole no shifter talk,” he whispered.

  “I was. We can talk about Travis till our hearts content when we get home,” I narrowed my eyes at him.

  Bentley held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay.”

  Meryl came out with a tray of food and dished it out before going back for two more. Soon the table was so covered in food that I couldn’t see a speck of the cracked red tabletop.

  “Thank you, Meryl,” Caeden smiled.

  “No problem. Ya’ll holler if you need something.”

  “Thanks Meryl!” Bryce yelled.

  Meryl laughed and patted Caeden’s shoulder. “Your brother never changes.”

  “No, ma’am, he doesn’t.”

  “Enjoy your guys’ meal,” she smiled at all of us.

  I took a bite of chocolate chip pancake and moaned in ecstasy. “That’s really good,” I told Caeden.

  He grinned. “I told ya.”

  Between the seven us we managed to clean all of the plates. Meryl came by and chuckled. “Ya’ll all have a healthy appetite don’t ya? And here, I thought it was just the Williams boys.” She started stacking the plates and said, “One check?”

  “Yep,” Caeden nodded.

  “I’ll be right back with that,” she carried the teetering pile of dishes back to the kitchen.

  She brought the check and Caeden glanced at the total before handing her a credit card.

  Meryl came back with the credit card and Caeden handed her a wad of cash. She looked down at the sizable tip and her eyes widened. She tried to shove the money back in his hand. “I can’t t-t-take this,” she stuttered. “It’s too much.”

  “Nothing’s too much for you, Meryl.”

  “Caeden,” her voice was soft and tears flooded her eyes. “Thank you,” she stood on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on his cheek. “You’re like the grandson I never had but always wished for.”

  Caeden wrapped his arms around her and said, “Anyone would be lucky to have you as a grandma, Meryl.”

  She wiped away a tear that was slowly sliding down her wrinkled cheek. She patted his arm and glanced at Bryce. “Ya’ll be sure and stop in again before ya leave. I don’t know when I might see you boys again.”

  “We sure will,” Bryce said and came around the table to hug her.

  “Bye ya’ll,” she waved to us. She looked into my eyes, hers were a kind hazel color, and said, “You take care of him.”

  “I will,” I smiled as she walked away.

  * * *

  We went back to the house to get ready to spend the day at the beach. I changed into a red bikini top and bottom. I’d decided to be adventurous. Normally, I wore a bathing suit that covered more skin. I pulled on a pair of white terry cloth shorts and a pale pink tank top with a red sequined heart.

  I grabbed my cute pink and orange striped tote bag and piled a towel for Caeden and me among other necessities like sunscreen. Just because we’re shifters doesn’t mean we can’t get sunburn. I grabbed my floppy straw hat and stuck it on my head and put on some sunglasses.

  Caeden opened the bathroom door and we both soaked each other in. His swim trunks were an aqua blue color and he wore a loose white tank top that accentuated his broad, freckled, shoulders. Despite his broad and muscular stature he was very lean.

  “I swear,” he murmured, “you get more beautiful every day.”

  I blushed. “And you are a flatterer, mister.”

  “Trust me, I’m not trying to flatter you,” he strode forward, every bit the predator. He slung his arm around my waist and pulled me up against him. His blue eyes were bright as he bent to kiss me. I leaned into the kiss, soaking him in. The scents of pine, citrus, cinnamon, and wood surrounded me. It was a scent that was uniquely Caeden and I’d never tire of it. “I love you, Soph,” he pulled away.

  I licked my lips. “I love you, too.”

 
He grinned. “Are you ready?”

  I grabbed my tote bag up off the floor and swung it across my shoulder.

  “Yep,” I smiled.

  Everyone was already ready, and since the beach was so close we decided to just walk. It was extremely humid and sweat dotted my neck. A slight breeze twisted around us and I breathed a sigh of relief.

  When our feet touched the sand, Bryce hooted and hollered. “Finally!” he screamed.

  Caeden laughed and shook his head.

  “I’m going to build a sandcastle!” Bryce jumped around like a puppy. “Charlotte, you wanna help?”

  “Sure,” she smiled up at him.

  Caeden tapped her shoulder. “Let me warn you, Bryce is anal about his sandcastles.”

  Bryce stuck his tongue out at his brother.

  Charlotte giggled and said, “I think I can handle him.”

  “Your funeral,” Caeden said.

  She smiled at us and waved, “See ya’ll later.”

  Her bright red hair streamed behind her and her pretty dark green cover up flowed around her pale legs.

  “What do you want to do?” Caeden asked.

  I eyed the water. “Swim.”

  He grinned. “Perfect.”

  We found a spot in the sand and set up chairs, lounge chairs, and umbrellas. I rubbed some sunscreen over my body and when I finished Caeden held out his hand for the bottle.

  “I can put it on you,” I smiled.

  He grinned and leaned closer to me. “As much as I love that idea, I might not be able to control my actions if you do.”

  I blushed and handed him the sunscreen bottle without another word. He pulled his shirt over his head and I heard girlish screams from a group of college girls near us. I turned around and sent them a death glare.

  They all looked away, except for one. She was a pretty brunette with a body to die for. She adjusted her bikini top, smiled, and gave Caeden a flirtatious wave.

  A growl erupted from my chest and I started to head over to give her a piece of my mind.

  Before I could take a step, Caeden’s hand closed around my arm.

  He pulled me to him so that every inch of his body was touching me. He took my face in his hands and kissed me passionately. I began to feel dizzy from the loss of air. He released my lips and picked up my left hand, kissing the ring there, and making it very obvious that he was taken.

  I heard the girl let out an exasperated sigh before turning her sights on Bentley.