Redeem the Bear (Bear Valley Shifters #5)(27)

“Yes.”

“Are you still hurt?”

“Yes,” he said in an emotionless voice.

“Who did that to you?”

“Corin,” he said, warning in his voice.

“Why can’t you just answer my questions?”

Another frustrated growl rippled through the phone, and she imagined him running his hands through his dark hair and scowling. “Because I don’t do this, and I don’t have to answer to anyone.”

“Why did you give me the phone then, Brooks? If you don’t want to talk, why did you tease me with this? What do you remember from before? What happened to you when you were taken by the Long Claws? Who hurts you? What do you do all day in your alpha tower? If you can’t answer basic questions—”

“Stop it. I told you I can’t be what you need. This is it. This is all I have to give.”

“Shallow conversation about the weather, and never anything real about your actual life? That’s not letting me in. You’ll hurt me with this.” Her voice dipped to a whisper and her lip trembled under the weight of her frustration. “If you can’t have a simple conversation with me, then why did you give me this direct line to you?”

“Because I…” His voice was snarly and inhuman as it tapered off.

“Say it, Brooks. Because what.”

The line went silent and she shook her head at the brick wall they’d slammed into. He was on one side and she was on the other, and he wasn’t capable of battering it down to allow her in.

“When you figure it out, call me back.” She ended the call and stared at the screen, hurt and hopeful and frustrated all at once.

A half an hour later, he still hadn’t called back and guilt curdled in her stomach. He was trying, sort of. Maybe she was pushing too hard, too fast. No, if he couldn’t learn to talk to her, what chance did they have at friendship? What chance did she have to feel whole again?

Defeated, she shoved the phone into her back pocket and trudged to the wheat fields, where she took an epic verbal lashing about responsibility and punctuality from Juan, who seemed in an especially grumpy mood. Then she worked all day without so much as a chirp from the new phone.

Dead on her feet exhausted, and a little crushed as she had spent the entire day overthinking everything Brooks had said and all the ways she should have saved the conversation, she left straight for home from the field. She was supposed to meet Anya tonight to get a refill of the balm she’d been using on her injuries, but that would have to wait until after she’d had a hot bath and cleared her mind.

The breeze was picking up, gusty remnants from the storms of the past few days, and the trees along the trail creaked and groaned.

Beep. Looking around startled, she fumbled the phone out of her back pocket and turned it on.

Because I need you, read the text.

Her heartbeat took off at a gallop as she smiled in disbelief. I don’t text, she typed and hit send. Hearing his voice seemed essential.

You’re texting right now.

She pressed the number eight, a bunch of dashes, and a capital D, then hit send.

The phone rang and she clutched it tighter as she accepted the call.

“You just texted me a picture of a dick,” he said. Was that amusement she heard in his voice?

“Yours is much bigger. I should’ve added at least four more dashes.”

“Jesus, woman. I have no idea how to respond to you most of the time. Look, I’m sorry about earlier,” he said. “This is hard for me.”

“What is the this we are talking about?” she asked. It wasn’t a test. She was really confused about which part was hard. Talking to her or remembering his past? Or maybe it was the aftermath of the battle he was struggling with.

“I want you. I know I’m no good for you right now, but later…I want to make you happy. Hearing your voice is important to me.”

A slow smile stretched her face. “Because you need me?”

The line was quiet and she closed her eyes and pursed her lips, hoping he wasn’t shutting down again.

“Because I need you,” he agreed.





Chapter Twelve



Three days passed with no call from Brooks. It was a slow hell she was spiraling into, overanalyzing their exchange. Maybe she’d made him mad, or maybe he just realized the effort was too much to make with her.

She’d left him three messages on his voicemail and last night, she had even sent him a text, but that had gone unanswered too. Most likely, he just wasn’t that interested. A man so hot and cold couldn’t be, right?

The diner had been busy today, and the last couple of regulars had stayed past closing time. It was dark outside, and the eyelash moon did nothing to alleviate the shadows in the empty parking lot. She always borrowed Chase’s jeep on the days she had a shift at the diner, and after she’d locked the restaurant doors, she jogged across the gravel lot toward the black off-road vehicle. It didn’t have any doors, so she threw her shoulder bag straight into the passenger’s seat.

The hairs rose on the back of her neck, and she turned but couldn’t see anyone there. The one street light on this side of the road was useless outside of fifteen yards. Frowning, she hopped behind the steering wheel and turned the key. The engine stuttered, and she twisted it again. This time it caught and roared to life.