Bridge Hollow Shifters: The Complete Collection Read online

  That wasn’t the life for her.

  If she was ever going to meet someone and consider taking herself off the market, he was going to have to be pretty damned special. And she had yet to meet anyone who even came close.

  “You’re going to end up alone if you don’t at least give someone a shot,” Gwen said as she lay down next to her and reached for her hand. “You deserve a good guy.”

  “I honestly don’t think there are any, Gwen,” Amanda whispered. And then she turned over and got to her feet.

  She wandered over to the closet and opened the doors, feeling Gwen’s sad eyes on her the entire time. They had come away for fun, and already it was turning into a total bust because Gwen was trying to probe her in areas she didn’t want to talk about.

  Amanda opened her case and started to unpack. She put her clothes away and smoothed them when they were up on the hangers and threw her shoes down along the bottom of the closet.

  “Okay,” she said with a big grin as she turned around and looked at a sullen Gwen still sulking on the bed. “How about we freshen up, get changed, and head out onto Main Street and find somewhere to get a drink?”

  Gwen’s eyes lit up and she grinned from ear to ear.

  “Really?” she asked.

  “Really,” Amanda nodded.

  “You don’t need to ask me twice!” Gwen bounced off the bed and raced over to her bag still lying on the floor by the door. Amanda watched her friend and smiled.

  It was time to bury the negative thoughts and have the fun they had come for. She promised herself there and then that she was going to give herself the summer she deserved.

  4.

  Walking along Main Street, Amanda kept catching her reflection in the various shop windows as she passed them by. She looked kind of different, but she couldn’t figure out why. She studied her reflection as Gwen stopped to look inside a clothes store, and she noticed how relaxed she looked. She had spent months with pent-up tension, and it felt as if the second she had come into town it had lifted somehow. When she looked at the way her body was moving, she could tell that it was showing from the inside out. She was finally letting herself unwind.

  “Do you think I look different?” she asked Gwen as she turned to the side and saw how thick and luscious her hair was. She ran her hands through it and smiled. “My hair and everything, it’s like it’s been completely revived.”

  “I told you, you needed a break,” Gwen said as she linked her arm with hers and began to pull them down the street towards what appeared to be the busiest part.

  “We’ve only been here about ten minutes,” Amanda laughed.

  “Never underestimate the power of positive vibes,” Gwen said dreamily as she carried on walking.

  Up ahead Amanda could see a small group gathering outside what had to be a bar. The outside of the building was wooden like most of the places along Main Street, and it had a rustic lodge feel to it as they got closer and closer. She could feel music vibrating through the floor beneath her feet, and she could smell the sweet tang of beer.

  “This looks promising,” Gwen said as they stopped and looked up at the sign above the doorway. It was big and gaudy, just like the sign that had welcomed them to town.

  SHIFTER’S BLISS, it read, and Amanda’s eyes scanned each letter individually.

  “What kind of a name is that?” she said quietly, but Gwen ignored her and marched quickly towards the door.

  When they stepped inside, Amanda couldn’t believe this kind of bar existed in such a quaint little town. The ceilings were high, the lights were low, there were candles on every table and along the walls. The music was heavy and dark and there was a stage at the back of the room. The main bar was long, high and wooden, and stools were dotted all along the front of it, some taken by big burly men, and some empty. There were leather and cowhide booths around the outside of the room which looked as if they could easily seat ten people, and there was a dense scent of smoke and booze in the air.

  Amanda had never been a big fan of bars, but she liked it in here. It wasn’t like anything they had back home in her town. It was the kind of place you could truly escape. A huge fire roared from an even larger fireplace and logs crackled, there were fresh sprigs of evergreen dotted in urns that lined the walls, and even though it was clear this was a man’s bar… the girls couldn’t help but feel completely welcome too.

  “Wow,” Gwen smiled. “This is what I’m talking about.”

  They walked confidently to the bar and pulled out two stools. Amanda sat down first and tapped her fingers along the wooden bar top. She could see the glint in Gwen’s eyes, as if this was the perfect find for them and the only way she was going to want to spend her time.

  “Hey girls,” the guy behind the bar said as he sidled up in front of them. “How’s it going?”

  Gwen grinned and reached for a leather-bound drinks menu.

  “Good, thank you,” Amanda smiled politely.

  She was aware of the door opening behind them and the sound of a group of men walking in. They were talking gruffly, and their boots crunched over some broken glass as they made their way to a booth in the corner. Amanda watched as Gwen stared at them way too obviously and tried not to blush.

  “All very hot,” Gwen mouthed to Amanda and winked.

  Amanda laughed and shook her head.

  “So, are you two new to town?” the man behind the bar asked.

  Amanda nodded her head slowly and Gwen perked up and grinned.

  “Yes, we just got her today,” she told him. “I’m Gwen and this is Amanda.”

  He nodded and smiled back. He was just as muscly as all the men seemed to be around there. He looked rough and ready too, with big hands and a smattering of stubble across his jaw.

  “I’m Ryder,” he said. “Welcome to Bridge Hollow, and of course Shifter’s Bliss.”

  Amanda couldn’t help but smirk when he said the name of the bar, and then she found his eyes fixed on her.

  “What can I get you?” he asked warmly.

  “Just a soda for me,” she said sheepishly, fully aware that Gwen was about to bust her balls.

  “Oh come on,” Gwen said, predictably. “You promised me fun.”

  “Is this not fun?” Amanda smirked as she reached out and traced her hand around the room. “We found a place and I’m here.”

  “Yes, but you know what I mean, come on, join me with at least one beer.”

  Amanda rolled her eyes in defeat and nodded.

  “Okay, okay,” she sighed. “One beer.”

  Ryder laughed and leaned across the bar to look at what Gwen was pointing to on the menu.

  “Can you recommend anything?” she asked.

  “Sure,” Ryder said as he leaned back and reached to the refrigerators that were running all along underneath the back bar. “With it being your first day in town, you’ve got to try this.”

  He reached in and pulled out two, large, green, glass bottles. When he placed them down on the bar in front of them, Amanda could instantly see that the label on the front had a picture of the same statue they had seen in the middle of Main Street. The same depiction of the half man, half bear. The large open jaws, the gnashing teeth, the violent eyes and frightening claws.

  She picked it up and rolled it between her palms.

  “What’s this then?” she asked.

  “It’s our official town beer, brewed right here in Bridge Hollow,” he winked. “You can’t get it anywhere else, and I have to say it tastes amazing.”

  He smiled and stepped away from the girls, wandering further down the bar to serve another set of customers.

  Amanda couldn’t take her eyes from the bear on the bottle. There was something about it that was pulling at her, making her mind race and her imagination run wild.

  “No wonder tourists go nuts for this place,” Gwen said as she took a long, deep sip from the bottle. “They even have their own exclusive merch.”

  Amanda laughed.

  B
ehind them, they heard a glass smashing and a rumble of feet on the wood below. Amanda turned on her stool, still clutching her bottle of beer, as she saw the group of men who had walked into the bar after them all getting to their feet and rounding around each other.

  “Oh man,” Gwen said under her breath.

  Amanda’s heartrate spiked and she felt the need to run, but she was rooted to the spot. The men were clearly about to dive on each other and start a brawl.

  They didn’t look drunk, and from what she could tell they only had a couple of drinks on their table between the seven of them, but there was something about their demeanor that was unnatural and wild.

  Amanda got to her feet and took hold of Gwen’s arm.

  “We don’t want to watch this,” she said as she went to try and urge Gwen to join her in making a move towards the door.

  Two of the men began pushing each other, their tempers flaring and their voices getting louder and louder over the sound of the music. Amanda couldn’t hear them properly, but she was sure she heard one of them shout something about revenge for the woods, and I’m going to make your kind pay.

  The group began to scuffle, and punches were thrown. Gwen jumped to her feet and both girls watched in horror as all seven men seemed to all jump in on each other, tearing at each other, throwing punches and grappling on the ground. It was like watching an out of control wrestling match, with tables being upturned, chairs and glasses being smashed, and jeers from the other men in the bar as they grumbled and shook their heads, willing them to stop.

  The rough and tumble started to come towards Amanda and Gwen, and even though she wanted to run, Amanda felt rooted to the spot. Out of nowhere a fear gripped her as she watched them fight, and even as they started to get closer and closer, she found herself unable to move.

  “Hey!” a deep, gruff voice cut over from behind her as a pair of hot and heavy hands landed down on her bare shoulders and pulled her backwards just in time before the group of men all crashed into where she had been standing and one of them was thrown across the bar.

  Amanda closed her eyes and winced, expecting to be punched or hit, but instead she was encased in a big pair of protective arms and pulled to safety, well out of the way of the brawling men.

  Her heart was pounding, and she barely dared open her eyes, but in that moment, she felt so safe and protected it was as if she were in a dream. She felt dizzy and calm, and as her savior pulled her further away from the fighting mob, she felt the tingle run down her spine all over again.

  She slowly opened her eyes and saw who had dived in and rescued her, and she almost couldn’t believe it. She had only been in Bridge Hollow a matter of hours, but already she had managed to crash into this man, literally, for the second time.

  It was the man she had nearly knocked down on Main Street. The one with the incredible eyes and the stare that had turned her to stone. She swallowed and found herself unable to speak. He was looking at her angrily, as if he wanted to shout at her, to tell her off and scold her for being there at all.

  She looked down at the floor and breathed in deeply.

  “You again,” he said sternly. “What is it with tourists causing trouble in this town…”

  She looked at him and saw a glint of humor in his eyes, but she narrowed her own. Gwen was hiding behind the bar, practically clinging to Ryder’s arm, as the other men fought hard and fast in the center of the room.

  “Hey!” the man who had saved her shouted. “Break it up boys, now!”

  He marched over to them and quickly pulled them apart with his huge, heavy hands. Amanda watched him in awe as he stopped the fight in a matter of seconds, pushing the men away from each other and glaring at them all as if he was about to rage hell.

  “What the fuck…” he seemed to hiss. “…what do you think you’re doing?”

  The men all looked down at the ground, some of them dabbing blood from their lips, and some rubbing their temples where they had been hit one too many times.

  “Get out of here,” he said quietly. “I’ll sort this.”

  The men looked at each other, as if they were almost confused. And then they all slinked out of there looking sheepish and afraid.

  Amanda’s heart was racing and her palms were sweating. Somewhere deep inside she felt a twinge of longing, something she hadn’t felt for what could easily have been years. She felt her skin flush pink on her cheeks, and she lifted her hand to fan her face.

  “Are you alright?” the man said as he leaned in and gripped her lightly on the elbow. She looked up at him, into his dark eyes, and he gently moved her out of the way of a pile of broken glass and to a clear area of the room.

  The music still pounded away overhead, and she felt as if it was carrying her on a wave of unreality. His hands were red hot, his skin tingled with fire, and when he looked into her eyes it was as if nothing else mattered. She opened her mouth to try and speak, but nothing would come out. She could breathe, but even that seemed slower and more measured. Looking into his eyes brought a calmness over her, something clicked into place, as if she had known him somehow before.

  The doors to the bar slammed and it jolted her back into reality. The man turned and broke her gaze, his line of sight following towards the doorway to see who had stepped inside. Amanda caught sight of Gwen, who was still huddling close to Ryder at the bar, and when the man who had saved her took a step away, she instantly felt the loss of him. A cold seemed to grip her, as if his presence had left her longing for more.

  “Dean?” a voice from the doorway shouted, drowning out the sound of the rock music that was still blaring away.

  Amanda turned to see who it had been aimed at, and sure enough it was at the handsome stranger who she had both nearly run over, and who had also saved her in the space of a few hours.

  Dean.

  She rolled the name around in her mind.

  “What is it Jake?” Dean asked sternly. He crossed his arms over his chest and the music quickly screeched to a stop.

  Ryder, the other town’s people, and now Gwen and Amanda, were all sat staring at these two big, hulking men, Dean and Jake staring each other down as if they were about to jump into a fight themselves.

  “I thought you would have had things under better control,” Jake said.

  Dean curled his lip and bared his teeth before he turned his back and his eyes landed on Amanda again. The ferociousness that had been there a second before seemed to evaporate the moment her saw her, and he appeared to be thinking on overtime, internally conflicted of what to do next.

  “Get out of here,” Dean said, casting his eyes back towards Jake in the doorway. “I’ll deal with you later.”

  When he said those words, Amanda felt a twinge deep in her pussy. This Dean was so muscular and strong looking, but he also had the personality to match. Her heart started to beat harder and her skin prickled with heat. When he caught her eyes again and she saw them glisten, it was almost as if something was sealing between them. She was aching for him, and she didn’t even know him.

  “You need to leave,” he said to her as he took a step closer.

  This time he struggled to meet her eyeline, and she felt it deep in her heart.

  “Oh…” she whispered.

  “It’s not safe in here tonight,” he said. “You and your friend should go back to wherever it is you’re staying and get some rest.”

  The blood pulsed through her veins and her whole body felt on fire. Just being this close to him was arousing feelings in her that she had long buried. She couldn’t remember ever feeling this way. She had always done her best to stay clear of men after disastrous relationships in high school. But now, here she was, in a town hundreds of miles away from her own and she was looking into the eyes of a burly mountain man who was taking her breath away.

  She reached up and nervously smoothed her hair behind her ears. She could sense that everyone present in the bar was watching them, even Gwen was standing with her mouth half hanging open,
wondering what on earth was happening.

  “But…” Amanda gasped.

  Dean reached up and touched her lightly on the cheek, he swept away a light strand of hair and then his hand dropped. His touch left electricity on her skin and it was as if her bones were shaking.

  “Please,” he said. “This town is full of crazy today. The best thing for you would be to go and sleep whilst we all restore the peace.”

  He turned without saying another word and then within a couple of seconds he had burst out of the doors of the bar and they had slammed closed behind him.

  All the light and heat in the room seemed to disappear with him, and Amanda clutched her chest as she finally felt like she could breathe again.

  Gwen rushed to her side and took hold of her by the shoulders, looking her up and down.

  “Oh my God, are you alright?” Gwen asked. “That was crazy! Did you see those guys fighting! They were like something out of a Rocky movie! And that guy you nearly ran over, he totally dived in and saved you from the mob. It was amazing!”

  Amanda could hear Gwen’s words, but all she could focus on was the tingle of fire still left on her skin, and the aching in her heart.

  “Did you feel that?” she whispered to Gwen.

  Gwen looked down at her, non-plussed, and shrugged.

  “Did I feel what?” she asked, genuinely confused.

  “Nothing,” Amanda said as she picked up her purse and headed towards the doorway, to do as she was told. “Never mind…”

  5.

  “You’re not seriously telling me that after all of the excitement we’re just going to sit in this room and twiddle our thumbs?” Gwen said with her hand on her hip as she stared across as Amanda.

  Amanda was looking out over the balcony on the terrace. The darkness had come in whilst they had been out at the bar, and the night was clear and crisp. She looked up at the moon and the stars, twinkling high above the forest and the mountain range, and she smiled.