Amir (BBW Bear Shifter Moonshiner Romance) (120 Proof Honey Book 3) by Becca Fanning Page B
Authors: Becca Fanning
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high backs that they towered over a person’s head. Jack looked like a little boy in the chair he had chosen. He even had the petulant scowl on his face to complete the look.
“What’s wrong with you?” Stacey asked, settling into an opposite chair.
“Tell me about this,” Jack demanded.
He threw a digital camera at her, and it landed hard against her stomach. Stacey fumbled with the display to find that it was focused on one picture. It had been taken only a few hours ago, and it showed her and Kurt wrapped up in each other’s arms. She couldn’t get over how happy she looked.
“You didn’t even tell me that you’d made contact,” Jack accused.
“I…” Stacey began, still staring at the picture. “I didn’t want to scare the guy off, that’s all.”
“You’re sure?” Jack said sharply. “Because you always tell me, Stacey. You’ve never not told me when the first kiss happened before.”
If he knew that that wasn’t even the first kiss, then Jack was going to flip. Stacey decided to keep quiet about that, but she couldn’t look into his dark eyes and lie to him any longer. Kissing Kurt had made her realize what really mattered, and that was the truth.
“Look, I wanted to wait until after the job, so as not to distract you,” she began carefully, “but, I don’t want to do this anymore, Jack.”
As she’d predicted, he wasn’t all that hurt. He blinked the words away and gave a shrug.
“Okay, look, you’re overworked,” he reasoned, “If you need a vacation, I get it. But we’re a team, Stacey. Always have been, always will be.”
“No,” Stacey cut in, as gently as she could manage. “I mean, we’re done. Whatever we are, whatever you want us to be, it’s done. This used to just be a job, but you’ve crossed a line.”
And then she saw a quick flash of rage in Jack’s eyes. She hadn’t been expecting it, because he never showed her his emotions, but now they were flowing clear as crystal in his eyes. She saw a vulnerability there that he hadn’t possessed for a long time, and a confusion and panic that really did make him look like a lost little boy. But in moments, the pain was over. Something dark clouded Jack’s gaze and his face turned emotionless.
Over his shoulder, he said: “I’m out. She’s all yours, Al.”
There were two chairs behind Jack, arranged at another table. Stacey watched two figures rise from those chairs, and she got to her feet too, looking to the first figure with disgust. Big Al Moschino had made his way up from LA to see her, in all his gutsy, greasy glory. His hair was slicked flat to his head, a bad dye job trying to cover grey with jet black, and he wore a suit that must have fit him once, and gradually been stretched over the years. The cigarette hanging from his mouth gave him the appearance of a patchwork walrus with one remaining tooth. He grinned at Stacey, and she looked away, only to find that her shock increased with the second person that she saw.
“You were spying on me?” Kurt asked. “This was all bullshit.”
“See what I told you, buddy,” Jack said to Kurt, his tone harsh. “You gotta watch these women. They’re not to be trusted.”
Stacey wanted to scream, not from fear but from anger. In that moment, she didn’t care what the vicious Big Al might do to her if she stepped out of line, she only wanted Kurt to know that she had never meant to hurt him. They’d gone into their first meeting on the wrong foot, but everything thereafter had been real. She wanted him for his grin, his kindness, his warmth and his truth. She needed him to teach her how to be honest again.
“I wish we hadn’t met this way,” she told him. “I really-”
“Save it,” Big Al snapped. “You can do your lovey-dovey shit later. First, the bear-boy and I have got a deal to strike.”
Jack stepped up to Stacey, hovering beside her like he’d restrain her if he needed to. She could feel the anger coming off
“What’s wrong with you?” Stacey asked, settling into an opposite chair.
“Tell me about this,” Jack demanded.
He threw a digital camera at her, and it landed hard against her stomach. Stacey fumbled with the display to find that it was focused on one picture. It had been taken only a few hours ago, and it showed her and Kurt wrapped up in each other’s arms. She couldn’t get over how happy she looked.
“You didn’t even tell me that you’d made contact,” Jack accused.
“I…” Stacey began, still staring at the picture. “I didn’t want to scare the guy off, that’s all.”
“You’re sure?” Jack said sharply. “Because you always tell me, Stacey. You’ve never not told me when the first kiss happened before.”
If he knew that that wasn’t even the first kiss, then Jack was going to flip. Stacey decided to keep quiet about that, but she couldn’t look into his dark eyes and lie to him any longer. Kissing Kurt had made her realize what really mattered, and that was the truth.
“Look, I wanted to wait until after the job, so as not to distract you,” she began carefully, “but, I don’t want to do this anymore, Jack.”
As she’d predicted, he wasn’t all that hurt. He blinked the words away and gave a shrug.
“Okay, look, you’re overworked,” he reasoned, “If you need a vacation, I get it. But we’re a team, Stacey. Always have been, always will be.”
“No,” Stacey cut in, as gently as she could manage. “I mean, we’re done. Whatever we are, whatever you want us to be, it’s done. This used to just be a job, but you’ve crossed a line.”
And then she saw a quick flash of rage in Jack’s eyes. She hadn’t been expecting it, because he never showed her his emotions, but now they were flowing clear as crystal in his eyes. She saw a vulnerability there that he hadn’t possessed for a long time, and a confusion and panic that really did make him look like a lost little boy. But in moments, the pain was over. Something dark clouded Jack’s gaze and his face turned emotionless.
Over his shoulder, he said: “I’m out. She’s all yours, Al.”
There were two chairs behind Jack, arranged at another table. Stacey watched two figures rise from those chairs, and she got to her feet too, looking to the first figure with disgust. Big Al Moschino had made his way up from LA to see her, in all his gutsy, greasy glory. His hair was slicked flat to his head, a bad dye job trying to cover grey with jet black, and he wore a suit that must have fit him once, and gradually been stretched over the years. The cigarette hanging from his mouth gave him the appearance of a patchwork walrus with one remaining tooth. He grinned at Stacey, and she looked away, only to find that her shock increased with the second person that she saw.
“You were spying on me?” Kurt asked. “This was all bullshit.”
“See what I told you, buddy,” Jack said to Kurt, his tone harsh. “You gotta watch these women. They’re not to be trusted.”
Stacey wanted to scream, not from fear but from anger. In that moment, she didn’t care what the vicious Big Al might do to her if she stepped out of line, she only wanted Kurt to know that she had never meant to hurt him. They’d gone into their first meeting on the wrong foot, but everything thereafter had been real. She wanted him for his grin, his kindness, his warmth and his truth. She needed him to teach her how to be honest again.
“I wish we hadn’t met this way,” she told him. “I really-”
“Save it,” Big Al snapped. “You can do your lovey-dovey shit later. First, the bear-boy and I have got a deal to strike.”
Jack stepped up to Stacey, hovering beside her like he’d restrain her if he needed to. She could feel the anger coming off
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