Nester wasn’t afraid because he was dead certain Pyke couldn’t do it. Once he proved the guy was a nutjob, Nester could… He could do what? Sleep outside? Keep being hungry? Even if Pyke couldn’t transform into a bear, sadly, Nester would still take the job. He had no other choice.
“Come home with me and I promise I’ll prove it to you.”
Nester snorted. “So you can trap me in your house? I don’t think so. Prove it to me now, or we can go our separate ways.”
He could possibly be throwing away a decent gig, but Nester needed to know how far Pyke would go with his lie. He needed to know what kind of man he was dealing with.
“You’re seriously going to make me strip naked in this freezing rain?” Pyke crossed his arms over his massive chest.
“Naked?” Nester’s brows shot up, and he had to admit that seeing Pyke strip would make his year.
“Well, I’m not ruining my clothes.” Pyke opened the passenger door to his truck. He took his thick brown Carhartt jacket off and tossed it onto the seat.
Nester couldn’t believe Pyke was actually stripping down. Now he felt bad, fearing the guy would catch pneumonia, but was too fascinated to stop him.
A few moments later Pyke stood in front of Nester without a single stitch of clothing on. “You owe me for this.”
Nester had no idea what to say. He tried to keep his gaze from wandering past Pyke’s waist, but the only way that would happen was if he poked his own eyes out.
And no one could tell him that Pyke wasn’t preening. The guy purposely flexed his muscles and twisted to the side, showing off his gorgeous physique.
“You’re not bodybuilding, so what’s with the poses?” Nester asked.
“Hey, if you’re demanding I get naked, then I can do whatever I want.” Pyke wiped the rain from his eyes.
It was starting to come down harder, and Nester was seconds away from telling Pyke to get his damn clothes on when—“Holy shit!”
Once moment Pyke stood there, looking like a walking sex god, and now…now…
“Ah!” Nester spun away from the bear and raced around Pyke’s truck, hopping into the driver’s seat and slamming the door closed.
No, no, no. It wasn’t possible. Once again Nester believed he’d died in the woods and this was some strange purgatory. The bear had to weigh at least five hundred pounds, though Nester wasn’t good at guessing weight. The bear was also brown, made darker by its wet fur, but intimidating as hell.
Then the bear was gone. Poof. No more. Pyke stood there wiping the rain from his face. “For future reference, don’t run.”
Nester had forgotten to close the passenger door. A soaking-wet Pyke stood there with his arms crossed.
“Why not?” Nester asked, his gaze still wandering to Pyke’s groin. Fuck, the guy was hung. Then again, what did he expect with someone so freakishly tall?
“Because my bear will chase you.” Pyke walked around the truck, opened the driver’s door, and gave Nester the motion to scoot over. Nester did, though now he was seated on Pyke’s clothing.
“And eat me?”
Pyke gave a low, amused chuckle. “In a pleasurable way. I know who you are even when I’m in my bear form. I can understand you, too.”
Nester’s head was spinning. There was no way a person could change into an animal. How was that possible?
It was a thought he contemplated the entire way to Pyke’s house.
Along with the burning question of who Payton was.
One thing was for certain, Pyke wasn’t a liar, which meant that not only did bear shifters exist but so did vampires.
Yikes!
Chapter Three
Nester moved as quietly as he could around the house, trying not to wake Pyke as he explored. It was a three-bedroom ranch-style home with gorgeous wooden floors, sleek, modern furniture, and floor-to-ceiling windows.
What the hell did Pyke do for a living? How could he afford such a stunning home as a restoration guy? When he’d offered Nester a job, Nester thought it would be in a modest abode like most people owned. Nester never thought he’d be taken to the richer part of town.
He didn’t even know how to clean the wooden floors, how to keep them polished, or where to even begin. In truth, the house was already spotless.
Nester decided to start in the kitchen. There had to be things he could do to earn his keep, so maybe simply cooking for Pyke would be enough to earn his pay.
Not that Nester was a chef, but he did enjoy experimenting and trying new dishes. For now, Nester settled on eggs, sausage, and toast. He started the coffeepot, needing his morning java before he began his day.
As he waited for the coffee to finish brewing, he thought about last night, how Pyke had shown him his bear and how utterly freaked out Nester had been.
But he’d had time to mull things over, to absorb what felt like nonstop chaos that kept happening to him. Nester hadn’t put anything into perspective, but at least he wasn’t having a meltdown.
If he’d stayed homeless, he might have.
Just as he reached for a coffee cup, Nester heard hushed voices. What the hell? Ignoring his cup, he walked toward the French doors at the other end of the kitchen and peeked outside.
Standing at the edge of the house was Pyke, who was dressed only in his boxer briefs, and Payton, the guy from the diner. What exactly was going on with those two? Nester was dying to hear what they were talking about but decided it wasn’t any of his business.
It wasn’t as if Pyke had shown any interest in him. And even if he had, they’d just met—under extremely bizarre circumstances—and Nester would have shot Pyke down.
A romance wasn’t what he needed. What he needed was to clear his name and go home to Falls Bend. He was dead certain he no longer had a job, though. Nester hadn’t called his boss. He’d just stopped showing up for work.
Nester was normally more responsible than that, but he’d been afraid the cops would question his boss, and the less Adam knew, the better.
Even though the conversation between Pyke and Payton was none of his business, Nester still watched from the door, making sure he was hidden so no one would see him spying.
When he saw Pyke walk away, heading for the kitchen door, Nester moved swiftly toward the coffeepot, pouring himself a cup. He grabbed some cream from the fridge, acting startled when Pyke entered.
“Didn’t realize your bedroom was outside.” Nester gave a nervous chuckle. “You’re just in time for some coffee.”
Nester grabbed another mug, although Pyke hadn’t said a word. In fact, his nostrils were flaring and his eyes were cold and hard. He walked from the kitchen, leaving Nester standing there unsure what to do.
Maybe some breakfast would help Pyke’s sour mood.
Just as Nester started his search of where the pots and pans were kept, he heard a phone ring. Nope. It wasn’t any of his business. Not even when he heard the deep timbre of Pyke’s voice.
“Sure, come on over. I’ll cook breakfast, and we can discuss the project.”
At least Pyke sounded in a better mood.
This living arrangement wasn’t exactly what Nester wanted, but he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. But if he had flat-out refused the offer, he probably would have starved by now. He was independent and loved living on his own. But with no funds and on the run from the cops, he had no choice.