As quickly as he had started looking at her, he diverted his attention to his beer. It was better if Sky didn't catch him looking. He liked the woman. A lot. A hell of a lot. What made it worse was they'd been off and on in a casual thing, which usually ended up at her house and in her bed. For the last few months, she'd been on his mind each day. Lately he'd taken to coming into the Steak and Ale House Saloon just to make sure no slimy men tried to pick her up.
Brock had a taste for her, but coming here this often wasn't right. He couldn't hold claim to Sky, though he had considered it once or twice. Letting it go any further than it already had with her wasn’t a good idea. There were things about Brock, things about his close knit group of friends that no one else needed to know.
One thing, specifically.
They all worked on the A-shift team at the local fire department, and were thick as thieves in and out of work, but that was where the sharable information ended... The thing that needed to remain secret was all four of them were bear shifters. The ability to turn into black bears tended to make social life of any sort pretty complicated.
A heavy hand clamped down on his shoulder. Toby grinned down at him, showing every tooth in his mouth.
“Want to lead a toast?” Toby asked. “Everyone around this table knows you have such a way with words.”
Brock gave a simple shake of his head. Toby was needling him, trying to get a rise out of him for comedy's sake. He was fully aware of the fact that Brock would rather drop dead than make a toast or deliver a public speech.
“I'll do it,” Nash shouted over the music. He raised his pint glass and the four others at the table followed suit.
“Jax,” Nash began, gazing intently at the auburn haired man. “You rock.”
Everyone laughed.
“I’d like to add to that,” Toby started, getting serious. “Jax, I think I speak for everyone when I say I'm honored to have you as a full-time member of our team. Your vigilance and dedication to firefighting, the RSPD and House twenty-one are right up there with the best I've ever seen. I'm proud to call you my fellow firefighter, and my friend.”
Jax sheepishly cocked his head. “Thanks, guys, Lily. I'm just glad to have made it here with you men. It was great being a volunteer firefighter, and getting paid to do this work is like winning the jackpot. Being able to make it this far…well, it’s all I've ever wanted.”
“That and Joleen,” Toby made a point of adding.
The woman in mention walked up to their table just then, her cowboy boots clicking against the floor. She slid a hand across Jax's shoulder and smiled at the group.
“How's everyone doing?”
“Just fine,” Jax purred. He slipped his arm around Joleen's waist and gave her a squeeze.
Brock had to look away. Their closeness made him painfully aware of what he didn't have, what he couldn’t have. As Lieutenant of this team, and as the alpha of his shifter clan, he needed to look out for everyone around the table right now. Getting too close to Sky could get in the way of that.
Joleen had come to learn the four firefighters sitting at her table were bear shifters. She'd seen Jax shift, and had been healed by the four of them too. That made everything about her and Jax's relationship all the better. She had a bond with him, and no secrets between them. That was a rare thing. Come to think about it, Brock wasn’t even sure Toby could claim to have that with his wife.
“How's the jewelry business going, Joleen?” Toby asked.
Joleen smiled wide. “Just great. It's a lot to keep up with, honestly. Even with Sky's help.”
“She could quit the bar and make jewelry all the time if she wanted to,” Jax said proudly. “It's a full-time business.”
“Soon, baby,” she grinned. “Once I can stop for a second, catch my breath, and make some plans.” She looked up from the table, then she straightened up. “Excuse me, y’all. Duty calls. You party animals have a good time.”
The men all watched Joleen saunter away towards the window to the kitchen, where both an order of food and Sky were waiting. Brock briefly locked eyes with Sky. Caught off guard, he looked away. Catching her gaze had been completely accidental that time. Prolonged eye contact with this woman had a way of twisting his insides in a delicious and painful way.
“You're lucky,” Toby said to Jax.
Jax leaned back in his chair. “I am.”
Lily continued to scowl, perhaps displeased no one had mentioned how lucky Toby was to have her.
Brock's phone rang, buzzing against his thigh and lighting up through the pocket of his slacks. He pulled it out and took a quick look at the screen. It was his mother.
His stomach did a weird somersault. She lived in Sparks as well, and they made a habit of talking several times a week. Her calling him at eight o'clock at night was odd though. A woman of routine, she was usually winding down and getting ready for bed at this hour.
“Be right back,” Brock mumbled. He pushed his chair back and swiped the answer button. Their table was near the front of the saloon, so he was out the door and in the gravel parking lot in just a few steps. Brock stepped over to the side of the building, pressing himself into the dim light under one of the flickering decorative saloon signs.
“Hi Mom.”