8 Roughneck Bears Two - Part 2

Liam didn't sleep a wink, and he felt it in the creak of his bones as he shifted back into his human form. When the night was dragging on, he thought he catch some earth beneath his paws in the small wooded area around his townhome. It was nice, and comforting to be in his favorite form. So often his beast had to remain trapped inside of him. The rig wasn't made for bears to roam around. So Liam remained completely in control and made the best of it. After a couple of hours of letting his bear stretch, he was still no closer to sleep when he returned. The day would be breaking soon. As he walked naked back to his home, he thought of Ava. She would be getting up to prepare for work about now. Liam cursed at the thought. The mundane things, the little quirks of her routine were the things he would miss knowing. He suspected she had no idea how much about her day he knew. Her work schedule, her favorite lunch spot, the place she went when she wanted to eat alone were all part of his daily thoughts.

On the rig, it gave him comfort knowing what times she would do things. He would sometimes synchronize his lunch schedule with what he'd predicted hers was for the day. It made him feel close to her. It was exactly what he needed to distance himself from right now. His bear grunted in disagreement. Liam smirked, frustrated that his beast wouldn't try and understand his side of it. Exactly how were they supposed to tell Ava that part of him was wild? The beast in him didn't have any answers, but that didn't stop it from making demands.

Liam showered quickly. He pulled on a printed hoodie and a pair of jeans and headed out for some breakfast. He never kept food in this place, because so often he wasn't here. He took his motorcycle from the garage and decided on a donut and coffee place in town. He was a beast of a man, but when his mind was troubled he hardly ate. Once the problem was solved, he would gorge himself on something proper. He was barely five minutes from the place when he caught the first whiff of her smell. His cock started to harden. The bear in him pawed to get to the surface. Where was she? Why'd she have to be so close to him?

Liam parked his bike and searched the street for her. She was here somewhere, and all he needed was a glimpse to get him through his day. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his hoodie as he scanned the scene. When he caught sight of her, walking briskly across the street to her office, he stopped in his tracks. She'd worn a straight skirt that hugged her full, wide hips and her round buttocks. Her button up blouse was mostly covered by a navy cardigan and a thin brown belt. He had liked the subtle dip of her waist before it blossomed into her hips. He liked the way her skin looked creamy, but still had a soft glow from the morning sun kissing against her skin. She was heaven walking and easily the closest he would ever get to perfection. Everything he longed for he found with her cradled in his arms. All he had to do was say it. He just had to trust that when he told her who he was, she would be the woman he thought of her and stay. It was easier said than done.

Liam tore his eyes away from the rhythmic sway of her hips and went into the donut and coffee shop. He ordered, but her scent was still there. It plunged beneath his skin and reminded him of how every woman before her had softened into a distant memory, and that his future with other women was just as colorless. She was his Omni, the one, and he felt like a fool for letting her go. The barista flirted. Liam smiled but didn't encourage her admiration. His blue eyes could only see one woman as beautiful, and she was currently just far enough away to be out of reach. He took his coffee black and his frosted donuts and turned to leave. As he exited the donut shop, Ava was coming from her office. She must've left something he surmised. She always did on nights that she didn't sleep.

Their eyes met, and the world around them slowed. Liam knew he shouldn't, but he had to give himself this moment with her. He walked in her direction and Ava held his gaze. As he approached, he saw the subtle lift of her chin. She was guarding herself against him. Liam swallowed, he felt the shift. He could tell that she was placing steel walls around her heart. She had a right to do so, but he'd hoped she wouldn't.

"Hi," she said as he approached.

He wanted to draw her into a deep kiss, but something in the slope of her shoulders said she wouldn't let him. Liam hadn't even gone yet, and he was already feeling separation.

"Hi. If I knew you would be here, I would have gotten you something," said Liam as he got closer.

"I didn't think you wanted to see me," said Ava.

"That's not what I said," he responded. Liam knew she'd be upset, but he'd wanted her to see that he needed some time.

"You didn't have too. You've never put me off before. It was enough," said Ava.

"Ava there are things you don't know about me," said Liam. His voice was gentle, but his eyes held her firmly.

"Then tell me, Liam," she requested.

Ava waited for his answer. Liam knew a challenge when he saw one. He didn't want to have this conversation like this. Not on the sidewalk with the prying ears of passersby going about their days. He wanted to do it on his terms, and when he didn't answer, he saw the light dim in Ava's blue eyes. He reached to stroke her face, and Ava backed away. She smiled softly, but it didn't reach her crystal clear blue eyes. There, was hurt and Liam regretted being responsible for it.

"Why don't we just stop now. It was nice knowing you Liam Lawerence," said Ava.

She turned on her heels and returned to her office. Liam's bear raged inside of him. It clawed, growled, and grunted restless at Ava's walking away. He wanted to race after her and tell her to come back, but Liam knew she wouldn't. What good would it do anyway? It was over. He'd needed to end it anyway. What did it matter that she was the one to finish it for them? Liam turned back to where he'd parked his motorcycle. He tossed the coffee and donut into the nearest trash can and sped off to his home. Liam knew it was for the best, but it felt hollow to lose her this way. She didn't know that his intentions had been good, and he'd hoped to keep her forever. She would never know that the reason he was walking away was that he wanted to protect her. She'd given him the opportunity to tell her all of those things, and he'd let it slip away.

Liam wasn't the callous playboy he'd spent most of his life being. With Ava, he knew there was more that he could become. Only if it were that simple. He revved his engine hard and lifted his bike from the endless road. When it slammed back down again, he wondered why he couldn't be the man his brothers were. Both Aidan and Jordan knew how to turn off the wild side of themselves and become the mated bears their mothers had hoped they would be. They knew how to let their guards down and let nature take its course. Liam wasn't so lucky. He didn't believe in it the way they did.

* * *

Ava made it as far as the lobby bathroom before she burst into tears. All she wanted was an explanation- anything that said she was letting her thoughts run away with her. She'd wanted Liam to say that she was reading too deeply into his decision to stay away last night. He could have just wanted to sleep in without sharing a bed. He could have wanted anything, but after spending all night restless without him, she'd awoke needing to know that he wasn't just stepping away. Their encounter only served to show that maybe her thoughts had been right all along.

Ava dabbed her face with a wet paper towel. She had a ton of work to get to today and didn't want any interruptions from concerned co-workers who wanted to know what was going on. She didn't know any more than they did and didn't welcome the intrusion into her personal life. Ava walked out of the bathroom with her head high and plans to call Juliette when she got some free time. She would come clean, and tell Juliette everything. Maybe she had some advice for how to handle Lawerence men. It would be better if the advice were how to get over them. Ava would need all the advice she could get.

Ava had probably been presumptuous by telling Liam they were done. She just wasn't going to give Liam the chance to drag this out longer than it needed to be. Her heart couldn't take it. A clean break at least gave her a chance to start living her life without him.

It would be easier if he were back on that damn rig. She didn't want to bump into him anymore. The city they lived in was large enough, but she and Liam ran in the same circles. It wouldn't be odd for them to pop up at the same bar. Ava shook her head solidly as she sat at her desk. Her blonde tresses wavered in the wind as she moved. The idea that she had to see him around more wasn't welcomed. She didn't want another break down like she'd just had. The awful truth was that as long as he was here, there was no safe place for her. Not even in her own home. Every nook and cranny of her place held a memory of him. She could feel his presence in her bed all of last night, and it just wasn't fair to wake up without him. All of her wanted him to touch her today, but it would have only made things worse. She wondered how much he knew about her love for him. Was it intentional to show up today and turn her into a mess? If it wasn't then, he didn't know her at all. He should have stayed away. He should have just left her alone that night in her favorite bar so many years ago.

Ava concentrated on the work in front of her. She had to move forward, and as long as she was thinking of Liam, she wouldn't get anything done. It was a statistical fact that she couldn't concentrate on him and her tedious job at the same time. She would deal with her professional life now and her personal life later. Yet, no matter what she did her thoughts kept returning to him. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest as a flash of his broad chest, and his disarming gaze came to her mind. Liam made her believe in so many things, and she hated how she felt like a fool right now.

Her phone chimed in her purse. She hoped against the odds that it was Liam, but was happy to see Juliette's name flash on the screen.

"Call me when you got a minute. I want to talk dinner on Tuesday :)"

Ava responded quickly to the text. It would be nice to see her bff this week. Normally, Juliette kept the same by weeks as Aidan. It was rare that Juliette would return to the shore alone these days. Ava needed the girl time so she wouldn't challenge it much. She sent a message with a time and their usual place. Maybe Juliette could answer some of her lingering questions. Right now, Ava needed an ally more than anything. She needed someone who would tell her whether or not she was crazy for wanting Liam to fall for her. Her thoughts were so muddled, and they didn't show any signs of getting better.