Island Stripe Pride - Chapter 58: Chapter 58

Bruno was still scratching his head after the little hellion in Bunny’s clothing ran into him, then out the door like her cutesy little cottontail was on fire.
Minga, was she cute! Cute and completely flabbergasting. The female drove his Cat bonkers. He spent half his time pining for her, and the other half scratching his head, wondering how to talk to her.
Bruno didn’t know what he did to make Mara Casabella hate his guts, but the sexy little Shifter acted like he had cooties—the catching kind that no one wanted.
Hell, he’d never felt as low as he did when the little beauty reared back from his touch like he was contagious. Fucking hell, that hurt. No woman had ever responded like that to him. Why the hell would they? Bruno was a nice guy, for fuck’s sake.
Plus, he was pretty decent to look at. He took extra care with his grooming—daily showers and shaves. He wore deodorant daily. One that was light on fragrance because his animal was sensitive about that kind of thing.
Still, he took pride in his appearance. Styled his thick, glossy, dark hair with a little special conditioner he ordered from a barbershop run by Shifters. He always dressed in nice, clean clothes. Kept his boots polished, his tattoos spelled correctly, and his piercings clean. What more did the female want?
He knew what he wanted. A little time, a little conversation. Sure, he was a guy, and if she offered, he would not turn down sex. But that was not his only goal. Bruno wanted a relationship—a real one. Had wanted one for some time now, but his inner Tiger was a picky beast.
For some reason, the infuriating little female had his monster’s attention. He liked everything about her. Her looks, her scent, the way she scrunched up her nose when she was angry—an expression he knew really well.
After an unfortunate little incident where he’d eaten part of a gingerbread cookie display she’d made for the lobby, Bruno had worked on making it up to her. He bought her a little silver spoon on a keychain cause of her profession, but did she use it?
Actually, he had no idea. Any attempt he made to get to know her better ended the same way—with Mara slamming a door in his face, running down the hall, or hanging up the phone. She was clearly not interested.
Bruno should just give up, move on, walk away. Really, he should. But did he? Nope. If anything, her indifference seemed to spark his animal’s curiosity. The Tiger wanted to get to know her better—a whole lot better.
Snuggle. Sniff. Lick. Eat.
And not the kind of eating a predatory feline usually did with a soft, fluffy bunny. A smile curled across his face, and Bruno growled deeply as he watched her hightail it out of there.
Fine. Bruno prided himself on being honest, and he was man enough to admit the truth. He wanted Mara Casabella. On her back. On her knees. Bent over the sofa. Up against the wall. He wanted her any fucking way he could get her.
The woman created fires in his blood with no effort at all, and he’d never felt anything like it. She was beautiful, smart, and sexy as all get. He would do terrible things to have one shot at proving to her he was worth it.
Truly terrible things—that should have made a big brawler like him worried, but it didn’t. It just made him want to find out what he needed to do to catch her attention the way she had his.
“Yo Bruno, everything good?” Carter Marrow, Pride Enforcer and now manager of the Island Stripe Mountain Resort, shouted down the hall.
“Yeah, boss,” Bruno replied.
“Good. Then get in here so we can start the meeting. The Zoom call with Dean’s about to start.”
“Shit. Sorry,” he mumbled and hauled ass.
Dean Romero was the Neta of the , a fierce as fuck Tiger who was not to be trifled with. He was currently filling in as the head of the Shifter Council of New York City until things settled down and an honest election could be held.
Bruno did not dig politics, but he respected Dean and the sacrifice he was making on behalf of all the supes living in the big Apple. Originally a Jersey boy, Bruno came to Manhattan when he was a teen. Born and raised in West New York by his paternal grandmother, a fiercely protective gem of a woman, he had it rough when he was a kid.
Of course, that all changed when he met the Neta. Bruno was eternally grateful to Dean for taking him in when he did and showing him how to be a good Tiger. His grandmother was not a born Shifter, but her husband had been.
After he’d passed on, Bruno’s Nonna had raised her son, his father, the best way she knew how. That was not an easy feat for a normal, and despite her best efforts, Dominick D’Italia was a rogue and a rounder. He’d put his mother through hell, getting into fights and breaking hearts left and right.
He would show up and cause trouble for her with her landlord or boss whenever he was home. Then he’d leave for months at a time, sometimes more. One time, he’d returned with a baby in his arms. That baby was Bruno. Though he hated to admit he did right by leaving his own cub in the hands of his aging mother, Bruno was grateful to the prick for that one act.
He hated his father. Dominick D’Italia had only shown up sporadically through his formative years, and Bruno had avoided him like the plague. He’d died a virtual stranger, and the man Bruno was today did not have two shits to give over his sire’s demise.
Nonna was his mother and his father. She’d loved him, taught him everything he knew about how to be a real man. And when it became clear he had a special Tiger inside him, she had protected him the only way she could. By finding him a spot in the .
Nonna had been so afraid he would go rogue, like his father. She didn’t trust he would be safe on his own. White Bengal Tiger Shifters were rare, and therefore, they were coveted as breeding males by certain Prides. Breeding males—even the title made him sick.
That certain Shifters were prized for their genetic traits, like they were livestock or pets to be bred for their eye color, size, length and color of their fur, was absolutely disgusting. Nonna refused to have her only grandson become some rutting beast because of his genetics. She wanted him to have protection, so she found him the biggest, baddest Pride around.
Of course, it was always up to him to fit in. Fighting was a way of life for Tigers, and he was a big fucking Tiger. All that brawling paid off when the big man himself selected Bruno to be an Enforcer. He used his size and expertise to settle disputes and take care of the well-being of the Pride. Years of loyalty to the Neta had paid off.
Nonna was getting older, and good grandson that he was, he’d moved her to a senior assisted living community inside the city limits of Verona Falls. The very town where the Pride owned their getaway resort, lovingly called the Lodge. Bruno had asked for a temporary reassignment to get her settled, and Dean had granted his request immediately.
That his requested time here was almost up was a source of constant worry for Bruno. But what choice did he have? His life and his Pride were both in the city. As an Enforcer, it was his duty to protect the Pride. Bruno owed Dean everything, and the idea of being disloyal by asking for more time did not feel right. He needed to find the right words to discuss his concerns, but that was hard for him.
He was a slow talker. Some people spoke miles a minute around Bruno, but he was always careful with his words. He wasn’t big on academics and didn’t like admitting he was not very well read.
Yeah, he had earned his high school diploma, but Bruno never made it to college. School just wasn’t for him. He’d had a difficult time focusing on work, and his teachers said he had ADHD—whatever the fuck that was.
Really, it was his animal that made it difficult for him to sit still and pay attention. The Tiger needed physical exertion to keep him steady. Usually, that meant fights, but Nonna didn’t like that, so Bruno tried his best to stay out of trouble. He’d always blurted whatever was in his head when the teacher called on him, and the other kids would just laugh and laugh.
He didn’t realize until he was older that they weren’t laughing with him, but at him. By then, it was too late. He was big, dumb Bruno, the kid with no filter, who said things like he had to take a leak, or thought blue crayons were the prettiest, or that he wanted a stick of beef jerky when the teachers would call on him or ask him questions.
Fuck.
Mara deserved better than a big, dumb brute like him. His inner beast snarled at his self-deprecating thoughts. The White Tiger, so majestic and powerful, he was the only source of Pride a man like Bruno had. But Mara didn’t seem impressed by his animal. Not that she’d bothered to meet him. She was talented. Smart. A real beauty, too.
Mine.
No. No. No.
Mara Casabella deserved a good man. Someone who could match her wit and appreciate her intelligence. A hard worker, he watched her when she worked with her sister in the Lodge’s kitchen and the woman knew her stuff. But when she wasn’t slicing and dicing, making art out of chicken or vegetables or whatever stuff she cooked with, she always had a book in hand or on one of those snazzy little e-reader things.
She was too smart for a brute like him. Didn’t stop him from wanting her, though. Even if Bruno knew his limitations, he was good at some things. Fucking, for example. He would never be a great thinker or intellectual, but he was loyal and strong. If she gave him a chance, he’d make her the center of his entire world. He’d spend countless hours devoted to keeping her safe, making her feel good.
He wondered what noises she made when she was excited. Was she a screamer? A scratcher? A biter? Fuck, yes, please. He growled deep in his chest, shaking his head to clear it when the computer screen lit up.
“We all here?” the Neta’s voice asked over the Zoom call Carter displayed on his thirty-one inch computer monitor.
Fuck, that was big.
“Yes, Neta,” Carter replied, and Bruno nodded.
Toni smiled and waved, sitting beside her mate with hands resting on her protruding belly. Lucky man, Carter. He was mated, settled, and having his own cubs.
Lucky Tiger. Lucky man.
Bruno’s inner beast chuffed and whined. The animal was ready for a mate. Ready to be a father. Selfish? Maybe. But he wanted it all. He was tired of being a tough guy. Tired of playing the field. Bruno wanted ties. He wanted roots. And even though she hated his fucking guts, his Cat seemed hellbent on wanting a certain sexy Bunny.
“Bruno, you’ll head up the security team. Got it?”
“Yes, Neta.”
Fuck. He didn’t know what it was, but he’d find out. The Neta ended the Zoom, and Toni clucked her tongue at him. That female seemed to have eyes in the back of her head when it came to anything involving her sister. Not that Bruno had stepped out of line with the pretty Bunny, but still.
“You know, people always talk about getting super pregnancy sniffing skills, but not me. Rather, I seem to have my Bunny’s hearing even in my human skin and it is not always pleasant. Do you know how many awful sounds humans make with their mouths when they eat? Shifters aren’t much better, mind you. But it’s made working at the diner almost impossible for me.”
“That’s, uh, too bad, Toni,” Bruno muttered, rubbing the back of his neck like he used to when Nonna caught him in a fib.
“Mmm hmm. Mara’s been a doll, picking up my slack. She has the most incredible work ethic of anyone I know. It’ll take a special man to catch that Bunny by the tail⁠—”
“Sounds like she’s gonna give some lucky guy a wonderful life, Toni,” Bruno grumbled between gritted teeth.
Fuck, it hurt to talk about her with someone else. But he had to face facts. That Bunny was not for him.