by Lynn Hagen
“Can Russell join us?” Derek asked.
With a wary look, Kenny nodded. “Russell, can you follow us into the kitchen?”
When Russell passed them, Derek smelled cheetah. He was relieved. That meant Russell and Kenny were possibly mates, and it also meant his conversation would go a lot smoother now that he didn’t have to hide the fact that he was a shifter.
When they passed the kitchen door, Derek said, “You’re a cheetah.”
Russell nodded and scented Derek. “You’re a Bengal tiger.”
“Now that we got that out of the way,” Kenny said. “What do you need to talk to us about?”
“Steven’s my mate.”
Russell grinned then chuckled. “Congrats.”
Kenny narrowed his eyes. “You don’t know anything about Steven. He has…needs that I’m not sure you’re up to handling.”
Russell curled an arm around Kenny and kissed him. Kenny sagged against him but turned a glare at Derek.
“We’ve already spoken about them,” Derek informed Kenny. “I know your mother fucked him up in the womb and that Steven is special. I’m not out to take advantage of him. In fact, I’m here to tell you I’ll be taking over his care.”
“The hell you will!” Kenny snarled. “What’re you trying to do, take Steven from me?”
“Calm down,” Russell whispered into Kenny’s ear.
Derek sighed. He’d thought things would go smoother since Kenny was aware of mates, but he’d underestimated Kenny’s need to be Steven’s bodyguard and caretaker.
“I’m not trying to take him from you,” he said. “I’m just letting you know Steven isn’t going to be calling you about every move he makes. That’s my job now, and I take my job of keeping Steven safe and happy seriously.”
“Derek’s a good guy,” Cyril said from across the room. “I’d trust him with my life, so Steven’s in good hands.”
“You can say that because Steven isn’t your brother,” Kenny argued. He turned to Derek. “I’ve been defending him my entire life from cruel people who call him names and make fun of him.”
There was actual pain in Kenny’s blue eyes. Derek couldn’t fathom taking care of a sibling on his own, and he guessed that Kenny had from what he’d learned of their mother.
“You don’t have to fully let go,” Derek said. He squeezed Kenny’s shoulder. “I’m not trying to take him from you. I’m just doing my duty as his mate. I’ll keep him safe, Kenny. I promise. If anyone even thinks of fucking with them, I’ll remove the idiot’s head.”
He thought of Tristan, and Derek’s stomach tied into knots. If his ex went anywhere near Steven, Derek would definitely bury his body.
Kenny looked Derek up and down. “Are you really a Bengal tiger?”
“And as deadly as one,” Derek said.
Kenny sighed. “Please take care of Steven. He’s my entire world.”
“And what am I?” Russell asked.
He slapped Russell’s chest. “You know damn well what I mean. I’ve been taking care of Steven his entire life, and he’s more like my kid than my brother.”
Derek pulled Kenny from Russell’s arms and hugged him. “I won’t let anything happen to him.” When he let Kenny go, he added, “And we’re flying to Wyoming for the weekend.”
Kenny gasped. “Fuck, I wanna go.”
Russell snarled. “They’re in their honeymoon period, babe. I doubt you want to tag along.”
Kenny waved his arms as he grimaced. “Don’t make me think of Steven having sex. Gross.”
Derek chuckled. “You’re both welcome to come, but it’s a family reunion. You might not want to be around the Mitchell gathering. It gets insane.”
“I’ll pass,” Kenny said. “But make sure Steven calls me every day.”
Now that Derek could handle. He was glad Kenny hadn’t fought him hard on this. He would have taken over Steven’s care regardless, but it was nice to have Kenny’s blessing so Steven didn’t have to call him all the time.
“I will, but now I want to order something to eat. I’m famished.”
“Just tell Kenny what you want,” Cyril said from over his shoulder.
With a nod, Derek joined Steven at the counter. They enjoyed blueberry waffles and some bacon, and damn, Derek was in love with this place. He’d given Cyril the loan to start the diner, but he’d never eaten here.
He would correct that mistake from this morning forward.
Katie called him a half-hour after Derek had sat down at the counter. He excused himself and went outside.
“I found a firm with raving Google reviews,” she said. “Of course I dug deeper and took a look at their client list, the one they’ve been given permission to publicly advertise. It’s impressive. I gave them a call, and they’re sending someone. The guy should be here this evening.”
Derek was shocked it had been done so fast. “What about the cook?”
Katie cleared her throat. “I hope you don’t mind, but I was a little uneasy about letting a stranger around you all day. Other than the bodyguard, I mean. My aunt has been looking for work, and I wanted to ask—”
“I’d prefer your aunt,” Derek said. “Have I met her?”
“No, but I promise she does excellent work. Her name is Matilda, and I adore her, Derek.”
“Tell her she can start right away. I have a guest house in the back that she can use.”
Katie squealed. “That’s why I love you so much, Derek. I’ll let Aunt Matilda know.”
Derek had a huge grin on his face when he hung up. Now all he had to do was get Steven to agree to move in and everything would be perfect.
Except for Tristan. If the guy left Derek alone, then all would be right with the world.
He rejoined Steven and gave him a thorough kiss. His mate blushed profusely as he looked around. “We can’t kiss in public,” Steven murmured. “It’s tacky.”
“Then I’ll be the tackiest man you know.” Derek chuckled.
“Hey, Moose!” Steven waved at an enormous man. Why hadn’t Derek seen the guy when he’d walked in? How could he have missed the giant?
Moose walked down the length of the diner and joined them. “What’s up, squirt?”
Fuck. Derek was six feet four inches, and he felt like a dwarf compared to this guy. Moose also smelled like a bear shifter.
Steven waved his arms as if Derek was a showcase Steven was presenting. “This is my mate, Derek Mitchell.”
Moose’s grin split his face. He shook Derek’s hand, and Derek was surprised at how gentle Moose had been. “Nice to meet you. I’m John Zitelli, but everyone calls me Moose.”
“Derek.” He inwardly rolled his eyes. Steven had already told Moose his name.
“Sheriff Copache is my mate,” Moose said in a low tone. “And Jeremy is Cyril’s mate.” Moose nodded to the guy serving coffee behind the counter. Derek remembered Jeremy from Bistro.
“It’s good to meet all of you,” Derek said.
“They’re like my family who isn’t my family,” Steven explained.
With a grin, Derek kissed Steven’s temple. “Then I hope to get to know them better.”
They seemed like a great bunch, and Derek wanted to get to know Steven’s friends. He also hoped all went well this weekend. But Derek wasn’t counting on that. He didn’t expect his family to act badly. There were just a lot of them, and the Mitchells were caring people, as well as nosy and loud.
Chapter Five
“Seth Wolfe,” the muscled bodyguard said as he shook Derek’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet your acquaintance.”
They eyed one another. Seth was a bear shifter. How had Katie pulled that off? Derek was sure the company Seth worked for didn’t advertise that they were nonhuman, or did the company even know about Seth’s shifter status?
And Derek found it mildly funny that a bear shifter’s last name was Wolfe. He bet Seth had gotten a lot of ribbing about that over his lifetime.
“Derek Mitchell.”
“It’s fine,” Derek said to Seth. “He’s my mate and knows about our world.”
Seth looked relieved. “Very good, sir. I’ll get out of your hair and do a perimeter sweep. Miss Alexander has already filled me in on what’s going on.”
Derek looked over at Steven and then gave Seth a look that said they would talk shop later. Seth nodded, as though he understood what Derek wasn’t saying. It was best not to discuss things in front of Steven. His mate didn’t need to know about Tristan.
Seth left the office. Derek wasn’t too happy about having a bodyguard hanging around, but he wasn’t sure how else to handle the Tristan situation. Well, he could get rid of his ex-boyfriend turned stalker, but Derek wanted to come up with a solution other than doing things Katie’s way.
“We need to get packed,” Derek said to Steven, who sat there on his phone, no doubt playing with his coloring app.
After a quick talk with Katie, they were off to the airport. Katie had luckily gotten a seat for Seth on their flight. The bear shifter was two seats behind them, and Derek was glad the guy would be in the background and not seated beside them.
Steven seemed to be fascinated by everything he saw as they made their way to their gate.
“I’m not sure about this,” Steven said as they found some seats by the gate to sit in until their plane boarded.
“About what, kitten?”
“Flying.” Steven stared at the large plane just outside the window. “About everything that’s going on.” He turned to face Derek. “I feel like my head is jumbled with mates and tigers and a guy who’s almost as big as Moose.”
Steven was referring to Seth who was sitting on the opposite side of them.
He twirled his hand by his head. “I feel all jumbled up here.”
Uncaring of the people around them and the looks they might get, Derek pulled Steven into his lap. It always felt like heaven whenever he had Steven in his arms, as though he’d won the cosmic lottery. He nuzzled Steven’s neck, inhaling in his scent.
“Just take a few deep breathes, sweetheart.” He pressed his hand against Steven’s head, and his mate rested his head on Derek’s chest. “I know it feels overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. I’m right here for you.”
“You smell so good.” Steven buried his nose in Derek’s neck. “I just want to lick you all over.”
The woman sitting next to them tried to hide her smile while the man who sat across from them—right next to Seth—eyed them with a slight curl to his lip. Derek didn’t care what anyone thought. His mate needed comforting and reassurance, and that was exactly what he would give Steven.
And clearly sitting on Derek’s lap made Steven horny. Derek wasn’t unaffected by his mate’s closeness, either. “Save that talk for when we’re alone,” Derek whispered against Steven’s ear. “You might get us arrested.”
He hissed when Steven’s tongue darted out to lick his skin. “Behave.” Derek gave a low growl.
Thankfully Derek had enough self-control not to bend his mate over and fuck him right there in the terminal. Their plane boarded, and they were off, ascending into the air. Steven gripped Derek’s hand so tight he thought his mate just might squeeze his fingers right off his hand.
“Do you want a drink to calm your nerves?” Derek asked.
Steven stared straight ahead, wide-eyed as he shook his head. “No, I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine. You told me this was the perfect way to travel.” He gave a nervous laugh but kept his gaze front and center.
“Why don’t you look out the window?” Derek suggested. “The clouds are pretty.”
“I’m looking. See, I’m looking. Oh, how pretty.” Steven had yet to turn his head. Fortunately the flight wasn’t that long. Unfortunately Steven didn’t relax the entire time.
His mate didn’t seem to breathe again until they’d landed. Steven laughed and swatted at Derek’s arm as they exited the plane. “That was a piece of cake.”
“You did an amazing job not freaking out and making the plane land early.” Derek retrieved their luggage and signed for their rental car. They were off, on their way to their hotel. The bear shifter drove, which Derek was appreciative of. The free time gave Derek time to sit in the backseat and cuddle with his mate.
His assistant had booked them a room because it would be too crowded at Derek’s mom and dad’s. Not only that, if his mate became overwhelmed, they had a place to retreat that was far enough away from Derek’s family.
He wasn’t sure how he would get by in life without his best friend coordinating everything for him. His “streak”—although wild tigers were solitary creatures, when they were together, they were referred to as a streak—was well to do. Most of them. His mother was a nurse at the local hospital, and his father was retired, although he still owned a large chain of restaurants.
Derek had four brothers and one sister. Since they weren’t “wild” Bengal tigers, only shifters, his number of siblings wasn’t unusual. He had a ton of cousins and aunts and uncles, too, as well as nieces and nephews.
After they checked in and caught a long nap, they headed to Derek’s parents’ house. His mom was in the kitchen cooking but squealed her delight when Derek entered the house.
“I’ve missed you so much!”
When she stopped hugging him to death, she turned her gaze on Steven. “And who is this adorable young man?”
Pride swelled through Derek. “This is my mate, Steven.”
His mother’s eyes rounded as she pulled Steven into a gentle hug. Steven looked at Derek as though he hadn’t the first clue what to say or do.
“Call me Patty…or Mom.” She blushed. “Are you thirsty, hungry?”
Steven shook his head. “No…Patty.”
Derek hazarded a guess that the subject of mothers was a sensitive subject for Steven. He doubted his mate would call her mom.
“And who is this?” His mother looked quizzically at Seth.
“A friend,” Seth said before Derek could answer. Thank you, Seth, for the save. Derek hadn’t wanted to tell his mother about Tristan and his bullshit. Things were complicated enough without worrying her.
“The more, the merrier.” She smiled and patted Seth’s huge arm. “Are you hungry?”
“No, ma’am.” Seth gave her a charming smile. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to get some fresh air.”
In other words, check things out.
“No problem.” She waved at the back door. “Make yourself at home.”
“Son.”
Derek turned and grinned when his father came into the kitchen. “It’s been too long.”
Morgan Mitchell gave him a quick hug before Derek introduced Steven to him. Seth had already walked outside by then. Derek would have to do something special for Katie for choosing a bodyguard so wisely.
“Welcome to the family,” his dad said.
Tears misted Steven’s eyes before he ran for the front door. Derek’s parents appeared mystified as Derek chased after his mate. On the front lawn, Derek caught Steven and pulled him around. “What’s wrong, kitten?”
Derek noticed Seth on the side of the house, looking out over the road, but he remained in the shadows.
“I don’t…” He waved at the house. “Family…a new one…so nice of them…” Steven wiped at his eyes as Derek chuckled.
“We’ll go as slow as you want, Steven. We’re just getting together to have fun. You do like fun, right?”
Steven rolled his eyes. “Of course I do, but now I have a new family. Does that mean Kenny—”
“Kenny will always be your brother. Next time we come here, we’ll bring him and Russell. How does that sound? You still have your brother. You’ve just got a bigger family now.”
Steven lowered his voice as he aske
d, “Can I really call her mom?”
Derek hugged his mate. “I think she would really like that, Steven.”
“And your dad?”
“He would be honored if you called him dad.”
A smile blossomed on Steven’s face. “The food smelled really good inside.”
“And to think,” Derek said as he grabbed Steven’s hand and led him back toward the house, “you survived your airplane ride just so you can sample her cooking.”
“Are you making fun of me?” Steven asked.
“I’m most definitely making fun of you, kitten.”
* * * *
Steven tugged on Derek’s hand. “Can I get a kiss before we go inside?” He was dying to taste his mate’s lips. “You know, to help my confidence.”
Right now Steven wasn’t going to think about their conversation that he had an even bigger family. That felt too overwhelming, so Steven decided to concentrate on the smaller things.
Like sucking face with Derek.
A smile spread across Derek’s handsome face. “Sweetheart, I would kiss you anywhere and at any time.”
Derek just kept saying all the right things, making Steven tingle all over his body. He pulled Steven into his arms and cupped the back of his head, slanting his lips. Steven sucked in Derek’s breath before their lips touched.
Derek’s hand ran through Steven’s hair, tugging the strands gently as Steven moaned into his mouth. His other hand slid between Steven’s back and his waistband, teasing his crack. He felt Derek’s hard cock pressing into his stomach, and Steven ached to take care of his mate’s problem.
“Why can’t we go back to our room?” Steven ran a hand over the rigid outline in Derek’s jeans. “I could take care of this for you.”
“Don’t tempt me,” Derek growled against Steven’s mouth. “But we have to mingle for at least an hour before we run back to our room. The real shindig happens tomorrow.”
“Shindig?”
“Party.” Derek thrust into Steven’s hand as though he couldn’t control his body.
Steven smiled but backed off. Even though Derek said he didn’t mind clingy, Steven didn’t want to seem too needy. The last guy he’d slept with before meeting Derek hadn’t liked cuddling and had practically pushed Steven away from him once they were finished.