by M. L. Briers
Zap him!
Orb him!
Electrocute the damn man with your magic!
“I want…” she was at a loss.
Her body knew what it wanted and that was him. Her brain knew what it wanted and that was satisfaction … again, him!
Was there a path that didn’t lead back to him?
“Coffee!”
His eyes narrowed for just a split second. He grumbled a gentle growl…
What’d I say?
Oooo, his beast and that need to provide … ha!
Gotcha!
“Breakfast … I’m hungry … coffee … so thirsty…” she’d run out of things to ask for, but she’d made a good start.
She could see just how conflicted he was and her inner self jumped up and down in victory while her body, mind and soul cursed her duplicity…
“Kitchen,” he growled, still with his wolf just beneath his skin, and somehow, he managed to wrench his body away from hers.
Now all that she needed to do was find a fast car to get to work.
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Marley never ate breakfast and now it was staring back at her from the plate as she looked at it in much the same way that she’d look at a live octopus if someone had plonked that down in front of her…
“You said you were hungry.” Josh frowned at her from his place at the head of the table, and she frowned at her food.
“Here’s the thing…” She started, but got no further.
“You lied.”
“I didn’t …” she stopped when he raised just the one eyebrow at her. “Okay, but it was just a little white one…”
“A lie is a lie.” Josh tossed back, and she guessed she couldn’t argue with that.
“You’re so judgemental!” She huffed, feeling as if her back was to the wall and she needed to come out swinging again.
“Still a lie,” he bit out…
“Oh, Mr Superior! Give me a break … I figured it was better that you were devouring food than me…” she hissed back, feeling the guilt tugging at her mind…
“Better for who?” Josh gave her a cocky grin and she groaned inwardly. The man was annoying!
“Can we just get onto the part where you give me the keys to a truck…”
“Not going to happen,” Josh lifted a crispy piece of bacon and hungrily devoured it in much the same way as he’d devoured her upstairs…
“What, you think a woman can’t drive a pickup truck?” She snorted her contempt for his abject dismissal of her demand.
“That’s a whole different issue, but now that you mention it…” he chuckled inside at the look of disbelief that swept over her face.
“Sexist …” she bit out.
“Again, a completely different issue. Let’s get back to talking about you and me and…”
“Let’s not!” She shot back with a small sneer.
“Because you’re afraid to face you feeling for me?”
“Because I’m afraid I want to zap you until the cows come home, or you lose your sexist, misogynistic ways…” She gave him a look that amounted to her offering him the middle finger.
“Another thing that’s not going to happen,” he snorted a chuckle. “You like to reach for the moon, don’t you, Marley?”
Now he was just teasing her to the point where she wanted to hit him with a frying pan. He tore into another piece of bacon and she sighed.
Eating with his hands!
If I just picture him with a bib … Ha! Maybe put a dummy in the other hand…
He’d still look as sexy as hell!
How can a man look sexy ripping into breakfast meat?
I wonder if he’s going to eat his damn eggs with his fingers?
“I have high expectations, it’s a shame you can’t match them…” She offered back. Then she mentally chalked up a point on the board to her…
“I find expectations can stunt a person’s personnel growth, better to expect nothing and be pleasant surprised by the outcome of your efforts.”
Marley felt as if someone had reached out and slapped her around the back of the head.
That told me!
I think…?
“I’m going to work.” She pushed up from the chair and he did the same at the end of the table…
“It’s a long walk.” He growled.
“You really are a…”
“Probably all that and more. But let’s not get sidetracked into name calling before you’ve had at least three cups of caffeine.” He grinned then. One of those slow to boil, sexy as hell, grins that she just couldn’t look away from and couldn’t wait to see it flourish to fruition…
And there goes my womb doing the damn Salsa again…
I hate him… meh … maybe hate is too strong a word…
“Sit,” he pointed to the chair behind her…
Maybe not strong enough!
“Go fu…” Her hands went back to her hips once more and she glared across the small divide at him…
“I consider that a team effort.” His eyes danced with mischief and there was a hungry growl rumbling within his broad chest. “Care to join me?”
“I really don’t like you right now!” Marley announced.
She knew that she had a couple of options … but leaving for the shop wasn’t one of them without ready access to a vehicle. “I’m going to my room!” She bit out and started away from the table towards the kitchen door.
“You mean … our room, don’t you, Marley?” His tone was so damn teasing, full of mirth at her expense that she had to bite her tongue, even as her feet faltered in mid stride.
Josh chuckled to himself as he sat back down in the chair. His eyes were on her backside as she walked from the room and the sway of those curvy hips … he gave another hungry growl, but it certainly wasn’t for food.
When she hesitated at the door and turned her eyes back on him – his heart stopped beating within his chest. She had a wicked look in her eyes, and a moment later the plate in front of him spun up from the table and deposited the rest of his breakfast in his lap…
“Enjoy your breakfast…” Marley announced as he jumped in place, reaching for the plate before it hit the floor. His eyes snapped towards her but he found only air where she’d been standing.
Then he tossed his head back on his neck and roared with laughter…
He was certainly getting to her…
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“What are you doing?” J.C hissed out the whisper right against Marley’s ear as she dropped to her feet on the grass and almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of his voice – without even thinking about it – she turned and zapped him so hard that his teeth were grinding together…
“Serves you right!” She hissed back as she snatched her magic back and rolled her shoulders at the sight of him.
She was certainly relieved that he wasn’t the damn alpha!
“Question still stands … and ouch!” J.C offered back as his body started to loosen back up after going ramrod rigid.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” She craned her head on her neck towards him and whispered in hushed tones so that she wasn’t overheard.
“Playing Spiderman, but aren’t you a little old?”
Marley sucked the air in between her teeth and hissed back at him like a coiled snake ready to strike.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
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“Firstly – I would be Catwoman! And secondly, watch it with the age jibes, buster, or I’ll zap you again and this time you’re toenails will curl up!”
“Why are we whispering?” He offered back and she narrowed her eyes on him and offered him a death glare.
“You know why!” She shot back, warning him with just a look not to do what she thought he had a mind to do…
“Because … you’re escaping out of the window and down the pipe work like Catwoman?” His raised his voice, but not enough to raise the alarm…<
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“Because I’m going to work…” She offered back with a small shrug off her shoulders…
“Like any other Monday…” he shrugged back at her.
“Exactly!”
“I’m sorry I missed the shimmying down the drain pipe at the other house. I didn’t realise you did it every morning otherwise it could be something of a spectators sport…”
“Don’t…” she shook her head.
“Tell me, is this why you never go to the gym or exercise?” He took a moment to consider it. “Perhaps I should…?” He got no further when she zapped him again, only this time it was more like a nudge… “Be nice or I might just yell in pain…”
“Be nice or I might just cause you some,” she hissed back.
“Do you really think climbing down the outside of the house is…?”
“Yes!”
“I see. So the alpha said no…” He folded his arms and stared her right in the eye…
“Don’t do that…” She grumbled, tossing her hands up in frustration at him.
“Do what?”
“Look at me with those judgemental eyes…” She sneered.
“Well aside from plucking out some strangers eyes and popping them into my sockets, these are the only eyes I have.” He said back in a snide voice and with a small shake of his head.
“You know what?” She said as she raised her hands and shrugged in earnest. “Forget I was here…”
“I have too good a memory to…”
“J.C!” She bit out.
“Marley!” He bit back, mimicking her.
“I’m going to work!” She huffed. Then she raised her chin and started away from him.
In truth, she had no idea where she was going or how she was going to get there. Walking wasn’t exactly her thing, but then neither was shimmying down a drainpipe from an upstairs window in a death defying feat that smacked of desperation … but she’d done that too.
“I could give you a lift…” J.C offered as he followed on behind her. She turned with the sweetest of smiles on her lips, ready to accept and bestow her gratitude on him… “But I won’t.”
She gasped and wrinkled up her face at his duplicity.
“Jerk!” She bit out and started off on foot again.
“I’m not going to help you…”
“I didn’t ask you too…” She shrugged.
“Because if you’re going to run from your mate…” She stopped in her tracks and scowled at his words as they rang bells within her mind…
“I’m not exactly – running.” She told herself as much as the vampire.
“Tell that to the alpha when he finds you gone,” J.C offered back with the sound of so much righteous amusement in his voice that she swallowed down on her need to zap him just for the fun of it…
Marley gave a little shriek of one hundred per cent pure annoyance as she turned on her heels, opened her mouth to offer him a million and one curses, snapped her jaws shut again, and started to stalk back towards the house.
“I hate you!” She called out over her shoulder.
“I love you two, Sis!” He chuckled.
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Josh was still sitting at the kitchen table when the back door to the house opened and he turned to see Marley stalking back inside. His mind spun fast and he almost choked on a bite of toast that he’d been chewing as his beast rose up within him…
“How…?” He demanded, pushing up to his feet, and she glared at him long and hard as she stalked through the kitchen and right on by him.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full!” She hissed, and Josh swallowed hard.
“Marley!” He growled as he dropped the remainder of the toast back on the plate and started after her on fast feet.
“I’m not talking to you…!” She ground out back over her shoulder as she stomped up each stair…
“What’d I do?” He growled in disbelief.
“You’re a misogynistic, pig headed, stuck in the dark ages, sexist, muppet of an alpha, and I hate you!” She tossed back over her shoulder, completely blindsiding him to the zap of her magic that she tossed half-heartedly back his way…
“Hey!” He ground out, but she stalked into their bedroom and slammed the door right in his face behind her, causing him to pull up short…
He grumbled out a growl and reached for the door handle … the same one that she’d used her magic to turn super hot, and he yelped as he fisted it – snatching his hand back and shaking off the pain.
“Marley!” He growled through the thick wood…
“Bite me!” She hissed back. “Ha! I’d like to see you try it!”
Josh grumbled, growled, and cursed the female species as he paced back and forth outside the door…
This mating was going to be the death of him … or her … he hadn’t made up his mind which yet.
He had an urge to kick open that door and show her what happened when you challenged an alpha, but he bit down on that need inside of him, inside of his wolf.
The last thing that he needed was to prove her damn words right. The very last thing that he needed was to upset his mate any more than she already was…
No. He’d take out his aggression on his damn brothers if one of them dared to utter the word no to him!
CHAPTER THIRTY
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“I want Dram found!” Josh growled out.
Neither brother wanted to be in that meeting – even though Luke still felt the need to taste that wolf’s blood on his fangs whenever he thought about what he’d done to Sage, but they would much rather have been with their newly bonded mates.
“Wolf with a sore head,” Chance grumbled at his alpha’s lack of flexibility to wait the man out.
“Either he’s been smart enough to high tail it out of town with Clancy, or he’ll slip up and turn up around here eventually, which is when I…”
“I don’t have time for eventually…” Josh growled out.
He’d missed his mate shimmying down a drain pipe not an hour ago, and he hated to think what the woman would try next to escape him … escape to work…
“The mating pull getting to you, brother?” Chance tried to look sympathetic, but everything about him was screaming with amusement. Even his lips were twitching with silent laughter…
“I will say this only once…” Josh growled out as he turned to face the beta, and Chance felt the glare of his alpha’s eyes right to his very soul. He looked anywhere but right at him… “My mating is not up for discussion.”
“Or lack of it…” Luke muttered and Chance almost spilled the laughter within him. But the alpha was right, the man was in no mood for messing around – which only made it all the more enjoyable…
“I will not allow my mate or yours to be caught under Dram’s claws and fangs again … do I make myself clear?”
He growled harder, deeper, and with the hungry intent to rip someone’s head off than either brother had ever heard. That sobered Chance up pretty fast.
“Crystal…” Chance offered back with a quick look towards Luke as the other beta nodded in understanding.
“If he’s still around … we’ll get him,” Luke offered, and he’d like nothing more.
“Good.” Josh growled as he started for the door…
“Now, about your lack of success with Marley…” Chance offered with a snort of laughter.
Josh hesitated in step and growled in annoyance. He had a mind to turn and rip his brother’s arm off to beat him over the head with it … but he held onto that anger… lifted his head and carried on walking.
Why wasn’t I an only child? He growled…
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“Marley!” Josh growled long and hard at the sight of her as she raced across the living room towards the patio doors at the back … he followed in hot pursuit.
“I feel claustrophobic…” she grumbled back over her shoulder as she fisted both handles and pushed the door
s wide open, stepping out into the chilly air and shivering as it swept through her clothes and over her warm body… better!
“I need to talk to you about what you did earlier…” Josh growled in annoyance.
“I came back, didn’t I?” She grumbled as she wrapped her arms around herself and turned to face him.
“I’m sure the damn vampire had something to do with that, even if I don’t know how…” he grumbled.
“He did.”
“I knew it.” Josh grumbled. “So, him you listen to…”
“He made sense.” She offered back with a small, smug smile.
“Fine.” Josh grumbled. This was getting them nowhere, and certainly no nearer to him wooing her for his mate.
“You need to lighten up.” She raised both of her eyebrows at him and gave him the once over. “You’re way too uptight for your own good or anybody elses.”
“I wonder why?” The sarcasm dripped from his voice. “Gee, let me wonder if it’s because I have a psycho wolf on the loose that doesn’t like witches and tries to kill them …” She opened her mouth to speak but he raised his hand and stopped her. “Maybe because I have a mate that shimmies down drainpipes and tries to run from me…?”
“Not run…”
“Walks fast, either way my wolf wouldn’t have been happy…”
“So tell your wolf to shove his head up…”
“It doesn’t work like that and you know it…” His beast was already growling within him. “If the beast had considered that you’d run from us…”
“Well, maybe if you had more control…” Marley snorted.
“Marley…” Josh growled a warning to her not to bait the beast.
“Oh, fine!” She huffed. “Whatever floats your damn boat…” She huffed, turning away from him and looking out into the distance. Then she sighed. “I get it…” She finally gave in. “I do. I just … the shop is important to me too.”
“Nobody is saying you can’t go to work, Marley, just not right now, Not until we find Dram and …”
“Rip his damn head off.” She grumbled.
“Sounds like a plan.” Josh grinned.