Shifted Plans

by Brandy Walker

  A plate landed in front of her. The aroma of the steak hit her square in the face, and she groaned.

  “That good, huh?” Nik leaned against the bar next to her. A grin tilted his lips.

  “Why do you think I keep coming here?”

  “You mean it isn’t for my witty conversations and dashing visage? I’m hurt, Avery.” He effectively killed the wounded look, which had taken residence on his face, by grinning like an idiot.

  “You know better than that.” She sliced into the meat like a hot knife through butter. Lifting the fork to her mouth, she closed her lips around the morsel and moaned. Shutting her eyes, she savored the first bite, the smoky char, the slight tang of blood. She swallowed then chased it with a drink of her beer.

  A whoosh of air escaped from Nik, ruffling her hair. “Damn, Av. Don’t do that too much, or you’ll have every horny male in here knocking on your door. Unless it’s what you want.”

  The snort came out a bit louder than she’d expected. “Nope. You should know by now men aren’t on the radar unless they are a professor and I need to ask a question.”

  “I’ve always wondered about your lack of male companionship. The entire time Reese and I were together, I never saw you with anyone. Was that by choice or were you not interested in guys?

  Stunned, she dropped her fork onto her plate, folding her hands in her lap. No one ever bothered to ask her those kinds of questions. Luckily, she didn’t have to think too long about the answer. “Choice. Though to be honest, guys have never banged down the door begging for a date. Better, easier options were close by. Women less focused on studies and more interested in having fun or better able to balance the two perfectly.” Avery shrugged nonchalantly, attempting to shake the feeling she wasn’t worth the effort, but the feeling wouldn’t go away. Her heart hurt, the crushing blow of not being good enough stealing her breath.

  She didn’t feel that way often. That maybe if she took her focus away from classes, she would be able to see people outside her sphere, that they would see her. The thought was ridiculous. She wouldn’t be able to do it. There were things to do. Dreams to fulfill. Her future waited for her.

  Knowing all of that, knowing she couldn’t stray from the plan, she couldn’t help but feel that one time she’d love to know what it felt like to be pursued. To know how it felt at the center of someone’s world, where they would be willing to do whatever it took to be with her.

  How could she expect some random guy to treat her that way when her mate wasn’t even interested?

  Avery looked down at the once-delicious steak. It wavered in front of her. Heat and pressure backed up behind her eyes, and she realized she couldn’t eat another bite. She pushed the plate away in disgust. Digging her credit card out of her purse, she handed it to Nik. “I need to go. Can you ring me up?”

  “Av, honey, what’s wrong? What did I say to upset you?” Nik tried to turn her head toward him, but for once she had the strength to resist.

  “Nothing,” she whispered, getting off the chair and out of his reach. “It’s me. Please, Nik, can you just do this for me?” She shook the card at him, refusing to make eye contact. If she did, she would break down and cry much like the wounded girl she was. She didn’t want him to see her weakness.

  “Fuck.” He took the card and walked behind the bar. “I’m calling Reese. I don’t know what happened, but you don’t need to be alone right now.”

  Declan’s heart pounded, he thought he would either throw up or explode seeing his mate talk to the massive shifter. The bear’s scent had to be washing over Avery, masking every other odor around her, she would never be able to scent Declan from where he stood. It pissed him the hell off.

  Something in the recesses of his brain told him to get to Chugs, to drop everything and go there that second. The moment he’d walked in the door, he knew why.

  “Don’t worry, she isn’t,” Declan said, walking up to Avery. Wrapping her in his arms, pulling her close. She relaxed against him momentarily then stiffened, pushing away.

  She gasped. “What are you doing here?” She looked horrified at her momentary weakness to allow him to comfort her.

  He frowned. Didn’t she know? Couldn’t she sense why? He was there for her.

  Sadness filled her eyes, punching him in the gut.

  “Oh,” she said flatly, “you’ve come to tell me you aren’t interested. Don’t worry. I got the message. No need to make me feel worse than I already do.”

  A muscle in his jaw ticked as his teeth ground together. “What did you say?” He couldn’t have heard her correctly. Not interested? Like hell! He blew past the point of interested the day before when she ran from him. He was at the need-her-with-his-next-breath-or-he-would-die stage already.

  She licked her lips nervously, bewitching Declan with her pink tongue swiping equally pink, plump lips. “You don’t want me. I already know. Believe me. I don’t need you to tell me to my face. Your actions spoke loud enough for you.”

  He’d been so focused on her lips, wondering how they would feel against his, how she would taste, he almost missed the crazy-ass words coming out of her mouth. “My actions?” His forehead wrinkled in confusion. He hadn’t done anything for or to her—yet.

  “Yes. When you walked right by me in class yesterday then spent the entire hour glaring at me, I came to a conclusion all on my own—you aren’t happy I’m your mate. I get it. Some people aren’t pleased with their mates when they first find them. While I don’t think I’m hideous or anything, something about me must have turned you off. You haven’t spent time with me, much less talked to me. What else am I supposed to think? I hoped whomever my mate ended up being, he would at least introduce himself before deciding to toss me aside like trash.”

  She paused, and Declan opened his mouth to respond. “I—”

  “That isn’t how you go about deciding if people are guilty or not, is it?” she accused. “You don’t grab up the first person that meets the description or is standing the closest, do you? You’re a pretty shitty cop if you do.”

  Holy shit. What did he start with first? Best to leave the remarks about his job alone for now. “Wait a minute, Avery. I admit to being shocked when I saw you sitting in the same class I was taking, and I may not have been exactly thrilled about finding my mate when I did. To be honest, there were things I wanted to do before I found my mate. I get we have no choice regarding when it happens, but I’m completely on board now. I want you for my mate.”

  Avery’s mouth dropped open and then quickly slammed shut. “How do you know my name?”

  That was all she got from his speech? How did he know her name? Declan’s gaze skittered toward Nik, who not so casually leaned against the bar eavesdropping. He didn’t want to chuck the guy under the bus but…. She must have followed the path his gaze made.

  “Nik! You told him my name?” Avery stepped away from the bar, shock written all over her face. “How could you? I thought we were friends. I guess that bro code goes a lot deeper than I thought.”

  Nik reached for her. Declan growled, and Avery took two steps farther from both of them.

  “Calm down, Avery,” Nik said. “I didn’t give him your name until after I had him checked out with a friend of mine on the force. Declan got a raving review. He’s a River Rock police officer, for God’s sake.”

  “I know that,” she all but spit out. “And, of course, he got a raving review from his buddy on the police force. They work together. They have each other’s back. Why wouldn’t he help his friend?”

  Declan couldn’t help but cringe. She drew attention as her voice rose in volume. It didn’t seem to bother Nik, though. He crossed his arms over his chest, eyes narrowed.

  “Then I don’t see the big deal. The man is your mate, and I dare you to deny it. He wanted to know your name, and I tried to help the guy out.”

  Avery harrumphed and mimicked Nik’s stance. “No one asked for your help.”

  Nik’s grin came fast as he pointe
d in Declan’s direction. “He did.”

  Avery threw her hands up in frustration. “Ugh! Men suck. For your information, I didn’t plan on denying it, but he might. He doesn’t even want me. The only reason he’s here is to complete my humiliation by rejecting me in person.”

  Nik’s jovial smile dropped in an instant as his steely gaze landed on Declan. He took an involuntary step to the rear. He did not want an angry bear within arm’s reach and sights set on him.

  “Is that true? Are you here to reject your mate—in a bar? You are a douche bag. That’s a shitty way to go about letting a woman down.”

  Declan ground his teeth in frustration. He didn’t mind answering Avery’s questions about his intentions, but he sure as hell wasn’t getting into it with her bear of a guard dog. “No. I’m not rejecting her. I don’t know where you people came up with that particular idea, but it’s the furthest thing from the truth.”

  A snort sounded behind him. Declan looked over his shoulder and saw Mark.

  “Probably because you ran the first opportunity you could. Then you all but glared a hole in her head when you saw her again,” Mark drawled.

  God save him from partners and best friends.

  “Thanks for the backup, partner. She took me off guard. I dare you to find one guy who doesn’t freak out a bit.” He turned toward Avery, intending to get closer. She shook her head, a wounded look in her eyes. It killed him to know he’d put that there.

  “Fuck it,” he muttered. Time to do exactly what he should have the moment he first saw her.

  A quick step forward, he bent at the knees, crouched low enough to scoop her up, and tossed her over his shoulder in one move.

  She squirmed, and he smacked her on the ass. “Hold still.” He dropped his hand next to his side when she didn’t squirm again. His palm heated from the touch, sending a shiver down his spine.

  Mate. The word whispered through his head smoothly, feeling right. It lit the nerves throughout his body, making him tingle from head to toe.

  The rightness of having her with him, even tossed over his shoulder, kicked him in the gut. She was his mate.

  A grin tugged up the corner of his mouth. He saluted the three grinning Braun brothers, flipped off Mark, and hightailed it out of the bar. He didn’t stop moving until he reached his truck.

  He let Avery slide down his front, making sure she pressed up against every inch of his body. Slowly. Torturously. Deliciously. He wanted her to feel how much he wanted her. The mental and emotional parts would take time. But the physical side—the basest of ways to tell someone you wanted them—he could show her now.

  When she landed on her feet, he moved in, pressing her back against his truck. He bracketed her in, placing both of his hands on either side of her head. He searched her face for a clue as to what she might be thinking. Excitement, surprise, lust, and arousal all vied for top position on her delicate features. Her brown eyes glowed brightly with the mating connection. Her mouth parted the tiniest bit, plump pink lips calling out to him.

  Leaning forward, he pushed his nose against her neck, breathing her in. Lavender and vanilla. His new favorite scent. A slight shudder shook him, as the essence emanating from his mate entered his system.

  “Before we go any further, I need…” he paused, giving into the urge to taste her. Words would come later. He licked the seam of her mouth, gently, softly, enough to pull the moan he needed to hear from her. It was heaven, and he wanted—no needed—more.

  Chapter Eight

  A moan slipped free from Avery’s lips and she didn’t care. Dragging her out of the bar, over his shoulder her mate did the only thing she ever wanted. He claimed her. She floated on cloud nine; all of her dreams were coming true until a sobering thought bleed through.

  “What’s your name?” She didn’t know if he heard her breathy words, as they barely reached her own ears.

  The corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled, melting her a tiny bit more.

  Damn it, you cannot let him do that.

  Why the fuck not? Her lioness responded. Need. Now!

  “Declan Weller.” His deep voice reached out and tickled her ears.

  “Declan,” she tested his name out. She liked the sound of it and swallowed the giggle trying to break free.

  Here she was, pressed up against the truck of a virtual stranger, ready and willing to make out with him, let him take her, and she hadn’t even known what name to call him by. She knew from Reese, that when people hooked up for an evening of fun, they knew each other’s name before doing the deed. The giggle she held back escaped without permission. This virtual stranger happened to be her mate.

  He leaned away from her, allowing an infinitesimal amount of space between them. “Something funny about my name.”

  Oops. “No. Sorry. I, ah, something popped into my head, that’s all.”

  “Care to let me in on the secret?” His voice dipped as he pushed in close again, their bodies touching from chest to thigh. His erection pressed into the softness of her stomach. She clenched every damn muscle she could to keep from visibly shuddering, but didn’t think it worked.

  “Relax, Avery. We won’t do anything you aren’t ready for. I’m sure you have questions, and I have a bit of explaining to do.”

  He did, but she didn’t care at the moment. Her lioness took over the primal part of her. She wanted the man pressing her into the cold metal of the truck, the man gazing hungrily at her as if he wanted to devour each and every inch of her.

  She wanted him to do it, too. It was time to throw caution to the wind. She licked her lips and took a breath. “I don’t want to relax, Declan. We’re mates. I want you to claim me now. We can work on the rest later.”

  Dark, gold-flecked eyes grew wide before narrowing, hunger replacing the surprise her comment spurred.

  Leaning in, he nipped her bottom lip. “Let’s head to my place,” he growled as he skimmed his hands down her sides.

  His touch served as gasoline to a flame. Arousal swept through her fast and furious. Her head tingled. Nipples tightened painfully and her pussy convulsed with the need to be filled.

  “Here. Now,” she demanded. She didn’t want to wait, and she didn’t think he wanted to either.

  Declan scanned the parking lot, and she reluctantly did the same. Still light enough to be seen, the lot was empty at the moment. Anyone could drive up or walk out and catch them. Not that she cared, but he seemed to want some privacy. Shifters were sexual, some more so than others. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had been seen fucking in public.

  Avery pushed Declan away and grabbed his hand. She pulled him to the other side of the truck. The drive to have his hands roaming her body overrode any logic. He had parked in the farthest spot, next to a row of bushes blocking prying eyes from the street and from the bar. It was fortuitous of him.

  She heard the beep of the alarm and the doors of the truck unlock. She thought he would open the back door of the crew cab, but he didn’t. Instead, he pushed her up against the truck, pressing his body into hers. He dove in, lips devouring, demanding entrance into her mouth. She willingly opened for him, succumbing to his possession.

  Heat from his body inflamed her front as the cool metal seeped into her from behind. The warring of temperatures and the possessive way he took her mouth, working in tandem to ignite her need, set the flames higher.

  Declan palmed her breasts, pinching the taut buds through the fabric of her shirt and bra. She wanted them off, gone, so she could feel his work-roughened hands against her skin.

  “Damn,” he breathed into her neck. “I wanted to romance you.”

  “Later.” She grabbed the hem of his shirt and pushed it up. Blindly, she found the flat disks of his nipples, raking her nails across them. He moaned into her mouth, pressing harder against her.

  Declan moved them to the side, opening the door. “Next time,” he whispered. He swore next time he would romance her, make it special, and reinforce how much he would cher
ish her. His need for her too much to contain, too demanding to be quenched with easy loving.

  He spun her around, pushing her to lean over the backseat, pulling her ass toward him. She ground against him, his dick growing harder by the second.

  He smoothed his hands over her quivering belly, slipping his fingers into the waistband of her jeans. Flicking the button open, he eased down the zipper, taking the few precious moments to gain a modicum of control.

  Avery was a flame beneath him, writhing in the frenzy of their need. And, damn, did he need her like he had never needed a woman before.

  Being with her might very well kill him…or set him free.

  “Declan,” she moaned when his fingers brushed over her neatly trimmed mound. He ventured farther, middle finger drifting between the slick lips of her sex, over her clit. She bucked against him, brushing the hard-on being strangled in his jeans. She sucked in a quick breath as her pussy sucked his finger in. Clenching the digit, refusing to let it go.

  God, he needed to get inside her. So damn tight, he couldn’t wait to work his cock into her welcoming body.

  He pushed her jeans down as far as he could, dragging her panties with them, spreading her legs apart as far as they could go as he made fast work of unbuttoning and unzipping his pants. Fumbling with his wallet, wasting precious seconds, he let it drop to the ground after he dug the condom out. A quick rip with his teeth, he was sheathed and at Avery’s entrance in the space of a breath. She nudged backward, swallowing the tip of his cock. Sucking in a breath, he fought for restraint, waiting for her to give him the go ahead. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he held back. Fighting the crushing desire to slam home and feel her clench around him.

  “More,” she moaned. Reaching back she grabbed him by the hip, tugging him closer as she pushed back. It broke his tightly leashed control.

  Declan thrust forward, wrapping an arm about her waist to anchor her in place. Her walls clung to him as he slowly rocked in and out. He didn’t consider himself to be a huge guy, maybe a bit bigger than average, but she was tight as hell, and he didn’t want to hurt her.