Love at First Mate

by Dani Wyatt

  “Hey…” I say, getting off my chair and gathering my jacket and purse. “You know anyone that could do some work at my house? I’ve got a few fix-its and fix-ups I’d like to do…”

  “Sure. Ragnar is a local guy and he keeps the price right for folks around here. He does great work, all sorts of stuff. I don’t have his number handy, but he usually comes by once or twice a week. Give me your number and I’ll pass it on.”

  “Okay.” I smile and nod, feeling a friendly bond growing between us.

  She pushes a napkin and pen my way and I scribble down my cell.

  “When he calls, don’t be put off. He comes off as a bit of a grumpy asshole, but he’s a good guy. Takes care of his grandma like she’s the queen, so…that says a lot, right?”

  I nod, heading toward the door when she adds, “He’s also six foot six and drives the world’s biggest red pickup.”

  I freeze in my tracks and ask, “Does his pickup happen to have a Leave Me Alone bumper sticker?”

  “Yeah. You’ve seen it…? It’s hard to miss.”

  I wave goodbye without another word and head out the door to meet Robert, my mouth turning dry as I look toward the mountains. I don’t know if the people that live here ever get over the fresh air and the view of the snow-capped peaks, but I don’t think I ever will. I feel at home here, like a calling, and even though I’m pretty much alone in the world right now, I don’t feel lonely.

  But, I do feel horny. And all the horns on my horny are named Ragnar.

  Chapter 3

  Ragnar

  Everything is irritating the fuck out of me.

  I want to kill everyone.

  “Stop, okay?” I grunt to myself. Talking to yourself is always a little weird but it’s how it is with shifters. “You and I are supposed to be working together, so fuck off and let it go, okay?”

  My bear grunts and throws his head around like a toddler having a tantrum.

  “Thanks, boss.” One of the crew working with English holds up a Pepsi bottle.

  I want to go over and snap his neck, but he’s done nothing to deserve my wrath. The other guys on the job site are giving me curious looks, but I retreat.

  I want to kill them all, even though there’s no reason for it. My bear is screaming at me and I’m losing control.

  Fucking hell, this is exactly what I can’t have. What I can’t do…

  This out of control rage is why I never wanted this. It ruined my childhood. Stole my family…

  Just then, my phone rings and I’m fucking thankful for the interruption. My obsessive thoughts about her, as well as the dark mourning of things that can never be forgotten, is getting out of control.

  I recognize the number, it’s this local realtor that hires me for odd jobs on his listings now and then.

  “Hello?” I answer trying to keep the surliness out of my voice.

  “Hey. It’s Robert. Listen, are you busy?”

  “What’s up?” I rub my forehead, spreading my fingers wide to squeeze my temples.

  “I need you. It’s urgent…”

  He explains what’s going on and I tell him I’ll be on my way.

  “Oh, one thing…” He adds before hanging up. “Come in the back door. I don’t want my client to know what’s going on. Hurry up, though, okay? She’s on her way.”

  I tell him I’m charging him an emergency fee because I have to leave another job to take care of his problems, then I wrap up some things with the guys and head into town.

  I may not be overly greedy, but I like my coin. My bank accounts already have enough zeros to keep me and Gran living well, but it never hurts to add a few more.

  My chest is tight as I drive and the closer I get to the shop where he’s waiting, it only gets worse.

  A few minutes later I’m parked outside the empty store front and I can barely breathe. I grab the can of Monster from the cup holder and chug it down in one gulp. I’m so god damn thirsty lately as well, and I wonder if there’s something really wrong with me. Like most shifters, I’ve never been sick, but something’s got a hold of me and it’s pissing me off.

  I jump out of the pickup and grab a toolbox from the bed before heading inside.

  Only, as soon as I open the back door, two things happen.

  One, I hear spraying water.

  And two, my grizzly bear starts to growl.

  Mine. Mine. Mine.

  Shut the fuck up, I tell him, but my heart is pounding and there’s a pain in my gut that nearly doubles me over.

  “Thank God.” Robert’s standing there in a beige suit, the top half of the jacket a darker brown now that it’s soaking wet. “I have a client here to look at the place, she’s waiting out in the front. I got here early, went to use the bathroom and…well, go fucking look. I can’t have the toilet exploding when I’m trying to lease the place.”

  “Okay, okay,” I answer, but I can barely think straight. “I’ll figure it out.”

  “Good. Hurry. I’ll go out front and stall things. She’s a fucking hot little piece of ass, so it’s not like I mind taking a little extra time…” He shoves an elbow into my side and gives me a wink and my bear nearly breaks free to get to him. “You know what I mean.”

  I turn and head toward the sound of the water, trying to keep my grizzly under control as he roars and rages and generally acts like a lunatic.

  Ten minutes later, I’ve got everything under control. It’s a simple loose fitting on the incoming water line, so there’s no sewage issue, Robert will just need a mop and a fan to clear up.

  I gather my tools as I head toward the door that separates the front of the retail space and the back rooms. But when I push open the door, all I see is red.

  It’s her.

  Fucking hell, her scent hits me again like buckshot to all the places inside me I’ve kept hidden away.

  But, that’s not the real problem.

  It’s Robert.

  His fucking hand is on her and he’s whispering in her ear with that damned grin plastered on his soon-to-be bloody face.

  She’s in the back corner of the open space, her eyes flicker with discomfort, and before I can stop myself I stomp forward, my hand is on his arm, jerking him away nearly dislocating his shoulder. It’s all I can do to keep myself from shifting as I watch him stumble back, losing his balance.

  I put myself between them and a rumble in my chest comes out as a growl that shakes the very walls, making them both look at me with startled confusion.

  “What the hell?” Robert gives me a dirty look, steadying himself, but I only puff up my chest and lean into him on a snarl.

  “You shouldn’t be touching her,” I manage, doing everything in my power to keep my grizzly from killing him.

  “Really, I’m fine,” she says from behind me, but I can smell her fear and that’s unacceptable. She should never be afraid, not as long as I draw breath.

  “So…” Robert gives me a look as if to say don’t blow this deal for me and I swallow hard, my head pounding and my dick a fucking steel rod behind my zipper, but I take one step sideways, keeping my body between them.

  The thought occurs to me that I may be ruining something for her as well.

  I turn to her, those blue eyes scoring into mine, and I’m dizzy with her scent.

  “Sorry, I just…” I don’t know what I’m saying I just know I’m not leaving her alone in this room with him.

  “It’s okay.” Robert’s chuckling, trying to save his own ass and this deal. “This is Ragnar, he’s a bit of a hothead sometimes.”

  I move to the side, keeping a close eye on him, and try to remember to breathe.

  Being this close to her, I can’t remember any woman either in the flesh, on paper or in the movies that could hold a candle to her.

  She’s perfection in feminine form. I knew I was in trouble the first time I saw her, but now?

  There’s no more denying she’s my one and true mate, but as much as that thought has me feeling a new purpose in my li
fe, it also scares the shit out of me.

  I listen as Robert finishes his shtick about the retail space, and every muscle in my body is rock hard. My grizzly is snorting and drooling, and I feel my fingers twitch, which is the first sign of his claws coming out and the shift beginning.

  I do my best to talk him down as they move to the back room, stopping short of actually talking to myself as I follow behind them. Robert turns to me as he explains the wet floor by the bathroom, and I do my best to nod but I want him fucking gone.

  He’s too close to her. Breathing near her is a fucking crime, because I already know she belongs to me and that includes her every breath.

  I can’t keep my eyes off her ass as she walks to look in the bathroom and I love and hate those too-tight black yoga pants she’s wearing.

  Nothing feels the same, like all the years of fighting the urge to mate have disappeared.

  All the reasons I fought against finding my one evaporate as I think of carrying this beauty to my bed, burying my cock in her every hole and lapping at her sweet cunt, knowing she belongs to me, now and forever.

  “So…” I watch her turn and look at me, flashing that smile, showing me two dimples and I have cum soaking into the fabric of my jeans.

  Her full lips move as she speaks but I suddenly deaf. All I can think is that they need to be kissing my balls and I’m losing my mind.

  “Ragnar.” Robert pokes me in the shoulder and I turn and growl at him, making him step back shooting me a terrified look. “Are you going to answer her?” He manages and I re-focus, realizing I’m acting like a mad man.

  “Sorry,” I grunt. “What was your question again?”

  “Is this fixed?” She nods her head toward the commode.

  “Yeah, loose water line. Sometimes when they aren’t used for a while, it happens. Simple fix.”

  “Great!” Robert claps his hands. “So, we have a deal then?” He looks at the girl and I realize I don’t know her name.

  “What’s your name?” I interrupt, watching her eyes go wide as she gives me a little giggle snort, and I want to hear that sound for the rest of my life.

  “Wynter,” she says, and the sound of her name races through me like wildfire. “Wynter Wyatt.”

  She brushes her hair back from her neck and I see the soft flesh there. My canines pulse, wanting to bite and mark and hear her scream as I fuck her so hard she loses consciousness.

  Robert reaches out to set his hand on her shoulder, trying to regain control of the situation, but my hands turn to fists.

  I flex my biceps so hard I hear the thread on my shirt seams struggle. I need to rein this in, but my bear isn’t helping. Snarling and snapping, telling me to let him out so he can murder Robert for touching what’s ours.

  “So.” Wynter looks at me. She should be scared, but instead she brushes Robert’s hand from her shoulder just before I break his arm, and reaches out to lay her soft fingers on my fist as if to say down boy, you’re okay. We’re okay. “I want the space. But only if Ragnar can be on call for any future plumbing issues. At your expense.” She points at Robert, whose eyes snap from Wynter to me and I stare him down, my eyes leaving no doubt he better accept her terms or things may go from bad to worse for him.

  “He accepts your terms,” I answer, speeding things up. “Go get the paperwork so we can finalize things.” I stare at Robert, who’s looking at me like I’m crazy. “Go!” I bark, jerking my head toward the front door, making him jump as I look at Wynter as she chokes back a laugh.

  I expect her to give me some blowback about butting in and saying ‘we’ but instead, she crosses her arms over her tits, pushing them up into the V-neck of her blouse and I envision my cock giving her the titty fuck of a lifetime, ending with her face covered in my cum.

  “Okay,” Robert agrees, backing away with a confused look. “I’ve got the contract in my car. I’ll write in the amendment about Ragnar’s services, then I’ll be right back.”

  “Perfect,” Wynter chimes in. “I’ve got my checkbook ready. Time to start a new chapter of my life.”

  A new chapter of my life.

  Her words ring in my ears like church bells. The kind I hear every time there’s a fucking wedding in this town.

  The rage and surliness that’s come over me for the last month dampens as we watch Robert move through the doorway toward the front of the store and disappear outside.

  “Well,” she says, flashing me that smile and my balls twitch, my heart about to crack my sternum. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Officially that is.”

  She uncrosses her arms, holds out her hand for me to shake, and all the fear that’s kept me from searching for my mate all these years comes flooding back.

  What am I doing?

  This can’t happen. Now that I’ve met her, it only makes things clearer. I’ve not yet claimed her and I already know I’d die if anything ever hurt her. And, what makes it worse is knowing it could be me that does the damage, and that’s not going to happen.

  Every cell in my body is screaming to take her, make her mine, but instead raging fear ignites inside of me and I turn on my heel, stomping out the back door, leaving my mate as my grizzly starts to burst through my skin.

  Chapter 4

  Wynter

  What just happened?

  I have whiplash and it feels like I got the breath knocked out of me.

  I lean my back against the wall of the store I just leased, keys in my hand, and slide down until my ass hits the floor before resting my forehead on my arms.

  When Ragnar had walked in, I thought I was in a dream.

  He was so much more amazing up close. Bigger than life. His body was encased in a long sleeve black t-shirt and jeans, with just the right amount of working man wear, not to mention the distinct outline of an enormous cock that had my pussy pulsing. His hands and forearms had those perfect man veins and his jaw had just the right amount of dark stubble.

  I imagined what it would feel like against the insides of my thighs.

  Jesus, my vagina is still sobbing out his name. Soaking my panties with lust and loss because once again, he hauled ass away from me just as I thought we’d had a breakthrough.

  His dark eyes were intense and consuming when he looked at me, freezing me to the floor as he stormed in and set Robert nearly on his ass for touching me. His presence took over the entire space and it feels like he’s still here. Like his dominance and power left their imprint and I get it. Because they sure left their imprint on my exploding ovaries.

  What was that?

  Why did he have that possessive protectiveness when Robert was around, but then when we were alone, he bolts again?

  Heat still rages through me as I think of the territorial look in his eyes.

  Why did I feel so safe around him when he’s clearly high on the bad boy spectrum? Will I never learn my lesson?

  But, there’s something more. He’s different. I mean, I’ve been around the male species enough to figure out Ragnar, and a lot of the other guys I’ve been around since I moved to the Badlands, they just feel different.

  “Hey,” a voice calls, and I hear the door open, jerking my head up to see Josephine smile as she walks in. “Just got off my shift, saw your car still outside. How’d it go?”

  Great. Perfect. Then, terrible.

  “Fine,” I answer, my voice flat.

  “Fine?” She comes closer, looking down at the signed lease sitting on the floor next to me. “You got the space?”

  “Yep.”

  She squints an eye. “So, what’s wrong? You look like someone just took a tinkle in your Raspberry Lemonade.”

  I start to say nothing’s wrong.

  I’m just overwhelmed with everything to do from here.

  Sad and missing my mom.

  Which is all true, but it’s not the truth, so instead of lying, I look up at her soft eyes, see the genuine concern there, and before I know it, I’m vomiting out my life story and telling her about Ragnar and ho
w I don’t understand why he seems so possessive then so revolted.

  “Wow.” She bobs her eyebrows, then reaches into her purse and pulls out a silver flask. “I think this conversation calls for something stronger than Raspberry Lemonade.”

  She slides down the wall next to me, opens the flask and hands it my way.

  I start to refuse, then change my mind. I need something right now, and if it can’t be Ragnar, maybe booze is the next best thing.

  I press the opening to my lips and tilt it upward, the stinging, horrifying flavor of cheap whiskey making my throat burn before I hand it back, pressing the back of my hand to my lips, forcing myself to swallow.

  “Spitters are quitters.” She raises the flask in toast and I nod and swallow, cringing as she takes a swig, then swipes her lips with her palm when she’s done and shaking her head. “Whooo! That’ll wake ya up in the morning.”

  “So,” I start. “Am I, like, going crazy? Ragnar looks at me like I’m dinner, then two seconds later, like I’m rotting fruit.”

  She sighs and leans her shoulder into mine. “Men around here—women too, but let’s stick to the men right now—they aren’t like most. Probably not like any you’ve known back where you’re from.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Have you ever heard of shifters?” She pulls her lips into a tight smile.

  “Yeah, in books. I read a good bit of smutty romance. They’re a staple on my Kindle.”

  “Welllll…”

  By the time the sky outside is dark, I feel like I’ve been transported to some alternate universe. My head is fuzzy from the whiskey but also I’m trying to absorb the information that Josephine dumped on me over the last hour and a half.

  Shifters are real.

  And Ragnar is a shifter.

  Grizzly bear shifter.

  My personal favorite.

  It explains a few things, but not why he’s been so bi-polar with me.

  Josephine stretches her legs straight and reaches down to touch her toes, then leans back, looking at me in the dim light.