by Hazel Gower
Brock stood with Slater by the changing room doors talking about teaching Sammy to drive. He had a new Commodore that would be perfect for her to learn in. It wasn’t like his big SUV or his and Slater’s sports cars. Also while they’d waited at the last shop he’d called his insurance company and put Sammy on his car insurance, and they’d advised him that the cheapest car in his collection for her to drive was his Commodore. So he and Slater had decided that would be her car.
“If Sammy is okay I’ll give her her first driving lesson tomorrow. I have to put in overtime, and it would be good if my bear and I got our fix of her…” Brock trailed off as he saw Sammy.
Sammy came out of the changing rooms in a little black dress that hugged every one of her generous curves. Brock nearly came in his pants as Sammy smiled at them and turned. “Can one of you do the last of the zipper up at the back?” She gathered her thick brown hair and moved it to the side.
Brock glared at Slater as he stepped to Sammy and took his time doing the back of her dress up. Brock wanted his hands lingering on Sammy’s neck. He wanted to be closer to her, breathing in her fresh peaches and honey scent, skimming his fingers over her smooth skin.
Brock watched as Sammy closed her eyes, took a deep breath, opened her eyes and stepped forward out of Slater’s reach. She then waved the sales assistant over.
“Do you have any black strappy shoes in a size eight?”
The saleswoman smiled at Sammy. “Yes. I know just the shoes that would look great with this dress.”
The woman zipped off and came back with two shoe boxes giving them to Sammy. Sammy put them on a chair beside her and opened one. Brock watched in agony as Sammy bent over and took her shoes off and replaced them with black strappy heels. With her arse in the air he could see the red lacy j-string hidden between her two round globes. Images of him rubbing his cock between those two arse checks, or holding them together as he slid his dick in and out of her had him groaning and adjusting himself.
Fuck this. Brock didn’t care where they were. He forgot to take it slow and stalked towards her. When Sammy stood up in the high shoes, they emphasized her shapely legs, and he growled pulling her to him and devouring her.
As she gasped his tongue found hers, and he sucked on it, enjoying her peaches and honey taste. His bear clawed at him to claim her, to taste more of her. To show Sammy that they were hers, and they wanted her more than they’d ever wanted anything in their life.
“You’ll get us kicked out for indecent exposure if you keep up.” Slater’s voice sounded rough, and Brock reluctantly pulled away from a dazed Sammy, who looked so hot with her brown eyes ablaze with need. Brock was ready to carry her out and speed home or to a quiet area and claim what he wanted.
Adjusting his pants Brock cleared his throat and mumbled, “I’ll buy all this for you.”
“Um, I … ah … I can buy this. I know it’s a winner at least.” Sammy beamed up at him, and he knew he was a goner. His heart beat faster, and he told himself he would do anything to see that look on her face again.
Holy shit. What the fuck was going on with him? Sammy was turning him into a pussy, and if he wasn’t careful he would end up like his father, cousin, and brothers.
Brock turned to see Slater’s fist clenched at his side as he moaned. “Oh beautiful, it’s more than a winner.”
Crap! He wanted a mate, but he didn’t want to be led around by his cock for the rest of his life. He was a cop. A detective. They called him Gurkha because he took no prisoners. Everyone was scared of him. Most women only dated him to be with the dark, dangerous man. He knew Sammy would prefer if he wasn’t any of those things. Shit, could he be a true mate to Sammy? He raked frustrated fingers through his hair and knew he needed to get away and think.
“I need to go to work. I’ll see you tomorrow. We’ll do lunch again, and after I can take you for your first driving lesson if you’d like.”
Sandy smiled. “That sounds great. Are you sure you’re okay to teach me?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I’ll bring the car Slater and I decided will be best for you to learn in tomorrow.”
Brock practically ran out of the store. He would pop by the gym and see his brothers. He needed to talk to them and remind himself why he wanted a mate, and that his brothers were happy. He’d never been worried before that a woman was changing him, but this woman was important. He called his partner and told him to meet him at his brothers’ gym.
His brother Blake was at their gym teaching boxing. Brock watched as Blake showed no mercy to guy he was training. Blake showed the guy a better way to move and gave his student a good workout. When the guy was dripping with sweat Blake came over to him.
“What’s up? Why are you here at this time? Is something wrong? Do you need a place to hide from Mum? Or are you here to hide from your mate? Because you have a scared look on your face. What did she do? Cry all over you? Make you watch a film that didn’t have people shooting at each other?”
“Well mating hasn’t changed you. You’re still a dickhead.”
Brock dodged Blake’s fist. “Fuck you, bro.”
“No thanks. I don’t do incest. Fate has already fucked enough with us Bear men by mating two bears to one woman and a human at that.” Brock knew he sounded harsh, but he was still pissed he had to share Sammy.
“You sound like Mum. And you’re only looking at the bad things. Think of it the way I do. Brian and I work together to protect Susie and be with her and love her. We share any problem any of us have, and there is always someone to listen.” Blake sighed and wiped his face with a towel. “Be grateful, trust me. I love Susie, but the twins are due any day, and I should be off work but I’m scared to go home. I think Susie looks gorgeous plump with my child, but she cries at the drop of a hat, and she won’t stop going on about how fat she thinks she is. No matter what I say I never say it right. I have been thanking God that I have Brian as I only have to put up with half the whining, the cleaning, crying, and half the work. I will say again, trust me when I say that if you ever knock Sammy up you will feel the same as me and be grateful for Slater.”
Brock stared at his brother for a moment to see if he was joking, but he was deadly serious. Brock studied Blake to see the tired strained look on Blake’s face. Wow, his brother looked like shit. Brock laughed. He couldn’t help it. Blake, who’d used to be the biggest ladies’ man, was worn out by a woman, scared to go home in case he said the wrong thing.
This time Brock didn’t dodge in time the fist to the face and gut. “I’m so glad you find this funny, fuck-wit. Here Brian and I have been nothing but supportive of you, Slater, and Sammy, and you’re an asshole to me when I need some support back. If you ask me I think Sammy is too good for you. She’s quiet and wouldn’t know how to stick up for herself against you. I think one of the women Mother wants you to mate with would be better for you. They’re ice cold. Perfect for you.”
Okay, that was just cruel. Brock stopped laughing. “In the ring now before I get a lot of your blood on the floor where it’s harder to get off.”
Taking off his shirt he got in the ring as he heard his partner. “Blake, you idiot, that was just stupid to say. Now I have to sit around and watch while he beats the crap out of you for ten minutes.”
Blake climbed back into the boxing ring. “I wouldn’t bet on him being the one to win. I’ve been hoping for a partner I’m equal with, so I can let my frustrations out on him. Who do you think will win? I have a mate pregnant with twins.”
Kegon chuckled. “Don’t kill him, Blake. We’re hunting a drug dealer tonight.”
Blake turned to him, and Brock braced himself at the fierce look on his brother’s face. Brock hated to admit it, but he felt good after talking to his brother and he knew after he let himself loose fighting Blake, he’d feel like himself again. He wouldn’t worry about being a pussy or soft anymore.
Chapter Three
Sammy was excited. Brock had called to say he would be here any minute to start
teaching her to drive. She’d had a couple of lessons before her mother got sick and two or three while she was sick, but Sammy hadn’t liked leaving her mother in case she felt worse while Sammy wasn’t there. It was only days after her mother died that she met Greg, and he’d made it clear he didn’t want her to drive and he thought women drivers were menaces.
The doorbell rang, and Sammy grabbed her handbag and partly skipped to the door. She wasn’t going to let Greg win anymore. Sammy would learn to drive.
Brock stood on the other side of the door in his usual black clothes. Sammy wondered if he had any items of clothing that weren’t black and if Brock’s five o’clock shadow was permanent.
“You ready, angel?”
Sammy pulled her handbag further up on her shoulder and straightened her shoulders. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Brock took her hand a walked her to a black Commodore. He opened the passenger side, and she got in as he walked around to the driver’s side. He got in his seat, put his seatbelt on, and started the car. The car had a brand new smell, and Sammy worried that she might scratch or hurt a brand new car.
“The beach car park should be empty. It’s the perfect place to start. The streets by the beach shouldn’t be busy as well, so we’ll see how we go with learning the basics.”
“Sounds good. I have had a couple of lessons, but that was a while ago, so refreshing is a good idea.”
Brock nodded as he turned down the road that led to the beach.
Sammy breathed in the new smell again. “Is the car new?”
Brock shrugged. “It’s a couple of weeks old.”
“A couple of weeks.” Sammy screeched. “I can’t learn to drive in a brand new car. What if I scratch it, smash it, or hurt it?”
“It’s not alive, angel, so you can’t hurt the car. It’s also the cheapest of both mine and Slater’s cars for you to drive. I’m insured, and you’re on my policy.”
“Oh. You didn’t have to do that. How much do I owe you for that?”
“Nothing. Slater and I put you on our policy because we wanted to. We don’t need your money. I have enough that if I stopped working I could live off my inheritance very nicely and still have money left over for whoever I left everything to when I die.”
Sammy stared at Brock. He said this like having that amount of money meant nothing at all. Sammy and her mother had worked hard for everything they had. Sammy’s mother had received a small inheritance when her father had passed away, and she had paid off the house they lived in. Sammy wished the inheritance had been larger so her mother didn’t have to work.
“Why, if you have all that money, do you work? And in such a dangerous job?”
“I’m not one for sitting around at a desk. I like using my abilities to catch bad guys. Plus shifters are pretty durable. We heal quicker and can run faster, have better vision and hearing, and live a little longer than humans.” Brock turned down the beach street to the car park.
“Do all shifters have money like you and your family?”
“Yeah, most. It’s easy for us to make money. When you can smell a lie and live longer than you humans, you get good with business and know where to invest and put your money. Although having said all that, my family has been very lucky and clever in business. Slater’s and my inheritances came from our grandparents.”
“I can still give you money to help pay for some of the insurance. You don’t have to pay for me.”
Brock pulled into a park at the start of the car park, turned off the car. He reached over into the glove box and pulled out L plates. Brock got out, and Sammy watched as he walked to the front of the car and leaned down, stood up and went to the back of the car before he came back to her side and opened her car door. “Out. No more talk of money.”
Shaking her head she got out. Sammy knew she wouldn’t win. She would learn to pick and choose her fights and let the small ones go. She walked around and stopped as she came to the back of the car to see he had bought plate holders for his car. She walked to the front to see there was one there, too.
Opening the driver’s door she got in, shut it, and sat in the driver seat. She couldn’t even reach the pedals with the seat so far back.
Brock chuckled. “You’ll need to use the lever under the seat on the left hand side to push the seat forward.”
Turning to him she leaned over and kissed him. She gripped him tight and let herself go for a moment before she pulled away. “Thank you. I really appreciate this. I can’t believe you put plate holders on your new car.”
“It’s nothing, really.” He winked at her. “Come on. Stop stalling.”
Sammy grinned at him and turned back to the steering wheel and leaned forward and moved the seat forward.
****
Slater sat out the front of Sammy’s house waiting for her and Brock to get back from her driving lesson. He’d spoken to his parents this morning, and they were eager to meet Sammy. His brothers were even going to take time out of their busy schedules to attend a dinner. His older brother, Kayon, was a lawyer and a part owner of a huge shifter firm. His younger brother, Jordan, was a doctor, a family doctor. His father was head of the shifter council, and his mother called herself a professional spender. She was a great mother, nothing like Brock’s mother or Jake’s.
Brock’s black Commodore pulled into Sammy’s driveway. As soon as the car stopped Sammy got out and ran to his car. He opened the door, and Sammy squealed.
“Brock is so good. I just had an hour lesson. I drove a car for an hour.” Sammy bounced up and down.
Slater looked over at Brock. He looked ragged. Slater could see his eyes were flashing bear, and his hair looked messier than usual like he’d been running his hands through it or pulling it out. Brock was breathing deeply and clenching and unclenching his fists. Slater couldn’t help laughing as he hugged the excited Sammy.
“You okay?” Slater patted Brock on the back.
Brock shot a glare his way as he walked by with an excited Sammy. “Argh, yeah, but you can take her tomorrow.” He pulled Sammy from him and kissed her. “I’ve called Kegon to come pick me up. He’ll be here any minute. The Commodore can stay here.”
“You’re not going to come in?”
“No. Go have a late lunch with Slater. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Sandy beamed up at Brock, and Slater thought that whatever Brock had just gone through would be worth the smile she was bestowing on him. Kegon’s car pulled up, and Brock got in, leaving Slater alone with Sammy.
Sammy waved Brock off then turned to him. “Let me go to the bathroom and freshen up, and then we’ll go out for lunch.”
“Sounds good.”
He walked in, and the first thing he noticed was the big picture of her and a woman who must be her mother as they looked so alike, and a photo of a younger Sammy with Susie, Jane, and Sandy. The photos hadn’t been there the last time he’d been into the house.
Slater studied the photo of the older woman and Sammy. He could see the love that shone from the woman’s eyes as she hugged her daughter. He stared at the picture of Sammy with her friends. She was laughing and had her arms around Jane and Susie. Sammy looked carefree. He wanted to see that look on her again.
“That’s a pic of a girls’ weekend we had away before my mum got sick.”
Slater turned to see Sammy with her hair in a braid and light makeup on. She had her handbag on her shoulder. “Are you ready to go?” he asked. “Do you have any idea where you want to go for lunch?”
“Yeah, I’m ready. I’d love to check out Glaser. I hear it good, and it’s one of yours, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. Are you sure you want to go?”
“Yes. Do you not want me to see one of your restaurants? Or do you not want to go to work?”
Slater stroked her cheek. “Of course I want you to see my restaurant. I just thought you might want to go somewhere different. Everyone is eager to meet you.”
Sammy beamed up at him and held his hand a
s she walked to the door. “Well let’s go see this restaurant everyone raves about.”
The drive to his restaurant was uneventful. Sammy talked about the driving lesson and everything they did. Slater told her he would be teaching her tomorrow. He walked through the front doors of his restaurant instead of the back employee entry he always took, so Sammy could get a look at his top restaurant.
Anna, his maître d’, greeted them with a smile. “Hi, boss. You like work so much you can’t stay away.”
“Hi, Anna, I’ve come to show my mate my restaurant.”
Sammy stood forward. “Hello, Anna. I’m Samantha.”
“Hello, Samantha. We are eager to meet you. Slater talks about you quite a lot.”
Sammy shot a wide eyed look at him and turned a light shade of pink.
“Anna, I’m going to show Sammy around, and I’ll take the corner table twenty. I’ll tell Richard while we’re in the kitchen what we’ll have to eat.”
“Sure. Nice to finally meet you, Samantha. You have come at just the right time. The lunch crowd has died down.”
“You, too, Anna. I look forward to seeing you again.”
Slater placed his hand on Sammy’s back and steered her to the back of the restaurant to the kitchen, his pride and joy.
“It’s almost full, Slater. I thought Anna said the lunch crowd had died down.”
He glanced quickly around to see it was quiet, well, quiet for Glaser. “This is quiet for Glaser.” He moved closer to her and held her hand.
They walked back to his kitchen, and his head chef, Richard, waved him over. He watched as Sammy seemed to take everything in. She slowed to a dawdle as they walked over to Richard.
“There are so many people back here, and it’s so big.”