“No.” Knox made himself more comfortable, wriggling lower in the armchair and stretching his long legs out in front of him as he settled his hands on his stomach and laced his fingers together. “As long as she’s here, I’m staying put.”
Lowe strode over to his brother, grabbed him by the front of his dark fleece shirt, and dragged him onto his feet. She swallowed hard as he pulled his brother to the door and shoved him out of it, closed it behind him and pushed Knox towards the edge of the deck, far away enough that she couldn’t hear them.
But she could see them through the window by the log burner.
Whatever they were talking about, it grew heated, had both men looking ready to throw a punch, and then Knox rubbed his dark blond hair, heaved a sigh and his expression lost its hard edge. He shrugged and said something, worry written in every line of his face.
Lowe pulled him into a bear hug.
Released him and came back to the door, opened it and stepped inside with Knox on his heels.
“He’ll be civilised now, apparently.” Lowe cast Knox another black look, one that held a warning in it.
“I’m one hungry bear this morning.” Knox smiled slightly, as if he had made a joke but it was secret, and slumped back into the armchair. He looked at her, his sapphire eyes softer now. “Sorry about that. I can get a little protective of Lowe.”
“I get that.” She smiled up at Lowe as she took the coffee he offered her and then looked back at Knox. “I was protective of my brother too.”
“Lowe filled me in on that. I’m sorry about what happened to him.”
She looked at Lowe for an explanation.
Lowe held a plate out to her, the sight of the two bacon sandwiches on it making her mouth water almost as much as he did as he gave her a soft look. “I hope you’re not mad. It seemed like a reasonable way to get my brother to behave himself and stop treating you like you’re a threat to me.”
She took the plate and held back her smile as he slid another look at Knox, silencing him just as he was about to say something.
“I’m not mad. Relieved maybe.” She hadn’t been looking forward to having to tell his brother the reason she was here.
She looked from Lowe to Knox. They were both as big as each other, both looked capable and as if they could handle themselves and any trouble that might come their way. She felt as if she could rely on these men, could trust them to help her, but at the same time, part of her still didn’t want to get them in trouble.
She ate her sandwiches in silence, sipping her coffee between bites, listening to the fire as it crackled and popped. She tried to think of something to say as Lowe sat beside her, but the thought of having to leave weighed her down, stole her voice and had a war erupting inside her. She had to go. As soon as she was able. Lowe said he could take care of things, and she believed him, but that didn’t mean she wanted him to fight her battle for her. Just the thought of him having to fight turned her stomach and put her off her food.
Cameo looked across at him, listened as he complained about the snow to his brother and Knox mused whether spring would come early this year. An ache formed in her chest, a tight knot that felt as if it would only grow worse if she left Lowe.
Just minutes ago, she had been determined to resist the attraction that blazed between them. Now, she wasn’t sure she was strong enough to fight it. She wasn’t sure she could stay here and not surrender to it, and she couldn’t bring herself to leave either.
She didn’t want to leave Lowe and it wasn’t because she felt safe around him.
She had a terrible feeling it was because she was falling for him.
He was handsome, kind and charming, and he took good care of her. He was the sort of man she had always dreamed of having in her life, and one she had never thought would actually exist. But here he was. Deep in her heart, she knew she would be a fool to fall for him with things in her life so uncertain and danger all around her.
But that same heart also said she would be a fool to deny herself something just because it had come along at an inopportune moment.
She would regret it.
Lowe was a once in a lifetime kind of man, checked every box she could think of, every one she had written down once when she had been lonely in Vancouver, mending her broken heart. It honestly felt as if fate had taken that list she had made and created Lowe just for her.
He angled his head towards her, his eyes slightly wider than normal, as if her staring had disturbed him or maybe worried him. A hint of colour touched his cheeks and he dropped his gaze to her plate and cleared his throat.
“You done?” He stood and took her plate before she could answer, set it down on his and carried them to the kitchen.
Knox gave her a hard look. She held his gaze, refusing to be cowed by him, because she intended to keep her promise—she wouldn’t break Lowe’s heart.
But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t steal it.
“Knox, we should, uh…” Lowe gave her an awkward look and then shifted his gaze to his brother. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Check on Saint. We should check on Saint.”
Cameo had the feeling that what he really wanted to do was talk to his brother about her and whatever he wanted to say, he didn’t want to say it in front of her.
Lowe topped her coffee up and set the pot back on the counter. “Stay indoors.”
As if she could go anywhere.
The furthest she could probably make it was the deck and even though the storm had cleared, it was well below freezing out there. She had no intention of making herself feel worse by standing on the deck. She was going to stay right here on the couch, sipping coffee and enjoying the fire and trying not to think about Lowe or her growing feelings for him.
Feelings that part of her said were crazy and the rest said felt right.
He was quick to shove his feet into his boots and pull his coat on, and Knox was just as quick to follow his lead and do the same. They were out of the door in under a minute and as Cameo stared at it closing, a feeling stirred inside her.
Lowe was hiding something from her and something deep inside her said it had nothing to do with her or the trouble she was in.
She pushed to her feet with effort and stared out of the kitchen window in time to see Knox glance back at her and then say something to Lowe.
She had the feeling it wasn’t just Lowe hiding something from her either.
Everyone here had a secret.
And she was going to find out what it was.
Chapter 10
The heat of Cameo’s gaze still seared him, the way she had been staring at him stamping her name on his soul, rousing feelings inside him that had startled him when they had come over him. It wasn’t just desire and need her eyes on him had stirred—it had been a powerful need to possess her, a dark need to defend her, and a terrible urge to attack Knox.
Lowe had the feeling it wasn’t just because she was beautiful and he was attracted to her either.
These feelings felt more like instincts to him, mastered him in a way he didn’t like, easily ripping control from him.
He had felt a powerful need to look at her when she had been staring at him, as if her gaze had commanded him, issuing a silent order he hadn’t been able to resist, and his bear side had gone crazy.
Absolutely fucking wild.
The hunger to launch at Knox and take him down, to drive him away from Cameo and ensure the male couldn’t steal her from him had startled him and he hadn’t been able to stop himself from clinging to what his brother had said.
The fact he had called Cameo pretty.
Knox wanted her for himself.
He growled as he slid a look at his brother.
Knox’s fair eyebrows rose high on his forehead as he looked at Lowe. “What’s got you so tetchy?”
Lowe had the feeling he knew the answer to that question, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell Knox about his suspicions. His brother would only think he was reading into things or loo
king for an excuse to keep Cameo around, or give in to the desire he felt.
When the answer was all of those things and none of them at the same time.
He had the feeling Cameo was his fated mate.
The one female in this world he could have a mate bond with to form the deepest of connections, one that would allow her to live as long as he did.
He needed to be sure though, feared that he was reading into things and seeing what he wanted to see because he was attracted to Cameo, fiercely wanted her and was looking for a reason to give in to that desire. There was no better excuse than a potential mate bond. He could easily blame succumbing to desire on the fact he had thought they were true mates, using the excuse that he had wanted to determine whether they really were fated.
“Something’s up with you.” Knox slid him a hard look this time, one that Lowe didn’t like because it felt as if his brother was trying to peel back his layers, was hunting for the truth and Lowe feared he might find it. “I get that she’s pretty, Lowe, but she’s human, and we all know how that ends.”
Lowe bit back the growl that rumbled up his throat, denying it as the desire to lash out at his brother rode him, compelling him to surrender to it because Knox had called her pretty again. His bear side groaned and battered his will, trying to force a shift, and it was a struggle to hold it back, to stop himself from giving in to it and attacking his brother.
“I know.” He bit out instead.
Knox looked at him out of the corner of his eye again. “For a moment there, I felt sure you’d deny wanting her or feeling anything for her, or some bullshit like it. I can read the room, Lowe. The two of you were panting like horny newly awakened cubs.”
Lowe scowled at him, because when he had hit maturity at a little over a century old and his sexual instincts and desires had awakened, he hadn’t been the one panting and horny, wanting to jump anything that moved.
Knox had.
His steps slowed as he stared at Knox, for the first time really feeling as if he was looking at a darker reflection of himself. Same face. Same blue eyes. Same build. If Cameo looked at him with desire in her eyes, would she look at Knox in the same way? If his brother made a move on her, would she succumb to him?
“I don’t like that look in your eyes.” Knox’s lips flattened, the corners of his mouth turning downwards as his eyebrows knitted hard. “You’ve got aggression rolling off you like crazy and you look ready to kill me… and I’ve done nothing wrong. You might want to remember that.”
Lowe tried to dial it back, but the urge to strike his brother was strong, the need to alter his face so they no longer resembled each other, so Cameo wouldn’t be attracted to him, bringing out his claws.
His brother took a slow step backwards, placing more distance between them, the snow crunching beneath his black boots. “This isn’t like you, Lowe. She’s got you too worked up. Just take a moment to breathe.”
“I can’t.” He pushed those two words out as fear swelled inside him, the thought he might not be strong enough to tamp down and vanquish the urges surging through him making them sound as desperate as he felt. “Knox…”
His brother closed the distance between them as something dawned in his eyes, brightening them a shade, and clutched Lowe’s shoulders, gripping them tightly.
“I’m not interested in the female, Lowe. Whatever crazy ideas are flying around that head of yours, they’re wrong.” Knox palmed his shoulders, his gaze clear and open, honest. “I’m not interested in Cameo. I’m not a threat to her. I’m not a threat to you. You want to get your heart broken, fine. You want me to stay the hell away from her, I’m good with that. Whatever it takes to fix this.”
Lowe stared at his brother, desperately trying to make what he had said sink in. His bear side continued to push for freedom and he continued to fight it, unwilling to surrender to the dark needs running rampant inside him. He didn’t want to hurt Knox. Knox had said he wasn’t interested in Cameo.
What if that didn’t change how Cameo felt about Knox?
“Yeah, I know where this is going.” Knox shook him hard enough to rattle his brain in his skull. “Did that work?”
Lowe glared at him and bit out, “Did what work?”
“Just trying to shake that thought loose.” His brother slowly smiled. “I’d tease you about the fact you know I’m the better looking of the two of us, but I think you’d rip my head off. I don’t like seeing you like this, so I’m going to say a few things and I’m going to say them straight, and you’re probably not going to like them.”
Lowe growled and bared emerging fangs at him. He did want Cameo.
Knox rolled his eyes, as if he had heard that thought. “Number one. I do not, under any circumstances, want that female you have in your cabin. She isn’t my type. She looks like the sort of female who has her whole life planned out right down to the white picket fence and number of kids, and all their damned names. That is not my style.”
Lowe snarled at his brother. He liked that about Cameo. He liked that she was cautious and planned things, didn’t leap before she looked.
Hell, he liked that she struck him as the sort who didn’t leap before she did full recon of the entire area and charted every possible problem, had five contingencies in place, and was fully prepared for anything.
Knox shuddered. “You look like you’re going to drool, so I’m going to move on. Number two. She does not, under any circumstances, want me. She wants you. The way she looks at you, Lowe… a blind man could see she wants you. Apparently, you’re both attracted to the cautious, let’s suck the fun out of life by planning everything type.”
“Hey.” Lowe frowned at him. “I’m not like that.”
His brother scoffed. “Yeah… remind me again who it was I caught writing pages and pages of plans after our parents died?”
“Someone had to step up, Knox. Things at the pride were bad and I knew we had to leave, and we had barely a few dollars to our names. I had to find us a place we could settle that wasn’t near another bear territory, or encroaching on wolves or cougars.” Lowe stepped back, beyond the reach of Knox as regret shone in his blue eyes. “Our parents were dead. We had to leave. Just walking off into the wilderness wasn’t an option. It would’ve gotten us killed.”
Knox squeezed his eyes shut and heaved a sigh, stepped up to him again and pulled him into a tight hug. “I know. I’m sorry. You know me. Always shooting my mouth off, saying shit before I fully think it through. I put a lot of pressure on you back then and I’m sorry. I should’ve been more mature about it. I should’ve been more like you. I’m lucky you were there. I know that. I probably would’ve walked right into the territory of another pride or pack and landed in a heap of trouble if you hadn’t been there.”
Lowe tried to hold on to his anger but it was impossible as he sensed the regret in his brother, laced with pain.
“Mom and Dad dying… I wasn’t equipped to handle that and I made you handle it for both of us… and that was a shitty thing to do.” Knox squeezed him tightly.
Lowe sighed, wrapped his arms around him and hugged him. “It was hard on both of us, but we made it through… together. I wouldn’t have made it without you, Knox. I can make all the plans in the world, but when things go south, you’re the one who steps up and takes care of things.”
“You do suck at hunting.” Knox’s voice warmed and softened, the teasing note in it drawing a smile from Lowe. “Probably would’ve starved without me.”
Things hadn’t been that dire, but Lowe hadn’t been the best at foraging back then, and he certainly hadn’t had enough charm to get free meals from females at bars and diners.
“We good?” Knox pulled back and searched his eyes.
Lowe nodded, but couldn’t stop himself from adding, “You even look at her the wrong way and I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop myself from fighting you.”
“That doesn’t sound good, Lowe. That sounds a lot like—” Knox cut off as a noise came from Sain
t’s cabin.
His brother broke into a run for the cabin and had mounted the steps before Lowe could even react. Lowe followed on his heels, took the slippery steps up to the cabin two at a time and reached the open door just as Knox was crouching beside Saint.
A very naked Saint.
At least he had shifted back, but Lowe found it hard to take it as a good sign. His alpha was still out cold on the wooden floorboards, hadn’t really moved from where Lowe had put him yesterday. He looked around, seeking what had made the noise, and huffed as he spotted the fallen fire iron that rested near Saint’s foot. He must have kicked it in his sleep.
“Grab his legs, would you?” Knox glanced at him.
Lowe nodded and moved to Saint’s feet, stepping between him and the log burner. The fire was getting low now. He would take care of it once Saint was in bed, wrapped up warm. He stooped and grabbed him by his ankles, hauling him up as Knox held him under his shoulders. Getting him up the twisting staircase proved difficult, but they managed it without bashing his head against the wooden railings or the wall.
He helped Knox set Saint down on the bed and waited with him while his brother went downstairs. When Knox returned with some bandages, Lowe helped him tend to the worst of Saint’s wounds, binding them with the cream material.
“Had he shifted back when you left him?” He cast a look at Knox as he settled Saint back onto the mattress again.
Knox shook his head as he drew the covers over Saint. “No. He must have done it shortly after I left. I grabbed some sleep before I came to see you, but I was too tired to sleep for long and I knew you’d want to know what had happened after you had left… plus, I wanted to meet this female you’re holding in your cabin.”
“I’m not holding Cameo. She’s not a prisoner. I offered to call her an air ambulance, but she doesn’t want to leave.”
“Why not?” His brother’s eyebrows pinched hard, a dark edge entering his blue eyes, one that reeked of suspicion.
“Nothing nefarious. Just this trouble she’s in. Like I told you, there’s another man on the mountain looking for her and I told her I could protect her if she stayed with me. I want to help her.” Lowe sighed and looked off to his left, out the small window to the white world. “I think part of her is scared of leaving this place and part of her is scared of staying.”
Rescued by her Bear (Black Ridge Bears Shifter Romance Series Book 2) Page 10