“It was her. Meadow has someone watching her all the time. Just after it rang, she told me it was your sister. Meadow said she’d give you a heads up on her calls if you wish.” She said she would. All right. When people speak to you through this link, you might have some trouble figuring out who they are. All voices, until you understand things about them, are basically the same. Neutral. So don’t be afraid to ask who it is. Do you have any questions about how I’m speaking to you?
No. She grinned at him. So all I need to do is just think of you and talk. I like that. How do I put the word out that I need your entire family to listen up? I mean, I’m sure you have that figured out as well.
You just need to think of needing help, and that will put out a call to all of them. She nodded and opened the door to the office but turned back to him when he said her name in her mind. I wasn’t kidding when I said I’d like to take you on your desk. I’m not having any trouble keeping my hands off you right now because you’re stressed out, and we only want to help you. However, when this is over, Joey, I’m not sure how long I can wait to have you.
I want you too. But not yet. I’m not teasing you. I’m really not, but I think I’m just too stressed to deal with one more thing. Not that you’re a bad thing, don’t take it like that, but I have a murdering man and my sister out there somewhere trying to get me to do something I know is against the law. Not to mention, they killed a very nice person for no other reason than they could. She moved back into the room then, letting the door close behind her. This will have to do for now.
Joey only meant for it to be a short kiss to his mouth. But almost as soon as her lips touched his, she wanted much more than just his mouth touching hers. However, the knock at her door prevented her from taking as much as she could. Pierce held her away from his body while he spoke to Harvey on the other side. Joey was way over her head with this man, she thought.
“The staff just won the free lunch I was telling you about. They’re wondering if you’d allow them to go out just a little early to get in line. There isn’t going to be a line. The restaurant doing this is only serving your people today. But sending them out will give us enough time to get things finished up here.” She asked him what things. “The equipment that is downstairs in the lobby now. I can have it set up in no time, but this way, we won’t have to be rushed.”
Going into the main room of her business, Harvey handed her a copy of the email.
“It says here it’s all expenses paid. That’s wonderful.” She smiled at the people in the room. Some of them already had their coats on, ready to go. “I tell you what. Since this is a special treat for you guys, why don’t you take a two hour lunch? I’m not getting much done here anyway, so that might be just enough time for me to drink a nice hot cup of cocoa and get my act together.”
They were all gone except Harvey in less than five minutes. He handed Pierce a file and left too. The silence of the room had her closing her eyes and relishing in the first bit of quiet she’d had in some time. Pierce went to the hallway and took the elevator to get what she could only assume was the equipment. She was glad now that the debugger had come earlier. The peace of mind it was giving her had helped a good deal already.
Not only did Pierce get all the equipment set up with plenty of time left over, but the cameras were all around the room over each desk in a way that not only could she see their computer screens, but also anything laying on their desks. Joey didn’t care for doing things this way, but this was, she thought, a matter of life and death. Perhaps not hers, but Becky and her mom’s.
When the employees came back, she thought they all looked as if they had enjoyed their lunch. The only person complaining was Debby, and that was because they wouldn’t allow her to have a free glass of wine with her meal. Filing that away with her other notes on the girl, she did point out they were still on the clock, and perhaps they’d done the right thing. Of course, Debby didn’t agree. Free should have meant all of it was free.
“You drank a glass of wine on my company time? You know you can be fired for that, don’t you?” Two of the people near her desk said she’d actually had four glasses. “I think it’s time you left here, Debby. I can’t have you drinking on your lunch hour then coming back here to work. I have to think about what this means for you and my company.”
“You’re joking, right?” Joey told her she wasn’t. “I’m not intoxicated. Perhaps if you got laid once in a while or even had a glass or two yourself, you’d not be such a bitch about every little thing. Why the hell won’t you give him what he wants? Christ, it would be better for all of us, being on pins and needles all the time, if we didn’t have to worry about some jerk jumping out wanting information on you. It is his kid.”
Pierce was right behind Joey when she started backward. Whether she was falling or moving, she didn’t know, but he told her the police were on their way. Debby apparently had more to say and was telling anyone who would listen to her how Joey had taken a kid and was hiding her away from her own father. She even mentioned he’d find her mom too.
Joey was so shook up by the time the police arrived that she let Pierce handle the entire thing. As she was sitting in her office, wondering where the hell she’d fucked up so badly that this was happening to her, someone tugged at her mind. At least that was what it felt like.
This is Cindy, honey. I’m Pierce’s mom. She told her she couldn’t speak right now. I know, honey. Mel and Meadow are here with me, and they’ve told me what is going on. I’m so sorry, dear. I really am. But I want you to think about coming here for the weekend. It’s only Wednesday, but you think on it. No one will know you’re here, and you can see your mom and Becky too. I’ve only just been told that you and Pierce are mates. I’m so happy for you both.
He’s been like a rock for me. Making no demands. But it’s like he knows what I need even before I do. She told her that was what mates did for people. You said no one would know I’m there. Are you sure about that? I don’t want to cause any of you any trouble—especially not my niece and mother.
They’ll never know. You have my word on it. Joey thought she’d enjoy being around nice people for a change. Good. I’m going to let the girls here make the arrangements, and then they’ll get back to you. Welcome to the family, Joey. I think you’re going to fit right in with the rest of us.
After they finished making arrangements, she decided this was going to be good for her. While she hadn’t any idea what sort of background Peirce came from, she had an idea he was from a good home. How on earth could they raise a son like Pierce and not be a good family was her way of thinking.
Debby was taken away, and Pierce came into her office. When he left the door open, she figured he’d put the fear of her into them if they came into the office. Instead, he sat down on the couch and smiled at her when she asked him what was going on.
“I’ve sent everyone home.” She nodded, not even caring that she was going to be even more behind. “The officer wants them to each fill out a sheet of paper telling him what went down at the restaurant, then here. I figured you’d not be getting anything done anyway, so I just took it upon myself to let them go.”
“Your mom invited me to come to her home for this weekend. I’m not entirely sure what that means, but I’m going. Even if you don’t.” He laughed. “I’m assuming you and your family has money. The names on some of the equipment show it is some high end stuff. Also, that there is more than just you and your two sisters-in-law.”
“There are. In addition to my parents, there are six of us sons, counting me. Four of them are married. That does not include you since I’ve not asked yet to marry you. Nieces and nephews too. One of them, only an infant, is the apple of my eye. His name is Alden. After my dad.” She told him how his mom said she’d fit in. “You will. The women rule the roost, as it should be. They’re all, like you, very kick-ass and strong willed. Magical as well. I don’t know that you�
��ll get anything from being around them, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Will you come and sit with me?”
“Yes. In a second. What do you mean, they’re strong willed? I’m not.” He only had to cock a brow at her, and she could tell he didn’t believe her. “I’m not. I’m very backward and shy. I don’t like confrontations either. I avoid them whenever I can.”
“Perhaps, but you also can take it on when necessary. As you did with Donna.” She asked him who that was. “The drunk. You’ve been calling her Debby all day. I thought you were just having fun with her.”
That made her laugh, hard. It felt so good that she got up and sat down beside Pierce on the couch. And when he picked her up and put her on his lap, she had no trouble with that either. The man was growing on her.
~*~
“I have a question for you. I mean before we get to other more interesting things.” Pierce told her to ask away, but he didn’t sit still, as he was sure she thought he would. Instead, he nibbled at her throat. Massaged her arms, legs, and whatever else he could touch of her. “You’re not helping me.”
“Good. Then my plan is succeeding.” He stopped for a moment and stared at her. “What is more important than me having a little snack before we go back to your place and fool around?”
“That’s it.” He didn’t know what she meant and asked her. “Why do I feel like you’ve just been there for me forever? Like my heart didn’t beat right until I saw you? That nothing I do, say, or even try had any meaning until you came along and swept me up into…well, into you. It’s like I didn’t know what living was like until you came along and showed me.”
“That is the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to me.” He held her to his chest. “I don’t want to use the same old saying that is true of our kind by telling you that you and I were meant to be together, and that is why we both feel this way. It’s more than that with you. I’ve seen my brothers fall in love with their mates, their mates eventually coming around to falling in love with them. But with you, just as you said, it’s been there all along. We’ve only been waiting on one another to make the connection so our lives would have meaning. Purpose.”
Joey sat up and looked at him. “There’s more that I feel with you too, Pierce. I love you. I’ve never been in love before. Really, I’ve never thought it would be a thing I’d do, fall in love. I did think that someday I’d marry, but doubtfully for any other reason than that it was time. I needed the security. Or children. Do you want them?” He told her as many as she wanted. “See? Right there. That’s what I’m talking about. You and I just click. I feel, to be honest with you, that soon the other shoe will drop, and this will all be gone. I don’t want to lose you, Pierce. I need you as much as I do my next breath.”
Pierce held her in his arms then. He wanted to shout to the world that she was perfect, that a mate like this didn’t come around all the time. But holding her, for now, seemed like more than he could have ever hoped for. When the phone rang, neither of them moved to answer it. Pierce could tell when the cleaning crew got off the elevator a few minutes later. Their mixture of chemicals, dusting cloths, and the dinner they’d had was perfuming the air.
When Joey sat up and turned and looked at him, her smile was like the sun coming out after a heavy storm. Standing up when she did, he watched her as she turned off her computer, shut down the printer, and made sure her desk chair was under her desk.
He filled the fridge, making sure it had plenty of water for tomorrow. As they worked together, words weren’t necessary. Pierce hadn’t felt this comfortable around another being since he was a boy, not even sure if he could count his family in the comfort zone he was in now. When the lights were off to her office, he waited for the door to be closed before Piece pulled her back into his arms.
“How about some dinner? Then we can sit around and talk about whatever you want.” She asked him about making love to her. “I’d love to make love with you. But there isn’t any rush.”
“Oh yes, there is. Buddy, I could take you where you stand. But there isn’t enough room for me to do the things I want to that body of yours.” She went to the elevator and pushed the button for down. He was still standing there, sure his mouth was hanging open and his tongue hanging out, as she stepped into the elevator shaft. “Well? Are you coming or not?”
“Not before you do.” He nearly skipped to be with her. Even before the doors closed, Pierce had her pressed tightly against the wall, his mouth taking possession of hers as he slid his hand well up and under her skirt and beneath her tiny stringed panties. “Christ, you smell delicious. And you’re so wet.” He tore her panties off her and slipped them into his pocket.
Taking his soaking fingers to his mouth, he suckled all her cream off them as he watched her eyes. They were dark now, darkened because she wanted him as much as he did her. Pierce knew he had to be aware of his surroundings, at least enough so that they’d be able to come back tomorrow. He had to make sure she didn’t get embarrassed or put in a position that would undoubtedly be all over the papers and social network. So pulling away, the hardest thing he’d ever done, Pierce leaned against the opposite wall just as the doors opened to the floor below them.
The couple that walked into the elevator with them nodded once, then turned their backs on them. He knew on some level that they could still see them—the brass of the walls, the lighting that was showing every corner. Breathing was difficult. His cock was painfully full. Staring at Joey, he set his mind on the tasks at hand.
They needed to get out of this building without making love on anything that had a hard surface. Of course, thinking of that, all he could think about was his cock and how hard it was. The way her panties were still in his pocket, the scent of her lingering on his hands. The way—
“This is our floor.” Pierce had to shake the thoughts from his mind when Joey poked him in the chest. “We need to get out of this elevator and home, Pierce. Buck up, or we’ll never make it.”
“I’m all right with that.” They walked to the doors that would put them on a busy street. Taking her hand into his, he held onto her tightly when the crowd around them seemed to engulf them in their path. Going to the parking garage, not ten feet away from where they were, Pierce kept telling himself to take a step, then another. To breathe. It was, he thought, the only thing he could center on for now.
The blur of getting to his car would haunt him for a few minutes. He not only had no idea how they’d gotten there so quickly, but how he’d even managed to unlock the door and hand Joey in. Getting into his side, Pierce put on his safety belt and put his hands on the steering wheel. A small laugh from Joey had him turning to look at her.
“Did you know you’ve been talking to yourself?” He asked her what he’d been saying. “‘Take a step. One foot in front of the other. Breathe, you moron.’ That one was my favorite. Like you might have forgotten how to do that.”
“With you around, I’m not even sure I could do one of the simplest things I’ve done all my life.” He smiled at her when she laughed again. “I love you, Joey. So very much. Will you marry me this weekend when we go to my parents’ house? Make me the happiest man on earth by staying with me while I try to convince myself that I am truly your mate for all time?”
“I will.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Now. I’m not staying at my house because it’s been bugged one too many times for me to trust it. So where are you staying? I’m assuming it’s a hotel?” He shook his head and said it was a nice house. “All right. I’m starving. Not just for you, but for food too. I feel like I’ve not eaten in months.”
Starting the car, he backed out of the parking space he’d been in. Even as he put it in gear, he asked her where she wanted to go. Deciding on a restaurant near his house, they headed that way. Christ, he thought, he had a mate. She loved him, and Pierce was going to get married as soon as Saturday. Sure, it was going to
be just a filing of the certificate, but it would be legal. Neither of them wanted to chance having their big day ruined by things going on. Both of them had decided that if this was all they got, someone filing it away in the records, then they were fine with that.
“When I go to your home this weekend, remind me to take a kit.” He told her he would if she told him what that was. “Designer kit I used when I was younger. It had bits and pieces of material in it that— I’m trying my best not to think about having you inside of me, and I need you to talk. About anything. I’m fucking going insane here.”
Pierce laughed. He was still laughing when he pulled into the restaurant. Taking her hand into his, he kissed the back of it and guided her inside. For as much as he wanted her, he knew that without food, neither of them was going to survive the other. Ordering, they held hands. While they waited on their first course, they talked about going home. As they finished off their meals, they got to know one another better. It was as perfect as he’d seen in sitcoms, where it all comes together well, and all the dots are lined up flawlessly.
Joey would be his mate for all time. Taking this few hours to get to know one another also gave him time to calm his bear. By the time they were in the car and headed toward his house, both of them were at ease with each other. Joey commented on that as they entered the house.
“I’m in love with you too. I truly am. Had we gone straight to sex, I think I would have missed something so profoundly amazing about you.” He asked her what that might have been. “That you’re genuinely a very nice man.”
“And you, my love, my heart, are the most astonishing person I’ve ever met. You’re lovely, inside and out. You’re generous, smart, and mine.” He laughed. “Now, get naked before you have nothing else to wear.”
Pierce: McCray Bruin Bear Shifter Romance Page 5