One of the bears took a swing at Ian.
“I’m telling you, I claim her as mine,” the bear from Texas said.
What the hell?
Pushing Chris out of the way, he saw the woman Ian was protecting.
“Ainsley?” He said her name out loud and her head popped up from behind Ian’s back. “What the hell are you doing here?” Luc bellowed. Everyone else involved with the commotion froze.
She went white, well whiter than usually.
Fuck! “I mean, hi. I’m glad you’re here. I heard you were supposed to be resting.”
Her shoulders straightened and her color returned. “Thanks. I’m fine. I just needed some air and Ian suggested I stop by the bar to say hello. He bought me a drink.” She held up a big glass of milk. “I hope that’s okay.”
The crowd had been talking, but now it was silent.
Luc gave Ian a murderous glare. He wasn’t sure if he should rip the tiger’s throat out for keeping the fact that he’d been talking to Ainsley from him.
“No. I’m afraid that’s not okay at all,” Luc said calmly. What the hell was Ian thinking? Maybe his friend—former friend—did have a death wish.
“And,” she added nervously, “I have some news.”
News? Panic coursed through Luc’s chest. Was Ainsley leaving?
“I call the code,” the other bear interrupted after the shock of Luc’s angry arrival wore off. “I want the woman for mine.”
Ian growled.
But Luc held up a hand.
“She is my woman,” he roared. The walls vibrated with his claim. The entire circle moved back two paces simultaneously.
“We’ll see about that,” the shifter’s humanity melted away as his nose lengthened. “She’s human, so she is free to take.”
Luc’s fist connected with the man’s face before his brain was aware of the fact. Right upper cut, left jab in the belly. The Texas bear was on the floor in three punches.
“I told you, she is MY woman!” Luc growled as his fur and claws began to show. “I claim her. You go anywhere near her and I’ll rip your heads off. Now get the fuck out of my bar!”
The Texas bear’s friends lunged at Luc.
“Get her out of here,” Luc ordered Ian as he took a hit to the jaw. “I don’t want her to get hurt, and she shouldn’t be on her feet dammit. Take her upstairs where she’ll be safe.” He took another hit to the belly. They were almost a foot shorter than he was, but they were a wily bunch. He’d never seen bears move so fast.
He tried to fully concentrate on the fight at hand, but couldn’t help but notice Ainsley putting up her own fight to stay in the room. To stay near him. It wasn’t until Ian reminded her that getting worked up wasn’t good for the babies that she calmed, but she still refused to leave.
It took all of a couple of minutes, but Luc dispatched with them just as Deputy Conrad showed up.
“What seems to be the trouble?” Conrad said as he stared down at the pile of men on the floor.
“One of them tried to make a claim for Ainsley and his friends joined in. But I won her fair and square,” Luc said wiping the blood off his lip with the arm of his t-shirt.
“That’s right, Deputy.” Ian said. “He won her. That means they are mated.”
A cheer went up around the bar.
“What the hell do you mean we’re mated?” Ainsley shoved past Ian and put her hands on her hips. “I didn’t agree to any of this.”
Damn the woman looked good. Her face was still a little thin, but her breasts had grown at least a cup size in the week since he saw her last. And she had that fire in her eyes.
Luc had never been happier in his life.
“Exactly what it sounds like. I fought for you. I won. Now you’re mine.” Mine. He’s face spread into a grin.
She cocked an eyebrow. “That may fly in your world but in mine it doesn’t work that way.” Her hands were still on her hips but he thought he saw a hint of a smile, at least he hoped so.
He nodded. “I see your point, Miss McLeon. Maybe we should discuss this in private.”
“Are you going to be an asshat?”
There was his girl.
A collective gasp sounded around the circle.
“No, ma’am. I’ll be whatever you want me to be.”
“Father to our twins?”
“Oh, hell ya,” he said the biggest grin ever on her face.
“Okay, we can discuss it. Upstairs.” She pointed a finger. “And I don’t want any crap out of you this time.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Before she could take another step, he lifted her off her feet and cradled her.
“What the hell are you doing?” She laughed as she said it.
“I’m carrying my woman, soon to be wife upstairs to our home.
“Wife? Aren’t you supposed to ask for my hand in marriage before that happens?”
He paused and stared down at her. “I guess, I could ask if it makes you feel better. But no matter what you say, you’re marrying me and we are raising these babies together.”
“Luc?” She said as they climbed the stairs.
“Yes, my love,” he said.
“Are you doing this because you feel like it’s your duty, or for another reason?” The smile left her lips.
He wasn’t about to screw it up again.
“I love you, Ainsley, and I’m telling you right now, I’m never letting you go. I know we have a lot to figure out but I want to marry you. I want to raise our children together. Children. Do you know if it’s girls or boys?” He didn’t really care, he was just curious.
“One of each,” she smiled.
He scooped her up and whooped. “Holy—Oh, I guess I better start watching my language. And we’re going to have to live somewhere else. We can’t raise our children above a bar. I thought I could take on a few more consultant jobs.” He kicked open the door to the loft.
She put a finger against his lip. “One thing at a time, one thing at a time.” She said. “We have our entire lives to figure out everything. Right now, I just want my bear hug.”
Luc held her tight, kissing her face and hair. Telling her over and over again that he loved her.
“I love you, too,” she said.
Luc could have died right then the happiest man on the earth. But he wanted to see his babies born. And he wanted as many moments as he could get with the woman he loved more than life.
Later that night, he held her to his chest as he stroked her hair.
“I bought some property, a couple of weeks ago,” she said as she played with his fingers.
“That’s good,” he said.
“Yep. It’s just outside of town. A wide expanse of land and Ian’s been working with the architect to make the house blend into its surroundings. It’s a prototype for sustainable housing, something I’ve been looking into.”
Luc had only half been listening. The smell of her hair was always such a distraction.
“Wait, you started building a house here a couple of weeks ago.”
She nodded against his chest. “Yep. I hired the architect two days before you came to see me,” she said.
Surprised, he asked, “How did you keep that a secret from me?” News traveled fast in the small town.
Ainsley grinned. “I have my ways. But mainly I asked everyone involved to keep it a secret. And word has it that you haven’t exactly been approachable lately with your moods and all.”
“You knew about my moods?”
She nodded. “I didn’t lose track of you, Luc. I just…gave you space. Besides, I don’t think anyone had the nerve to approach you even if they wanted to tell you.”
He shook his head with wonder.
“So…you love me?”
He tipped her chin up with his hand. “Of course I love you,” he kissed her.
“Did you know that when you came to see me?”
She was right. It wasn’t until he’d lost everything that he realized how much he
cared for her.
“I did here,” he pointed to his heart. “I just didn’t know it here,” he pointed to his head.
She smiled and kissed him back.
“But you started working on the new house, weeks ago.”
“I had no idea if things would work out between us but I wanted my children to know their father. Whether you came to your senses or not, I thought it was important for them to be around others of their own kind.”
For the fiftieth time that night, he reached down and placed his hand on her belly, which was a little more rounded than it had been the last time he saw her.
“I’m going to take care of you,” he said. “I’m worried about you traveling so much. What did Doc say about that?”
“I’m grounded for the time being. I’m more comfortable with him as my doctor, even though I know now that the babes will be born human.”
Luc squeezed her tighter. “You scared the hell out of me,” he said. “I thought I was going to lose you and the baby—babies.” He corrected.
“Doc says the babies are a little heavier on my cervix than one baby would be. But he says everything is good. And by the end of the trimester we’ll be able to—” she turned so that she was sitting on him, pushing herself down on his hardness. He’d been that way since she’d walked in the bar earlier, but he wasn’t about to risk her health and the babies.
“No.” He meant it.
“You know, pregnant women get extremely horny. It’s all those hormones rushing around,” she unbuttoned the top of his jeans.
He closed his eyes. “There is nothing in the world I’d rather do than make love to you,” he said remember his children might be listening. “But it’s not happening until we get the okay from Doc. And I want to hear it with my own ears. We aren’t going to do anything that may jeopardize any of you.” He pulled her down against his chest. “I love, you, so much it hurts me sometimes. Please, don’t ever leave me again.” He squeezed her against him.
“Never,” she said. “So when’s the wedding?”
“We’re already hitched, remember. I won you.”
She snorted and sat back up.
“All that fighting, blood, sweat and slobber was nothing close to romantic. I’m only doing this once. I want the white dress. The tiara, or whatever the hell women wear now. I want it all,” she pouted.
Luc smiled. “Babe, we can have as many weddings as you want, however you want. But you are already mine, forever and always.”
She sniffled. “Stupid bear, that was so sweet you made me cry.”
Luc thumbed a tear away from her cheek. This woman he loved beyond anything he could have imagined, gave him love in return. He would spend the rest of his life making her happy.
Her stomach growled.
“Somebody’s hungry.” He laughed.
“Yeah, I feel really relaxed I think I might be able to actually keep something down.” She sighed contentedly as she climbed off of him and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” He re-buttoned his jeans as he followed her.
“I’m going to watch you make me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and some brownies.” She didn’t bother to look at him. “And maybe a steak. Doesn’t a steak sound good? But definitely brownies first.”
Luc followed behind her with a stupid grin on his face, one he had a feeling he’d be wearing for the rest of his life.
Epilogue
BABIES’ FIRST CHRISTMAS
Luc held his daughter and his son in his arms. They felt so tiny and fragile. But when they gazed up at him, everything turned upside down and he lost his heart to them all over again. It happened every few minutes since the day they were born. “I wonder who’ll they’ll look like,” he whispered as he sat down in the wide chair Ains bought for him. It was near the fireplace in the great room.
The crisp December air had warranted the fire, even though, his children didn’t need the warmth as much as most infants did. So tiny, they were like baby heaters on his arms.
His wife knelt down on the floor beside him, her head on his knee. “I love our life,” she whispered as she gazed up at him.
He smiled down at her. “It’s not so bad.” He winked. “Maybe we could use a little more sleep but that’s part of parenthood.”
She nodded, yawning. “I wish we had time to nap before everyone arrives.” She’d been up most of the night with baby Ian, who had recently decided he was a night owl. They took turns with night duty, but he’d been working on a special project at the office for the last three days, and she’d insisted he get some sleep.
There was a knock on the door. She popped up as if sleep was no longer a worry.
“They’re here.”
Hoards of people came in. Ian, Keen and Patty and their children, Chris and the Cress twins with their mother and stepfather. They’d been behaving ever since they met Ainsley. Their mother had said they were even doing chores around the house.
They called Ainsley the miracle worker. In some homes, the parents used her as a threat. “If you don’t behave, I’ll send you to the bear’s wife.” That still tickled him. One, that she was his wife, and two that any child would be afraid of her. She was the gentlest soul in the world.
Unless she was hungry. The woman had an appetite for food and sex that kept Luc on his toes. He almost ended up in the hospital on their wedding night she was so voracious.
The twins had been born small, but healthy, two months early. But their heritage kept them strong and they were growing fast. It postponed the honeymoon, but Luc would rectify that once the babes were old enough to be away for a few days. That wasn’t going to happen any time soon, as neither he or his wife wanted to be away from the little cubs for more than a few hours.
The doorbell rang, and Luc looked out to see his entry way filled with friends. They had a wonderful life in Clarksville, so much so that Ainsley decided they would stay full-time. When she was off of maternity leave, she’d have to travel to Manhattan and L.A. a few times a month. But she announced they’d be going together. If she had to run an empire, they were doing it together.
At first Luc had felt like he was just a figurehead, but soon he found his niche with the company. He headed up security and it was a full-time job. He’d set up systems for everything from creating employee profiles, especially those dealing with sensitive projects, to making sure the McCleon corporations were set up with the proper alarm and security systems.
Ainsley insisted he also be involved in the every day decisions.
It hadn’t been easy, and on occasion they bumped heads. But they were invested in making their lives work. And they did.
An hour later, family and friends were seated at the large table he and Ian had made for Ainsley’s wedding present. She’d told him that she wanted a table where everyone she loved could sit down and eat together. It was a damn big table, seating thirty, more if they added a side table from under the dining room windows.
As the knife sliced into the roast, Luc glanced up.
His family and friends sat there before him. Smiling, loving and he had no idea how full his heart could be. He’d lost so much in his life, but love had come back to him ten fold.
Ainsley handed off the babies to the Cress boys and went to help Luc serve the meat.
She kissed him on the cheek. “I love you,” she said loud enough for the entire table to hear. There were hoots and hollers. It was a rowdy bunch but he loved them all.
“You couldn’t love me more than I do you,” he said. “You are the best thing that ever walked into my bar. I guess someday, I’ll have to thank Ian for making you crash into that tree.”
She laughed. “Oh, and Luc,” she whispered for his ears only. “It’s been fifteen weeks and I have the okay from Doc.”
He stood there, knife in hand as his wife strutted away. Grateful that the large roast hid the evidence her words had caused.
She would pay for that, he smiled. Over and over again.
; Best damn Christmas present he ever had.
About the Author
Award-winning author Candace Havens lives in Texas with her mostly understanding husband, two children and two dogs, Scoobie and Gizmo. When she isn’t living in the imaginary worlds she creates, she’s interviewing celebrities, writers and producers for her job as a TV columnist, and talking about movies with 96.3 KSCS. She runs a free online workshop for writers.
Break all the rules with these paranormal romances from Covet…
Tall, Dark and Divine by Jenna Bennett
Picking up the god of love for a one-night stand is easier said than done—especially when he’s sworn off mortals forever. Can a woman looking for love, and a matchmaking god who wants her to find it—with someone else—have a shot at a happy ending, or will Eros’s golden arrows miss their mark, for once?
Deceiving the Witch Next Door by Melissa Bourbon Ramirez
Down-on-her-luck witch Storie Bell never thought the biggest threat to her future would be Reid Malone, the very man she’d run from years before. But as the days go by, Reid can’t help falling for Storie in every way … and every encounter brings him closer to finding out what happens when you try to deceive a witch.
Take it Like a Vamp by Candace Havens
Vampire Nick Christos might’ve been born in the Middle Ages, but the good old days seem tame compared to the last eight years he’s spent ruling the Supernatural Council. His only respite is with his cute neighbor Casey Meyers, a woman he wants more than any undead man should. Sure, he’s forced to take a cold shower after every encounter, but there’s no way he’ll test his own strength by getting too close to a human, and he’s not willing to risk her life--not with bloodthirsty family on the prowl out to ruin Nick’s life. When said Nick’s kin shows up, the innocent Casey is caught in the middle of a centuries old fight, and Nick’s biggest fear is realized. Now, instead of keeping his hands off his neighbor, he’ll risk everything to save the human he’s come to love.
The Awakening: Aidan by Abby Niles
“Is the gift of eternal love a blessing or a curse?
Lions, Tigers, and Sexy Bears, Oh My! Page 14