Prideless

by Kasey Belle

  “I better get you inside, before I lose the battle.”

  “Battle?”

  “Between the beast who wants to ravage you and the gentleman who wants to honor you and the time you need.”

  She caressed his cheek and gazed adoringly into his eyes. His heart did a little stutter. He would give anything to have her look at him like that for the rest of his life. He had to believe it would happen.

  “You’re so sweet.”

  He scowled at her. Of all the things she could have said that was the last thing he would have expected. He wasn’t sweet. He was a hardened killer, trained not only by his father, but also by the government. There wasn’t a single woman from his past that would describe him as sweet.

  “I am not sweet.”

  She shrugged. “You don’t have to believe me. I know it’s true, but I promise not to tell anyone. I wouldn’t want to ruin your rep or anything.”

  He playfully smacked the outside of her thigh. “Brat.”

  “Hey!” She rubbed the spot and poked out her lower lip. He couldn’t resist nibbling on it.

  He opened the door and helped her off his lap. He grabbed her purse and gave it to her before taking her hand. The second their feet hit the porch steps the door flew open and Fiona rushed out. Shelly let go of his hand and met her halfway. They wrapped their arms around each other and sobbed. Max rolled his eyes and smiled indulgently at the women. He tried his best to herd them inside while they continued to cling to each other.

  The moment he shut the door and turned, he had an extremely tiny woman in his arms. Her slender arms wrapped tightly around his waist stole his breath for a moment. She was stronger than she looked.

  Fiona looked up at him, gratitude shining in her tear-filled eyes. “Thank you. If you hadn’t acted so quickly, she would be dead. I don’t know what I would do if I lost her, too.”

  He patted and rubbed her back and glanced Shelly who stood behind her with a squirming puppy in her arms. He wasn’t sure what he expected to see when he looked at his mate. That was a lie, he expected her to be jealous. He expected her to feel the same way he had when she was hugging Jordy. She smiled indulgently at Fiona and shrugged, as if to say “What are you gonna do?”, again, proving what a big and loving heart she possessed.

  Fiona pushed away from him, the moment over as quickly as it began. She cleared her throat and nodded towards his bandage shoulder. “You want me to take a look at that for you?”

  “No, it’s fine.”

  “I’m a nurse. I don’t mind.”

  Shelly put the puppy down and took Fiona’s arm steering her into the den. “The paramedics took care of it, Fee. He’s fine, really.”

  Fiona nodded and grumbled. “Alright, I get. I’ll drop it.”

  He let out the breath he’d been holding while he tried to figure out how he could politely refuse her offer. He didn’t want to insult Fiona, but he couldn’t let her see the already healing wound and expose them all. Thanks to his mate, he was off the hook.

  Fiona looked back at him. “Would you like something to drink, Max?”

  He shook his head. As much as he hated to do it, he needed to leave and give his mate time alone to think. “I’m going to get going.”

  “You don’t have to rush off on my account. I was just waiting for Shelly and now that she’s here and in one piece I was going to head to bed.”

  “I’m not rushing off. The movers are going to be here in the morning. I have to meet them at my new place.”

  Shelly let go of Fiona’s arm. “I’ll walk you out, Max.”

  Shelly held his hand as they stepped out on the porch and closed the door affording them privacy. She stepped into his arms and he wrapped them securely around her. Max buried his face in her hair and breathed in her scent. He could not lose her.

  “She’s right; you don’t have to rush off.”

  “You need to think and I don’t want you to feel like I’m pressuring you to make a decision.”

  “Thank you for understanding. Can I call you tomorrow…if…if I have questions? I don’t want to bother you. I know you will be busy with the movers.”

  He caressed her cheek with the tips of his fingers. “You can call me anytime you want for any reason. You could never bother me. If you need me, I’ll drop everything and come to you.”

  He kissed her, slowly and tenderly, trying to convey how much she meant to him. How much he already loved her. When he ended the kiss and looked at her flushed face he knew he succeeded. He forced himself to walk away. He waited until she was inside and heard the deadbolt slide into place before heading to his Harley. Leaving her was the right thing to do, but it was also the hardest thing he had ever done.

  Chapter 12

  After reassuring Fiona that she was indeed okay, Shelly had gone to bed, but didn’t sleep. She tossed and turned all night. Every time she shut her eyes, she saw that drugged out asshole with the gun. The one time she finally fell asleep the evening’s events turned into a nightmare. When the gun went off, instead of the bullet grazing Max’s shoulder, it pierced his heart. She woke up crying and shaking. It had seemed so real and she couldn’t settle enough to try to sleep after that. Therefore, she laid there in bed, running over everything she had seen and Max had revealed to her. She made a mental list of questions she needed answered. What did mating entail? What if they had kids? What would John St. Pierre think about her being human? Would Max let her see him in full lion mode? What about Sam, did big cats like little dogs? The longer she went without sleep the sillier the questions became. Her favorite was, Did Max get hairballs?

  Finally, around eight she decided she couldn’t lay there staring at the ceiling any longer and got up to help Fiona with Emma Grace. The little chunk woke up wailing for her breakfast at six. From the sounds and smells coming from the kitchen Fiona was cooking omelets for breakfast.

  Throwing the covers off, she hopped out of bed, and headed to the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, she at least felt somewhat human after showering and brushing her teeth. She dropped her towel to dress when her phone chirped indicating she had a text message. She blushed when she saw the message was from Max.

  “I know I said I would leave you alone; but I wanted to tell you good morning and check on you. Please don’t think I’m pressuring you. I’m not! Swear!”

  She blushed as she typed a response. What would Max think if he knew she was naked texting? Hmm, wonder what you would call that? Nexting?

  “I know u aren’t. I’m ok. I just got out of the shower.”

  “Are you trying to kill me? Maybe, you just want me to know you are nekkid.”

  Wait, what? She looked at her previous text and gasped. Oh, crap! Did she really type that? She was thinking it, but hadn’t meant to type it. Hadn’t you, naughty girl? Shelly buried her face in her hands and groaned. Why did her inner devil always sound like Fiona? It’s a good question and you know it. Her phone chirped again.

  “Hello? Too much too soon… sorry.”

  “It’s fine. I was just scolding myself. I didn’t mean to type that.”

  Was he imagining her? Her inner devil tapped her on the shoulder urging her to ask the question. What would Fiona do? She snorted indignantly. Fiona would have already told Max she was naked.

  “Are you imagining it?” She hit send, closed her eyes, and didn’t open them until the phone chirped again.

  “Grrrr! Yes!”

  She giggled again. This was fun.

  “Can’t wait to see the real deal!”

  Lord, her face was hot. She couldn’t decide if it was from embarrassment or lust.

  “Bow-chicka-wow-wow! LOL”

  “LOL!”

  “Can I call you later? I have questions.”

  “Anytime, Doll. I’ll be here.”

  “Kay. I gotta go. EG is wailing!”

  “Miss you!”

  “I know the feeling. TTYL”

  ****

  Two men from the moving company came in with the
couch gave him a sideways glance. Yeah, he probably looked stupid staring at his phone with a big grin on his face, but he didn’t care. She had questions. That had to be a good sign. She was still speaking to him after his careless teasing. In fact, she had given it right back. His mate had courage. He knew it took a lot for her to tease him that way. Obviously, under all that shy innocence was a sexy siren just waiting to come out and play. He adjusted his stance to a more comfortable position. Damn. He was a walking hard-on.

  He dropped his phone into his pocket and headed back outside to help the other men. He didn’t feel right letting them do all the work, even though they protested that it was their job and not his. He was coming down the ramp with a box when a dually pickup pulled up in front of the house. The dark tinted windows were no match for his shifter-enhanced vision. He sighed when he saw it was John St. Pierre. He wasn’t sure how he felt about his current visitor showing up unannounced.

  He handed the box to one of the other men and walked to intercept the local pride alpha.

  John held out his hand. “I was hoping I’d catch you.”

  Max shook his hand. “What are you doing here?”

  John’s eyebrows shot up. Max cringed.

  “Sorry, that came out wrong.”

  John laughed. “Sure it did. It’s fine. I normally would have called first, but I was in the area. I heard about what happened last night. Is your mate alright?”

  Max looked back at the men unloading the truck. He didn’t want an audience for this conversation.

  “Perhaps you’d like to take this conversation to the confines of my vehicle.”

  Max nodded and climbed in the truck. He lit into John the second the doors shut. “Is he one of yours? He threatened my mate with a loaded gun. That little shit is lucky he shot me and not her. I can shift and heal, she can’t. I would have killed him if he had hit her. I should have killed him for the threat alone. That little shit is lucky Shelly was there.”

  “He is one of mine. He was in rehab; at least he was when I checked on him last month. I didn’t know he left and the facility never called me. Needless to say I had words with them.”

  “I’m sure they felt horrible about it too.”

  John frowned at his sarcastic remark, but Max refused to apologize. “I heard you were hit. Is your mate alright?”

  “She’s fine. I hadn’t had a chance to tell her about me. I wanted to wait. When that tweaker fuck…. I pulled her out of the way and took him down. She got a front-row seat to the show.”

  John hissed. “Damn. How did she take it?”

  “Other than immense shock when she realized that the world she knew is not what it seems? Surprisingly well, I guess. She didn’t run screaming, and she’s still talking to me, so I’m going to take that as a good sign.”

  “She knows she is your mate?”

  “I told her. She knows about you, Jordy, and the rest of the pride.”

  “She knows you don’t have one?”

  “She knows. It didn’t seem to bother her.”

  “She’s your mate it shouldn’t. I would like to meet her, officially.”

  “I’m not sure how ready she is for that.” Max knew that was coming, it was protocol. He wasn’t sure how Shelly would feel about it though. “If she accepts the mating I’ll talk to her.” No way in hell he was bringing her around an MC full of shifters without marking her first. No fucking way.

  “You think she won’t accept?”

  “I hope she will. She said she has questions. We’ll see how it goes once she has all the information.”

  John nodded. “I don’t think the Fates would have chosen her for you, if she couldn’t handle it.”

  That’s exactly what Max thought, but it was nice to hear it from another shifter, another alpha. That hope that began to blossom last night, grew a little bigger.

  “Well I’ll get out of your hair. I don’t want to hold you up. I just wanted to check on you and your mate.”

  Max had to admit it was kind of him to check, even though he stopped by unannounced. He held out his hand first this time and John took it without hesitation. “Thanks John. I’ll let you know when I know.”

  “Good luck, Max.”

  After the movers left, Max decided to order a pizza for lunch and tackle the kitchen while he waited for the delivery. His cellphone started vibrating in his pocket. He it was Shelly, his heart jumped as he quickly retrieved it. Max smiled, it was Shelly.

  “Hey, Doll.”

  “Hi, Max.”

  “Everything okay?”

  “Yes. I was wondering if you could come over.”

  “Right now?”

  “If you can, if not, then, um, whenever.”

  “Now is fine. Have you had lunch yet?”

  “No.”

  “I just ordered a pizza. Let me call and have them delivery it to your house, instead. I’ll be over in five minutes. Should I order two or do you think one will be enough for the three of us?”

  “Oh, Fiona isn’t here. She took Emma Grace to the doctor. One pizza is definitely enough.”

  “Is Emma Grace okay?”

  “She’s fine. She just had a check-up.”

  “Alright, Doll, I’ll see you in five.”

  He grabbed his keys and called the pizza place as he rushed out the door.

  ****

  Shelly had just finished reading through her list of questions again when she heard the rumble of Max’s Harley. She jumped up and headed to the door. She was nervous. Would he answer all her questions? Would he think she and her questions were silly or stupid? She wiped her palms on her jeans, took a deep breath, and opened the door before Max was even off his bike. Her mouth felt like she spent a week in the desert, she swallowed but it didn’t help. She wasn’t sure she was ready for this. What had she been thinking calling Max out of the blue like that? She should have thought it through. She could have done this over the phone. So what if she had the house to herself and couldn’t stand the thought of going another second without seeing him? Should she kiss him, hug him, or shake his hand? She felt a full-blown panic attack coming on. She had a moment’s reprieve when the delivery driver pulled up in front of the house. Max made a detour and met the kid at his car. She watched Max and the driver exchange cash for pizza, which took all of about ten seconds. Not even enough time to form a coherent thought let alone make a life altering decision.

  Max walked up the steps and she waved him inside. He offered her a smile and a kiss on her cheek as if he didn’t have a care in the world. However, the guarded look in his eyes didn’t escape her notice. It calmed her nerves somewhat, to know he felt nervous and unsure as well. She followed him into the kitchen, grabbed plates and napkins, as he set out the pizza.

  “What would you like to drink, Max?”

  “Whatever you’re having is fine with me, Doll.”

  She loved when he called her that. If any other man called her Doll, it would have made her feel useless and cheap and it would have pissed her off. However, Max wasn’t any other man. He made her feel special and cherished.

  “Would you like to sit on the couch and eat?”

  “Sure.”

  He grabbed the pizza box and followed her into den. Max looked at her as he set the box on the coffee table. He looked resigned and sad. “I don’t like that you’re nervous. Maybe you should tell me why. It can’t be any worse than the reasons I am imagining”

  Damn her lack of experience! Shelly made him think she asked him here to break it off. She hadn’t made her decision yet, but that was only because she needed more information. Although, she was almost positive the answer would be yes, she couldn’t make a firm decision blind.

  “I have questions.”

  “You said that this morning.”

  “I made a list.” She pulled the folded piece of paper from her pocket. “I didn’t want to forget any of them, so I wrote them down.” Duh! Not sure, you could be lamer if you tried, Shell.

  His lips twitched
, and he nodded at the paper. “That’s quite a list. You sure you got them all?”

  “I could come up with more if you keep being a smart ass.”

  He barked a laugh. “I like that you aren’t afraid to give me shit.” He held out his hand and waited for her to give him the paper.

  She clutched the list to her chest. “No way!”

  He tilted his head and spoke slowly, enunciating every word as if she was a moron. “I need the list if I’m going to answer your questions.”

  “It’s my list, I’ll ask them.”

  “Hmm, now you’ve got me curious. What kind of questions do you have on there?”

  “Just questions, nothing, you know special or anything.”

  “Then let me see.”

  She shook her head.

  “I could take it from you.”

  Great! Now she was imagining him wrestling her to the ground and why did that turn her on?

  He growled and reached for her. She shot off the couch and held up her hand to stop him. “No. If you touch me, I won’t be able to ask my questions. I’m serious Max. I need answers first. Please?”

  He sat back with a disgruntle huff. “Fine.”

  She laughed. He was adorable when he pouted, not that she would tell him that. She handed him another slice of pizza. “We’ll eat and then I’ll ask my questions.”

  “How about we eat and do the Q & A at the same time?”

  Now it was her turn to pout. “Fine.” She wedged herself in the corner of the couch with her plate and her list. She took a bite and chewed as slowly as possible as she looked over her list trying to decide the least embarrassing question to ask first.