by Anya Nowlan
Royce
Shit. Shit, shit, shit, he thought, even though his mouth kept on talking and his legs kept on walking.
Distantly, he noted that he was still making small talk about Tiana’s trip to Idaho and how she’d enjoyed Shifter Grove and which room she’d be sleeping in—the one across from his. But all his conscious effort was directed at keeping his bear hidden underneath and his dick in his pants, in more ways than one.
“It’s a bit basic, but we can pick you up whatever you need at the store in Shifter Grove. Pearl’s been a gem about getting me everything I’ve needed,” he said, chuckling at his own pun about the town’s only dragon’s wife.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
She smiled slightly and he felt a surge of pride that he’d made her feel good. Yes, it felt ridiculous to him as well, but suddenly making her happy seemed like the most important thing he could do. His bear was thoroughly in agreement, though his take on the whole mess was that Tiana should be bent over the next flat surface and fucked into happy, moaning acceptance of the fact that their arrangement had to be changed.
The problem with Royce was that every day spent in Idaho brought him more in touch with the big lug of a bear hidden away deep within him. When before, in Boston, the bear had acted as little more than an endurance and strength booster and a somewhat grumpy moral compass, now it was all about voicing its opinions about every damn thing and telling Royce’s human side exactly how it felt. The annoying thing was that the bear was never wrong.
It had been the bear that recognized the house as a childhood home he’d completely forgotten, and now, having seen Tiana, his bear was completely convinced that she was the one. Not the one to take out to dinner and maybe date mildly. Not the one to even pine after when the relationship went sour. Definitely not the one to just fuck and forget about. No. The One.
That One.
And frankly, Royce wasn’t entirely sure how to play it now. What was he supposed to say? “Tiana, I know you were supposed to just come and hang around for a few months while we get the papers drawn up, but my bear and I are sure we’re fated to be together and I’m going to have to make you cum so hard that you understand this as clearly as I do?”
Somehow, he didn’t think that would go over too well.
He stumbled through the rest of the tour and lugged in what little luggage she had, noting that she’d certainly packed light. He didn’t like that. If he had his way, he’d lock her in the house already and then figure out how to make her see what a good idea it was. But rationality still had some foothold and the Boston firebear opted for a long, hot shower instead, leaving Tiana to unpack and unwind.
The hot water lapped at his body, washing away the sweat from the long day of working. Since showing up on the grounds, he’d cataloged and marked all the jobs that needed doing. Many of them required at least one if not more of his brothers to get there, but he could start by making sure that all the buildings were still standing when the rest of the Hamilton brood arrived.
He hadn’t told his brothers that he intended for them to stay, but Royce had no doubt that it would take one hour in Idaho before the rest of them understood they couldn’t leave. Though he’d shared the letter immediately as he got it to the great amusement of all four of them, none of them had taken it any more seriously than he had. It was ridiculous, after all.
But a few weeks later, he had already put up a mail-order bride ad—which was ridiculous in itself—quit his job, sold his apartment in Boston to get money for the repairs that needed doing, and now he’d fallen head over heels for a woman he’d only chatted with online and talked to twice on the phone.
Closing his eyes, he conjured the image of her pretty face and those lush lips in his mind, his hand snaking down his hard abs and to the tucked V that led to his rigid cock. Thinking of her made him hard as hell at the drop of a hat, and until he could get the real thing, this would have to do. He braced one hand against the tile wall, the fingers of his other hand curling around the thick base of his cock, and began to stroke up its length with slow movements.
It was torment, imagining those plump lips of hers curling around the head of his cock, sucking him off like she’d never had real dick before. He grunted as his jerks sped up slowly, in rhythm with the way Tiana was bobbing up and down on him in his heated daydream. The bumpy veins on his shaft seemed to stick out more and his balls filled and throbbed for release, his hand moving faster and faster.
He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t even hear how the bathroom door opened, or the soft little gasp that Tiana made when she saw him through the perfectly see-through bathroom curtain.
The mewl of a moan played into his mental images perfectly and a second later he blew his load, thick and hot and sticky, against the orange tiles of the shower corner. He opened his eyes, grinning with satisfaction, only to see Tiana stare back at him with a mix of horror, excitement, and lust. His deep, resounding chuckle must have chased her all the way down the hallway as she slammed the door shut behind her.
Oh, this is going to be fun, Royce thought, getting back to washing himself.
Any worry he had about coming on too strong to that absolutely stunning woman was wiped from his mind. She wanted it as badly as he did, he could see it in her eyes. And he was more than ready to play along if she wanted to be all coy for a while, but unless she’d packed up and left by the time he got out of the shower, he had her exactly where he wanted her.
The games could begin.
“Tiana! Where the hell do you think you’re going!” he roared, jumping down the five steps of stairs that led down from the wraparound porch, his heart beating out of his chest.
She’d grabbed her suitcase and thrown it in the bed of her truck, and now she was fumbling with her keys, trying to get them in the ignition. His bear practically roared and the way he shouted came out far louder than he intended it to be, but fuck it. His mate was trying to make a getaway and he couldn’t let that happen. He’d shift and sprint after her down the damn dirt road if he had to.
He ripped the passenger side door open and jumped inside exactly when she managed to get the engine running. With one smooth move, he grabbed the keys, twisted them and plucked them out of the ignition.
“Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing? Give those back!” she demanded, trying to grab for the keys and only managing to lean into Royce’s still-damp body and make his convictions on not letting her go all the more strong.
He could see that she was trying to avoid his gaze, her brown eyes looking anywhere but straight at him. She still had hints of that scarlet blush that had tinted her chest, neck, and cheeks when she’d run out of the bathroom like an Olympic athlete. Royce had to admit she could have had a career as a runner if she could move that fast when faced with one little uncomfortable situation.
“I’m not giving those back until you calm the hell down and talk to me, girl,” he said, cringing at his choice of words. Still, he had to roll with it. Keeping his expression stern, he looked at her expectantly. “You want to explain to me where you were running off to?” he asked, his thick Boston accent laying in hard now that his heart was beating fast and adrenaline was coursing through his veins.
“I… it was a mistake, okay? I don’t belong here. This is ridiculous! We don’t know each other. I can’t marry you! It’s fraud! I have a business in Dallas that needs me and I’m here, straight across the country, playing house with a guy who could be a damn psycho for all I know!” she rattled off, every excuse making Royce grin wider.
He shook his head with a smirk, relaxing a bit as he put his hand behind the headrest of Tiana’s seat and leaned in closer, until he was firmly in her personal space with no intention of getting out of it.
“Calm. Down. Take a breath. Breathe in, breathe out. We’re two grownups here. You walked in on me taking a shower. I get that you enjoyed the show... ah, let me finish!” he said, raising his other hand and putting a finger on her li
ps to shush her as she started protesting.
Fuck. Not a good idea. Now the only thing he could think about was her sucking it into her mouth. Still, he kept it there for added effect.
“Anyway. You liked what you saw—I’m flattered. Maybe I can show you more at one point. But only if you want to. I’m not going to tie you down here. If you want to, I won’t hold you back, but I’ll be sad to watch you leave. You’re allowed to feel a little awkward, but not enough that you run out on me like this, okay, honey?”
He smirked, letting his finger fall from her lips. It sent a shudder down his spine, feeling her gasping breath as he left her lips. All he wanted to do was to crush his lips against hers and make all of that insecurity disappear hard and fast.
“Even if you did leave now, there’s no hotel in Shifter Grove and Slate won’t be flying the plane back for another three days. So I think you’re stuck with me, Tiana. You can make it uncomfortable on yourself or you could let it go, come in with me, and have dinner. Maybe we can even have a conversation. But if you want to stare at my naked body some more, I’m glad to oblige you in that as well. Whatever you want, honey,” he said, laying it on thick now.
After a moment, she sighed, and nodded. “Okay.”
Well, that was something.
He pulled back and dropped the keys on her palm, and she closed her fingers around them. Giving her a wink, he opened the car door and stepped out. He walked toward the house, stuffing his big paws in his pockets, not looking back. She must have been watching him leave and he wanted to make sure that she liked the view enough to not want to turn her back on it.
Playing with fire had never been that fun.
Five
Tiana
Tiana, the hell did you get yourself into!?
It was easy to chide herself with a big glass of wine in front of her face, even if she was barely paying it any attention and spending all her powers of concentration on tracing the yummy contours of Royce’s body. Being around him was unfair. He wasn’t just a good-looking guy, but he was smart, and funny, and a bit of a cocky bastard—all things Tiana loved or loved to hate.
And the more she looked at him, the more easily she could imagine that thick, divine cock of his and the things it could do to her. She bit her lower lip, grinning to herself. Oh yes, she bet it would be all kinds of fun getting to know that side of Royce Hamilton. Trying to drown the beginnings of a blush again, she took a sip of the wine and kicked back in the high-backed wooden chair in the kitchen, watching him cook.
Oh, and he cooked. How’s that for unfair? The only time she didn’t have to do something in the kitchen was when she went all the way to Idaho on a lark and found herself getting way too infatuated way too fast.
“So, why are you doing this?”
“I like my protein rare and my veggies crisp. I know you Texas girls know your meat, but I can’t trust you with vegetables,” Royce quipped, looking over his shoulder and winking.
She wanted to simultaneously bash his head in with a frying pan and climb him like a jungle gym.
“No, I mean why are you taking this whole Idaho thing on? You used to be a firefighter, right?”
“You don’t stop being a firefighter. But yes, I quit my job in Boston and am now in the process of moving out here for good.”
He slid two thick steaks onto simple white porcelain plates that looked like they’d been in use for at least a few generations, and added a side of veggies and salad. Picking both plates up, he walked to the dinner table and Tiana’s stomach growled in approval. She was so hungry she could eat a horse, so a slab of beef would be no problem whatsoever.
“Seems like a very sudden lifestyle change,” she coaxed, digging into her meal.
“You’re the one to talk, Miss I-Just-Need-A-Break,” Royce shot back with a chuckle. “All right, I will admit, it does not sound entirely sane, but I feel I might be in the right kind of company to divulge this. This is my ancestral home. I grew up here, or at least I spent my first few years here. Guess I’d tried to forget all about it for some reason, because I was sure I’d never been here. But the moment I stepped on the grounds, I knew.”
“Knew what?” she asked, taking a mouthful of the wine to mask her dry throat from sitting so close to Royce.
The heat emanating off of his body was so lusciously inviting that she briefly considered getting off her chair and curling up in his lap instead. It certainly looked like there would be plenty of room for her there. She was no small woman, with wide hips and a figure that fit the hourglass bill, but the glances Royce kept throwing at her ass and other assets spoke of a mutual appreciation. Somehow, that made her feel very good.
“That this was my home. That I couldn’t leave even if I wanted to,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “But enough about me. Tell me, Miss Rossum, what are you running from?”
“Do I have to be running from something? Can’t I be running toward something?”
“The only thing you could be running toward right now is me, in this scenario. And as much as I wouldn’t mind that one bit, I get the feeling that this is not the only reason you’re here.”
Tiana rolled her eyes playfully, trying and failing to hide her pleasure from the conversation. He was a sharp guy, not just a dumb pile of meat. It was unfair that he kept getting better by the minute and she felt like she was making a bigger fool out of herself just as quickly.
The sun was slowly setting over the patch of forest and the towering mountains in the distance, filling the kitchen with an orange glow. It might have needed a bunch of work and there was certainly a lot to do, but it somehow felt homey. Safe. Like no one was going to come and break a window, at least.
“I needed a breather. I’ve been running my own business, a bakery, for years now and I seem to be running into more trouble with it every year. It’s not that I don’t love my job. I do. But I can’t trust people there and it seems like every good deed gets punished.”
She felt her shoulders sagging and as soon as she reminded herself to stop feeling sorry for herself, she felt a strong hand squeezing her shoulder. Looking over at Royce, he had this look of understanding in his slate gray eyes that made her stomach twist up in all kinds of happy knots. Those eyes were filled with mystery and she couldn’t wait to unravel what was going on behind them, even if she was just as likely to jump up and run from her problems again.
“I get it. It’s tough, breaking through. And it’s even harder finding people who share your passion, who get where you’re coming from. I had a great team in Boston, but life led me down another direction and I’m glad for it. If it hadn’t, we wouldn’t be here, enjoying one another’s company,” he said, a surprisingly soft note to his deep, masculine voice.
Tiana took a stuttering breath, nodding her head meekly. Few things could shut her up, but Royce Hamilton had a presence about him that made her feel like she could maybe relax around him. Maybe she wouldn’t have to be so goddamn wound up all the time, constantly expecting the sky to fall around her ears like she had in Dallas.
“But you haven’t really answered my question. I know you told me that it was an inheritance issue that made you put up the ad, but what is it exactly?” she asked, plucking a glazed carrot off the plate and popping it in her mouth.
It tasted like heaven. She had never been great at savory dishes, but Royce had them down pat. Even in comparison to the hearty, juicy cooking of Texas, this man knew what he was doing with a frying pan and some seasoning. One of the many intriguing things about him.
Royce chuckled, a deep, rumbling noise that licked at her ears. “It’s my uncle. He was the last remaining one from the ‘old guard’ who still lived in Idaho. My mom moved me and my brothers out of here after my dad passed away. She wasn’t a shifter and she had four young sons to take care of on her own all of a sudden. I think it was too much for her. Anyway, my uncle made a point about wanting to give the lands back to the younger generation, but with some caveats. All four of us need to get ma
rried. And at least two of us need to have children before a year has passed. So we’re on a bit of a schedule.”
Tiana cocked a brow at that, looking at Royce in surprise.
The hits just keep on coming, don’t they?
“So you thought the most reasonable way to take care of the problem is to get a mail-order bride?”
“Well, I have you now, don’t I? Not such a shitty plan after all,” Royce grinned, finishing off his plate.
“You don’t have me yet, mister!” Tiana laughed, relishing the fact that she could feel so at ease around him already. “But okay, fine. So it might work out for you. But what do your brothers think?”
“Ah. Well, you see, that is a slightly bigger issue,” Royce said, slumping back in the chair with a frown crossing his masculine, attractive face.
Only now did she notice that he had a slight dip in his nose and that he had dimples. The few days of stubble he had made him look rugged and seasoned, but most definitely at the prime of his life. When before, she’d only managed to concentrate on his shape, now she could see the strength in those muscles, the wiry knots underneath his skin that spoke of conditioning unlike anything Tiana could even imagine.
He was strong. And powerful. A man at the peak of his physical fitness, which considering he was a werebear, was a serious thing to throw around. She almost missed his next comment because she was so busy ogling at the enticing curve of his neck and the way his Adam’s apple moved when he talked.
“They don’t know.”
“I see you’ve thought all of this through,” she teased good-naturedly.
“I figured I’d fix one problem before I tackle the next,” he said, smirking.
His gray eyes stopped on her and it felt like the air got sucked out of the room all of a sudden. For a second, time stood still around Tiana and she felt like a fish out of water under his intense gaze. He definitely knew how to catch a girl’s attention and imagination.