He had dreamed of her, envisioned her, fantasized about her.
It really was her.
She was here, and she was real. She was his mate.
CHAPTER SIX
Abby opened her eyes and jerked, her fist and foot flying out to punch and kick. She choked down a scream when a huge hand closed gently over her wrist and steadied her.
“Hey, easy now. Everything is okay. Just...relax,” a deep voice assured her.
“What?” She snatched her hand out of the stranger's grasp and blinked rapidly. When his face came into focus, she gasped and reeled back.
“You,” she whispered. “It's...you.”
Cole.
She shook her head, trying to wake herself up from her dream. The handsome stranger sitting beside her on the bed was Cole. There was no doubt about it. She recognized him from his profile picture. His image was seared into her mind, her heart.
She stared into those intense, brown eyes for a long moment before dragging her gaze down his straight nose, strong jaw and delicious, sexy lips that were made for kissing and doing wicked things to her body.
Abby gasped. Oh, she did not just go there!
Her imagination was getting way out of hand. This dream was getting more and more raunchy by the second. Why, she wasn't even wearing a shirt in her dream. She was naked from the waist up, wearing only her old comfy jeans. And she was lying in a big, luxurious bed and looking up at Cole, the man she had traveled all the way to Moonstone Creek for...
Abby choked back a pained, strangled sound. Moonstone Creek—she was here in Moonstone Creek. Vivid, horrific images flooded her mind. She saw a trio of hostile, male faces, claws and blood, black bears roaring and fighting, and she heard the echo of her own wretched, desperate screams.
Clutching her head in both hands, Abby forced herself to breathe and make sense of the violent images. That wasn't her imagination. She hadn't imagined that harrowing attack. Those horrible things did happen to her.
“There were three of them...” she wheezed. “They surrounded me and attacked me. Those men...they...became black bears. I saw them shift.”
Wrapping her arms around herself, she rocked to and fro, muttering, “There was another one. A big, brown bear. He fought the black bears and carried me away on his back...” She stopped babbling long enough to look up. She stared into those piercing, dark eyes and knew. “It was you,” she whispered. “That brown bear. You...saved me.”
He gave her a warm smile. “Yes, I'm a bear shifter. My name is Cole Jameson. You're in my home.” In my bed.
“Cole,” she repeated his name in a daze. “You...are real. I knew...”
“Yeah. I'm real.” His eyes crinkled in amusement. “You passed out after I brought you back to my place. What's your name? You're not from around here, are you?” His tone was casual, conversational, but she saw the interest and concern in his eyes.
“I'm Abby. I...I just arrived in Moonstone Creek this morning.”
Cole canted his head to the side. “Are you here to visit some friends or relatives? I can contact them for you...”
“No. I'm here to look...” For you. She swallowed and amended quickly, “...to look around.”
He nodded politely but she wasn't sure he believed her. She pulled the covers up to her chin. She shuddered when she remembered how her t-shirt and bra had been shredded by Graig.
Cole stood up and went to pull out one of his large t-shirts from the drawer. “You had a few scratches on your body. I cleaned your wounds up and tucked you in. I didn't...” He swallowed and cleared his throat. “If you don't mind, you can wear one of my t-shirts. It's not your size, but...”
“Thank you,” she said, smiling gratefully. “It's very kind of you. I think your t-shirt will fit me just fine.” She took the clean white t-shirt from him and slipped her arms easily through the huge sleeves. The t-shirt was soft, comfortable and had that pleasant fresh laundry smell.
“I think I dropped my backpack,” she mumbled, looking down.
“What's in it?” Cole asked immediately.
“Cash, some clothes...”
“Don't worry about that. I have cash, and I'll get you some new clothes,” Cole said. “What about your keys, your phone...”
Abby patted her jeans pocket and blew out a breath of relief. “My house keys and phone are in my pocket.”
She looked up to see him staring intently at her. Blushing, she mumbled, “You must think I'm a flake...”
“No. Not at all. You're new in Moonstone Creek and you've just been attacked by three Blood Shadow bears. You're holding up remarkably well. I think you're very brave and strong. You're...amazing.”
Abby bit her lip. “I don't feel amazing,” she muttered.
Cole marched up to her and took her hand. “That's because you're tired and hungry. You haven't eaten. Come, let's get you fed. I'll cook for you.”
“You...what?” she said dazedly as she stumbled to her feet.
“I'll cook for you,” Cole answered smugly. He stretched his hand out to her and she took it shyly. Her hand looked tiny and a little lost in his large, calloused hand.
Gently, respectfully, Cole led her out of his bedroom and down the wide, carpeted stairs. Wordlessly, she followed him across a beautifully furnished living room and into a spacious kitchen.
“You like spaghetti?” he asked over his shoulder as he opened the fridge.
She nodded. “It's my favorite comfort food.”
“You're in luck.” Cole winked as he loaded his muscular arms with a mountain of fresh ingredients. “I'm going to make you my secret spaghetti sauce. You can't get this anywhere else. I make the sauce from scratch.”
Perched on a stool, she rested her elbows on the marble kitchen top and watched him as he moved swiftly between the sink and the stove, cooking up a storm. His muscles rippled as he moved, and she stared appreciatively down his tall, broad frame, trailing her eyes slowly down his back to his tight, hard butt.
He turned, and she saw his knowing, arrogant smirk. He had caught her ogling him. And that seemed to please him greatly.
“What can I do?” she asked quickly, her cheeks burning. “Can I help...”
Instead of replying, Cole came up to her and braced his palms against the counter. He towered over her, his huge body taut and tense with restrained power. She could feel the heat radiating from his tanned skin, and feel his breath brushing against her cheek, like a lover's caress.
Abby swallowed, feeling an answering heal unfurl low in her belly.
The hunger in his eyes was unmistakable. His eyes had darkened with desire, and her heart rate sped up as she watched his eyes turn feral for an instant.
Cole leaned in slowly, giving her the chance to push him away. Abby pressed her palm against the wall of his solid chest, but it wasn't to push him away. She wanted to feel his strong, powerful heart pounding under her hand. Feel his heart beat for her.
She tilted her face up, and Cole pressed his lips to hers in a long, burning kiss.
Abby's heart stuttered, and she fought to catch her breath. Cole kissed her slowly, thoroughly, taking and tasting her mouth so skilfully and seductively it made her almost boneless with need.
That searing, lingering kiss set her body on fire. She moaned softly as Cole pulled back and broke the kiss.
“I had to do that,” he whispered.
Do that again, she almost begged.
His eyes burned with desire as he brushed his thumb over her lips. Cole held her gaze for a long while. Finally, he turned back to the stove with a growl.
Her eyes fell on the growing bulge in the front of his jeans as he turned. His obvious arousal sent a spike of lust hurtling through her body, and she felt the throbbing ache between her legs.
Abby swallowed hard. Her body seemed to awaken to his, and his hunger sparked her own fierce, tormenting lust. It was as if her body knew his, and ached to answer his need.
She shook her hea
d with a frown. How could it be?
Could they really be made for each other?
Fated mates. She'd heard the term before. The skeptic in her had dismissed that notion as a superstition, a fantasy even as the romantic in her secretly hoped that there might be someone out there who was fated to be hers and hers alone.
Could it be? Could Cole be her fated mate?
Abby squeezed her eyes shut, her heart clenching with hope and yearning. She hadn't had much luck in her love life, her career, her life in general.
She had stumbled and fallen often, made mistakes, struggled and carried on. Luck and fate seemed to enjoy taunting her, testing her at every turn.
Could her luck finally be changing? Could this be her fate?
Had she found the One, her fated mate, her elusive, mythical Mr. Right at last?
Abby exhaled a slow, shuddering breath.
If this was a dream, she didn't ever want to wake up.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Cole turned down the fire on the stove and strode back to her. One kiss wasn't enough.
When he touched her sweet, heart-shaped face, Abby opened her eyes with a start and blinked up at him. There was a brief flicker of doubt and confusion in her eyes as she stared at him.
Cole bent down and kissed her again. She needn't doubt him. He would never ever give her a reason to doubt him.
She was his mate, and he was hers. If she would have him, he would love her, protect her, provide for her and cherish her for the rest of his life.
He growled as her lips parted and yielded to his.
Her taste was exquisite, intoxicating, and if he didn't pull back, he was going to get drunk on her.
There was no doubt. It really was her. He had glimpsed her in his mind, in his heart, in his very soul. He had pictured her laughing, smiling, her expression open and joyful as she pottered around his home. Their home.
He touched her face again, as if to make sure that she really was here, in his home, sitting in his kitchen, wearing his t-shirt and his scent.
Her pink, plump lips were parted, moist and swollen from his kisses. Cole pushed back from the kitchen counter and forced his bear to back down. He recognized her. So did his bear. His bear had recognized its mate and was rising with a feral, ferocious hunger. His bear had scented her, tasted her, and it wanted to claim her right now.
Cole wrestled his angry, frustrated beast down. He couldn't allow his bear to maul her and mount her savagely right here on the kitchen floor.
His little mate was human. He would take his time with her, even if his bear was clawing his insides to shreds. His animal would want to claim and mark her hard, and Cole feared that he might hurt her if he lost control of his bear and his lust. Abby wasn't a shifter, and her body was so soft, so tiny, and so damn beautiful. He had felt her in his arms, seen her luscious curves and beautiful, overflowing breasts. Cole tamped down a growl at the back of his throat. He was already rock hard thinking about her hot, curvaceous body, a body that was made for sex and pleasure.
“Cole?” Abby's voice was small and tentative.
At the sound of her voice, his growl deepened and his cock jerked and strained against his zipper.
“Yeah.” His voice was gruff, low.
There was a long pause before she said softly, “That smells amazing.”
He turned and fixed his eyes on her. You smell amazing.
She took a deep whiff. “Heavenly,” she declared. “What did you put in it?”
Cole glanced at the simmering pot. “Not telling.” He winked at her. “I told you, this is my super secret recipe.”
“I'll do anything to get my hands on your secret recipe,” she answered with a playful smile.
“Anything?” he said slowly.
She opened her mouth, then closed it and blushed furiously when she realized what she had just offered.
Cole groaned as images of their entwined, naked bodies flashed before his eyes. This was doing nothing to help his raging hard on.
He swung his attention back to the task at hand. Getting dinner ready. He laid out the plates, drained the pasta and smothered the steaming spaghetti with the aromatic, mouth-watering sauce. He heard her stomach rumble as he sat down opposite her and picked up his fork.
“Eat,” he ordered.
She dug in with gusto, slurping the spaghetti noodles up noisily. She licked her lips and sighed. “I'm going to need a second helping.”
Cole jumped up. “There's lots more in the pot.” He began to ladle more sauce and noodles onto her plate.
“Oh, oh, that's enough,” she laughed. “Wow!”
Cole sat back down and watched her eat. She had a hearty appetite and she savored the food with obvious delight. He smiled, feeling pleased and proud. It was frustrating eating with women who pecked at their food like birds, and kept insisting they were full when they hardly ate a bite. Abby clearly enjoyed eating and she made her enjoyment known. It was a real pleasure to cook for her and feed her. Cole wanted to do that every day. He wanted to provide for her, protect her, pleasure her...
She looked up at his low growl.
“Is...something wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong, Abby.” He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Everything is perfect. You—are perfect,” he said as he traced his finger down the shell of her ear.
She gasped and he scented her sudden arousal. His lips curved. That was her erogenous zone. He was so going to nibble and lick his mate's ears until she shuddered with ecstasy.
Cole picked up her fork and twirled the noodles skilfully around it. Abby hesitated for an instant before leaning in to let Cole feed her. He watched her lips close around the fork and slide the noodles into her mouth. When her tongue darted out to lick the smudge of sauce at the corner of her mouth, the agonizing throbbing in his cock ratcheted up a notch.
She finished the whole plate, and leaned back with a satisfied burp. “Excuse me,” she giggled.
Cole grinned and polished off the rest of his dinner in a minute. Abby picked up his plate and went to the sink. Cole found himself unable to take his eyes off her. She looked so cute, so relaxed and comfortable in his home, wearing his huge t-shirt and doing the dishes. The scene looked so domestic and so warm. It made his heart tighten with longing and desire. He wanted her so much. She was the woman of his dreams, the mate of his heart. But—did she want him back?
Cole would never force himself on a woman. He wouldn't even go near a female if she wasn't interested. But women were always interested. He was the Alpha of the Nightfire clan, owner of a successful, lucrative landscaping company. And he was good in the sack.
That was what they all said.
And that was all they wanted. Those females just wanted a good lay, a man with deep pockets to wine and dine them. They were attracted to his money, his name, his power. But not one of them wanted him for him.
Cole exhaled a long breath.
His mate had landed right in his lap, but she wasn't from Moonstone Creek. Would she be leaving soon?
Abby dried her hands on her jeans and came to stand in front of him. She seemed tense and nervous, and was worrying her lower lip.
“What is it, Abby?” Cole pulled her to him.
“I...I have to tell you something. Everything.”
Cole frowned.
“I didn't come to Moonstone Creek just to have a look around the town. I'm actually here to...look for you.”
His eyes widened a fraction, but he remained silent.
“I saw your profile,” she rushed on, unable or unwilling to stop. “On that dating site. I sent you a message, but you didn't reply. And when I checked again, I saw that you'd taken down your profile. At first, I thought that yours was a fake profile, a hoax, a prank. But...I can't explain it.” She gulped and wrung her hands. “It was just a gut feeling, like...like I knew, in my heart, in every nerve, in every fiber of my being, that...that you're real. And yo
u're...” She swallowed hard and whispered, “...mine. So I hopped on a bus and came out here...to look for you.”
She bit her lip and turned away, her face red. She refused to meet his eyes, but he saw the glimmer of doubt and shame in her downcast eyes.
Cole went to her and held her shoulders.
“Abby,” he said quietly. She still refused to raise her head.
Cole took her clammy hand in his and crooked a finger under her chin to tilt her face up. He wanted her to look at him and see the fierce admiration, respect and pride in his eyes.
Her words touched him deeply. She had spoken honestly, without guile or pride. It had taken courage and character for her to just come up to him and tell him the truth. She could easily have played along, just play him and use him. Instead, she had put her heart and pride on the line, risked his wrath and derision and made herself look like a desperate stalker by blurting out the truth to him. But she wasn't stalking him. She had simply listened to her heart, and obeyed the call of the mate bond. If it had been the other way around and he had seen her profile first, he would have hunted her down, stalked her, followed her to the very ends of the earth.
He hadn't disclosed the name of his clan or company in his profile, so Abby would not have known where to look for him in Moonstone Creek. She had acted on pure instinct by coming, and she had put her life in danger for him. Cole felt his claws inching out at the thought of the Blood Shadow bears terrorizing her and hurting her. He would make sure she never got hurt again.
“Abby...” he began, his voice rough and hoarse. “I'm so glad you came to Moonstone Creek. Thank you, for coming to look for me. I never would have found you otherwise.”
He fell into a thoughtful silence for a moment, then laughed suddenly. “I thought I found you. Arrogant, aren't I?”
“Huh? What...” Abby stammered.
Cole hugged her as he broke into a grin.
“It's the other way round, darling. You—found me! My brave, clever, beautiful mate found me!” His deep, booming voice reverberated round the kitchen.
Abby gasped as he kissed her proudly and resoundingly on the top of her head.
A Bride For The Bear (Bear Brides #1) Page 4