Shit. She was going to think he was a total creep if he couldn’t get control of himself. He cleared his throat before continuing.
“How are you? I mean, how can I help you?”
“Um, I’m okay, we are having some trouble down at the farm though,” she said and began to explain the difficulties she was experiencing with the tractor for the hayride scheduled that very evening.
How could he forget? Daniels Farm hayrides were legendary. Her old man held them three times a year, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and at Christmas time. It was a Lance family tradition to visit for at least one of them during the season.
Hmm. She sounded upset and his Bear scratched at his skin. He didn’t like her upset. Not at all. Every instinct inside of him was screaming at him to hang up and go to her, then and there.
Go to her. Claim her. Mark her for the whole world to see. Mine.
Easy, he chided his Bear.
He couldn’t just rush off and tell her she was his mate. Not if he expected her to believe it. She would need more than that. Especially after what had happened in high school. Crap.
Guilt flooded his system as he thought of all the insults and humiliation Maisy Daniels had endured. And all because of his overzealous Bear. This time he would explain it all. His Bear roared inside his mind’s eye, and once more he missed what she’d said. Fuck.
“I’m sorry can you repeat that?”
“Yeah, uh, you see we are having tractor trouble and tonight is the Haunted Hayride. It begins in about an hour and I don’t have much time. The tractor just won’t start. I turn the key but nothing happens and we just replaced the battery. Look, I will pay extra, anything really, can you send someone here right away?”
“Don’t worry Maisy,” he said relishing the sound of her name on his tongue, “I am on my way,” he grabbed his keys, dismissing Lorna and walking towards the door.
“Oh, I didn’t mean to bother you,” she stuttered and he grinned wickedly.
So, he made her nervous. That had to mean something, right?
“I’m sure you’re too busy-”
“Not at all. It would be my pleasure, really. Now, I know the model, but can you confirm the year for me?” he listened intently as she rattled off information and moved to grab what he’d need from the shop.
“But what about my car? And our ride? You’re not going to leave me to go help Crazy Maisy!” Lorna snorted.
The Bear inside of him snarled at her name-calling. Arthur inhaled a breath, but he was almost out of patience. No one insulted his mate around him, but still he needed to be professional about this. His place of business was not an appropriate atmosphere for him to lash out at the too-forward and increasingly annoying human woman. Lorna’s nasal voice interrupted his train of thought and he turned to see her trailing after him.
“Artie? Artie!”
Shit. He had to stop this now. His animal was pushing him hard to go to his mate, and it was all he could do not to simply Shift and haul ass to Daniels Farm as it was. Instead, he exhaled slowly and turned to Lorna with a professional smile on his face.
“Ms. Manning, I am sorry if you misunderstood, but we do not have any business outside of this office. And even there we have done all we could for your car. Betty?” he called out to his manager, “Will you and Marty please take care of Miss Manning here and then close shop? I’ll be gone the rest of the night,” he called out to his two employees and fellow Barvale Clan mates before rushing out to his truck.
Nerves tightly wound, he placed the extra battery, wires, and tools he’d need to fix the tractor into the back and jumped into the driver’s seat of his pick-up truck. His Bear was anxious to see her, and truth be told, so was his human side.
Five minutes later, Arthur pulled up to the old barn where the annual soiree was held and parked in the back. Already, families decked out in costume were walking the grounds, picking pumpkins, taking pictures, and perusing the other goodies the farm had on display and for sale. The whole place was abuzz with excitement for the Halloween Eve festivities.
It was awesome that they held the event on Mischief Night so that the next day could be reserved for the more traditional trick-or-treating around everyone’s own neighborhood. The whole place smelled fresh and clean in the cool evening breeze with hints of spice and magic pulsating among the crowd. His supernatural sensibilities picked up on things that normals considered otherworldly and this night was special indeed. Apples, pumpkins, and cinnamon danced on the air teasing his animal. But the sweetest fragrance was coming from where he saw the tractor out back, and being the Bear that he was, Arthur followed his nose.
The sounds of mild cursing reached his ears as he walked forward carrying his supplies, but all he could do was take one step after the other. All his concentration was on the fragrance that seemed to wrap itself around him and pull him closer to the source like an invisible lasso.
There was a small spotlight hovering over the open hood of the machinery and he noted the fresh bales of hay that had been lined up neatly along the tractor bed for the hayride. Black ribbon with orange pumpkins and signs with witches, ghosts, and black cats were strategically placed to decorate it as well, and he could just imagine how delighted the kids would be to see it.
Daniels Farms was a favorite in Barvale. Had been for as long as he could remember. He might not have moved there to live until he was a teen, but he’d visited plenty of times for Clan runs before that. As he neared the front of the machine, he noticed the most enticing little bottom in a pair of navy-blue stockings bent over. The tempting little thing wiggled as the owner of said bottom struggled to free something from under the hood.
“Can I help?”
“Ooh!” the woman jumped and he immediately felt guilty.
“Sorry, it’s just me. Arthur Lance?” he said as pair of surprised green eyes turned and landed on him.
He knew her lips were moving, knew he needed to respond, to say something, anything, but he couldn’t. His nine-hundred pound Black Bear was roaring inside of his head, and it was all he could do to stand up straight.
Mate. Mate. MATE!
“Oh it’s you,” she said and licked her lips closing her eyes for a moment and giving him the opportunity to memorize her heart-shaped face and delicate features.
Damn, she was a beauty. Always had been. She’d grown up too, he noted her sexy as hell curves in the storybook costume she wore. Was she supposed to be Goldilocks? The ensemble looked familiar, but he couldn’t be sure.
“Yeah,” he replied stupidly.
“Okay, so the first family hayride begins in less than an hour. I was trying to get things set up for you, but I, uh dropped my pen light,” she shrugged causing her breasts to rise and fall with the movement and Arthur damn near swallowed his tongue.
Holy fuck. It was like every wet dream fantasy he’d had of her in high school had come to life to taunt him. Maisy Daniels was all grown up and hotter than ever. She was still tiny, but curvier than he recalled. Big breasts, tiny waist, round hips, and a peach of an ass he just wanted to nibble.
And that outfit? What the heck was she trying to do? Kill him maybe. His cock throbbed as he looked at her from the tips of her blonde streaked hair to her stockinged feet. She must have kicked off her shoes at some point and he more than approved. Easier to undress her that way.
Shit. No, he told his Bear, but the beast didn’t give a fuck. He wanted her. His mate. Now.
On second thought, he did remember that costume. It was their Senior Halloween Dance and Maisy Daniels had indeed dressed as Goldilocks. Her final fuck you to all the haters who had teased her mercilessly, and Arthur had more than approved.
In fact, he’d asked her to dance and just for one song he’d held the sweet girl in his arms. True, she was all woman now, but he didn’t want her any less. The old costume fit her just fine, even if it was too small on top. Her plentiful breasts threatened to topple free with each breath she took and Arthur was hypnotized just waiting to s
ee what would happen.
He blinked rapidly, aware that staring at her exquisite shape in the teeny weeny costume was not doing anything for his image at the moment. Well, other than making his dick hard as steel. Crap. He needed to get his body and his Bear under control.
“Hello? Are you going to do something or what?” she asked before he could address his inner beast.
He could see from her new stance, hands on her hips and eyes narrowed, that she’d gone from surprised to annoyed in a heartbeat. Damn, if that wasn’t hot as fuck. She was the cutest thing he’d ever seen and he wondered in that moment what she would do if he kissed her. Fuck it. Why wait to find out?
“Yes. I am going to do something,” he growled, and his long legs ate up the space between them.
The scent of her arousal invaded his nostrils. Fuck yes. She wanted him. The knowledge was enough to make him lose control of all reason. He grabbed her tiny waist and tugged her closer until she was flush against him.
“Wh-What are you doing?” her breathless voice teased his ears and Arthur knew his Bear was shining in his eyes before she gasped in surprise.
“Something,” he growled and mashed his lips to hers.
The entire world seemed to blink out of existence in that moment. The tractor, the farm, the people, the whole town of Barvale, hell, the world fell away. She was the only thing that existed in that moment for him. As soon as he tasted her honey cinnamon flavor burst along his taste buds, Arthur knew one thing without a doubt.
Maisy Daniels was indeed his fated mate.
Chapter 5
Arthur Lance was kissing her. And kissing her. And, oh my, kissing her.
Maisy moaned into his mouth as she willingly submitted to his masterful caress. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before. Not once had she been kissed stupid. And yes, that was how she felt.
Not in the sense that she thought she was an idiot. More in the sense that she couldn’t think, speak, hear, or do anything but kiss him back. A task she would happily take on every day from here on out. Yowza.
The years fell away and she was in the throes of her first real experience with lust. It had to be lust. Her body swelled with need, moisture pooled between her thighs as she breathed in the spicy masculine scent that clung to his skin.
She didn’t know what possessed him to act so impulsively, but the truth was she’d wanted him to kiss her ever since that night she’d sworn she saw him turn into a Bear. Memories flooded her brain of high school and all she’d endured ever since she’d claimed she saw what she saw. She had never named the boy, but she knew what she saw. Or at least, she thought she did.
Shit. Maisy had too many mixed feelings about him. Confusion and lust being the strongest, she knew she had to stop this madness before she gave in to it and did something entirely foolish. Ending the kiss, she stepped back from his big, hard, incredibly warm body and missed it almost immediately.
“Maisy,” he breathed her name and closed his eyes, like he felt something more for her than she’d ever dreamed possible.
No. This was stupid. People didn’t get all romantic on Halloween. That madness was reserved for Christmas, she told herself. All those sappy holiday movies on cable said so. Still, she sidestepped his hands when he reached out to touch her once more.
“Arthur, um-”
“Maisy, I need to tell you something,” he interrupted, “First, I apologize for my brash nature. I just can’t help it when I am around you-”
“Arthur, I haven’t even seen you since high school,” she shook her head.
“I know, but I’ve seen you. Here and there, around when you visited your father. It’s been difficult for me, but I tried to let you find your own way. Now I know that this is the way for both of us.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Believe me,” he ran a hand through his thick, dark hair and she followed the movement with her eyes. “I have wanted to say this to you for years.”
Maisy’s stomach quivered in anticipation. Was this it? The moment she discovered the truth about that night. He appeared nervous as he ran his hands through his hair and over his face. Maisy’s heart squeezed inside her chest.
Damn it, why did she always find him so incredibly handsome? Gorgeous really. Tall and wide, thick muscles that spoke of hard work as opposed to carefully sculpted in some gym. He had intense brown eyes and thick, full lips. Arthur Lance was one of those guys that seemed blessed in high school. He had the looks, the brains, the popularity. By senior year he was the captain of the football team and student council president. She never even suspected he knew she was alive, except for all that “Crazy Maisy” stuff.
“Maisy you were right.”
“About what?”
“All of it. I couldn’t tell you then. Truth be told, I am not supposed to tell you now, but I just confirmed what I had always suspected,” his voice was deep and his breathing heavy.
His dark eyes glittered and she wondered what it was he was trying to say. She had never seen anyone act that way. So excited and anxious. Certainly not around her at any rate.
“I just called you to fix my tractor,” she tried to change the subject, scared of what he might reveal.
Her own anxiety level was shooting off the charts. Her stomach clenched and her heart was pounding like mad. Maybe it was the full moon.? She’d been so excited earlier in the day when she’d read that this year Mischief Night brought with it a full Blue Moon. Maybe that had sort of amped her natural libido? There had to be some explanation for why she wanted to jump the man’s bones after not seeing him for like a decade.
Or you’re just super horny from your last dry spell, Maisy. She rolled her eyes at her inner voice, that snarky beyotch was just more than she could handle at the moment. Besides, she hadn’t had sex in so long it was more than a dry spell. It was a freaking drought. And she had a feeling Arthur Lance could run circles around any of her few past lovers. Two to be exact and they were nothing to gossip about.
Well, damn it was just a kiss. Sure, it was one she’d dreamed about forever, but it couldn’t mean what she wanted it to. Could it be that all those stories and novels she’d read about shifters were real? Was she pathetic for hoping so? Maisy had to push it aside and deal with business. What was he saying again?
“I know you called for help and I will get this tractor going, Maisy, but there is something really important I need you to hear.”
“Okay,” she said and bit her lip, motioning for him to get on with it.
She had no idea what was going on or why she felt so out of sorts. Maybe she was PMSing? No, that couldn’t be, she was in between periods at the moment. Maisy might as well just face it, she wanted him the same as she had when she was in Barvale High. There was no magic or hidden meaning. He was simply the sexiest thing on two legs she’d ever seen. Hot as sin with a kiss that should be a registered lethal weapon.
“That night before the homecoming game, you saw me.”
“Wait. What? You are admitting this to me?”
Wow. She was simply stunned. Maisy had no expectations that he would ever admit to what she had seen. He’d never reacted like this in her presence before, but then again she was always so determined to avoid him. Now she was all ears.
“You see, supernatural creatures have been living alongside humankind since the beginning of time. You weren’t supposed to see what you saw, but my Bear got excited because of the game, and I had to expel some energy so I didn’t hurt anyone,” he began.
“I wasn’t delusional. I saw you. I knew it was you, but everyone called me crazy,” her voice sounded foreign to her own ears, soft and awe-filled.
The pain of memories past burned inside of her for a moment before something greater took its place. Something wondrous. Relief and hope welled up inside of her. This meant more to her than he could possibly understand. But why was he confessing now?
“So, you are a Bear? A Werebear or a Shifter?”
“We prefer S
hifter,” he began slowly.
“And I wasn’t crazy-”
“Never! You were never crazy, baby,” he said and ran a finger down her cheek, “I’m a Black Bear Shifter, and you are my fated mate. That’s why I can tell you this now. It’s why when you called I came as fast as I could.”
“I’m your what?”
“You are my fated mate, Maisy, and I am yours. There is no one else in the world for me and no one who could make you feel like I can. Just give me a chance to prove it,” and as if he couldn’t help himself he stepped closer, pressing her back into the bales of hay that were stacked next to the tractor.
From this angle, no one could see them, and Maisy was glad. The evidence of his arousal pressed against her belly as he thrust his tongue between her parted lips and claimed her mouth in the kind of kiss she’d only ever read about. He sucked on her tongue and nibbled her lower lip with his teeth, all the while his hands caressed her face and shoulders, like she was something precious to him.
Maisy’s heart constricted with feeling. She felt as though she were in some kind of fairytale. But what really happened at the end of Goldilocks? Didn’t the bears eat her?
Yes, please, whispered that naughty voice inside her head and she squeezed her thighs together on the fresh wave of arousal that threatened to soak her panties. Arthur’s kiss was beyond her experience. He seemed so singularly focused on her, like he wanted to worship her, and damn, she wanted to let him.
Finally, his hands travelled down her body as he lifted her skirt and squeezed her stocking clad buttocks. Maisy moaned and lifted, wanting, no needing more from him. She had never been particularly good at this sort of thing, but with him she felt sexy, desirable for the first time in her life.
“You are so beautiful, baby,” he growled and she whimpered as his fingers found the elastic waistband of her stockings.
“We can’t,” she moaned even as she wiggled and parted her legs for his searching fingers.
“Just this, Maisy, please,” he begged, “let me make you feel good.”
A Cursed All Hallows' Eve Page 113