by Moxie North
Seeing her move away from him Stryker’s eyes cut back to her.
She froze.
Stryker’s brain was trying to keep up with the sheer overload of information that was smashing into him all at once. He was talking to Declan, or rather Declan was talking to him. Then his mate ran across the street and hit him.
His mate.
His cougar was roaring in his head, one hundred percent sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt that this woman was his mate. Their mate. He wasn’t sure what to say. He knew she smelled like flowers and spice, kind of like a sweet tea.
Her long brown hair was pulled up on the top in a braid that crossed over the top of her head. The rest flowed down her back. It was so long and beautiful he wanted to bury his face in it. That thought made him want to nuzzle her neck and fill his lungs with her scent. All of these thoughts running through his head at once.
She was still staring at him he realized, so was the wolf and his club. Shit, fucking hell. He wanted her away from them. He wanted her to himself. How was he going to do that?
Libby stared at him, there was something dangerous radiating off of him. Something scary and sexy at the same time.
Her instincts told her she needed to stand still not startle the large man in front of her. When her hands had made contact with his chest all she felt was firm solid muscles. It was a millisecond of nice.
He looked like he was struggling to say something to her. The seconds were ticking by. She didn’t want him to leave, but she was getting uncomfortable so she whispered this time, “Where have you been?”
His eyes that had been roaming her flashed back to stare into hers. He sucked in a breath like he was shocked to hear her voice again.
She watched as his mouth opened then closed. He swallowed then his lips parted again as he said, “I’ve been here, waiting for you.” His voice sounded rough and a little unsure.
Not what she expected. It was her turn to suck in a breath. What the heck did that mean?
“Oh man, seriously? Congratulations!” Declan called out, when he realized the extent of the shifter and human’s connection. The pack of bikers behind him started applauding and Libby managed to pull her gaze from Stryker to look over her shoulder in confusion.
The bikers all rough and tough looking were smiling big goofy grins and clapping. What in the world could they be applauding for she wondered.
As her eyes focused back on her mystery man she saw his eyes waited for hers to return. Once he had them back he let his eyes flash to the man behind her.
Reaching out he gripped his hands around her upper arms and pulled her towards his chest. They made full body contact and Libby felt him vibrate. She’d stopped breathing when he touched her. It wasn’t hurtful but it was very firm.
“Mine,” he snarled to the group of men.
“Yeah, yeah, I got that man. I’ll leave you to it. But hey, man,” he started looking at Libby’s shocked expression. “Take it easy, yeah?” He waited for Stryker to give him a short nod then offered, “Good luck.”
Declan called out to his club with a whistle and the roar of half dozen cycles revving up and driving away couldn’t pull Libby away from the man in front of her.
As the noise quieted, the only sound left was each of their ragged breaths at least to Libby’s ears. To Stryker’s, he could hear every beat of her heart. It was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard.
“Who are you?” she managed quietly.
He ran his hands up and down her upper arms trying to soothe her while he still got to touch her. He wanted to kiss her; he needed to know what she tasted like. Instead, he answered her.
“I’m yours,” he said.
Libby saw his head move towards her and tilt like he was going to kiss her. She jerked away instinctually. Damn, she missed the opportunity to have this sexy man’s lips on hers! How stupid was she?
“No. I mean, who are you? I’m sorry by the way for shoving you. I don’t have a good explanation for that,” she said, embarrassed by her actions.
“It’s okay. My name is Stryker. Stryker Hayes.”
“Hi, Stryker,” she said shyly. Wow, could his name be any freaking cooler? Who named their kid Stryker?
“You?” he grunted.
“Liberty, but everyone calls me Libby,” she offered.
“Libby,” he said, rolling her name with a purring sound.
She couldn’t help it, the way he said her name was sexy as hell. She swallowed and saw his eyes zero in on her throat.
“Uh, well, sorry about the shove. I get a little carried away sometimes. I was surprised to see you back in town and something came over me. I really am sorry about touching you. I know pushing people is wrong. I did learn that in elementary school. I must have forgotten it temporarily,” she said with a laugh.
She was awful at joking banter, yet she always tried to incorporate it into conversations.
“You can touch me,” he said with a low sound coming from his chest.
Well, damn, she thought.
Laughing, she started to take a step back. “Well, nice to meet you.” Before her foot could land behind her his hold on her arms slid down to her hands squeezing them tightly. His touch was strong and his hand oddly warm.
“No,” he said. It wasn’t angry, more concerned.
“No, what?” she said. Her brain was telling her to pull her hand from his. He was being a little too touchy for a two-minute acquaintance. Her other parts, the ones that for some unknown reason were throbbing and most assuredly wet, thought hand holding wasn’t enough.
She watched his nose flare as he seemed to suck in another lungful of air and his eyes closed. She heard an odd rumbling sound coming from him and couldn’t pinpoint if it was a groan or something else. When those pretty brown eyes opened she saw they had a ring of golden yellow around them. They were stunning.
“You can’t leave,” he said. As the words came out he saw too late that was not something you said to a woman alone. It was creepy and probably scary. Fuck him, he wasn’t doing this right.
“I want to talk to you,” he said hurriedly, trying to cover his aggressive tone.
Maybe he wasn’t used to talking to girls. Libby had met a number of guys like that in college. And he was probably still recovering from the town’s crazy librarian rushing across the street, shoving him and yelling at him. In front of a group of bikers no less!
“I’m actually working. I work across the street. I’m the librarian. I need to get back. Uh, it was nice to meet you, Stryker.” She pulled her hand from his but delayed moving away in case he reached for her again. She wouldn’t win in a tug of war she was quick to assess.
His eyes looked a bit frantic at her words. “Please, I need you to stay.” This was all he could manage to get out. His cougar was roaring in his head telling him to grab her, kiss her, mate her. It didn’t want to talk, it didn’t want to get to know her, it wanted to fuck. His cougar was a simple animal.
Stryker’s human side knew none of these were possible right now. He hated it, he wanted to drag her back to his cabin and lock her in. But that would probably land him in jail. His mate wouldn’t ever trust him again. How did he do this?
Working out a plan quickly, as it was clear his mate was ready to move away from him, he said, “Can I come there?”
“The library? Of course, it’s open to the public. I work until six.” Libby wasn’t sure why she so freely offered this information.
Her daydreams aside, being alone with this man for the last few minutes was more overwhelming that she could have possibly imagined. He was all man and sex. He smelled like outdoors and grease, and it was a heady combination. She needed some breathing room.
She needed to figure out how to close early and hide away at home until she came to her senses and figured out what drove her to march her ass across the street to confront him in the first place. Maybe she was having a mental breakdown. Her father would probably prescribe yoga and fasting to cure her of her insan
ity.
“I’ll come there,” he said shortly. Shit, fucking hell. He sounded like a goddamn caveman. How was he supposed to talk to her?
“Erm, okay. Great. Bye, Stryker.” She pulled her hands free with a tug and spun on her heel to quickly walk back across the street. She told herself to not turn around, but did she listen?
Nope, halfway across she twisted back to see him staring at her, his face almost angry looking with a hint of disappointment. Whipping back around she made it to the front door of the library and shut the door behind her with the heat of his gaze on her the whole time.
Chapter 6
What the hell just happened? He’d let his mate walk away from him. Across the damn street, she didn’t even look for traffic! What the fuck was wrong with him. He was asking himself that the same time his cat was clearly expressing his disgust at the situation.
He needed her back. He stood like a statue, his brain cranking away like a rusty wheel. Liberty, Libby. She was young, that he could tell. He was thirty-five but still looked about the same age as her thanks to shifter genetics.
She was so beautiful his brain couldn’t process all of her details at once. They kept seeking out new things to focus on. Her long dark eyelashes, her hazel eyes that were green, then brown depending on the light. The pink blush that stole over her porcelain smooth skin.
Her clothing was baggy so he kept most of his perusal above the neck with only a quick glimpse at the swell of her breasts. They appeared to be a perfect handful. Luckily, he had big hands.
Him on this side of the street and her on the other was not acceptable. His cougar gave a chuffing agreement in his head. Needing information before he went over there and made a jackass out of himself again, he turned and headed toward Bud’s office.
Opening the door without knocking he saw Bud leaning back in his chair, feet up on the desk looking at a girly magazine.
“Libby,” he barked as he walked through the door. Bud’s confused look said it all.
Taking a deep breath he tried again. “Liberty, librarian, what do you know of her?”
“Ahh, you met our town cutie huh? She’s a doll that one. Liberty Berkowitz, born and raised in Port May. Dad’s a doctor, not a real one mind you. One of those new agey, make you drink bad tea and think about your feelings kinda doctor.
Her mom stays at home and is always cooking up some brew. I think some of the town thinks she’s a witch. But Libby, she’s pretty normal considering. Went to school to be a librarian and took over when our old as hell, mean cranky librarian retired.”
At those words Stryker raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, yeah she’s my grandma. Woman is a harridan I tell yah. Libby though, sweet as they come. You aren’t thinking of messing around with her are ya? The town won’t like that much I’ll tell ya right now,” Bud said, trying to come off tough sounding. It didn’t work.
“Not messing with her,” he said gruffly.
“Good then, if you’re looking for a friend she’s always willing to be one. That girl would give you the shirt off her back. If you like that frilly frippery stuff she’s always wearing.”
“She have a boyfriend?”
Bud scratched at his jaw. “Nah, not that I can ever remember. Don’t know about when she went off to college. Since she’s been back it’s just her and that library.”
“Good,” Stryker said then turned and walked back out. He needed a reason to talk to her. A valid reason to walk across the street and see her again without scaring her off.
He looked around the shop like it would give him some kind of clue. It’s not like he could ask for a book on car repair. That wouldn’t be very helpful with his reputation. He could ask about the history of the town. No, he didn’t give a rat’s ass about that. He called out to Bud that he was taking a break and saw Bud’s hand wave through the window of the office.
He walked across the street to Edna’s and went in. He was looking to find something that would help his cause.
“Well, hey there, Stryker. What can I help you with today?” Ms. Edna was behind the counter sitting on her stool. She was of an indeterminate age. If he had to guess he’d say around two hundred, but that was probably a little high.
“What does Libby like?” he blurted out. Shit, nice one asshole. He was like a bull in a china shop.
“Ah, off to woo our sweet Libby. Good thing I like you, young man. See, someone not in the know would bring flowers or write poetry. But I’m gonna give you a road map. You are gonna bring her some macaroni and cheese. I’ll heat it up for you and wrap it so it stays warm. That with a package of chocolate mini-donuts and you’ll be in like Flynn,” the old woman cackled.
“She likes those?”
“Yup, always sneaking them. Ever since she was a little girl walking home from school,” Edna said with a laugh. She managed to heft herself off the stool and Stryker swore he heard her bones crack.
She pointed out the instant mac-n-cheese and donuts and shuffled back to the rear of the store with Stryker in tow.
Her slow pace was causing his cougar to freak out a bit and Stryker had to tell him to back down. His cougar was of the opinion that a growl would make her move faster. Stryker knew this would most likely cause a heart attack.
The cooking of the cheesy goodness took three minutes. It was the longest three minutes of Stryker’s life. He handed Edna a twenty and rushed out the door with her laughter echoing behind him.
He ran, yes ran, the block down to the library. He did stop for a moment to calm himself before opening the door.
The fragrance of old books and wood polish hit him hard. His cougar was sniffing out his mate and she was there, under that overwhelming cacophony of odors. He smelled her but couldn’t see her.
His eyes caught movement coming down the wide wood steps in front of him. At the last step he saw her look up from her feet and stop short. Her arms were full of books and her mouth was open.
Clearly she didn’t think he was going to come over. Or maybe she did, but not so soon. Fuck, he was blowing this. She seemed to shake herself out of her shock and walked the last few steps to the counter of her desk.
“Hi, you came,” she said with a hint of wonder in her voice.
“Here,” he said, holding out the cup of macaroni and the donuts. Her eyes came to his hands for a moment, her brows drawing together in confusion. Then as her gaze came back to his, a huge stunning smile spread across her face.
Fuck him, she was breathtaking. Her eyes were a green color in the middle. The outer ring a dark brown with flecks of gold.
“Is that for me?” she said in awe.
“Yes, here,” he said again, nodding towards the food.
She looked down at the books she was carrying and hefted them onto the counter. She reached for the offered items and their hands brushed together. He froze solid. She gasped.
He was so warm and Libby could swear they had a static shock between them.
“How did you know?” She was looking at the items and thinking it was the most thoughtful gift she had ever received.
“Edna,” he offered.
“You asked her about me? Why?”
Stryker wanted to tell her that she was his and that he was going to take care of her for the rest of his life and hers.
He wanted to wrap her in a blanket or something. His concern for her well-being was racing through his brain. Hot. Cold. Hungry. Tired. His need to ensure her comfort was instinctually driving him.
Lucky for him it was slightly more pressing than the need for his stiff dick to get what it wanted.
His internal dialogue was causing long delays in their conversation. He recognized this but wasn’t sure how to fix it.
He wasn’t a big talker. He never needed to be. Life didn’t require constant commentary in his opinion. But now he needed to talk, needed to convince this human that she was the reason for his continued existence. Yeah, that would be easy to explain he thought.
“I like you. A lot,”
he managed. His voice was so gruff when he spoke with her. He needed to keep his cougar back so she wouldn’t be frightened.
“You don’t know me, we just met,” she replied. Libby wasn’t stupid, this was like something out of her dreams. But it didn’t happen in real life. Hot hunky men didn’t stare at you, barely talk to you, then buy you junk food.
“I want to know you, Libby,” he said, his eyes drilling into her.
Again, his ability to say her name in that way that made the goosebumps roll over her skin was a talent.
“I’m not very interesting,” she said. He might as well know now that she was probably not what he was used to.
“Yes, you are. You just don’t know it yet,” he said.
Chapter 7
Well gee whiz, that was nice. Totally and completely crazy, but still nice.
Libby had to decide if she was going to chicken out and run away from this sex god or jump headfirst into the unknown. Never having been a very adventuresome person, Libby was having an internal struggle.
“Can you stay for a little while? I’ll share my lunch you so nicely got for me,” she offered. What could a little conversation hurt?
“Yes,” he grunted.
Libby giggled, his one word answers would normally annoy her. On him it was oddly endearing.
Libby motioned to the other side of her desk. The counter was high so when you sat only the top of your head could be seen from the door.
She sat in her chair and pulled out a stool under the desk and offered it to him. He sat down awkwardly on it, his big frame trying to balance on the swiveling surface.
“You’re a mechanic?” she asked, trying to break the ice. She delved into the cheesy noodles as she waited for an answer.
“Sometimes.”
“Sometimes, other times you’re a…?”
“Whatever needs done,” he said quietly.
Libby lifted a spoonful of food into her mouth and tried to think of another question to ask him.
As she pondered she offered the cup to him for a bite. He took it from her and picked up the spoon and stared at it for a moment. Instead of taking a bite, he scooped up another spoonful and offered it to her.