After a short tug of war on his sanity, Nick finally fought the bear back down to something controllable, sliding down to the floor with a heavy breath of relief. He knew it wouldn’t last long though. He’d only known Jo for a day, and his attraction to her was only growing. They still had three days. Three days! He wouldn’t be able to keep fighting.
“What am I doing?” he moaned aloud, thumping the floor limply with his fist. He promised her he’d stay here tonight, and she’d even told him nothing had to happen between them tonight. Yeah, right. He’d set himself up for failure before he even began.
With a deep breath, he centered his thoughts. He knew he had to make a decision. Whether he was going to try to make things work with Jo, or he wasn’t. Choosing the first option was dangerous, more dangerous than she could ever know. It would also be filled with lies and deceit, never being able to tell her the true nature of his beast. The bear snarled, but Nick ignored it. It was the price he had to pay.
And then there was walking away—
The bear roared in protest, fighting against Nick’s insides and making him buckle over in agony. “Okay, okay,” he wheezed past the pain. Walking away wasn’t an option. He knew that his own bear would fight tooth and claw to keep her by his side, and if Nick allowed her to walk away, he’d move mountains to bring her home.
With a deep breath, Nick finally spoke the truth. “So she is my mate, huh?” Saying it aloud was terrifying, like it instantly put a target on his back and everyone could see now that he’d accepted it. Human mates weren’t even rare enough to be considered myths. They simply never happened. What if Tom was right? What if he lost control? What if he hurt her—killed her? He remembered the harsh red mark he’d left on her skin only a short while ago. Was it really worth the risk?
“She’s my mate,” he said, voice stronger than he felt. “She’s my mate.” His voice was surer this time. He said it a few more times until it felt natural on his lips.
“Jo barrowman is my mate,” he said, feeling a giddy sort of exhilaration at saying it out loud, “and I will never hurt her.” In that moment, he made his decision. He’d stay the night with her, and he wouldn’t stop whatever happened between them.
He allowed himself a few more moments to compose himself before tentatively leaving the bathroom. The last time she’d likely seen him, he’d been storming upstairs in a rage. He wanted to make sure he didn’t startle her. She was sitting on the sofa, reading a novel from the bookshelf.
She glanced up from the page, and smiled light at him and he descended into the sitting room. “You feel better?” she asked.
“Oh, you saw that, huh?” he asked, clearing his throat in embarrassment. “Uh, yeah. Much better. Tom just really knows how to push my buttons sometimes.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it.” She shrugged. “Only child here.” Shifting in her seat, he saw her eyes pass over his shoulder. “Is the dressing holding up well?”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s fine.” It was painful, of course, but nothing he couldn’t handle. He’d dealt with much worse from Lucas and his crew before.
He flopped down lazily onto the couch next to her, stretching out on the sofa like a lounging cat. “So what are you reading?”
She shrugged again. “Nothing interesting,” Jo replied. He noticed how her eyes traveled up the path of naked skin that bared itself as his shirt rose.
He slid a bit closer to her, feeling more content that he had in a very long time. Accepting her as his mate had answered so many questions he didn’t even know he’d been asking, opened doors he didn’t even know existed, and he felt happy. Giddy, even. It made him want to explore this new path in his life even more. “Can you read to me?”
Jo barked a surprised laugh. “What?” she laughed, her hand brushing his hair away from his forehead. “Are you being serious?”
Nick grinned. “I like the sound of your voice.” Lying down completely, he rested his head on Jo’s lap. His eyes flutters closed and he even felt his bear settle down for the time being.
Jo smiled down at him. “If you really want me to.” Picking up the book, she flipped to the next chapter and started reading.
***
Nick stretched, blinking a few times before he could remember where he was. He had fallen sleep in Jo’s lap to the sound of her voice. She was still here, providing her lap as his pillow. She drifted off still sitting up, her head leaned slightly to the side and her eyes closed. Running a light finger down her cheek and jaw, Nick smiled to himself. She was so beautiful to him. Shifter or not, what he saw in her and what he felt for her transcended that.
With one last yawn, Nick rose from Jo’s lap, careful not to wake her. He walked quietly into the kitchen and put on some coffee, pulling his cell from his pocket.
He tried calling Tom three times before giving up. He figured his brother was just being stubborn and hard headed because of their argument and likely left his phone somewhere out of reach in an attempt to give Nick the cold shoulder. Shrugging, he went back to the coffee maker, his ears picking up light rustling sounds coming from the sitting room.
“Did the smell wake you?” he called.
Jo walked leisurely into the kitchen, still rubbing her sleepy eyes. “Probably. I do really like coffee,” she said with a smile.
He grinned, pulling her into a light embrace, running a hand through her hair to straighten out the kinks. “Perfect,” he murmured, and Jo blushed. “Can I get you a cup?”
“Please,” she answered, sitting down at the dining table. “Did we sleep for a long time?”
“Long enough.” He grinned, handing her a mug. “It’ll be time to eat soon.”
“Anything good to eat around here?” she asked, taking her first sip.
He chuckled, sitting at the table beside her and lifting her legs to rest on his lap. “Small town, remember? There’s not much more than the Chinese place we ate from last night. I suppose I could always try to cook.”
“You cook?” Jo asked, a shocked look peeking over her steaming mug.
Nick winced. “I… try.” If he was being honest, he’d prefer a nice, blue steak, or a fresh kill out in the forest, but he imagined that neither would be very appetizing to Jo.
“Chinese it is, then,” she replied, hiding her smile. “I’ll just order something different this time. Keep things interesting.” She paused, looking up at him. “What about Tom?”
“What about him,” Nick asked, taking a long swig of his coffee.
“Should we order something for him?” she asked, her gaze averting slightly. “I don’t want him to feel left out.”
“You’re too kind, thinking of him,” Nick replied, his voice noncommittal. “But he’s a big boy. He can take care of himself.”
Jo squared her shoulders. “I’ll get something for him anyway. If he doesn’t want it, you can eat it tomorrow while you work. We can run by the shop to drop it off on our way back, can’t we?
Nick shrugged. “Sure.” He bristled a bit at the thought of Jo working so hard to play nice, but calmed himself down. She was willing to make the effort because that’s the type of person she was. He just hoped Tom wouldn’t be rude to her this time. If he was really going through with this mate thing, he needed his brother to accept it as much as he did.
He watched Jo chew on her lip. “That fight, Nick… was it about me?” she asked cautiously. “I kind of get the vibe that he doesn’t really like me being around.”
Nick mouth twisted for a moment. He thought of how to work things and keep them vague. His bear huffed. “It’s not that, Jo. To be honest, he’s just concerned about you. It can get pretty dangerous here.” All of that was true, technically, just not for the reasons Jo might think.
“You mean like with the bears?”
“Definitely like with the bears.”
“Why was he so angry with you, then?” she asked.
Nick rubbed her ankle in small circles, averting his gaze, slightly. “I told him that I didn�
�t think the bears would come near the cabin. I’d insisted you’d be safe.”
“I didn’t get hurt,” she pointed out.
“Yeah, but you should have never been in danger in the first place,” he replied quickly. “That’s on me.”
“Hey, you were only trying to help me out of the kindness of your heart, Nick. I won’t fault you for that,” she assured.
“I am really sorry for that, Jo,” he murmured solemnly.
“Didn’t you just hear me? There will be no more of that. There’s nothing to apologize for.” She smiled. “There was no way for you to know that wild bears were going to rampage your cabin, you know?” She shrugged, her smile growing to a grin. “First my car, and now the cabin. Maybe I’m just a secret bear magnet!”
Nick wanted to laugh with her, but unease flip-flopped in his stomach. All of it had been totally been his fault—both the cabin and her car.
She gave him a shy glance, sipping again on her mug. “You’re still… staying the night, right?” she asked quietly. “Or is Tom…”
“Oh, Tom’s fine with it,” Nick lied quickly. “Really. We got out all our anger, and by tomorrow morning, we’ll be back to our old chummy selves as we work on your car, guaranteed. You have nothing to worry about. I promise.”
“Cool,” she said, an air of relief about her. She stood. “Now let’s go get some Chinese. I’m starving.”
Chapter Thirteen
Jo leaned on the counter, gazing up at the menu. “What does Tom normally get?”
Venison, raw and freshly killed, Nick thought to himself, hiding his grin. “Chow Mein.”
“Good choice,” she quipped, grinning.
“Sweet and sour for me,” Nick said, never taking his eyes off Jo. She seemed in high spirits tonight, more relaxed with less tension.
“Will you stop watching me,” she said out of the corner of her mouth. “I’m trying to order here.”
Nick grinned, allowing his eyes to travel down the length of her lean body. “I can’t help it,” he murmured, making her blush.
“I thought you said this was a bad idea,” she whispered.
He shrugged, truly feeling at peace with his decision. “All good things are worth playing the odds.” He saw her excitement shiver up her spine, instantly detecting her arousal. She licked her lips and began to focus too intently on the menu.
A growl of pleasure rattled in Nick’s chest, anticipating the night to come. Let’s just get back to the cabin, he told his bear. He could wait that long, at least.
Jo finally decided on orange chicken, paying quickly as they bagged the food. Nick received that bag, waving at the familiar faces as they exited the restaurant.
They’d stopped by the mechanic shop, as planned, but Tom was nowhere to be found, his car missing from the lot. Nick wasn’t really worried about him; he often drove deeper into the woods when he wanted to hunt. They placed his food in the back room in a little fridge, Jo leaving him a little note on the table so he knew they’d brought him something.
As they headed out, they passed by Jo’s car. Tom had said he’d have the lights fixed by tonight, but one was still very clearly busted. With an inward groan, Nick told himself he’d have to have another talk with Tom about letting personal spats get in the way of a deadline.
“Okay, note’s finished. We should probably get going huh?” Jo asked, voice only slightly suggestive of things to come.”
Nick grinned in response, snaking his arm around her waist and nearly lifting her off her feet. “Of course. I’m practically starving.”
“Careful!” she laughed. “I know you’re… hungry, but let’s at least wait until we’re back at the cabin!”
***
Nick was impressed by his restrain as they made it back to the cabin. He and Jo had managed to eat dinner, drink a couple of glasses of wine, and even allowed themselves some quiet time to digest their meal with little to no sexual escapades. Hell, he even had time to get the front door firmly reattached to the frame.
If he had to admit, part of him was terrified about taking the next step. Doubt worried his every movement, and he wanted it to be perfect. Slow and steady was his mantra as the night unfolded before them, and de decided he’d wait for her to make the first move.
Currently, Jo was reading the book she’d read to him earlier, tucked comfortable into the reading nook. It seemed to be her favorite place. He’d noticed that she’d been passing sidelong glances at him more and more as the night grew longer, and he figured any moment now, the world would change for them forever.
Just as he’d convinced himself to relax back into his chair a far off roar pierced his ears. Not just any roar.
Tom.
Jo looked up from her book, mild alarm on her face. “Bear?” Nick nodded. “Is everything okay?” she asked, walking to him when he didn’t answer.
Nick sprang from his seat almost immediately, his lips peeling back into a feral snarl. He absently heard Jo gasp in shock, no doubt surprised by his bear showing, but it was something too far beyond his control at this point. His brother was issuing a challenge and he was obligated to accept.
“Nick!” she called tentatively. “Are you okay?”
He already headed for the door. There was no quelling the bear this time; it would not sleep. He could only hope that he’d get far enough away so that Jo wouldn’t be able to see him shift. “I need to go,” he said through clenched teeth. “Gonna make sure that bear isn’t coming this way.”
“Nick, it’s—”
He didn’t wait for her to finish her sentence, as he stomped to the door, throwing it open behind him so hard that it rattled on its newly attached hinges.
He caught his brother’s scent as he undressed, his anger boiling over so that the bear practically exploded from his skin. Snarling, he ran into the woods, gunning straight for Tom.
He wasn’t far off, waiting for Nick to meet him deep in the forest.
“What the hell are you doing, Tom?” Nick snapped.
“Showing you just how stupid you’re being,” Tom growled back. “How close were you to changing in front of her? Of losing control and outing all our secrets?”
Nick recalled the bear trying to claw its way out of his skin right there in the sitting room, the look of shock on Jo’s face as he snarled. “You tried to force me to change in front of Jo? Are you insane?” Nick roared.
“It’s the only way to get you to see reason, Nick!” The two bears started to slowly circle each other. “This is the only way I know left to get through to you!”
With no warning, Nick lunged for Tom, his teeth snapping viciously as his roar tore through the trees.
***
Nick wasn’t sure how long the fight lasted, but as they both lay exhausted in the damp undergrowth, he knew he’d feel the aftereffects of this brawl in the morning. He wanted to keep going, to fight fang over fang for his right to mate Jo, but his body would fight no more. He could barely manage to wobble to his feet, stalking slowly back in the direction of the cabin.
“You’re going back?” he heard behind him.
“Just leave me alone.” He didn’t look back.
Chapter Fourteen
Jo paced up and down the cabin, hoping that Nick was okay. The memory of his face, contorted in some sort of rage before he stormed out the cabin… the very thought of it made her shudder.
Finally, the door swung open, Nick kicking off his shoes as he stepped inside looking completely exhausted.
“Oh my goodness,” Jo exclaimed, running over to him. “Are you okay?”
“Can you lock the door?” he asked, chest heaving as he staggered to the sofa. Jo obliged, locking and bolting the door tightly behind him.
“Is everything else locked?” Jo nodded yes, though she didn’t see much of a point to locking things up when the peep windows on with side of the front door were little more than plastic wrap and duct tape.
She sat down next to him, eyeing him worriedly. “Are you okay?”
she repeated.
“I’m fine,” he replied, looking exactly the opposite of fine. He leaned his head back against the top of the sofa, slumping into the cushions. “Just tired.”
“Did you get rid of them?”
“Who?” Nick asked, looking at her through slit eyes.
She paused. “The bears you went after?”
“Oh. Right,” Nick remembered. “Yeah, I did.”
“Did you like… chase ‘em off or something?” Despite her obvious worry for his fatigue, she couldn’t help but notice the way the thin fabric of his shirt clung to his sweaty muscled chest as he panted for air.
“Yeah,” he breathed. “Something like that.” He allowed himself a few gasps of air before he stood. It was slow and looked kind of painful. “I’m going to go take a shower before I sweat all over everything.” Without so much as a backward glance, he ascended the stairs. Jo heard the bathroom door close, closely followed by the spurt of the shower faucet.
Jo let out a slow, long breath, her slowly building heat for him cooled by his complete lack of interest. Had something changed between their trip to get Chinese and now? Had chasing bears really sucked that much life out of him?
She’d realized about half way through dinner that he was waiting for her to make the first move, and had planned it for when she was finished with her second glass of wine. He’d left half way through glass number two, and now he was like this. Confusion cooled her senses as she pondered her next move.
Part of her definitely wanted to follow him to the stairs, to waltz right into the bathroom and join him in the shower. But if he had wanted her to do that, wouldn’t he have at least beckoned her or given her at least the slightest glance? What if she went to join him and he got angry? What if he pushed her away? What if—
“Holy crap,” she muttered to herself, an epiphany dawning. “I’m treating Nick like Brian.” All the pieces clicked into place. She was finally doing something she found joy in, and slowly she was trying to backpedal and be complacent for fear of being rejected and opposed.
The Jaguar's Romance Page 52