by Eve Langlais
“So I don’t have to hurt anyone?” He sounded so disappointed.
“Oh, someone needs a hurting,” said Eudora. Jade winced with Ark when his mother snapped a naked haunch with a dish towel and barked, “Get some clothes on. We have guests. Mind your manners.”
“We are not a hippie commune.” Said by Aunt Athene.
“Except on full moons,” whispered Titaia to titters.
“Are you sure you’re okay? You’re crying.” He looked so adorably confused and her sister so amused. As a matter of fact, everyone was amused.
And she was so … overwhelmed. “I’m crying because I’m happy, you idiot. Can’t you tell?” she wailed.
“I think I’m going to find some pants.”
“Maybe you should!” she yelled. Because trying to keep her gaze averted was hard. The man was built like a Greek god. All muscle and tanned skin.
When Ark turned around, she was treated to a lovely view of his ass as he walked away. Just as good-looking as the front. Sigh.
“I know. Always a pleasure to watch. He’s got my husband’s glutes,” confided the old lady. “It skips a generation, so don’t expect your children to get the Stover ass. But your grandchildren might.”
“Um, why are you all assuming I’m going to be getting hitched with Ark?” Bad enough Ark kept alluding to it too.
For some reason, the query brought guffaws of laughter.
“Sweet child, that fate was sealed the moment he set eyes on you.”
More of the assertion that they belonged together. It wasn’t just Ark now but these women, his closest family relatives, who acted as if it were a foregone conclusion.
Did she not get a choice? Attraction wasn’t the only thing to aspire to in a relationship. She had yet to decide if she even liked Ark. He was pushy, arrogant, overbearing …
A bear. Cuddly and sweet and protective.
I think I’m screwed. Which led to more sighs as the madness continued. It had been over an hour since she’d arrived. Given her emotional wreckage, a pair of women whisked her away via a few hallways, possibly through a portal, then another hall or two before arriving at a bedroom. They’d shoved her in a bathroom and told her to take a relaxing bath. She’d opted for a shower instead, wishing the soothing hot water would wash away the strange feeling within her.
It took her a while to figure out what bothered her. So much had happened. The world she thought she knew had turned upside down. She got the feeling nothing would ever be the same again, and that scared her. Just like Ark and his family scared her, not because she worried about them hurting her but because of what they represented; belonging. She’d spent her life trying to hold her family together, taking care of them on her own. And here was family that wanted to not just absorb her in their midst but seemed determined to coddle her for once. The very idea was baffling. But it also intrigued.
What would it be like to belong to a family that, at the request of one member, would converge en masse to rescue another? What would it be like to be one of these women who so readily accepted her and assumed she would join them as a happy wife to a crazy Greek bear?
I kind of want to find out. Something she wouldn’t accomplish hiding in the shower.
Emerging a while later from the bathroom, she found a plate of food waiting for her, along with the aunt called Nerine, who pulled out a brush and told her to “Sit.”
It seemed best to not argue with the matronly woman. While Jade ate, the aunt brushed and then weaved strands of hair. The combination was like a euphoric relaxation pill. It made her say more than she should have. “Do you really believe I’ll marry Ark?” Sleep with him? Sure. They’d made it to third base, and she wasn’t averse to the idea of a home run, but forever?
“You will marry. And soon. You are fated mates.”
“I don’t know if I can wrap my mind around this whole fated thing you guys take for granted.” The idea that love was instant, and not something built over time, seemed impossible. But then again, perhaps there was an esoteric formula, a magical combination of souls that was just meant to work together.
Could that be true of me and Ark?
“We all have a bit of adjusting to do when we first find out about it. You’re not the first one to wonder.” Nerine took a seat across from her, the ledge on the window wide enough for a cushion to sit on. “When my Giorgi first found me and told me I was his, I laughed at him. Who was this man to declare I belonged to him? I refused to date him just on principle.” A smile of fond remembrance lit her features. “He was so persistent, though. Every day he would come to the dry cleaner I worked at. One day he would bring me a large bouquet of flowers. The next, jars of honey. Chocolates. I finally agreed to go on a date with him if he’d stop. We became inseparable after that night, and I’ve now been with my Giorgi for eighteen years.”
“So it worked for you.”
“Not just me. My older sister Athene didn’t even try to play hard to get, and she has been with Yohan for thirty-four.”
“Surely there are some relationships that fail?” Jade had seen love die firsthand.
“Not if they were fated.”
It gave her something to think about. How could she not ponder such faith? The question was, should she give in to this wild feeling she had for Ark? What of her sister? They still didn’t know who the daddy was.
But it’s not Ark. The certainty wouldn’t waver.
It took an eternity of hallways and possibly a trip through some kind of wormhole before they emerged at last into the yard. It took her a moment to take it all in. Large oak trees bordered a yard the size of a hockey rink. Soft white lights, strung in the trees, lit the darkness. There were picnic tables and patio sets and even a few fire pits scattered around. Closer to the house, long tables, laden with platters, mostly empty of food.
Music played, fun and upbeat. Bodies swayed to the rhythm, boisterous stomping and swinging. Plenty of clapping and laughing too.
She couldn’t help but note the men; big, burly, and boisterous, their laughter loudly exuberant, their hands often gesturing. Many of them danced, doing their own thing and smiling as they did, their cheeks flushed and eyes bright.
There were an equal number of women it seemed, but unlike the men, they came in a wider variety of shapes and heights. Whereas the men stuck to trousers or jeans and collared shirts, the ladies seemed to have covered every single fashion from sedate knee-covering skirts to a plaid shorts ensemble that just covered some cheeks.
Jade was lucky in that her luggage, last seen getting loaded on the train, actually made it to Ark’s home. She was quite comfortable in her well-washed blue jeans and her shell-colored long-sleeve knit jersey. Pausing by the back door of the house, she hesitated to enter the large group celebrating. “Are you sure my sister is out here?”
“Right over there.” Nerine pointed to where Ruby held court, a bunch of men hovering, big dudes who all appeared to be talking and smiling.
“Who are they?”
“Possible fathers. We did our best to round them all up to meet your sister.”
Jade almost choked. “You know?”
“Of course we know. It’s family business.”
A family they wanted her to become a part of. “You know what, since she looks fine, maybe I’ll go back to my room and lie down. It’s been a—”
“Nonsense. You are not tired. Don’t be scared. No one will hurt you here. Ark would kill them. So go. Have fun.” A shove at her back sent her stumbling a few steps forward. “You should find Ark before he gets growly again. New mates are always so protective.”
Find Ark? No, what she should do was grab Ruby and run away from these crazy people. She wasn’t ready for this kind of blunt chaos in her life. She whirled to march back into the house, only to hear an exuberant, “There you are, koukla!”
“Eep.” She uttered a sharp scream as her feet left the ground and she found herself hoisted over a brawny shoulder. Bottom up and head down, the startling
reversal in gravity made her screech. “What are you doing?”
Before answering, he dropped her down until her feet touched the ground, but he didn’t let go. His arm curled around her waist. Brown eyes glanced down at her. “I’m dancing. With you.” Spin.
She clung to him, and only when they stood in one spot swaying again did she manage to sputter, “What if I don’t want to dance?”
“Are you tired?” A look of concern creased his brow. “Fear not. I’ll dance for both of us.” Again, she was hoisted, her feet leaving the ground by more than a few inches, bringing her high enough that they hugged, cheek to cheek.
It was kind of cute. Real cute. Panty-melting cute.
She had to fight his allure. Bad enough his family already planned a wedding. This would just cement their mistaken belief that she and Ark were destined to be together.
Would it be so bad? Not while it lasted. But what if it ended?
I don’t want to end up like my mom.
She needed to distract herself from the temptation he represented. “I think I met half the western seaboard. Apparently they are all related to you.”
“Not all. But we do have plenty of scattered lines through the United States.”
“How do you remember all their names?”
“It’s easier than you would think.” He spun her and, keeping only a single arm wrapped around her waist, pointed with his other hand. “That’s Cyndi. Makes the best chocolate chip cookie dough ever. Then Mallory.” Another jab. “She works as a chiropractor and can make your spine crackle from top to bottom. That’s my second cousin Fiona. She used to hunt frogs with me until she got boobs.”
“You have an insane amount of family.”
“It’s not crazy it’s—”
“Greek. So I keep hearing. You know, your family seems convinced we’re going to get married and pop out babies for them to fatten.” She assumed they wanted to feed them because chubby babies were cute and not because they were a delicacy among bears.
“They are rather excited. I am one of the first of my generation to find his mate. They will start behaving once we have our second child.”
“Second? That might be a little difficult given I have no plans to have sex with you.” Obviously taking things any further was not feasible. She wasn’t ready for the type of commitment they seemed determined to demand.
“You are going to have sex with me. A lot of sex. You have needs. I will take care of them.” Stated with such cocky confidence.
“Or I could take care of myself.”
“Can I watch?” He twirled them so fast on the dance floor exhilaration hiccupped her breath, and when she caught it back, she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Making me dizzy won’t make me change my mind. I think things are moving too fast. So many marriages end in divorce.”
“Because it wasn’t the right person. The right bear.” He smiled as he set her on her feet. He tilted her chin. “We are meant for each other. You’ll see.” His lips dipped close. “You’ll feel.”
A shiver went through her at the hot words breathed upon her lips.
Kiss me. She thought it. Wanted it, and yet, before they could press together in an embrace, someone grabbed her arm and spun her with a mirth-filled “My turn, cousin.”
“But she’s mine,” exclaimed Ark as she was pulled away.
“Not until the wedding she’s not.” The teasing cousin kept spinning Jade until she thought she would fall.
It wasn’t Jade that fell but rather her partner as Ark took him out with a left hook. The other fellow hit the ground with a groan. Ark glowered over his cousin. “Mine. Don’t touch. Come.” He didn’t ask, but grabbed her hand and pulled her off the dance floor. He seemed a tad angry. Volatile, like a volcano about to erupt.
Or a bear about to rampage.
A man on the edge and dangerous yet she didn’t hesitate to follow him. A part of her wondered at her trust in him.
He’s big. Violent. Unpredictable. But also gentle, and fiercely protective, and sensual. So sensual with her, such as when he reached a wide-trunked tree and pressed her back against it. He framed her with his arms and his body.
“I see we’re not done with the cave bear act yet.”
“I won’t apologize. Where you’re concerned, I lack control. I can’t stand to see another man’s hands on you. I want to claim you. Take you and mark you as mine.”
“You can’t own me.”
“You think I would own you?” He laughed. “Don’t you see? You are the one who has me. I am yours to command. I need you, koukla.”
Need. What a funny word. When Jade was young, her mother needed her to do the laundry and make the kids’ lunch in the summer. Sometimes even breakfast and dinner. Her siblings needed her to do homework and give them rides when she got her license. She’d been needed her whole life.
But Ark’s need was different. This need was about heat and desire. A desire for her as a woman, a sensual being who deserved the touch and affection of a man. Not just any man.
Ark.
He held an insane ability to make her feel breathless. Only he could moisten her panties with just a smoldering look or touch. He made her need too. She didn’t just need the way he made her feel; she wanted it.
“I want you.” The words were said aloud, and the regret she’d fear in admitting her weakness didn’t hit. Not yet.
His lips quirked. “I know.”
“That’s all you have to say?” She glared at him. “Why do I even like you? You are insufferably arrogant.”
“You like it.” He drew her closer. “Admit it. You think I’m like hot honey on toast.”
“I hate toast.”
“How can you hate toast?” His brows rose. “Put some creamed honey on it and it’s like the best thing ever.”
“I’m more of a cheese spread on crackers kind of girl.”
“You will learn to love honey.” Solemnly stated.
“How can you be sure?”
“Because I know.”
“Incoming!” The shout had Ark turning his head, but it was Jade who slipped from his grasp to catch the Frisbee.
“Nice catch.”
She grinned and waggled the disc.
Someone shouted, “Wanna play?”
As a matter of fact, she did. Especially since it was six cousins against her and Ark. Oh and Ruby, but she was more of an honorary player, given she didn’t move from the table and only caught one Frisbee that came her way.
It was a rollicking fun time full of dodging, running, laughing, and the occasional grab by Ark, who held her in the air to catch the higher tosses.
It was the sexiest thing she’d ever done with a guy—and there was nothing they could do to celebrate it. One thing was made very clear to her and that was Ark’s grandmother didn’t condone any hanky-panky under her roof by unwed young’uns. She and Ark would have separate bedrooms.
“A pity.”
“What’s a pity?” Ark asked, handing her a glass of punch.
“Do you realize this will be the first night we haven’t slept partially together since we met?”
“Says who?” he asked.
“Your aunts. Your grandma. Everyone.”
“Have a little faith. My brothers and cousins might be excellent cockblockers, but they also make great wing men.”
He’d no sooner spoken than he tossed a nod toward Stavros. The Frisbee hit a beer in an older fellow’s hands.
“Hey.” The disc was sent back and managed to smack the noggin of a guy by the food table. He fell against it, and rose, face smeared with jelly, holding cookies. He fired them like Frisbees.
It took only a jaw-dropping moment to turn the yard into the world’s biggest food fight, and in that chaos, Ark dragged her off into the shadows, but he headed for the house, not away from it.
“Where are we going?” she whispered.
“Your room.”
“But I don’t see a door,” she remarked as they stopped
by a wall with lots of windows surrounded by ivy.
“We can’t go through the house; we’d be caught. Hold on to me. I’ll show you the best way to sneak in.”
Perhaps the punch held a little more punch than she knew. Whatever the reason, she clung to Ark piggyback style as he maneuvered the awfully strong trellis bolted to the house. At any moment she expected them to get caught, but then again, judging by the yells coming from around the rear of the home, the food fight was still in full swing.
The window was partially ajar. He shoved the screen to the side and widened the space before manhandling her inside.
He hoisted his forearms on the windowsill and vaulted in. The room assigned to her might have seemed spacious before, but now with him taking up an awful lot of space, it became cozy.
“Come here.”
The reality of what was about to happen struck her. “Won’t we get in trouble?”
“Only if we’re caught. And the worst that will happen is my grandmother might beat me. She has wooden spoons made of acacia. The toughest wood around.”
“I don’t want you to be beaten.”
His big shoulders lifted and dropped. “I can handle it since it’s for a worthy cause.”
“We could wait.” The words emerged breathless.
“I can’t wait anymore.”
Neither could she.
She moved first, lifting herself on tiptoe, bracing her hands on his chest, tilting her lips for a kiss. He drew her close, bending enough that his lips might brush hers.
As usual, when he touched, she melted. A soft sigh of pleasure left her as his lips plundered hers, stroking them apart, tugging at their fullness. His tongue mingled into her mouth, twisting and twining. A sensual dance that tugged at the core of her, making a spot between her thighs pulse.
It wasn’t the only thing showing a pulse. The hardness of his shaft pressed against her lower belly, a caged beast in need of taming.
Giggle.
“What’s funny?”
“You. Me. This.” She laughed again. “I’m a grown woman, who is worried about getting caught and spanked.”
His lips curled into a devilish grin. “Anytime you need a spanking, just ask.”
Again, she giggled, the moment fraught with sexual tension and yet, at the same time, so enjoyable.