by Elena Aitken
Secretly, Nina had been thrilled when Harper’s ex had finally gone public with his lover. Despite the fact that it had caused chaos for Harper and her life because he hadn’t been very classy about the split, and had eventually tried to ruin her publicly, Nina knew it was going to be the fresh start that Harper had always deserved. And she’d gotten it too.
With Axel.
“I know it wasn’t the best situation,” Nina said. “But I’m so glad you had to go through that, sweetie, because you wouldn’t be here with Axel and sweet Lily if you hadn’t.”
It was the right thing to say, but also the wrong thing because Harper once again burst into tears.
“Hey.” Nina jumped out of her chair and handed her friend a tissue. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“I know.” Harper dabbed at her eyes. “And you didn’t. Well, you did… But it’s not like that. I’m just happy.”
Nina had to take her word for it because a moment later, Chloe, Ella, and Bree appeared from the curtained-off back room. “Are you ready?” Bree extended Harper her hand. “Because your dress is and I can’t wait to see you in it. It’s gorgeous.”
Harper stood and tugged at her T-shirt. “I hope so because after Lily was born, I just can’t seem to drop this extra weight.”
“You are a very yummy mummy,” Chloe said.
“And you know Axel loves every single inch of you.” Ella grinned at her and they all laughed because it was true. Axel adored Harper and all her curves. In fact, as Nina looked around the room, all of the women there were curvy, with a little extra padding, but they all had partners who worshiped them completely. All except Bree, but Nina had just met her. She might have someone, too, who Nina hadn’t met yet.
And then there was Ryker. He didn’t seem to mind Nina’s curves. In fact, it had seemed like quite the opposite. Ryker had seemed to quite enjoy her curves.
A spark lit deep in her core at the memory of the way he’d touched her.
Hopefully he’d get another chance soon to check out all of her curves a little more thoroughly later.
“He does,” Harper said proudly. “But that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to look fierce in my dress.”
Bree laughed. “Oh, I promise you. All eyes will definitely be on you. Now go. Try it on. I’m dying to see how it looks.”
“So, you and Nina, huh?” Axel made the comment offhandedly as he and Ryker walked down the path to Axel and Harper’s cabin, but Ryker knew there wasn’t anything offhanded about it. He wasn’t kidding himself to think that there wasn’t a lot more meaning laced through Axel’s words.
“Nope.”
Axel stopped and stared at him. “Is that right? Because that’s not what I heard.”
“And what did you hear, Axel? Because there is no me and Nina.”
“Well, maybe you don’t consider it a thing to go for a ride with a woman in the mountains and come back with her wearing your shirt. But I think I know more than a few people around here who would consider it a thing.” Axel winked in his direction, which only annoyed him. “Especially because ever since you set foot on the ridge, your bear has barely been contained, cousin. I think you may have found your—”
“Shut up.” He gritted his teeth and took a step up to Axel so he was right in his cousin’s face. It’s not that he wanted to punch him only days before his wedding, but he would if it came to that. If it meant he’d keep his mouth shut.
Because the last thing Ryker wanted to hear was what he knew Axel was going to say. And if he breathed one word about a mate, Ryker could not be held responsible for his actions.
Grizzlies didn’t mate with humans.
He glanced at his cousin, who’d resumed walking.
At least they shouldn’t mate with humans or half breeds, or…dammit. He knew it had been a mistake coming to the ridge. Whatever was going on up here was wrong. Axel knew it. His brother knew it and his grandfather was not pleased about it. He’d be even less pleased to know that Ryker had engaged in any kind of relations with a human. But dammit, he couldn’t have stopped himself if every member of his family had stood between him and Nina. He had to have her. The fact that he’d been able to resist plunging himself deep within her depths was something he still didn’t fully understand. The amount of restraint it had taken was unlike anything he’d ever had to do before, but having her juices on him had been enough.
Once.
It wouldn’t be enough a second time and he knew it.
Axel shook his head and laughed as he kept walking. “Whatever you say, cousin. But I know what I see.” He grinned and Ryker balled his hands into fists at his side. “Even if you don’t,” Axel said as he slipped past.
Ryker had to hold himself back from charging after him. After a moment, and a deep breath, he managed to pull himself together and follow Axel up the steps into his cabin. By the time he stepped inside, he was feeling relatively calmer, and more than ready to change the subject.
Unfortunately, Axel still wasn’t ready to move on.
“You know,” he said when Ryker stepped into the cozy cabin. “I know what you’re feeling because I recognize myself in you. A lot.”
Ryker shook his head and accepted the cold beer his cousin offered him.
“It’s true,” Axel continued. “I didn’t want to see it either. I mean, come on, we share the same grandfather.”
He froze, the beer halfway to his lips. It was true. Of course. They had the same grandfather. They’d been raised the same way. Only it had been worse for Axel and his siblings because their grandfather had cast out his mother and father. All because she’d chosen what he thought of as the wrong mate. And then everything that had happened with Kira…of course Axel would have been all kinds of conflicted when he’d fallen for Harper. From all reports that Ryker had heard, Axel had been so clouded by her before they mated that he hadn’t even realized she was a half breed. It wasn’t until after.
So he was willing to give it all up, to risk everything—the banishment of his family—for a human.
Ryker swallowed hard. “So why did you do it?” Suddenly the need to know what drove Axel to make the choices he’d made a year ago was the most important thing. “Why did you risk Grandfather’s wrath? Banishment from the clan? Exile? All of it?”
Axel grinned. “We were already banished, remember?”
“You know that’s not the same thing. You know this is different.”
And it was.
Very different.
It was one thing to be banished for not going after your little sister when she made a poor choice. It was a very different thing altogether to choose a mate who was so wildly unsuitable for the clan, thereby concreting your banishment. A very different thing. And more than anything, Ryker needed to know how Axel could have done it. In that moment, it became the most important thing for him to know. Was it because he was feeling things for Nina? Things he couldn’t understand? Or was it something different? More innocent?
“Why?” he asked again, focused on the answer. “You risked everything.” Ryker shook his head, trying to sort it in his mind. “Why did you choose her?”
With his beer bottle still to his mouth, Axel’s lips curled up in to a slow smile before he took a careful sip. Finally, he lowered the beer and looked right at Ryker. “Because there was no other choice.”
“Oh my God, Harper.” Nina’s breath was truly taken away when her best friend stepped out of the curtained back room in her wedding gown. She pressed her hand to her mouth and didn’t even try to stop the tears that sprang from her eyes. “You look…”
“Magical,” Chloe supplied for her.
It really was the best word for it. Nina nodded dumbly. “You do.” She took a step toward her friend. “You look like a princess.”
“Maravilloso.”
“You’re making me rethink the whole wedding thing.” Chloe pressed her hands to her chest. “I mean…you are the most stunning bride.”
“You really are.”
Bree, who was the owner of the store and the creator of the dress that was currently making Harper look so magical, stepped forward. “When you asked me to design this dress, I never could have imagined that it would turn out so…”
“Perfect.” Harper spun around so she was looking in the mirror at her reflection. The dress was a rich ivory that complemented her skin tone and the slight tan Harper had from the summer sun. It was an off the shoulder style, with a plunging V-neck that could have been too risqué, but on Harper it was absolutely perfect. It maximized her cleavage without being indecent. The fitted bodice accented her curves, with the most subtle embellishments on it before it flared out into a skirt that danced around her toes.
“It really is perfect.” Nina came to stand beside her. “You really do look gorgeous. You are simply glowing.” Nina laughed at herself. “I know that’s a cliché, but it’s true. You really are. Even more than you were before.”
“It’s because I’m so happy.” Tears sprang to her eyes again, the emotions once again getting the best of her. “It’s Axel. It’s having my perfect mate.”
Nina stepped back. There was that word again. These women really were strange with their word choices. “You mean your fiancé?”
“Of course.” Harper waved at her. “My partner. My mate. My soul mate.” She dabbed at her tears, but continued to look at her reflection as she spoke. “There’s something completely life-altering about finding your soul mate, Nina. It’s like from the moment you lay eyes on each other, everything is changed. The world is brighter, the music sweeter.” She turned to look at her friend. “I know it sounds ridiculous. But it happens in an instant. One moment, you’re living your life and the next, this man walks into it and changes everything. From that moment, everything is different and the crazy part is, you might know that something has shifted, but you can’t quite put your finger on it. You just know it’s different. And then…you realize what it is. It’s him. And you can’t imagine taking another breath without him.”
Nina stood transfixed by her best friend’s words.
“Does that make sense?”
Nina nodded and took a step back. “It does,” she said before she turned away. Because it did. It made so much sense that it scared the hell out of her.
Chapter Eight
The afternoon light was just right, and considering Axel didn’t need him for anything wedding related, Ryker decided it was the perfect time to sneak away with his camera and take some shots of the ridge and the valley below. Landscapes had always been his favorite type of photography. It’s where he’d started out when he was a teenager and had gotten a hold of his dad’s old camera. He used to sneak away and take pictures of the mountains and the forest. Every chance he got, he’d blow off his chores to capture the incredible beauty of the Montana mountain ranges.
Over the years, those initial attempts at photography had grown into a passion, and with more practice, Ryker had become pretty good at it. Okay, he’d become damn good at it. He started entering his photos into contests and to his surprise, he’d started winning.
Working as a freelance photographer had always been a dream he’d never really thought would come true. After all, that was the type of career that happened to other people. Like being a movie star or the lead singer in a rock band. It wasn’t something that could happen to him.
But it did. And now he got to travel the world, taking photographs of some of the most beautiful places he’d ever seen. All while rock climbing or white-water rafting or any of the other crazy things he’d done in an effort to get the perfect shot. And he always got it. That’s why he was so successful.
No fear.
He’d risk his life to get the right lighting, the proper angle, the most breathtaking scene.
But it had been a long time since Ryker had gone out alone, with just him and his camera, to do what he loved most: take pictures of the Montana mountains.
Which was why he’d packed a little lunch, grabbed a backpack with his camera carefully tucked into it, and snuck away from the Den, headed for the ridge.
He’d been out there for about an hour, his camera clicking with shot after shot of the beautiful mountains he’d grown up with. As much as he loved to travel and see the world, there was nothing quite like being back home. Maybe one day he’d consider settling down, coming home for good.
Maybe.
But for what?
He didn’t have a mate. Hell, he’d never felt the pull to pair up and mate with anyone.
Except one.
“No.” Nina wasn’t mating material and it definitely wasn’t that type of pull that he’d felt. It was a sexual thing, that was it. Pure and simple sex.
Or was it?
“Get a hold of yourself, man.”
He once again lifted the camera, determined to lose himself in the simple act of taking photos to distract himself from the growing sense of confusion within him. But no sooner had he done so than his head started to spin, his senses filling with the heady scent of honey and apples.
Nina.
His bear growled and at once his senses sharpened, listening for her, scenting her. A moment later, he was rewarded with the sweet sight of her sensuous curves, wrapped in another of those tight T-shirts. She was wearing hiking shorts that were probably a little shorter than was practical, but he didn’t mind because her strong, long legs were showcased perfectly for him to drink in.
She was alone. A small pack on her back, she looked to be lost in thought as she walked along the ridge, gazing out over the valley below.
She shouldn’t be alone. It was dangerous.
He’d kill his cousins for letting her venture out into the woods on her own. It wasn’t safe. They should be protecting her.
From what? Him?
He shook his head, and lifted the camera and snapped a picture. She was gorgeous.
So lost in thought, her defenses down, there was a sensitive and vulnerable side to her he hadn’t seen yet. Well, except when she’d come completely undone for him, lost in a shattering orgasm. Watching Nina come had been one of the single most erotic things he’d ever seen. But even that wasn’t the same as what he was witnessing now.
An innocence. A vulnerability. A—
“Ryker?”
She turned and the moment she saw him, a smile crossed her face. Just as beautiful. Maybe more so.
Why was it that every look this woman had was sexier than the next? Why was it that every time she looked at him with those deep blue eyes, he had to fight the urge to grab her face and kiss her until she melted into his arms?
He snapped one more photo, this one of her sexy smile, and dropped the camera to his side. He took a step toward her. “What are you doing out here?”
“Probably the same thing you are.” She stuck a hand on her hip and challenged him. “Looking for a little solitude.”
“It’s dangerous out here.” He didn’t bother telling her that the real danger came from him. Because the tangle of feelings racing through his body were definitely dangerous and if he wasn’t careful, they were both going to be in trouble.
“You know what?” Nina walked toward him.
He couldn’t take his eyes off the sway in her hips. Ryker wanted to grab those hips and hold tight while he drove deeply into her, filling her, claiming her—shit. He needed to stop thinking that way.
“Everyone is always saying how dangerous it is out here,” she continued as she got closer. “But I don’t see any danger. In fact, I haven’t seen even one animal. Nothing bigger than a squirrel anyway.”
“Is that right?” One more step and she was only an arm’s reach away. Close enough to touch. To kiss. “And were you hoping to spot a wild animal?”
“Honestly?”
“Of course.” His voice was low, the growl of desire only barely contained. The need he had for this woman was almost painful.
“I think I’ve already spotted one.” She reached out and ran one finger down his chest.
Th
e touch of her was too much. In a flash, his hand gripped her wrist and he yanked her roughly toward him.
Her breath caught in her throat as Ryker grabbed her. Her breasts pressed into him as he held her tight to him. She couldn’t have moved if she wanted to.
But she didn’t.
Nina didn’t want to go anywhere. Not if it meant Ryker taking his hands off her. All she could think of since their last visit to the woods was the feel of his fingers on her, his mouth on her heat, teasing, pleasing. Pulling pleasure from her that she didn’t even know was possible.
It’s not as if she’d never had sex before but with Ryker, everything was different. Hotter, more intense, and just—better in every single sense.
“You have no idea what you do to me,” he growled into her ear.
The stubble on his cheek scraped her sensitive skin and the sensation raced through her, settling deep in her core.
“Don’t I?” She lifted her chin to meet the crush of his mouth on her lips. The groan that escaped her shook her, but she didn’t care. She needed this man. All of him.
He still had a tight grip on her wrists, so she pressed her pelvis forward to make contact with the hard bulge in his pants and it was Ryker’s turn to groan. “Dammit, woman, you’re going to be the death of me.”
“I certainly hope not.” She squirmed from his grasp long enough to get her hands on his T-shirt and tug it up over his head. With his naked torso exposed to her, Nina took a moment to run her hands over his hard muscles and admire the strength he had. “Because I have plans for you. Now…it’s my turn.” His breath was coming in short, shallow bursts and it was her turn to make him crazy. She wrapped one hand behind his neck, stood on her toes and pressed her mouth to the sensitive skin of his neck. She nibbled and sucked before she bit down. Just a little. Enough to make him growl.
Damn, it was sexy when he did that.
She’d never been with a man who’d been so turned on it was almost animalistic. It turned her on even more, if it were possible. The growl grew louder, and Nina moved her attentions farther south. She kissed her way down his hard, smooth stomach until finally she got to his belt.