by M. L. Briers
CHAPTER TEN
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“I’m sure you’ve delivered enough of those yourself over the years.” Gemma managed a little sneer.
“Never really put myself into the kind of position to need to.” He informed her.
“Love ‘em and leave ‘em.” Her eyebrows raised and lowered again.
“That’s not what-” He started to explain, but she raised a hand and brushed it away.
“I get it. You’re a shifter and humans don’t know.” She gave a small shrug off her shoulders. “You think having magic is easy?”
“Probably not.” He offered, grabbing two beers from the inside of the refrigerator door and kicking it closed. If she was talking to him then he didn’t want to let that moment slip by.
Talking was wooing too. Even if it made him a little uncomfortable doing it…
He crossed the room on a slow walk. He didn’t need her running for the hills again.
He was glad to see that she didn’t move back, not even a step. Although, she did shift her position a little on her feet. He held out a beer and she took it…
“Anyway.” She sighed a little and his beast matched it. “What I meant was – I’m not mad at you for this whole mate thing. That would be stupid.”
“You’re just mad at fate.” He offered, understanding her dilemma. She tossed up a shoulder and gave a half-nod of her head. “I guess it can’t be easy – going for a walk in the woods and coming across a shifter mate… like… surprise, and how was your day?” He grinned.
“Something like that.” There was the faintest light of amusement within her eyes.
She reached up with her free hand and wrapped it around the back of her neck, rubbing over her skin… He had the urge to do that for her, but somehow he didn’t think that she’d appreciate it – just yet.
“Question is; what are you going to do about it?” He offered, before he reached out and flicked off the cap of the bottle within her hand, and then did the same with his own.
“Why does this get laid at my door?” She looked a little wide eyed again, and he had to smile.
“Because, sweetheart-”
“Don’t call me sweetheart.” She said, wrinkling her nose, and giving a slight shake of her head.
“Honey?” He offered and she winced.
“Baby?”
“I’m not really-”
“Darlin’?” His eyebrows slowly rose up towards his hairline.
“Meh.”
“Well, what do you want me to call you?”
“Gemma.” She said on a slow nod. “Just Gemma.”
“And I’m…”
“Landon. You said. I’m not old enough to forget something that quickly.” She shot him a look that warned him off making a joke about that.
“Fair enough.” He nodded with a sly smile. “Because, Gemma…”
She liked the way that he said her name. There was something about that deep gravely tone that made the name that she’d been answering too for all of those years sound like the sexiest damn thing in the universe. Like a caress to her senses.
You could keep your sweetheart, your baby, you honey, and your darlin’ – that, right there. That was worth its weight in gold.
“I think we both know where I stand on this whole mate issue.” He thought she’d zoned out there for a moment. She’d gotten the strangest look in her eyes, but she was back now, and that was all that mattered.
“Well, sure. You’re probably not too fond of the idea of your bear being a psycho lunatic that goes around eating people until your clan put a stop to it by killing you.” It sounded so clinical and he winced a little as she laid out his future – the future that would happen if he couldn’t woo her as a mate – right in front of him.
“Thanks for reminding me.” He offered back dryly.
“Welcome.” She offered, before she put the bottle to her lips and drank down thirstily.
“Better?” He asked when she finally stopped gulping, and she breathed out a long breath and nodded.
“Much.” She eyed him up and down. The fact that he was still standing there in wet clothes, dripping a little on the hardwood floor, and not really noticing made her smile. “You should go shower and change.”
“I’m just fine.” He gave her a knowing smile, his eyes even flicked to the front door and back to her, and she noticed.
“Where’d you think I’m going with half of your clan outside?” She chuckled. Then she sidestepped him and strolled towards the kitchen area. “You shower. I’ll cook… just this once.” She added quickly and he snorted another chuckle.
“Sounds like a plan.” He took a step and stopped. “Can I trust you around sharp implements?” He flashed her another one of those damned sexy smiles and she groaned inwardly as excitement speared her womb…
“Not really.” She offered back with a small apologetic shrug and he frowned. Not sure what way to take that.
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Gemma did the best that she could with what she had. Steak – probably the biggest steaks that she’d ever encountered, so much so that she’d cut hers in half and put it on his plate – eggs, because you could never have enough protein in your diet, beans, and she’d found a pack of mushrooms tucked away in his fridge. Then there was the ketchup.
The moment that she’d plated up the food the door to the bathroom opened and he stepped out, sniffing the air, and wearing a small towel around his hips, and a goofy smile upon his lips…
She almost dropped the frying pan at the sight of him.
Damn, but the man was one sexy beast! She’d never seen a body like that outside of the movies and Television shows.
Muscles… he had them in abundance, and her eyes took a slow roam over every exposed inch as her brain catalogued where she’d like to start and where she’d like to finish exploring with her fingertips and her tongue…
She had to be drooling!
He moved and those muscles danced beneath his skin… There was a low, hungry growl that rumbled through the air between them, and she felt it in her bones…
Gemma’s eyes finally found their way to his face and he had the look of a man who was pleased with himself – not smug, just very, very knowing of what she was thinking.
“Shall I twirl?” He asked as one side of his mouth went up in a smile and her brain tried to process his words, but it was just so damn busy with everything else…
“I’ve seen your butt.” She managed to push out the words, even though her tongue felt dry like sandpaper. “Although, admittedly, it was from a different angle.” She added with a sly little grin of her own.
She wasn’t ashamed to say that she’d looked. She figured at her age the time had long since passed her by to act coy.
Women of a certain age didn’t need to play games – it was too time consuming, and when you hit your forties, you seemed to appreciate time more, at least, she did.
Landon made a slow turn, and sure enough, the back view was just as good as the front. That tiny towel was stretched over the taut cheeks of his backside, and her eyes followed the curve of his spine right to it…
He was certainly a catch in anyone’s book.
“Good enough to eat.” She said, and his head snapped around on his neck as another low rumble came towards her…
His eyebrows reached for his hairline and his eyes narrowed on her. She could see that predator again…
CHAPTER ELEVEN
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“The food.” Gemma lied, and they both knew it. Pointing down to the plates and watching as he swallowed down hard.
“Hmm, teasing is fine until someone gets bitten.” He grinned again, the same lopsided grin that she liked so much.
Yeah, she could see why fate had sent him to her, but she still couldn’t understand why it had sent her to him. He was way out of her league.
“Biting is fine until someone loses their fangs.” She offered back, sweetly, too sweetly – he needed to rememb
er that tone for the future.
“I’ll put some clothes on.” He growled, but in a good way. That hunger was still buried deep within his tone, and she liked it.
“Not on my account.” She teased once more. There was a wicked smile on her lips as she turned and put the pan back on the cooker top.
Landon took that to mean that he didn’t need to stand on ceremony with her. Just as she turned back, he whipped off the towel and dropped it on the floor…
Her eyes snapped down to the jutting, rock hard sight of his erection. It stood tall and proud, and she was sure that she heard the sound of a deflating balloon in her throat as she resisted the urge to lick her damn lips…
He stalked towards the chair and grabbed a pair of fresh, clean jeans. Then he flicked them out and stepped into them, slowly, allowing her the time that she obviously needed to take in the view…
“You’re drooling.” He chuckled and she tossed up a shoulder.
“You don’t want to be ogled, don’t put your goodies out there on display.” She smiled, and that smile did reach her eyes.
Landon had been right. When she smiled, truly smiled, the sunshine came out in the room and lit it up like the best, brightest summer’s day.
“Can I put my goodies away now?” He growled, joining her in this new playful mood that she was in.
“You could whack it out onto the butchers block and see what happens next.” She wrinkled her nose and gave him a teasing smile.
He tilted his head to one side and watched her. He was learning every single one of her moods – storing them for future reference. He liked this side of her… way more than the zapping and the shrieking.
“I’ll pass. For now.” He tucked his length inside his jeans and zipped it in. He was sure that he heard her sigh just a little as he started towards the counter.
Gemma’s eyes never left him. They travelled up the hard muscles of his chest and finally found his eyes.
“Eat.” She said it firmly enough that he didn’t challenge it.
What he wanted to do was walk around that damn counter and give her an even better reason to sigh. He’d kiss her senseless given the chance – and he wanted that chance.
“I guess you didn’t notice that I had this whole alpha thing going on.” His voice was deep, dark, and gravelly.
From that tone alone she knew that he wanted more on his tongue than steak. That more than piqued the interest inside of her.
“Now you mention it.” She shrugged a shoulder.
“But you seem to like to give orders.” He grinned again. His dark eyes were sparkling with amusement.
“I do.” She gave another little shrug, and then reached out and pushed the plate towards him with her index finger against the rim. “Do you have a problem with that, alpha?”
“Depends where those orders are issued.” He deliberately flicked his eyes towards the bed, and she deliberately rested her elbow against the counter top and placed her chin in her upturned hand.
Then she gave him the kind of wicked smile that made his cock twitch. He growled… He couldn’t have held it back if he was oxygen starved and on his last breath.
“Guess that answers that question.” She grinned harder. Then she pulled back and slowly circled the counter top.
Walking on by him felt like picking her way through a minefield. She could literally feel the heat as it came off of his body. Every inch of her was well aware of every inch of him…
Then he turned on the stool that he was perched on and she felt the strong, thick arm circle her waist. He spun her on her heels, bringing her right between his opened legs, and right up against his chest…
Her hand ended up against that hard length and he growled harder, deeper, but she couldn’t have pulled it away even if she’d wanted too because it was sandwiched there between them…
Then his lips came down on hers like he was claiming them for his own…
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Ethan felt like he’d been bad. Not just any kind of bad, but the kind of bad that his school teacher used to berate him for when he was five.
Hell, under her steely gaze, he felt like that five year old cub again, and he had the smarts to know when he’d been beaten.
Sure, he could let his bear loose and let it eat her, but he was trying not to be that mad assed bear shifter. And she was just a little old lady… with mad witch written in her eyes.
“I know she’s here – I can feel her magic.” The little old lady with the white as snow hair and the bad assed attitude glared up at him, and his bear played a sorrowful tune within him.
“Hell, lady. This is not my problem.” Ethan growled down, but the sound of his bear only made her scarier.
All four foot something of the little old witch stepped up to him, toe to toe, like she was going to take him on in a wrestling match. The woman had balls of steel – he’d give her that much, but even his bear didn’t make a move to push forwards…
“I’m making it your problem, furball.” Molly ground out.
She knew enough about these shifter types to know how to handle them. Look them in the eye and don’t back down until you needed to run for your life.
She was too old to run for her life, she’d probably pop out a hip, so she glared up at him, using what she had – sheer will and determination.
“Fur…ball?” Ethan growled again.
“Did I stutter?” She ground out and Ethan scowled down at her.
“No.”
“Then that’s what I said.” Molly challenged him in so many ways that had she been a male, and taller… He’d have taken a swing at her there and then.
But how the hell was he going to summon the will to hit a little old lady witch?
“You are one mean witch.” Ethan said with equal amounts of gusto and disbelief.
“Thank you.” She bit back.
“It… wasn’t a compliment.” Ethan looked confused. Maybe she was confused – she was old, and he knew that old humans got that illness where they put the milk in the washing machine and the meat in the dryer…
“Wasn’t it?” She questioning him with her eyes and gave him a wry smile. That twinkle of mischief made him straighten a little, and scowl a lot.
“I’m going to find someone to find her for you, because you’re kind of freaking me out.” Ethan said, eyeing the area for signs of life. All he found was Mari, and he groaned inwardly…
“Who’s that?” Molly snapped up to him, and he wasn’t about to admit it, but he jumped a little at her words.
“That’s nobody you want to mess with. She’s mean too.” Ethan warned her, but the little old witch was already setting of on really slow feet towards the she-wolf.
Ethan groaned inside. This could end badly… for one of them.
CHAPTER TWELVE
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Gemma had to admit. The man could kiss.
Trapped in between his legs like that. His strong arms around her body. One hand lazily stroking up and down her spine… damn, but she could feel her panties starting to drop…
That hungry growl of his became gentle and it called to her senses in a way that no human man could – it didn’t matter what the hell kind of a noise a human made, it would never compare to a horny bear shifter who had a woman just where he wanted her…
Gemma’s free hand was against his chest. Those muscles… packed so tightly under the smooth skin of his body was like a magnet for her hormones – she could practically feel them bursting to life within her, urging her on – like a little devil upon her shoulder that had punched out the angel on the other one and was the cheerleader for all things wickedly bad…
And this man was wickedly, sinfully bad… In all the right ways.
Who needed to breathe when you were being kissed by your mate?
Holy… ok, this is tooo good… this is like Christmas and birthday rolled into one… better…
I need to stop before I can’t…
But, I do
n’t want too.
Don’t I deserve a little good in my life?
Don’t I deserve him…?
Him.
My mate…
Oh, hell!
My Mate!
Gemma pushed with her hand against his chest and twisted her head to one side before sanity finally took a hold of her hormones and slammed them down…
“W-wait…” She gasped, but he wasn’t making for her lips again. He’d already dipped his head and was at her neck.
Those soft, warm lips were working for the curve of her shoulder, up her neck – he kissed – he nipped – he nibbled – and then his tongue soothed… and that wet heat between her inner thighs was pooling kind of nicely…
Maybe just a minute more…
Or two…
You should never be hasty…
Then the sound of a howl went up and her ears pricked up along with his, the trouble was – his bear didn’t rightly care at that moment in time…
It was a she-wolf, Landon reasoned, probably Mari – he’d gotten used to the sound of her howls now. But when Ethan’s bear roared… He cursed and tore himself away from her.
“Trouble!” Ben shouted from somewhere outside the cabin, and the sound of heavy feet taking off slapped him upside the head…
He growled, he grunted, and he groaned…
“I gotta…” He apologised, as he placed his hands on her hips and lifted her aside…
Gemma looked dazed and confused, and her lips were bright red and just a little puffy from his kisses, and he hoped to hell that the she-wolf or the bear were in mortal danger, or they would be when he got a hold of them.
“Go-go.” She waved her hands and urged him on.
Landon growled once more as he set off for the door on fast feet. Now was not the time for his clan to take pot shots at each other and cause mayhem.
Not when he was trying to woo his mate!
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“What’s that you say?” Molly cupped her ear – the way that the old did when they couldn’t hear and wanted you to speak up – but she was far from deaf and she heard every single curse word that the she-wolf was tossing down at her from her lofty perch… high up in the tree.