Breaking Fate: Book Three: Black Claw Ranch

by Lane, Cecilia

  “That’s just life. Mates are more,” he insisted. His voice lowered to a rough rumble. “They’re... important.”

  Important.

  The word resonated, with him being at the very center of the waves vibrating through her. She couldn’t put the feeling into any logical category. It didn’t make any sense. Maybe to them, but Tansey had been human before and a couple of the guys in her unit had human mates. She couldn’t explain why, when she shut her eyes, Lorne loomed large behind her lids.

  “Cheat!” Jesse growled. “Alex is a cheat!”

  Spell broken, the group turned to the tussle breaking out at the other end of the pool table. Jesse slammed a ball back to the surface and wrapped an arm around Alex’s neck. The dark-haired men threw blows into one another, but even Sloan could tell they were pulled punches.

  “Not a cheater!” Alex shouted with a wild laugh. “An opportunist!”

  “Same thing!” Jesse spat back, adding another jab to the ribs.

  “Your legal ruling, Agent?” Lorne asked.

  Sloan wiped the grin from her face and jerked her thumb toward the ground. “Cheater! Punishable by the next round of drinks.”

  Whoops and cheers drowned out whatever snarky response Alex had for her. His eyebrows drew down in disapproval, but his eyes were as light as she’d seen them all night.

  Lorne’s slow smile made her feel like she belonged.

  * * *

  The group spilled out into the parking lot. Happy couples found their way to trucks with barely a wave over their shoulders. Single men, too, made quick departures, roaring engines to life and whipping out of their spots like it was a competition to see who could put wheels on the road first. Maybe it was. Everything turned to a game with the wild clan.

  Alone, with only the sound of songs and a distant buzz of laughter from inside the bar, Sloan turned. Lorne leaned close enough that she could smell the drink on his breath. That, and more. Leather and cologne, maybe. The delectable notes twined together and made her crave another taste. Her throat tightened, and she sucked down a soft breath.

  A little closer. Just a step. Her tongue swept over her lower lip in anticipation of another shattering kiss.

  Lorne’s lips hitched up into a smile and he brushed a bit of hair over her ear. Sloan’s heart kicked against her ribs. The touch wasn’t the one she wanted, but it spoke of a growing intimacy between them that went beyond straight desire.

  “Come on,” he said. “I have something to show you.”

  Sloan bit down on her tongue before she could pop off the name of random body parts.

  Lorne held open the door of his truck and she brushed away his hands before he could help her inside. She could take care of herself, even if she liked a little bit of chivalry.

  Three country songs later, Lorne pulled off the main road. Posted signs pointed arrows ahead for parking, trails, and a waterfall. “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see,” he answered. His hand fell on her thigh for the last bumpy stretch of road.

  The parking lot was utterly deserted when Lorne pulled to a stop. Sloan pushed open her door and dropped to the ground before Lorne jogged around the hood. A frown crossed his features for a split second, then he turned on his heel and strode for the trees.

  “This way,” he called over his shoulder.

  Sloan hesitated before hurrying to catch up. “How far are we walking?”

  “Why, afraid of a little hike?”

  She glared at his back. “No. I just can’t see like you can.”

  He immediately turned back around and stooped. “Hop up.”

  “I can walk,” she protested. “I just need a little guidance.”

  “Fine.” Lorne offered her his arm. “Let me guide you like a little old lady.”

  She bit off her laugh. Old lady. Pfft. Just human.

  She still linked their arms together. He waited until she took the first step and matched his stride to hers.

  Warmth ignited under her palm. She stayed quiet and sank into the feeling.

  Happy. For the first time in a long while, she felt happy. The stress of all the boggy, hard steps leading her to that moment, that walk through the woods, burned away under the slow roast of Lorne’s touch.

  A dull roar penetrated the fog Lorne poured into her head. The sound grew louder as the night pressed in around them and hints of civilization faded. She wasn’t sure how far they’d walked when the path opened up on a small clearing. Off to one side, a waterfall poured over a ledge high above them. A narrow bridge passed across the middle for a picturesque scene. Like the river walk in town, a handful of benches waited alongside the banks for anyone wanting to take a moment to enjoy the scenery.

  Lorne passed those by and walked down near the edge of the water. He’d left his hat on the dash of the truck, but the moonlight and trees above them shadowed his face. “Come here, Sloan,” he said in a low voice. “Sit with me.”

  Her legs moved of their own volition. Not that she had anywhere else to be. The power he had over her was at once frightening and something she couldn’t turn away from. Wouldn’t. She played with fire the closer she got to Lorne Bennett, but she liked the burn.

  Sloan took a seat next to him and drew her legs against her chest. For several long moments, they just sat. The quiet of the night sounded odd after the raucous night at the bar.

  “This is where I come when I want to get some peace or when my bear gets riled up.”

  “Is he riled up now?”

  Lorne blinked slowly. “Yes.”

  Oh, she liked that. It struck something primal inside her. Being the undoing of his control? That simmered her blood.

  “Why did you invite me to eat with you tonight?”

  Sloan held her breath and waited. She’d touched on a feeling of acceptance and belonging the night they’d visited the Summertime Fest together, but that ended with bruised egos and avoidance. She didn’t want a repeat performance.

  “I—” Lorne shut his mouth and shook his head like he needed to clear his thoughts. “I owed you an apology, and I wanted to do something nice for you. You wanted to figure us out. Now you know a little more about us.”

  “You didn’t need to do that.”

  “No, but I wanted.” He turned his eyes on her, barely moving the rest of his body. “How did you get here? Only human in that office. That has to be an interesting story.”

  Sloan frowned. That wasn’t the direction she expected him to go. “I told you before. Not so interesting.”

  “No, you gave some abstract idea to avoid answering. Justice is not the steps taken.”

  The word wasn’t exactly wrong, but he was right that she’d used it to keep her answer vague.

  She stretched her legs out in front of her and leaned back on her hands. The stars were so bright between the leaves and branches above her. They weren’t hidden away like they’d been back home.

  Much like the shifters of Bearden.

  “I jumped at the chance to join the Agency. I wanted to make a difference. I really do believe in justice for everyone. But that wasn’t what I found.” Sloan peeked at the man next to her and found him staring straight ahead. She turned her gaze back to the stars.

  “Dirty cops. Hunters, I guess. At least some of them wanted to do lasting damage to any suspect brought through the doors. Most were smart enough to handle their business outside the building and keep it off camera. There wasn’t much oversight or investigation into any claims of excessive force.”

  Important. Telling him everything felt important.

  “My partner Jimmy was a piece of work. And I’m not talking normal police with a chip on his shoulder from witnessing so much shit. This man... well, he wasn’t there with fairness or respect of the law in mind.”

  Lorne nodded, his mouth tightening.

  Sloan picked at a stray string on her jeans. The words were as difficult as the first time she told them. She’d repeated them multiple times, written them down in report a
fter report, and they still didn’t flow off her tongue. “He bagged a suspect and instead of bringing him in, took him to an abandoned warehouse and tortured him. I made sure the bosses couldn’t sweep it under the rug. Culpepper got a few years, and I got transferred here. I guess in their minds if I loved you lot so much, I should work with you.”

  “Punishment,” he said flatly.

  “Yep. Anything to get the Snitch Bitch gone.” She bared her teeth at the night and her memories and all the assholes that tried to keep her in line. “Fuck ‘em. I’m going to do my job.”

  “Tough Sloan,” Lorne murmured. He reached out and ran down his hand down her back. The fiery anger that pulsed at the injustice of it all subsided as if he’d thrown her right into the middle of the water.

  Sloan kicked her way back to the surface and reality. Maybe she’d had more to drink than she thought. The man had touched her. One touch, and her world felt…

  One way, then another. Hadn’t that been what Joss and Tansey said?

  His fingers made another pass up and down her back. Sloan rolled her shoulders and sank into the relaxed feeling he induced.

  “What about you? What steps brought you to Bearden?”

  “A little bit of justice, and a whole mess of self-preservation,” he deadpanned.

  Sloan barked a laugh before shaking a finger at him. “Oh, no. That’s my shtick. Get your own mysterious backstory.”

  “Not so mysterious. Not so respectable, either.” He heaved a harsh breath. In the next second, he leaned forward and grabbed up a stick. The first snap of a twig sounded loud even over the rush of the waterfall. A leaf fluttered to the ground next. Lorne’s jaw worked silently.

  “You know what happens to shifters in the military? How they get booted to a furry squad?”

  She nodded. “Crewe, our SAC, used to head up a unit. Some of the others served under him.”

  “Maybe it’s better now, but the men who used to come back would have been better served if they were put down at the end of their tours. My father and all his brothers weren’t good men when they came home. They wanted to hurt the ones that hurt them. Said we needed to watch ourselves and not let humans make another demand from us again. Military training, hatred of the government.” He shrugged. “That was what I was born into and grew up around.”

  “Lorne, that’s awful.”

  “I wasn’t supposed to go near humans. I was supposed to be strong like my old man and uncles and cousins. I was supposed to prepare for a war that wouldn’t ever happen.

  “Instead, I liked a girl. And when my brothers and cousins—Ian included—found out, they decided to break us apart and teach us both a lesson. I don’t even want to know what they would have done to Lilah if I hadn’t found them. They tried to make me choose, make me kill her. I refused. I just wanted her safe. My brother Frank,” Lorne’s throat bobbed with a hard swallow. “Frank wouldn’t let her go. So I fought him. Killed him. The rest of the clan would have killed me for it, for choosing a human over my clan, but I escaped before they could finish the job.”

  Sloan rolled her head to watch him. Her heart tore itself to pieces. She wanted to reach back in time and wrap arms around Lorne and his young love and keep them both safe.

  Gold eyes locked on her again. “That’s the difference between us, Sloan. Your justice isn’t always compatible with mine.”

  “You’re wrong. I see someone who stood up for someone else. I see someone who acted in self-defense.”

  “I used to be okay staying distant from everyone. Hard to make a place for yourself when you might need to run with just the clothes on your back. I even accepted they’d find me and put an end to the waiting. Started hoping for it.” He rubbed at his chest. “Then Ethan found Tansey, and Hunter found Joss. I can’t let anything happen to them. It’d be better if I left. But I want what they have. My bear wants it, too.”

  Her. He wanted her. The unspoken desire was written all over his face and in the eyes he turned on her. Gold churned in the depths, more that bright, shining color than his regular brown. She liked the balance he walked.

  She wanted to see him slip, too.

  They were more alike than she thought. He’d been set adrift at a young age. Her loss didn’t compare to his, but the fraction she felt was enough to harden her against everyone else. She could only imagine what he’d been through to make such a man. They’d both been at odds with the people in their lives and uncomfortable in their own skins.

  The world was one way, then another. That sounded about right. There was before-Lorne, and after. Before his kiss, and after.

  She could keep falling back on old attitudes and throw up walls to keep herself from hurting at being the outsider, or she could turn into the force blowing through her life and maybe, for a second, let down her guard.

  Stupid. Alone in the woods with a shifter that could just as easily eat her as anything else. But no, she trusted him.

  And liked the hint of danger.

  His nostrils flared and a delicious, cocky grin lifted his lips. “Agent Kent, do you have any idea what you do to me?”

  Gone was her name, but the words didn’t feel like he built a wall between them. They were flooded with a familiarity that pounded her heart against her breastbone.

  “I thought we’d moved past calling me that.”

  In a flash, he had her on her back, wrists bound in his hands and stretched above her head. His head dipped, and he ran his nose down the column of her neck. “Calling you what?”

  “Agent.” She leaned up into his hold and nipped his lower lip.

  His eyes rolled closed with a sexy groan. “Do you want me to touch you… Sloan?”

  Her mouth dried at the smooth words. Sexy, tempting cowboy. Quiet and complex. Broody. His breath against her skin sent a shiver down her spine and she was glad she’d stopped drinking early in the night. She wanted to remember everything without a hint of fog.

  Her throat worked. “Yes.”

  Chapter 14

  Lorne dragged his hand away from her captured wrists and cupped her neck. He stroked his thumb over her cheek, unable to help himself from rubbing against her silky smooth skin. His bear roared in the back of his head, claiming a victory Lorne wasn’t willing to just yet.

  She didn’t believe in mates and fate? He wanted to prove her wrong.

  He wanted to keep her safe.

  He wanted to push her away.

  She would drive him insane, Lorne vaguely thought. Her sweet taste, the whimpers that worked out of her throat as he deepened the kiss, the roll of her hips against his own. They were all binding him to her and her to him.

  His bear had roared at him to care from the moment her scent tickled his nose. He’d dug in his heels and denied it all—and for what? A few more hours before arriving at this same conclusion? He couldn’t keep away from her even when he should.

  “You should run,” he told her in a gravelly voice. “I’m no good for you.”

  “Feel plenty good right now,” she breathed back.

  He slid his hands under the hem of her shirt and caressed her silky skin higher and higher. He eased down the cups of her bra and lowered his head to the nipples poking sharply against her shirt. She arched into him as soon as he grazed his teeth over one stiff peak.

  “Yes,” she moaned softly. Her breath punched out from between her lips, hollowing her stomach. “Lorne, yes.”

  His bear chuffed with pleasure. Lorne echoed the emotion. Of anyone in the world, she was there with him. He had the chance to undress her and ran his hands over the curves she kept hidden under her clothes. Those were his, now. The swell of her breasts. Her round hips and thighs. All his.

  His fingers worked at her jeans, popping the button and dragging the zipper down. More of her sweet scent hit his nose. Strawberries and cream and thick, delicious arousal. He wanted it all.

  A deep rumble vibrated in his chest. “Fuck, sweetheart.” He slid his hand down the front of her jeans and into the black lace
he’d laid bare. Fuck, she was wet. Hot. His mouth watered for a taste of her. His bear roared to mark her.

  Mate.

  Yes.

  No.

  He settled on a ‘not yet’ and bringing her to release again and again until the light of dawn sent them about their lives.

  He curled his fingers into her and loved the way her back bowed almost as much as he loved her inner muscles gripping him tightly.

  Sloan dug her hands into his hair and claimed his mouth hard. He let off a low, rattling growl as her tongue clashed with his, twisting and tangling for more than a taste. She was losing control, losing herself in his touch, and he couldn’t get enough.

  She twitched under him as he delved into her with fingers and tongue. She writhed against his touch, kissed him harder, bit at his lip. Her thighs trembled and tightened with the helpless moan in her throat.

  Close. By the Broken, what a glorious sight she was.

  Lorne reared back on one hand and memorized the hungry look in her eyes and the red that colored her cheeks. Blonde hair, tangled and messy, framed her head like a damn halo. He doubted she’d take kindly to being called an angel, but that was what she was to him. A perfect, holy being he wanted to worship with his body.

  “Want to watch your face when you come for me,” he growled.

  Red worked across her cheeks, but she didn’t drop her eyes. His cock throbbed with that little act of defiance and confidence mixed into one.

  Pleasure crested and her teeth caught her lower lip. Her shoulders pressed back against the earth and arched her into him for the final, resonating touches that squeezed her tight around him.

  “Lorne,” she moaned, choking back her cry.

  Mine.

  He’d fight everything to keep her. Ian, the rest of the Bennett family. Anyone who tried to stand between them. She belonged to him. He had to make her believe.

  His objections buzzed and finally muted. The world spun and recentered itself around the woman spread out under him and breathing hard.

  Sloan flattened her hand against his stomach and slid down the front of his jeans. He sucked in a harsh breath the moment her fingers wrapped around his shaft.