by Jenika Snow
Bram grimaced but waved off Ford’s question.
“Nah, I’m good. Aside from the fact I got drunk and then decided to fight.”
Ford lifted his eyebrow and stared at Bram. “Is this one of those underground ones or just a random bar brawl?”
“Random drunken fight at Slater’s, but what the fuck ever. The guy was asking for a beat-down anyway when he thought he had bigger balls than me and decided to call me a pussy in front of his girl.”
They headed back over for another round of lumber. It was no secret that Bram fought … a lot. The youngest Wylde bear had a nasty temper, but it was more because his bear controlled him more than his human side. The underground shifter fights weren’t a secret in Sweet Water, but no one, the law included, fucked with them. Besides, Ford hated to think how his brother would be faring if he didn’t fight and let off all that fucking animalistic tendencies he carried around inside of himself. It wasn’t uncommon for shifters to get into underground cage fighting. Letting their inner animals out to do some temporary destruction helped to ease the built-up adrenalin, testosterone, and overall wilderness that resided in all male shifters. Blood was shed, bones were broken, and fur flew. It was a spectacle that got all the males in the surrounding area rowdy for the bloody sport.
“You want to get drunk tonight, maybe pick up some chicks?” Bram wiped his brow and shielded his eyes with his forearm from the sun. “I need to get laid, that or I need to find a fight, and as you can see,” he pointed to his face, “the last time I got drunk and in a fight it sucked big balls. I’d rather fuck.”
“I don’t think you need to fight either with your face looking beat to hell.”
Bram scoffed. “You should see the motherfucker that started it all. I bet his ass don’t come around me ever again.” Bram cracked him knuckles and rolled his neck on his shoulders. “In fact, just talking about that shit is getting me pissed all over again.” Ford could sense Bram’s bear rising up, and knew a change of subject needed to be introduced or his little brother would end up destroying something.
“So yeah, you up for going out with me or what?” Bram ran his hand over his sweat-soaked hair, clearly waiting for Ford to answer. Banging some random chick had his dick shriveling up. All he could think about was the image of Talia’s voluptuous body, of her big breasts shaking from the force of fucking her, and of her lips parted and her breathy moans spilling out. He had never had a female who left such a lasting impression on him, and never had he wanted a second chance with them. She was an oddity to him, but something he wanted to explore more deeply. This little redhead changed everything in the course of a few hours. Fuck, this wasn’t good, and he needed to cleanse her from his mind, because obsessing about her like this was bordering on fucked-up.
“I don’t want a random fuck, but I could use a stiff drink.”
Fortunately, Bram didn’t question him on his lack of female company, and instead slapped him on the back in approval. Maybe getting drunk would do him some good, but the more he thought about it, the more a good fight sounded like an ideal energy reliever.
****
Dylan circled Ford, his muscles bulging as they prepared to shift. After they had gotten off work they headed over Slater’s, the small hole-in-the wall bar that held the underground shifter cage fighting in their basement. Now here was Ford, standing in the dank basement with a dripping pipe running above him, the scent of mildew filling the must, damp air, and the muted noise of the music above them. Ford pulled his t-shirt over his head and tossed it to Bram who stood on the sidelines waiting his turn to throw some punches. Dylan, the lion shifter, cracked his neck and then his knuckles. He grinned at Ford. There was enough alcohol moving through Ford’s veins that even if the lion shifter got a hit on him, he would be too numb to feel it. He had drowned himself in liquor once again, hoping to rid himself of these feelings for Talia, because frankly they were almost too much for his shattered mind and heart to take in. Of course all of that alcohol only managed to make him want her even more.
“I’m gonna fuck you up, bear.” Dylan ripped his shirt off, took his jeans off, and took a step toward Ford. He was ready for this. He had Talia on his mind, and that was what needed to change, because he needed to get rid of all this fucking energy she caused within him. He let the shift take over, felt his bear move through his body until his muscles stretched, his bones broke and realigned, and his bear pushed his human to the side. He stood to his full ten foot height and stared down at the now shifted Dylan. The lion paced back and forth, and even though Ford was now in full bear mode, he still felt the effects of the alcohol rolling through his system. He knew he could easily take a lion, no doubt about it, but he wanted to feel pain. Ford needed his mind off other things, ones that had him wanting to keep a certain foxy female by his side. Those were ideas he certainly didn’t want to play with, and so the best way to deal with it was fight like there was no tomorrow.
They charged forward and met in the center. Teeth tore into flesh, claws ripped into muscles, and blood sprayed out like a geyser coating the dull grey cement floor a brilliant red. Dylan dug his claws into Ford’s belly, and he let out a roar of pain and relief. Ford had fought on a few different occasions over the last ten years, needing that pain to numb his mind. He couldn’t explain this feeling inside of him, but it was as if he was coming unhinged and about to combust. And it was all because of this one female. It didn’t make any sense, and all he could think about was Charlie and his now pregnant mate. His brother had been so unstable when he met Ary, and Ford had a suspicion he might be going through the same situation as his older brother. Could it be that his bear recognized Talia as his mate?
Dylan bit his shoulder, and Ford swiped his paw out, throwing the lion to his side. He might have wanted to feel pain, but his thoughts were making him vulnerable and looking like a pussy that couldn’t handle himself against a lion. Tilting his head back and roaring, he charged Dylan. The crowd that surrounded them was loud and rowdy, calling out for more violence, wanting to see them tear each other apart. It was exhilarating and painful, and to Ford’s disappointment didn’t lessen his thoughts when they concerned Talia. He let his confusion, anger, arousal, and every other emotion he felt for Talia wash through him and defeat the lion.
When it was all said and done and Dylan limped off to lick his wounds, Ford looked around, needing another contender. Bram stepped up, placed his hand on Ford, which only had his bear rounding on his youngest brother and growling. Bram held out both hands. Ford forced his bear into submission. He was being uncontrollable and needed to calm the fuck down. He took a deep breath and changed back into his human form. It was the same bone-snapping, muscle-tearing sensation.
Bram handed Ford his shirt and pants, and he quickly put them on, covering his now bloody and torn flesh. “Fuck, man, you were intense out there.”
The crowd was still going wild as a tiger and panther shifter took the center stage. He was done for right now, ready to pass out and get his bearings. He wanted to talk to Charlie, see if what he was feeling was his confirmation on Talia being his mate, even though he was pretty damn sure that was what in the hell was going on. Running a hand through his hair, which was wet with sweat and blood, he let out a heavy sigh. Yeah, he was pretty fucking sure he had just found his mate, and even if there was a part of him that feared what came with that, he knew his bear wouldn’t let her go. Hell, his human wouldn’t let her go either, but the thought of claiming another female was like him stepping off the end of the world and hoping his feet would touch land. He’d never thought he would find someone again, but this wasn’t about his relationship with Mina. She hadn’t been his mate, and the things he wanted with Talia made what he felt for Mina all those years ago seem like an adolescent crush. The question he had for himself was: was he going to fight his bear and let the darkness that had been so much a part of himself for so long take him deeper to despair, or give in and let himself experience love again? Fuck. That was the million
dollar question.
Passing out was not on the last list of what he wanted to do. He needed some advice, and his older brother was the smartest male he knew. Charlie would help him sort this shit out, even if he had never been completely honest on what had gone down with Mina. They left Slater’s, and Ford made a call to Charlie. After talking to him briefly they headed over to their older brother’s cabin. Ford needed a shower and sleep, but he was more worried about getting the confusion out of his head. Now, an hour later, they sat around Charlie’s dining room table, a bottle of whiskey sitting in the center of the table and shot glasses in front of them. Ford and Bram sure as hell didn’t need any more alcohol, but what the fuck, maybe some liquid courage would make him confessing this easier. Charlie and Bram stared at him, both with a little bit of anticipation on what he would say on their faces.
It was late as fuck, and Ary was sleeping upstairs. Ford felt guilty for coming to Charlie’s at this hour, but he needed his brother’s interpretation on what the hell was going on. So that was what he did, just spilled everything. The reason he and Mina broke up, the darkness that had consumed him for so fucking long, and then everything he felt when he met Talia. For ten years he’d kept that shit with Mina buried deep inside, but then this little red fox had come around and all hell had broken loose inside of him. After all of that his brothers just sat there, staring him with mixed emotions.
“Everything feels so fucked up inside of me.” Ford took a sip of his whiskey, not really wanted to throw that shit back to further numb what he felt. He waited not so patiently to hear what his brothers had to say, specifically Charlie since he knew his older brother had felt this edginess inside of him as well. Bram and Charlie stared at him, and although Bram looked somewhat shocked, Charlie appeared thoughtful.
“Shit, man, I didn’t know the Mina situation had gone down like that.” Bram scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “You should have told us. We would have helped you through it.” Ford knew this, but he had been a coward and kept everything inside and to himself.
He looked at Charlie. “I’m real sorry about Mina and the fucked up shit she did, Ford.” Charlie looked thoughtful and concerned. “Bram’s right, you should have told us. We would have helped you get through it, and made sure that ugly darkness didn’t consume you. Shit, I feel like an accessory to all the crap that happened with you. Before I met Ary I pushed you guys to be wild, not settle down, and live life how you wanted and without looking back, but that shit backfired.” Charlie looked at Ford and then at Bram. Ford knew his older brother was addressing Bram’s need to fight constantly. “I can say that I felt like you, to a point, when I found Ary. You and your bear have found your mate.” Charlie’s grim look turned into one of brotherly love. “Don’t run from it, but embrace the feelings going through you. You have found your mate, Ford, and that is one of the greatest gifts of all.”
Ford was no good for a female, for a mate. He had done a whole lot of shitty stuff in his life, things he wasn’t proud of, and things he just wanted to forget.
“Well shit.” Bram ran a hand through his hair and looked between them. “Looks like I’ll be the lone man out.” He leaned back and linked his hands behind his head. “That’s all right with me ‘cause I’m not looking to settle down anyway. I kind of like having a choice on who I fuck.” Leave it to Bram to try to put a little humor into their tense, serious conversation. Charlie snorted and poured them another round of shots.
“All I can say, Ford, is don’t fight it. Get rid of that hatred you have buried deep inside. Let your bear roam free and experience it with you, and just be glad you found your female. There are a whole lot of shifters that spend their lives trying to find what you stumbled upon. I tried fighting it with Ary, and it didn’t help. In fact it made me want her all the more. I felt unstable and on edge. All I wanted to do was claim her, and there was a point when I worried I would be too rough with her, and that my bear would take over too aggressively.” Ford took in his brother’s words. “Now I look back and I can’t see my life without her, and I am damn glad she wants me. The baby will be here in a few months, and all I keep thinking about is I’m one lucky bastard to have her accept me.”
They threw back their shots, and Ford leaned back. He knew deep down he couldn’t and wouldn’t fight the need to be with Talia, but there was that uncertainty that he had always carried, and he hated that ten years later he was still holding onto these unnecessary emotions.
“You need to forget about Mina and how she ruined you, and focus on the future, Ford.”
He looked at Bram.
“I can’t wait until you find your mate, Bram. Man, I’m going give you such a hard time ‘cause I already know you’ll be crawling on your hands and knees to please her.” Charlie’s words had Ford laughing even though he wasn’t feeling very amused at the moment. He thought about Talia, and everything Charlie said.
“Charlie?” The sound of a very tired Ary pierced the air. Charlie was out of his seat and by Ary as she came walking into the kitchen. She wore a t-shirt and a pair of pajama bottoms. The swell of her belly was evident, and Ford found himself smiling at the prospect of being an uncle. It still stunned Ford that Charlie was going to be a father. He’d never thought his eldest brother would settle down, but when it came to Ary he was protective and extremely territorial. Ford could see Charlie’s bear rise to the surface every time his mate was near, and Ford knew he was the same way with Talia. He felt the need to be with her, protect her from any assholes that wanted to fuck with her, and make sure she always felt safe. Charlie stood and walked toward his mate, and Ford watched with a pang in his chest as Charlie embraced Ary.
Feeling like he was intruding on their personal moment, Ford stood and motioned Bram to follow. They said their goodbyes, and when they were in the truck and headed down the road, Ford knew he wouldn’t deny him or his bear what they really wanted, and that was his little redhead Talia Landon. Fuck his demons and hang-ups, and fuck Mina for making him feel for all these years that he wasn’t worthy of claiming his mate.
Chapter Eight
Talia gritted her teeth for the fifth time in the last ten minutes. Mina, with her haughty attitude, was busy scolding the barista on the fact they didn’t top her cappuccino with nutmeg. She turned away from the human who thought she was so much better than everyone else, and looked around the coffee shop. It was hard not to think about the first time she’d stepped in here. She had been humiliated and aroused over her coffee spill, but then she had met Ford and fallen instantly in lust. She had thought maybe being with him sexually might have eased her arousal for him, but it had the opposite effect. Here she was in a constant state of desire, not able to get the image out of her mind of him over her, thrusting deep and hard and sending her over the edge multiple times. Her clit throbbed, her nipples beaded, and she cursed her body for having this kind of reaction to a man whom she’d had a one-night stand with, and that was what it had been. They hadn’t exchanged numbers, and he hadn’t asked to see her again, so she needed to get it through her head that there wasn’t going to be another time with Ford Wylde, as crappy as that was.
“God, I swear these people are still as incompetent as ever in this town.” Mina took a sip of her cappuccino and made a face. “It certainly isn’t from Marco’s, but it’s going to have to do.” They sat at one of the small tables, and Mina pulled out a very thick leather book.
If not for Luke asking her to go with Mina today Talia would have been somewhere else, somewhere that didn’t feel like that seventh level of hell.
“Okay, so I know Kimberly should have been setting this up, but I have her working on something more important, and I figure you really aren’t doing anything anyway.”
Talia gritted her teeth and counted backward from ten. “Excuse me—” Before she could finally tell Mina a piece of her mind the bitch cut her off with a wave of her hand.
“Okay, so here it is.” Mina flipped through the book until she got to the page that had �
�HONEYMOON” sprawled in big black letters. “So, I need you make out an itinerary for the honeymoon. I want to make sure we don’t miss anything once we arrive in France.” Apparently Kimberly, Mina’s second-in-command, who was nearly as bad as her soon to be bitch-in-law, was far too superior to do the grunt work.
Talia looked at the book and then back at Mina. Was this bitch for real? “You want me to make a list of all the things you plan on sightseeing while in France?” It appeared Talia was the lowest on the totem pole and therefore got to do the shit jobs. And who in the hell needed someone else to plan out their sightseeing?
“Well, I mean I know your schedule is pretty much free, what with you out of college and not working.” The pleasantly condescending tone that Mina gave her, coupled with the smile that had “bitch” written all over it had Talia snapping. Oh hell no.
“Oh. My. God.” Mina’s breathy, almost dreamy words had Talia closing her mouth. Mina’s gaze was over Talia’s shoulder, and curiosity had her looking at what had seemingly changed Mina to a love-struck teenager. At first all she saw was a younger human male kissing a young woman, but when those two moved to the side her heart stopped. Ford and another man who looked strikingly similar to him stepped into the café. Of course he looked exactly the same, so damn sexy and his alpha bear pouring from him. He was speaking to the man he had come in with, but she watched in rapt awe as he stopped, lifted his head, and inhaled deeply. Everything else faded as his gaze scanned the coffee shop before finally settling on her. For a long moment all they did was stare at each other, and Talia’s intense arousal rose up like a raging wildfire. There was a flash of heat behind his bright blue eyes, and she knew his lust was just as strong as hers. It didn’t seem like three days ago that he dropped her off, because everything rushed back and she found herself back in his room with his sweat slicked body over hers and his dick buried deep inside of her. Blinking a few times to clear her mind, she took in his face, one that was cut and bruised, and yet she hadn’t even noticed right away. He moved his gaze away from hers, and a dark expression crossed his face as he focused on something over her head. The man beside him shifted on his feet and leaned in to murmur something to Ford. He shook his head forcefully twice and waved off the other man.