by Helen Scott
“Harper?” an unfamiliar voice asked.
She gently pushed away from Domino and saw a younger man standing just inside the door of the breakroom. He looked tired but friendly. “That’s me,” she said.
“I’m Jason, the vet here at Wardens of the Heart.” He extended a hand to her.
She shook it. “Nice to meet you. How’s Daisy?”
“She’s fractured her fibula and two of her metatarsal bones in her left rear leg, which is why the leg was hanging at a strange angle. I think she was probably clipped by a car when she was having her adventure off leash. The damage could have been a lot worse, so she got off pretty lucky. What I need to do is go in and place a plate and some pins to hold the bones while they heal. The plate and pins will be permanent, and she’ll require a decent amount of post-surgery care to make sure she isn’t licking the surgery site or putting weight on the leg, things like that. If you’re okay with that, then I’ll need to keep her here for a couple days to make sure she recovers from the surgery okay. If everything goes according to plan, she can go home with you the day after tomorrow.”
“Whatever you need to do, please do it,” she said. Her credit card was not going to be happy with her, but she wasn’t about to sacrifice Daisy’s ability to move around.
“Will do. I’ll have one of the nurses bring out a consent form for you to sign, and I’ll start prepping for surgery.”
Just like that, he was gone again, and Harper felt like she was stuck in an ocean that was drawing her further and further away from the shore.
“She’s going to be fine. Jace is an excellent vet, and he loves Daisy just as much as the rest of us do.”
“Thanks.” She sighed and leaned against him.
His voice rumbled through her, setting her skin on fire for him. “Once you sign the forms, I’m going to take you home. I’ll give you an hour and a half to shower and change and do whatever it is you want to do, and then I’m going to pick you up and take you out to dinner. We will have heard from Jace before we get to the restaurant, I’m sure, so we can eat in peace.”
“Don’t I get a say in this?” She smiled.
“No, Lola, you don’t,” he said, kissing her neck right as the nurse walked in.
Chapter 11
Domino knocked on Harper’s door exactly an hour and a half after he had dropped her off. He’d put on a fresh button-down shirt and some clean jeans so that he’d look good for their date. When he heard her come to the door, there was a pause before she opened it, and he assumed she was checking it was him, or something similar.
When the door swung up, his mouth fell to the floor. Her long, dark hair was loose around her shoulders, with a gentle wave to it. The color was accentuated by the wine-colored dress she wore. Its sleeves were sheer, letting her skin peek through, and the neckline started at her shoulders, scooping low so that there was plenty of cleavage for him to enjoy, while buttons adorned the section around her waist, highlighting her delicious curves. The delicate material then flowed into a multi-layered skirt that was a mix of satin and the same sheer fabric that was on the sleeves. To top it off, as if she needed it, the woman was wearing thigh-high stockings that she flashed at him as he stood gawking at her. All his blood rushed straight to his cock, and he felt a little faint from the sudden change.
“Want to come in?” she asked, watching him with smoky eyes and a glossy lip that made him want to bite it.
“Lola, if I come in there, we won’t make it back out to dinner, at least not in time for the reservation I made.”
“Whatever you want, Nic.” She smiled sweetly at him before grabbing her purse from the table by the door and locking up. She sashayed away in front of him, and he was left, once again, trying to hide his erection. “Are we driving or walking?” she asked over her shoulder.
“Driving,” he said before his mind kicked into gear and he jogged to catch up with her and open the door, trying to be as gentlemanly as he could.
When they arrived at the restaurant, they were seated in the back corner in a booth that looked out over the rest of the little Italian place. He’d given all the men in there the evil eye as they walked in so they all knew she was his. Most of them had backed off immediately, sensing that he was a shifter, but a couple of them tried to stare him down. They all looked away when he let the bear show in his eyes, though. He was thankful that his eyes didn’t change like Valentina’s or Kinsley’s. Their eyes changed color completely and even changed shape, whereas his just got darker as the predator came out to play.
It was one of his favorite restaurants in the area. All the servers knew him by sight at least and knew what he liked, so when a glass of burgundy showed up at his table before they’d even sat down, it wasn’t a surprise. Harper simply raised an eyebrow at him, and he just shrugged. “Order whatever you like. My treat.”
“Thank you.” She smiled up at him from the menu she had been perusing.
His phone buzzed. If they hadn’t been waiting for Jace to let them know how Daisy’s surgery went, he would have ignored it completely, but they were, and he knew Harper wouldn’t settle until she knew her girl was okay.
“Daisy’s come through the surgery fine and is awake. They’ve put her on some pain meds, and she’s sleeping again, but everything went well,” he said, reading the text message aloud to her. When he looked up, there were tears running down her face. Without a moment’s hesitation, he was up and out of his seat, going to sit by her. He wrapped his arm around her protectively. “She’s okay, and you’re okay. Everything’s worked out.”
“I thought she was going to die,” Harper whispered, pulling her emotions back under her control as she began to blot under her eyes, trying to avoid smudging her makeup, not that he cared. He thought she was just as beautiful, if not more so, without it.
Of course, the waitress chose that moment to show up. “Can I get you anything to drink, ma’am?”
“Could I get a merlot, please?”
As the waitress began to open her mouth to ask which one, he said, “The best you have, and just bring the bottle. We’re celebrating.”
The woman smiled and left.
“We are?” she asked quietly.
“We are. We found Daisy. The surgery went well. I finally got to kiss you and take you out on a date.”
“Don’t you have to ask if a woman wants to go on a date?”
“Not if you already know the answer, Lola.”
She smiled at him in a way that made his insides twist and his bear make appreciative noises.
“What?” he asked with a grin as he pressed his thigh firmly against hers.
“I like it when you call me Lola.”
“Yeah?” He beamed.
She nodded, biting her bottom lip.
“Wanna know a secret?” He paused for effect. “I like it when you call me Nic.”
“I thought you might,” she teased.
“Only you, though. No one else gets to call me that.”
“I like that.” She smiled wickedly, telling him exactly what was on her mind as his hand rested on her leg, his fingers dipping to caress the sensitive flesh of her inner thigh. “Only you get to call me Lola,” she said. Her voice had gone husky with need as his fingers slid higher and higher up her leg, getting closer and closer to his goal.
“I want to be the only one to do a lot of things,” he whispered as he kissed her ear.
When his fingers grazed her panties, her eyes widened. “Not here,” she whispered.
“Why not? No one can see us.” The thick white tablecloth made sure of that.
“It’s not what they could see that worries me, more what they would hear,” she hissed at him.
His mind filled with her calling his name while she came just hours before, and his cock hardened painfully. He couldn’t resist teasing her, though, so he pressed his finger against where he suspected her clit would be, and she gasped, red suffusing her cheeks in a way that made him want to take her home right then an
d say forget dinner, but they needed this. They needed to build the emotional bonds as well as the physical ones, and the only way he could even remotely keep his hands off her was if they were out in public.
She gasped as his finger circled her bud through her panties. When she widened her legs ever so slightly, his cock throbbed with need. He pulled his hand away. If he didn’t stop, then they’d be having sex in the bathroom, and while that might be hot, it wasn’t the direction he wanted their relationship to take.
The dazed look on her face was worth teasing them both. He knew he’d turned her on, and that for the rest of dinner, if he so much as put his hand on her leg, she’d be expecting him to try the same move again. From the scent of arousal coming from her, she wouldn’t completely object to it, either.
She took a long drink of water and cleared her throat. “So, tell me about this mating thing.”
His eyes widened, and she smirked. Valentina wouldn’t have told her, and she was the only one who knew, so how did Harper know?
“I overheard you talking with your alpha,” she said, as though she could read his thoughts.
His heart settled in his chest. There was a mild annoyance at Imogen not giving him a heads-up, but it wasn’t a big deal since they needed to have the conversation, anyway. “It’s basically what it sounds like, I think. It’s kind of like marriage, but more . . . I don’t know, intimate. I know we haven’t known each other long, so I wasn’t going to jump into this right now. I wanted to let us get to know one another first, but you should know that my bear has picked you. We both have, if you’ll have us.”
The look of shock and disbelief on her face almost made his heart crumple in his chest. “Do I have to decide right now?”
“No, but you should know that if we go any further down this road, if the mating bond forms between us, then I won’t be able to mate with another.”
“Ever?” she squeaked.
“Ever.”
Her eyebrows furrowed, and she said, “But bears don’t mate for life.”
“True, but I’m not a regular bear. No shifter is. There are very few shifters who don’t mate for life. A lot of us have small flings here and there. Some even pursue relationships, but if the feeling of the mating bond isn’t there, then we always know it won’t last, and if it is there, well, then it ends up being this situation,” he said, gesturing to the two of them.
“That’s . . . a lot to take in.”
“I know, but it is what it is.” He paused before asking a question that terrified him. “Do you feel anything for me?”
She chuckled. “You know, I honestly do. In fact, I think I feel more for you than for the guy who left me at the altar, and we’d been together for over five years.”
His heart exploded with joy at her confession. Maybe, just maybe, this would work and he and his bear weren’t completely insane. “So, you want to try?”
Harper was quiet for a long time before she looked up at him, bringing her hands to his face. “This sounds crazy, but we don’t need to try. You’ve taken care of me in ways that no one else ever has done throughout my whole life, ways that make me feel safe and protected, and loved.” She whispered the last sentence. A blush rose to her cheeks as she continued. “Not to mention the freaking amazing sex we had this afternoon. Nic, I want to be your mate, and for you to be mine.”
His mouth was on hers before either of them could say anything. The kiss was as blistering as it was sweet, filled with yearning and hope and joy as he’d never experienced before. “I was hoping you’d say something like that,” he growled, and nipped her lower lip.
Harper laughed, and the waitress brought over the wine bottle and glasses, taking more time than he would have liked to pour it, but he would never be rude to waitstaff. Their jobs were hard enough. Once she’d left, he kissed Harper again. This time, it was slow and sensual, something to get her motor running for the rest of the evening. “Don’t dawdle over dinner, Lola. Once we get home, I’m going to show you exactly what it means to be loved by a bear.”
Epilogue
Several months later . . .
Domino’s heart skipped a beat when his mate came out with the last box. She was talking to an older woman with gray hair wrapped around pink curlers. He knew he shouldn’t be nervous, but he just couldn’t help himself. Today was a big day. Today was the day that they moved in together at Woodhaven, the pack’s estate.
Harper awkwardly hugged the older woman with one arm while she balanced the box against her hip and held it there with the other. One last smile toward her land lady, and then she turned to him. Her smile widened when she saw him watching her, and as she bounced down the couple steps from the entrance to the restaurant and her apartment, she waved.
Domino leaned over and opened the door for her, and she slid to the front seat, letting the box sit on her knees and rest against the dashboard while she clicked her seatbelt into place. He leaned over and planted a kiss on her as soon as she turned to him. The sweet taste of the latte he had brought her earlier still lingered on her lips, and the need for him to explore her mouth was suddenly more important than anything else. It was only her hand gently pushing on his chest that reminded him where they were. He grinned at her and pulled out into traffic.
“So, you sure you’re ready for this?” he asked, knowing her answer but needing the reassurance of it all the same.
“Ugh, for the last time, yes! I’m ready! I want to live with you and your pack, not to mention Chewy.”
“I’m sure Chewy can’t wait to live with Daisy, either,” he responded.
Their dogs were just as in love as they were, which they found amusing to no end. Harper laughed and reached a hand over, running it up and down the back of his head. It felt amazing. So intimate yet casual, but something only she had ever done.
“All I have to say is that Chewy better respect Daisy’s boundaries, and that we better have the suite Valentina promised. I don’t want us to be making love in the shower that the rest of the pack uses.”
“Lola . . .” He trailed off, knowing she was trying to get under his skin but that there was a nervousness behind her words that he needed to assuage, just like she had done for him moments ago. “We have a suite. Most of the bedrooms in Woodhaven have their own bathroom attached. Ours even has a walk-in closet and sitting area. We will have all the privacy we need, I promise.”
They settled into an easy banter as the ride passed by, and it was only when he passed the main house and drove them down to the out buildings on the other side of the grounds that he could feel her looking at him. He glanced over, and the question was written all over her face, but he couldn’t answer it yet without ruining what he hoped was a good surprise.
When the car stopped, he turned to her and said, “Lola, I have a surprise for you. I honestly don’t know how you’ll feel about it, but the only way to find out is to show you, so let’s go.”
“Okay . . .” she said, clearly curious but also a little nervous. He could tell by the way she was nibbling at the inside of her lower lip.
“Close your eyes,” he said once they were both out of the car and he was standing in front of her.
She did as he asked, and he took her hand, gently leading her forward into the building.
“No peeking.”
“I’m not the one who ruins surprises.” She laughed, reminding him that he’d walked in on his own surprise birthday party being set up.
“Fair enough.” He sighed. “Stand just there and keep your eyes closed until I say so.”
“Yes, boss.” She fake-saluted in his general direction.
He heaved the rolling panels that made up the backside of the building off the ground and pushed them all the way up until the back wall was completely open, setting up the display just so, and he pulled out the check he had written earlier.
“Okay,” he said as he took a deep breath, “you can open your eyes now.”
He watched as Harper blinked in the light, taking i
n the sight he had presented in front of her. The wedding dress that had been in her closest was hanging over an empty metal drum, with a bottle of lighter fluid and a book of matches a few feet in front.
Her beautiful face was frozen, and he wasn’t sure if it was in shock or something worse.
“I thought you might want to do what you had mentioned a few weeks back. Burn your dress? You said you didn’t want to bring it with you, but you didn’t want to pass any bad luck onto another bride, so I thought maybe you would like to make a donation to a charity, instead?” He held the check out for her to see. “I made it out to Graceful Wishes Gowns, but we can change it, if you want. They sell used wedding dresses, and the profits go to a sex trafficking prevention charity.” He shrugged, unsure what more he could say, and knowing if he kept talking, it would end up becoming nonsense and awkward jokes.
“Nic, I . . . I guess I just don’t know what to say.”
“You totally don’t have to do it.” Shit. He’d made a huge mistake.
“It’s not that . . . It’s just so sweet,” she said, her voice cracking and her eyes filling with unshed tears.
He rushed to her. “Babe, none of this was supposed to make you cry. Let’s just forget it and go into the house. We can start unpacking, and I’ll bring it in later.”
She turned and looked up at him, the tears now flowing freely, and threw her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him. There was nothing he could do except wrap his arms around her and hold her tight. Eventually, her tears stopped, and she pulled away slightly.
“Thank you,” she whispered in his ear before she stepped out of his embrace.
“It’s okay, babe, let’s go.” Domino turned back toward the car, expecting her to follow, but the next thing he heard was liquid being sprayed. He looked over his shoulder to see Harper dousing her old wedding dress with lighter fluid.