Rich or not, he was trained with Bear Claw, and she’d seen what he could do when she was threatened.
But regardless, she realized here with Clay and his pathetic threats, she wasn’t afraid of him anymore. He could hurt her or take her life or do many things to her.
But he couldn’t get inside her mind, couldn’t paralyze her with fear. She saw him as just as lame as he was, a big man who had to pick on a woman to feel okay about himself and who needed her back at all costs to maintain that false feeling of control.
She wasn’t going to give it to him. He’d forced her to come here, not only with threats on the building, but worry for Limes’s pregnant mate, but he couldn’t force her to do anything beyond that.
Please come soon, Mark, she thought.
“Look at me,” he growled. “I hate when you don’t look at me.”
He pulled back his hand, and they heard a loud crash, as if something huge had shattered outside. Perhaps the giant, ornate window he’d insisted on installing in the roof?
She turned in his arms, but he jerked her to face him. He wrapped an arm around her in an iron grip and started dragging her to the other side of his office, where she knew he had a secret door. She struggled and kicked, and he shoved a hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming, still dragging her.
She closed her eyes to focus on shifting but was interrupted by the scrape of nails on the granite floor and a loud roar as a bear skidded past the room and then stopped and came back, shoving himself inside.
She knew before she even looked into the bear’s blue eyes that it was Mark.
It was obvious in the way his eyes lit with rage as he appraised the situation and his gigantic animal thundered forward into the room.
Clay fumbled for a letter opener on his desk and held it to Char’s neck as he kept moving toward the wall with the hidden passageway.
“Stay back,” he said, and the giant bear in front of them let out an angry roar that blew their hair back.
Mark might have been a civilized man, but he was one fearsome bear, maybe the scariest she’d ever seen. He had to have pure blood going back centuries to be so giant. He’d barely fit through the large double doors that led into the office.
“Stay back,” Clay said again, his voice trembling.
The bear took a step forward, and she felt the prick of the letter opener and let out a gasp without meaning to.
The bear’s eyes narrowed in homicidal rage, and his eyes met hers, as if to reassure her he was getting her out of this okay. But she already knew that. She could tell by the way Clay was trembling that he couldn’t put up this front much longer.
“Shift,” the bear snarled at her captor. “Shift and face me, you coward.” He paced side to side. “Fight someone your own size for once.”
“Ha!” Clay said, trying to sound defiant but only sounding shaky.
“Either that or you can wait for my friends and we can make this a three-on-one. They’re just outside; they can be here in a second. Make your choice.”
Clay’s hold on her tightened. “I’ve got her. There’s nothing you can do.”
“I can kill you before you kill her. I promise you that,” Mark said.
Clay froze, making his decision. Then he tossed Char aside and shifted into his bear. It was nearly the size of Mark’s, but not nearly as powerful and muscled.
Mark’s bear lunged forward and caught Clay by the neck, slamming him to the ground and pinning him easily. He lifted him slightly and tossed him into the wall, making her wince.
“Is this how you made her feel?” Mark spat. “Every time you hurt her? Every time you made her feel powerless?” He slammed his claws into the other bear again, sending him sliding into a marble column with a thud. “No, it was worse. Because I don’t give a shit about you, but you were supposed to love her. You had the most precious person in the world in your home, and instead of treasuring her, you treated her like shit, you abominable monster.” He slammed Clay down again into the marble, and the other bear groaned.
Then it slowly morphed into a man, bruised and scratched and staring up in abject fear. “Don’t hurt me. I’m not shifted,” he whined.
Mark looked disgusted, so plainly it showed on his bear face. Slowly, he closed his eyes and shifted back, too, landing on his knees and then standing.
Damn, her man was beautiful naked. She put a hand over her mouth as she realized she was referring to him as her man again. And why shouldn’t she? So he lied, but he was here for her. He’d always been there for her. Unlike Clay, who had lied for himself, Mark had never done so. And the contrast had never been more clear than when she saw them facing off for her.
Clay was in a huddled heap, guarding his head, and Mark was pacing around him, looking strong and feral and handsome.
“What do you want me to do with him, Char?” he asked. “I’ll kill him if you want me to.”
She swallowed. Did she want that? She’d never have to see him again. Never have to worry she’d wake up from a nightmare and see his face.
Mark grabbed the other man by the shoulders, shaking him. “What were you going to do to her? Tell me, you piece of shit, so I know just how miserably I have to kill you.”
“Stop,” Char said, grabbing a blanket from a nearby chair and running forward to cover him.
Mark took it and tossed it on the man trembling on the ground, trying to look small. “Bronson? Bring me clothes,” Mark called out.
Bronson walked in, and Char saw Mark’s twin in the flesh for the first time.
She was relieved to see she felt absolutely nothing when she saw him. He handed cargo pants to Mark, who pulled them on.
Hercules, the tanned man with long hair that she’d met when she first visited Bear Claw walked in the room next and leaned on the doorway with folded arms. “Wow, we leave you alone for a few minutes and the next thing we know, you’re beating up people naked.”
Mark just snorted and went back to Clay now that he was covered from the waist down. But she could still see all of the rest of his beautiful, toned muscles. Rippling abs, huge pecs.
Was this man really her mate?
Mark lifted Clay again to yell at him, only to realize the other man had fainted. Mark tossed him aside angrily and kicked him for good measure.
Bronson moved forward with zip ties to restrain Clay when he woke up, and Hercules stood over to observe.
That left an uncomfortable silence between her and Mark, who was looking at her as if he didn’t know how to approach.
Adrenaline had probably kicked in so he could fight, but now he was probably only remembering the argument they’d had and that she didn’t want to see him anymore.
When Clay was restrained, Bronson took out his phone to make a call and stepped outside to complete it, leaving just her, Hercules, and Mark together with the unconscious Clay.
“Damn, that’s awkward,” Hercules said. “You two haven’t worked out your stuff yet?”
“No,” Mark said, responding before she could. “We haven’t.” He looked away and didn’t look back at her, and she wasn’t sure why. “Come on. Let’s head out.”
He wasn’t running over to hug her or trying to win her back or saying much of anything, and it was bothering her, but she decided to just go along with it.
After all, he’d just saved her, even though they’d fought. They walked out into the hallway, and she looked up at the broken ceiling and the glass scattered everywhere.
“That guy just dropped through that thing without a second thought, just for you,” Hercules said with a slight grin. “I think even my mate would be impressed by something like that.”
Mark said nothing. She wondered if she should walk forward, take his arm, tell him she wanted to give it a second chance.
But he was still tense and wary, not looking over at her.
Was he worried she was still going to reject him?
Maybe now wasn’t the time to deal with it. When they were still around his co-wor
kers.
They went out the front door, stepping over the unconscious men Bronson and Hercules had dispatched while Mark was “fighting” with Clay.
Bronson joined them, pocketing his phone with a smile. “Clay is going to be picked up by the right people. So no worries there,” he said.
“Who do you mean?” she asked.
“There are people who deal with shifters that run amuck,” Bronson said, turning to her. “And shifters who do much worse, like he did.” He looked angry for a moment, but then the impulse was gone. He was good at making people feel comfortable. “My name’s Bronson. I assume you are Char?”
“Yeah,” she said, taking his hand for a quick shake. “Nice to finally meet you.”
Up ahead, Mark let out a growl, and they both looked up at him. Her in worry, Bronson in amusement.
“Why don’t you head up there and walk with him?” he said encouragingly.
“Yeah,” she said, striding quickly to catch up.
Mark was walking with long strides, not paying any attention as she worked to catch up. Finally, she put a hand on his arm, trying to stop him. “Wait.”
He turned to her with a sigh. “You don’t have to thank me. Or think you have to forgive me or something just because I came for you. I’d have done it for anyone.”
That stunned her, and she let go of his arm. He turned around with a sigh, looking apologetic.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know how to deal with this. I want you. I’ve always only wanted you. But all I do is screw it up. I started everything on a lie, and I don’t know how to make it better. But I’ve been told I need to give you space, and I’m happy to do it.”
She put a hand over each of his arms, stepping up and against him. “What if I don’t want space anymore?”
He looked down at her in confusion, his blue eyes darkened by the the trees overhead. “Just because I saved you?”
“No,” she said, grinning at him shyly. “After all, you would have done that for anyone.”
“Well, I was mostly saying that to make you feel like you didn’t owe me anything. I’d help anyone, but I would only be doing it with that much rage if the person in trouble was my mate.”
“And I’m your mate?” she asked, putting a hand in his hair.
“Obviously.” He scoffed, pulling her close. His arms closed around her, and it just felt right, so she stayed there, ignoring Hercules’s wolf whistle and Bronson’s snort of laughter.
When Mark held her, it just felt like home.
“What changed?” Mark asked, his lips pressing into her hair for a kiss that warmed her to her toes.
“Just being apart from you for a day and thinking. And missing you. And realizing I did know you, even if I was misled on some things. You’re still a good person, and I would be lucky to be your mate.”
“I can arrange for you to be lucky today if you want,” he said.
She snorted. “All right. Sure.”
“No, really. But first, I want to take you to my place. I want to show you where I live, who I really am. Is that okay with you?”
She bit her lip. “And Bronson and Hercules really can take care of the rest?”
“Of course,” Mark said. “This is what they do. They’re pros.”
She nodded. “Okay, big guy. Show me your world.”
He grinned and picked her up in his arms to carry her to the truck.
Sixteen
It was only a short drive to Mark’s place on the other side of town. But the entire time, he couldn’t help but feel a little worried about what Charlotte would think once they got there.
Her safety was all that mattered. And now that was taken care of, he could feel the chemistry slowly building between them again, like a pot simmering into a rolling boil.
Mark pulled the black rental truck into his parking space next to his expensive sports car as he considered possibly keeping the gargantuan vehicle since Char seemed to like it.
“Is that yours?” she asked, eyeing the still shiny white surface of the car from the wax job it had received prior to him taking the job.
“Maybe,” he replied as he got out and came over to her side of the car, popping open the door and pulling her into his arms. He ignored the fact that he was shirtless. After all, there were only a few apartments in the whole complex since the rent was incredibly expensive. And since he had the nicest one in the entire building, he had his own private entrance.
Feeling nervousness building as he carried her up his personal staircase leading into the rear of the place, Mark unlocked the door and brought her inside, putting her down on the ground and then locking the door behind them and giving the vocal command to turn on the lights. All at once, the place lit up, revealing sparkling granite countertops and gleaming steel appliances, all appearing as if they were brand new.
“Voice activated. Fancy,” Char said with a smirk as she surveyed the surroundings with curiosity.
Suddenly, he felt awkward, wondering if she would like the place since it was where he lived and a little afraid the posh furnishings and expensive decor would make her feel out of place, or worse, remind her of Clay. It was such a contrast to her tiny apartment on the south end of town. Yet the small, threadbare furniture and dilapidated walls felt warmer than any mansion with its niceties.
For a moment, she just walked around, running her hand along a hand-carved end table, then pausing at a large seascape by a famous painter that he had acquired several years ago and put above the fireplace.
But all these belongings, any symbols of wealth or high0class society or riches, all of that was a heap of dust compared to how important his mate’s happiness was to him. He would throw it all away without a second thought if for a second it made her feel uncomfortable or scared.
Eternity with his mate and keeping her safe and protected was all that was important now.
“If you don’t like it, we can find a new place together. Somewhere less… well, like this,” he said, trying to gauge her reaction to it all as he followed her.
“What? Why?” she asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
“Because it’s too much. Because it makes you feel uncomfortable.”
“That was different. Clay used his wealth and status against me. But this,” she said, motioning to the lavish apartment around her, “this is part of you. It might not have been the part I was ready to accept when we first met, but now that I know you better, I love everything about you. Including your apartment,” she said warmly, instantly calming his worries.
“So you like it?”
“Like it? I love it,” she exclaimed, turning and throwing her arms around his shoulders. Instinctively, he picked her up into his arms, loving the feel of her curves against his bare chest. “Now you just need to show me to the bedroom,” she whispered into his ear, making his entire body stand at attention, the thought of her screaming out in pleasure as he claimed her at the forefront of his mind.
“Actually, I was thinking I’d show you something else you might like,” he said, walking toward the master bedroom, but not stopping as they passed his gigantic four-post bed. Instead, he headed for the master bathroom, walking inside and flicking on a light to reveal a huge, fully-equipped bathroom that would make the presidential suite of a five-star hotel seem modest.
“Wow, you really know how to go all out,” she marveled, looking at the glass shower large enough to fit ten people and the tub that was bigger than a hot tub one would have on their patio or deck.
“Just where it counts. Until now, I’ve had nobody to share it with, though. So yeah, I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t mind a bath,” he said, kneeling and turning a knob to start a steady stream of hot water pouring from several faucets into the oversized tub.
“Sounds amazing,” she said. He could feel even the slightest change in her reaction, could scent the beginning of her arousal and the change in her body temperature in his arms.
As the tub filled, he poured a generous amount of
high-end bubble bath, which foamed as the water mixed with it, filling the air with an aroma of lavender and vanilla.
“Here, let me help you in. That first step can be kind of a doozy,” Mark said, putting her down and pulling off the worn cargo pants and stepping into the bath. Already, he could see a blush on his mate as she watched him get inside, and once she disrobed, he held out his hand to guide her in.
Once they were in, surrounded by rising steam and lavender and bubbles, Mark could feel his heart starting to race, excited to finally be one with his mate. Slowly, trying not to splash the water around, he picked Charlotte up and pulled her into his lap, using a finger to move an errant curl of hair from her face.
“So once we’re mated, that’s it I guess,” she said, sounding pleased at the thought and settling in next to him, her hands wrapped behind his neck.
“You bet. Granted, for me, you were always it from the first moment I met you. There will always only ever be you,” he said, pulling her closer to him and placing a gentle kiss on her ear, causing her to sigh in pleasure.
“And even though I didn’t recognize it at the time, I can see how my bear wanted you from the start, too. How you make me feel a certain way that I’ve never experienced before. The feel of something everlasting, something unbreakable between us,” she said, her hands running along his back as he continued to softly kiss her cheek, her neck, anywhere her body called to him.
“Well then, what’s keeping us?” he said playfully as he teased at the outer shell of her ear, making sure one last time this was what she wanted, caring solely for her needs and desires.
“Waiting on you,” she said coyly, moaning as he bit down lightly on her earlobe.
At that, Mark growled with excitement, picking Char up and turning her back to lie on one of the sloped corners of the tub. Her breasts dipped just barely below the water line, covered in a soft layer of bubbles, tantalizing him. Taking both breasts in his hands, he cupped them and kissed both, running his tongue along the center of her nipples, undistracted by the taste of lavender-scented bubbles and completely overwhelmed by her beauty.
Bear to the End (Bear Claw Security Book 5) Page 11