by Ruby Madden
“Why didn’t you?” She knew he would understand what she was asking. But heck, she wasn’t sure why her cat hadn’t either.
“Choices. You need to have choices.”
This time Abby blinked to hold back the tears threatening to fall. How had he known she’d lived the last few years just trying to survive?
Because he’s our mate. Now take him again, the horny cat bitch demanded.
The woman was in complete agreement. “The choice I make is to do that again.”
Ryker moved, dragging his cock almost all the way out before easing back inside. She knew he was testing to see how sore she was.
“Okay?”
“Yeah. Oh, yeah.”
This time their loving was slower as they learned the taste and feel of each other. But still just as damn hot.
CHAPTER NINE
Ryker sipped his hot coffee as he waited for the waffle iron to heat up. The batter was made, the other ingredients on the counter. He didn’t know which Abby would prefer, blueberry or pecan waffles. He figured he’d make her some of both.
Life was all about choices.
He remembered the look on her face when he’d told her that and her effort to hold back her tears. He vowed to find out at the first opportunity, just what his mate was hiding.
His cell vibrated on the kitchen counter. He shouldn’t have been surprised. He and Ryland had taken their mates tonight. He’d felt the connection.
He picked up the phone without looking at the number.
“You better not be calling me to compare notes.” Would either of them ever admit that sharing Emma-slash-Abigail would have been the most difficult thing they would have ever had to do as brothers?
“Eww.” A feminine voice sounded in his ear and he jerked the phone away looking at the number.
Shit. It was his sister Deb.
“What are you doing up at this time of night?” Nothing like a good offense when dealing with nosey siblings. Then it occurred to him one of the kids might be sick. Usually a phone call in the middle of the night meant a trip to the shifter doctor.
“What, you think you’re the only one who gets their world rocked in the middle of the night?”
“Eww.”
He heard a deep chuckle in the background, then the low rumble of his sister’s mate telling her to be nice.
“Watch it or I won’t be nice to you later.” She’d covered the mouthpiece of the phone, but with his shifter hearing he heard everything.
“You’re on your own, buddy,” Jason called out.
“Double eww,” he returned. A long pause met his teasing remark.
“So how was she?”
“Do not go there, Sis.” The timer on the waffle iron dinged indicating it was ready. Holding his phone between his chin and shoulder, he poured the batter onto the Teflon coated surface. Waiting a moment until it seeped into all the small squares, he added the blueberries with a generous hand.
Nothing better than blueberry pancakes covered in honey.
Except our mate. His bear was hungry as well.
Remembering the taste of Abby on his tongue he had to agree.
He shifted his weight, giving his burgeoning cock more room.
“Are you making her your blueberry pancakes?”
“What do you want, Deb? It’s four in the morning and this is not a conversation I want to be having with my sister.” He flipped the iron, savoring the rich, vanilla scent of the waffles.
Again, not as good as the taste of Abby as she came on his tongue.
“Fuck,” he cursed under his breath. There was no way he could wait until she ate before he took her again. Jerking the plug from the wall, he turned off the waffle maker. He grabbed the batter and blueberries and shoved them back into the fridge.
“Deb?” he growled, almost losing his phone. He was seconds away from hanging up.
“Mom wants you at dinner tomorrow. She wants you to bring your mate.” Yeah, like he’d leave her alone. “And she wants Ryland to bring his.”
“I guess Quinn spilled the beans.”
“Yep. They sound like a handful.”
“And then some.” He was thinking of their sassy attitudes and generous curves. More than a handful. He grinned like a fool.
“So, you’ll be there.”
He rolled his eyes.
“I saw that.”
“No, you didn’t. If you had, you would have seen me take—”
“Stop! TMI, TMI.”
Ryker couldn’t help the laugh that escaped.
“Ryk?”
Well, that had thrown her off her game. He knew the sound of his laughter was not one his family heard on a regular basis. He wasn’t a stick-in-the-mud by any means, but he was… withdrawn was the nicest way to describe his personality. He was who he was. He knew his time in the military had added to the darkness inside him. He also knew if anyone could erase those dark times, it would be his mate.
“Have you called Ryland yet?”
She sniggered. No doubt she’d caught him in a moment of in flagrante delicto.
“I'll be there.” And he would because his mother had asked.
His heart clenched.
That’s what he wanted. To raise cubs with Abby, to teach them to love their irritating siblings and give their parents the respect they deserved.
“Good night, Ryker.” Deb quietly said good-bye.
~*~
Ryland froze as he walked into the kitchen of his parents’ house. Emma and Abigail were seated at the kitchen counter, surrounded by his family, laughing at something someone had said. Their smiles were identical, but he had no problem telling them apart. His mother stood at the stove, keeping an eye on what smelled like glazed carrots. Mmm, one of his favorite foods. His sister, Deb, sat by Emma, who was chopping vegetables for a salad. Abigail was helping Paige make her honeybun cake. By the time dinner was finished, the cake would be done. His bear licked its lips in anticipation.
He was eager for something else even more. A taste of his mate. He watched the sisters interact with his family. They were shy at first, but no one remained a stranger in the Blackwood house.
Emma stilled when his arms wrapped around her and pulled her back to lean against him. And sighed when his breath tickled the nape of her neck. His warm breath played down the sensitive skin below her ear. She made an almost inaudible sound of acceptance and he lowered his lips to the hollow of her throat grazing her collarbone with a slow, warm hunger. Emma’s lack of scent, or echo of Abigail’s scent, explained why one day Ryker’s bear acted like a possessive bastard and the next Ryland’s bear would be on point.
Now, she smelled like him.
His loins reacted with sharp need, his cock hardening in his jeans. She got him so hard, so fast, he swore he’d wear the imprint of his zipper for days. It was how it should be between mates. A need, a carving so sharp and sweet, there was no denying it.
He found her mouth and kissed her until Deb and Molly pelted them with the peas they’d been shelling.
He put up a protective arm, deflecting the green projectiles from Emma. “Hey, what was that for?”
“Improper PDA,” Deb said.
Ryland snorted. “Yeah, like Jason and you didn’t play kissie face when you were first mated.”
The women around the kitchen island stilled as his mother turned from the stove. “You’re mated?”
Ryland took an involuntary step back, his bear backing away from the power emanating from his mother. Whoever thought a male grizzly was ferocious had never encountered a female grizzly.
“Everything but,” he stated, officially staking his claim of Emma.
His mother nodded once and turned back to the stove. “Well, just make sure you don’t make the same mistake that Quinn did.”
“I won’t, Mama.” He squeezed Emma’s shoulder, whispering he’d explain everything later. He might be a fierce predator, but he’d learn l
ong ago to get while the gettin’ was good. He kissed Emma again ignoring Deb’s knowing gaze. He just knew somehow she was going to take credit for finding the twins their mates. Mates. He remembered the anguish he and Ryker had both suffered and thought fate had a bitching sense of humor.
With Sunday dinner on the table, Bruce Blackwood cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. Extra chairs had been brought in from the garage. When Molly, the twins’ other sister had found out they were bringing their mates, she’d driven down with her family. Now the table overflowed with bear shifters.
“Even though it’s not Thanksgiving yet, I just want to take a moment and give thanks for the blessings this family has seen over this past year. My oldest son now has a mate, the beautiful Paige—”
“No thanks to Quinn,” Deb pointed out. “He almost lost her by being so thick-headed.”
“And who still hasn’t started planning the wedding.” Rebecca Blackwood frowned at her oldest son.
Quinn and Paige exchanged a quick look. “Uh, that’s something we need to talk about later.”
“They are at least mated,” this from Deb’s Kodiak bear husband.
Everyone but Abigail and Emma laughed. Seeing their confusion, Jason spoke up. “When Quinn was courting Paige, he kept forgetting to tell her she was his mate, and well, kept forgetting to mate her.”
“Something which I hope my other sons will not have such a problem with.” Bruce’s dark brows rose and his face turned intimating.
“Hey!” Quinn protested when another round of laughter broke out.
Ryland and Ryker didn’t join in, knowing what a rough road was still ahead of them in convincing their women to mate with them. They’d given Quinn hell, but were now totally sympathetic to the situation he’d found himself in with Paige.
“We also get to welcome two more beautiful women into the family. Emma and Abigail.” He paused. “I don’t think the boys ever said your last name.”
It was the twins’ turn to look a little shamefaced. They had never asked and Abigail and Emma hadn’t volunteered. There was a moment of silence before the twins realized their mates were not going to be forthcoming with their last name. To them it didn’t matter, they’d soon be Blackwood. But why the hesitancy?
“What about the babies?” Molly asked, easing away the awkward silence.
“Babies?” Abby shied away from Ryker’s questioning look. It had become second nature to hide their identities.
“Yeah,” Quinn grinned. “Paige is pregnant with twins.”
“Congratulations.” Emma’s heart broke a little knowing she might never have babies. Not if her plan didn’t work.
“Well, at least he did one thing right,” Jason drawled. His wife elbowed him in the stomach and he growled a little.
What was it about bears and growling? Emma thought.
“Damn straight.” Quinn rubbed Paige’s belly and for some reason that made the woman blush a dark red.
Bruce laughed. “Well, no matter how it happened, the Blackwood family has been truly blessed. Now let’s eat.” He sat back down and picked up the platter of fried chicken. The talk tampered off as everyone filled their plates and started to eat.
Deb smiled as she watched the twins divided their attention between the large serving bowls and platters being passed around and their new mates. Even though the women were identical twins, just like the boys, there were small, physical differences if you looked closely enough. As with Ryland and Ryker, their personalities were not the same either. Emma appeared the more outgoing while Abigail was more somber. Right now they were both quiet.
As she watched, she realized they were serving themselves very small portions of the food. She didn’t think it had anything to do with not liking what was being served, they had complimented her mother on the dishes while helping out in the kitchen. She realized they were afraid of taking too much and not leaving enough for the rest of them.
She poked Ryland in the side, trying to get his attention.
“What?” he said loud enough for the whole table to hear. He thought she was going to say something about the amount of food he’d already piled on his plate. In the Blackwood family you had to be fast to grab your share of the food. “I’m hungry. I had an exhausting morning.” He winked at Emma and bright, red color flooded her cheeks. It almost rivaled Paige’s blush when Quinn had rubbed her stomach.
Deb let out a low chuff. The last thing she’d wanted was to draw attention to the two women. She’d been trying to get her thick headed brother to notice how little the women were eating. Her husband hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her close. When she turned his way, he shook his head. Knowing she shouldn’t pry into her brothers’ business—well, too much—she sighed and leaned back against him.
Ryker looked her way with a raised brow that resembled her father’s face when he would ‘talk’ to them as teenagers. It usually meant someone was about to get into trouble. As unobtrusively as possible, she gestured to her plate, then toward Emma and Abigail. When his frown deepened, she realized he understood what she was trying to convey.
Abigail watched as the people around her talked and laughed. She let the emotions flooding the room wash over her. There was so much happiness and love. She nearly dropped her fork when Ryker turned his attention her way. He’d been speaking gently to the boy sitting at his other side, an almost smile on his face. Now, his brows were drawn together, his face tight with what almost looked like anger.
Before she could stop herself, she raised her hand and rubbed the frown lines on his forehead. “You’ll get wrinkles like that.” It was something she remembered her mother saying to her father.
Ryker grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her fingertips. “Then eat some more for me.” He turned and scooted closer, his legs so long they encased her chair when he sat sideways.
“Ryker.” She quickly glanced up and let out a sigh of relief. No one was paying any attention to them.
“Just a little bit more.” Picking up the bowl of mashed potatoes he put another spoonful on her plate.
Before she knew it, there was another piece of chicken and more salad. She hadn’t taken very much. For some reason she was nervous to eat in front of his family. And, she and Emma, by circumstance, only ate a little at a time, always trying to stretch out their resources. Food wasn’t necessarily scarce, but it was limited at times. Feeling the tears gather at the concern she saw in his eyes, she took a small bite of potatoes, hoping she wouldn’t choke as her throat closed up.
“Abby?” Ryker’s rough voice sounded near her ear. She realized he had leaned closer and could probably see the moisture clinging to her lashes. “Baby.”
“Abby, what’s wrong?” Emma rose from her seat and hurried to her sister’s side. Everyone around the table stopped talking. “Did you do something to her?” She tried to push her way between the couple. When she couldn’t, she shoved at the big bear and felt the tingle of a shift coming over her as her cat rose inside her. Chairs shoved back and before she knew it, Deb and her sister had gathered all the cubs and moved them swiftly across the room. In the blink of an eye, Ryland was there, placing himself between her and his brother. She sensed his bear not far from the surface. Her heart pounded when she realized that aggression was aimed at his brother, not at her for scaring the children.
Surprisingly, Ryker hadn’t made a move toward her. He simply sat in his chair, looking between her and her sister.
“Emma, it’s okay.” Abby grabbed her hand. “He didn’t do anything.”
Emma took a deep breath, glancing between the two. Well, she glared at Ryker, still unsure what had happened. One moment she was enjoying the delicious food, and the next, she’d felt something, some never-before-experienced emotion coming her sister. When she’d looked up and saw the tears in Abby’s eyes, she’d gotten scared.
“You can stand down now, Ryland,” Ryker said. “I’m not going to hurt your
mate.” He rubbed his shoulder. “Although, she does pack a wallop.”
“I won’t let you hurt my sister.” Emma’s voice was strong and sure.
“Ditto, little cat. I won’t let anyone hurt your sister, who is now my mate,” he reminded her gently but firmly.
Emma was surprised how relaxed Ryker appeared. He was a bear shifter who could have taken off her head with a swipe of his hand—without shifting. She pulled on the tail of her shirt, unsure how to behave now that the supposed danger had passed. “Well, just so we understand each other.”
“Come here, my little wildcat.” Ryland grinned and pulled her into his arms. “Are you going to smack him around when he picks on me?”
“Stop it.” Emma smacked him instead.
“Let your mates finish their food, boys,” Bruce Blackwood ordered from the head of the table, trying to hide the smile tugging at his lips. Fate had chosen well for his sons.
“So how relieved are you not to have to share your mate.” Jason asked the question once the men had found their way into the living area. After Emma’s fierce show of protection for her sister, dinner had resumed with small talk and soft laughter as they gave Emma time to compose herself. When it looked as if neither Emma nor Abigail were going to eat anymore, Rebecca had risen from her chair and ordered the men into the family room.
The eldest male Blackwood held court from his almost broken-in recliner. His wife was undoubtedly fussing over the twin sisters in the other room.
“We would have made it work.” Ryland was nonchalant with his answer.
Ryker snorted in response.
“Right,” Quinn drawled. “You wouldn’t even share your G.I. Joes with him.”
“Cause he never would give them back,” Ryland protested.
“Exactly.” With just a single word Ryker conveyed his message—what’s mine is mine and it stays that way. He leaned back on the couch, closing his eyes for a moment, not wanting the men in the room to see the emotion in them. Would he have been able to share a mate with his brother? He would like to think they would have managed simply to ensure the happiness of their mate. But he wasn’t as certain as Ryland seemed to be. Thank the heavens it hadn’t come to that.