by Mina Carter
Making a break for the door, she almost had her freedom before the good little manager inside kicked in. She began to turn.
“Oh, breakfast is at—” Her words stalled as she collided with a warm, solid, male body. Before she could rebound and land on her ass, a hard arm shot around her waist, holding her tightly against his heavily muscled body. The same gorgeously ripped body currently covered in nothing but a small towel.
Her brain short-circuited and she blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “You must get sick of women finding excuses to throw themselves at you.”
That maddening half smile teased at the corner of his lips and raised her heart rate again.
“Actually, it doesn’t happen that often. But this time, I’m glad about it.”
Her gaze riveted to his lips, every cell in her body on alert, caressed by the husky timbres of his voice. A phone sex voice if ever she’d heard one.
“You are?” She blinked, that wasn’t the answer she’d expected.
“Yeah.” He bent his head until his lips were a bare whisper above hers.
“Errr…why?”
“It saves me from making an excuse to do this.”
He kissed her.
No, that was wrong. He didn’t just kiss her... Instead, he claimed her. His lips covered hers, hot and firm. Hard and dominating as he took control of the kiss. She whimpered as he pulled her closer. Close enough to feel the long, hard bar of his cock caught between their bodies.
Her whimper became a gasp. Was that…was he…because of her?
His tongue drove into her mouth, a scorching, knee-trembling wet slide of sin as he sought hers. They touched. Danced. Her hands slid across the carved granite of his shoulders and down, aching to feel, touch, and explore, only to find her wrists captured in his big hands. He held her arms out to the side, slightly up and back so that she was off balance and resting against him.
At his mercy.
“No touching.” His voice was rough and raw, all pretense of civility stripped away. She bit her lip, forced to clench her thighs together as a sharp stab of need ripped through her. “Touch me and I’ll fuck you here and now against the door.”
He plundered her lips. A kiss and a sinful temptation rolled into one. Heat flooded her body and stole her ability to think. By the time he lifted his head, she was panting and writhed against him, a soundless plea on her lips as she fought his hold. Screw not touching him. Being fucked hard and fast against the door sounded like a perfect plan.
“Shhh,” he whispered, resting his forehead against hers. “We don’t need to rush. A woman like you should be courted…savored like a fine wine.”
The softly spoken words, uttered in that deep, rough voice, did it for her. Her heart melted right there on the spot. How many men would have called a halt when she couldn’t? How many would have said something like that, with an easy lay on offer.
She only knew one and he stood in front of her.
“We’ll get back to this.” He kissed her again, softly. A caress full of promise. “When you’re sure I’m what you want.”
“What if I’m sure now?”
His lips quirked again, and he slid his hand into the hair at the nape of her neck to tilt her head up so she could meet his eyes. His expression was serious.
“Get to know me first. I’m not a nice man, Bobbi. Make sure before you give yourself to me that it’s really what you want. Now…scoot…before I change my mind.”
On shaky legs, she did as she was told, pausing halfway across the parking lot to look back. He leaned in the doorway, one big shoulder against the frame and that towel hanging low on his hips.
“Fuck me…” she whispered, unable to believe that had just happened. With him.
“That’s the plan. Tomorrow,” he called out. “Now get inside before you catch your death.”
Biting her lip, she did as told.
Chapter Three
Bobbi Bradbury was his mate.
Reese stood, still shocked by the revelation as he watched her walk across the lot to the small house behind the diner.
His mate. He had a mate.
And she was human.
Amazing, unbelievable…impossible, but there was no denying the subtle scent he’d caught when he had her in his arms. Nor the response from both sides of his dual nature when his lips had claimed hers.
His bear, far more canny than he at times, roared up to just under the surface, so close he almost felt fur poking through his pores, just to be close to her. To pick up and analyze the scent hidden beneath perfume and shower gel. It was faint, just the edge of something that had drawn him in like a bear to honey, but there.
She smelled of sunlight over the forest, of warm dens and…home.
His bear roared in triumph. It didn’t care she was human. She could have been a frigging were-bunny for all it cared. She was their mate. Simple. It grumbled and growled within, wanting to storm to the house and claim their curvy little mate.
She would welcome him. He knew she would. The scent of her arousal and interest still hung on the air. When she’d clung to him, it had taken every ounce of control he had not to take her then and there. Only the mate scent stopped him. She wasn’t just a casual lay in a town he’d never come back to. She was his mate and she needed courting properly.
Something moved in the shadows around the now closed diner. He frowned, his keen vision picking up the outline of a man in the shadows. Before he could push off from the door and grab some pants, whoever it was slid back into the darkness. The sound of a bike engine roaring away down the road on the other side of the diner confirmed his suspicions.
Bobbi might be his, but he had some issues to deal with before he could claim her.
Turning, he closed the door and grabbed a T-shirt, cargo pants, and boots, the same as he’d worn most of his working life. The sort of units he worked for, uniforms were reserved for weddings and funerals. Most of the time they needed to blend in, become someone completely different.
Shoving his SIG into the back of his waistband, he pulled his T-shirt over it. Not the safest way to carry but he was hardier than most. Grabbing his cell, he dialed Danny from memory. None of his numbers were programmed in. Burner phones were standard operating procedure in the field.
“Yeah?” Danny picked up after a few rings, his voice rough with sleep.
“Tell me about a guy called Riley.” Reese didn’t bother with introductions. If Danny couldn’t recognize his voice after all these years then there was something seriously wrong.
“Riley? Uh…small time crook. Drugs, mostly. Sheriff’s never been able to lay anything on him but lives in hope.”
Reese grunted. Great, a regular mob boss in the making.
“Why?”
“Seems he’s moving up in the world. Gone into protection now, and not the personal kind. Caught two of his goons bothering your sister earlier.”
“What?” Danny’s voice sharpened; sleep burning out of the deep tones as Reese listened. “That’s it, I’m on my way.”
“Whoa, whoa. Hold your horses. I took care of them. She’s fine. In fact,” he chuckled. “I think they were in more danger from her than the other way around. She’s a spitfire, isn’t she?”
The line went silent for a half second longer than Reese would have liked, and he could almost hear the cog’s turning in Danny’s head. Then he growled, “Hurt her and I’ll break every bone in your body. She might not be blood-related but in every way that matters, she’s my little sister.”
“I won’t hurt her, I promise.” The words came easily. He wouldn’t ever hurt Bobbi, but he wasn’t stupid enough to tell Danny exactly what he wanted to do to his delectable little sister. “I’ll protect her with my life. Now…Riley. What else can you tell me about him?”
Ten minutes later Reese was back on the road, the powerful engine of the motorbike throbbing between his thighs. An enduro-tourer model wasn’t flashy but could take anything he decided to throw at it.
Sure, the intel was a few years old but Banford was a small town. He might not have been born and bred here, but he knew the type. He’d been brought up in a small town just like it. The kind of place where everyone knew everyone (and their grandparents) and a car spinning off a bad bent and into old Mrs. Birkett’s garden was talked about for years. It was the sort of place where things didn’t change quickly, which meant Danny’s info was likely to be good.
And it looked like it was.
Reese pulled his bike outside a bar the opposite side of town to the diner. A neon sign above the door said Benny’s. Well, it would have, but the B flickered on and off, until it went dark completely so it was just ‘enny’s.
He sat back to look around, both feet on the ground and the bike balanced. A little way out, the only access was a remote dirt road through the woods to the parking lot, probably the local ‘lover’s lane’ as well.
Good. The isolated location and wooded surrounds would work in his favor. Especially for what he had planned. A message delivered in person to this asshole Riley, that there was a new player in town.
A nasty grin spreading across his face, he set the bike on its stand and strode inside. The door banged behind him, and all eyes swiveled in his direction.
“I’ve got a message for Cole Riley and any asshole in his pocket,” he growled, loosing his bear into his voice.
“As of now, Bobbi Bradbury is off limits. Anyone lays a finger on her, and I’ll take it off. At the neck.”
***
“Hey, did you hear about the fight at Benny’s last night?”
Louise breezed into the diner like a breath of fresh air. Like normal, she was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Basically entirely too awake for Bobbi’s liking. Grunting in reply, she tipped her head back and swallowed the dregs at the bottom of her mug. Waste not, want not. The only religion she paid any attention to was to the worship of the Blessed Bean.
Java. Coffee. Go-juice. Whatever you wanted to call it, she needed it. In copious amounts. And it really needed to get its ass into gear and give her the kick she needed to get this morning started already.
“Bobbi? Bobbi!” Louise snapped her fingers under Bobbi’s nose and shoved a fresh mug of coffee her way. “Gossip. Pay attention.”
She grabbed the mug and stuck her nose in it. Sucking down half, she closed her eyes and waited for the caffeine kick. Three…two…one… Ah, there it was.
Oh lordy, that was good stuff. She sucked a breath in as it felt like her eyelids were peeling back and gluing themselves into place. It was less coffee and liquid nosleepforaweek. It should be, the pot had been on since she stumbled through the door this morning on autopilot. She was so not a morning person. So, so not a morning person.
“M’okay, I’m awake. Honest.” She mustered a small smile from somewhere. She didn’t sleep well at the best of times but last night had been especially trying. After her sexy encounter with Reese, she’d tossed and turned, only to fall asleep to erotic dreams that left her unfulfilled and aching when she’d woken. Late. Now she felt like death warmed over, but it wasn’t fair to take it out on Louise.
The poor girl had enough to deal with, and most of that shit was down to her brother. As far as Bobbi knew, he’d never worked a day in his life, and was more than a handshake in with the local pain in the ass biker gang. Although, to be fair, they’d be far more trouble if Riley’s men didn’t keep them in check.
“So. Gossip. Spill. Someone busted up Benny’s?” It wasn’t the first time and no doubt wouldn’t be the last, but since it was a favorite haunt of Riley’s crew, her ears pricked up. She wasn’t one to wish ill on anyone, but the two assholes he’d sent yesterday had really gotten on her last nerve. It was about time someone stuck it back to them. Just a pity no one had gotten footag—
“Hey, did anyone upload it to the ‘net yet?”
Louise shook her head, shattering Bobbi’s hopes. “Nope, apparently it happened too fast. The guy ripped through the bar like a tsunami. The place is wrecked and most of Riley’s crew are in the hospital.”
Bobbi’s eyes widened. “The guy…one guy? Just one?”
Louise leaned on the counter, her features alive with intrigue and amusement. There was little the goth-looking waitress liked more than gossip. “And you know what else? The rest aren’t talking much. When they do, they just say one thing.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah.” Louise practically hugged herself.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Lou-by, out with it!” Bobbi had patience, sometimes, but not much of it. And none when she was exhausted.
“The guy said you were off limits. Threatened to kill anyone who lays a finger on you.” The doorbell jangled behind them and Louise didn’t need to drop her voice for Bobbi to realize who had just walked in. The younger woman nodded toward the newcomer and whispered, “Wanna bet your hot Brit is the one drawing a line in the sand?”
Reese had busted up Benny’s? With Riley’s crew in it?
Bobbi didn’t think her eyes could get any wider but they must be as big as dinner plates as she turned around to find the man in question filling the door of the diner. Her heart did a triple pitter-patter.
Tall, blond, and British…god, he was hawt. With a capital come fuck me now.
His close-cut hair was damp, telling her he’d just come out of the shower but that wasn’t what caught her attention. A tight T-shirt stretched over his heavily-muscled chest and shoulders with a cartoon bear from a popular kids show grinning maniacally at her. Tight denim hugged his thighs and ass, drawing a low whistle from Louise.
Bobbi shot her a look, but her self-control didn’t hold enough not to admire the view as he headed toward a table in the corner. A case under one muscled forearm turned out to contain a laptop. She watched on the sly, fascinated, as he opened it up and started…well, typing. And he typed fast, nothing like her own hunt and peck technique, so he was obviously used to it.
A sexy scowl furrowed his brow and he stopped, looking at the screen. Reaching into the laptop case, he pulled free a pair of spectacles and slid them on. She whimpered. Actually whimpered. What was sexier than a nerd… apart from a hot bodybuilder, muscled nerd?
Spying Louise about to head around the counter, she leapt off her stool and grabbed a pad. “You get ready for the breakfast rush, I got this.” She winked.
“I’ll just bet you have,” Louise muttered as the door chimes tinkled again. Bobbi giggled and stuck her tongue out before sashaying down the center aisle toward Reese.
Her courage carried her halfway…and then he looked up. Speared her with that pale gaze over the rims of those sexy as hell glasses. Only his eyes weren’t pale anymore, but a warm blue that reminded her of a tropical ocean. He smiled and she heard her ovaries whimper and beg to have his babies. She couldn’t stop walking. It was like every atom of her being was attuned to him and only him, an inexplicable pull stronger than gravity drawing her toward him.
“So, handsome, what can I get you? Coffee, tea…” Me?
Pushing the glasses back up his nose, he tilted his head back to look at her. His shoulders bunched and shifted under the tight shirt as he closed the laptop. Didn’t switch it off, just closed the lid to focus on her.
“Coffee, please.” His deep voice rumbled in the space between them, the tones whispering over her skin. She suppressed a shiver and snapped her pad up as though to take his order. In reality, anything she wrote would be complete mumbo-jumbo. When that much sexy sat right there in front of her, there was no way she’d be able to write recognizable words. Luckily, she had an awesome memory.
“Coffee. Milk? Sugar?”
He shook his head. “No. Black, and strong enough to eat the spoon. Can I get bacon and eggs, a large portion? And some hash browns?”
“Hungry?” she smiled, scribbling something on the pad.
His lips quirked. “I’m a growing lad.”
His gaze swept over her curvy figure in her work attire, which consisted of a black shirt and jersey skirt, pantyhose and flats, and heated. “In certain, very specific places.”
He wasn’t… She couldn’t help it, her gaze dropped. Sure enough, the denim was stretched over the outline of a very large, very hard erection.
“Oh my…”
His laptop pinged, drawing his attention and he bit his lip. “I have to get this, sweetheart. I’m sorry.”
“No, no,” she was quick to reassure him. “You’re working, I guess?”
His nod confirmed and she had enough self-control not to ask him what he did for a living now.
“Okay, you get busy and I’ll get your breakfast. Can’t have you dying of hunger on me, now can I?”
*
Reese watched her sashay away after she delivered his breakfast and was forced to bite back a groan. She was temptation in one sinfully sexy and curved little bundle. And she was all his…Well, almost. Before he claimed his mate there were a few little problems he still needed to sort out.
Like the fact he still hadn’t told her he was her brother’s friend. Plus he was fairly certain Danny would kill him for putting the moves on his baby sister, regardless of the fact she was Reese’s mate. Of course, Danny would eventually come round and it would all be happy families.
Maybe. Possibly…
No, he was still getting his arse kicked. Big time.
Then, there was the little issue that she didn’t know about, werebears. Like at all. He still couldn’t wrap his head around that one; she’d been adopted by a bear family, but they’d never told her what they were. Sure, he could understand in the case of a blended family, where momma or poppa bear didn’t want to let the new step kids know ’til they were older, but this was something else completely. They’d kept the truth from her for her entire life.
The urge to beat his head against the table in front of him was almost overwhelming. That one act of sheer selfishness meant his route to claim his destined mate would be rockier than the road to hell.