“I’m afraid I don’t have any empty drawers in the dresser right now, but I’ll take care of that in the morning. There should be empty hangers in the closet though,” he told her.
“Thank you. I’ll probably just leave my stuff in the bag for tonight.”
Gabriel walked over and opened a door. “Here’s the bathroom if you want to freshen up or anything. I’m going to talk with Michael for a minute. Do you have everything you need?”
Kiera nodded her head. “Yes, thank you.”
Gabriel gave her a brief smile before closing the bedroom door behind him. Kiera walked over to the bathroom and peered inside. There was a large garden tub with jets and a large walk-in shower that could have easily held four or five people. It was by far the biggest bathroom she’d ever seen.
Grabbing her nightgown and toiletries, she headed into the bathroom and decided a soak in the tub would be nice. As the tub filled with hot steamy water, she pulled her hair into a twist and put a clip in it. As long and thick as her hair was, it would take forever for it to dry, so washing it this late at night was out of the question. She rummaged through the cabinets and closet until she found a washcloth and towel before climbing into the tub. Sinking into the water up to her neck, she closed her eyes and let the hot water sooth away the stress of the day.
***
Gabriel had been in Michael’s room longer than he had planned. It had taken at least half an hour to go over the plans that Matt and Cassie had been able to throw together. How they managed to set an appointment for a marriage license, procure a minister, arrange for a florist and caterer, and set an appointment at a bridal boutique when it was almost midnight was beyond Gabriel. Money apparently really did move mountains. He hoped that even with such short notice Kiera could still have the wedding of her dreams. He was going to owe Matt and Cassie big time!
When he got back to his bedroom, he noticed that the bathroom door was open a little bit and Kiera was nowhere in sight. He crept to the bathroom door and peeked in. She was lying in the tub with her head tipped back and her eyes closed. It looked like she had fallen asleep.
From across the room, all Gabriel could see were her naked shoulders and arms. He knew that if he went any closer he would see a lot more, but he was afraid she would react badly; he wasn’t certain that he could control himself if he saw her naked right now.
Inspiration struck and he shifted into a wolf. He was still large enough to see over the edge of the tub, but it was somehow different when he was in his animal form. He nudged her arm with his cold wet nose. She murmured something in her sleep, but didn’t wake up. He edged a little closer and licked her cheek.
Kiera slowly opened her eyes. Turning her head, she saw a large black wolf standing next to the tub. Her first reaction was to shriek. Once her heart settled down, she remembered that she wasn’t at home. Hesitantly she reached for the wolf.
“Gabriel?”
The wolf nodded his head yes.
Kiera smiled at him. “You make a beautiful wolf. I’m sorry I fell asleep; the water just felt so relaxing I couldn’t help myself.”
Gabriel nudged her towel closer to her and padded out of the bathroom. He shifted back into his human form and threw on some pajama pants. He didn’t wear them very often, but he kept a pair on hand in case of an emergency. He figured that tonight was definitely an emergency. If he held Kiera against his naked body, they would be doing a lot more than sleeping. The woman lit him on fire.
He had just picked up his dirty clothes when Kiera came out of the bathroom in a long white nightgown. It had thin straps and a hint of lace at the bottom. She looked like an angel and somehow managed to look sexy as hell at the same time. She had that innocent and yet naughty look to her.
Gabriel started to turn down the covers. Turning to face her he asked, “What side of the bed do you normally sleep on?”
“Oh, um, the left.”
Gabriel walked around to the other side of the bed and turned down the covers. He held his hand out to her and she slowly walked over to him. She was so tired that she looked like she would collapse at any moment. Gabriel picked her up and gently laid her down on the soft mattress. He had a large king size bed with a hand-carved wooden headboard. Kiera was so petite that he would have to get some steps for her to use; or buy a different bed.
Once she was tucked in, Gabriel walked around to the other side and climbed under the covers. In her sleep, Kiera moved closer to him until she was pressed against his side. Gabriel sighed and drew her into his arms. It was going to be a very, very long night.
Chapter Two
Kiera woke the next morning to a hard warm body pressed against her back and sunlight filtering through the bedroom window. She stretched and slowly opened her eyes. Looking around the room, she felt a little disoriented. Rolling to her other side, she came face to face with a sleeping Gabriel. She reached out and smoothed an unruly lock of hair back from his face.
Gabriel wrapped his arm around Kiera and pulled her close. He was in that in-between state where he wasn’t really asleep but he wasn’t fully awake either. Rolling to his back, he pulled Kiera with him.
Sprawled across his chest, she watched him sleep. At least, she assumed he was still asleep. He didn’t seem to be the type to play possum. Figuring she could be stuck there for a while, she rested her cheek on his chest. Breathing in his woodsy scent, she released a contented sigh.
Feeling her breath ruffle the hair on his chest, Gabriel knew he had to shift her weight; soon. Having her pressed against the front of him was starting to cause his entire body to wake up; particularly the area pressed against the apex of her thighs.
Gabriel opened his eyes and looked at Kiera. “Good morning, sweetheart.”
Kiera lifted her head to look at Gabriel. “Good morning.”
Gabriel shifted them to their sides so that his condition wouldn’t be quite so noticeable. “Did you sleep well?”
“Better than I think I ever have before.”
He smiled at her. “I’m glad to hear you’re well-rested. I talked to Michael last night and it seems that Matt and Cassie were able to pull a lot of strings late last night and we have a lot of appointments today.”
Kiera looked at him questioningly. “Oh? Like what?”
Smoothing her hair away from her face, he answered, “Like getting a marriage license this morning; meeting a florist and a caterer; and getting you fitted for a wedding gown.”
Her eyes widened. “They were able to do all of that? Wow! But … a florist and caterer are going to cost a lot of money. We don’t have to have a big wedding. Besides, I don’t have anyone to invite.”
Gabriel smiled. “I want you to have a real wedding. It only seems fair since you’ve been forced into this.”
“Me? You’re the one who’s been forced to marry me!”
He shook his head. “No, honey. I’m not being forced. I already told you that you’re my mate. The timing is a little off as I would have preferred time to get to know you better and do things the traditional way, but either way I want you to be mine.”
She smiled at him. “You really mean that, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do. Now let’s get up and get dressed. We should have just enough time for breakfast before we have to go to the courthouse for our license.”
Gabriel climbed out of bed, but Kiera faced a slight dilemma as she peered down at the floor, which seemed a really long ways away. “Um, Gabriel? Could you please help me down?”
He chuckled and lifted her out of the bed. Setting her down on her feet, he brushed a kiss on her cheek. “When I stop at the hardware store to replace the shop door, I’ll see if they have some wooden steps. You can pick out a new bed later, or maybe a thinner mattress would work. These double-pillow tops tend to add height to any bed.”
“Oh, no! I don’t want a new bed.”
Gabriel arched an eyebrow and looked at her. “You like not being able to get into your own bed?”
She blu
shed. “Actually, the stairs wouldn’t be a bad idea, but I kind of like the bed.”
He grinned at her and headed to the closet to pull some clothes out. He pulled out a tux and laid it across the bed before he grabbed some jeans and a blue shirt out of the dresser to wear for the day.
Kiera eyed the tux. “So you keep a tux on hand? Get married often?”
“Matt and Cassie bought all three of us one when they got married several years ago. I hung on to mine and used it again when Cole got married a few months ago. Figured it might come in handy.”
Kiera shook her head before she knelt on the floor to dig through her bag. The man had hidden layers; and she fully intended to explore them all.
She pulled out a pair of black Capri pants and a green top that matched her eyes. Digging around in the bottom of the bag, she pulled out her black heeled sandals. She wanted to look nice for Gabriel without dressing up too much.
Gabriel had been covertly watching her across the room. “Why don’t you take the bathroom and I’ll change out here?”
She nodded and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She quickly put on her clothes, brushed her teeth and washed her face. She untangled her unruly hair. After putting on some makeup, she started to pull her hair back in a ponytail. Then she remembered that Gabriel seemed taken with the curly mess and left it hanging loose down her back. She probably should get it cut a little as it hung all the way down to her waist, but she just never seemed to have the time.
When she stepped out of the bathroom, Gabriel was waiting for her. He looked just as wonderful in the daylight as he had looked last night. She wasn’t sure that she would be able to keep her hands to herself. This was definitely a new feeling for her and she wondered if it had anything to do with being his mate. Maybe it was the animal side of her that made her feel this way.
Gabriel stared at her. “You look so beautiful.”
She blushed. “Thank you.”
He held his hand out to her and she walked over to him, placing her hand in his. Looking up into his blue eyes, she wanted him to kiss her. As if reading her mind, he bent his head to hers and claimed her lips in a gentle kiss. Kiera moaned and threw her arms around his neck.
Gabriel smiled against her lips and untangled her arms from his neck. “If we don’t stop right now, I have a feeling that we’ll miss our own wedding.”
“You’re probably right. Guess we should go downstairs.”
Gabriel took her hand and led her down the staircase. Judging by the sounds coming from the kitchen, he figured that Michael must have gotten industrious and decided to make breakfast. As they walked into the brightly lit kitchen, they were shocked to see a full house. It seemed that Cole and Marin, along with the cousins, had heard the news and decided to come and check things out.
“Well, I hadn’t expected the whole family to be here this morning,” Gabriel said.
Cole and Marin looked at him with huge grins on their faces. Connor and Colin both grinned at him and checked Kiera out. Michael had found something very interesting on the floor. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Michael had called Colin, Connor, and Cole this morning with the news.
Gabriel put his arm around Kiera’s waist. “Since you’re all here this morning, I’m assuming that Michael told you I have found my mate.”
Cole came over and hugged Gabriel. “I’m happy for you.”
Turning to Kiera, Cole said, “Welcome to the family.”
“Thank you. Although I wish it had been under better circumstances.”
Cole nodded. “Yeah, I heard about the rushed wedding. No matter though. The two of you were meant to be together so everything will be fine.”
“I wish I could be as sure as you are. I keep telling him that he’s making a mistake,” Kiera replied.
Gabriel’s arm tightened around her. When was she going to realize that he didn’t care what she shifted into? He had to get permission from the Memphis alpha to enter her hometown, but being there wasn’t going to be easy. It was going to take everything in him not to rip every werewolf apart.
Connor and Colin both came over and briefly hugged Kiera and congratulated them both.
Clearing his throat, Gabriel asked Cole, “Would you mind driving with us tomorrow to her house? It’s outside of Memphis. She needs to clean out her place and I thought your truck might come in handy.”
“Sure. Just let me know what time you plan on leaving. I think Cassie and Marin were going shopping tomorrow anyway.”
Marin swatted her husband on the arm. “As if you mind having Sundays to yourself!”
He grinned at her. “You know I don’t mind your shopping trips. I’m glad that you and Cassie get along so well.”
Connor cleared his throat. “If you need more hands, Colin and I can go with you, too. Two trucks are better than one after all.”
Kiera wasn’t sure what to make of all of this. From what she could tell, Marin was human, and seemed to be pregnant. Kiera had heard of other shapeshifters choosing human mates, but she had never met a werewolf who had done so. The three brothers seemed to be really close, which was typical in a shifter family. She hadn’t quite figured out Connor and Colin being their own pack, but assumed that one of them was also an alpha. And for some reason Cassie and Matt were friends who were as close to the brothers as family. This was not what she was used to at all, but she liked it. She liked the closeness and she was looking forward to her life with such a large, caring family.
Gabriel was watching Kiera, trying to judge her reaction to his family. He knew they were a lot to take in, but he hoped that she would feel comfortable around them. She had a myriad of emotions running across her face. Mostly, she just seemed uncertain. It was going to take a while to undo everything the Memphis wolves had done to her. He knew there was a spunky confident woman dying to get out, he just had to figure out how to release her.
He looked around at his family. “Well, since Michael felt guilty enough to cook, we might as well eat.”
Everyone sat down at the table and ate. They all had a few questions for Kiera. The wolves mostly wanted to know about the town she lived in. The better informed they were, the smoother things would go when they cleaned out Kiera’s place. The dynamics of the wolf pack in Memphis were vastly different than that of the Atlanta group. They were going to have to tread carefully tomorrow.
Once everyone was finished with their meal, they put their dishes in the sink. Michael offered to take care of the clean-up so that Gabriel and Kiera wouldn’t be late for their appointment. He even loaned them his car again.
The trip to the courthouse didn’t take as long as Kiera had expected it would. Apparently, Matt had taken care of everything but their personal information. The forms were waiting for them when they arrived. Within minutes, they were leaving with their license in hand. Next stop was the florist.
The woman in the floral shop was thrilled to see them. She had known Gabriel’s family and had been friends with his mother. If she was shocked over the expediency of the wedding, she didn’t show it. Both Kiera and Gabriel were stumped when she asked where the wedding would take place. Of all the things for them to forget, that was the worst.
Kiera touched Gabriel’s arm, “What about having it at your house? I saw a gazebo in the backyard that would be a nice place to say our vows.”
He smiled at her. “I’d like that.”
Looking at the florist he asked, “Think you could put different types of roses around the gazebo? Maybe we can put a carpet running from the house to the gazebo and the flower girl could drop rose petals.”
“But Gabriel, we don’t have a flower girl,” Kiera said.
He winked at her. “Sure we do. Cassie has an adorable little girl who would fit the bill perfectly.”
Kiera laughed. “Then I guess we do have one.” She looked at the florist. “I love the idea of roses, but do you think it would be possible to add some jasmine to the mix?”
The f
lorist smiled at them. “Just leave it all to me.”
***
Several hours later, they had flowers and food taken care of. Gabriel had dropped Kiera off at the bridal shop while he went to the hardware store. He was able to purchase a replacement door for the shop and have it delivered. He knew he should check on some stairs for the bed, but truth be told he rather enjoyed having to help Kiera get in and out of bed. He loved the feel of her in his arms. After making his purchase, Gabriel went to the bridal shop to pick up Kiera.
Kiera’s dress was tucked securely in the trunk of the Vette and they were heading home. They had about two hours before the wedding was to take place. Hopefully, that would give Kiera enough time to get ready.
Gabriel had made a few phone calls throughout the day. He had contacted the Memphis pack and secured their permission to be in their territory. He had also found out that Kiera had one friend in the whole town; a woman who could shift into an ocelot. He had immediately contacted Matt to make sure Kiera’s friend would be at the wedding; he wanted it to be a surprise for her. Gabriel had also invited all of their friends from the area, along with Cassie’s family. The wedding would still be small, but hopefully it would be memorable for Kiera. He just wished that she had family who could be there for her. It was a special day and it was sad that her mother and father couldn’t be present.
When they got home, Cassie and Marin were waiting for them. They immediately rushed Kiera up to one of the second floor bedrooms. She was pampered and primped for over an hour. When she put on her wedding dress, both women told her how radiant she looked. It was a sleeveless white satin gown with a flared skirt that went down to her ankles. She opted not to have a train since the wedding was to take place outside. She had chosen something simple, not wanting a lot of seed pearls or sequins, it was understated yet elegant.
Once Marin had made certain the men were already at the gazebo waiting on the bride, the trio headed downstairs. The sun had finished setting and every star in the sky shone brightly. Outside, they had hung blush, white and lavender colored paper lanterns around the yard. There was a gray carpet running from the back steps to the gazebo. The florist had not only wrapped flowers around the gazebo railing, but she had also added potted jasmine around the yard. The reception tables each had a vase of irises in the center.
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