Chased Mate: Cybermates

by Ayers, Candace

  I grabbed my dress and frowned. “You sure—”

  He frowned back at me. “I’m going.”

  Swearing, I slid my dress over my head and answered as I smoothed and straightened it. “Sorry, Mom. The time got away with me, but we’re on our way.”

  “You’re late. The roast is going to dry out.”

  “On our way!” I hung up and went to find Flynn, who’d slipped out of the bathroom. His apartment was nicer than I expected. Which hit me with an immediate sense of shame. What had I expected? Old takeout containers, empty beer cans, and mismatched furniture from Second Hand Treasures? Yeah, actually. The place was clean, with hardwood floors, an open floor plan, and sleek, contemporary furniture. It was uncluttered, but not so stark it didn’t feel cozy.

  I found Flynn in the bedroom and I noticed his closet was surprisingly organized as well. I turned my back to him and stared over my shoulder. “Zip me, please?”

  He brushed his lips over my ear and growled. “I prefer unzipping you.”

  I shivered and looked around for my panties. My underwear?”

  He slipped his hand under my dress and cupped my ass, squeezing. “Mine, now.”

  I glowered. “No. I’m not going to dinner with my family without underwear on.”

  He scratched the side of his head. “I guess you could wear some of mine.” He stepped into a pair of briefs and slid them up, tucking his still-hard erection into them. “Fuck, I hope that goes away before I meet your family.”

  I blushed, which seemed silly considering what’d just happened. “You’re really not going to give me my panties back?”

  Pulling on jeans, he grinned. “Nope.”

  “Dick.”

  “More? Already? Okay, your wish is my command.” He pretended to start removing his jeans.

  “Stop! We’re late. Come on!”

  He wrapped me in a hug and kissed my neck. “One thing this afternoon taught me is that you may look like an innocent little lamb, but you definitely got some naughty in you, Sweet Arden.”

  I glanced up at him and felt my pulse race. Two times should’ve been enough, but my craving for him wasn’t dying down. If anything, it was stronger. Shit.

  12

  Flynn

  My sweet little kitten with the voracious hellcat underneath looked a little skittish about getting on the back of my Harley.

  “Just hop on, sweetheart.”

  “I don’t have panties on, Flynn! I’ll just walk.”

  Since Arden had walked, not driven, to my place, I gave her no choice but to ride on my motorcycle to her parents’ house. I tugged her panties from my pocket and dangled them on the end of my finger. “I want those back later.”

  She snatched them from me and looked around to see if anyone was watching. Scowling, she got as close as she could and then stepped into the lacy little panties and slid them up her legs. The display made my dick jump and my tiger’s possessive streak roar to life. I scanned the immediate area too. If anyone had seen that, I’d have to kill ‘em.

  Arden smacked my arm. “Why are you making that growly sound? You’re the one who made me do that.”

  I grunted. “I didn’t think about anyone else seeing what’s mine.”

  She rolled her eyes, gripped my shoulders, and awkwardly threw her leg over the bike mumbling to herself as she climbed on.

  “Never hear the end of this…show up late…a rumpled mess…back of a motorcycle…island bad boy…”

  I grinned and rubbed her thigh as she scooted forward wrapping her arms around my waist. “I guess I shouldn’t mention the handprint on your ass, should I?”

  Her screech was drowned out by the firing up of my Harley. It made her tighten her hold around my middle, and I pulled away from the shop and out onto Main Street. It was a short drive to her parents’ house on Palm St., but it was enough for me to know that I loved the feel of her behind me on the bike—the scent of her was whipped around us by the wind, her soft breasts were pressed against my back, and she had a tight, possessive grip on me. I never wanted to ride my Harley without her on the back ever again.

  I parked in front of the huge house her folks owned. When I got off the bike and lifted her off, setting her down in front of me, the breath lodged in my throat and my dick stiffened like I hadn’t just spent an hour fucking her. Her eyes were bright, her hair was wild, disheveled, and still slightly damp. She was flushed and breathing heavily, with lips that were red and slightly swollen from my kisses. A wide, uninhibited smile stretched across her face.

  I couldn’t fight the urge to capture those plump, sweet lips in my mouth. I had to taste them again. Her fingers clutched my shirt and dug into my sides, her breasts pressed against my chest as she leaned into me. Just when I started to think it would be a good idea to bend her over my bike and bury my face in her from behind, a shrill voice called out from somewhere.

  Arden stiffened against me and pulled away quickly. She ran her hands down her dress nervously, trying to straighten it out. Her cheeks flushed a bright red, and she turned to the house forcing a smile. “Coming!”

  I fought a scowl and followed her up the stairs to the front door. Her ass did have my greasy handprint on it, but I wasn’t going to remind her of that fact at that moment. It calmed my tiger that she was wearing a mark of my possession, and it made it easy for me to keep a smile on my face.

  At the top of the stairs, a younger version of Arden’s stern-looking mother stood scowling at Arden and blocking our way into the house. “You’re a half-hour late. What are you thinking? Mom and Dad are so upset.”

  “Let us in, then.” My mate’s sweet smile vanished. Her shoulders stiffened and her expression morphed into one I wasn’t familiar with. It contorted her face into someone I didn’t recognize. I didn’t like it. She looked tense, like she’d snap in half at any moment.

  When mini-Margarite’s eyes moved to me, they widened and began blinking rapidly. “Oh, wow. Mom said you were bringing someone, but she clearly did not go into enough detail.”

  I rested my hand on the small of Arden’s back and reached my other arm around her to push the door open farther so I could usher her past Judge Judy, who I assumed was Arden’s sister. “Flynn Bennett. Nice to meet you, too.”

  She scowled. “Don’t blame me for judging. You are dating my sister, after all—or whatever it is you two are doing. Mom didn’t really say. But, I assume he’s your boyfriend, Arden.”

  Arden mumbled, “He’s not my boyfriend.”

  I leaned down so my mouth was an inch from Arden’s ear, growling possessively. “Don’t deny it, sweetheart. You are mine.” Then I squeezed her ass cheek and nipped at her earlobe.

  Thrown off, her sister gasped before racing ahead of us. We followed into a massive dining room with a huge table that looked like it had been set for royalty. There were only two empty place settings, and they weren’t next to each other. I thought about doing something to remedy that, but instead I chose to just go with it and observe the scene—see what had Arden looking like a bow string about to snap.

  Arden slipped into a seat between her mother and little girl. I took up the chair on the other side of the table, a few seats away, next to a pretentious looking asshole who scooted away from me when I sat.

  The room was so quiet that a fart would’ve sounded like an A-bomb. I met Arden’s nervous eyes from down the table and flashed her a huge grin of reassurance. I hated the vibes coming off her. Where was my sweet, sometimes flustered, always capable, always kind Arden? She shrunk into herself almost like her self-confidence had withered.

  I turned to the man at the head of the table, Arden’s father. “So, let me introduce myself. I’m Flynn Bennett.” I winked at Arden. “Arden’s boyfriend. Sorry we’re late.” For a second I had considered introducing myself as her fiancé, but I didn’t want add to Arden’s tension.

  With a red sheen tinting his overly tan and weathered face, her father introduced himself, and the rest of the table.

&nb
sp; Margarite cleared her throat. “What did you two get caught up with? You’re over half an hour late. The roast is probably going to be dry as a bone.”

  Arden opened her mouth, probably try to sooth her mother, but I just smiled and rested my elbows on the table. “We were in the shop. I was fooling around under her hood, lubing her chassis and firing up her engine.”

  Arden’s eyes widened. Trying to keep a straight face, she pulled her water glass to her lips to hide the smile she was fighting. Her eyes stayed on the table as she nodded.

  “You probably should’ve changed before coming, Arden. You’re all dirty.” Hailie, the older, mouthier sister frowned. “And you missed church this morning. Again.”

  Chloe hopped in. “It was a lovely sermon.”

  Arden’s smile was brittle.

  James waved off their harping and picked up the platter of meat. “If your sister would rather sleep than hear the good word, that’s her choice.”

  “You know we just worry about her, Dad.” Hailie sighed.

  I caught Stuart looking down the table at Arden and my hands balled into fists. There was something I recognized in his gaze and I didn’t like it. That wasn’t the way a brother-in-law should be looking at his wife’s sister. He felt my open glare on him and quickly looked away.

  I continued to stare menacingly. I wanted to make sure he got my message loud and clear. If that fucker dared look at my mate like that again, this fancy silverware was gonna become a fancy weapon. I’d pluck his eyes out with the goddamn shrimp fork.

  “So, Flynn. What is it you do?”

  I took a big bite of roast and chewed before answering James. It was dry. “Fix cars.”

  Arden’s head swung up. She looked a little miffed. “He doesn’t just fix cars. He owns Island Automotive.”

  Well, wasn’t that interesting? My sweet mate’s backbone showed up when she was attempting to defend me. I was flattered and humbled, but it wasn’t necessary. I got this, sweetheart.

  “The auto shop on the south end of Main St.?” James’ brow furrowed and he seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. “You wouldn’t happen to be the guy who recently sold the beverage business, would you?”

  “James, must we talk business at the table? Please, dear, you know the house rule.” Margarite sighed and pushed a small piece of roast around her plate before taking a long sip of wine. It appeared Margarite preferred her calories in liquid form.

  “I’m just getting to know the man our daughter brought home to dinner, is all. As a financial advisor, I’ve heard some things through the grapevine.” James met my eyes again and raised his brows, waiting for an answer.

  Margarite refilled her wine glass and took another drink. Her sips were becoming slurps. “Besides, your financial talk is probably over his head. You should stick to topics the man can relate to, like engine grease and lug nuts.”

  Arden inhaled a sharp breath. “Mother!”

  I noticed James’ face growing redder and redder the longer I avoided answering his question, so I had a little fun with it and just kept chewing, letting him stew a while.

  “Well?” James tossed his fork down impatiently.

  “Well, what?”

  “Did you turn a tidy profit with the sale of a beverage business or not?” The vein at the side of the man’s neck bulged and he leaned over his plate.

  I popped another bite of roast into my mouth and chewed before deciding it probably wouldn’t fare well for me if, the first time I attended family dinner with Arden, her dad had a stroke. I shrugged. “I guess it depends what you call big.”

  Arden was staring at me with a confused expression. The whole family was a trip. Margarite seemed to be vibrating with suppressed fury that she was trying to quell with wine. Arden was on eggshells. Chloe and Hailie both wore frowny scowls. Everyone was uptight and unhappy. Except me. I’d never been to anyone’s family dinner before and I was enjoying the hell out of it.

  “Come on, boy. No one likes a tease. How much did you walk away with?” James was leaning across his plate so far his tie was in his mashed potatoes. And Vincent was showing quite a bit of interest in our interaction. I wondered why.

  “The island gossips should be ashamed of themselves, neglecting to mention dollar amounts. What is the world coming to?” I grinned casually. “I agree with Marguerite. Here we are in the company of these lovely ladies. Enjoying a delicious dinner. It’s a shame to spoil it with shop talk.”

  James sat back in his seat, a dark glower on his face. Arden sank lower in her seat and shoved another spoonful of mashed potatoes in her mouth. I hated to see my mate, whose smiles could light up a room, all pouty and sullen like that.

  Hailie snapped her head in Arden’s direction. “Honestly, Arden, we just had the conversation about carbs last Sunday and look at the mound of potatoes you have there.

  Arden’s face turned beet red and her fork froze midway to her mouth before she lowered it back to her plate. Her sisters snickered between themselves.

  Something wasn’t right. “What’s the matter? We rationing potatoes?”

  Margarite waved her wineglass in the air emphatically, oblivious to the Merlot splashing over the rim onto the white tablecloth. “Hailie’s right, Arden. A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.”

  I watched Arden slump lower into her chair. Oh, hell no! That was not gonna happen. These folks could lay into me all they wanted. I’ve had worse than anything they could do, but they needed to stick to me. No fucking way I was going to sit here while they insulted my mate. Besides which, from what I’d seen of the Richardson family so far, not a one of them could hold a candle to Arden.

  “There’s not a thing wrong with Arden’s hips. They’re sexy as hell.” I nodded at her plate. “Eat up, sweetheart.”

  Hailie’s eyes narrowed into a glare. “No one here is trying to embarrass Arden, but since you won’t let it drop, she’s carrying a spare tire around her middle.”

  I leaned toward Hailie with my hand cupped around my mouth as though I had a secret for her, but I spoke loud enough for the whole table to hear. “I get the jealousy. I agree it’s unfortunate for you.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Hailie’s voice went up an octave.

  “Well, darlin’ it’s not her fault she won the genetic lottery” My eyes flicked up and down over Hailie’s figure as if to make my point. “And you lost.”

  Stuart chose that moment to snort, which is what really set Hailie off. She stood up, threw her napkin down, and stormed out of the room. Stuart groaned and got up to go after his wife.

  Margarite rose in a huff and stormed out of the room as well—weaving slightly.

  Chloe clicked her tongue. “Leave it to Arden to make a spectacular mess of things.” With an angry glare, she tossed her napkin on top of Arden’s plate and followed the others.

  James and Vincent looked at each other and then scooted back from the table. Vincent collected his kids before leaving the room.

  Arden looked down the table at me with her bottom lip pinched between her teeth. She didn’t look too angry, but I fought my smile just in case.

  I cleared my throat. “Well. That could’ve gone worse, honestly.”

  The corners of Arden’s lips turned up slightly. “Yeah, the table could’ve burst into flames.”

  I shrugged and she giggled.

  “We should go.”

  I tossed my napkin down on the table. “Oh, thank god. I was worried you’d want to stay for dessert.”

  13

  Flynn

  After wake-up sex, then shower sex, then kitchen sex, Arden raced out the door, already late for work. She called over her shoulder for me to lock the house. She hadn’t even had time for breakfast, which I felt a little guilty about. I just hoped all the orgasms I gave her would make up for an empty stomach.

  I was a minute behind her, picking up the wet towels and straightening the bedding before heading out, when her cat walked in meowing at me. I scratched the littl
e guy behind his ears the way he liked, and he followed me to the kitchen where I poured him a bowl of dry cat food.

  “Not so appetizing, is it buddy?” I searched through the fridge and found a couple slices of bologna—and Arden’s lunchbox. She forgot that too.

  I tossed the bologna in the cat’s bowl. “There you go. Thanks for watching out for our girl, but I got her now.” The cat purred and chowed down on the lunchmeat.

  There was no doubt that Arden was the best thing to ever come into my life, but there were still a couple things between us. I knew she was upset about her family. She didn’t say so, but I could tell.

  Then, there was the big thing—my tiger. I stopped into the shop for a minute and found everything running smoothly in the capable hands of my newly rehired mechanic, Dave. He’d worked for me for four years, but was forced to find other work after my accident. As soon as he heard I was back and the shop had reopened, he returned.

  After letting Dave know I’d be back later, I headed to Sunkissed Medical Center. As I drove, I played the events of dinner with the Richardsons over in my mind. That family was something else. I couldn’t understand why they ragged on Arden so much. She was a hard worker with a good job. She was responsible, kindhearted, warm, wonderful. Any parent should be proud. What the hell did they want from her?

  And why the hell did she keep going back? I couldn’t understand that either. Yes, I could. Family.

  My parents were killed when I was too young to remember them and I grew up in the foster care system—until my first shift at sixteen. After that, human foster parents didn’t cut it for an angry, confused, shifter orphan who was trying to understand the world and himself, and get a handle on the animal inside.

  It took a long time for me to gain control of my tiger. I pretty much lived on the streets in abandoned buildings or friends’ couches. I worked odd jobs which left no time for school. I learned pretty quickly that life as a street kid sucked. That was when I started manufacturing hooch and when I found out I had a head for business.