by C. D. Gorri
She turned back to talk to the concierge. Marcus growled and stared at her even harder. Turn around and look at me, he willed, but she did not budge.
Ugly clothes or not, she had the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen. They were the color of a September sky. Clear and bright, they were easily the bluest eyes he’d ever witnessed. Utterly breathtaking.
His stomach tightened as he inhaled her scent. Tupelo honey with the faintest hints of English lavender. He imagined she’d taste just as sweet on his tongue. Grrr.
He felt his Bear’s possessive growl tremble through his body. His fingertips ached, and his gums itched, his Bear desperate to make an appearance. Uh oh.
He should get as far away from her as possible. The thought was met with more rumblings from his Bear. He wanted her now in his den where he could stake his claim.
We must leave her for now, he told his inner beast. She is a normal and doesn’t know of our kind, best not frighten her, his attempt to soothe the Bear was met with anger and impatience. Finally, he dominated the Bear with a single growled thought. Back off.
His self-preservation instincts were nothing compared to his Black Bear’s drive for him to find his mate. Fucking terrible clothes or not, this woman is mine. MINE.
Still, he knew better than to frighten her. Marcus exhaled, but couldn’t stem the slow growl that crept up from his throat. Her eyes jumped back to his and he covered up the noise with a cough. She frowned.
Time’s up, Romeo. I need to get out of here. He should really move, but his legs refused to work.
The urge to gather her up in his arms and sniff her from head to toe was damn near overwhelming. He unconsciously stepped closer to the woman. His Bear rumbled with happiness at her nearness.
“Can I help you?” his mate asked. He felt his cheeks heat and realized he’d been caught ogling her. He grew even redder as she regarded impatiently.
“I said, can I help you? Mister?” Her voice was husky and rich, music to his ears, but it was her wide eyes that held him hypnotized.
“Mr. Devlin, your key!” his attention was brought back to Mr. Gordon who was waving his card key in the air. What the fuck am I doing?
“Sorry, excuse me,” he murmured and quickly turned away from her.
No way. We’re not doing this here! He fought the Bear for dominance and won. Though his chest was heaving with the effort.
He turned to Mr. Gordon and gathered his key, nodding at her on his way to the elevator. This time he managed to avoid eye contact.
His Bear snarled and growled at him, but he refused to listen. He was here for two things, work first, then relaxation. Not to find his fucking mate in some normal. She was a badly dressed tourist on vacation for shit’s sake!
Too late, fucker. She is the one. Normal or not.
His Bear seemed to smirk at him. Hints of her honey sweet scent filtered through the cooling system of the hotel and Marcus groaned. He was so fucked.
CHAPTER 3
Leya sighed and took in the incredible view of the ocean from her room. Moongate Island was situated in the Atlantic, but this was unlike any water she’d ever seen on her brief trips to the shore.
It was crystal clear and almost teal in color. The waves tickled the sand with foam, and dozens of tiny little fish swam just a few feet from the hotel guests.
She longed to go down to the surf and frolic and play. Leya watched the couples scattered all over the sand. Each one an island unto themselves. She sighed, a little green with envy.
Oh well, at least I’m here. She had to stop daydreaming about finding true love. It clearly wasn’t gonna happen for her.
Instead, she needed to concentrate on the paradise she’d landed in! It was all so beautiful, and she could see every inch of Moongate Island from right there!
By some lucky twist of fate, she’d learned that the bargain rate room she’d booked was uninhabitable when she arrived. Some water damage or some such thing.
The hotel manager insisted she accept a luxury suite without any additional charges to make up for it. Leya happily agreed. She was due some perks in life, and a free upgrade was a fine way to begin her vacation.
After her disastrous encounter with the gorgeous stranger in the lobby of the hotel, she was determined to enjoy herself. Oh boy, was he hot!
Of course, she noticed the huge man when his blatant stare had become obvious. Of course it wasn’t all coming up roses, for Leya, the man had a fierce scowl on his perfect face as his eyes bore holes into her.
She doubted it was anything good that kept him staring. Then she had to go an open her big mouth, but whatever. He had no right to give her dirty looks! Just because he was hot as hell and she was, well, her.
Okay, so she wasn’t exactly used to big, good-looking men staring at her and as a result, she hadn’t been the friendliest when she spoke. He’d apologized and skedaddled out of there as fast as his long legs could carry him.
Oh well, nothing was going to come of that encounter anyway, so why mourn the loss? Leya shrugged to herself. For some reason, she’d missed the big guy when he’d walked away.
He was so out of my league, she stopped the thought. Leya had to get over this whole she wasn’t good enough thing.
How often did she come across a man who made her heart pound and her mouth water? Not fucking often. That’s it, she scolded herself. No more hiding!
“Here’s to the first day of the rest of my life,” she smiled and sipped from her complimentary champagne.
Not a big drinker, her first impulse had been to refuse the gift basket from the hotel staff. She was glad now that she didn’t. The bubbly drink soothed her nerves. It was like sipping sunshine.
She walked to the large bedroom and unpacked her carry-on luggage. What had she been thinking? Leya frowned at her clothes.
She picked up item after item, tossing them to the polished floor. I dress like an old lady. So many years wasted trying to hide her ample figure under oversized tunics and slacks. She resembled a piece of furniture most of the time!
The green outfit she had on was a gift she’d received last Christmas. She hated it, but since it fit her, she figured why waste an outfit. Oh Leya, you should’ve thrown it away!
Society spent billions in the fashion industry convincing women like Leya that they should hide their bodies. She knew it was wrong and biased, but thin was in! And she was not thin in any way shape or form.
She caught herself in the mirror and cringed. No wonder tall, dark, and studly stared. I look like an old cat lady’s couch!
She tore off the offending clothing and tossed it across the room. Uh! I know, a swim might cheer me up! Leya had one swimsuit and groaned as she put it on. Dear Lord! She shook her head in disgust. Well, this is what you get for ordering from a catalogue.
It was the wrong color. The wrong size. And it made her body look short and puffy. Her bust was uncomfortably pushed down, and her butt looked enormous. OMG! I am a mess! She frowned as she turned around in the mirror.
“No freaking way,” she put back on her ugly green outfit and left her room. First thing on my vacation-to-do-list, shopping!
She was looking through her wallet when she walked right into something. It was hard and immovable. A wall, perhaps? In the middle of the hallway…
“Oof!” Leya swayed, but strong hands reached out to steady her. Large, rough hands, hmm, definitely not the soft manicured hands of her ex-boss.
She’d thought about him with nothing but distaste for the last twenty-four hours. But all those thoughts went right out of her head as those strong hands that steadied her, suddenly pulled her closer.
She tilted her head back, eyes going wide with a mixture of surprise and, oh yes, desire. She was helpless to do anything but stare as the gorgeous giant from the lobby bent his head to her throat and sniffed.
“What are you-” before she could finish her question he straightened and stepped back.
“Easy there, you should watch where you’re g
oing. You okay?” the man’s voice was as rough as his hands.
Not unpleasant, just deep and very, very masculine. She squirmed under his gaze and wondered if it was possible to die of humiliation twice in one day. But back up a sec…
Did he just sniff her? Maybe she imagined that? She looked up into impossibly dark brown eyes and was once again stunned silent.
His eyes were like molten chocolate, the sinfully expensive kind. The planes of his face gave way to full luscious lips that she’d just bet tasted like heaven. And he had the cutest little dimple in his chin.
He cleared his throat and her gaze went back to his. Was that a smile playing at the corner of his mouth? She couldn’t be sure, captivated as she was by his now, nearly black eyes. Recognition flared between them, and Leya gasped.
“Uh, sorry, I was just going to get a new bathing suit-” she shut her mouth abruptly.
“Were you now? Well, you be careful,” he grumbled the words and turned away from her.
Leya shivered unconsciously against the sudden cold that came with his departure. She could have kicked herself. Could she have acted any more like an idiot? Ugh.
She looked down at her dowdy clothing. Maybe if she didn’t dress like a circus tent, he would’ve done more than just glance at her and run away. Yeah, right.
She narrowed her eyes and shook her head. She was not going to let a man, any man, dictate how she felt about herself. She wanted to change her wardrobe for herself.
Not because Gary had called her fat, or because this gorgeous stranger left her tongue-tied. With new determination in her step, she took the elevator and headed to the exclusive boutique.
“Can I help you find something, miss?” the question was asked by an older woman with a brilliant smile as Leya entered the hotel’s one boutique and scanned the rows of colorful dresses and flimsy underthings.
She had never tried to dress for anything other than camouflage, and she had no idea where to begin.
“Yes, I, uh, think I could use your help,” she smiled and told the woman what she wanted.
The saleswoman seemed to be blessed with a perfect eye for her body shape and coloring! An hour later, Leya had several items lined up for purchase and was still trying on more.
“Ah, miss! Yes! Yes, this is the one for you! The yellow looks wonderful with your lovely hair, it accentuates your blonde highlights! Oh, mama those men out there best be on guard!” The lightly accented voice of the woman who ran the Island Body Boutique smiled and complimented Leya.
For the first time in her adult life, Leya felt wonderful. She turned around in front of the full-length mirror and could hardly believe it. The cut and color of the swimsuit looked amazing on her full-figure. She’d have never guessed yellow for her hair and skin tone, but the woman was right.
She added the swimsuit to a similarly cut red one along with a few sundresses, and some of those flimsy panties and bras she would normally have never dared to buy.
Leya grinned wickedly. She had money in her savings and had never splurged on herself. She justified the purchases as necessary for her vacation and her new life motto! Leya was going to please herself this trip! Yep, this is gonna be great! Gleefully walking down the hall, she went to her hotel room to change.
She’d spent three hours total in the boutique! Thank goodness the hotel sported a Bear Claw Bakery! Liandra, the saleswoman, had gotten her an iced mocha latte about an hour ago. Otherwise she’d have been dead on her feet.
It was too late to swim, but there was always tomorrow! Liandra told her about the light buffet and live band at the tiki lounge right on the beach, it was there every night from five till midnight. It was seven now, and Leya had skipped lunch in favor of shopping.
She smiled. Second thing on my vacation-to-do-list, let my hair down!
CHAPTER 4
She’s here. Mate. Mine. Claim. Now. Marcus’ Bear was practically bellowing in his mind for him to go get the woman.
The beast had no problem recognizing her as his mate. Ugly clothes or not. Not that Marcus really gave a shit about what she wore. She had the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen. Shit! She’s a normal.
What was he going to do? The woman was a stranger, a human for fuck’s sake! He couldn’t just walk up to her and say, hey there, my name is Marcus, and I can change into a big furry bear, who by the way, has chosen you for his mate, so do you want to come home with me and get to work on making some babies? This was so fucking bad.
Marcus paced back and forth across the wide floors of his luxury suite. His Bear roared again. Quiet! He demanded. He needed to think. To come up with a plan.
Hell, he needed a fucking drink too, but first he needed a minute to regain his control. His Bear was too close for him to leave the room.
It took all his strength and concentration to wrestle his Bear back to a relatively passive state, but Marcus knew it was too late. He’d sniffed his mate, and he wanted her. Now.
The buxom beauty didn’t know it yet, but she was his. Time for that plan. Oh, he had one alright. The first thing he wanted to do was peel off those ugly clothes to see just what she was hiding underneath.
Then he wanted to run his hands all over her. Quickly followed by his mouth. Then his tongue. Yes. Licking was good. He’d make sure his mate was ready. Hot and wet just for him and he’d lick her sweet, sweet honey. Swallow it all down. Grrr. Mine.
Easy now. His Bear roared. Clearly the beast thought he should move his ass. No. Slow it down, pal.
He should figure out his approach before he started imagining the curves that he instinctively knew his mate was hiding. He’d make sure she knew just how beautiful she was to him. That would be a fucking priority.
Marcus groaned. He closed his eyes, reciting multiplication tables. He tried to ignore the way his dick instantly flared to life at the mere thought of his mate’s lush curves. Fuck, his shorts were getting damned uncomfortable.
He knew he was in serious trouble if just imagining what her body would look like caused him to react like a green teenager. If her body proved half as lovely as her face, he knew he’d find heaven there.
She was made for him. Literally. There was no doubt in his mind she was his one true and fated mate. He smoothed a hand over his chest, his heart hammered away regardless of his efforts to calm down.
He simply couldn’t stop thinking about those sexy as hell eyes of hers. They had to be the most intense blue he’d ever seen. So blue they looked violet.
But what else? A mate was for life. Surely, they’d have more than just sex between them. He wondered if her mind was as quick and bright as her eyes promised.
The brief physical contact he shared with her in the hallway when she’d walked into him was enough to shoot awareness to every single one of his nerve endings.
He was shaking like a boy just remembering the feel of her! Would she be as soft as her shapely curves promised? Sure, she tried to hide them underneath that ridiculously oversized blouse she wore, but Marcus knew better.
He was just as anxious to know her mind. She’d been aware of him, he could smell her arousal, but she’d retained the ability to speak. Unlike him.
And the way she took him to task in the lobby for staring? She was feisty! He liked that. Marcus couldn’t wait to verbally spar with her. Almost as much as he couldn’t wait to get his hands on her.
Marcus wanted to strip her slowly and run his hands over every single inch of her. Fuck, eight times fifteen equals…
It was no good. Math was no match for the pull of his mate. His Bear was going into overdrive. He wanted her now, beneath him, hard and fast. He wanted to bury himself inside her, to feel her sheath him as perfectly as he knew she would. This woman was made for him.
His Bear was too riled up to be gentle. He wanted to rip off her clothes and stake his claim in the worst possible way, but that would be nuts.
He knew nothing about her! Marcus ran a frustrated hand over his face. His father had warned him in his youth th
at meeting his mate would be unlike anything he’d ever felt.
He’d listened dutifully to his father, but he never expected anything like this. He spent all of three minutes in the woman’s company, and he was like a horny teenager, hard as a fucking rock and aching like a damned cub!
Fuck! He needed time to think and plan his next move. And yes, he’d definitely be doing that over a drink. He left his room and held his breath as he passed her door. The last thing he needed was a whiff of her tupelo honey scent.
He barreled through the hotel doors onto the private beach. The cooling sand felt good under his feet. His flip-flops dangled from his fingers as he kicked along the surf.
Sunset on the island was beautiful, though he rarely had time to enjoy it. Even now when he took the time, it was bittersweet. Marcus had no one to share the moment with.
Claim her. He sucked in the salty sea air and stared out at the horizon. He’d be thirty-five this coming winter. He was alone except for his brothers and their business.
It was high time he settled down and had a family of his own. Maybe he could get used to the idea that he’d found his mate after all?
Marcus was sweating despite the cool breeze coming off the water. He unbuttoned his shirt about halfway down, but he still felt too warm. It was all this business about his mate. He needed to leave it for today. Maybe he could approach her with it slowly.
He ordered a tumbler of Clover Bite from a passing waiter. He gave the guy a big tip when he came back just moments later with his glass of artisan whiskey over two moon shaped ice cubes. He tossed it back and closed his eyes as the sweet, yet fiery liquor burned its way down his throat. What was he going to do?
He shook his head and sat down on the wrought iron chair and stared off into the distance. The sounds of laughter and music faded as he thought of how he would go about getting her to listen to him, but he had no real idea. This was new territory for him.
More laughter erupted from the bar, but he ignored it. Marcus hated crowds, but he didn’t relish the idea of having to walk a half mile every time he wanted a refill. So, he settled for a lone table and chair down the few stone steps off the patio where the hotel’s one and fabulously crowded tiki bar sat. At least the waiter would see him from there.