“That's a fact I hadn't heard before,” Mia said.
His mother peeled the saran wrap from the plate of Christmas cookies and offered one to Mia. She took the gingerbread man and tried a bite. Connor couldn't help but hope that his mom was right.
Chapter 9
Mia watched Connor walk his mom to the door and give her a kiss on the cheek and say goodbye. He had assured her that they would be gathering for the Christmas party at his house this year. Since it was the family’s original land where his brother and sister had grown up, everyone wanted to have the holiday at the remodeled old house this year. That meant that Connor was responsible for organizing. Mia got the impression that he wasn't particularly thrilled about that responsibility. Or maybe it was because he was tired of his mother bugging him about finding a mate.
He closed the door behind Kathy and turned to Mia, letting out an exasperated sigh.
“I'm sorry you had to see that,” he said.
“Your mom is sweet. I like her a lot.”
“What about the fact that she wants me to claim you without even knowing if you have a husband or not?” he asked, going to the kitchen to pull out a beer.
It was a little after three o'clock in the afternoon, not quite happy hour, but Mia understood why Connor was swigging a bottle of Fate Mountain Lager at this time of day. She couldn't remember her own parents, but from what she did remember about the way the world worked, parents could often be infuriating. She wished that she could remember what her own parents were like.
She could understand why Connor would be frustrated with his mom’s insistence that he find a mate. Especially since he'd been trying so hard to do just that. Connor walked across the room and sat down at the dining room table with Mia, who was eating a second gingerbread man from the platter his mother had brought. They really were delicious, with a nice bite of ginger to round out the cinnamon spice and sugary sweetness.
“She did have a point,” Mia said.
“About what?” Connor asked, shoving another cookie in his mouth.
“If I'm your fated mate, then I should have some kind of feeling of connection to you. And she did say that in all of the history of all the shifters she'd ever heard about no fated mates had ever been married to another person when they met.”
“First of all, I can't tell you if that's true or not. My mom says a lot of things in the pursuit of matching up her children.”
“We are talking about fate here. Wouldn't fate keep mates from marrying other people?”
“I don't really know much about things like that. I'm a cowboy. I know cattle, pickup trucks, hay bales, and beer. You can add sports to that list, too. But fate? That's not my area of expertise.”
“But you’re a shifter,” she objected.
“Doesn't mean that I keep up on all of the gossip and drama and mythology from our deep past. This is the modern age. Who knows how many of our traditions and myths are real and how much of it was just the product of someone's overactive imagination?”
“I think you're saying this because it was your mom who brought it up,” she said.
“You're probably right. I should be ecstatic.”
He stretched his arm across the table and took her hand in his, looking her deep in the eyes.
“I want more than anything else to be with you, Mia,” he said earnestly. “I’d never met you before yesterday, but now I can honestly say I don't want to live without you.”
Mia squeezed his hand, feeling the sweetness of his words deep in her heart. How had this happened? How had she arrived on this man's doorstep devoid of all memories? He was such a good man. A sweet man. He was the kind of man whose arms she could fall into and stay wrapped in forever, feeling warm and safe and secure for the rest of her life.
The more she thought about what Connor could give her, the more she wanted to let him. She might not remember who she was, but the prospect of having someone take care of her, someone like Connor, was overwhelming. She wanted it so badly that she knew there must be a reason behind it.
“I'm beginning to think that maybe I don't have a husband,” she said. “If I did then why would I feel so safe when I'm with you?”
“You feel safe with me?” he said wrapping his other hand around hers.
“As safe as I can ever remember feeling,” she said with a slight laugh.
With that Connor stood from his chair, still holding her hand in his. He pulled her up to standing and wrapped her in his arms. She did not resist or push away. The feeling of his warm, strong arms around her body was like a dream. She let out a soft moan of contentment and of building desire. The smell of his skin intoxicated her senses. It was a mix of deep masculine musk, fresh cool air, and alfalfa. She took another long draw of his scent as she rested her head against his chest. The blue flannel shirt was soft against her skin.
She wrapped her arms around Connor, feeling his solid, strong body against her. She may not know who she was, but she did know that this felt damn good. Of all the memories that she did have, being held by Connor was probably the best she'd ever felt.
She looked up into his blue eyes as they twinkled down at her. Slowly, he tilted toward her. His full lips brushed over hers and a spark of desire ignited between them like an electric shock. Without a word, he crushed his lips to hers, pulling her closer to him. He slid his fingers through her hair and cupped the back of her head, holding her as he kissed her deeply. His tongue slid into her mouth, hot and demanding.
She could feel him rise hard against her stomach. His rodeo belt buckle pressed against her flesh as his growing erection pushed against his blue jeans.
Mia groaned, her body growing damp and needy. She didn't know who she was, what any of this meant, or what would happen tomorrow. Right in that very moment though, all she wanted was Connor. She wanted his kisses all over her body. She wanted him inside of her. She wanted to feel the heat of their bodies moving as one.
As if he had read her mind, he picked her up off the floor and cradled her in his arms. He didn't break their kiss as he started up the stairs of the farmhouse. She hadn't been into his bedroom before, but he walked her straight there and laid her down on the bed.
Unlike her bedroom, his was decorated with a more modern style. There was a big soft mattress against a black leather headboard. He laid her down on his silky black bedspread and crawled over her, running his hand up the side of her body to cup her cheek.
He sank between her legs, pressing his hard erection to her need. She felt so hot and wet it was as if she had broken out in a sweat. But it wasn't perspiration, it was unadulterated lust. His tongue flicked in and out of her mouth, stoking the flames of her pleasure.
Connor pulled back and yanked off his flannel shirt, unbuckled his belt, kicked off his cowboy boots, and pulled down his pants. Mia gazed at his chiseled abs and his hard muscled chest. She didn’t know what was happening and she didn’t care.
She could see the outline of his cock under his white briefs. She bit her lip and a jolt of excitement shook her entire frame. He came back to her and slid her out of her soft tennis shoes, letting them both drop on the floor. She breathed deeply as she watched him do it.
In a moment, she was just as bare as he was. After he pulled her out of her jeans and sweater, they lay together in the bed, drunk on lust and kissing deeply. Connor unhooked her bra and pulled it away, leaving her exposed to his eyes, his hands, his mouth. He slid his tongue over her taut nipple and bit down gently on the erect bud. Pleasure radiated all the way down into her core, making her pussy clench. She sucked a breath through her teeth and arched her back.
Connor pulled her out of her panties and yanked his own briefs off.
As if possessed by the beast inside him, Connor began to kiss and lick and bite and taste her entire body. He nibbled on her nipples and ran his tongue all the way down her stomach landing between her legs. He slid his soaking wet tongue up the slit of her core and pressed against her clit. Vibrating his tongue with inhu
man speed, he caressed her breasts and squeezed.
Mia groaned, yearning for whatever Connor wanted to give her. She didn't care if there was some unknown husband or boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever. She didn’t want to believe in what ifs. She wanted to believe in the here and now.
Here and now, Connor was driving her closer and closer to climax. She could feel the gush of orgasm barreling toward her as he licked her soaking wet core over and over. When the climax hit her, she screamed, her entire body clenching.
Connor crawled over her, wiping his face with the back of his hand before he kissed her again. The taste of her body remained on his tongue and it electrified her senses making her more ready than ever to take him deep inside.
Connor pressed the head of his cock against her pussy. She was wet and slick and open. He slipped inside with the tiniest thrust of his hips. He bit her lip as he slowly sank in. Mia ran her fingers through his hair, panting with each passing second. Connor's long, thick cock stretched her, sending jolts of pleasure from her pussy throughout her frame.
As he sank to the base, fully inside her, she groaned into his ear and licked his lobe with the flick of her tongue.
“Oh God, Connor. Connor. You feel so good inside me.”
“You are a fucking angel,” he growled, tilting back his hips.
“Take me, Connor. Oh God, take me now,” she groaned.
He thrust into her again, this time harder and deeper and faster. Mia opened her mouth to gasp as she came, her pussy clenching hard on his cock. He growled into her neck.
“Oh baby, you feel so good when you come on me.”
She groaned and wrapped her arms around his broad muscled chest, clinging to him as he began to thrust into her, his momentum building with each pump of his hips.
Her body was electrified and she didn't want it to stop. The orgasms that rolled through her would not slow down. Mia was alive with more pleasure than anyone had the right to feel.
He growled into her ear, and she felt the sharp tips of his canine teeth brush over her neck.
“I need you, Mia. I'm making you mine,” he said.
“Connor. Claim me. I want to be yours,” she gasped.
Those were her last words before he clamped down on her neck, his teeth biting through her flesh. The pleasure and pain of his bite mingled with the ongoing orgasm that didn't let up.
He drove into her, his cock growing wider as he approached his own release. Mia stared at the ceiling, her mouth wide as Connor gave her the claiming bite.
It was the bite shifters gave their mates, creating the mate bond, making them one forever. It hurt, but it felt so damn good. As she felt her connection to Connor suddenly come into sharp focus, it had another effect that she hadn't expected. Just as their bond was manifesting into her awareness, something inside her clicked, and Mia remembered who she was.
Chapter 10
“I remember!” Mia said as Connor held her against his chest in the afterglow of their lovemaking.
The memory of her life began swirling around inside her mind at the same time as the budding new connection she felt to her mate. Connor’s bite had unleashed a torrent of memories. Her entire life began to flash before her eyes and then she knew why she was on Fate Mountain.
She knew who she’d been running from and why they were chasing her. She gasped and sat up in bed, suddenly terrified.
“What is it?” Connor asked, grasping her arm to comfort her.
“I know why I'm here,” she said.
She hopped out of bed and pulled Connor’s oversized blue flannel shirt up off the floor and wrapped it around her shoulders. It draped over her like a short dress. She crossed her arms and began pacing back and forth through his bedroom in front of the bed.
“What's going on, Mia?” he asked.
“This is bad. Really bad.”
“What's bad?”
“The reason I'm here, Connor.”
“Do you have a husband?” he asked flatly.
“It’s not that. That would be nothing compared to this.”
“You choosing someone else? That's not nothing.”
“Connor, I could never choose anyone over you. But it's not that. I promise. There are men after me, Connor. Dangerous men. They will find me. I promise you. I'm in so much danger. I don't know what to do.”
“Babe, calm down,” he said, climbing out of the bed.
Completely nude, he walked across the room and wrapped his arms around her. The warmth of his body made her feel safe and slightly less panicked. No matter how warm and comforting Connor’s embrace might be, the truth of her past was too much to bear. He rubbed her back and whispered into her ear.
“Tell me what's going on so I can help you.”
“It all started a few years ago when my mom was diagnosed with cancer. The medical bills were insane. She didn't have enough health insurance. The medical bills just started stacking up. More and more bills, all the time. Until they started to deny her treatment. I didn't have any options.
“I had to go to them. They were the only ones who would help me. But it didn't even matter. My mom died of cancer two months ago. And now they want all the money back. With interest. I don't have it. When I agreed, I thought I’d have ten years to pay it back. But they decided to ask for the full payment right after my mother died. The health insurance I thought was going to help me pay off the debt was voided because of some loophole. I was left with nothing.”
“Who are these men?” he said darkly.
“Loan sharks. There's a crime family in Northern California. A lot of people know they give out loans if you agree to their collateral.”
“And what collateral did they expect from you Mia?”
“Me.”
“What do you mean, you?”
“They want to put me in the brothel so I can work off what I owe them with my body.”
“That's never going to happen,” he growled.
Mia was shaking violently in his arms, and he rubbed her back. She knew he was trying to calm her down but it didn't help. The flood of memories raging through her mind left her terrified beyond belief. The one glimmer of light in all the darkness was the fact that she now belonged to Connor.
For the first time in so long she had someone who cared about her, someone she could call her own, someone who wanted to protect her and keep her safe. She couldn't believe how lucky she had been to crash right into Connor’s ranch. Fate really did have a hand in all things on Fate Mountain.
But that didn't make her feel any safer. The Vendetti family would be after her and they would force her into their brothel if they ever found her. Or worse. She knew people who didn't pay them back often ended up missing, never to return. Mia wasn't so naïve that she didn't know what that meant. They were dead, drowned at the bottom of a lake somewhere. Or cut up into a million pieces and fed to sea creatures in the ocean.
She started to cry and clung to Connor's chest.
Just then there was a booming shout from outside the window. “Give us the girl and no one gets hurt!”
Connor looked down at her and then walked to the window, peering down at the front yard. He was amazed at the insane coincidence.
“They found me,” Mia said, her teeth chattering.
“It's okay,” he said, grabbing his cell phone. He picked it up and looked at the face. “Damn it. No reception.”
“Don't you have a landline?”
Connor went to his bed, pulled a phone out of a drawer and lifted the receiver to his ear. He frowned and pressed the button on the base several times.
“It's dead,” he said. “They must've cut it.”
“What are we going to do?” she asked.
“I intend to take care of this right here and right now. I will not allow some crazy crime family to harm my mate.”
“Connor,” Mia said breathlessly. “I don't want you to get hurt.”
“Don't worry about me, Mia. Now, I want you to go up to the attic and lock yourself
inside. It’s comfortable and clean up there. I keep a little fridge with sodas and beer. It's kind of my workshop. You will be safe in there. “
“Okay,” Mia said, pulling her clothes and shoes back on.
Connor climbed into his own clothes and boots. He then went to his closet where he opened a safe and pulled out a rifle. Mia's eyes widened at the sight of it. Connor opened the chamber and loaded several bullets.
“Are you going to shoot them?” she asked.
“They’re trespassing. They want to hurt you. I have every legal right to shoot them.”
“I'm going upstairs,” she said, and she ran over to him and kissed him hard on the lips, praying that this wouldn’t end in horror.
She had just found Connor and she didn't want to lose him. As she turned away and stepped out of his bedroom, glimpsing his face for one last time before she locked herself in the attic, the fear of what would happen if he was hurt coursed through her veins.
She forced herself not to think about it as she climbed the narrow stairs to the third floor that led to the attic. She opened the little door and closed it behind her. She flicked on the light, revealing a workroom with a slanted ceiling.
She crossed her arms over her chest and stepped through the workshop, finding a comfortable armchair near the single small window at the other end of the room. She could make out some movements through the cloudy glass, but she couldn't see any details.
She decided not to show herself in the window and backed away, sitting down on the armchair to wait. That's when she heard the first gunshot.
Chapter 11
Connor stood at the edge of the window. Taking quick glances at the yard below, his shotgun gripped in his hands. His Marine training came back to him in a rush, and he instinctively knew how to handle these bad men who were after his mate.
He slid the pane of glass away and pointed his rifle down at the man standing below. He wore a gray suit and had slicked back black hair. He definitely looked like a mafia type.
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