A Lamb for the Bear's Appetite (10 page)

Chapter Eleven

Liam was harder than he had ever been in his fucking life, and as much as he wanted Olive right now, he wasn’t going to have their first time be against this old fucking tree. He pulled away from her and stared into her eyes. His bear was trying to break free. The asshole didn’t care if he fucked Olive right against the tree, not when he was hard-up to claim what was his. It was taking all of his strength not to shift and claim her like his kind had done for centuries over.
 
All he wanted to do was slide his dick into her hot little body, and he would, really fucking soon. She was wet, and the scent of her arousal was like a punch to his fucking groin. His cock pulsed with the need to feel her surrounding him, and his balls were so damn heavy that he was surprised he hadn’t come from the pressure alone.

He kept moving back until he felt a tree stop his retreat, and then he started pacing, moving in fast steps and fighting internally with his animal to rein the fucker in. The scent of her clogged his mind, swirled through his body, and all he could do was picture her beneath him, totally nude, and completely spread so nothing was hidden from his view.

“Liam.”

He shook his head, closed his eyes, and tried to reason that if he wasn’t careful he’d shift right now.

“Liam?”

Hearing her say his name was like a slap to the face, and he stopped and looked at her. There was a worried look on his mate’s face. “You need to get control of yourself. You’re about five seconds away from shifting.” Her words pierced something deep inside of him, and his polar bear receded, relinquishing
power,
and all because his mate had cracked an invisible whip.

“Yeah.”
He ran a hand over his head. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry.” He closed his eyes again and shook his head. He needed to get some fucking control, because as it was he was liable to lose it and do some real damage. Not to her, of course. Never to his mate, but anyone or anything that stood in his way.

“I didn’t mean to let things get so out of control.” He looked over at her, saw that she was still just as worked up as he was, but also knew it wasn’t her fault.

“Baby, I was taking it just as far.” He moved closer to her, saw the way her nipples beaded right under the thin material of her tee, and wanted nothing more than to pull that shirt up and cup her bare breasts. His fucking hands itched to do just that, but he curled his claws into the palms of his hands instead. “Let’s just keep heading to the pond.”

She took a deep breath, nodded, and offered him a dazzling smile. Fuck, she was so damn beautiful. How in the hell did an asshole like him get so lucky as to get a mate like Olive? He certainly hadn’t done anything extraordinary in his life, but she was something extraordinary. His bear sensed it, his human sensed it, and he sure as hell meant to treat her right.

They started walking again, and to his disbelief she reached out and took hold of his hand. There was that ever-present shockwave of electricity that surged within him every time they touched. He gripped her hand tighter, wanting her as close to him as possible, and gave in to that one desire. He pulled her near him until he could let go of her arm and wrap his arm around her shoulders. It was perfect seeing as she could tilt her head and
rest
it right on his arm. They walked for another five minutes before the path opened up and the trees spread out. The pond wasn’t anything grand, but it was positioned in the center of a clearing, where hand carved benches sat around it, flowers grew in abundance when in season, and a canopy was set up for picnics. This had been Candace’s idea, and since it had been built they had spent several Sundays here. Liam had never thought himself the family type, but since Olive came into his life, as recently as that had been, something had changed in Liam. He thought about what their lives would be live years from now, the children they would have, and the life they would create. A male that wasn’t mated wouldn’t understand the instinct to be with his mate in every possible way. They wouldn’t understand the desire to procreate with the one female destined to be theirs. Liam sure as hell hadn’t understood it. He might have known that there was a primal urge with their animal, but he sure as fuck never expected this kind of reaction, and he wouldn’t change it for the world.

Olive moved away from him and walked closer to the pond. It had a fountain in the center, and as his mate walked around the perimeter he stood back and just enjoyed how relaxed she looked. She definitely was in her element surrounded by nature. Her sheep, or lamb as she preferred to be called, was right at the surface, taking everything in, and Liam could have stood there all day just watching her. She moved gracefully, her womanly curves calling out to him, and the small smile on her face clenching his heart. She was perfect for him in every way.

She stopped on the other side of the pond and looked at him. “You live here?” He slowly moved toward her, but she started walking around the pond, keeping enough distance between them that he couldn’t get near her. But he could have caught her so easily, because there was nothing that would have kept him from his mate.

“No. I have a place, but Trace’s home is a lot more secure. He has his mate and my little sister here, so he makes sure it is locked up tight. Right now your safety, as well as your brother’s, is my priority.” He kept moving toward her, but she kept retreating. That was all right, though. Liam liked the hunt, and given that she was smiling at him, it told him his mate enjoyed being chased.

“Do you have any other siblings?” she asked. He shook his head. “What do you do for a living?”

He grinned. So, Olive wanted to do twenty questions? He could and would appease her curiosity.
Because he’d be asking his soon enough.
He wanted to know everything about her, even the minutest detail.

“You want to know about your mate, baby?” Her wanting to ask him questions shouldn’t have turned him on, but he’d be lying if he said it didn’t have his erection springing to life. He got satisfaction that she was interested in him. She nodded, and even from the distance he saw the way she licked her lips. “I was born and raised in Sweet Water. I had a shitty mother growing up, one that gave my dad that nasty looking scar that you politely don’t stare at.” Her cheeks turned pink, and his grin widened over that. “I grew up as an only child, but my dad found his mate only a short time ago, and they had little Alivia. Now they live like the Brady Bunch most days, although Candace won’t sugarcoat the fact Trace can be a pain in the ass.”

She chuckled softly, and the sound went straight to his balls. Fuck, if he couldn’t fuck her right now, he’d sure as hell need to jerk one off at some point today, because as it was he was going to get a major case of blue balls. He laughed, but it certainly didn’t hold any humor. Liam couldn’t even remember the last time he had yanked one off. It was easy enough to find willing pussy in this town, but now that he found his mate, just thinking about other females had his dick growing soft instantly.

“I went to school for mechanical engineering, but am working for Maverick—that grouchy looking lion shifter that was there the night you escaped—and am happy enough working on cars and bikes.”

“So you have this incredible degree, but you want to fix motorcycles instead?”

He shrugged. “I’d rather work with Maverick on the Harleys, than in some big company where I am nobody. Besides, fixing engines and shit isn’t so much different from what I went to school for. I make a good living, am close to home, and am happy enough.” Although he’d be a hell of a lot happier if she quit moving away from him. But it seemed the closer he got to
her the
farther she moved. A low growl left him, and she laughed again. Yeah, she was a little siren and thought teasing him was fucking funny. All it was doing was making him harder, and having his animal growing excited for the hunt. “What about you?”

“Me?” He nodded, and she looked down for a second, as if she was trying to think of what to say. “I’m no one special.” Yeah, he really fucking doubted that, but before he could say anything she was talking again. “My home life left a lot to be desired, and basically it was just Holden and me toughing out the world together. I always wanted to go to school to teach, but working and making money to help support us was obviously the route I had to take.” She kicked a rock away, and he wished she’d stop so he could hold her. “Then everything happened with Holden and the drugs and money, and well,” she looked up at him, and although she was strong as hell, there was a glimpse of her pain, “you know the rest.”

He moved toward her side quickly, and he thanked fuck that she stayed put. When he was close enough to wrap his arms around her, he did just that. For long moments all he did was hold her, with the sound of the fountain splashing water into the pond.

“It doesn’t have to be you against the world, Olive.” She didn’t respond, but did rest her head on his chest. “I’m your mate, and with that
comes
the fact I can carry your burdens. You don’t have to run, and neither does Holden. He can get clean, start a life where he can stand on his own. And both of you can achieve whatever you want right here in Sweet Water.” He pulled and brushed away a lock of hair. “I want that, want you near so I can keep you safe, shower you with affection, and where both of us can learn what in the hell this whole mating thing is about.”

She was silent for several seconds, and he wished he knew what she was thinking. “And what if I told you I wanted to go somewhere else, somewhere that had an ocean and a beach, and was not Sweet Water?” Liam knew that assuming she would just stay with him was a little arrogant. He cupped her face in his hands and realized that compared to him she was so small.

“I don’t care where I am, as long as I’m with you.” Her mouth parted slightly, and he couldn’t help himself. He leaned down and captured her lips with his. The kiss wasn’t anything passionate, but he wanted her to know that he was here for her, would be there for her no matter
what,
and he wanted that cemented in a physical way. “I’m not asking you to push your only family away. Just please don’t run because you think that is your only option.” He murmured against her lips, but he tasted the saltiness of her tears. “If you feel the need to leave, then let me be there to help you.”

“God, I don’t deserve you.” He pulled back and stared into her eyes that seemed so much bluer now that she had tears in them. “You would just up and leave, follow me wherever I went, because we are mates.”

He shook his head. “No, you’re wrong about that, Olive.” He kissed her on the lips softly. “It isn’t just because we are mates, although there is no denying I can’t stay away from you.” She smiled, and he flashed a grin. “But it is so much more than the fact fate decreed that you’re mine. We may have only known each other for such a short time, but I can see inside of you, know that you and I are kindred souls, and it is because I want to be with you that I would follow you.” He brushed away her falling tears with his thumbs. “Does that make me sound like some kind of weird stalker?” She started chuckling, and he was thankful his teasing had brought that reaction out in her.

“No. It makes you incredible.” She closed her eyes and breathed out. “But to be honest I don’t know where I’d go, where I would live, and am afraid to be out there alone, even if everything is safe.” Slowly she lifted her eyes to his.

“Is that the only reason you’d stay?” It seemed like he waited forever for her to answer.

“No. I want to stay because this is where you are, and I’m tired of trying to stop this from happening. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know I’d like to see where it takes us … together.”

Liam wrapped his arms around her again, rested his chin on her head, and exhaled the big breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. She had no idea what those words meant. He had asked her a lot, whether he had actually said the words or not, and she was giving him this gift of time with her. Liam had never considered himself the sappy type of male, but shit, he was finding that he was all kinds of things when he was with Olive. For the next half an hour they didn’t speak, just let the sounds of nature wash away the ugliness of the world, at least for a short time.

She expressed an interest in going back and checking on Holden, and he was more than willing to help ease her mind. Family had always been important to Liam, but until Alivia came into the picture, and now Olive, he hadn’t realized how much it did mean to him. He knew her brother was a large part of her life, especially after everything that had happened, and Liam was going to have to get used to giving her space. He could admit that he was a selfish bastard when it came to Olive, and that he would have to lose some of the possessive need that he felt when around her. He wasn’t used to wanting to take care of someone. For all his life he had only had to worry about what the next day held for him. Yeah, he had his dad and sister, even Candace whom he cared about, but they had their own life. Liam had always thought he would never need anyone or anything, but how fucking wrong he had been. He needed Olive like he needed to breathe.