Shifters on Fire: A BBW Shifter Romance Boxed Set (29 page)

Morning Comes Much Too Soon

Mal squeezed her eyes shut as she woke from the most amazing sleep, not wanting to give up the warm, cozy feeling of it. With all of the stress and crazy of the day before, she was surprised she had even been able to fall asleep.

“Good morning, beautiful.” Al was still snuggled in beside her, and from the sound of it, he was wide awake.

“Morning.” The huskiness of her first morning words came across as more sexy than sleepy. Al agreed, from the erection poking her in the back. Not that he made a move to do anything about it.

“What time is it?” She cracked her eyes and the room was still black, but that didn’t mean a thing in a place that probably invested in room-darkening curtains to help their clients get the best night’s sleep possible.

“It is a little later than you wanted, but I didn’t have the heart to wake you. You were sleeping so peacefully.”

“How long were you awake?”

“I woke up around seven.” He squeezed her lightly and she relaxed back into him.

“What time is it now?”

“Nine.”

“Nine?” She tried to sit up but was met with resistance. “We have to go.”

“Hold still. We’ll be fine.” He sounded so sincere and his arms had quickly become her favorite place to be, so she allowed herself to give in. “He already has a head start on us and you needed the sleep.” He was right on both accounts.

“You just stayed in bed for two hours waiting for me to wake up?” Joshua rarely even came to bed, much less was considerate enough to inconvenience himself to get her some much needed rest.

“There was nowhere I would rather be.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“I will never lie to you.” He meant every word, too. She would’ve been able to hear the sincerity in his voice even if she didn’t
know
it.

“I didn’t mean it that way. I just meant …” She had zero clues as to how to dig herself out of the hole she’d just dug. The last thing she wanted to do was to hurt his feelings. “Never mind. I suck at this boy girl stuff.”

“This isn’t boy girl stuff.” He rubbed his hand up and down her arm as he spoke, and she had to concentrate just to hear his words.

“I beg to differ.” The huskiness in her voice returned. One hand on one arm and she was already coming undone. She couldn’t wait until they got to the good stuff.

“It isn’t. It’s mate stuff.” Mate. That was what the woman in the bakery had called her. Come to think of it, it had been mentioned a few times since she met him. The only time she had heard the term used that way before was in fiction books.

“That is real?” And there it was. Once she said it she knew. He was her mate.

“Can’t you feel it?”

Oh, she felt something all right.

“I feel something. Something more than I have ever felt, but I just thought … I don’t fully know what I thought. What does it mean?” She rolled over to face him. Morning breath be darned. This conversation felt too important to be had without seeing each other’s faces.

“It means,” he ran his fingers lightly down the side of her neck, “I am yours.”

“I’m pretty sure it means a wee bit more than that.” Yours. He had said that a lot and he meant it, but being his could mean so many different things. If her world was going to be turned around anymore than it already was, she might as well get to it now.

“Oh, it does.” The room was still dark, but her eyes had adjusted and she could make out his smile. “It means that I am yours and will be devoted to you for my entire life. If you accept me as your mate, I will do everything in my power to make you the happiest woman alive.”

“Why me?” She had allowed herself to settle for the first decent looking guy who paid her mind. At the time, she’d thought he was the best she could get and then he became a habit. With Al, though, she felt so far out of her league, she wasn’t even sure they were in the same sport. Yet here he was, wanting her, baggage and all. That was the sticking point. Why would someone like him want her?

“Because fate shined favorably upon me. I’m not going to question it. I’m just going to savor it.” He wasn’t being a sweet talker. The reverence and awe in his voice wrapped around her like a hug. He felt like she was the one out of his league. Maybe fate really did exist.

“Is that why I wanted you before I even knew your name?”

Mal wanted to kick her own ass for not brushing her teeth before starting this conversation. Right now all she wanted to do was to get lost in his kisses.

“Yeah, that’s fate’s way of getting us to pay attention when our mates are right in front of us. You may be shocked by this, but many people don’t see what is right in front of their eyes.”

Oh, she believed that one. People were often blind to what was in front of them, both good and bad. She would know.

“So, will I always feel this pull?”

“I don’t fully know. Luke pretty much knew Christina was his years before they met. They are an unusual case because her mom was more than human too.”

Mal needed to meet this Christina. She sounds like a hot ticket to be sure, and it also sounded like she had a lot of information Mal could really use at this point.

“It feels like it keeps getting stronger to me.” That was an understatement. It was all she could do not to let her hands wander under his shirt onto what she imagined was a magnificent chest.

“Me too, but that might not be the mating pull.” She quirked her brow in question. “That might just be the normal
boy and girl stuff
and falling in love and such.”

“Love?”

The sound of a cell phone ringtone broke them both from the conversation. She was glad it wasn’t hers. The last thing she wanted to do was to talk to Joshua. Especially when
love
was just brought into the picture. Arggggg.

“Ignore it?”

He sat up as she spoke, giving her the answer. Whoever it was, it was important.

“I can’t.” He bent over his side of the bed and pulled up his jeans, fishing out the cell phone. “It’s Luke, and if Luke is calling there’s a reason.” Luke. Right. Al was Luke’s second. They hadn’t discussed what that meant last night, but it looked like she might be about to find out.

“Al here.” He was purposely speaking louder than normal, and Mal took that as a clue to eavesdrop. “Yeah, we’re here. I’m guessing we have Christina to thank for the room.” He stood and started pacing the side of the bed.

“Oh they did, did they?” He continued to pace. Pacing was not a good sign. “Huh. So where does that leave us?” The pauses between his sentences were maddening. “I see. Yeah, we can be there. We still need to take care of things at her bank this morning. We slept in.” His pacing finally stopped and he began to laugh. “You are a class-A jerk sometimes, Luke. I never … wait, yes, yes I did. You’re right. It is totally fair game. Yeah, she is great. So about the bank?”

Al turned on the light as he listened. It looked like snuggle-in-bed-in-the-dark time was over. “Really? Well, I’ll be. I didn’t see that when we came in. I’ll go snag that now. Your mate is a keeper, Luke. Maybell? Really? Well it looks like I owe her too. See you at three, then.” He turned to her. “Change of plans, love.”

“Change of plans?”

“Hold that thought.” He held up a finger before bounding out of the room and returning with a manila envelope.

“Here.” Sure enough, the thick envelope had her name written across the front. “Christina had it left for us on the main dining table yesterday, assuming I would feed you.”

“Ha, so she’s not always right.” Mal began to pull at the tape over the seal.

“No, but don’t tell her that and never bet against her.”

“Duly noted.” A few more rips and the envelope was finally open. She reached in and pulled out a thick pile of papers, all of which looked like they had been faxed. “This is a bank statement with all of my money back and dated yesterday. How?”

“I didn’t ask.”

“Wait, this says to call my credit card company.” She handed him a sticky pad with a hand written note in an unfamiliar handwriting.

“How about this,” Al handed the note back to her and began to pull on his jeans, “you make the call and I’ll snag us something to eat.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Stop: Mating Time

The hot water spraying at her from all sides was amazing. She had never wanted to be rich and all the things that accompanied it, but she wouldn’t turn down a shower like this in her next place. A smaller version anyway. This one could fit an entire rock band and still have room to spare.

She still couldn’t fully comprehend what had happened with her credit card company. She not only was able to talk to someone with only a five-minute hold, but they were nice. Somehow her report got connected with another fraud report and all charges were reversed, and they reopened her account. She now had a zero balance and the promise that a new card would be overnighted to her at the B&B. Things were looking so much better than she could’ve even hoped for only a few hours earlier.

“I’m back.”

“I’m in the shower. I’ll be right out.” She was pretty sure she heard a groan outside the door and quickly added without completely thinking it through, “Unless you want to come in.” She had been half teasing when the words first spilled from her mouth, but now they sounded like the best idea ever.

“I brought coffee.”

“Is that a no?” Mal went for the husky sexy voice she had sported earlier.

The bang on the door, accompanied by a growl, must have been his head. Giving up on her indecent proposal, Mal finished rinsing off before wrapping herself in the luxurious towels. It had been a long time since she’d had a towel large enough to wrap around her—with room to spare—and she had never had one as soft as the one she was currently using.

Mal was surprised to find the bedroom empty when she finally emerged and opted to put on the lush robe in the closet over her clothes. Something about having her financial woes gone had her feeling a wee bit sassy. By wee bit, she meant a ton.

Following the smell of coffee, she found Al standing at the counter, fiercely typing away on his phone. Not wanting to interrupt, she took a seat on the couch.

“Sorry, love. I’ll be just a minute.”

“No worries. You look busy and I didn’t want to interrupt.” She had an exceptionally good view of his backside from her perch. Waiting for him to finish his text suited her just fine.

“Luke was just sending me details about this afternoon.” He walked over, coffees in hand. “I’m done now. I brought you coffee.”

“Thanks.” She took a sip. Somehow he managed to get her favorite flavor of coffee. “Chocolate toffee.”

“Yes. I know you like your coffee black, so I thought a flavored roast might hit the spot.”

“It really does. You spoil me.”

He sat beside her, bringing her feet on his lap as he slid in close. “I plan to do so often, so you might as well get used to it.”

After years of taking care of not only herself, but of another, it felt almost decadent. When he began to rub her feet, it
almost
morphed into all-out decadence. “What do I need to know about this afternoon?” He’d mentioned three o’clock a few times now, but never went into any detail. She wasn’t all together sure she was even meant to come.

“Not much. We just need to be at the meeting place at three.” So she was invited. Mal was glad she asked. “It looks like your little thief was into more than just taking your money. There will be a council meeting to decide his fate.”

“Council meeting?”

He deepened his foot rub and she almost forgot she asked a question when he began to answer.

“It sounds more ominous than it is. It is just a group of alphas and such who will decide his guilt and punishment. Think of it as paranormal court.”

“That right there made it sound more ominous.”

His hands stopped their magic movement and he turned to face her straight on without taking his hands from her feet.

“Not my intention, love.” He gently laid down her foot and she wanted to beg him to begin again. “Let’s talk about something more important. There some bagels and pastries in the box. I wasn’t sure what you would want.” Al and his
I take care of my own
silliness had returned. At least now she understood a piece of it.

“Well, I was turned down with what I
actually
wanted.”

His eyes flashed silver before returning to what she now knew was his more human color.

“So I think I will go with my second choice: a bagel.”

“Why are you trying to kill me, woman?” His voice cracked. She didn’t have to look down to know the man was sporting an erection. An erection she was determined to set free.

“That was not at all my plan.” No, her plan was to get him naked and have her wicked way with him.

“I know.” He leaned back slightly, a growl escaping as he did. His bear didn’t want him to move any more than she did. “I was there when you siren-called me from the shower.”

“But it was too forward?” She had never taken the reins like that before and worried that maybe she came on with a little too much force.

“No. Absolutely not. That was not the problem.” He placed her feet back on the couch before pulling her on his lap. Yes. This was where she was meant to be. “It was just we haven’t talked about what it means, and I feel like we should.”

Mal snuggled in close. She might as well enjoy the closeness while she had it. Who knew what tomorrow would bring or what this afternoon’s meeting would bring, for that matter.

“Because you are a bear?”

“Because we are fated mates.”

“Ah, back to that.” She put her hand under his shirt and onto his chest, needing the contact. “So let’s talk about that now so we can get to the fun.” Her hormones were on steroids today. She’d thought it was bad when they were in the alley by his bar the first night or at his place, but they were nothing compared to what her body was doing at this very moment.

“Still trying to kill me.” She wasn’t sure if he meant her hand on his chest or the topic at hand. She hoped it was a little from column A and a little from column B.

“Still not the plan.” Although maybe it was a little bit of her plan.

“Remember when you were at my house and I said I never had a person in my den?”

Oh she remembered all right. It was the second time that night he pulled away from her much too soon. “I remember.”

“It was true; I never have. My bear would never allow it. Yet with you, he wanted you there and I did too.”

“And yet we left.”

“We left because once I bring you there, once we mate, it is forever for me, and I don’t want to tie you to that unless you are sure.” If that didn’t stoke her fire. He. Wanted. Her. Forever. There was truth in all that he said. She was a lucky, lucky girl.

“You’re telling me bears can’t have sex with someone without making a forever bond?” That didn’t sound right. After all, someone like Al had to have woman throwing themselves at him. Goodness he was gorgeous, nice, and could cook. Even if you weren’t looking for more than a fun date, he had it all.

“No, I could have sex with everyone in this hotel and—” He was cut off by his growling. No scratch that, he was cut off by her growling. When did she start that? “Did you just growl at me, love?”

“I think I did.” If this kept up, it would be a growl here, a growl there, and next thing she knew they would be that old couple dressing alike and playing shuffle board. “Sorry about that. Go on.”

“As I was saying, I could do
those
things and it would be just like any other encounter any other single person has on a given day.” He was being so careful not to repeat the analogy that his sentence was practically word salad.

“It would be different with me though.” She wasn’t asking. She could feel it.

“It would, because with you I would want more than just being close physically. I learned that night how badly my bear needs you. He would demand I mark you, make you ours.”

Sounded like a plan to her.

“And you don’t?”

“Heck yeah, I do.”

Her hand started to explore his abs at that. She needed to get some will power or find a way to remove his. Either would work.

“Not only would the sex be amazing, but marking you would strengthen our connection and you would feel it as strongly as I do.” She wanted to argue she already did, but she could feel that wasn’t true. Somehow this man, this gorgeous hunk of a man felt even more deeply for her than she did for him. How was that even possible? “I can’t do that to you without you knowing what you are getting into, though.” And his gentleman ways shined through once again.

“How would you mark me?” In all of her books, it was biting or scratching and it usually hurt and quickly turned to pleasure. This was not a book though.

“When you and I are together, right before I come, I will feel the need to bite you, most likely on your shoulder.” His lips brushed the spot where her neck met her shoulder, and she wanted to beg him to bite her right there, now. “It’s the combination of those two things at once that form the bond.”

“So you could bite me now and nothing would change but my neck would be sore.” He nodded against her neck, his breath sending warmth down her spine. “And we could get it on and nothing but sweaty goodness would happen?” He nodded again. “But the two together would equal a forever bond.”

“That pretty much sums it up.” His lips sat on her neck, not moving. She started exploring his chest again hoping to encourage him on, but the man had something she did not: willpower.

“And you don’t think you could just have some naked fun without biting?”

“Mal, I can barely be in the same room with you without wanting to mark you.” The words were muffled as he spoke against her neck. It was maddening. “I spent two hours this morning holding you and convincing my bear over and over again not to claim you in your sleep.”

“And this has only happened with me?”

“Only you.”

She felt the moment he began to cave. His lips began their assent up her neck. Who knew her neck had a straight line connection to her clit? These kisses would not be enough. She needed more.

“It could only ever be you.” His lips were now just below her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. “Fate sent you.” His breath faltered. He was as affected as she was.

“And you are okay with that choice being taken from you?” She pulled her head back as she spoke, knowing she was potentially throwing a bucket of ice water on the mood. He didn’t choose her. Some otherworldly force did.

“I never thought of it that way, but heck yeah, I’m more than okay with that.” His lips brushed hers, and before she could encourage him to deepen the kiss, he pulled back. His eyes were morphing colors as he spoke. Both the man and the bear were there. She loved that she knew that. “You are brave, smart, independent, and you didn’t let that ass-hat break you.” He saw her as more than her mistakes and her heart filled with joy. “And goodness, woman, have you seen you? You are sexiness personified.”

“You see me that way.” He did. She was in awe. Joshua had seen her as a meal ticket. As someone to lie beneath him when he wanted to get off. As someone to steal from. Al saw her so completely differently. He saw her as she wanted to see herself. And he thought she was sexy.

“It’s who you are.” His smile brightened the room. He wasn’t flattering her to get something from her. He was laying his heart on his sleeve. A sleeve she needed to remove. Now. Along with the rest of the clothes he was wearing. “But as I said before. There’s no rush. I have waited for you a long time. I can wait indefinitely.” Screw that. She couldn’t.

“What if I said I didn’t want to wait?” There were zero parts of her that wanted to wait. Nope, waiting was on the bottom of the list of things she wanted to do.

“Are you saying you don’t want to wait?”

“That’s exactly what I am saying.” She leaned in, close to his ear. “As crazy as it sounds to say out loud, I knew you were mine the moment you sat across from me in the diner and I stole that lunch. I had no idea what was happening then, but it was real and it was powerful. Every moment I spend with you makes me want to spend even more with you, and it is all I can do not to climb you like a tree. So yeah, I don’t want to wait.”

His lips were on hers before she even realized he had moved. There was no questioning in them. There was only need. Hers. His. Theirs. It was time.