by Lynn Hagen
Patty hugged him back and then pulled Steven into her arms. She smelled like flowers and citrus shampoo. “Make yourself at home,” she said to him before she let him go.
Steven’s heart jumped in his chest as he tried to calm his bundle of quivering nerves. “Thank you.”
She shuffled them inside, and Steven noticed that Pete hadn’t followed them. He was glad. Steven hoped he never saw the guy again. He was also glad Seth was there. For reasons Steven couldn’t understand, having Derek’s friend there made Steven feel better.
Patty hurried away as she called out to someone.
“Stay away from Pete,” Derek said under his breath. “I’ll explain later.”
Steven wished he’d explained sooner. He was completely lost.
They stepped onto the back patio, and Steven gaped at just how many people were gathered there.
* * * *
Standing next to his dad at the grill, Derek ground his teeth as he kept an eye on Steven—and Pete. He couldn’t believe his cousin had the nerve to show his face.
Pete was one of the reasons Derek had moved away from Wyoming. The son of a bitch was a shit starter and a gold digger. Derek had made his fortune from real estate, and as soon as Pete had caught wind of Derek’s talent and his ability to make money off it, the guy had been relentless.
He’d constantly called Derek asking to join him in his endeavors, but Pete hadn’t worked an honest day in his life. He hadn’t wanted to work. Pete had just wanted to spend Derek’s hard-earned money.
“It’s for only two days.” His dad gave the needless reminder as smoke billowed past them. Derek loved the smell of hickory and the meat sizzling on the grill. He grabbed a bottle of soda from the ice bucket at his feet.
“He tried to wipe me out,” Derek said between clenched teeth. “How am I supposed to be cool with that?”
Five years ago the idiot had broken into Derek’s home and stolen his bank book, writing himself a check. What had Pete thought, that the bank wouldn’t question a check made out for thirty thousand? Thank fuck Derek had been friends with the teller. Becky had called him and asked Derek about the check, and he’d told her what had happened.
“But he didn’t wipe you out.” His dad faced him, sweat on his brows from the heat coming off the large grill. “We tolerate Pete because of my sister. I’m just asking you to keep the peace until you leave tomorrow.” His dad nodded toward the tennis net. “It seems Steven fits right in with the cubs.”
Derek’s heart swelled as he watched his mate chasing Aunt Carla’s twin girls. They squealed with laughter as Steven and Uncle Lawrence’s beagle chased them around the expansive backyard. He could catch only glimpses of his mate since so many people stood between them, but the smile on Steven’s face was well worth the trip.
“He’s a sweet kid.” His dad turned over the dozen sizzling burgers.
“He is,” Derek agreed. He was grateful he’d stopped by Bistro that day, craving an ice cream in the heat. If he hadn’t, he never would have run into Steven. Maple Grove might’ve been a small town, but Derek’s business either kept him away or isolated at home. Trips into town weren’t made that often.
“I’m glad you found your mate.” His dad smiled. “I worry about you being alone and so far away. Are you sure you won’t move back here?”
Derek spotted Pete watching Steven with a calculating look in his eyes. “I’m happy where I live, Dad.” He squeezed his dad’s arm. “But I do miss you and Mom.”
Retirement looked good on his father. Morgan Mitchell had busted his ass his entire life to provide for his family, and now he appeared completely relaxed. He was even wearing sandals, which he’d never worn before.
And golf shorts. Derek had never seen him wear a pair of shorts in his life. They were a tacky green with floral prints, and his sandals were yellow. The guy didn’t have a fashionable bone in his body.
His dad patted his arm as Derek looked out over the sea of relatives. He spotted Seth standing under a large tree, sipping his lemonade as he spoke with Derek’s brother, Asher, but the bodyguard’s gaze flickered to Steven every few seconds. The bear shifter was damn good at blending into the background.
With a need to have Steven in his arms, Derek headed toward the crowd of smiling faces. Aunt Beatrice stood by her mate, talking with him. Cousin Mattie yelled for her cubs not to wander too far away while Uncle Mike told some story to a handful of people who surrounded him.
He moved between them all, stopping every so often to chat, but Derek really wanted to get to his mate.
He caught Steven’s eye, and his mate looked flushed but happy as Sarah, one of the twins, tackled him. Derek grimaced as Steven went down, but his mate erupted into a fit of laughter as he rolled away from her.
“Okay, ladies,” Derek said as he approached. “Give Uncle Steven a break.”
“But he’s fun to play with.” Sarah pouted, her blonde ponytail swaying with her movements. If Derek remembered correctly, Sarah and Jane were around five.
“And you’re a tiger, hon. Steven is human.” He winked at her. “My mate needs a break before you break him.”
Derek looked at his legs when he felt something rubbing against them. Or more to the point, someone rubbing against him. He hunched down and smiled at his niece Clara. He knew it was her by her scent. Derek had been there when she’d been born, and he’d become a proud uncle once again.
“Hey, sunshine.” He smiled at her.
She toddled around him, babbling and trying her best to stay steady on her feet. When he hunched down, Clara stuck her hand into Derek’s mouth, said something in baby language, then pulled her tiny hand free.
“She’s been doing that a lot lately.” Bree hugged Derek when he stood. It felt good to see his sister. She was tall, slim, with a head full of black hair that ran in curls down her back.
“Hey, baby girl.” He pulled from her arms. “How old is Clara now?”
“Fourteen months,” Bree said. “Tell me you’re staying longer than the weekend. I’d love to catch up with you.”
Clara shifted into her cub form. Steven chuckled as he watched Clara circle around Derek, nipping at his pant leg. He picked her up and let her breathe in his scent so his niece could become familiar with him.
“Sorry, sis.” He gave Bree a peck on her cheek. “I can’t stay that long.”
Steven looked between them.
“Bree, this is my mate, Steven.”
Now it was her turn to look stunned. Her smile spread across her face as she pulled Steven into her arms. “Welcome to the family, Steven.”
Steven looked helplessly at Derek. Derek winked as he rubbed Clara’s furry belly. He hoped Steven wasn’t feeling too overwhelmed as he handed the cub off to him.
“Whoa!” Steven juggled Clara until she settled into his arms.
“Well, I’ll be.” Bree smiled. “She’s never taken to anyone so quickly.”
“I’ve never held a baby…cub before.” Steven smiled down at her, and Derek felt his heart swell at the picture Steven made holding her.
Bree bumped arms with Derek. “You’ve got a keeper.”
“Don’t I know it,” Derek said in a soft voice as he continued to watch how gentle Steven was with Clara.
“Sorry, Steven. She looks cozy in your arms, but it’s her naptime.”
Steven handed the cub over and smiled. “It was nice meeting you both.”
Bree gave him a one-armed hug. “Same to you. Don’t be a stranger, Steven.”
Derek furrowed his brows when Bree turned to walk away but stopped and narrowed her eyes. He looked in the direction she was staring.
No the fuck he didn’t invite himself. Coming around the corner was Tristan.
* * * *
Steven had no idea why Derek stalked across the yard, but the angry look on his face wasn’t a good sign.
“Stay right by me,” Bree said. She handed the cub back to him. “If that asshole comes anywhere near you, I’ll beat his
ass.”
“Who?”
Bree looked at him while her brows shot upward. “Derek didn’t tell you about his ex-boyfriend, Tristan?”
Ex-boyfriend? Steven felt a crushing pressure in his chest as he looked at the man Derek was bearing down on. The guy was gorgeous, tall, skinny, and with a head full of blond hair. Steven felt like a booby prize compared to Derek’s ex.
Why was Tristan there? Did he want Derek back? Did Derek love the guy? He felt as though his world was crumbling around him. Some of Derek’s relatives looked Steven’s way while others watched as Derek stopped in front of Tristan.
Steven couldn’t make out what his mate was saying, but he didn’t like the look of total worship in Tristan’s eyes. He grimaced when the cub nipped his finger. Steven set her down and took a step backward. He made his way to the house and hurried inside, fighting against the tears that threatened to spill.
Coming here had been a huge mistake, and Steven wanted to go home. He flung the front door open and hurried across the yard. If he had to, he’d walk all the way back to Maple Grove because he wasn’t sticking around to get dumped.
* * * *
“What in the fuck are you doing here?” Derek snarled as he drew closer to Tristan. His ex had the nerve to smile adoringly at him. That was one thing about Tristan. The bastard was a damn good actor. He’d missed his calling.
“You haven’t returned my calls.” Tristan stomped his foot. “What else was I supposed to do? We need to talk, but that’s hard to do when you’re avoiding me.”
Derek was seconds away from wrapping his hands around Tristan’s neck and choking the life out of him.
“You want me to escort him out of here?” Seth asked.
Derek shook his head. “I want you to stick by Steven.”
Clearly Seth didn’t want to leave Derek’s side by the uncertain look in his eyes. He gave a slow nod and walked away as Derek glared at Tristan. “You’re not welcome here.”
“It was a stupid mistake,” Tristan argued. “Why can’t you forgive me so we can move past it?”
Feeling his family’s eyes on him, Derek grabbed Tristan’s elbow and guided him around the side of the house. When prying eyes were no longer heating Derek’s back, he snarled at Tristan. “You want me to move past you sleeping with another guy in our bed? What fucking drugs are you on? What man in his right mind would forgive that betrayal?”
Tristan grabbed for Derek, an obvious attempt at hugging him, but Derek knocked his hands away.
“Please, can we just talk?”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Derek snarled. “Get back into your car and get the fuck out of here. You’re not welcome around my family, Tristan. We’re done. We’ve been done, but you can’t seem to get that through your thick skull.”
Tristan narrowed his eyes. “I saw you with that twink. Do you think you can replace me that easily? I’ll-I’ll…if I can’t have you—”
“Finish that sentence and I swear to god I’ll remove your head from your shoulders.” The thought of Tristan threatening Steven made Derek’s anger shoot to astronomical proportions. His vision turned red as he took a step toward his ex. “Go anywhere near him, and they won’t find your fucking body.”
“You can’t do this.” Tristan lunged at Derek, but Derek knocked him away. Tristan landed on his ass, staring up at him. “You hit me.”
“I’ll do worse if you don’t leave.”
Tristan got to his feet and brushed himself off. “This isn’t over, Derek. I won’t be replaced by some B-rated bitch.”
Asher came up behind Derek and grabbed his arm before Derek could slam his fist into Tristan’s face.
“He’s not worth it,” Asher said to him.
His brother hadn’t a clue the shit Tristan had put him through. Derek had been too embarrassed to tell his family about his ex’s affair or the stalking after their breakup.
“I’ll see that he leaves.” Asher released his arm. “Go have fun with Steven.”
“Steven.” Tristan hissed the name. Derek wished his brother hadn’t said that. “Fine, I’ll leave.” He looked Asher over. “I don’t need an escort.”
They watched as Tristan stormed away.
Seth approached, pulling Derek’s attention away from Tristan. “I can’t find Steven anywhere.”
Chapter Seven
Steven wasn’t sure how far he’d gotten when Derek’s rental pulled to the side of the road. He kept walking, refusing to hear anything his mate had to say to him. How could Derek not want Tristan back? The guy looked like a freaking model while Steven looked like…whatever. It didn’t matter.
But it did matter because Steven’s heart felt like it was breaking into a thousand pieces. And the fact that he was crying like a big baby only ticked him off even more.
“Steven, what the hell?” Derek asked when he got out of the backseat. When Steven looked at the driver’s door, he saw Seth behind the wheel. “Why’d you take off?”
A white car blew past them, damn near running Steven over before it sped down the road. Steven shouted and fell backward, landing on his ass as his heart thumped wildly.
“Steven!” Derek rushed across the road and grabbed him, helping Steven to his feet. “Are you all right?”
Seth took off, chasing after the car. Steven hoped Seth ran the bastard down and beat his ass.
“I almost got run over. No I’m not all right.” And Steven’s heart was still breaking. He didn’t want Derek to touch him. He didn’t want his mate anywhere near him, so Steven shoved him away. “Don’t you have a boyfriend to get back to?”
Just saying the words made him want to beg Derek not to leave him. But Steven kept the words trapped behind his lips. No way was he going to be the clingy spider monkey he thought Derek wanted him to be. But god, having him so close, smelling his spicy cologne, and feeling Derek’s strong hand touch his arm nearly made Steven break down and bawl like a baby.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Derek said. He yanked Steven into his arms. “You’re my mate, Steven. I know you still don’t fully understand what that means, but there is no one for me except you. I don’t want Tristan. I want you, kitten.”
Crud. Steven threw himself into Derek’s arms, crying happy tears at his mate’s words. “I wanna be your spider monkey!”
Derek chuckled as he hugged Steven tightly to his body. “You are, sweetheart.” He kissed Steven’s temple. “Don’t you ever run away again. You had me terrified something happened to you.”
Seth drove down the road and stopped a few feet from them.
“I want to go back to our hotel room.”
“Anything, babe. Anything you want.” Derek walked them to the car and opened the back door. Steven got in, his mate sliding in next to him.
“To the hotel,” Derek said to Seth.
Steven stuck his nose into Derek’s neck when his mate pulled him onto his lap. “I thought you were going to break up with me.”
“Honey, mates can’t break up. We’re together for the rest of our lives. I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you. Don’t you ever think that I want someone who isn’t you. Got that?” He nipped Steven’s earlobe.
“Okay.” The grief that had filled Steven’s chest was gone, replaced by pure happiness as they pulled into the parking lot of the hotel.
Seth took them to their room and checked it before leaving.
“Why did your friend just do that?” Steven kicked his shoes off, looking forward to a hot shower.
“Seth is our bodyguard,” Derek informed him. “He’s here to protect you and me from dangerous people.”
“Like Brad?” But Brad was dead, gunned down by the cops. Who else was after them?
“Yes and no.” Derek removed his shoes and unbuttoned his shirt. “Men like Tristan who refuse to understand that we aren’t boyfriends anymore.”
Steven chewed on his lower lip. “Why doesn’t he understand that?”
Derek helped Steven remove his shirt. �
�I have no idea, kitten. He knows we’re not together anymore.”
“Why did you break up?” Steven tossed his shirt aside and unfastened his pants. He wanted a shower, but the way Derek kept touching him made Steven hard. He might not make it to the bathroom if his mate didn’t leave him alone.
“Because I came home and caught him in bed with another man.” There was a hard edge to Derek’s voice. “That was six months ago, and he won’t leave me alone.”
“But you have a bodyguard now,” Steven pointed out. “Can’t Seth make Tristan leave you alone?”
“We’re trying to handle this.”
Derek stripped his clothes off, and Steven forgot what they were talking about. His gaze slid over Derek’s body before a thought occurred to him.
He’d yet to see Derek’s tiger. “Can you change for me?”
“Change how?” Derek slid his finger over Steven’s cheek. “Is there something about me you don’t like?”
Steven crinkled his nose at Derek. “I love everything about you. I meant, can I see your tiger?”
Derek’s smile was like Steven’s very own sunrise. It was warm, and felt good cast his way. “You won’t be scared?”
“Nope.” In fact, Steven hummed with excitement at the idea of having his very own kitty cat. “I promise I’m not afraid.”
With a wink, Derek shifted. The Bengal tiger was huge, and Steven lunged at him, hugging him around his neck.
“You’re beautiful!”
The tiger lowered himself to the floor and wrapped his front legs around Steven’s body as though hugging him. Steven lay against his body, running his fingers through Derek’s fur. “You’re very soft, too.”
The tiger licked the side of his face.
Steven wiped the moisture away. “That was gross. Now I have cat slobber all over me.”
He yelped when Derek changed back into a human. “I thought you liked my slobber all over you.”
Soft lips glided over his bare shoulder. Derek’s warm hand was pressed against Steven’s hip, his mate’s fingers caressing his skin. Steven shivered and closed his eyes as the amazing sensations whipped through him. His cock hardened even further as he arched his back, hissing when Derek nipped him.
