The Bear's Mate

by Vanessa Devereaux

  ****

  Charlotte sensed someone watching her as she wrote up her notes about Christopher. It was Aiden standing in the doorway of her office. He continued to look at her but didn’t say anything. She hadn’t noticed the stubble on his face when she’d first seen him or even in the examination room when he’d stood next to his brother. Hair couldn’t grow that fast. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes. The dark shadow around his jaw line was a wonderful contrast to his light blue eyes and made him even more appealing.

  He stepped inside the office.

  “I hope my brother’s nap isn’t keeping you from going home.”

  “No, I’ve worked late every day for the last week, so I’m getting used to it.”

  “And your husband doesn’t mind?”

  “I don’t have one.”

  “Then maybe your boyfriend gets upset.”

  Was he asking just to make conversation or was he interested in her relationship status?

  “Don’t have one of those either.”

  Okay, he was the first to bring up the topic of significant others, so now it was her turn.

  “How about you? I would think wildlife management has some irregular hours too. Your wife or girlfriend get upset that you don’t keep normal office hours?”

  He looked at her without answering.

  “I couldn’t help but notice your badge when we first met,” she added.

  He nodded. “Like you, I don’t have a spouse and no, I don’t have girlfriend either.”

  Well, that had gotten the prelims out the way.

  “Do you want to wait in here for your brother? The chairs in the waiting room aren’t very comfortable.”

  “Sure, why not.”

  He pulled up a chair and sat opposite her desk.

  He was only a few feet away now, so she couldn’t help notice that his lower lip had some blood on it.

  “What happened to your mouth?”

  He ran his finger over his lip. “I bit myself while I was in the restroom. Not sure how it happened. I guess I was deep in thought.”

  “Here, let me take a look at it.” She stood.

  “No, I’m fine, really.”

  She wasn’t taking no for an answer. She walked around the desk and kneeled in front of him. The blood had the same texture and hue as his brother. This was beginning to get interesting. What were the odds of both of them having the same disease unless it was something genetic?

  Charlotte searched in her lab pocket for a tissue. She reached up and dabbed his lip. She slyly looked down and noticed even on the paper the blood had a bluish hue to it.

  “There, all cleaned up. You bite yourself often?”

  She wasn’t that interested if he did or not, but hoped the question would throw him off, and he wouldn’t see her sneak the tissue into her pocket instead of the garbage can. Everything about him and Christopher fascinated her. If she didn’t wait too long to get it tested, she might be able to run the blood from his lip as well as his brother’s and compare notes.

  “No, first time it’s happened.”

  She nodded and stood. Nope, he hadn’t seen a thing.

  “So you think Christopher’s going to be all right?” he asked.

  “He should be. Oh, and let me give you the antibiotics for him. Make sure he takes the whole course of these, no stopping halfway through.”

  She reached over to her desk and picked up the bottle which she handed to Aiden. Their fingers grazed one another. She looked at him, him at her. Almost as if electricity was traveling between them. Was this what they called sexual chemistry or what? She’d never experienced this sort of charged energy with a man ever before.

  “You know this is selfish. We’re keeping you here when you could be at home. I’ll go wake Christopher and head out. He can sleep when he gets to his place.” He stood, looking as uncomfortable as she felt right now. He’d sensed something happening between the two of them, she was sure of it.

  Charlotte should have been the good doctor and put up a protest about his suggestion of taking his brother home, but in all honesty was she was dead to her feet and just wanted to go see her dad. After that she’d head home for a nice soak in the tub, and then crawl into bed.

  “Here’s my cell phone number.” She scribbled it down on a sheet of paper and handed it to him. “Don’t hesitate to call me if he doesn’t feel well, runs a fever, or gets red streaks near either of the wounds.”

  “Thanks for taking such good care of him.”

  “No need to thank me because it’s my job.”

  She looked up him. Holy shit, he was gorgeous. Kiss me.

  Charlotte didn’t know why that request had popped into her mind. Yes, she did, but she didn’t expect him to actually do it. What was he a mind reader?

  A slight hint of the metallic taste of blood remained on his lip as she opened her mouth to him. His tongue played with hers for a few seconds before he ran it over her lower lip.

  How long had it been since a man had kissed her like this?

  A man had never kissed her quite like this.

  Her stomach did flips, and her pussy pulsed. She couldn’t help her next move. She wrapped her arms around him, hoping he didn’t think she was going too far, but when he pulled away quickly, she had her answer.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, running her hand through her hair. Shit, how embarrassing was this? Whatever made her do a thing like that?

  “It’s me who should be sorry. I’m the one who kissed you.”

  Damn it, she was hoping that kiss would be leading to something like being asked out on a date.

  “I’ll go wake my brother, and we’ll be out of your way.”

  “Make sure you bring him back in about ten days so I can remove those sutures, okay?”

  He nodded and was gone. She was too embarrassed to leave her office to see them out. Charlotte turned and walked to her desk. She pulled open her desk drawer knowing she had a plastic baggie in there. It would be perfect for safekeeping the bloodied tissue. She pulled it out, opened it, and then reached into her lab pocket.

  The tissue was gone.

  Charlotte immediately looked on the floor, got down on her hands and knees to peek under her desk thinking she might have dropped the tissue, but it was nowhere to be seen.

  Still down on all fours she looked toward the door and then put her fingers on her lips. That really had been wishful thinking about him kissing her like that. He’d obviously done it for one reason…to pick her pocket.

  Chapter Three

  Aiden hadn’t managed to wake Christopher—who had been actually snoring like crazy on the clinic couch. Aiden wrapped his arm around his shoulder as they headed to the car. Not an easy task now that the rain was pelting down. He slid him into the passenger seat, shut the door, and then ran around to the driver’s side and got in.

  “I was having a nice dream until you woke me,” said Christopher yawning.

  “Yeah, I can imagine what it was about.”

  “Definitely not a ménage a trios.”

  At least he’d learned his lesson even if it had cost him some pain and sutures.

  “So what did you do while I was sleeping?” He yawned again.

  “I visited with the doctor and had to use my charm and kiss her to get this back.” He lifted out the tissue from his jacket pocket and tossed it onto the dashboard. “The fact that she wanted to keep it tells me she might suspect something.”

  “I’m sorry. This is all my fault. You always warned us about staying out of trouble, but sometimes I just can’t.”

  “You’re not the only one. A couple of the women in our group are trouble too.”

  “What are we going to do about the blood she took from me?”

  “Don’t worry. She was heading out of the clinic once we left. After I’ve dropped you off, I’m going back there to get the vial. Hopefully, she’ll think she’s just misplaced it.”

  ****

  Charlotte peeked around the door of her fa
ther’s room. The TV was blaring, but instead of watching it, he was reading one of his fishing magazines. Good thing she’d brought along two more to replenish the stack.

  She knocked on the side of the door and then walked in. He looked up and smiled.

  “How are you feeling today?” She leaned over and kissed him.

  “A little bit better than yesterday.”

  “Glad to hear that. I brought you some more magazines,” she said sitting on the bed.

  Her dad turned down the volume in the TV. “So how was your day?”

  “Busy. And I’m sorry I’m late, but I had a last minute emergency with a guy who’d been stabbed.”

  She wasn’t going to mention the bitten penis to her dad.

  “Geez, sounds nasty.”

  She yawned. “I’m sorry. It’s not your company I find boring, but it’s been a long day.”

  He tapped the back of her hand. “You know honey, you don’t have to come by here every day to see me. I’ll be perfectly okay if you miss a day.”

  “I know, but that’s why I came back so you’d have someone to visit you, someone to look after you when you get home. Someone to remind you how silly it is to try and get up on the roof…”

  “At my age.”

  She smiled. Mr. DIY he’d always been, but he was too stubborn to admit when you got to be sixty you couldn’t do the things you could twenty years ago.

  “How are your legs feeling?”

  “Like they’re both broken.” He laughed. He’d always been able to see the funny side of things.

  “You’ll be up and dancing again before you know it.”

  “The doctor said my days of doing the tango might be over.”

  They both burst out laughing at the same time.

  “You run along honey. I’ll watch the TV, read my fishing books, and dream about getting out in the boat again.”

  “Okay, but just because I’m tired. Maybe I’ll bring one of the board games from home, and we can sit and play.”

  “Sweetpea, you’ve got better things to do than sit in a rehab center with an old fart.”

  “Since when did you become an old fart?”

  “Since I went up on the roof and fell off. I want you to find yourself a charming local Montana man, settle down and give me a load of grandkids I can babysit at least once a week.”

  “Only if he’s as wonderful as my old fart of a dad.”

  Charlotte leaned over and kissed his cheek.

  “I’m going home for a nice soak in the tub, and then I’m going to have an early night.”

  “Did you remember to water the plants and give them the plant food?”

  She nodded. “Oh and before I forget, Mrs. Newson wanted to know if it was okay to come by and see you one afternoon.”

  His father pulled a face. His neighbor wasn’t all that subtle in her attempts to pursue her father.

  “Tell her maybe next week. I know she’s just trying to woo me.”

  Charlotte laughed. “I’ll have to put her straight about that then, no wooing Dad.”

  “Get out of her and stop teasing me, sweetpea.”

  She blew him a kiss and left.

  Charlotte would love him to find a woman to grow old with, but he’d had the most perfect woman in her mother, and she doubted even the most wonderful woman in the world could find a place in his heart. She pressed the elevator button to go down to the main floor. She guessed growing up with the most in love, and perfect matched couple was the reason she refused to settle for anything less than the perfect man. Damn, her parents had made her set the bar so high maybe she’d stay single all her life.

  She headed out to the parking lot and pulled up the collar on her jacket. A cold wind had picked up, and it looked like more rain. She didn’t know why but she suddenly thought of Aiden Renner. She could still see those gorgeous blue eyes of his looking at her before he planted a kiss on her lips.

  She got into her car and touched her mouth. Pity he’d had an ulterior motive for the act.

  ****

  Aiden checked on Christopher one more time before he left his condo. He’d made him a sandwich and then helped him get into bed. He glanced at the clock on the table beside it, just a few minutes past nine. The earliest he’d ever known his brother be in bed and asleep. He pulled the door almost closed, hoping he didn’t wake him. He’d learned his lesson about the consequences of trying to have your cake and eat it too. However, while Aiden initially brushed off his bad behavior as you’re an idiot, but I can put this right, so he didn’t feel too bad, reality had now set in and he had a problem to solve.

  Aiden sat down and looked out of the window. It was dark, and it would soon be time for him to go and retrieve the vial of blood before any tests were run on it. He took a deep breath, and for the first time in years, felt the weight of his responsibility wearing down his shoulders. Sometimes he wished he literally could lift it off his body and hand it to someone else. Even if it was just for a month. Hell, even a week would be nice. During that time he’d be able to focus on himself, he’d maybe get a life. And yes, a love life wouldn’t be bad either.

  Easing back in the chair, he suddenly thought of the pretty doctor. If only his life wasn’t do damn complicated. He envied regular guys. Ones that weren’t in charge of the well-being of so many people.

  Christopher’s foolishness could start a chain reaction that might be hard to stop. He shook his head. He’d always told everyone the smallest of slipups or not keeping your guard up, could cost them everything. Humans could catch on to the fact that aliens lived among them. He could only imagine the panic that would set in. They’d probably be rounded up, examined, or dissected. He squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to think about that scenario.

  He glanced at his watch. He’d sat for too long. It was time to get to the clinic and hopefully get the blood back.

  Chapter Four

  Charlotte pushed her shoulders down under the bubble adorned water. This was heaven. Aiden’s kiss had been blissful too. She set her head back on the inflated bath pillow at the base of her neck still thinking about what had happened in her office, and not just the kiss. Why would anyone want to steal a dirty tissue unless it was because of the blood on it? The blood that had a strange texture and hue. Charlotte lifted her hand and let some water dribble down from it onto the space between her breasts. Not that big of a deal because she still had the vial of the brother’s blood. Being the over thinker that she sometimes was, and wanting to leave anything to chance, she’d even brought it home with her.

  She eased her shoulders down farther into the tub and welcomed the warmth of the water. Retrieving the tissue had obviously been the one and only motive. Damn shame because on a scale of one to ten, the kiss had rated a high 8. She hadn’t experience one of those for a long time. She missed having sex too. Hell, she missed having a man around.

  Closing her eyes, she did her best to relax because she had another long day ahead of her tomorrow. First she needed to stop by the hospital and get tests done on the blood. If there was something wrong with Christopher, it was best they found out ASAP. Every doctor knew the chances of curing something or stopping it in its tracks was to catch it sooner rather than later. After a stop at the hospital, it would onto the clinic, where she’d probably work to around six, or like tonight, seven-thirty.

  Tonight, working late had been worth it. The kiss, however brief or motive based, had been the reward.

  For one stupid moment, Charlotte wondered what it would be like to make love with Aiden. She bet he’d be a top notch lover giving her an orgasm in no time flat. Feeling a pull in her pussy again, her hand slipped under the bubbles, and before she realized it she was stroking her clit while images of Aiden flashed through her mind. She could even feel his lips on hers again. Like it was happening all over again. Her arms around his body. The big muscular, sexy body that reminded her of a big bad bear. She wasn’t quite why she’d thought of that wild beast.

  Her legs quive
red as she rubbed harder. He was inside her about to thrust her into paradise. Charlotte whimpered and then accidently slipped underneath the water as an orgasm took her by surprise.

  She coughed, trying to get all the soap water out of her mouth. She’d never experienced a self-inflicted orgasm happen that quickly before. Usually it took her five or ten minutes of playing with her clit for anything close to seeing fireworks. Just what effect would Aiden have on her if he was the one doing the rubbing?

  * * * *

  He had to be an idiot because breaking into a medical facility was one the craziest things he’d ever done. If he got caught his career would be over. If he lost his job or worse yet, got arrested and did any jail time, the group would probably have to move on to another safe haven without him. Were they ready for that? Without being conceited, he couldn’t think of anyone who could take over the role.

  Darting behind a tree when a car passed by, Aiden looked toward the back of the building that housed the free clinic. It was a stand-alone structure and probably the safest way in was round back where there was less chance of him being spotted from the main road that was still busy even at this time of night.

  He waited until a car had passed and its headlight no longer outlined his silhouette, before sprinting around to the side. The clinic stocked drugs so without a doubt an alarm system was in place, and Dr. Delaney had most likely armed it before she’d left the building. If he disabled it and picked the lock, probably no one would even know that someone had been inside. That was if he could do it. Sure he’d picked locks before, but he wasn’t an expert. One slip or mistake could actually trigger the alarm and have the police here in no time. For all he knew it could even be a silent alarm. And outside cameras, no, he hadn’t seen a sign of a single one.

  On the other hand, a safer way would be to make look like a break in. He’d take a few drugs with him and Dr. Delaney would assume a junkie had been looking for a quick fix or a non-addict looking to make a fast score for some extra cash. Yes, just about everyone needed more income these days, so that made the most sense.