Saved by the Bear [Red Mountain Bears 2] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove)

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Saved by the Bear [Red Mountain Bears 2] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Page 5

by Fel Fern


  Sooner or later, Pat would be wearing his mate mark on his skin. Pat would be his, in every sense of the word.

  Chapter Seven

  Pat woke up the same way he did for the past two weeks, tucked next to the muscled warmth of his mate. He sighed in pleasure, suppressed a giggle when Mac’s snores filled the room. Realizing he wanted to do something special for the man who turned his life around in the space of fourteen days, he carefully slipped out of bed.

  The past few days had been nothing but decadent, a holiday. The old him would have scoffed at the idea of a “holiday,” especially given he remained jobless. The new him though, the one who realized that self-care was important, too, decided it was more than fine spending most of his days with his werebear.

  Pat managed to extract himself from Mac’s possessive, steel-corded arms with some reluctance. Standing on the side of the bed, he couldn’t help but admire Mac all tangled in the sheets, golden muscled flesh peeking out. Awake, Mac was a lethal predator in human skin, but asleep like this, he looked peaceful.

  Pat twitched his lips. It would be so tempting to pounce on his bear. Mac wasn’t a morning person, would growl and be grumpy with him. The last time he did that, Mac yanked him back to bed and proceeded to torment his body in delicious ways. The werebear had closed his mouth over Pat’s dick and proceeded to make him come over and over again.

  No, Pat told himself. He had a mission. Putting on a pair of comfy old shorts and a tee, he headed to the kitchen. Most nights, Mac slept over and either made him breakfast, or when they were lazy, they ate out. Sometimes, they ate lunch together, too. Mac set his work aside to chat with him.

  His heart warmed, recalling all the amazing moments he made together with Mac over the past two weeks. It felt odd, not starting the day worrying about his tasks at the office, whether he’d meet his deadline or need to sleep at his cubicle again. Odd, but wonderful.

  Spending time in the Red Mountains certainly lowered his stress levels.

  In the kitchen now, he opened the fridge, sighing when he noticed all he had were leftovers. Maybe he could make a quick run to town and order take-out from Mac’s favorite diner, but no, that wouldn’t be the same as cooking breakfast for his man.

  He blushed then. Could he call Mac his man?

  His phone let out a beep from where he’d left it last night on the dining table. Pat walked over to it, sucked in a breath to discover it came from his landlord. Shit. He remembered paying last month’s rent, he’d been certain of that. The landlord was only reminding him about next month, he told himself.

  The phone rang when he was about to grab the keys to Mac’s truck. Glancing at the unfamiliar number, he picked up.

  “Is this Patrick Lane?” the unfamiliar female voice on the other end asked.

  “Speaking,” he replied, furrowing his brows.

  “I’m calling from Franz Advertising—” The woman on the other end said a few more things, which he lost track off.

  His mind drifted. For two wonderful weeks, he’d put his problems on hold, forgetting for a moment that he’d left his other life behind. The text from the landlord and this call woke him right up. Dread lined his insides. Pat really thought he could continue this way, waking up to mornings with Mac and looking forward to their dates in the evening.

  “Mr. Lane?” the woman asked.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that,” he said quickly.

  “Can you come in for an interview on Friday at nine?”

  He blinked. Feeling guilty about not doing anything about his jobless state, he’d carved out an hour every morning to send out his resumes. Pat didn’t expect to hear from anyone so soon.

  “Yes, of course,” he blurted in panic, realizing she waited for his response.

  “I’m emailing you the details,” she said, then ended the call.

  He stared at his cellphone longer than necessary. Pat didn’t even know if he wanted to continue working in advertising. Franz Advertising was a huge firm though, a multi-national company he’d dreamt of working at when he’d been a new college graduate. He’d been naive and ambitious then, didn’t realize that choosing advertising meant working long hours and sacrificing his social life. Since he didn’t have much of a social life, he didn’t consider it a loss when he started working for Smith Advertising.

  With trembling hands, he set his phone back down. One nice breakfast with Mac. That was all he wanted. Pat would think about the job offer and the life he left two weeks ago later. Swiping Mac’s keys, he hurried outside. On his way to Mac’s trunk, he bumped into an attractive, slender red-headed man.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” he blurted.

  Was it one of the new renters? The red-head blinked, studied him with undisguised interest. “Are you Pat? Mac’s Pat?” the guy asked.

  That made him pause. “Yeah. Are you Danny?” he asked.

  He’d been curious about meeting Connor and his human mate for ages, but right after his and Mac’s first night together, the newly mated couple decided to go on a trip. The couple arrived late last night. Mac had slipped out to talk to his brother, but he’d been too tired to come with him.

  “Oh my God, I’ve been wanting to meet you. Mac couldn’t shut up about you last night,” Danny said with a grin.

  “Mac did?” he asked, blushing.

  “Where are you off to?” Danny asked.

  “I need some breakfast supplies.” Pat gave him a sheepish look. “I wanted to make Mac breakfast before he woke up, but I don’t have anything in the fridge.”

  “I’ll come with you. I need to get some groceries, and Connor took the car. You mind?” Danny asked.

  The other man seemed nice enough, although he intimidated Pat slightly, especially given what he knew about Connor’s mate. Danny had been a world-famous model before deciding to move into the Red Mountains to stay with Connor.

  He took one look at Danny’s clothes. Even in a casual pair of jeans, sneakers, and a plain red shirt, Danny looked damn good, like he was posing for a commercial. Pat, meanwhile, felt and looked like a slob in his jogging pants and old t-shirt. Still, he didn’t want to appear rude, and he did want to find out what Mac told his brother and Danny.

  “Sure, come on,” he said.

  They both got inside Mac’s ride.

  “You know, I’m surprised. Mac loves this truck, he won’t even let Connor or Rick borrow it. You must be really special to him,” Danny remarked.

  He sucked in a breath. “Really?”

  “You sound uncertain.” Danny paused, then continued. “I think you really mean a lot to Mac. He might not look like it. The O’Riley brothers look tough as nails on the outside, after all, but inside? They’re vulnerable as the rest of us. Mac’s become like a brother to me. Okay, an annoying big brother, but if you end up hurting him—”

  “It’s not that,” he blurted. Damn it. Danny didn’t know a damn thing. Of course, Danny would take Mac’s side. “I’ve loved Mac since high school. He was my first crush.”

  “Then, what’s wrong?”

  He shifted on his seat, unsure if he wanted to tell a complete stranger about his problems.

  “My mate says I’m a good listener, and I won’t share your secrets,” Danny added.

  He frowned, unsure why he believed Danny. They just met, and yet he liked how Danny became defensive when it came to Mac. When Mac talked about Connor’s mate, he spoke about Danny with fondness. Pat wasn’t jealous, because Mac saw Danny as family, not a love interest. Shifters mated for life, after all, and Connor had chosen Danny.

  Mate. Mac called him that, but it was his own fears that kept holding him back. So, he told Danny a little about himself, why he ended up back in the Red Mountains and his wonderful two weeks with Mac. He didn’t tell Danny the more intimate details. That was between Mac and him.

  “I’m scared,” he admitted.

  “Of what? Sounds to me like Mac already made up his mind.”

  “I know, but what if I’m not good enou
gh for him? I mean, look at me,” he muttered.

  “I am, and so far, I can’t see anything wrong with you,” Danny said.

  They’d arrived at the local grocer, and he found a parking spot. Pat killed the engine.

  “Are you serious?” Pat mumbled. “I’m a wreck. I’m jobless, and looks-wise, I’m average.”

  “And Mac’s far from perfect, too,” Danny added. “Last night, when he came over, I’ve never seen him look so happy. You’re the cause of that, you know. I mean, most people who don’t know Mac only see this flirty playboy, but I know him a little better now. He’s serious about you, like mates-forever kind of serious.”

  “Moving back here will be a massive decision,” he said. They got out of the car and each grabbed plastic baskets as they entered the store.

  “That’s true, too. You guys need to talk this out together, and I got to be honest with you Pat.” Danny paused, as if he debated whether to tell Pat something.

  “Please, what it is?”

  “Connor mentioned Mac’s bear felt a little unstable.”

  That felt like a punch to the gut.

  “It’s my fault,” he said in a small voice. He finally understood Danny’s concern. “I get it. Don’t worry. I’ll fix this. Can you tell Connor that?”

  “Sure. I like you, Pat. I know you’d do the right thing,” Danny told him.

  Pat realized it felt nice, talking this out with someone. He ended up liking Danny and realized the model could be a potential friend. As they split ways to get their respective items, it occurred to him that Danny made excellent points.

  Sometimes late at night when he was wonderfully tucked against Mac’s warm and big body, he’d stay awake for hours, dreading what would happen once his month-long vacation came to an end. Maybe, he thought, it didn’t have to.

  Danny had taken a leap of faith by making the major decision to stay in Red Mountains for his mate, because Connor’s bear needed to be surrounded by nature to thrive. Mac didn’t have a volatile bear like his brother, but Mac’s place was here, and he ran a profitable business.

  Only his self-doubts and insecurities kept him from taking that same plunge Danny did. Enough time had passed with him staying on the fence. He thought of those amazing mornings with Mac, when they laughed and joked about the comic panels on the local newspaper. Mac would also surprise him on some nights by taking him out to the movies or a nice dinner.

  When it came to the bedroom, their love-making had become rougher, more passionate. He finally understood why. Mac was close to losing control over his bear. Had Mac been reeling in his inner beast back?

  He was hurting his mate by denying Mac what they both wanted, he realized with a pang. Enough. It was time he took control of his destiny, time he and Mac sat down to have a deep conversation about their relationship.

  Pat met Danny at the check-out counters, unsurprised to find Danny had purchased plenty of honey. Noticing him, Danny grinned.

  “Bears love honey,” Danny said.

  “I know. Mac’s mad for it, puts it on anything edible,” he muttered.

  “Maybe you should get one, too,” Danny said and gave him a wink. He blinked, feeling like he missed some important point. “Make him dessert.”

  “I don’t know how to bake,” he admitted.

  “Whoever said you needed to use the oven?”

  He blushed at those words, finally getting the other man’s point.

  “I think I like your suggestion.” Pat left the queue and looked for Mac’s favorite brand of honey.

  Chapter Eight

  “What’s so special about today?” Mac asked over dinner. This time, they chose to eat outdoors, on the bench outside Pat’s cabin.

  “What do mean?” Pat asked, then toyed with the vegetables on his plate.

  Mac regarded his little human carefully.

  “You never did coy well,” he pointed out. “Let’s see. First, you made me breakfast, which I appreciate by the way, and now this. Dinner.”

  As soon as those words left Mac’s lips, he wondered if Pat was being extra nice for him for a reason. Did it had to do with the call Pat received that morning?

  He didn’t mean to eavesdrop. Bears had ultra-sensitive hearing. He felt Pat leave the bed, had been half tempted to yank his little human back to bed for some morning play time. In the end, seeing the determined expression on Pat’s face made him decide to let Pat go.

  Pat probably rushed to the grocer to make them breakfast. Fuck. No one ever made the effort to do something sweet for him. His previous lovers and hook-ups only saw him as a conquest, only good for sex, and he’d been the same. What he had with Pat had turned into something deeper, something worth keeping, but would the human be willing to stay with him?

  Would he be clipping Pat’s wings if he kept forcing Pat to stay here, in the Red Mountains with him?

  “Pat,” he finally asked, tone serious. “Are you about to tell me something serious?”

  Pat took a deep breath and for a second, he worried Pat would deliver the worst kind of news—that Pat decided to cut his vacation time short to head back to the city.

  “I’ve been thinking over these past two weeks about my life, about what I want to next. This morning, I received a call from a huge advertising company about an interview. Then I ran into Danny this morning and came to the realization I’ve been an idiot.”

  Mac blinked at those words. Danny’s strong personality could be too much sometimes, especially to those who hadn’t met him before. Had Danny said something inappropriate to Pat? He waited for his little human to finish talking.

  “I’m sorry for being on the fence when it comes to our relationship. I kept thinking you’d suddenly wake up one morning and realize you don’t want to be with a boring and average human like me,” Pat said, fumbling with his words, which meant his little human was nervous.

  He growled. “That will never happen.” His words came out barely human, but he didn’t care.

  Mac had been tempted to haul Pat to his feet and drag his silly insecure mate back to the bedroom just to show Pat how much the little human meant to him.

  “I understand that now,” Pat whispered. “I’m so sorry. You’ve given me time and space, and I’ve been taking advantage of that.”

  His bear growled inside him with approval. Oh, Mac didn’t tell Pat, but he’d been at war with his inner animal lately. The bear had grown impatient the past few days, constantly surging at the surface of his skin. Mac had been going to the woods to shift and let his inner animal out to let off some steam.

  Most dominant shifters wouldn’t be this patient, but a decade had already split them apart. He told himself a few more days wouldn’t hurt. Good thing his patience had paid off.

  “You’ve made me wait.” Mac agreed. “Bears aren’t usually patient predators, you know?”

  Pat blushed. “I have some ideas on how to make it up to you.”

  “Oh?”

  “Before we get to you ravishing me, um, I wanted to tell you I’ve decided to stay. Indefinitely.”

  He considered his Pat carefully. “You sure about that, little human?”

  “Yes. I’ve gotten of sick living in the city anyway. All I ever did was work my ass off and had no time for a social life. Being here with you, spending time with you, it’s the best thing that’s ever happened in my life.”

  Mac rose from his seat and walked over to his mate. He hugged Pat from behind, pleased his little human leaned against him.

  Pat placed his hand over his own and said, “It’s been really hard on you, hasn’t it? Your bear—”

  “How did you know that?” he asked, bemused.

  “Danny told me this morning.”

  “Well, you don’t need to worry. There’s one thing that would appease my bear,” he drawled.

  Pat got to his feet, as if knowing what both man and bear wanted. He jerked his mate back to the cabin. Pat went without protest. This time, he intended to make it as far as the bed. Once Pat
’s legs hit the foot of the bed, Mac sealed his lips over Pat’s.

  When he pulled away, Pat panted slightly, eyes full of anticipation.

  He chuckled. “Missed me that much today, little human?”

  “Of course.”

  “Me, too.” In fact, it gotten to the point Mac needed to be within close vicinity of Pat. Any male that wasn’t either of his brothers, his bear saw as a threat. As soon as Pat wore his mate mark, he’d be less worried, because any shifter who spotted it would know Pat belonged exclusively to him.

  He kissed the side of Pat’s neck, grazing his teeth on the spot where he’d place his mate mark. His little human showed plenty of initiative, trying to tug at the hem of his shirt. When Pat didn’t succeed, he went for Mac’s pants. He chuckled.

  “I had this whole plan to seduce you,” Pat said in an accusing voice. He closed his fingers over Pat’s, smiling.

  “Tell me about this plan.”

  “Well, it involved drizzling honey all over myself.”

  His dick pulsed at those words. The erotic image sprung in his head.

  “Well, I’m sure we’ll make that a reality next time,” he murmured, “Clothes off.”

  In moments, both of them were naked. Mac gave Pat a gentle shove on the chest when suddenly they both heard the rattling roar that came from the woods surrounding the cabins. Both of them froze. A snarl tickled out of his throat as the sound came again. He recognized that roar from anywhere.

  “Connor,” he said by way of explanation.

  Pat widened his eyes but nodded in understanding.

  Since Mac was already undressed, he reached for his bear. The change came easily. His animal didn’t like hearing the battle cries of his brother. Fur replaced human skin. Bones broke and organs rearranged themselves. It only occurred to him afterward that Pat witnessed him changing forms, something he’d never done before in front of him, even when they’d been teenagers. That freaked out most humans, especially those who’d never been around shifters.

 

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