by E A Price
Deanna clutched at the bear in her hand, trying to control herself. Wait, bear?! She felt a jolt of reality and remembered her family.
He carried her into Pizza Moon, and the room went quiet.
Hans sneered. “Fuck, Casey, what have you done to her?”
Casey growled at him, making the older wolf raise an eyebrow.
Melanie stared at them for a few seconds. “Umm, why don’t you go on back to the office?”
Casey nodded his thanks. He started striding to the office when the bobcat pulled on his collar.
“Wait, I need to get this to my sister.”
She pointed to the table in the corner, and Casey took her over there. She squirmed in his arms, wanting to be put down, but he only tightened his grip.
Dennis stood up, a look of shock on his face. “Oh my god, what the heck happened to your face?”
“It had a fight with a door… and lost. Don’t worry, it’s fine, I’m fine.”
Dennis glared at Casey. “Well, at least let me take a look…”
Casey stepped back.
“No, I’m fine, really, it’s not broken.” She knew what it felt like to have a broken nose; when she was 13 she intervened in a fight between her friend, a porcupine shifter, and a lion shifter who was bullying him. She came out with a broken nose, but that was nothing compared to the lion… Not that she condoned violence, of course.
Deanna tossed the bear to her brother. “Here, sorry, I might have got a little blood on it.”
Dinah wiped at her eyes and grabbed the bear, hugging it to her chest. “Thank you, Dee.”
Dennis opened and shut his mouth like a fish. The rest of her family looked at her, and the wolf carrying her, with open mouths. Dennis was about to say something, but she was swiftly carried away. She tried to smile reassuringly at her family, not an easy thing to do with a rapidly swelling nose.
Casey ignored the curious looks of the other patrons, in particular he completely avoided the obnoxious Mrs. Martin.
The only thing he cared about was making sure his mate was safe. He felt a little twinge of uncertainty; he realized Darcy was actually his mate’s sister-in-law, but that didn’t matter. For one thing, he’d made his peace with Darcy. And for another, he could care less whether his mate was related to a thousand Darcys. All that mattered was she was his, and he had found her. And he wasn’t planning on letting her go.
Casey maneuvered his way into the office and carefully deposited his mate on a chair. He turned and locked the door, before walking over to small bathroom. Ilse, Hans’ mother, had a shower/toilet/basin installed years ago, it was handy for anyone who wanted to wash-up after their shift. She had no idea how handy. Over the years, numerous people had thrown things at Hans, such as pizzas and soda after he lost his temper with them. The shower had gotten a lot of use. Although he suspected, from the scents, that Hans and Melanie used the shower together for a different reason.
He soaked a washcloth and brought it out to his mate. Gently, he began cleaning the blood from her face.
She wrinkled her nose. “Why did you lock the door? Who are you keeping out?”
A muscle in his jaw ticked. “No one, I just wanted to make sure you didn’t run off again.”
She blushed and looked away, before smiling prettily. “Do you think a locked door would stop me?”
His wolf practically rolled over at the saucy look on her face. He felt his manhood swell; it was the same look she gave him the first time they were together, when she propositioned him…
“Probably not, but I figure it would slow you down a little.”
“I thought you wolves liked chasing things,” she purred.
“We do, but we’re not above cheating to make sure we get what we want.”
Deanna felt her sex flutter at his husky words. She’d wanted to rip his clothes off from the second he appeared before her. For a second, she’d actually thought he was a mirage, a figment of her overactive imagination. But no, he was real, and even better than she remembered.
“I’m Deanna, by the way. Deanna Hardison… and I realize I probably should have mentioned that the first time we, uhh…”
He chuckled throatily. “Casey Shaw, and you have no idea how pleased I am to see you again.”
“I might,” she whispered, hesitantly.
Casey tossed the cloth away. Kneeling before her, he took her face in his hands. Buoyed by the encouragement of his wolf and a surge confidence, he said, “I’ve been thinking about you non-stop since we met, you’ve been driving me crazy, woman.”
Deanna almost cried out in delight, as her bobcat leapt about, like a kit. Instead, she affected a look of mock outrage. “Says the wolf that’s been invading my dreams every night.”
His wolf was urging him to take her, to carry her home, to make her bond with him so that she could never leave again. But, he didn’t imagine that would exactly go down well. He had to play this subtly.
“We could go back to my place; I have condoms,” he blurted. He may have just missed subtle.
Deanna paused. Part of her would actually like that. Okay, a massive part of her was yearning to do just that. But… they rushed things last time, and it just ended with them being apart. They had to play things differently this time, if they were both looking for something long-term…
“I would love that…”
Casey stood up and started pulling her to the door.
“Wait, I hadn’t finished. I would love that, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Casey deflated like a popped balloon. “But I thought you, you know, liked me.”
She quickly pressed her hands to his chest, almost moaning at the feel of his taut, hard body. He quivered under her delicate touch.
“I do, a lot, but I don’t want to rush things with you, because… because I think, you may be important to me.”
She bit her lip. It was the closest she could get to admitting she actually thought he might be her true mate. Her bobcat wanted to howl it from the rooftops, but Deanna was a little more reticent. She wasn’t quite ready to make such a big leap, not for anyone.
He felt disappointed, but his wolf was roaring in pleasure. It wasn’t a lot, but she admitted he did mean something to her, and that was enough… for now. Besides, she deserved better than the caveman treatment.
Casey nodded, understandingly. “Would you… would you like to go on a date with me?”
“Yes,” she replied quickly.
“Tonight?” he asked, enthusiastically.
Her face fell. “I can’t, I’m covering a late shift.”
His wolf whined, and she smoothed her hands over his chest. “But, I’m free tomorrow night.”
He pouted, and she pulled him down for a tender kiss, pressing her lips to his, tingling at his taste. Drawing back, she was delighted to see glee blossom over his face.
His hands travelled down her body, burning a path until they settled just above her ass. “Tomorrow night it is, then.”
They stood entwined for a few minutes before Deanna giggled. “Are you planning on letting me go?”
Grudgingly he did. They exchanged details and agreed to meet the following night in the local pack-run bar, Bar Luna.
She moved to the door, and he rushed to get there first. His hand rested on the door handle, and he leaned down for another chaste kiss. Too chaste, in his grumbling wolf’s opinion, but it was enough for now.
Reluctantly, he unlocked the door and watched as she sidled through, wiggling her cute, little butt. He lingered in the office, willing his erection to go. It seemed unlikely that would happen anytime soon.
He decided to slip out the back. He didn’t particularly relish facing Deanna’s family. In particular, her brother, he doubted he was Dennis’ favorite person.
He felt a pang at letting her go, but it wasn’t like the last two times. This time, he knew where she lived. There was no escaping him.
Chapter Ten
18th January
&nb
sp; Deanna virtually skipped into the kitchen. She’d been on cloud nine ever since her encounter with her wolf the day before. Mmmm, Casey Shaw.
She had hoped that finding him would mean she would get a little sleep, but no. Instead of being awake all night obsessing over him, she was awake all night, excited about their date. She just couldn’t win.
It didn’t matter. She was far too elated to worry about a little thing like sleep. All she needed was some coffee, and she was good to go. Normally she would top that off with a Danish, but she was more than a little concerned about the tightness of her clothes. It couldn’t hurt to cut back a little; she wanted Casey to find her attractive. Although, gleefully, she imagined it would take quite a lot to turn him off, judging by the strong scent of his arousal and the hungry look on his face… Still, perhaps she should replace the Danish with a fat-free yogurt for a while.
Her nose was still kind of sore, but it was healing nicely. It wouldn’t actually be fully healed for their date, but he’d already seen her at her worst.
She hummed to herself as she poured coffee into a travel mug. She became aware of Darcy’s eyes on her. She turned to find Darcy watching her; the puma shifter had a pained expression.
Deanna frowned. “Something wrong?”
Darcy hesitated. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of the rest of the family yesterday, but is Casey Shaw the guy you met at O’Neill’s?”
Deanna flushed slightly and admitted that he was. “I haven’t told anyone else this, and please don’t say anything, but I think he might be my true mate.”
The puma shifter sucked in a quick breath; shock flickered over her face for a few seconds.
Deanna didn’t really expect people to be dancing on the rooftops at her news, but she wasn’t expecting stunned silence. “Aren’t you happy for me?”
“Of course I am.” Darcy quickly enveloped her in a hug.
She pulled back and started clattering round the kitchen, taking out various utensils.
Deanna folded her arms. “But?”
“But, what?” She tried to be nonchalant, but couldn’t quite manage it; she was far too tense.
“Is there something I should know?”
Darcy grimaced. “Don’t you remember the other day? I was complaining about a wolf shifter…”
Deanna furrowed her brow. While worrying about finding Casey, and her mom’s imminent visit, her sister-in-law’s problems had slipped her mind. “You were annoyed at a wolf shifter, who wanted the same job as you…”
Darcy waved her hand. “Yes, yes, that’s not important now, Carly says she has more than one job opening, but don’t you remember what else I told you?”
She racked her brain. “You said you’d slept with him, and… oh!” His name was Casey. “So the two of you…?” Her bobcat yowled in fury. The puma had been with their mate – it was intolerable!
Darcy swiftly took Deanna’s hands and squeezed them, reassuringly. “Yes, but, like I told Dennis, it didn’t mean anything. And I’m sure Casey will tell you the same thing.”
Deanna felt faint. The idea of Casey with the lithe, beautiful puma was too much. If Casey could be with a woman like her, why would he want someone like Deanna?
Darcy rubbed her thumbs over the backs of Deanna’s hands. “I’m sorry; maybe Casey would have preferred to tell you himself, but I didn’t want you to think I was keeping it from you, because, honestly, it really is insignificant. It was a one-time stupid mistake that we both regret. And even if I weren’t head-over-heels in love with your brother, there’s no way it would ever happen again. You believe me, right?”
“Ummm hmmm.” Deanna couldn’t look her in the eye.
“I mean, god knows, if I had actually known how close I was to finding my true mate, and that one day Casey would mate with my sister-in-law, I definitely wouldn’t have done it.”
“We’re not mated yet,” muttered Deanna.
“But, if he’s your true mate, you will, right?” A look of horror passed over her pretty face. “You wouldn’t, not mate with him because of me, right? Oh, hell, please don’t tell me I’ve ruined your happiness?”
Darcy was close to tears, and Deanna felt like a heel, but she couldn’t help herself. All of her own insecurities were vying for attention, and there was no room for Darcy’s too.
Deanna took a deep breath and gave Darcy a hug. “Don’t worry about it, it doesn’t matter. Everything will be fine.”
She wasn’t surprised when Darcy looked at her doubtfully; even she had trouble believing the sincerity of her own words. Not wanting to prolong the conversation any longer, she grabbed her coffee and packed lunch, and left.
As she walked to the Sheriff’s station, she forced herself to remain calm. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to see her cry. She gave a small wave to Carl, who was, yet again, out walking his poor bunny. She studiously avoided his gaze, not wanting to talk to anyone at the moment.
She passed Jolene, another wolf from the local pack, rushing to get to work. The she-wolf kept muttering about being late; for a second Deanna was reminded of the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland and almost laughed out loud. But no, laughing wasn’t allowed. If she started now, she might become hysterical, and fall apart in a fit of tears.
She knew she couldn’t be upset with either Darcy or Casey, her rational mind told her that, but it still bothered her. More than she really wanted to admit.
What would happen if she did mate with Casey, and then he realized she was boring, and that those nights together at O’Neill’s had been flukes? And he could do better than a tedious bobcat shifter... What would she do when he found a woman who was prettier, and sexier than her? How was she supposed to mend her broken heart, when he was off enjoying himself with someone else?
Her head told her to forget him; she didn’t need him, and she didn’t need to be hurt by him. She had gotten by just fine without him. Her bobcat snarled in fury, and her heart felt like it was being stabbed. She didn’t honestly believe she could live without him, did she? Was she willing to throw away her chance to be happy with her true mate for fear that he might leave her one day?
It was all so hard, how could people ever enter into relationships with no reassurances that they were going to last forever? Wasn’t it better to be alone, than to lose someone and have your heart broken? Yeesh! Love, it was like playing Russian roulette!
Maybe she just wasn’t cut out for relationships. Her bobcat sneered. Coward.
She thought of Casey and was immediately overtaken by a wave of guilt. He was so perfect… She couldn’t just assume he would leave her; he certainly seemed to care about her, a lot. Although, he seemed more concerned with getting into her pants, she thought nastily.
No, it was more than that - it had to be. She was overreacting; that was all. She felt insecure, and she was trying to punish Casey for it. All she had to do was meet him for their date tonight, and he would reassure her.
Deanna breathed in and out; she felt a lot more relaxed now her bobcat had settled. It didn’t matter that Casey had been with Darcy, or anyone before her. If Dennis could get over it then so could she. It might make for a few awkward family meals, but they’d get past that. She’d get pat that.
She had to.
*
Deanna poked at her homemade sandwich. The damp lettuce had seeped into the bread, making it soggy. She pulled out the slice of chicken roll and ate that.
Risty sat next to her eating a pasta salad, in between a sub sandwich (from the infamous food truck), a bag of chips and a box of cookies.
They were sitting on a bench outside the library. Risty had called, and wanted to meet for lunch. Deanna couldn’t get away for long, so Risty had driven down from Darlington. Deanna was pleased to see her; she hadn’t heard anything from the jackal shifter since the party. Too busy enjoying the delights of her mate.
“How’s your mate?” asked Deanna.
Risty beamed. “Ray is perfect,” she replied, with an abund
ance of smugness.
Deanna had an irrational and jealous urge to slap her, but she kept herself firmly in check. After all, with any luck, that would be her soon, too. Instead, she said, “I’m glad to hear it.”
Risty blushed slightly. “Actually, it gets even better, I’m pregnant!”
Deanna stared at her, open-mouthed. “No wonder you’re eating like a horse! Congratulations!”
Risty wrapped her arms around her and gave her an almost bone-crushing hug. “Thanks, Ray’s thrilled. He’s already started decorating the nursery.”
“I’m happy for you,” said Deanna, sincerely.
Risty pouted prettily. “Poor Deanna, all alone. It makes me sad.” She snapped her fingers. “I’ll ask Ray if we can set you up with one of his friends. It’ll be great; we can go on double dates together!”
The jackal shifter started bouncing up and down with glee. Jake was right; mated friends were insufferable.
Risty started naming friends of Ray’s, but Deanna was quick to interrupt her. “Actually, I already sort of have a boyfriend.”
The jackal shifter looked like as surprised as if she’d just seen a dinosaur tramping down the road. Which was a bit much really, it wasn’t like Deanna was repellant or anything. It shouldn’t be that surprising that she'd attracted a man.
“You do?” The look of incredulousness on her face soured Deanna a little.
“Yes,” she hissed. “We’re going on a date tonight.”
Risty arched an eyebrow. “So, who is this so-called guy?”
Deanna felt anger bubbling inside her, as her bobcat roared in annoyance. So maybe she wasn’t a tall, curvy, bombshell like Risty, and maybe she wasn’t outgoing and fun, but men still found her attractive.
Deanna sniffed. “Actually, he’s a wolf shifter and his name is Casey Shaw.”
Risty barked out a mighty laugh, which lasted for several moments until it ended with a very un-ladylike snort. “Yeah, good one.”
Deanna pursed her lips. “I’m not joking.” Did Risty think she wasn’t good enough for the wolf?
Risty paled a little. “Seriously, tell me you’re joking.”
