Sebastien’s bear roared inside him and he put a hand to his ringing head. His father was right. He would have to fight for Kim.
It was the dumb thing to do, but what did he know? He was just a stupid bear, stupidly in love with a mate that might not stay and might not want him.
And he meant to go and get her all the same.
He waved absently at his dad and then walked out of the hotel room. He went down to the lobby and strode around in the wide space, trying to gather his thoughts.
He was shocked when one of the customers from his earlier boat trip stopped him with a hand on his arm. He rose to his full height to glare down at the man but stopped when he smiled and pulled his hand back.
“Sorry, man, just saying good-bye,” he said.
“What was your name again?” Sebastien asked, trying not to sound grumpy.
“Wilson,” he said.
Ah, that did sound familiar. Right, he was the one that had made him jealous on his first trip with Kim. “Right, Wilson. What can I do for you?”
“Nothing,” the other man said, putting his hands smoothly in his pockets. “Just wanted to thank you for taking good care of my fiancée.”
His heart thudded to a stop. “What?”
Wilson shrugged. “I know it’s a little weird, but I wanted to meet her before it was final.”
“And is it final?” he asked, trying not to sound like he cared too much.
Wilson studied him. The handsome, smooth man seemed to possess more sense than Sebastien had initially thought, because he seemed to sense there was something between him and Kim.
“It could be,” Wilson said. “I’m taking her out on my boat tomorrow. Hoping to mate her if possible, before she changes her mind.”
“Like hell,” Sebastien snarled, grabbing the other man by his collar and hauling him off his feet to dangle in the air. The other man grinned at him incorrigibly, and he had to set him down.
Wilson exhaled with a cough and then straightened his shirt. “Easy, big guy. All I did was ask her. Why would she say yes if she didn’t want me?”
Because I was an asshole who made her feel unwanted, he thought. But of course he wasn’t going to say that out loud. Not to this jackass who had designs on his woman. His mate. Damn, it felt good to acknowledge it. He didn’t know how this whole thing was going to work, but he felt better than he had in forever just knowing he was going for it. That he wasn’t going to let fear hold him back.
Wilson still studied him, and he realized if the man really were his enemy, he wouldn’t have let him know about their plans.
“When are you leaving?” he asked.
“Seven,” Wilson said.
He laughed. “If you can even get her up then.”
“She’s pretty determined,” Wilson said, frowning. “In fact, I’m not sure you’ll even be able to convince her not to go. Not as you are now anyway.” He grinned at Sebastien and put his hands behind his head to stroll away. “But that’s your problem to figure out. Not mine.”
Sebastien growled, but the other man had already turned the corner and disappeared out of sight. She might not want him, hmm? Maybe not as he was. But as he stared at the gift shop and a costumed mannequin standing at the entrance, an idea came to mind.
He had an idea how she would accept him.
It was time for some plundering.
11
Kim’s heart ached as she stared out at the water. It seemed so empty without Sebastien. Even though someone was driving the boat, and Wilson was standing nearby commenting on the beauty of the weather, she felt incredibly cold inside. Like she’d made a bad mistake.
“Maybe we should go back,” she said. She didn’t know what would change when she got there. Sebastien still wouldn’t be willing to give her a chance. But maybe she’d finally be willing to confront her family about what she didn’t want to do. Hopefully, she’d be able to keep her job at the law firm, but if not, she was capable. She could find something else.
She tapped her fingers on the railing, waiting for Wilson’s response.
“I could take you back,” he said, leaning on the railing and looking out. “But I have a feeling it’s about to be a moot point.”
Her gaze snapped to where he was looking and she saw a boat coming toward them in the distance.
Holy shit.
It was Sebastien, or at least she thought it was. He was standing tall behind the wheel as he drove toward her, and there was a flag mounted at the back of the boat where one would normally mount a water ski tower.
Her mouth twitched. It was a pirate flag.
She squinted to see him more clearly, and as he came into view, she could tell he was wearing different clothes. Specifically, a ridiculous-looking pirate hat and ruffled white shirt that looked suspiciously familiar.
Damn, had he actually stolen clothes from the gift shop mannequin? And why was he coming all the way out here?
Her heart sped up as he got closer, and Wilson came beside her to put his arm around her shoulder.
“What is he doing here?” she asked, looking at him accusingly. “Who told him?”
Wilson shrugged. “No idea. I feel betrayed.” But as he folded his arms and looked out at the approaching vessel, she thought he looked anything but.
Why would he willingly give her away? Well, it didn’t matter. Sebastien was actually coming for her, and she had Wilson to thank. She put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry it couldn’t work out. Really, I am.”
“That’s okay,” he said. “It gives me a chance to find my own mate as well.”
“And if you don’t?” she asked.
“Life is full of risks,” he said cryptically. “Good luck with your family. I’ll cry off, but I doubt that’ll get you off the hook.”
She nodded. She didn’t care. She shouldn’t have known from the start that she wasn’t strong enough to walk away from her mate. It was pure natural instinct, and it felt delicious to even consider it.
“Ahoy!” a deep voice boomed. Despite his ridiculous attire, he looked stern as usual. The mannequin’s outfit was too small for him, but it only made his bulging muscles look that much more attractive.
She could tell from his narrowed eyes as he watched her appraise him that he was feeling ridiculous, but he’d done this for her. For her. And that meant everything. It made her think they could beat the odds, that she could be strong enough to move on and leave behind the past she’d worked so hard for.
But she still had to wait to see what he had to say.
“Avast!” he shouted in that low, husky voice that drove her crazy. “Permission to come aboard.”
Wilson laughed.
“Never mind! Permission not needed to come aboard!” Sebastien boomed, seeming to remember pirates didn’t need to be polite. He had bumpers tied on the sides of his boat so he could come close to Wilson’s smaller vessel without scratching it. Then he looped a rope around the railing and used his powerful arms to haul him up and onto their ship.
She took a step backward. Even in that ridiculous costume, he was intimidating. So tall, that golden hair always whipping in the wind. He was wearing black boots that gleamed in the sun. He looked a little too hot.
She was wearing a swimsuit with a sundress over it, and she felt broiling as he studied her slowly, raking his eyes over her. She wanted to laugh and melt at the same time. If someone had told her that the grumpy ship captain who didn’t want anything to do with her would be acquiescing to her pirate fantasy, she would have thought they were out of their minds.
But here he was.
She took a step back, not sure what to say.
“I’m here for the booty,” he said in a low voice.
She stifled a laugh and looked at Wilson. How Sebastien could say something in such a serious tone when it was so ridiculous she didn’t know.
But she was still just in shock that he was here.
He closed the distance to her and swept her up over his shoulder. “Laugh
all you want, wench. But you’re mine.”
The heat in his voice turned her on instantly.
“That’s right. Your scent. Your body. Your unbelievably beautiful personality, they’re all mine.”
“Geesh, get a room, you two,” Wilson grumbled.
Sebastien turned to glare at him with Kim still over his shoulder. “Hush, Scalawag, before I make you walk the plank.”
Wilson rolled his eyes as Sebastien hauled her down into his arms and stepped toward the edge of the railing.
Kim gave Wilson a grateful look, and he winked at her. Then she realized she was getting awfully close to the railing. “Sebastien, you wouldn’t.”
“Don’t make me tie you, wench,” he said, swinging her back and then toward the railing.
“Wait just a minute, now, you—oof!” Before she could make more of a protest, she found herself launched into the air. This was the second time she’d fallen off a boat, and both times had been around him.
But the water was softer this time when it broke her fall, and a splash beside her as she rose to the surface told her Sebastien had jumped in as well. He put out his arm for her and she took it and let him pull her to his boat. He helped her onto the swim platform and then into the craft.
“Thanks, Wilson,” he said darkly, waving to the other man.
She wrung out her dress as she sat dripping wet in his boat. “You didn’t have to get me soaked,” she grumbled.
“That’s punishment for leaving with another man, mate.”
Her heart leapt. He’d called her mate. Out loud for the first time between them, the word had never sounded so sweet. He untied the boat and started the engine and then pulled away.
She watched her captain drive, wondering just where he intended to take her.
* * *
Sebastien felt utterly stupid in the costume, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him. He’d seen the sparkle in Kim’s eyes when he’d pulled up to rescue, er, kidnap her, and it had been worth all the humiliation of wearing this outfit.
When he pulled up to the dock, he took her in his arms again. He didn’t care who saw him carrying her. Her warmth was familiar and steadying, and he was going to make her his if it killed him.
And just let anyone try to take her away from him. Not a hundred men could do it. Not a thousand, he told himself as he stomped through the sand and toward the building that housed his suite.
They acquired some interesting looks as he walked with her through the lobby and into the elevator. It wasn’t every day you saw a pirate carrying a woman up to his suite.
But she was his now and he was going to make sure she knew he’d never leave her.
Right after he heard her explanation for leaving with Wilson. He glared darkly at the elevator doors as they went up in silence.
When they arrived at his floor, he walked out with her in his arms. She was quiet until they reached his suite and he deposited her in front of it to unlock his door.
“Sebastien?” she asked. “Are you angry?”
“No,” he lied. He was. He’d seen her standing there with Wilson and his blood had boiled like lobster over a fire.
He led her in and shut the door behind him. Then he took his hat off and tossed it aside.
She started to protest, and he gave her a dark glare. “Well, it was good while it lasted,” she said.
He sat on the edge of a couch and waited. “So you didn’t even give me a chance to think on things? You just went off with another male?”
“You didn’t want me,” she said, and he could see the hurt in her eyes.
“When did I ever say that?” he asked, astonished.
“You didn’t say anything when I asked if you’d give us a chance if I was willing to go against my family.”
He frowned. How had she taken that so wrong? “I didn’t say anything because I was thinking. It took me some time to adjust. From the moment we started, I was telling myself it was going to end. When I thought there was a chance you wouldn’t want it to, I had to figure out what I wanted to do.”
She frowned. Uh-oh.
“But I knew from the moment I saw you. My bear knew. My body knew. It took a while for my mind to catch up.” He walked to her and ran his hands slowly up and down her arms, soothing her and letting himself know she was okay and here with him. “You gave me adventures and opened me up. Even if the animal inside me wasn’t screaming I was your mate, I’d want to be with you. You’re the perfect match for me, Kim. And if you’ll let me be your mate, I’ll make sure you have a never-ending supply of adventures.”
She just stared at him, eyes sort of watery. He reached up to brush a tear away before it could fall.
“I’ll call your father. Tell him our bloodline. If it’s just pure alpha he’s concerned about, then it should be fine.”
“He also wanted to keep his word to the other family, but Wilson sort of solved that for us.”
“He turned out to be useful,” Sebastien said sardonically. “Imagine that.”
She swatted his arm. “He helped us.”
“I know,” Sebastien said, sweeping her into his arms and carrying her toward the bedroom. He tossed her on the bed and got on with her, brushing an errant braid away from her face and staring into her fathomless silver eyes. “So what’ll it be, Kim? You haven’t given me an answer.”
“My body gave you an answer long ago, when I stole your boat. All I’ve wanted was you,” she said. “Still, I think I can agree, on one condition.”
“And that is?” he asked.
“Wear that pirate outfit in bed once in a while?” she asked.
He barked out a laugh as he shrugged out of the frilly white shirt. “Fine. But only if you excuse me from wearing it while I mate-claim you.”
Her mouth opened in shock. “You’re going to mate me? Now?”
“Why not?” he asked. “I want to bind you to me. I want you forever. And nothing your family can do can change that.”
“I know,” she said. “But as of last night, we were saying good-bye. As of two weeks ago, we didn’t know each other.”
“And as of two minutes ago, I told you I was going to mate-claim you. And I mean what I say.”
She grinned and melted into his arms on the bed. “Well, I guess I can say yes to that, then. And deal with the consequences tomorrow.”
For a moment, rational thought tried to interfere with the moment, but then he brushed it away. The rules dictating his life had never made him happy. Not like Kim did. He ran his fingers through her smooth braids, careful not to mess any up. He loved everything about her—her dark hair, her smooth skin, her mischievous laugh and sense of adventure. And in a few minutes, she’d be all his.
He’d make it worth her while.
* * *
Kim groaned as Sebastien pulled off her dress and then went to work on her swimsuit top. His fingers grazing her was sheer torture, and she just wanted to rip off all of their clothing and mash their bodies together and make this thing between them permanent.
But her man was a big fan of foreplay, and she guessed she couldn’t complain. Even if she was wet and ready to take him inside her right freaking now.
She growled as he played with the waistband of her swimsuit bottoms. The bed was plush beneath her and she just wanted to feel him pounding her into it. Her soft body was made to accommodate him.
“Impatient today?” he asked, giving her a calm glare that only made him look more handsome and made her feel more frustrated.
“Don’t piss me off,” she said. “The bear in me has been needing this from the moment I saw you in that pirate outfit.”
“Don’t lie,” he said commandingly as he leaned forward to nip her ear. “You’ve been waiting much longer.”
She nodded against him as he teased the shell of her ear. He slipped a finger into her swimsuit to stroke her gently and then looked at her with wide, burning blue eyes.
“Damn, you’re ready.”
“Told you, captain.
”
“Sebastien,” he said. “Right now, I’m not captain. I’m not a pirate or a first mate. I just want to be your mate.”
“Where are we going to live?” she asked.
He sat up slightly, like he hadn’t considered it. “I thought you’d probably want to live here, at least until things calm down with your family. But if you want to live elsewhere, I’ll go with you. Just promise you won’t ever leave without giving me a chance to make you stay.”
“You’ll never have to make me, because I’ll always want to stay,” she said, stroking his hair softly. Then she grabbed a handful and wound it around her hand, pulling him in and enjoying the surprise in his gorgeous eyes and the slight twitch of muscle in his jaw. “Now give me what I want before I take it, captain.”
His mouth widened into a grin, and he had her swimsuit off in seconds. Then he was naked and climbing on top of her. Her body was ready and waiting. She was already anticipating the delicious feel of him.
He was wearing no protection, another sign of what was going to happen between them. When two shifters mated to claim one another, they wore no protection. It could result in cubs, but it was also just what put their animals the closest. She felt her bear roar in anticipation, and then he slid smoothly inside.
He cursed and said her name. She looked over his face. His straight nose, gorgeous blond hair, pretty blue eyes. Hard, muscled body. He was stern, trying to regain control as he settled inside her. She felt his velvet hardness filling every inch of her, and she felt so at home with nothing between them. She reached up to brush his hair out of his face.
Even with him not moving, she could feel pressure building inside her. Just the way he filled her hit her just right.
Was this beautiful, stubborn man really hers? Though they’d only known each other a short time, she felt she’d suffered enough to earn him.
But she knew one could never really earn that kind of love, even if one was willing to.
He looked into her eyes as he began to move, and she closed hers as sensation started to overwhelm her. She felt like she was at the center of a swirling snowstorm, and she guessed it had something to do with his bear being close to the surface.
Some Bear to Love: BBW Bear Shifter (BWWM) Romance Standalone Page 10
