by Celia Kyle
Tongues tangled as he lapped at her, drawing in more of her and simply breathing her in. The bear practically purred and rubbed against his mind, nudging its way forward. It accepted that they wouldn’t claim her now, but it refused to be denied being present. So he let the bear see her, scent her, feel her beneath his palms.
The kiss continued, growing passionate and then cooling before flaring hot once again.
And it was just kissing. He stroked her hip and outer thigh, but didn’t press further. He had his entire life to explore every inch of her. Now was simply a physical statement of intentions.
He continued stating, she continued listening, and his body responded to her touch, her taste, and her nearness. His cock throbbed, twitching and thickening with every whimper that escaped her. He fought to suppress his need, but it was futile.
Especially when her small hands inched to his shoulders and clutched him as she turned more fully toward him.
The shared warmth grew hotter, practically burning him with their passion, and he knew he needed to stop before it was too late. Halt before he ripped every piece of clothing from her body and made love to her on the back porch mere feet from the men of his family.
His bear snarled at the idea his brothers or father would get a look at his naked mate.
Which was why he slowly eased their kiss, lowering the heat and desire to a low simmer and finally pulling his mouth from hers.
He pressed his forehead to hers, sharing her breath and drawing her scent into his lungs. The bear savored her, overjoyed at the kiss they’d shared and knowing it was only a matter of time before they fully mated.
“You’re mine, Kira Kolanowski, KK to your friends and Colon to anyone who’s ready to die.” He tightened his hold. “Mine.”
A rough throat cleared, jerking Kira in his embrace and Isaac tossed a snarl over his shoulder at whoever was dumb enough to interrupt them.
“Sorry. But I wanted to tell you that we’re heading out. Our mates included.” A silent, heavy pause and then Ty went on. “We’re keeping Vanessa in custody until we find out how she got a hold of Carve and Keen is contacting Terrence to update him with this information.” Another stretch of quiet. “Can I say something? Ask a question?”
Isaac wanted to tell his brother to go fuck himself, but Kira ended his dream of kicking his brother’s ass.
“Yes.” She moved and Isaac helped her stand.
He kept one arm around her waist and glared at Ty. If the man even thought of upsetting Kira, he’d be eating his teeth for dinner.
“Well,” Ty rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s more for both of you. I,” he huffed. “I’m the Itan of my clan, but I’m also their older brother. So I have a responsibility to them as their leader and as family and sometimes I take that too far.” Ty released a sad laugh. “I always take it too far. But I’m learning. And I want to welcome you to the family, and to the clan. I know I don’t show it very well, but I’m glad you’re here for him.”
Ty met Isaac’s gaze and he saw nothing but sincerity in the man’s eyes. He was happy that Kira was in Grayslake. He was embarrassed as hell that he had to talk, but that didn’t diminish his brother’s feelings.
“I’m glad you’re making Isaac happy. He deserves it, you know. After…” Ty shook his head. “We didn’t know. We didn’t even ask and Isaac kept working and… fuck me.” The Itan looked torn to shreds, emotions bubbling at the surface, regret rising high. “We didn’t know and being sorry about it isn’t enough. I don’t think anything can ever express…” Ty swallowed hard and focused on Kira, and Isaac pretended not to see the wetness in Ty’s eyes. “He deserves to be happy and I can never thank you enough for coming into his life.” Ty coughed. “Now, before I leave, I just need the name of your pack and, er, species group. They may not be doing anything illegal—”
Kira snorted. “They probably are.”
“But I have to give Terrence all the facts and pass along how to combat it so the Healers can be notified.”
Kira rubbed her forehead and he leaned toward her, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head. He hated that she hurt, that the worry gave her headaches. He’d take care of her from now on. He wouldn’t let her have a thing to be concerned about.
“Naper, Arizona and…” she buried her face against his chest with a rough shudder. “And wolves.” She chuckled, but he didn’t hear any joy in the sound. She turned her gaze to him, tilting her head back to meet his. “A mole among wolves. Funny, huh?”
Ty’s voice drew their attention once again. “Well, now you’re a mole among bears, among the Abrams, and we take care of our own. I may have forgotten that for a little while but,” the power of the clan’s Itan filled his brother’s voice, “if they come here, if they even think of touching a hair on your head, they’ll die for it.”
With that, Ty left, his words hanging heavy in the air, and it was Kira’s soft voice that broke the quiet. “Did he mean it?”
“Yes.”
A small shudder had her trembling. “C’mon. Let’s get you inside and feed you. Then I can tuck you back in bed.”
Kira chuckled. “What about you? I got a little bump, you…”
Isaac stared down at her, wondering how the hell a broken finger and four-inch gash equaled a bump.
She rolled her eyes, seeming to read his question in his gaze. “Relatively speaking, it’s nothing. I mean, you saw some of it. And maybe,” she licked her lips and he ached to taste them again. “Maybe someday you’ll see it all. But it’s pretty obvious that today was nothing compared to the past.”
“I hate that you endured that,” he murmured. Hell, he more than hated it. The bear was perfectly prepared to take on a whole damned pack that turned a blind eye to what happened to Kira.
Every. Damn. One.
He wasn’t sure how the regional or national alphas would take losing a whole pack.
Then he caught sight of a scar peering over the edge of her collar.
Fuck it. He didn’t care.
*
Well, Kira hated that she’d endured all that pain and agony over the years, too. But just as Isaac said, if she’d changed anything about the past, she might not be here with him.
So she didn’t care about the past. It could go fuck itself. She had now, and that’s what mattered.
The wind picked up, making her hair flutter in the wind, and the porch creaked, announcing its objection to the shift in the breeze.
“It’s fine.” She stroked his chest, savoring the warmth that reached her. “I’m fine.”
Today. Now. Maybe not then, but she had Isaac at her side. While she loved Zoey to pieces, her friendship was nothing compared to having this strong male.
Isaac leaned down and she tipped her head back, rising to her tiptoes to meet his mouth. This kiss was soft and sweet, but no less arousing. Her mole wiggled and squirmed, urging her to go further, to take another step toward taking him as their own.
She wanted that, deep in her very soul she wanted Isaac to be theirs.
Maybe soon. Maybe after she knew there wasn’t an ax hanging over her head.
Was it a coincidence that Vanessa’s claws were tipped with Carvrix?
She didn’t think so. Not even a little bit.
She wouldn’t put spying outside of Alpha Asshole’s list of happy-fun-times. Her only question was why Vanessa waited so long to attack. Which was something she’d bring to Isaac’s attention. Just as soon as she was done with this kiss.
Kira’s stomach grumbled, reminding her that she still hadn’t eaten since Isaac had yet to feed her. Apparently he heard the sound as well because the sensuous kiss ended before it really began. It took everything in her to hold back the whimper that jumped to her lips when his mouth left hers.
“We can do more of this after I feed you.” He whispered the word against her lips and she leaned into him, pushing higher on her toes in an attempt to recapture what he’d stolen.
Instead of humoring her, he chuckled
and eased back. But not before dropping one last, hard kiss on her. She moaned then, taking in more of his scent and flavors.
He snared her hand, drawing her into the house, and she took a moment to admire the way his jeans barely clung to his hips and the wonderful way they cupped his ass. She wondered if he’d let her nibble. Just a little. Or at least rub him all over. Twice.
Because if she got her teeth rubbing on his skin… It’d be done. He’d be hers and there was no getting out of it.
When he glanced at her over his shoulder and a rush of need smacked her in the face, she didn’t think he’d mind too much. Or at all.
He drew her inside, shuffling into the kitchen and then settled her in a chair. She watched him move around her kitchen, opening and closing cupboards while also peeking in the fridge.
She coughed, snagging his attention. “I’m pretty sure it was all destroyed during, you know. It’s probably gone.”
“Huh.” Her stomach grumbled again and she scented his frustration. “I wanted to cook for you.”
Kira grinned. “With my own food?”
He harrumphed. “Yeah, but it would have been a great meal.”
“Uh-huh. With my food.”
“You’re awfully protective of your food now. Earlier you practically dragged me over here, demanding I submit to your overwhelming desires and—”
Laughing—laughing—she closed the distance between them and attacked, cutting off his laughs with a kiss. A carefree kiss that brewed a new heat, one of happiness and fun and everything she’d never had in her life. But right there, that second, she had it all.
Isaac eased her away with one last warm press of their lips and then stepped out of reach. “Nope. Food.”
“Spoilsport.” She pretended to be angry, tossing him a frown, but it was ruined when a giggle escaped.
A giggle!
“Yup.” He didn’t deny it. “Now, restaurant, drive-thru, or delivery?”
Kira froze, options rolling through her mind. She wouldn’t mind going out with him, being seen on Isaac’s arm and politely telling everyone he was hers. And yet…
“I’m not sure about going to a restaurant…”
They were dark, making her already iffy eyesight even worse, and she already had a hard enough time being tidy when eating. She’d learned how to handle things over the years, but she still had trouble now and again.
For Kira, soup was the devil. Its cousin was spaghetti.
“How about delivery then?” He stroked her back, soothing her even though she hadn’t said a word. Then again, she noticed the small trembles attacking her and she realized words weren’t necessary. “Telli’s makes a great pizza or we can have Chinese delivered from the little place down the street. Carly’s doesn’t typically deliver, but if you’re craving a burger, they’ll come by too.”
She quirked a brow. “Healer’s privileges?”
“Uh…” His unease filled his voice and scent. “Well…”
“Or ex-girlfriend privileges?” She couldn’t imagine Isaac never dating a woman. That didn’t mean her mole liked the idea. Her teeth ached with the need to sink them into his shoulder and claim the man before anyone else darkened her doorstep.
She’d cut the next female who showed up and then she really would gnaw on the man.
“You see…” He drew one arm away and rubbed the back of his neck, his worry increasing.
Kira pressed her forehead to his chest, breathing in his scent and pushing past the emotions clouding the air. She dug down to the very base of his essence and let it sink into her.
“Here’s the deal.” She poked him. “You don’t talk about exes and I won’t ask. I won’t talk about exes and you won’t ask. Agreed?”
“Exes?” Isaac’s rumble shook her, the sound vibrating the air.
She snorted. “Really?” She propped her chin on his chest. “Like you haven’t boinked half of Grayslake?”
His turn to snort. “Hardly.”
“A third then. The point is, there were lovers,” —he snarled— “before we found each other. There’s no growling allowed.”
He paused a moment, head tilted to the side. “Is killing on the table?”
Kira sighed. “Only if they show up and give me a hard time. No hunting them down.”
“You steal all the fun.”
“It’s my purpose in life.” She rolled her eyes.
Of course her stomach complained of the lack of food, which put Isaac back on the food path. “Pick a place.”
She sure as hell wasn’t picking burgers. Fuck that noise. “If you don’t mind watching me get a little pasta sauce kinda everywhere, then Telli’s.”
Isaac dropped a kiss to her lips and she pushed into the kiss only to have him pull away just when it was getting good.
“Telli’s it is.” He nudged her, encouraging her to turn around, and she went along with it. The moment her back was turned, he patted her ass. “Go have a seat. You need to heal.”
“I’m fine, Isaac. You’re injured too.”
“I didn’t break my finger a few hours ago.”
“And mine isn’t damaged any longer,” she countered.
“Who’s the Healer here?”
“But—”
“Go.”
Kira froze and slowly turned on her heel, spinning until she faced Isaac once again. “You’re sounding suspiciously like a parent speaking to a child. Which I know isn’t the case because I’m a grown woman.”
“Who is healing?”
“Who has healed from worse in her twenty-nine-ish years? Who also knows her own body,” she countered.
“Yes, but I’m here now and I’m going to take care of you and your body.” He sounded so patient. So caring and considerate.
If only she hadn’t heard the same story from a half dozen other males through her life. “And I can take care of myself.”
“Kira, you’re…” He ran a hand through his hair. “I just wanna…”
She paused and pressed a hand to her stomach, fighting back nerves and urging her mole to calm. He could just be trying to help. He could simply be concerned. He might not be trying to wrap her in bubble wrap.
“One question and I need you to be honest.” At his nod, she continued. “Do you want to take care of me because you want to claim me? Or because I’m nearly blind?”
She wished she could see his expression, but she’d rely on her nose and ears.
“Well, it’s a bit of both. You see…”
“I think it’s time you—”
Isaac rushed her, pressing a finger to her lips. “Don’t get your back up and fluff your feathers. Just wait a second, okay?”
She glared. It wasn’t like she could do much else.
“So, yeah, you have difficulty seeing and I wanna protect you. The bear is livid that you got hurt over something like a stepstool.”
She wasn’t all that happy about it either.
“The animal wants to feed you, but it also wants to keep you safe. If he had his way, you wouldn’t ever leave the house and I’d feed you every bite by hand to make sure you get what you need.”
Oh, hell no.
“Quit bristling. I said that’s what he wants to do, dammit.” He removed his finger and tugged her forward, into his arms. She wasn’t going to speak just yet. He seemed like he might be on the road to redemption. “But I know that’d be a mistake. We’re walking a fine line right now and I wanna try and balance my urge to protect my mate with the urge to protect someone who has difficulty seeing in a seeing world.”
He cupped her cheeks and his sincerity wrapped around her like a soothing blanket, extinguishing some of her anger. “I need to care for you. No matter what, I want to do everything I can to protect you. I can try to not be an ass about it, but it’ll never completely go away.” He paused a moment before speaking again. “Lemme feed you, lemme fuss over you, and then lemme tuck you into bed,” he murmured and her heart melted, just a little bit.
A lot. It melt
ed a lot. He pricked her pride and annoyed her, but he did it in such a sweet way.
“Fine,” she grumbled. “But when you tuck me in, will I be alone?”
Chapter Eleven
Isaac left Kira with a soft kiss and a smile. He planned on returning to her home as soon as he managed a shower and a change of clothes. Tugging on his own stuff after his injuries was fine, but he needed to be clean. If he got wet and naked at Kira’s then she’d end up wet and naked and he was pretty sure they weren’t ready for that step.
The bear disagreed.
He ignored the animal. They needed to be thankful she hadn’t kicked them out and even more thankful that they’d be sleeping beside her.
Naked could come later. Like, tomorrow. Tomorrow was a good day for naked.
Shaking his head, he slid his key into the lock and a quick turn gave him entrance to his house. He stepped into the entryway, flicking on the light as he toed off his shoes and then froze.
He let his gaze slowly pan over the living and dining rooms. Noting one particular theme that pervaded his place.
There were no boxes. None. Not a single one in sight.
Not only were they gone, all of his belongings were back in place. The knick-knacks—ones his mother insisted he have—lined the shelves. Parker’s drawings he’d framed graced his walls once again. His furniture was arranged exactly as it was before he began the ordeal of packing.
It was as if he’d never pressed tape to a single box.
What the fucking fuck?
He took a step into the living room and a small slip of paper on the coffee table caught his eye. He padded over and snared the note.
You’re welcome.
Love,
Mia
You’re welcome?
She was welcome?
What the…
He took a deep breath and pushed back his irritation. He knew his family didn’t want him to leave, but she undid everything he’d accomplished. Everything.
Without hesitation, he stomped toward the kitchen and snatched the phone from its cradle. Seven button presses later and the damned thing was ringing. With each trilling sound, his anger and frustration grew. How dare she come into his house…
