“Damn!” She scrunched her nose and coughed.
Jake shook his head at the faces she made. “You know that stuff is strong.”
Ellie shrugged. “You know what they say, whiskey gives you balls.” She passed him a shot. “Here, have one. Maybe then you’ll grow some too.”
He chuckled at her words. “Real funny. I did tell her I want her, but only because she should already know how I feel.”
Ellie laughed. “Oh, really? Did you somehow turn her into a mind reader the last time you had sex? Because I’d like to know how the hell you achieved that.”
He shook his head at Ellie’s sarcasm. “Come on, Ellie. She’s one of us know. She can sense things.”
“So wait.” Ellie motioned the bartender for another round of shots. “You’re telling me that you are expecting her to magically figure out all these new emotions she’s experiencing, and to know that you love her, right?”
Fuck. When she put it like that, he felt like a damn idiot. “You think I need to tell her how I feel? Even after everything we’ve done together?”
Ellie gulped the new shot, made a face and squinted. “Yeah. If you want to keep her, you will.” Her shoulders dropped and she sighed. “Didn’t she explain to you how her parents never showed her or Letty any love? She doesn’t know that what she’s feeling for you is love.”
“She said they were very cold while she was growing up.” Shit. Shit. Shit. He was a real fucking dumbass. She’d given him the signs. He saw the fear in her eyes and ignored it.
“She loves you. I know she does. It’s only a matter of showing her it’s okay to love you because you love her back.” Ellie patted his arm.
“I know she does. I just don’t like that she refuses to admit it.”
She rolled her eyes. “This is Nic. She’s stubborn as a mule when it comes to her emotions. Besides, you cannot tell me that all that awesome sex you two had involved you declaring your love for her.”
“No. It didn’t. It involved a lot of dirty talking.” He grinned.
“That part, I so did not need to know,” Ellie groaned. “So what are we gonna do about your wife?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m such a fuck-up.”
“Nah, you’re a good guy. She knows that. She wouldn’t have married you otherwise. She just needs you to put her mind and heart at ease.”
“She’s so scared to care.” He remembered the panic in her eyes when he told her he wanted her for himself. That he wanted nobody else.
“That’s because she thinks she’ll get hurt. And can you blame her? All her life she’s been emotionally distant from everyone. She’s this wonderful teacher who cares about her students but doesn’t understand that she loves them. She cares about her sister but doesn’t think that’s love. She doesn’t know how to define it. She just knows she cares.”
“Why does she need to define it?” The last thing he wanted was to put more pressure on Nic. If she needed the words, he’d happily give them to her, but he didn’t want her to say them back unless she was sure.
“She doesn’t. All she needs is to see that you love her no matter what. It’ll click for her.” She grinned, her blue eyes glassy. “Trust me.” She sniffed. “I hate you. I’m getting all teary eyed and it’s your damn fault! Why the hell did you let me drink that shit?”
He laughed while Ellie wiped at the corner of her eyes with a bar napkin. “You know you love me, baby sis.”
“I do love you. That’s why I’m going to help you get your mate back.”
“Where did she go?” he asked, now ready to rush out and get his mate back.
Ellie hopped off the stool. “To the airport. You’re going to have to hurry to catch her.” She ran to the hotel lobby with him. “She thought she was being slick, asking Letty to drop her off. Letty called me and explained before they left.”
“She’s such a hard-headed woman,” he growled, reaching the main entrance.
Jaxon was walking in at the same time he tried to get out. “Hey, where you off to?”
“The airport, but I need a car,” he said.
Jaxon threw him the keys and smiled. “It’s still right there. I can see you’re on a mission, so take it and good luck.”
He squeezed the keys in his grasp. “Thanks, I’m pretty sure I need it.”
Ellie rushed into the passenger side of the sports car while he slid into the driver side.
He started the car and pulled away from the hotel and into traffic. He glanced at Ellie, her gaze was on the people on the strip. “Are you sure you’re okay being here while Caleb is still taking care of things on his own?”
She nodded. “He contacted Nate and said he’d accepted Jaxon’s enforcers help. That put Aric at ease.” She pursed her lips. “And me too.”
“I can tell you’re up to something.”
“When we go back, I’m going to make him accept my help.” Ellie folded her arms in a defensive way he knew all too well.
“You think that’s a good idea?” He maneuvered around traffic and onto the highway.
“I have to try. He won’t admit it, but he needs help.”
The sadness she tried to mask sounded in her voice.
“We’ll help him.” He honked and pushed the tiny sports car forward.
Ellie smiled softly and patted his arm. “Let’s help you get Nic back first. We’ll worry about other stuff later.”
“If I didn’t already love you I’d love you all over again.” He turned and smiled at his little sister. Always trying to save the world. One day, she’d be the one who needed them. When the time came, they’d all step up to the plate for her.
Ellie winked. “I know, I know. Don’t tell mom or she’ll get all teary eyed talking about her babies.”
He laughed. “You got it. Let’s get Nic.”
He was more than ready to tell his wife how much he loved her.
Nic waited in the security line to return to Blue Creek. The others didn’t know she’d left. That was it. Her marriage would be annulled and forgotten. Jake had to find someone else. She couldn’t do it. There was no living with the uncertainty of wondering if he loved her or not. She loved him. God, how she loved him. It scared the life out of her to know that she did. She’d lied to herself long enough. Every time she thought of Jake her stomach twisted in knots and she smiled like a complete idiot.
How could she be in a relationship with him and not be sure how he felt about her? Jake was so good about telling her his sexual desires for her. He’d never once spoken of his feelings. Not that she had either, but she knew she loved him. She also knew fear kept the words from falling out of her mouth. If she wanted to keep herself from being hurt, she’d have to break off her newly formed relationship with Jake. It’d only be a matter of time before he did break her heart.
The wolf in her growled in frustration. She wanted to go back to Jake, demand to know his feelings and tell him that she loved him. Temptation to get out of the security line and head back to the hotel and confront Jake had her walking forward slowly, until she was letting people pass ahead of her. Should she do it?
Go back and let Jake know that she loved him? Fuck it. She’d do it. Her heartbeat increased in speed and sweat gathered in her palms. She yanked her cell phone out of her pocket to call Letty to come back and get her. She motioned for others to move past her in the line.
There was only one thing to do. Nic loved Jake and she had to take the chance on them. It was that or live with the ‘what ifs’ for the rest of her life.
“Letty?” she murmured when her sister answered.
“What happened?” Alarm sounded in Letty’s voice.
Nic gulped. “Can you come back and get me?” More people passed her by. “I need to talk to Jake. I don’t want to leave like this.”
“How?”
“I love him. I need to tell him. I feel like an asshole for being so damn scared to let him know.” She pressed her fingers to her temple. “He’s been amazing with me the
past few days and has shown he cares. I have to stop letting this fear of my emotions control me.”
“I’m so happy you feel that way, sis. He loves you, I’m sure of it,” Letty assured her.
She wasn’t so sure, but that didn’t matter anymore. She loved him and if he wanted to be with her then she’d learn to open up to him more. Emotions were scary. Love and pain could drive a person crazy. But the thought of not being with Jake hurt more than anything.
“I don’t want to leave.” She bit her lip. “I love Jake. I need him to know. If you can’t come I’ll catch a cab outside.”
“Uh…” Letty cleared her throat. “I’m...glad you’ve decided that...really.”
Nic frowned. Letty’s hesitant words told her she’d probably have to catch a cab. “Why?”
“I love you, Nic!” Jake’s voice shouted from behind her. How did he find her?
“I’m glad you decided to talk to Jake because he went to the airport to get you back,” Letty said in a rush. “I love you, now go make up with your husband. Bye!”
She watched the crowd stop, turn around and stare.
Her lungs compressed. It was hard to breathe and get her brain to acknowledge that Jake was there. He said he loved her in the middle of a crowded airport. She brought the phone down from her ear and shoved it into her pocket. Then, when she finally got her feet to move, she spun on her heels. Sure enough. There he was, standing in the middle of the terminal with his hands fisted at his sides.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she mumbled, pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Dare she hope that he was telling her the truth? She had been two seconds from hopping out of the security line to hail a cab back to him. The man she loved. The crowd grew more interested in them. She hoped people would keep walking but nobody seemed interested in missing their conversation.
“Jake, don’t—”
“I do. I love you.” He took a step toward her. “Not because you’re beautiful, which you are.” Another step. “Not because you’re sexy as hell, which you also are.” He was a handful of feet of away now. “I love you…the person you try to hide from the world.”
She shook her head, her heart aching for everything she wanted but didn’t believe she could have. “Jake...”
“I love the caring teacher.” He grabbed her hand in his and pulled her close. She met his gaze. Her throat constricted from fear and hope trying to take flight. “I love the funny silly wonderful friend.” He lifted his other hand to cup the nape of her neck and tug her forward. “I love the woman that risked her life for her baby sister, even after I told her I’d take care of it.” He stared deep into her eyes. “I love all those yous. Because all of them together make my mate. My wife. The woman I love.”
“Jake your club—” she started, hoping to apologize over calling him a womanizer for so long. Just because he owned that kind of business didn’t make him a liar or a cheater. She needed to apologize.
“I’ll sell it if it makes you happy,” he offered without batting an eye.
“No!” She shook her head. She had to explain. “I was scared of my feelings. I didn’t want to care for someone who didn’t love me back. I didn’t want to worry about you going to someone else after I was emotionally invested in you. In us.” She glanced at his lips and then back up at his eyes. “I’m sorry for calling you a womanizer. And I’m sorry I let my fear of loving you push us in separate ways.”
“I’ve never loved or wanted any other woman,” he said. “No one but you.”
“Jake, you don’t have to say all these things.”
“I do. I want you to know how I feel. You and only you make my life complete. Until I met you that day at my house, I had been missing a piece of me. The moment you entered my room, I knew you were it for me. I didn’t mind waiting. But I knew there would be nobody else.”
She gasped when he dropped down to one knee in front of the group. ‘Aw’ sounded from the people gathered around.
“What are you doing? We’re already married!” She tried to tug him back to his feet.
“Yes, but I never got a chance to ask you.” He pulled a velvet box out of his pocket and opened it to an engagement ring in canary yellow. “You wore that gold dress the night we got married and I will never forget how beautiful you looked in it. Will you take a chance on life with me? It might not be easy, but it will sure be worth it.”
Happiness flooded her heart and body. She nodded and watched him add the ring to sit next to her wedding band. The one she hadn’t had the heart to take off. Then she flung herself into his arms and the entire airport broke into applause.
“And that’s how you propose!” a woman passing by told the young girl next to her.
Jake got back to his feet and pulled her into his arms. “Let’s go back to the hotel. I can think of some fun things we can do in that tub.”
She kissed him hard, allowing him to feel how much she loved him through that single kiss. All the fear and worry about knowing how to love were gone. While she’d been trying to figure out if she could love him, she’d fallen in love with her wolf. There was no turning back.
She leaned back and finally said the words. “I love you.”
A sexy grin flirted over his lips. “I love you too, beautiful. Let’s go make some babies.”
She laughed. “You’re insane.”
He winked. “For you? Absolutely.” He leaned down to whisper by her ear, “come on, I want to watch you riding me, your tits bouncing while wearing those nipple clamps. It’s fucking hot as hell.”
He was incorrigible. But she no longer cared. She loved his dirty mouth and sexy ass.
Three Days later
The group was ready for the actual bachelorette party to happen. Nic had talked Jake into being at the room later so she could have her wild way with him. According to Jake her body was going into heat and he sounded incredibly happy about it. All she knew was that she wanted him every hour of the day.
“Are you ready for your night of fun?” she asked Jordan, who sat quietly by a window.
Jordan glanced up, her eyes filled with panic. “I don’t know if I can do this.” She rushed into the closest bathroom and locked herself in.
Nic turned to Ellie, whose jaw was hanging open. “What the hell just happened?”
Barbara didn’t seem fazed. “They’re getting married. I have no doubt about that.”
“I think we need to ask Mason to distract Emma so we can plan something quick for Jordan and Aric,” Ellie suggested.
“Like a wedding? But they’re already getting married,” Shaari said, sounding as confused as Nic felt.
“Jordan doesn’t do lots of people or big groups.” Ellie shrugged. “It’s probably best if we try to get them hitched here, before she has a panic attack and cancels the entire thing.”
“But what about the wedding back home?” Nic asked.
Barbara smiled serenely. “We’ll renew their vows. It’s easy once she’s already done it. She won’t feel the same pressure anymore. Besides, we’ll all take over with Emma so she doesn’t have anything to do with it.”
“I guess we have a wedding to plan,” Shaari stated softly.
“A Vegas wedding.” Barbara chuckled. “This is going to be awesome!”
READ ON FOR A SNEAK PEEK OF THE BOOK THAT STARTED IT ALL IN THE SASSY MATES SERIES . . .
“Please?” Jordan leaned forward on the sofa and gave her best imitation of what Ellie called “puppy eyes.” A soft squeaking protested Jordan’s wiggling on the leather. She knew her enthusiasm probably rivaled that of a four year old at Christmas, but she was so close to cracking Ellie, she didn’t care.
“No.” Ellie’s voice didn’t sound as sure as it had the first five times Jordan had asked the same question.
“I thought you wanted me to write this book on shifter mating rituals? Don’t you think I need to watch it? I mean, I can’t just write a book on your history, for your family’s records, based solely on wha
t you tell me. I have to see it.” Not really, but she was not telling Ellie that and messing up her chance of watching something so cool.
Ellie frowned. “Well—”
“Come on.” Jordan huddled closer to the edge of her seat, almost falling off in the process, once again rubbing the leather and making it whine. “Look, I swear to you, I will be on my best behavior. I won’t do anything to call attention to myself. I will just observe from the sidelines. Heck, I’ll observe from the distance with binoculars.”
Ellie rolled her gorgeous blue eyes and ran her fingers through her short blonde bob, making the strands glimmer under the light of her sitting room’s lamp. “I don’t remember a single time you have ever been on your best behavior.”
That was true. Jordan’s mouth always got her into some kind of trouble, especially with the other faculty at the school where she taught.
“Okay. I pinky promise.” She lifted her hand, curling all her fingers until only her wiggling pinky stood.
Ellie bit her lip and groaned, still unsure.
“I know shifters are not exactly common knowledge with most of the world. But you have to admit that with more human-shifter interaction, it’s only a matter of time before you guys lose a lot of your history. I promise to write a specific detailed account. Nothing but the history behind this event.” Her heart pounded so hard. She wanted to shake Ellie and order her to agree already.
“Jorda-a-an!” With the way Ellie said her name, in that soft sigh of defeat, Jordan knew she had her. “If I agree to this insanity, you have to swear not to do anything to let anyone know you guys are there! You will get me in so much trouble.”
Jordan struggled and failed to stop the smile from splitting her lips. “I promise! I promise! You know I am dying to see this whole scenting ritual.” She rushed to say. “Now why is it such a big deal to keep this all quiet?”
“Because,” Ellie leaned back on her sofa and stared at the ceiling, “this is an old tradition. Males and females from all over will come together to meet each other, some for the first time. Kelly and Marco are going to see if they are compatible.”
Unexpectedly Mated (BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance): An Alpha male. A curvy but sassy BBW. A trip to Sin City neither will ever forget. (Sassy Mates) Page 12
