by Fel Fern
Rick poured them both coffee. Connor looked around the kitchen. “You haven’t changed the place much,” Connor observed.
“Well, didn’t need to.”
“Don’t need to fix what’s not broken, huh?” Connor pointed out. They both sipped their coffee, then Connor sighed. “I’m guessing Craig’s going to be staying awhile. Thank God we got that spare bedroom.”
A growl tickled out of his lips, surprising them both. Gathering himself, he said, “Craig can stay with me.”
Connor frowned, raising his eyebrows at him.
“This house is bigger, and there are two spare rooms since you and Mac had left,” Rick said. That sounded reasonable enough, except Connor kept giving him that suspicious look.
“Craig’s a stranger. I thought you didn’t like letting in people you hardly know into the family home?” Connor said.
“What family home? I’m living alone.” Shit. Rick hadn’t meant to phrase it that way. Thank God, Connor wasn’t that perspective, unlike Mac, who loved to dig until he got to the bottom of things.
“If you’re sure. To tell you the truth, I’m relieved. Our cabin isn’t big enough for three people.”
“In other words, you and Danny are still in a honeymoon mood,” he said drily.
Newly mated couples were always horny. He learned that the hard way after walking along the cabins only to hear Mac and his mate Pat going at it. Connor and Danny’s cabin were the same. Most of the other renters wouldn’t hear the noise, only shifters could, but fuck. Rick didn’t need to hear that.
“You’re so uptight, Rick. Why don’t you go find someone to bang? Or better yet,” Connor trailed off.
“Don’t you dare finish that,” he said in warning. Shit. Did Connor sense a change in his bear just now? Teasing was Mac’s thing, so what gave? He kept himself in check from punching Connor’s smug face.
Connor looked outside the kitchen window, and Rick saw Danny and Craig still in the middle of a heated debate. “Craig looks stressed up and all tense, too. Maybe you guys can help each other out.”
“Get out before I rake your face,” Rick said in warning. “Danny wouldn’t appreciate his mate all scared up.”
“If you can,” Connor said with a huff, grabbing his mug and exiting via the back door before they broke into a fight. It was common for dominant shifters to brawl, especially siblings.
Rick grunted, only to hear Connor telling Craig, “Craig, Rick says you can stay in his guest bedroom.”
“Oh really? Rick did? Aw, he’s so sweet,” Danny said.
He rolled his eyes and stomped back outside, car keys in hand. As he passed by Craig, that scent enraptured his bear again. He gritted his teeth and managed to get the words out to Craig. “The backdoor’s unlocked, help yourself in. I’m heading out.”
“Don’t you usually sleep at this time of the day?” Connor asked. He ignored his asshole brother.
“Thank you,” Craig told him.
Rick pretended not to hear the human with the tempting scent. His bear raked at him. The animal lingered close to the surface of his skin, ready to force the change. Rick had always excellent control of his inner animal so he could be an example to his brothers. The bear and he understood they needed to step up, to take the role of Alpha to keep their family together. So why did his animal want to start fighting him now?
* * * *
“You don’t understand,” Danny said, looking frustrated. “I’m not here against my will. I choose my mate the same way he chose me.”
Craig gripped his mug of coffee so hard that, if he weren’t human, it would surely break. “You can’t trust shifters.”
Danny let out a breath. “This has nothing to do with what you’ve been through as a kid. Not all shifters are bad, Craig. See this mark? It’s much better than some wedding ring. What Connor and I have is special. Stop making it sound like slavery.”
Stung, Craig finished the last of the strong brew Rick left behind in the kitchen. After Rick drove off, Danny and he decided to talk things out in Rick’s house. Connor had mumbled he had something to do and left them to their devices. Wise man.
“But—” Craig began, then bit his lip.
He kept looking at the two neat holes on the side of Danny’s neck, a mate mark, Danny called it. According to Danny, it would never heal, just like a brand. Craig tried to put himself in Danny’s shoes but had a hard time doing it. The Danny he knew had been bitter and angry after catching his ex cheating on him. Before Danny left the city to escape a stalker, his best friend told him he’d never let a man tie him down.
This stranger who talked about building a home, a family with his werebear mate, confused him immensely.
“Oh, shit. I forgot I had a lunch date with Pat,” Danny said, looking at his phone.
“Pat?” he asked, furrowing his brows. Craig had heard Danny mention this guy several times during their conversation. Craig hadn’t meant for it to turn into a fight, but the more Danny updated him about his life, the more rattled he became. God. A grown-ass man shouldn’t be acting like this, but he missed having his best friend around. “Who’s Pat?”
“Mac’s mate. He’s become a good friend of mine.”
Unwarranted jealousy rammed into Craig at those words. He knew he shouldn’t be petty or envious, but Danny had been gone for months. What did Danny’s new best friend Pat have that he didn’t?
“Listen, Craig. How long will you be staying?” Danny asked after texting on his phone.
“Why, want me gone?” he asked, sounding bitter and unable to help himself.
“No, it’s not like that at all. If you’re sticking around for a few days, we can all catch up again. The brothers have this weekly dinner at Mac’s place. That’s tomorrow. Rick will be there,” Danny suggested.
He crossed his arms. “Why did you bring Rick up? It won’t matter if he’s there or not.”
Danny knew him better than that though. Danny examined him closely until he squirmed on his seat. “Okay, what did Rick do now?” Danny demanded.
“Uh,” he began, unsure of what to say.
“I mean, he can be grumpy and serious at times, but Connor tells me he’s just misunderstood. He raised Connor and Mac after their parents died, so he’s kind of kept his distance from Connor and Mac in a way, too.”
“Ooh, juicy gossip,” he said. “Go on.”
Danny laughed, eyes shining. “If you want to know more about Rick, come to dinner tomorrow.”
He ran a nervous hand through his hair. “Won’t I be like an outsider? It sounds like a family thing.”
Danny rolled his eyes. “Oh, please. I invited you, and you’re my family. You should have seen Rick’s expression when I first came with Connor to their boys’ barbecue. Anyway, I should go before Pat worries. I’m…really glad you came here, Craig.”
“Me too, I think.” Craig forced himself to smile.
It had been so good seeing Danny, but he was becoming more and more painfully aware that he wouldn’t be able to accomplish his earlier mission—to bring Danny back home. Home was the Red Mountains now, and it looked like Danny had finally put roots down in a place he didn’t quite understand. Danny left him in the silence, and he chewed on that thought a little more.
Danny had grown up in the city, just like him, and claimed he hated the outdoors, to live in a place where his favorite designer brands weren’t there. Could one meeting with a man change all that? It was still hard to believe.
Realizing he’d been sitting in a complete stranger’s kitchen for nearly an hour, he decided to move. He left the house to grab his overnight luggage from his car. Craig only packed for two nights at the most, but maybe if he chose to stay a little longer he could borrow some clothes from Danny.
“Am I seriously thinking about going to that dinner?” he grumbled to himself, stalking back to the house with his bag.
Since Rick wasn’t back yet and the shifter told him he was welcome to stay, he took that opportunity to explore. Past the kitchen, he a
rrived at the living room area. There were a couple of comfy leather couches. A big place for a single guy, he thought, then remembered Danny telling him that Connor and another brother, Mac, used to live here until recently.
The photos on the shelf interested him. He peered at the family photos. There were a few of the three boys, with a smiling man and woman he presumed were Rick’s folks. Remembering Danny mentioning the couple died, his heart ached for the confused boy Rick might have been.
It couldn’t have been easy, he mused, raising two younger brothers.
Craig made a decision. He’d stay to see how things turned out. Besides, Craig wasn’t a quitter. He could handle three burly werebears and, at the same time, hang out with his best friend.
Chapter Three
After making sure Cliff, a drunken forty-five-year-old regular, got into his cab, Rick put the closed sign on the Honey Bear. Alicia and Brenden, the two temps he hired, had already gone home earlier. He grabbed the remaining bottles and mugs on the tables and did a little clean up.
Rick could have put off the task for the next day, left it to his temps, because that was what he hired them for. He’d been running the bar for so long on his own and with the help of his brothers, it still felt odd ordering other people around.
With the bar pulling in decent cash, along with their cabin rental business, it was time he hired permanent staff. Rick didn’t know why he lingered longer than necessary. He sat on the stool, beer in hand as he surveyed the bar.
Silent and devoid of people, it looked slightly creepy and somewhat lonely. An old memory floated up in his head. He could envision his father, behind the bar, with the three of them seated on the stools. Being kids, Mac and Conner were excited to be allowed inside the bar. He’d been silent the entire time, quietly seething his dad hadn’t been as happy for him as he initially thought. Rick had gotten into a state university, far from the Red Mountains. He’d been rearing to go to, but his father told him it was too far.
In the end, his dad died during his second year, drawing Rick back home. He didn’t regret his decision, refused to leave his brothers in foster care. The foster system wouldn’t know the first thing about handling boys who possessed dominant bears inside of them.
Rick finished his beer slowly, then thought about the little human he let inside his home. Over the course of the evening, he chewed over his decision to let Craig stay with him.
He couldn’t tell the human he changed his mind. Bears didn’t back off from a challenge and Craig was that—a puzzle he couldn’t quite solve. His inner animal remained intrigued by the human, had been eager to have Craig, with his tantalizing scent, under their roof.
“It’s only temporary,” he grumbled, finishing his beer. Rick locked up and got inside his truck.
Craig must be asleep right now. He checked the time on the dashboard. Close to four in the morning. With no traffic, Rick returned to the house within half an hour. After parking his car, he got out and entered the house. Silence. Good. Rick wanted to take a cold shower and get some uninterrupted sleep.
Maybe he’d even put a ‘do not disturb’ sign on his bedroom door. Surely, Craig knew how to read. He dragged his ass up the stairs, growling under his breath softly when he saw his door slightly opened. Rick definitely left it shut that morning.
Stomping to the door, he opened in. Shifters saw pretty well in the dark. Damn it. Craig’s scent hit him like a sledgehammer. Instead of turning on the light and giving the human a rude awakening, he lingered by the doorway, admiring Craig’s slender form, tucked on his bed.
The human probably didn’t get it, but a shifter considered his den precious territory, his bed especially. Rick might welcome company, but he’d never bring his hook-ups to his home. Something about Craig lying there felt right though.
The initial urge to yell at Craig to get out of his bed faded. Rick took a quick shower instead. Maybe by the time he was done, Craig would somehow wake and realize he was in the wrong bedroom. Stripping down, Rick shoved his head under the shower, letting the cold water run over him, because for some reason, he sported an erection simply from watching Craig sleep.
What the fuck was wrong with him?
Craig looked so tempting, too, dressed in nothing but boxers and a ratty t-shirt. Easy enough to take off. Rick furiously shook those thoughts aside. First, he wanted the human gone, and now, he wanted to claim Craig?
The shower didn’t help him much, because Rick eventually started stroking his dick. Thoughts of Craig preoccupied his mind. How Craig would look when Rick lay atop him, pinning his wrists down. He’d take his time, enjoying that sweet and tempting body, get Craig all hard in moments, but he’d deny Craig orgasm. He’d reduce the human to a pleading mess while he took Craig from behind, rutting him and marking Craig—
Rick came with a snarl, spilling his seed all over the tiles. He rested his forehead on the tiles. He knew the human was trouble ever since Craig appeared on his doorstep, demanding to know where Danny was.
He put on his boxers, turned off the bathroom light, and returned to the bedroom. Craig’s snores filled the room. Fine. If the human insisted on hogging his personal space, then Craig had to content with waking up next to a grumpy bear in the morning.
Rick chose his sheets carefully, mostly because he relished his sleep. Mac and Connor constantly made fun of him for fussing over his sheets. What did his two idiotic brothers know? He slid beneath the covers, sighing as his body hit the mattress. To his amusement, Craig slid close to him when he tugged the comforter to his side. Rick stilled as the human curled up against him, as if he were some kind of huge ass pillow. Then Craig turned on his side, as if he liked this new position better.
He grunted. With Craig’s back pressed up against his front and Craig’s sexy ass positioned near his groin, he had no choice. Rick wrapped his arms around the human, amazed by how the slender body relaxed against him.
“Are you awake?” Rick asked, not bothering to hide the suspicion in his voice.
No response. Craig’s snores grew louder. Well. Whatever. The human would be in for a surprise the next morning.
* * * *
Craig woke, feeling the morning sun’s heat on his face. A sigh of contentment slipped his lips. He didn’t want to wake. Craig couldn’t recall the last time he had such a pleasant uninterrupted sleep. Usually, he woke up early for his morning jog.
He needed to keep in constant shape and eat right for his job. Most of the time, he didn’t mind. However, there were some days when he wished he didn’t need to worry about missing a gym session or he could eat a decadent chocolate cake without worrying about his calories. He rubbed at his eyes, opening them to notice a muscled arm curled possessively over his chest and a thigh over his leg.
Craig twisted his head, bit his lip as he noticed the other occupant in the bed. When not snarling or arguing with him, Rick O’Riley looked like some kind of Greek god. Strands of dark hair fell across the werebear’s face. Craig tucked the hair over one ear. Rick didn’t stir at the movement, and he wondered how the werebear got there. He nearly let out a cry of surprise but managed to keep his mouth shut, not wanting to wake Rick.
Did he have such a restful sleep thanks to Rick being there?
He took his time, drinking in the sexy man. Like this, Rick didn’t look scary at all. Rick didn’t bother with a shirt, unveiling hard planes of muscle and ink. Craig was also aware Rick sported an early morning boner.
Craig experimentally rubbed himself against the werebear.
He swallowed when Rick opened his eyes, his green pupils flecked with gold. Then the werebear closed his eyes, hugged him close.
“Hey,” he protested. “You can’t just go back to sleep.”
The burly werebear grumbled in his sleep. Craig poked Rick in the cheek, making the werebear snarl at him. He stilled, waited to be hit or something, but Rick only glared at him.
“What?” Rick demanded, like it wasn’t odd waking up all tangled in each other.
<
br /> “You’re in my bed,” he said.
Rick hadn’t released him, but Craig hadn’t told Rick to let him go, either. It had been ages since anyone held Craig like this. He was a workaholic, became worse when Danny left the city. He preferred taking up more shoots and other jobs instead of coming home to an empty apartment. Craig even debated getting a pet, a cat of some sort, but in the end decided against it. He made himself work so much that he didn’t even have time to take care of a pet.
“Wrong,” Rick said. “My bed, my room. I found you sleeping here last night.”
“Woah. You’re kind of touchy.”
“I came back at four,” Rick replied with an annoyed snarl. “I’m not sleeping in the guest bed. Have you felt these sheets?”
At four? Then Craig remembered Danny mentioning that Rick owned a bar. Craig wore a sheepish look. “Yeah, they’re amazing. Maybe that’s why I fell into them.”
“Finally, someone who appreciates good bed sheets,” Rick grumbled. The werebear squinted at him. “Why are you smiling? You find this funny?”
“Not at all. It’s just you’re so much nicer to me now.”
“Get out of the bed and leave me to my sleep.”
“There’s the grumpy bear I know,” he said. Rick curled to his side of the bed. The warmth disappeared, damn it. Shifters burned hotter than the average human, he read that somewhere. Must be convenient to have a shifter snuggle next to him during winter months.
Oh hell. What was Craig thinking? He stayed away from shifters for most of his life yet here he was, rolling in bed with one.
“You smell scared again,” Rick remarked.
He slipped out of the bed, just in case Craig would do something he’d regret. Rick turned his attention back to him, and in moments, Rick was on his feet, clutching Craig’s arm.
“Why?” Rick asked.
“Old fears. None of your business.”
The werebear didn’t like that answer. Rick glowered at him. “One of my kind hurt you before?”
His mind had already begun to drift back to the past he tried so hard to forget. He remembered sharp fangs, limbs on the floor. Fear clutched at his heart, but he felt firm fingers on his jaw. Rick tipped his chin, then to his shock, claimed his mouth.
