Chris tossed her car keys to number forty-four, whose name, Ethan, seemed too docile for a man his size. One big mitt came up to catch her keys and she wanted to protest the giant beast couldn’t touch her car, but given the choice between escape or more of her family’s tough love, she chose possible injury to her car.
Of course, before she could escape, she found herself enveloped in too many hugs, not as tight as usual, her brothers and father, treating her gingerly. She thought she saw her mother speaking to Javier in between embraces, but before she could see what they conspired, Chris squeezed her tight with a whispered, “Brat, figures fate would think you need two men to keep you in line.” Her head didn’t ache enough for her not to stomp on his foot, his yelp of pain making her almost smile.
Hugs accomplished and with no time to change her mind, she found herself pressed between a pair of male bodies, her breath stolen by their sudden nearness while heat flashed through her.
They made it outside before it crossed her mind that her mother had just sent her home with strangers—and ones who’d caused her current, if accidental, injury in the first place. It occurred to her to march back inside and lambast her parents for poor decisions, but Ethan rumbled. “Which car is yours?” and she decided to hold onto that harangue for later.
Naomi wondered who’d driven her car over as she obviously hadn’t and Francine didn’t do manual transmissions. Whoever brought it, they’d better have treated my baby right. She peered around for her red Miata and saw it parked in front of a shining, silver Lexus.
“Are those your wheels?” She asked pointing at the sweet ride she dreamed of but couldn’t yet afford.
“Mine, actually,” Javier replied.
“Nice,” she replied grudgingly. “Mine’s the red one behind it. Hurt it and I will hurt you.”
“Promise?” Javier teased with a smile that hit her right between the thighs.
When she would have stumbled on the last porch step, she instead found herself swept up into Ethan’s arms.
Heat at his proximity flooded her and she struggled. “Put me down. I can walk.”
“And I can carry you. Your point would be?”
“Caveman,” she grumbled, wincing at the twinge in her head.
“Are you always this irritable?” asked the cat.
Naomi shot him a glare. “Gee, let me see. My friend dragged me to a lacrosse game, which, I might add, is not my idea of a good time in the first place, where some clumsy bear missed a ball causing me to get injured. That same bear and his alley cat then show up and try to claim me as their mate even though I don’t want one. I think I’ve earned the right to be annoyed.”
“I told you we should have brought more flowers,” Ethan grumbled.
“Flowers?” She turned incredulous eyes up to Ethan’s face, but he didn’t meet her gaze as he opened the passenger door on her car and deposited her in with a gentleness that seemed at odds with the aggressive demeanor he’d displayed during the game.
He slammed the door shut instead of answering her and crossed over to the driver side. He leaned in and tugged the lever to send the driver seat as far back as it could go. Then, he inclined the back rest.
“Dude, maybe I should drive her car. You’re kind of big for it.” Naomi silently agreed with Javier, but at the same time found herself morbidly curious to see if the bear would fit.
“And maybe you should invest in a wheelchair, because I’m about to put you into one,” was the behemoth’s growled reply.
Naomi leaned her head back against the headrest and prayed for the nightmarish evening to end.
The suspension on her car sank alarmingly as the determined bear shifter sat in the seat and Naomi shuddered at the imagined damage his weight would cause. But, at this point, arguing would just delay the whole trip and she really, really wanted to get home. Besides, I can always just send him the bill.
“Where to?” he asked turning those chocolate eyes her way.
Naomi gave him the directions to her townhouse and then tried not to flinch as he turned the key in the ignition. Stu tended to hold the starter a tad long making it whine. However, the beast let go as soon as the engine caught. Car started, he hit the gas and shifted, his movements smooth as he displayed a gentleness with her baby that made her ease somewhat. However, a lack of worry over his chauffeur skills meant she had time now to notice just how much space he took up in the cab of her car—he almost sat in the back seat, for Pete’s sake, he was so damned big. She couldn’t ignore how his scent, a soap and musky male mix, permeated the close space. When his hand brushed her thigh as he shifted gears, she jumped as if burned, tucking her legs tight against the passenger door. A soft chuckle made her cheeks burn as she realized he’d caught her reaction.
Attraction to the behemoth confused her. He embodied nothing she appreciated in a male, and yet her body reacted as if she’d sucked back a whole bottle of Viagra for women. I’m freakn’ horny.
The knowledge bothered her almost as much as her nagging headache. Sure, he sported a great body and a decent face; however, she prided herself on looking past a male’s exterior to his insides for intelligence, manners and common interests. She never allowed her hormones to rule her, choosing boyfriends who met her strict criteria starting with them not belonging to any shifter caste. And how boring has that been? Her sarcastic conscious continued to snipe at her. It’s just because I haven’t met the right one. Her inner wolf yapped and made her gaze slide over to the behemoth whose big paw clutched at her steering wheel with white knuckles. Stop that. He is not the man for me. He’s a boneheaded jock, goddammit. Her mental assertion didn’t stop her inner wolf from snorting, her disgust evident.
They got half way to her house before Naomi frowned at the silence in the vehicle. As my supposed mate, shouldn’t he be trying harder to woo me? Or is he plotting? She shouldn’t care, but her wayward tongue always wagged before she thought.
“Why so quiet?” she asked rudely.
Brown eyes flicked over to catch hers for a second and Naomi sucked in a breath at the banked fire in their depths. “I’m not good with words. I thought it best, especially given your current state, that I not speak.”
Naomi bit her lower lip at his admission. It was actually kind of nice, not that it helped his case. “Thanks. I think. Listen, I know you think we’re mates or something, but I can assure you it’s a mistake.”
“You prefer Javier?” he growled.
His accusation made her blink. “No. I don’t want to be mated with a shifter, any shifter.”
That comment turned that melting gaze her way again. “But you are a shifter. Shifters mate. And I am not mistaken. You are mine.”
The possessive claim made her shiver in a way that tightened her nipples. Pursing her lips, she ignored how it made her feel and forged ahead. “See, it’s that kind of attitude that irritates me. My wolf is only a part of me, and while she might think you smell good and want to do nasty things to your body.” He choked. “I want more out of a partner in life than hot, animal sex. I want a man who will support me.”
“I have money,” he interrupted.
“I wasn’t done speaking,” she snarled and he clamped his mouth tight. “It’s not just about money. I also mean support in the sense that I can have an intelligent conversation with him. Own pretty things that won’t get destroyed because some testosterone laden male has decided he needs to vent some steam indoors.”
“You think I’m stupid?” Anger threaded his words and Naomi felt a moment’s chagrin.
She ignored it. “Not stupid, exactly, but come on, you’re an athlete, not an intellectual. Are you going to tell me your first instinct is to talk things over or use your fists?”
“I’m annoyed right now and yet I’m talking to you aren’t I?” His sarcastic reply coincided with him pulling up in front of her house.
Without waiting for her reply, he exited the car, but before she could open her door, he appeared, and lifted her out.
<
br /> “Would you put me down?” she exclaimed, exasperation coloring her tone.
“No. But, since you find me so offensive, perhaps you’d prefer Javier.” Neanderthal A passed her to Neanderthal B while Naomi could only fume.
“Did I miss something?” Javier asked as he tightened his arms around her.
Naomi told her hip hopping tummy to take a hike before answering. “I was just explaining to your friend how neither of you will do as a mate. So please, put me down and be on your way.”
“Are you challenging us?”
Ethan snorted as he fit her key into the lock and opened the door to her townhouse.
“No, I am stating a fact. Find some other gullible bitch to bite, fuck and fetch your slippers.”
Javier’s laughter washed over her in a warm wave she enjoyed way too much. Fuming that they wouldn’t take her serious, she clamped her lips shut as the overgrown cat carried her into her home. He finally set her down on her couch, but then instead of leaving, Ethan sat in the chair opposite her while Javier wandered off in the direction of the kitchen.
“Shouldn’t you be leaving?” she asked with a pointed stare toward the door.
A shrug from massive shoulders answered her. “Make me.”
“Ooh,” she almost shrieked in exasperation. Only the pulsing of her painful head held her back. “Why are you both being so stubborn? Can’t you tell you’re not wanted?”
“My mama said the same thing to my dad when they first met,” Ethan admitted. “Not liking her answer, he tossed her over his shoulder and kept her prisoner in a cave for two weeks, making love to her numerous times a day until she finally admitted she loved him, too,” he added with a smug grin.
Naomi’s jaw dropped and her throat worked soundlessly for a moment. “You wouldn’t dare!” Her mouth said one thing, her pussy, drenching at his words, screamed another.
“Well, as you’ve mentioned a few times, I’m probably too dumb to know better. Although, don’t worry, because of the lacrosse season, maybe I’ll just handcuff you to a bed instead of finding a cave.”
“My family won’t stand for it!”
“Children, children,” Javier chided returning to them holding two open beers, and one tall glass of juice. “Can’t we all get along? After all, since our beasts have seen fit to join us in a ménage, we’ll be together a long, long time.”
“Over my dead body,” she growled.
“Not dead, but gagged can definitely be arranged,” Ethan grumbled.
“Hmm, a little kinky, but I’m not averse to the idea,” Javier added.
Irritated, frustrated—and so fucking horny at the idea of them tying her down to have their wicked way—she took a swig of the juice, sudden thirst making her down the whole thing.
It didn’t take long for wooziness to set in. She blinked as their image wavered. “You drugged me,” she accused, trying to push herself up off the couch, but her body wouldn’t obey.
“Your mother’s orders,” Javier explained. “You need to rest, but fear not, we will watch over you and make sure you come to no harm. Sleep, feisty one, and we’ll sort things out when you feel better.”
I am going to kill my mother. Naomi slumped over before she could tell Javier where he could shove his sorting out idea.
Chapter Four
“You drugged her?” Ethan bellowed the words as he surged from his seat, fists clenched.
Alarm crossed Javier’s face and he held up his hands in a placating manner. “Calm down. It wasn’t my idea, but her mother’s. She handed me the pills along with the instructions to feed them to her with some juice to mask the taste.”
“When the hell did she get the chance to give you drugs?”
“While Naomi’s family was saying good bye, she slipped them to me.”
“Why not just give them to her? Why con her into taking them?” Ethan wanted to smack his friend for pissing Naomi off even more.
“According to her mother, the only way to medicate her properly is by subterfuge. She’d already refused the medication from the doctor claiming she didn’t want to be out of control.”
“She is going to be so angry when she wakes up,” he replied shaking his head, his expression surely woebegone. At least he could point the finger at Javier with a clear conscience and let his friend take the blame.
Ethan lowered his fists and moved to sit on the couch. He dragged Naomi’s petite—and now quiet form—onto his lap. Despite her insults and the fact she currently looked like the loser in a boxing match, she fascinated him. Tiny—to him at least—and injured, yet she still stood up to him like she could take him in a fight. That took guts. In his experience, women bedded him for the thrill, but they never dared argue with him. Hell, he only needed to scowl to send them scurrying with shrieks of terror.
More fascinating, though, than her utter lack of fear toward him was her reaction to Javier. Women never rejected Javier, and the fact one slated as his mate did agitated his best friend—and amused the heck out of Ethan.
“What else did her mother tell you?” Ethan asked, looking for any advantage in his task of winning her over.
“That she’d call us later and give us pointers on wooing her daughter. Apparently, Naomi has something of a stubborn nature.”
A snort escaped him. “I hadn’t noticed.”
Javier paced the living room as Ethan stroked Naomi’s silky hair, unable to resist running his fingers through the long brown strands. “What are you thinking?”
“That fate is laughing at me.”
A chuckle made Ethan’s chest vibrate, causing Naomi’s head to jiggle. He cradled her head in his big palm to prevent her from falling before replying. “She’s certainly not what either of us expected, that’s for sure.”
Javier shot him a dark look. “No shit, Sherlock. I mean don’t get me wrong, short and curvy works fine for me, but I always expected, if ever fate was cruel enough to curse me, she’d at least give me a woman who likes me.”
“I’m sure she will in time. We took her by surprise, not to mention she’s in pain. Besides, I kind of like that she’s feisty. She’ll need it to keep up with us.”
Round eyes and an open mouth met his answer. “You, my friend, are insane. One ball too many to the head I think. I mean, not only does she not want you, shouldn’t you be more pissed that it looks like she’s meant for both of us?”
Ethan shrugged. “I’ll admit, I never expected to share, but if fate says that’s my lot, then at least it chose someone I could tolerate. And beat in a wrestling match if I need to. Besides, I’ll only have to share if you bother to stick around to mark her.”
“Oh, I’m staying, so you can forget about keeping her for yourself,” Javier replied shooting him a dark look.
“What happened to I’m not meant for monogamy?” Ethan pitched his voice mockingly.
A sigh emerged from Javier’s mouth before he slumped in the chair across from him. “I haven’t thought that far ahead. It’s hard to think at all with my damned cat yammering for me to bite her. Mayhap if you were to claim her first, the need for me to do so would vanish?”
The optimism in his friend’s voice made him laugh again. “Sorry, no such luck I’m afraid. From everything I’ve ever heard, once you find the one, you’re done for. The need to mark her, claim her, just gets stronger and stronger.” Already the urge to take her rode Ethan hard. It didn’t help that he held her cuddled on his lap, her sweet fragrance tickling his nose while her lush body pressed against his turgid cock.
“I don’t suppose you’d care to explain the we-don’t-have-a-choice aspect to Naomi?” Javier rejoined sarcastically.
“Why bother? She’s bound and determined to fight her beast and in turn, her shifter nature. I say let her.”
Incredulity marked Javier’s expression. “Isn’t that counterproductive to your, make that our, goal?”
“No, it is simple biology,” Ethan explained. “She will eventually come to us. Keep in mind, the longer she de
nies the pull to mate, the harder the desire to claim us will ride her.”
“That sounds kind of callous,” Javier remarked. “I’m surprised. I expected more of you.”
“You didn’t let me explain what my plan was while she fought her nature. I plan to stay glued to her side, apart from practices and games, of course. I will get to know her, and in turn, she will come to know me. Befriend her, in other words, and if I’m lucky, perhaps she’ll even come to love me. I know I’m already half way there.” A romantic like his father, Ethan believed in love at first sight despite his more pragmatic friend’s comments.
Javier snorted. “Gods, don’t let the opposing team ever hear you yapping like a woman. For a giant bear, you’re awfully sentimental.”
A dark look shot Javier’s way made his feline friend grin. Ethan growled. “You are lucky I am holding her, or I’d make you swallow your words.”
“Down Smokey,” Javier joked. “Actually, your plan is a good one. She is most definitely intriguing, and if we’re going to spend the rest of our lives with her, then I guess becoming her friend before her lover is a good start. But I warn you, if she insists on sex, I will sacrifice myself for the greater good to please her.”
“Whatever,” Ethan scoffed. “You might be the oral master, but I will still always have the bigger cock.”
And with that parting shot, Ethan stood with his precious burden and lumbered upstairs to find her bedroom.
* * *
Javier ended up following Ethan upstairs, unable to stay away from the lush female who’d somehow attracted him and his beast. It had occurred to him several times on the way over to simply drive away—and keep going until he snapped the tenebrous connection forming between him Naomi, and in a strange twist, Ethan.
Fated Mates: The Alpha Shifter Boxed Set (12 Book Bundle) (Insatiable Reads) Page 61
