by Celia Kyle
Harding interrupted his thoughts. “Do you want to get him neutered?” A pillow went flying across the room. “Now, Nealy boy, whatcha want to do is—“
Brute cut him off. “Whatcha want to do is hightail it back to your mate’s house and figure out what the fuck you did wrong and fix it. Seducing and tricking aren’t your answer, and you sure as shit ain’t establishing a lasting relationship if all you’ve got is sex. ”
Brute was their leader, the biggest guy in the pride. Meanest, too. But all that was tempered by an intelligence and gentle nature that confounded the team. While he, Harding, Wyatt, and Deuce were ready to shred anyone who came close to hurting Maya, Brute was all about handling things peacefully. It really put a damper on their fun.
“What makes you think I did anything wrong? She was fully satisfied when we were done and I snuggled her close. Did all the right things. And then she locked me out!” He downed the rest of the Jack in his glass and savored the burn. “Her mate.” He grumbled. “I know I need to be sensitive. She’s torn up about Beth, but I want to be there for her, guys. She’s…”
He wasn’t going to reveal those few seconds when she’d admitted the truth about his endearment, but…fuck if he understood what she was thinkin’. Ladies liked it when he was all sugar.
Neal sighed and dropped his head against the back of the sofa, stared at the popcorn ceiling. When all was said and done, Carly was his life. Period. Full stop. And she didn’t want anything to do with him. Sure, she’d been all sweetness in his arms, but then… Fuck. His cat was clawing at his insides, growling, snarling even. The fucker wanted their mate. Now.
“I dunno what to do, guys.”
The soft patter of Maya’s footsteps against the tile approached them. He knew her steps better than the team’s. It was his job. Plus, he liked the firecracker prima. She’d breathed new life into the pride and had driven Alex batshit crazy, which was the best gift ever.
“Dunno what to do about what?” From the corner of his eye, he watched her waddle into the room, her large, pregnant belly leading the way. Maya plopped down onto the couch next to him, then propped her feet on the coffee table with a sigh.
“Carly.” He refilled his glass and raised it to his lips, only to have it snatched away by the woman at his side. Maya wasn’t much for mid-day drinking. “She kicked me out. Won’t let me near her. Woman did a damned ding-dong-ditch on my ass last night.”
“You’re here to get advice about Carly? You’re here talking to this bunch of un-mated dumbasses about my best friend in the whole wide world since first grade?” The guys all grumbled, but quieted when her glare circled the room. “Y’all are dumbasses when it comes to this and you know it.” Maya sighed and turned her attention back to him. He wasn’t all that sure it was a good thing. “Neal…”
The sound of the front door opening and shutting had him looking toward the entrance. Even drunk, he had a responsibility to look after Maya and he needed to know who approached. The rest of the guys did the same.
But it was just Naomi, one of the pride familiars, a woman who made herself ‘available’ on the night of the Gaian Moon. There was also that thing with her cubs and him being the father—
“Hey darlin’.” Neal waved toward the woman and he took in her appearance from head to toe. Shit, how could he have ever thought the slim woman was attractive? Sure, she had perfected a walk that oozed. And, yeah, she painted those lush lips a bright red that had men thinking below the belt, but…
“Nealy!” She purred his name and it grated over his nerves. The nickname insinuated a relationship that no longer existed. Sure, they still had a connection of sorts, but nothing…sexual. At least, not anymore.
Naomi swayed toward him, leaned over the couch, wrapped her arms around his neck, and laid a kiss to his cheek. Probably left a smear of red lipstick on his skin.
And damn if that didn’t set his lion to roaring in the back of his head. The cat was not happy. It hated having another woman touching him, and he let it be known that Naomi’s attentions were not welcome.
Maya cleared her throat, drawing his attention. He ignored her smirk and the single eyebrow she raised. “You don’t see the problem?”
“Uh.” Maybe? He wasn’t sure he saw what was going on. The cat was clawing at his insides and thinking wasn’t at the forefront of his mind.
“Oh, there’s a problem with the pride, Prima? Is everything okay?” Naomi’s voice filled the brief silence.
Maya didn’t say a word. Nope, she just hefted her pregnant ass off the couch and strode toward Brute.
“Alex?” She didn’t have to raise her voice too loud, and soon the prime was in the room, nearly out of breath from running. Maya’s pregnancy had him on edge. Hardcore. And the male would drop everything if there was a hint that his mate needed him in any way, shape, or form.
At his hurried entrance, everyone turned their attention to the distracted male.
“Maya? What’s wro—“ A growl reverberated through the room and they all followed his gaze to find their prima perched on Brute’s lap. The lion’s face was paler than Neal had ever seen, and he wondered what the fuck the woman was playing at. No one touched the prime’s mate. No one.
“Isn’t Brute a doll?” She ran her fingernails over his head and stroked a single finger along the male’s neck. “He’s such a sweetheart.” Her voice dripped with affection for the larger man, a feline purr in her voice. “He’s such a darlin’, isn’t he?”
Brute tried to ease the woman from his lap. Okay, shove the woman from his lap, but Prima held fast. “You’re trying to get me killed, woman!”
Brute was a dead man. And he’d liked him, too.
The words were barely out of Brute’s mouth when Alex was at their side, yanking his mate free of the other man’s grasp and wrapping her in his arms.
“Mine.” The prime snarled and every person in the room lowered their eyes, trying their best to seem small.
“Yes, Prime.” Brute’s voice was low and calm.
“Now do you see the problem, Neal?”
I was just like your blonde bimbo…
He raised his head long enough to meet Maya’s annoyed expression and then Alex’s snarl had him focusing on his knees. “Yes, Prima.”
‘Cause, yeah, he did. Neal was a flirt. Shameless and undiscerning. He loved the ladies, loved making them smile and giggle, making ‘em feel pretty. Naw, he didn’t take ‘em all to bed, but he’d had enough in his lifetime. Including a certain blonde who was still touchy-feely.
There’d been no one since he’d met Carly, but plenty before then. And each and every one of ‘em had been his ‘darlin’’.
Exactly as his mate had been last night.
Shit, fuck, damn, and growl.
He was using that curse way too often since he’d met his mate.
Without another word, Alex hauled Maya away and Neal blew out a long, deep breath. The tension in the room immediately receded with their exit. Damn.
Chapter Three
Pounding woke her and she rolled over with a groan. A glance at her clock revealed it was nearing five o’clock, and she realized she’d stayed in bed all day.
Then everything came crashing down.
Fuck, pain hammered through her, Beth’s loss still beating her up from the inside out. Even her bunny was subdued, no longer clamoring at her to find her mate and play nice.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She needed to get out of bed and find something to eat. She had the makings for a salad…
Another round of thumping filled her room and she forced herself from the soft haven of her bed. Whoever it was, they weren’t going away.
Padding through the house, she tromped down the stairs, wiping sleep from her eyes while she traveled the familiar steps, swaying as she navigated her home. At the bottom, she glanced toward the front door, but quickly realized that the sounds were coming from the back.
Oh. Yeah. Her door.
Well, at
least someone had sent over a handyman to fix what Neal had done.
Neal.
Hell, even thoughts of her mate stung. She knew she’d (eventually) have to face him and work things out. Part of her wanted to simply embrace him, hold him close, and take whatever he was willing to give. The other half of her wanted exactly what Maya had with Alex. She craved a Disney happily-ever-after, damn it.
The hammering began again and she headed toward her kitchen, careful to scan for any bits of wood that might have been littering the ground and ready to pierce her feet. But it’d all been swept up and a look at the entry showed a piece of plywood in place. Well, at least there wouldn’t be anything crawling through the doorway.
Curious as to her savior from creepy crawlies, she headed over to the small window above the sink and pushed it open, the frame grinding over the wood. A now familiar scent flowed over her. Carly’s bunny awoke in a flash, the furball rolling to her feet and purring to high heaven.
Neal.
“Wha—What are you doing here?”
Her mate—gah, her mate—looked up from what he was doing and flashed a wide smile. A few more pounds of the hammer against a nail and then he rolled to his feet and headed toward her, a smooth roll of his hips with every step. His cowboy boots thunked on her wood porch.
God had given Neal a double dose of hotness and it just wasn’t fair. How was she supposed to resist him, guard her heart against his charm, if all she could think about was getting him naked?
“Hey, Lucky.” He stood before her, the screen keeping them separated, and leaned against the house, hands on either side of the window. “Just came to take care of my girl. Alex had someone keeping an eye on the place, but I wanted to make sure that you were closed up tight.” Neal focused on her, eyes traveling over her face and she felt like he could look inside her, straight into her soul. She tore her gaze away and heard his sigh and ignored it, not quite ready to accept that maybe her behavior was hurting him, as well. “I’m also here to take my girl out.”
She glared at him. “I don’t think so. I—“
“You want to get to know me better. See that I’m a one woman man and that I can be the best damned mate in Ridgeville.” He smiled, the corner of his lips quirking up just a bit. She hated his smile. Loved it, but hated it just the same. And she didn’t want the best mate, she just wanted him all to herself. “I’d say the world, but you know I’ll fuck up now and again. If you can settle for me just being the best in town, I promise to do my damdest to make you happy.”
“Neal—“
A vulnerable plea slid across his features. “We’re mates, Carly. Let’s not throw that away. We’re already tied together for life. There’s no one else for either of us. Let’s give it a go, angel. I can be the mate you deserve.”
She melted. Right there. For the big, bad Neal Landry to break down and (almost) beg touched her, and a little of the pain she’d been carrying all day lessened.
Carly nodded. “Okay.” She breathed deep. “Yeah. We can do this.”
She didn’t tack on the ‘as pointless as it may be’ that she’d been thinking. She’d say ‘I told you so’ later…as she cried into her ice cream with Maya the first time she caught him whispering ‘darlin’’ to another woman.
“All right, then. Go get cleaned up and I’ll be back in an hour.” Neal’s smile nearly blinded her and that dimple made her knees weak.
Her mate disappeared from the window and she watched him gather his tools. “Neal, wait. Now? I’ve gotta… Ian and Devlin…”
The look he gave her was filled with guilt and sadness and he came back to her. “First, I want you to know that I’m taking you out because I want to. Second, Ian wants to make sure you’re protected until we know what happened with your cousin. He’s got calls in to a few resources, but he doesn’t have anything concrete yet.”
A look passed over his features, something akin to worry and a knowledge he didn’t want to share. She bit her tongue and kept the words that burbled inside her at bay. He knew something…and he wasn’t sharing.
“Your brother was going to send a guard over,” Neal growled, “but I can’t stand the idea of another male near you.” His bright blue eyes darkened to near navy. “You’re mine.”
“Yes.” She licked her suddenly dry lips. Carly shouldn’t be touched by his possessive, Neanderthal behavior. Really. If he was feeling the need to defend his ‘territory’, then maybe he was just as affected by their mating as her. Maybe…
Neal jerked his head in a quick nod. “Good. We’re going to Honey’s over near Stratton, where we held that little party for Alex and Maya in January. It was a private party then, but one of the regular bartenders is a hedgehog so the carnivores are used to not munching on little ladies like you. Plus, there won’t be a bunch of meddling lions. And even better,” He grinned, eyes sparkling. “There’s dancing.” He leaned close, their lips nearly touching. If not for the screen, she imagined he would have laid a fierce kiss on her. “I want to hold you close again, angel. Even if we’ve got stuff to work out, you can’t deny that you want me.” He held up his hand, thumb and forefinger nearly touching. “Just a little.”
Carly stuck her tongue out at him and blew a raspberry. “You wish, cat.”
She reached up and slammed the window down with a heavy thud, then turned on her heal, Neal’s laughter following her through the house.
Cocky lion.
He was right.
But still cocky.
* * *
Neal felt like a fifteen-year-old kid on his first date. His palms were sweaty, his heart beating a mile a minute, and he could hardly catch his breath. A glance out of the corner of his eye revealed that Carly didn’t seem to have the same problem.
Nope. His lovely angel was looking as sweet as pie and calmer than the eye of a hurricane.
Hell, she was gorgeous. He didn’t deserve her. Not one inch of her luscious body. She was wearing a snug top cut way too low for his liking, revealing her abundant cleavage for one and all. Her body belonged to him. Him, damn it. He didn’t care that he sounded like a possessive ass. He wanted to lock her up so no other man could look at her, woo her away from him.
She’d paired that tight blouse with an equally close-fitting skirt that landed too many inches above her knees.
The whole damned outfit had him hard in his jeans, dick throbbing and aching to be let free. He wanted to pull over and dive between her thighs, mark her from the inside out.
The lion was in total agreement.
But he had to keep a tight hold on his lust, and his cat. His angel deserved better than a quick fuck on the side of the road. Nope, she deserved to be wooed, wined and dined, seduced and teased. He needed to prove that she wasn’t just another ‘darlin’’ to him. That she was his one and only.
At least, that’s what Maya had said. He’d stuck around after her little ‘display’ with Brute and she’d laid it all out for him. All of it. Good, bad, and downright ugly, and it hadn’t taken him long to realize that Prima was one hundred percent right.
He hated being wrong. By the time she’d finished with him, he felt an inch tall and that was being generous.
Neal sensed movement and couldn’t help but turn his head and watch his mate cross her legs, left over right, and reveal a wide swath of pure, peaches-n-cream skin. Hot damn.
A loud honk yanked his attention back to driving and he took a deep breath, begging his body to cool and his cock to soften.
“Maybe you should watch the road, cowboy.” He could hear the smile in her voice.
“Maybe you shouldn’t tease me, Lucky. I’m a hungry cat and you look good enough to eat.”
Carly snickered and he grinned. She wasn’t cursing him or giving him the cold shoulder. Yet.
The sign for Honey’s Bar & Grill came into sight and he easily pulled into the parking lot and slid his truck into a space. Before his mate could move, he reached over and snagged her hand, brought it to his mouth, and brushed a
soft kiss across her knuckles. He kept his gaze on her face and inwardly smiled at the soft blush that stole across her cheeks. When he felt her shift to withdraw her hands from his grip, he flipped her hand over and pressed a kiss to the center of her palm.
“Stay put, angel. Lemme come around and help you down.”
She narrowed her eyes and compressed her lips into a tight line. He wanted to kiss that frown away again and again. “I—“
“Humor me.”
Her blush burned a little brighter and he gave her a wink before hopping from the cab of his truck. Having a vehicle that was high served two purposes: he could go off road, if needed, and his little bit of a mate needed help getting in and out.
Which meant he got to touch her.
In a half-dozen steps, he was at her side, hands on her waist as he helped her from the truck. Of course, he took his time, held her close, and let her body hug his as he eased her feet to the ground. He relished the gentle curves of her figure as she slid along his length and his cock pulsed in his jeans. That sweet heat across her cheeks spread to encompass her face and he couldn’t help teasing her. Just a little.
“What’s with the blushes, Lucky? Something getting ya hot and bothered.”
She stuck her tongue out. “You wish, cowboy.”
Neal leaned down and gave her a quick kiss, tongue barely tangling with hers before he pulled away. He whispered against her lips. “You’re right, Carly.”
Without waiting for a response, he twined his fingers with hers, tugged her along behind him as he strode through the lot and toward the front door. He needed to put some space between them before he laid her down in the bed of his truck and showed her exactly how hot he could make her.
That close, he could smell her arousal, knew she wasn’t as unaffected as she appeared and the cat inside him roared with approval. The lion wanted her to crave him as much as he craved her curvy, furry, voluptuous ass.
Yum.
Once inside, Neal looked around and spotted a table with a handful of their friends. This was a date, but he wanted his girl to be comfortable, too. So he led her to a table right next to the few members of the pride he’d chosen to accompany them. Maddy, the pride’s Sensitive, and Gina, one of Prima’s friends, sat with Wyatt and Deuce. Carly was comfortable with the four of them and they all typically had a good time together.
