by Boon, Elle
“I can’t believe you’re going to ruin my wedding with your defiance. I selected that dress with love and...and time, just for you, Noelle,” Merry sobbed.
Noelle snorted. “You chose the ugliest, most unflattering shit for whatever your reasonings, but it sure as shit wasn’t love. Don’t get it twisted, Merry.”
Merry put her hand to her chest, stumbled back against Carlton. “Are you going to let her talk to me like that?”
Carlton shook his head. “Darling, it’s just a dress. Come on, it’s time for them to announce us. My parents are inside already.”
Noelle was sure her sister was going to throw a fit of epic proportions until her father came up, putting his hand on her shoulder. He whispered something, and then the doors were being opened. The lights inside were similar to the fairy lights in the hallway, only even more grand with greenery everywhere, making her think of a forest.
Merry and Carlton walked in first, her sister and her new hubby walking like royalty until they reached the large dance floor, twinkling lights danced above their heads. The rest of the wedding party was supposed to walk together, but Noelle refused to walk with the creep, keeping her arm locked with Ridge’s. Her sister didn’t appear to care as they danced.
“Are we supposed to join them or no?” Ridge asked.
“Noelle, can I have a word with you?”
She hated to let go of Ridge, but her father had always been so good to her. “I’ll be right back, Ridge.”
Her father led her over by the wall where her mother stood with Zelda. “What’s wrong?”
“Your parents would like to stay after your sister leaves. It’s up to you but it will be on a probationary basis. I don’t like the way they’ve treated you or allowed your sister to treat you these last few years. I’ve allowed it because you needed to get a backbone. I see you’ve grown one and maybe gotten a little something else.” Zelda jerked her thumb toward Ridge who was staring at them with a frown.
“Wait, you mean you’d make them leave or stay if I said so? What if I move?” She bit her lip, unable to voice her thoughts. She was aware what Ridge thought they were and didn’t know what that meant for them in the long run. He had a Crew and a business in Nowhere, the next town over. She had a job she could literally do anywhere. Oh, he didn’t even know what she did for a living. They didn’t know each other, yet she wanted to know him in the most carnal way.
“Oh, I know that expression. You got that look of mates on your face.” Zelda put her arm over her mom’s shoulder. “I give it a couple more months and we’ll be planning another shindig.”
Her father raked his eyes over at Ridge. “Who is that young man? Do I need to have a talk with him?”
Sassy laughed, slapping her hands together like a loon. “Can I watch when you do?”
Noelle pushed her shoulder. “Shut up. I’m going to go and see if I can’t switch dinner spots with someone.”
“Done took care of that, dear.” Zelda wiggled her fingers.
“I’ll make sure your sister doesn’t get her panties in a twist.” Sassy turned, heading toward the head table.
The rest of the night, Noelle and Ridge avoided her sister and Carlton until it was time for her to throw the bouquet. She didn’t want to be the one to catch it, heck, she didn’t even want to join in the mass of women vying for the stupid arrangement. Standing at the very back of the crowd, she was barely done cringing from the display Carlton had made of crawling up her sister’s dress to get the garter belt.
“That is a tradition that will not be happening at my wedding,” she muttered.
“If I’m on my hands and knees and up your skirt, you can bet your sweet ass I ain’t coming back out with a garter belt between my teeth.” Ridge bent to her ear, licking it.
“I never thought my sister would’ve approved of him doing that either.” She shivered when Ridge bit her earlobe.
“Incoming,” he said.
Noelle jerked her head up as something came flying toward their heads. Her hand came up on instinct, the bouquet landing in her palms. She gawked at it, then at Ridge. Several female groans sounded around them.
She tried to hand it off, but the woman closest to her shook her head. “That’s not how it works, sweetie. It appears as though you’re next.”
Ridge winked at the woman then tossed the bouquet to a young girl who was crying. “We don’t need a bouquet tossed at us to tell us if we’re next or not, Katjie.”
“Ah, for shitssake, you don’t need to give her a cat nickname.” Mac walked up to them, handsome as always in his dress denim and button-down shirt.
“Be nice, you two.” Zelda and Sassy appeared in front of them.
“Hey, you two, ready to get out of here?” Miko asked with the woman he’d been with next to him.
“I’d love to, but I think I need to stay until the bride leaves at least.” Noelle glared at her sister who was wobbling on her feet. Of course, she won’t leave, she has to shut the place down. Goddess, she really hated being a bitch to think such of her sister.
“Miko, you can go on if you want. I’m gonna wait and see Noelle home,” Ridge offered.
Miko raised one brow. “We rode together, brother.”
Ridge grinned. “Well, shit. I guess you’re either hoofing it, or waiting.”
Miko flipped him off, but then he and his female went back to the bar.
“You really don’t have to wait for me.” Noelle bit her lip when she said the words, and he growled.
“You’re right, I don’t. I want to. Besides, I like being with you. Come on, let’s dance. I think the bride and groom are getting ready to leave.”
She liked that he was so observant and never had them on the dance floor when her sister was, yet when they were, he held her close and moved like a dream. Thoughts of what it would be like to dance with him, naked, made her wish they were anywhere but there. “I think we can go.”
Chapter Six
RIDGE WANTED TO SWEEP Noelle into his arms and do as she suggested. The only thing stopping him was the evil-eyed glare her sister was giving them. “Katjie, your sister would notice, and I fear she’d never let you live that down. Come on. Let’s go have a word with her before she leaves.”
Noelle pressed her face against his chest. He felt her take a deep breath and swore he felt their connection all the way to his very soul. This female was made for him. “Fine, but don’t say I didn’t offer to run away with you.”
His chuckle was a little forced as they left the dance floor. Miko caught his eye, giving him a subtle nod.
“Hello again, Merry. Carlton, wonderful evening. Congratulations, man.” Ridge held his hand out, waiting for the smaller man to take his outstretched greeting. As he did, the clammy hand gripped his in a surprisingly firm grip.
“Thank you for coming. We were just getting ready to say our final goodbyes. Noelle, thank you for standing up with us. Have you seen Jerard?” Carlton asked, frowning at Noelle.
Ridge pulled her against him. “Can’t say that we have. You two have a good time. Maybe when you get back from your honeymoon, we can get together.” He didn’t let either of them say another word, already having to force his cat back as a strange scent wafted from the couple.
“We’ll do that,” Carlton agreed.
He made sure Noelle was on the outside of his body so that neither her sister nor Carlton were near enough to brush against her. His instincts were screaming at him to get her far away from both of them. Gazing around the crowded room, he tried to find Zelda or Mac. When he couldn’t spy either, he maneuvered Noelle and himself toward the exit shortly after the bride and groom were ushered out to a loud fanfare.
“What’s wrong?” Noelle asked once they were outside in the parking lot.
Ridge could still see the red taillights of the limo taking Merry and Carlton to the airport. A tingle went down his spine, a warning of things to come maybe. “Are you and your sister close?”
“Not really.”
“I want you to come home with me, Noelle. You can sleep in my sister’s old room. I promise to keep my distance, or if I can’t, I’ll go for a run.” She had to know he fought the greatest urge to mate with her, but his leopard also had a greater need to protect her, mated or not.
“Where’s Zelda and Mac?” Noelle’s voice shook.
Ridge moved in front of her, his body acting as a shield between them and the parking lot. “I know you trust Zelda and her mate, but I promise you, if you put yourself in my care, I’ll protect you with my life.”
“I know that. I sort of expected the two of them to be here with their superhero capes on.” She smiled up at him.
He pictured the tall red-haired witch and her mate in a leotard and cape; a grin flitted across his face. “I think I’ll have someone draw a picture of that and send it to Mac for Christmas.”
“Can we stop by my house? I need to grab a few things, including my cats.”
Ridge pulled her body flush with his. “So, you like cats?”
She wrapped her arms around his waist. “I love cats. Um, I should warn you though. Mrs. Noseby and FatFat are my...familiars.”
He thought of his sister’s talking baby goat Mr. Bixley. “Do they talk?”
Noelle sucked her bottom lip inside her mouth and nodded.
“My sister Torrance has a familiar. He’s a goat that talks like a very proper English butler. Trust me, nothing your familiars can say or do will freak me out.”
His little mate-to-be turned away from him, making him wonder just what her familiars did that would be so shocking.
“I’m ready whenever you two are,” Miko said, coming up beside Ridge alone.
“What happened to your little friend?” he asked, peering over Miko’s shoulder to see if he could find the human who had been attached to Miko like a tick on the backside of a hunting dog.
Miko grinned without humor. “Seems her boyfriend showed up and didn’t like to share.”
Ridge looked down at the healing cut on Miko’s knuckles. “We gonna have any problems?”
“Nah, I let him swing first. Not my problem he missed, three times. I finally had to knock his ass down to get him to stop coming at me. Stupid humans get a six-pack of liquid courage and think they’re ten-feet tall and bullet- proof. You two ready to blow this place or what?” Miko’s one blue eye flashed brightly. His other eye was green, an affliction that marked him as different amongst shifters and humans alike.
“You need to shift, brother?” Ridge asked, seeing the signs Miko was having issues written all over him.
The other man shook his head then his arms like he was wiggling whatever was bothering him right out of his body. “Nope, I’m good.”
His leopard trusted Miko’s, even in the tight confines of his extended cab pickup. They climbed inside, Noelle hopping in from the driver’s side. Her sweet backside had him itching to run his hands over the firm globes.
They drove to Noelle’s house, finding several lights on.
“I leave the living room and kitchen lights on for FatFat. Mrs. Noseby, I think can see in the dark because she’s fine prowling around.”
Miko raised his hand. “Um, you named your cat FatFat?”
“Actually, Mrs. Noseby told me what to call them. However, you’ll see they are well-suited for their names.” Noelle smirked as they pulled up out front of her home.
“Miko will wait out here.”
“Okay, but if the big bad wolf comes and tries to eat me, I’m blaming you.” Miko rolled down the window leaning his arm on the edge.
Ridge and Noelle strolled up the cobblestone walkway to her house. The small front porch had a rocking chair on one side and a swing on the other, both appeared well used “You sit out here often?”
She nodded but didn’t say any more. As she pushed the door open, he noticed it hadn’t been locked. He felt his hackles raise at her lack of security. Granted, she lived in a smallish town filled with witches and she was one herself, but she still should follow some security measures.
“I see what’s running through your mind and let me stop you before you go caveman on me. FatFat is enough of a deterrent for anyone...eep,” she yelped.
Ridge found himself holding a cat that had to weigh at least fifty or sixty pounds. The large feline pressed his face toward his, snarling. “Whoa, what’s your problem?”
When the cat tried to take a bite out of his nose, Ridge allowed his leopard to come forward, his own snarl a little louder than he’d planned.
“Why I never. FatFat, you stop it this instant before I swipe my paw across your nose. I have a feeling it would be a lot less painful than what that scrumptious cat-man has planned for you.”
Ridge held the big Main Coon from him with one hand, staring down at the other one. “Hello, beautiful. You must be Mrs. Noseby. I’m assuming this ill-mannered male is FatFat?”
Noelle reached for the animal he held aloft; her exasperated sigh was accompanied by the male cat’s hiss. “You stop that right now. I’m sorry, Ridge. Come on, let’s get some of my things and theirs unless they want to stay here while I’m gone.”
“And just where do you think you’re going, young lady?” FatFat asked
“We are going to stay with Ridge for a couple days. There’s a development and he and I think would be best if I stay with him.”
She dropped the large cat onto a chair as she spoke, but Ridge didn’t miss the way her cheeks turned pink.
He looked back at the male cat, doing a double take as he seemed to be grooming himself a little exuberantly. “Dude, you do that shit in my truck or on my furniture and we’re gonna have a problem.”
“FatFat, quit licking your balls, or I’ll remove them,” Noelle yelled from a room down the hall.
NOELLE WOKE UP THE next day feeling more rested than she had in a very long time. The smell of bacon drew her into a sitting position. She raised her arms over her head and stretched.
“Good morning, gorgeous. I hope you’re hungry,” Ridge said from the doorway.
She jerked the blanket up, to see Ridge smiling back at her. “How long you been standing there, Stalker McStalkerson?” she asked with a smile. Goddess, he looked good, so good she could almost forget about the bacon and whatever else he had cooking and eat him.
“I just opened the door, but you were yawning, quite largely I might add, so you obviously didn’t hear. I can close it and come back, but I must say, you are sexy as fuck in the morning, Katjie.” Ridge walked into the room wearing a pair of low-slung sweats and nothing else.
She tried to get her tongue off the roof of her mouth and say something witty, but it wasn’t every day she had a man as handsome as Ridge wake her.
“What’s the matter, Noelle? Cat got your tongue?” He bent over her, forcing her back against the pile of pillows. His coffee-scented breath feathered over her lips a second before his lips covered hers.
‘Meow’ her cats both spoke up from the doorway, breaking them apart.
“Come on, let me feed you and then we’ll go ride four-wheelers. Have you ever ridden one?” Ridge stood up, the two cats brushing against him. “You two and I are going to have to come to an understanding real soon.”
Mrs. Noseby hopped onto the bed next to Noelle. “Well, have you made enough breakfast for all of us?”
Ridge walked to the door, staring over his shoulder. “I’ll see you all in the kitchen.”
IF HE’D HAVE STAYED in there much longer there was no way he’d have been able to hide his obvious erection. Damn, the woman was sexy first thing in the morning. Shit, who was he kidding? She was sexy at any time of the day or night.
The sound of the shower running had him smiling. He checked the bacon in the oven to make sure it wasn’t burning then went to the fridge to get some eggs out. If he timed it right, he�
��d have the eggs and toast done by the time she was done. They could eat and then hit the trails with the rest of his crew.
His phone vibrated on the counter. A quick glance showed him Glock’s name on the caller ID. “Hey, brother, what’s going on?”
“The Crew will be there within a half hour. Just wanted to make sure it was still good for you?” Glock’s deep voice growled over the line.
“We’ll be ready. Thanks for checking.” Ridge whipped the eggs in a bowl, adding salt and pepper to the mixture.
“Whoa, you making brekkie?” Glock asked.
Ridge snorted, disconnecting the call without answering. The last thing he wanted was his Crew showing up to eat the first morning he had Noelle at his home. “Hell nah, I ain’t making brekkie, fucker.”
“Excuse me?”
He spun with a spatula in hand, aware he might appear guilty as hell. “Err, I was talking to Glock.”
“Ah huh, and you call him fucker?”
He hid his grin as he turned back to the gas stove, flipping the eggs. “You like scrambled eggs, Katjie?”
Noelle sidled up to him, taking in the two skillets. “That’s an awful lot of eggs there.”
“I’m a growing boy, need lots of protein.” He shuffled the eggs onto the platter to the side, waiting on her to tell him if she liked them scrambled or not.
“Oh, those look good.” Her hand slid forward, snagging a piping hot piece of cheesy egg.
“Hey, you little thief.”
She danced away, chewing. “Can I help with anything?”
She appeared young and fresh with her hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun, wearing a pair of cut-off jean shorts and a tank top. Ridge wanted to strip her naked and show her what she could help him with but thought it was a little early for that. Instead he pointed at one of the barstools. “Help yourself to coffee and have a seat. Everything is done.”
