by Lola Kidd
“Cade has found his mate!” Roberta said as soon as Creek set the drinks on the table.
“Mom,” Cade groaned. “I may have found my mate. I told her not to make too big a deal out of this.”
“You got a new girlfriend?” Blanche asked, delighted. “That’s so great, Cade, tell me about her.”
Cade told Blanche and Creek all about Kira and showed them pictures.
“I told you LK worked.” Blanche slapped Creek on the arm. “I’ve been telling this one for years that he needs to sign up with the site.”
“I don’t think they have many of my kind on the site,” Creek said wryly.
“Nonsense,” Roberta said. “They have a whole special section for gay shifters. We looked it up one time. You need to sign up. It took Cade a long time to get matched.”
“It’s true,” Cade said. “Over a year. If you’re looking for someone and don’t mind dating humans, you should give them a try.”
“Maybe,” Creek said. “I’ve got a thing I’m doing the week before Valentine’s Day. If that doesn’t work out, I’ll sign up with LK.”
“A hot date?” Roberta asked.
“Twenty hot dates.” Creek laughed at their reaction. “I’m doing a speed-dating event at the community center.”
“Speed dating?” Cade shook his head. “You’re a brave man. I can barely handle meeting one woman without making a fool of myself. If I had to go on twenty dates, they would have to cart me to the crazy house the next morning.”
“I’m nervous,” Creek admitted. “But last year two of my friends did it and they’re both still dating men they met at the event. Can’t hurt to try.”
“What is speed dating?” Roberta asked.
“Basically, you go on a bunch of five-minute dates,” Creek explained. “Everyone has to register for the event and then they split it into two groups. Half of us sit at a table all night and the other half moves around the tables. You only get five minutes to ‘date’ each person and then it’s on to the next.”
“That sounds stressful.” Roberta wrinkled her nose. “What if you like someone? Can you spend the whole night with them?”
Creek shook his head. “Nope. But there’s a mixer afterward. We all have scorecards and before the mixer, they let you know if anyone you liked likes you too.”
“Sounds like a pain to organize,” Blanche said.
“I bet,” Creek said. “We’re lucky our town is doing all the work.”
“That’s pretty cool,” Cade said. “How did they get everyone to agree to that?”
“Why would anyone oppose it?” Creek asked astonished. “It’s something for the entire town. There aren’t many events for gay people in the area so it brings people from out of town. Win-win for everyone.”
“If they tried that here, it would get tied up in debates and never happen,” Roberta said. “Maple Creek is funny about community activities.”
“What activities?” Cade said. “We don’t do anything except the Christmas tree lighting and that has terrible turnout. You know they’re considering dropping it, right?”
Roberta shook her head. “It’s a shame. We used to have so many events when you were a little boy. Do you remember the Easter egg hunt?”
“I do.” Cade smiled. “I was so excited to get seventy-five cents in prizes. They haven’t done that in more than two decades.”
“That is why I don’t live in Maple Creek,” Creek said. “There are so many events in Rock Falls. We get decent turnout too. Makes small town living a lot more fun.”
“I wish we had something for Valentine’s Day,” Cade said. “It would be nice to have somewhere to take Kira.”
“Then plan it!” Blanche said. “You’re a big shot who works for the city. I bet you could get someone to donate a little money for a cause.”
“That’s not a terrible idea,” Cade said.
The wheels were turning in his mind. That wasn’t a bad idea at all. If there were a town event for Valentine’s Day, it would bring some people out. There were no fancy restaurants or romantic spots in Maple Creek. You had to travel to get to anything nice. With such short notice, he was going to have to be creative. It was less than a month before the big day. He was going to have to think of something fast if he wanted to plan something special for Kira and the town.
Six
“That place was so good.” Cade squeezed her hand. “It’s a long drive, but worth it.”
“As long as you’re doing the driving, we should go more often,” Kira joked.
It was their eighth date in two weeks. They’d driven all the way to Illinois to eat at a Moroccan restaurant. Neither of them had ever eaten African food before, and the place had the best reviews in the area. It also happened to be owned by a jackal shifter. Cade loved supporting shifter-owned businesses, so it was a no-brainer. Kira had enjoyed the food almost as much as she enjoyed Cade’s company. The mountain lion shifter was the easiest person to talk to she’d ever met.
They talked daily and still she never ran out of things to say to him. She wanted to hear his opinion on everything. He was also a great listener. Even when she was telling him about some silly work drama, Cade paid close attention. He’d never met any of her coworkers, but he knew all their names. He’d picked up her favorite books to read and he had started watching her favorite show on Netflix. She’d never asked him to do any of those things. He just wanted to experience all the things she liked. And she felt the same way. She had even started watching football with Cade and was going to surprise him with a jersey for Valentine’s Day. They had such a strong connection.
To add to his awesomeness, Cade was a great kisser. Their makeout sessions were hot. Much to Kira’s chagrin, they hadn’t gone any further yet. They kissed for hours and there had been some heavy petting over the clothes. It was like high school all over again except this time the payoff was going to be worth the wait. She crossed and uncrossed her legs, thinking about the shifter’s hard body on top of hers. It had taken an unimaginable amount of self-control to keep her hands off Cade for this long.
He was such a gentleman that she hadn’t wanted to rush it and sleep with him too early. He hadn’t even brought up the possibility of her being his mate again. Not that he needed to. Kira knew it was early, but she was sure this was it. Cade was the man destined to be her husband. She could feel it in her soul. He’d even won over her cranky cat in one night. Any man who could get Scrooge to like him had to be a keeper.
There was only one small problem. He still hadn’t invited her to Maple Creek to meet his family or friends. It worried Kira. He seemed like he was into her, so why didn’t he take her home? She’d thought up a million reasons that he wouldn’t want to show her off. Only two of them kept her up at night. Either he was already in a relationship, or he was ashamed to be seen with her.
It was crazy, but those were two very real possibilities. If he was in a relationship, he had tricked LK Brides and had opened himself up to a lawsuit. The agency prided itself on its reputation. If word got out that they had helped set up an affair, they would not be pleased. She would be sending the agency a very angry letter if it turned out Cade did have another girlfriend, or worse, a wife.
It was also possible that he was ashamed of her. She wasn’t the smallest girl and her skin wasn’t the lightest. Even in the twenty-first century, there were still going to be people who took one look at her and felt hate in their heart. If that was the case, she and Cade could work it out. If he didn’t love her, he wouldn’t care what his friends and family thought. She understood that you didn’t get to pick your family, but she hoped it wasn’t his friends that were the issue. She’d dated a guy in college whose roommate had teased him for dating a “fatty.” Kira had broken up with the jerk when he didn’t stand up for her.
She wouldn’t be able to forgive Cade if that was the case. Her hands balled into fists at the thought. She took deep breaths to calm herself down. She had to know where they stood. Tonight was the nig
ht; she was going to try to get Cade Lincoln in her bed. She hoped that after a night in each other’s arms, Cade would realize how much he meant to her and confess his own feelings. If not, she was going to be devastated.
They were pulling into her parking lot. It was now or never.
“Want to come in?” There was a waver in her voice as she asked.
Cade turned off the car. “Sounds great. I have to say goodnight to Scrooge. It would be such bad form to leave without saying goodbye.”
“I don’t think he’d ever forgive you.”
They walked hand in hand to her townhouse.
He picked up the cat when it brushed against his leg.
“Excuse me for a minute,” Kira said.
Cade kissed her on the cheek before she went to the bathroom. She heard the TV switch on to the sports station once she closed the door.
“You’ve got this, girl,” she whispered to her reflection. “He’s just a man. A super hot, perfect, smart, and kind man, but just a man.”
She’d planned this all evening before Cade had picked her up. She would invite him in and then change into her sexiest lingerie. Then she’d go out to the living room and see how he reacted. This was it. If he didn’t want her as bad as she wanted him, she was at a loss. This should be the easy part. She knew she looked smoking hot in her lingerie. She was also confident that Cade wanted her bad. He always ended their makeout sessions with a very reluctant sigh.
Once she had her red teddy on, she looked at herself in the mirror again. Her makeup needed a quick touch-up and she had to wrap sections of her hair around the curling iron again. She knew Cade had to be getting restless, but she had to be perfect.
Once she was sure everything was in place, Kira opened the door and walked to the living room. She leaned on the doorjamb and gave Cade her best sultry look.
His eyes opened wide before he growled. He was off the couch in a second and on her. The force of his kiss took Kira’s breath away. He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, only breaking the kiss to toss her on the bed.
Cade’s eyes were dark with lust as he pulled off his shirt and crawled up the bed to join her. “You look good enough to eat.”
He pulled her legs apart and ripped the lingerie at the seams. Kira gasped as his tongue found her core. He wanted her. He wanted her bad. She wanted to ask what he’d been waiting for, but she couldn’t form any words but his name.
“Oh, Cade,” she moaned as he flicked his tongue across her clit.
Her thighs squeezed tight around his ears as she came hard. Cade didn’t stop his oral assault between her legs. Before she could get him to change positions or let her return the favor, he had pinned her legs to the bed and put a finger inside her. Kira’s back arched off the bed and her eyes snapped open.
“You’re so wet for me,” Cade growled.
She could feel his large erection against her leg as Cade made her come again. Once she came down, she pulled up on his hair. He crawled up her body and kissed her while cradling her head in his arms.
Kira ran her hands up and down his perfect six-pack and groped his cock through his jeans.
“Take off your pants,” she commanded.
Cade rolled off of her, pulled his pants off and threw them to the floor. While he was undressing, Kira pulled off the remnants of her lingerie and tossed them to the floor too. She’d had no idea how desperate Cade was going to get. Next time, she was going to have to wear something with easier access.
Cade rolled over on his side and pulled her against him to kiss her again. He was growling low in his throat the whole time.
“Roll over,” he ordered.
Kira rolled onto her stomach and waited.
Cade knelt over her with his knees on either side of her hips. He bit the back of her neck. “Do you remember that conversation we had about shifters and their mates?”
“Yes,” Kira said breathlessly.
He put one knee between her legs and nudged her thighs apart. “You’re my mate, Kira. You’re the one my mountain lion has been waiting for. I know it might seem too soon and I promised to take it slow, but this is important. I can’t be inside you without you knowing how I feel about you.”
She gasped as he ran the head of his hard cock against her wet slit. “I love you, Cade.”
“I love you too.” He slid into her as she cried his name again.
He loved her. He loved her!
Cade thrust into her furiously. She pushed back to meet his every move until she was moaning through another orgasm.
Cade pulled out and rolled her onto her side. He got behind her and kissed her neck as he entered her again. He held her tight against him with one hand around her chest and another at her hips. They moved as one. He bit her ear as he thrust into her slowly. The hand over her chest grasped her breast tightly as Cade moved deep inside of her.
She grabbed the hand on her hip. “I’m going to come again.”
“I’m right there with you, baby.”
Kira stiffened and pushed back against Cade once more before stilling. She felt him spill deep inside her.
Cade didn’t pull out immediately. Then they lay together basking in the afterglow.
“Thank God!” Kira said finally.
Cade laughed. “You can say that again.”
She rolled over and slapped him on the arm. “Why didn’t you make a move?”
“I didn’t want to insult you. You said you wanted to take it slow.” Cade grinned. “But it did result in you wearing that sexy red thing. Sorry I tore it.”
“That old thing?”
“I’ll buy you a new one…or six. I don’t know if I’ll be able to control myself if I see you in that again. My animal really liked that.”
Kira grabbed Cade’s hand. “I do love you, Cade. I don’t care if it’s too soon to say it.”
“It isn’t too soon. I love you too.”
She knew he wasn’t lying by the way he stared into her eyes. They loved each other. She was his mate. Kira didn’t think it was going to get any better than this moment. He loved her. They could talk about going to his home later. Right now, she wanted to enjoy this moment.
Seven
Cade hadn’t been able to shake his gloomy feeling all day. This wasn’t like him. The woman of his dreams, his mate, had said that she loved him too. He had the heirloom ring sitting inside a drawer in his nightstand waiting. He was ready to go except he didn’t have a plan.
He’d been trying to think of things to do for Valentine’s Day but nothing ever sounded right. It was now two weeks to the big day. There was no way he would be able to plan and execute something for the whole town to attend. There just wasn’t enough time.
“You even listening, bro?” Ray waved his beer in front of Cade’s face. “You want another one?”
“Nah, I’m good.”
He was with his four friends at the Brazen Bull, enjoying a beer after a long workweek. He was in such a poor mood he knew he wasn’t going to be staying long. Even seeing Kira later wasn’t going to make him feel better. He felt like he was letting her down. They were going to be telling the story of his proposal for the rest of their lives. He had wanted it to be special. Now, he was going to have to ask her at some generic restaurant. He was even thinking of waiting until after Valentine’s Day. At least he would be able to surprise her then.
“Had a fight with your girl?” Aaron asked.
Cade shook his head. “Nope. Things are going great. I’m going to ask her to marry me soon.”
“What?” Jack put down the mug he was cleaning. He opened Cade a new beer and set it down in front of him. “Your money’s no good tonight, man. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
“If you found your mate, why do you look so sad?” Ray asked.
Cade shook his head. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me.”
Aaron, Leo, Ray, and Wyatt looked at him expectantly. Cade felt foolish but he was on the spot. The
worst that could happen was that they’d laugh at him. He’d get a ribbing at work for a week for being too sensitive. But maybe his friends would have an idea to help.
“Remember when I was talking about making the town better a while ago?” he reminded them. “Well, I also decided that I would try to start it with a Valentine’s Day event. I met a guy from Rock Falls and they have all this cool stuff happening on V-day. I figured Maple Creek could use something like that.”
Leo groaned. “Rock Falls is a hipster town. They’re half the size of Maple Creek and have more money. Of course they have cool stuff going on.”
“You put too much pressure on yourself,” Ray said. “It was only a few weeks. You can’t plan a completely new community event in that small a time frame. Don’t worry. You’ll come up with something for next year.”
Cade nodded. “I know. I just wanted to do something special for when I propose. I thought it would be a nice start for me and Kira and a fresh start for the town.”
“You can come up with a cool proposal still,” Leo assured him.
“But don’t do it on Valentine’s Day.” Aaron frowned. “That’s so cliché. You can do better than that.”
“That’s why he should do it on Valentine’s Day then,” Wyatt said quietly. “If he doesn’t ask her, she’ll be disappointed. I’m sure she’s expecting it.”
Cade put his head on the bar. “Oh, man. You’re right. If I don’t propose, she’s going to be crushed. It’ll ruin her day. I can’t do that to her.”
“Do you even have a ring?” Leo asked.
Cade looked up from the bar. “I do. It’s a family heirloom and it’s perfect for her. Real classy.”
Ray rubbed his hands together. “Then we need to start brainstorming. Come on, guys. Between the five of us, we have to be able to come up with an original idea.”
“Six,” Jack said. “It’s a slow night. I could use the distraction.”
Cade looked around the bar. It was unusually quiet for a Friday. “Where is everyone?”
“Being snow pussies and staying home,” Leo sneered.
