by Ruby Madden
“Not really.” He didn’t want to disappoint his mate, but he honestly didn’t smell anything besides her scent on the clothing and the God-awful perfume. He resisted the need to sneeze.
Ryland held Emma by the shoulders, his face buried in the curve of her neck, taking a deep breath. The only scent he could distinguish was the residual scent of Abigail clinging to the clothing Emma wore and the perfume. If she’d been standing there naked, scent wise, she would have been a ghost.
How could that be?
His bear recognized her and how else could the animal do that except by scent?
Emma watched silently as Ryland realized the truth. She closed her eyes against the hurt racing through her body. Any hope that she’d had, that somehow Ryland’s bear would be able to scent her, died at the look in his eyes.
“You are my mate, Emma. It doesn’t matter if you smell like a damn perfume factory or a pile of manure—”
“Dude,” Ryker warned.
“I know who you are, Emma Sorenson. You are mine. Your cat calls to my bear whether you have a scent or not.”
“But—”
“No, buts. You are mine. And if I have to make love to you five times a day for the rest of our lives, I’ll do it.” She could detect no lies, he believed what he said. And, maybe… so could she. Her heart flipped over when she saw the heat in his eyes. The golden flashes of his bear joined with the man, urging, almost pleading with her to believe his words. To believe the truth.
Emma Sorenson had a mate. And that mate was Ryland Blackwood, bear shifter.
~*~
“Well, that was an unexpected turn of events.” Ryland sat in the beat-up old chair and propped his feet on the rickety table in front of it. Ryker had taken a seat on the broken-down couch. The big man looked damn uncomfortable. Like a bear sitting on a piece of dollhouse furniture. It was now well past midnight and the girls were in their bedroom.
After their experiment, the bears had been eager to claim their mates, but the girls had cock blocked for each other, refusing to leave the apartment even to go out to eat. Ryker had gone out for pizza instead.
When the bears had refused to leave, the women had accused them of having trust issues. Both bears had laughed, which resulted in a sexy flounce across the floor and the slamming of the bedroom door.
“Yeah.” Ryker answered in the dark, almost brooding voice Ryland had come to expect from his brother—when something was wrong.
“Come on, man. There are two of them. One for you and one for me. You should be dancing a jig.” Ryland couldn’t help the smile that formed on his lips. When he didn’t see one turning up the edges of Ryker’s mouth, he had to ask, “What gives?”
“They’re both shifters and neither denied they knew we were their mates. Why were they trying to hide from us? Because they were afraid you’d reject Emma? Something’s still not right. I can feel it.”
“That’s just guilt knowing you weren’t going to share with me.”
“Since when do I ever feel guilty for not sharing with you?”
“When it would have come to our mate.”
Ryker snorted. “Like you were gonna share.”
The brothers knew that when push-come-to-shove, they would have worked out how to share what fate had given them. Or at least Ryland wanted to believe so.
Ryland closed his eyes and leaned against the back of the chair trying to take in all they had learned tonight. They each a mate, but Ryland’s had no scent. This was apparently going to prove to be an issue. At least to her. Did it matter that his mate had no scent? No, not to him and his bear. But he did understand her hesitancy in believing him when he said everything would be alright. Would her lack of scent somehow prevent them from completing the mating bond?
“Maybe Mom and Dad will know something.” As if he’d read his thoughts, Ryker spoke, offering him hope and comfort at the same time.
“Maybe.”
Ryker’s feet slammed down at his non-committal answer. “What difference does it make, Ry? If you know she’s your mate, she’s your mate.”
Ryland’s heart lightened. Ryker always had his back. Always would. “You’re right. All I need to do is to make her happy and show her how much she means to me.”
~*~
“Ryker. Ryker.”
The whisper of his name was accompanied by a soft touch on his shoulder. His bear rumbled awake, immediately recognizing the touch of his mate.
“Come here, baby.” His dick ached and he needed her to take care of it for him. His fingers clasped her wrist to pull her to him, but he was met with resistance.
“Ryker, no.”
His eyes opened, a frown quickly marring his face. What the hell? His mate was denying him? He jerked her down on top of him. Not hard enough to hurt her, but with enough force to show her who was the dominant in this relationship. Her soft body landed on top of his hard one. And he did mean hard. He immediately rubbed the aching ridge of need against the softness of her belly. Yeah, that’s what he wanted.
He cupped the back of her neck, bringing her close for a kiss. He felt her small hands clutching at his shoulders, still offering resistance to his possession. As he kissed her, those same hands relaxed and kneaded his flesh, showing her contentment.
Damn, she tasted good. Better than he had ever dreamed. As awareness crept into his sleep dulled mind, he smelt her delicious scent. Then the slight muskiness of the sofa where he’d stretched out the night before. Next, he heard the subdued noise of the traffic in the street which was quickly overshadowed by the sound of his brother’s light snore.
The events of last night slammed into him and he opened his eyes. To stare straight into the bright blue ones of his mate. Abigail. Abby.
He realized now it had been Abigail he’d basically been stalking for the past week. He’d felt the pull so deeply. He’d known this woman was his mate. His heart. The other half of his soul.
He released her mouth, instantly missing the taste and the warmth of her lips. His hand tightened on the back of her neck when she went to move away. “I should still be really, really angry with you.” His other hand pushed against her lower back, pressing her to his aching cock.
A small smile curved the lips still wet from their kiss. “But you aren’t.” She wiggled against him, eliciting a harsh groan. “Are you?”
The smile widened and he realized that was the first full-fledged smile he’d seen on his mate’s face. It made him want to ensure she smiled like that every day for the rest of their lives.
“I need to go to work.”
“No you don’t.” His hand slid over the hill of her ass and further down until it found the hem of her uniform. He recognized it as a uniform by the slightly greasy smell mingling with the floral fragrance of the detergent she’d used to wash it in. And the texture. There was nothing in this world that felt like gabardine.
“Yes, I do.”
“No, you don’t.” His fingers traced the seam of her legs and traveled upwards, beneath her dress. Her breath quickened and her legs parted for him. He grinned, taking complete advantage and rubbing along the warm flesh to his ultimate goal. That sweet pussy he knew as getting wetter by the moment. She wanted him.
“I’ve got plenty of money to support us.”
An elegant brow arched. “Did I wake up in a rerun of Leave it to Beaver?”
“Uh, what?” He frowned, the switch in conversation topics too swift for his horny morning brain.
She punched him in the arm. “This is not the 1950’s, you big lug. I am quite capable of making my own way in the world.”
“Okay?” His response was somewhere between a statement and a question. He didn’t know if that was the response he should be making.
“Ass,” she huffed and bounded out of his hold before he could stop her. Her thigh grazed his rigid cock with a little more force than seemed entirely accidental.
“I’m leaving in fifteen minutes,” s
he announced to no one in particular as she stomped into the small kitchenette. He heard her rummaging through the cupboards. She didn’t slam the cabinet doors as she opened and closed them, but he was sure it was because she didn’t want to wake her sister still asleep in the next room. It certainly wasn’t because she wanted to save his hearing. He sat up on the couch, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The brothers had decided it wouldn’t be wise to leave the two sisters alone the night before. They knew it wouldn’t take much for the two cats to turn tail and run.
“Are you staying?” Ryland spoke from the moth ridden chair he’d slept in the night before. Ryker knew Ryland was asking if he’d be standing guard over Abby at the diner. He wanted to. Not necessarily to make sure she didn’t run. He just wanted to be around her. Damn, he had it bad.
“No. I’ll take her, though. It’s still dark out.” No way was his bear letting its mate walk five city blocks in the dark. Even if she was a ferocious cat shifter. He smiled. She’d looked so damn cute last night, all bristled up when she thought someone was going to hurt her sister.
They were protective of each other.
“That’s good to see, bro.”
“What?”
“You’re smiling.”
Ryker knew he was considered the grumpy bear of the family. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy the pleasures of life, he’d just seen too many unpleasant things during his time in the military. The shifter squad he’d served in had quickly revealed the dark nature of both man and shifter.
“Well, don’t get used to it.” He grabbed his socks and work boots and stuffed his feet inside as he watched his mate eat. Abby had found a pack of pop-tarts and was washing them down with a glass of water. Ryland saw the direction of his gaze and both bears cursed. She’d left one of the cabinet doors partially open. A can of soup, a box of macaroni and what appeared to be an excessive amount of noodle packets were the only things inside. Since she was drinking water for breakfast the bears knew the refrigerator would be just as bare.
“I’ll walk her to work.” Ryker threw the keys to the truck to his brother.
“I’ll take care of it.” Ryland’s voice was low and gruff as he caught the keys.
Ryker knew by the end of the day the women’s cupboards would be overflowing with food. “Just don’t go overboard.” He knew something about pride and knew Ryland’s big heart. He also knew sometimes the two wouldn’t mix very well. They would have to tread lightly with their mates. Standing up, he allowed a huge smile to spread across his features. Mates. Two. They didn’t have to share. His bear was a giddy as a damn cub allowed to hunt the first salmon of the season.
He looked at Ryland and saw the same smile reflected back at him. Hell, did he look that sappy?
“Yeah, you do,” his brother answered his unspoken question. “And ain’t it great?”
Seeing his mate putting on her shoes and taking her keys from the hook by the door, he knew he had to go. She’d no doubt try to ditch his ass. It didn’t stop him from throwing another grin over his shoulder as he followed her out. “Yeah, it’s damn great.”
Ryker caught up with Abby as she trotted down the front steps of the apartment building. Rounding the corner, she almost collided with a man walking briskly by. Ryland caught her around the waist and lifted her out of the way. His good mood still in place, he offered a quick apology to the passerby. “Sorry about that.”
“No problem.” The man offered him a quick salute with the coffee cup clutched in his hand. “No problem at all.”
As the bear and his mate walked down the cracked sidewalk, the man took a sip of his coffee and watched the couple disappear. “No problem at all.” He finished his drink and dropped the paper cup at his feet. It joined the myriad of garbage skipping down the sidewalk, carried along by the early morning breeze.
Walking to the other side of the road, he opened the door to his beat-up truck and retrieved his phone from the jacket of his lightweight coat. He needed to bring his boss up-to-date with this latest news.
The cats had apparently acknowledged their mates.
~*~
“Time to wake up, sweetheart.” Ryland sat on the edge of the bed, holding a cup of coffee above the head of his still sleeping mate. He knew he should let her sleep some more. She had a long shift ahead of her later tonight and it was still early. He had no doubt she was just as stubborn as Ryker’s mate should he suggest she quit her job. Abigail’s soft-spoken whispers had woken him, but he’d pretended to still be asleep, wanting to give his brother the chance to interact with his mate. He felt guilty enough that he’d gotten to taste his mate days before his brother had even discovered his.
Not that it mattered now. All that mattered now was convincing the stubborn cat shifters to bond with them. His bear was adamant that they do that as quickly as possible, despite the fact that the man knew they needed to court these two skittish women slowly, gaining their trust and winning their love.
Just because fate had decreed the four were mates, it didn’t mean there wouldn’t be a period of adjustment. He had a feeling it could be a long period of adjustment if the two bears weren’t careful.
Especially him and Emma. She was even more skittish thanks to the whole having no scent thing, and couldn’t have a mate, nonsense. And it was nonsense.
“Come on, sweetheart, wake up.”
The small bundle huddled beneath the old blanket stirred. All that was visible of his beautiful mate were the pink toes of one foot and the silky mane of hair covering the crown of her head. He wanted to wrap his fingers around the dark strands and hold her head still for a mind-blowing kiss. He craved her taste. Hell, he needed her taste.
A leg stretched, bumping into him. He quickly took hold of the moving limb in case she had any ideas of trying to unman him as her sister had his brother. He kept the cup of coffee steady above her head. It was from the coffee shop a few streets over. It had taken him longer than he’d expected shopping for food. Their refrigerator now overflowed with fresh fruits and vegetables and enough protein to keep their cats happy.
His search of the kitchen hadn’t revealed a coffee maker. After he’d bought the groceries, he’d gotten the coffee. He was taking a shot in the dark assuming the girls couldn’t afford a machine, not that they didn’t like coffee.
If it turned out she didn’t, he’d make her hot chocolate tomorrow.
And the tomorrow after that. And after that.
The grin he’d shared with his brother was still in place. He had found his true-mate.
Remembering last night he let out a little growl which caused the body beside him to stop moving. It served her right if she was a little scared, even though that hadn’t been his intention. But, damn it, she’d really scared him. Thinking that because she didn’t have a scent that her mate wouldn’t recognize her. He’d recognized her just fine.
We recognized her, his bear cuffed. Ryland did have to give the animal the praise it deserved. The bear had been the one to recognize the woman on the fundamental level that left no doubt they were mates.
A small hand inched out from beneath the blanket and slow pulled it away from her face. Slumberous blue eyes blinked up at him.
“You’re still here.” Her sleep deepened voice went straight to his groin. He went from semi-aroused—the state he’d been in since they’d discovered the scent of the cat on the construction site—to a length of steel in sixty seconds.
“Yup. Where else would I be?”
She lowered the quilt even more, revealing her beautiful face and the set of perfect rosy lips he just couldn’t resist. He leaned down and pressed his mouth against hers. He refrained from plunging his tongue inside, even though his bear was butting against him, demanding a deeper kiss.
Easy, boy. We’ve got to take it slow and easy.
He pulled back watching her lips part as he did, as if asking for more.
Not so easy now, is it? his bear taunted. Both the man and the a
nimal groaned when the tip of her pink tongue ran across her lips, as if gathering his taste.
Emma didn’t know what she wanted more. Some more of the pussy wetting taste of bear or the delicious scent wafting from the paper cup he was holding just out of her reach. Wiggling her leg free from his hold, she eased up in bed, making sure the oversized pajama top didn’t reveal too much. Glancing down at her chest she realized she should have worn her bra to bed. Her nipples were giving her away, standing at attention and poking at the cotton fabric. Knowing if she pulled the top away from her breasts, she’d just draw his attention. She decided to act natural. Pretend entertaining men in her bedroom was something she did all the time.
“Is that for me?” She pointed to the coffee cup he was still holding as she sat up.
Before his eyelids lowered, she saw the flare of gold within the depths of his dark, brown eyes. She stole a glance down his body, her breath stalling in her chest.
He followed the path of her gaze. “Oh, yeah, baby. That’s all for you.” The words came out in a purr that would make any cat proud.
“The coffee. Is the coffee for me?”
A dangerous grin appeared. “What will you give me for it? Another kiss?”
“No. I won’t give you a swift kick in the ass when I get out of this bed.”
“A little grumpy in the morning are we?” he teased, lowering the cup and holding it to her lips.
She snatched it away, breathing deeply of the vanilla soaked scent. Perfect. She raised it to her lips, taking a long, deep drink. She didn’t worry about the temperature, knowing he’d never hand her a drink that could burn her.
After draining half the cup, she looked up. He was staring at her lips and she deliberately ran her tongue over the top one, seeking any lingering drops of coffee. “Thank you,” she said as he groaned. She couldn’t help but smirk. Just a little.
“What time do you go to work today?” Ryland asked, determined to get his mind off the fact that all it would take is one swift yank on Emma’s ankles and she’d be spread out before him like a buffet. He watched as she took another drink of her coffee. The little minx licked her lip again, even though there wasn’t a trace of coffee or cream on the pretty pink surface.
