by Ruby Madden
She shivered again, but not in a good way.
“Hey, you okay?” He pulled her into his arms and looked down at her, concern written across his handsome features.
She reached up and stroked his face. “Yeah, I’m okay.
“Emma?”
Her sister turned in her mate’s arms, ending their passionate kiss.
Emma shook her head, indicating it was nothing. “Didn’t I tell you Ryker would be here?”
The big bear looked down at Abby. “Did you think I wasn’t coming by tonight?”
“Well, you didn’t mention it this morning.”
“That’s because I was too busy trying to stop myself from taking you against the damn brick wall at the back of the diner.”
“Oh.” Abby’s eyes widened.
“Yeah, oh.”
“Well, now that we’ve established everyone is here that should be here, what’s the plan?”
“Food,” Ryker said. “She’s hungry.”
Abby drew away and placed her hands on her hips. “How did you know?”
Before he could answer, her stomach sounded in the quiet of the room.
After a moment, everyone laughed, including Abby. Emma was so happy to see her sister laugh. To laugh herself.
It was quickly decided—by the bears—that one couple would stay at the apartment and the other would leave. When Emma saw her sister about to protest, she quickly intervened.
“How about we stay here and Ryker shows you his home?” She’d discovered the man had built a house somewhere outside the city during the background search they’d done on the Blackwoods when they’d realized the brothers were Abigail’s mates. The deed had only been in Ryker’s name so she didn’t know if Ryland lived with him or somewhere on his own. Even if the sisters didn’t need to physically be close together because of Emma’s little problem, she knew it would be difficult to live apart from Abby. Or at least very far apart.
Thankfully, the men didn’t protest her idea. The women couldn’t take the chance of being seen leaving the house together. They never knew who might be watching and reveal their whereabouts to the Panthera or one of his snitches. They rarely went anywhere besides home and to work, stopping at the stores in between. The only times they’d been out together was when they went to the job site and then one would leave before the other. They knew they’d gone there too many times to be safe, but look at the results. Abby had her mate. And Emma had hers. She still wanted to pinch herself.
“Sounds good to me. I’m the better cook anyway.” Ryland ducked the punch Ryker threw at him. “Hey, bud, the truth is the truth.”
“Right.” He grabbed Abby’s hand and pulled her toward the door. “We’ll see you later.”
“Call me if you’re going to stay all night,” Emma shouted as they walked down the hall.
Ryland pulled her inside and locked the door. “Being a little overprotective of your sister aren’t you?” He was pretty damn sure Ryker would keep the little cat shifter out all night. He certainly intended to persuade Emma to stay with him until daybreak.
“What do you want for dinner?” he asked, pulling her to the small kitchenette.
His cock went rigid when she looked up at him and whispered, “How about you?”
~*~
Ryker didn’t know a shifter could be so damn nervous. He wiped the palms of his hands on his jeans as he rounded the front of his truck after helping Abby inside. Boy, would Ryland laugh himself silly if he could see him now. Ryker was always the calm and collected one. Some women he dated even called him cold and unfeeling. Climbing into the cab, he reached over and pulled her to the middle of the bench seat. After he buckled her in, they were heading out of the city. The ride from the city to Blackwood land was easy this time of night. No traffic congestion, just a pleasant twenty minute drive.
Ryker’s gaze fixed itself on her legs, which were slightly parted. Her skirt was riding high, thanks to her slide across the seat. It was showing the pair of creamy smooth thighs to their fullest advantage and he couldn’t wait to taste them. Oh hell, who was he kidding? He wanted to taste what lay between them. He wanted her sweet pussy creaming on his tongue.
Abigail resisted the urges rising inside her when she saw the hunger in Ryker’s face as he took in the amount of skin showing below the skirt Emma had insisted she wear. The horny human side that matched her cat’s wanted to order him to stop the truck and pull the damn thing off her before fucking her silly on the side of the road. Her more modest side had her reaching down to tug at the hem, trying to cover up some of her exposed skin.
Ryker grabbed her hand, trapping it between his warm palm and even warmer thigh. She curled her fingers against the hard muscle. If she’d been in her cat form, she’d be kneading his leg with her paw.
“I want to show you my home, Abigail.”
She ducked her head. He was so formal. “I’d like that.”
Ryker smiled and brought her hand to his lips for a quick kiss. He wanted to ask her questions, get to know her, but he sensed the resistance he would meet. Right now, the most important thing was getting his mate to trust him. And that meant being satisfied with whatever she wanted to share. Ryland had warned him not to be too pushy, too demanding. For once he was willing to take advice on how to handle women from his younger brother. But just this once.
He knew his bear would soon be pushing him to move the relationship along if he didn’t get between her legs soon. He rubbed the palm of her hand over his thigh, inches from where he really wanted her touch.
Real soon, his bear demanded.
“My home is just outside the city. Quinn lives nearby and Ryland owns a piece of land there as well.”
“He doesn’t have a house?”
He looked down at her, loving the way her blue eyes filled with curiosity. It was good that she wanted to know more about her mate’s family.
“No, not yet. He lives in an apartment in the city.”
“Why did you build a house? Did you—”
“No,” he growled, cutting her off quickly. “I didn’t build my house because of a woman.” His eyes glittered with intensity. He’d tell her about the need that had started to grow inside him about a year ago. A need that had driven him to design and build this house. His sister Deb had just smirked at Ryker when he’d told the family he wanted to build a house. He should have known then that something was about to happen. It had been a smug smirk. She’d taken great satisfaction in telling him his bear wanted to start nesting, which was the first step in trying to find a true-date.
“You are the only woman who has ever been inside my house. Besides my mother and sisters. And you will be the only woman ever to be inside my house.” His bear settled back down inside him. “Besides your sister.”
“You have sisters?”
“Yeah, two of them. Both older. Ryland and I are the last in the family.”
“But you’re older than Ryland?”
He started in surprise. “How did you know?”
Abby shrugged and her shoulder rubbed against him, sending a spike of heat rushing through him. “I just did.”
“It’s because I’m so much more serious than him, right?” Damn, why hadn’t he listened to his brother and loosened up a bit. He knew he’d come off too strong in the apartment when he’d growled at her about opening the door. He couldn’t help it. The most important thing was keeping his mate safe. She and her sister had an air of danger surrounding them.
“Well, there is that,” she said, and he could tell she was smiling. “But I recognize an older twin when I see one.”
“You too?”
“Yep, two whole minutes.”
“Four for us. It drives Ryland crazy.”
“It…”
“What, sweetheart? What’s wrong?” He tightened his hold on her hand as he continued to navigate the road one-handed. He’d turn off the paved county road onto the graveled lane that led to his
house.
“It used to drive Emma crazy. I was forever making sure she didn’t get into trouble.” She sighed. “Now I think she’s trying to take care of me.”
“Isn’t that what siblings are for? I know Ryker has my back when I need him.”
“I guess you’re right. I was just thinking of her sneaking behind my back to make sure my scent would stay fresh on your construction site.”
“About that—” He started to ask why they’d been on the site to begin with but she quickly interrupted him with a surprised gasp.
“Oh, my.” Abigail couldn’t help her gasp of awe and delight when they stopped before a large A-frame house. The house and the location were perfect. The truck had left the paved road about five miles ago, turning off onto a well-maintained gravel road.
“This is mine. Ryland has a piece of land about a half mile behind mine and Quinn’s is further down the road.” Ryker took her hand and helped her from the high cab.
She put her hands on his big shoulders to steady herself. She lost her train of thought when he pulled her close and let her slid down his hard body. They stared into each other’s eyes for long moments until Ryker cleared his throat.
“Come on. Let’s get you inside where it’s warmer.” The night was still young, but an early fall breeze was blowing. He frowned when he saw the thinness of her jacket. She’d worn the same one this morning. It was totally useless against the cold.
When her cat purred at the possessiveness in the big bear’s tone, Abby cautioned her animal to hold strong. Fate, she was learning, had a way of screwing with your life when you least expected it. The feel of Ryker’s hand on her back, urging her forward almost broke that resolve. She wanted this man as her mate.
A low rumble filled the room as Abby’s stomach choose that moment to announce, again, how hungry she and her cat were after a long shift at the diner. The sisters had been too nervous to eat earlier, despite all the delicious food Ryland had bought them. Which reminded her, she needed to have a talk with Ryker. She knew both brothers had been responsible for the bounty that had suddenly appeared in their apartment. They were not some charity case.
“I need to feed you.” Ryker took Abby’s hand and strode across the wide expanse of the wooden floor into the kitchen. The lower level of the house had the most open concept Abigail had ever seen. There were no walls to hinder what she knew would be a breathtaking view during the day from the bank of windows to the east. On the opposite side of the kitchen, a large staircase led to the second story. Along that back wall were a couple of doorways.
Ryker saw her interest and said, “That’s Ryland’s room.”
“What?”
When they reached the large kitchen island, Ryker stopped his forward march to pick her up and sit her on a wide leather stool.
“When I built the house, I knew Ryland wouldn’t be able to resist staying over sometimes. Now, I’m glad I did. They can stay here until he gets his house built. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Unable to resist touching her again, he brushed away the hair that had fallen from her ponytail and stole a deep kiss.
“Um, I guess,” Abby responded when he moved away. She lifted her hand to her lips and touched her mouth. When had she ever received such a sweet yet arousing kiss? Never. She closed her eyes. How was she going to find the strength to walk away from this man?
“So, is an omelet okay? It will be hot.” Ryland had his head buried in the large commercial size refrigerator. He reappeared a moment later, his arms filled with eggs and a variety of cheese and vegetables.
“I’m not that hungry.” Abigail spoke up quietly, still a little shell-shocked by how fast the bear had moved in the last hour. She’d started the evening not even expecting to see him, and now she was alone with him in his house and he was fixing her something to eat.
“Yes, you are.” He moved beside the stove, placing the items beside a large wooden cutting board. Within minutes a large skillet was heating on the stove and a dozen eggs had been broken into a large glass bowl to which Ryker added milk, salt, and pepper. Abby had never seen anyone move as smoothly and efficiently in a kitchen, even with such a simple dish.
Ryker let the eggs cook for a few minutes before adding the vegetables. As they cooked, he took out a large loaf of what appeared to be homemade bread and made toast in a stainless steel toaster oven. He slathered them with butter when the buzzer sounded a few minutes later. He added cheese to the omelets and slid them into the ceramic plates when they were ready. Two large glasses of milk completed the light meal.
Ryker sat down across from her. Without speaking, they picked up their forks and dug into the meal
Abby ate half of her omelet before pushing her plate away. Immediately, Ryker asked, “You want something else, baby?”
“No, no.” Abby groaned as she wiped her mouth with the napkin he had provided. That had been the best thing she had ever eaten or so it seemed. It was certainly the most she’d eaten in one a day.
She looked up shyly. “No, that was more than enough. It was amazing.”
Instead of taking away the half eaten meal, Ryker pulled her plate across the counter. Abby watched as her leftover food disappeared in two bites. Apparently, there were no such things as leftovers in a bear household. He gathered the dishes and ran water in the sink. Within minutes the dishes were done and the countertops wiped clean.
“Come here, Abby.” Her cat bumped against the inside of her chest, trying to get to her obey the big bear’s command. The feline was a horny bitch Abigail had discovered. She’d loved nothing better than to rub herself all over the husky male. In a nervous habit, her fingers fiddled with the scrunchy she’d used to secure her hair at the nape of her neck. She’d refused to let Emma gussy her up for a date that might not show.
When he saw her hesitation, he spoke again. “Please.”
Before she could stop herself, Abigail took the three steps necessary to bring her within his reach. He brought her in the rest of the way. Her cat purred at the hard masculine body that touched hers. He pulled the scrunchy out of her hair. Next, he ran his fingers through the loose strands before massaging her scalp.
“Oh, God,” she groaned, clenching the front of his shirt for support. “That feels so good.”
She closed her eyes on the heavenly bliss of his touch.
Ryker’s big fingers continued to stroke her scalp. Eventually, she pulled away so she could see his face. “Where did you learn to do that?”
He shrugged. “I remember Dad doing it for Mom when she wore her hair long. Something about the weight making her head hurt. He didn’t want her going to bed with a headache.” He grinned and she smacked him.
“Is everything about sex with you bears?”
“Yep.” His fingers tightened and his other arm clamped around her back to pull her closer still. “Now kiss me.”
She knew he was going to kiss her and she knew she should protest. Wanted to protest. Needed to protest. To find the strength to tell him to back off and leave her alone. Instead, she leaned into him, meeting him halfway.
His mouth was hot, ruthless in his possession. He plundered her lips with deliberate purpose, a roughly banked passion. His tongue warred with hers, demanding her submission. Her cat hungered to give it to him. The woman was determined to remain strong. She couldn’t stand to have her heart broken.
His hands trailed along her sides and she stiffened in surprise. She’d never been comfortable with her curves. “Don’t,” he growled against her mouth as if he knew exactly why she was resisting his touch. This time her cat submitted to his dominance and brought the woman with her. When this was over, she was going to have to have a long talk with her animal. You did not give it up to the first male who made you weak in the knees.
Yep, a long talk.
But in the meantime, she was running her hands across his broad shoulders and down his muscled back. She was matching his passion touch for touch, kiss for kiss.<
br />
His lips hardened and kissed her as if there was no tomorrow and Abigail felt the kiss to the very depths of her soul.
~*~
When her sister and mate left, Emma turned to Ryland, suddenly consumed by nerves. “So now what?”
“Now I feed you.”
Emma was more than willing to follow Ryland toward the small kitchenette. Soon he had meat frying and water boiling on the two burner portable stove top he’d bought this morning. She wanted to say something, but didn’t know what. Please don’t take care of me? Please don’t show me that you love me?
So instead she sat on one of the torn vinyl bar stools, another dumpster find, and watched.
And drooled. But not for the food.
She couldn’t take her eyes off him. The neck of his t-shirt rode low enough to reveal a wedge of golden skin dusted with light brown hair.
“What?” He glanced at her as he put spaghetti noodles into the boiling water.
“I’ve never had a man cook for me before.”
“Good.” His voice was smug.
“You’re happy no one has ever cared enough to cook for me?”
He stirred the hamburger and turned down the heat. “No, I’m happy you’re going to be sharing a lot of firsts with me, Emma.”
“Pretty confident in yourself considering twenty-four hours ago, I was going to give you to my sister as a second mate.”
His long strides ate up the small distance between them. “Something you’re going to pay for later.” For a brief, sizzling moment, desire and promise smoldered in his eyes. Emma’s blood heated and she knew her eyes reflected the same need.
Why not now? her cat purred and Emma almost voiced the question herself.
She probably would have if her stomach hadn’t chosen that moment to let out a low, hungry growl.
