by E A Price
“We have different dads – she grew up with hers, and I grew up with mine. We wrote each other e-mails and stuff, but we were more like pen pals than actual sisters.”
“Where is your father now?”
Mira stared out of the window. “He died earlier in the year.”
“I am sorry to hear that.”
“Ariel told me about your dad – I’m sorry too.”
Branch let out a small grunt. His dad was not a young man when he died – he was already middle-aged when he mated and had calves. But still, Branch wouldn’t have minded a little extra time with the gruff, old bull.
“I really enjoyed this evening.”
He wasn’t quite sure he believed her, given her near sorrowful expression.
Branch cleared his throat as he pulled up outside her building “Well, we have ice skating next.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“Humph.”
Mira let out a musical giggle and patted his hand. “It will be fun – you’ll see.”
Her fingers lingered on his, and he could feel his inner beast braying in pleasure. His skin tingled at her touch, and the sports car seemed to shrink. It was too small, he couldn’t move without touching her, couldn’t breathe without inhaling her glorious scent. She was everywhere, and he wanted nothing more than to gather her in his arms and drink her in.
“I’ll see you then,” she said and withdrew her hand.
The fog surrounding him, addling his brain lifted marginally – but only marginally.
“I, ah, yes,” he muttered. “I’ll walk you to your door.”
Then he would drive home like a madman, strip out of his clothes and allow his edgy beast a run through the snow. The cold would do them both good. At least, it would do one part of him good.
Twenty-One
December 18th
Branch let out a loud ‘oof’ as Mira careened into him.
“I thought you could skate,” he complained as she nearly tumbled them both.
Mira grinned up at him. “No, I said it sounded like fun. I’ve never been ice skating in my life.”
Branch grunted. He could attest to that. She was as graceful as two giraffes tied together who were also learning how to skate for the first time.
“Just keep your feet straight.”
He firmly took her hands, gently pulling her along like she was a sleigh. Good job he was a reindeer – made pulling ungainly objects second nature. Not that she was ungainly – not really. It was actually quite sweet watching her stumbling across the ice. No matter how many times she fell over or crashed into someone, she never lost her smile.
“Okay, I think I’m ready for a solo skate,” she said, her smile widening even more.
“Are you sure?”
“Definitely.”
“Okay.”
Reluctantly, he let go of her hands, and she started off steadily enough, taking a few hesitant skates, only wobbling a little. But a second later she started skating full steam, plowing directly into an unsuspecting Roger who was sitting on the edge of the rink talking into his cell.
Branch had to chew his cheek not to laugh. Roger’s horrified expression as Mira hit him had been priceless. He started to move towards them, to ensure that Mira was uninjured and that Roger didn’t put his hands anywhere off limits – lest he wanted to lose one of them – when Ariel waved at him that she was going to rescue Mira.
He chuffed as he scented two of his herd approaching – Wayne and Kara. They were newly mated and ordinarily made him nauseous with their lovey-dovey attitudes. But he supposed it was too late to skate in the other direction. Was it? Yes, it probably was.
“Alpha,” trilled Kara.
Wayne echoed his mate and Branch gave them an absent nod.
“Congratulations on your mate,” gushed Kara. “She’s really lovely. I’m sure you two will be very happy – as happy as we are I’m sure.”
Wayne leaned down and whispered something in Kara’s ear, which unfortunately Branch heard and was choosing to pretend he didn’t.
Kara squealed with laughter, loud enough to nearly burst an eardrum, and Branch gave them both a glower that they completely missed.
Kara sobered a little and elbowed Wayne. “It’s so nice to see you here. We thought you’d never show up to any of the herd events. We thought you didn’t… ah…”
Branch frowned at her and Wayne shook his head at her, telling her to shut up.
“Didn’t what?” prompted Branch.
“Ummm…”
Kara’s cheeks bloomed bright red, and Wayne cleared his throat. “Some members of the herd believed that you were… well, no longer interested in being Alpha.”
Branch scowled in surprise and looked around at various herd mates.
“We mean no offense, Alpha,” murmured Kara in a small voice. “It’s just that in recent years you have stopped attending all herd events and even herd meetings. We barely see you anymore.”
Branch was going to argue that he had been busy, but he stopped and merely gave them a look – an alpha look. They shrank a little from that look.
“But that doesn’t matter now,” said Wayne hastily.
“No, now that Mira’s here I’m sure things will be different,” added Kara, returning to her usual bubbly self.
Branch gave them a dismissive nod, and the two of them skated away in each other’s arms.
He returned his attention to where Mira was apologizing to Roger, who was currently clutching his groin. Branch didn’t bother to withhold his chuckle at that. If anyone deserved a kick in the nuts, it was Roger he thought evilly.
Mira caught sight of Branch watching and gave him a jovial wave. Her enjoyment was not diminished by nearly maiming one of the herd. It certainly increased Branch’s enjoyment. He gave her a half-wave in return.
He thought about what Kara and Wayne told him. True he had not had much time for the many herd events over the past few years, but their business took up a lot of his time. Since Janelle’s death, he had not really wanted to socialize much. Even before then, he thought honestly. Janelle had never really been interested in attending family parties or events like this. If it were a skydiving trip, then yes, she’d probably have agreed to that. She liked doing what she liked, and that was it, and Branch was the same. He didn’t tend to do things just to make others happy if he didn’t want to – well, maybe his mother now and again so that she didn’t cry at him.
But he was here now, and he didn’t really want to be. He wasn’t so selfish that he wouldn’t make the odd small sacrifice for his herd. He was getting mated when he didn’t really want to, wasn’t he? Some would say that was a huge sacrifice. Right? He didn’t want to be mated to Mira, did he?
He watched as she slammed into Harlan. Luckily, he was steady enough just to catch her… in his arms… which were now wrapped around her. Branch didn’t even realize he was skating in their direction until he reached them.
*
“See, wasn’t that fun?”
Branch looked at her in disbelief. “You fell over thirty-two times.”
“Yes, and it was fun!”
Mira laughed at the expression on his face. Ice skating turned out to be a lot more difficult than she imagined, but she had still enjoyed it. All of Branch’s herd were either just amazing on skates or had lots of practice – probably a little of both, but none of them minded picking her up when she fell down. Though Branch wasn’t too keen when any other men tried to pick her up.
“I’d be amazed if you aren’t covered in bruises,” he said censoriously.
Mira pushed the sleeves of her sweater up to her elbows and inspected her forearms. “Looks okay.”
Branch snagged one of her wrists and brought her arm up to his face for a closer look. Mira held her breath as he ran a finger along her arm. A pleasurable shiver danced down her spine.
“Maybe,” he conceded. “But you didn’t fall on your arms.”
His eyes seemed to darken with desire
. Mira withheld a moan as she imagined him caressing her where she did indeed fall. His fingers would stroke her cheeks before perhaps delving lower to where her honey seeped, begging for attention…
Impulsively, she leaned towards him, her lips seeking his, and Branch dropped her wrist.
“This is just business,” he said gruffly, and coldly turned away from her.
Mira flinched as if a cold bucket of water had been thrown over her.
“Of course,” she murmured in agreement.
She pushed her sleeves down her arms and forced a smile on her face. She shouldn’t let her desires spiral away from her. She was doing this for her sister, and he was doing it for his herd. Branch could walk away from her at the drop of a hat. That was all there was to it, and she should not forget that otherwise she really would be in danger.
“I better go – Temp worries about me.”
Her sister did indeed stay up pacing until Mira got home. She acted in a motherly way that would be quite foreign to their actual mother.
“I’ll walk you to your door.”
Mira thought about saying no, of insisting he not, but that was just being silly. She was already a little embarrassed and disappointed by his rejection, but she didn’t really want him to think it had affected her.
Mira beamed at him. “Thanks, I appreciate it... dude.”
Branch paused but then nodded and quickly got out the car to jog around and open her door. She had actually never used the word dude in her life – sounded very strange coming out of her mouth. But hey, if they wanted to keep things impersonal, she would keep them impersonal.
Twenty-Two
December 19th
Mira smiled at the security guards in Branch’s building. Ordinarily, they stopped her, made her go through the metal detector, but not today. Oh no, they ushered her through the security check. They stood up a little straighter, sucked in their guts a little more – not that the well-built guys really had guts – and smiled ingratiatingly at her.
They weren’t members of Branch’s herd – someone told her they were bear shifters! But they were certainly keen to make her feel welcome. Undoubtedly they knew she was going to mate Branch. They all but put out a red carpet for her now.
She hadn’t delivered to the building since they had made their arrangement. There shouldn’t be that much difference, except now she knew just about everyone’s name, and now she also knew lots of nuggets of gossip about everyone thanks to Ariel’s friends who could talk a freaking mile a minute.
Mira smiled. How odd that she thought that someone else talked too much – usually that’s what people said about her.
She made her way to Carrie – the pregnant lady who was one of her favorite customers. Or should she say, the pregnant reindeer shifter? Yes, Carrie was also a member of the herd and sister to Branch’s head enforcer. Mira planned to go straight to see Branch – she thought she ought to give him the pick of the sandwiches since they were supposed to be a couple. But she couldn’t deny a pregnant woman, especially as Carrie was making a sad face and rubbing her stomach. She had time for one stop.
*
Branch checked his phone again as he stomped into his office. Nada. No calls from anyone. He slammed his phone on his desk. Not even from a certain curvy blonde. Even though he gave her a phone, programmed his number into it and suggested that she call him to check it was working. She probably just called someone else he thought sourly. Peevishly, he wondered who.
Mira accepted the phone with less contention than expected. But then he did just wait until they reached her door, push it into her hands and told her to call him as he walked away. He didn’t really give her the opportunity to argue.
Maybe she was mad at him. She wanted to kiss him, and he stopped her. But he was sure it was the right thing to do. If they brought sex into the relationship, it would just make everything messy.
Crap on a cracker, he had desperately wanted to kiss her. Wanted to taste those soft, pillowy lips. Wanted to run his hands all over her body.
Branch groaned and pulled his tie off as he made his way to his private bathroom. He didn’t have any meeting for a couple of hours. Perhaps a quick cold shower would douse the fire threatening to send him mad.
His reindeer jerked as he scented someone in his bathroom. Damn, if he weren’t so distracted by Mira he would have scented them the moment he entered his office. It better not be Harlan again playing his stupid practical jokes again. Like the green dye in his showerhead – that resulted in some very awkward meetings.
Nope. Worse. It was Maris.
Branch threw the door open and growled. Yep, she was in there, half naked and grinning at him.
“Alpha,” she cooed.
“Maris!” he snarled.
Of course, that was the moment Mira showed up.
“O holy night! Is this a bad time?”
Grrr.
Twenty-Three
“I am sorry you had to see that,” grumbled Branch.
Sadly, it wasn’t the first time he had seen that. The building security knew not to let her up there, but she always managed to get by them somehow. Maris had been forced to get dressed and after Branch yelled at her for a solid five minutes – his voice was pretty raw – he had his uncle remove her and instructed him to punish her in some way.
“It’s fine,” said Mira, flashing him one of her wide smiles. “One of my neighbors – Mr. Glicker – used to parade around in his underwear all the time. It was a banana hammock, he was eighty years old and sixty pounds overweight. Seeing a pretty woman in a bra and panties is actually a welcome change.”
She was rearranging the sandwiches in her basket and didn’t seem unduly concerned that she had just found a half-naked crazy woman in Branch’s bathroom.
“You’re not mad?” he asked cautiously.
“No, of course not.”
Instinct told him this was a trap. “Are you sure?”
Mira gave him a patient look. “Well, we’re not really together, right?”
Branch grunted.
“Besides, it’s kind of obvious she’s into you – it’s not that big of a surprise that she’d try something like this. I’ve met women like her before. For a moment I thought she tried to drop the tree on me the other night.”
“What?!”
If Maris had tried to hurt her…
Mira waved her hand. “Honestly, when I think about it, I’m sure it was just an accident. After all, Ariel was the one who secured that wire and she was more than a little distracted that night, and your uncle was watching Maris.”
Branch grunted again. “I will make sure this does not happen again.”
“No worries, anyway, brought you a sandwich.” She waved it at him playfully before tossing it in his direction. “And, a cupcake. Actually, I won’t throw that – it’ll be messy.”
She walked it over to him.
“Thank you.”
“I love my new phone by the way – it’s very much appreciated. If you want me to pay you back…”
“No,” he growled. “It was a gift.”
“Phew! I only have two kidneys, and I’m pretty attached to both of them. Honestly, the phone is fantastic. I’ve downloaded like fifty apps already, and I’m addicted to emojis. I’ve been driving Temp crazy. I may use up all the credit you put on there within a week.”
“I am pleased you are enjoying it.”
“So, see you tonight?”
“Yes, I will collect you at seven.”
“Great.”
She hefted her basket, staggering slightly, and Branch eagerly got to his feet, removing it from her grasp.
“This is far too heavy for you,” he griped.
“Oh, it’s only heavy at the start – every sandwich I sell makes it a little lighter. So the quicker I get going…”
She raised her eyebrows in a hint that he completely ignored. He was not about to allow her to hurt herself when it could easily be avoided.
“Nonsense. Mal!�
� he roared.
Mira’s face scrunched. “Very loud, dude.”
Her use of the name ‘dude’ only incensed him more.
“Mal!” he thundered.
His head enforcer flew through the door, eagerly searching for danger.
“Alpha?” he panted.
He must have been on another floor of the building.
“Find an enforcer to carry Mira’s basket for her.”
Mal only paused for a second before that sunk in, then he nodded and pulled out his cell to call one of his men.
“That’s not necessary,” Mira whispered just a tad disapprovingly.
“I can’t allow you to struggle around the building.”
Mira pulled a face like she was going to argue and then merely nodded. “You’re right – it would look bad in front of your herd. We have to keep up appearances – you have to look like you care.”
Branch frowned. “No, I…”
“Good save, dude.”
Branch scowled as Mal announced that one of their enforcers – Ed – would take her around the building.
Mira happily waved goodbye while Mal took the basket for the time being. Branch fumed as he slumped at his desk. His desire was thoroughly doused. Maris’ antics coupled with Mira’s dismissiveness saw to that.
Mira treating him like a casual acquaintance bothered him. She was behaving how he wanted her to – how he asked her to, and he didn’t like it one damn bit.
Twenty-Four
“Wow, this is one hell of an ugly sweater party. I love it!”
Mira looked around at the herd members – they really had outdone themselves. She particularly liked how most of them lit up and played music.
“Outrageous sweater party,” rumbled Branch. “Mom objects to the term ugly.”
“I agree, outrageous is a much better word – I think they’re all fabulous. I’m so jealous. I wish I owned all these sweaters.” Mira’s own sweater – a light-up sweater featuring penguins doing the conga - was pretty tame in comparison to most on display. “I love yours, where did you get it?”
Branch pursed his lips and pulled at the collar again. It featured dancing gingerbread men, and yes it both lit up and played music in such a way it really looked like the gingerbread men were moving.
