Chased Mate: Cybermates

by Ayers, Candace

  Not good. Not good at all.

  “He was horrid at dinner. Just awful! He insulted me.” Hailie scowled. “He’s not like us.”

  I was seething with anger and shame at that point. I was also done keeping my mouth shut just to keep peace with my family. “After you insulted me. Just so we’re clear, you all insulted me first, and he didn’t like it. So, Hailie, he gave you back a taste of your own medicine.”

  “Well, Jesus, Arden, what do you expect? You’re not exactly taking care of yourself. Did you eat this whole pot of mashed potatoes?” Hailie crossed her arms and glared.

  Mom was shaking her head. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but you need to get it together. Your father and I raised you better than this.”

  “Wow.” I shook my head. “Do you hear yourself?”

  Hailie rubbed her non-existent baby belly. “Is this about the baby? You always get a little weird when one of us gets pregnant. I know you wish it was you, and maybe it could be if you started taking better care of your appearance and stopped dating losers. For goodness sakes, Arden, you’re not getting any younger, you know. You should probably get yourself together before your eggs all dry up.”

  “Shut the fuck up!” I screamed the words before I even knew I was going to, but I wasn’t sorry. It felt great. So great that I did it again. “Shut the fuck up! All three of you. You should hear yourselves with all your judgement and disapproval. I may not be married to some rich guy from a fancy family with perfect children and a perfectly behaved dog, and prize winning flowers, but I have a good life. I work a very good job, and I bought my own house with my own money. I’m happy about those things. Mostly. The times when I’m not happy? When I have to come to Sunday dinner and sit there while you all judge and insult me. You don’t like it Hailie? Stop doing it to me.

  “Flynn has a past, so fucking what. A person’s past does not necessarily define their future. Yeah, he comes from the streets. He’s had to fight and claw his way from poverty with nothing—not even family. He’s been supporting himself since he was a teenager. He earned enough money to buy his own automotive shop and start his own liquor distributorship. Do you know how much grit and determination and… and... strength of character it takes to do that? For your information, I am proud of Flynn!” And I was. God, why hadn’t I told him all that last night? I just told him to leave as though I didn’t care. I let one of the finest men I’d ever known walk out of my life. Stupid! “You are all dead wrong to judge him for events in his past. Flynn is a better person than any of you.” Us. He was better than us.

  I was breathing heavy by the time I finished my rant. Shouting at my mother and sisters felt exhilarating. I should have done it sooner. But the person I really needed to say some of this to was Flynn. I needed to apologize for doubting him, and for doubting us.

  “Let yourselves out when you’re done rifling through my things and judging me. I’m going to find Flynn.” I threw open the front door and glanced back at them. “And don’t think I’m showing up at Sunday dinner without Flynn. In fact, I’m not coming to Sunday dinner. Not at all. Not until the three of you learn how to act like decent human beings.”

  Slamming the door behind me, I left with the vision of their shocked faces imprinted on my brain. The adrenaline from what I’d just done was pumping through my body so hard I was shaking. Shit. I’d left my purse inside. No way was I going back for my keys. I was too eager to get to Flynn to have to spend another twenty minutes arguing with my mother and sisters.

  I started off at a brisk walk, but that turned into a run. I needed Flynn. I needed to talk to him, explain to him, throw my arms around him, bury my face in his chest and feel one of his warm, enveloping hugs—the ones that made me feel so comforted and cared for. I was so stupid for ever doubting us.

  When I reached Island Auto, I threw open the shop door…and my jaw hit the floor. That crazy woman who’d claimed to be pregnant with Flynn’s baby—what was her name? Tiff. It was Tiff. She was on top of the ‘67 Mustang naked and spread eagle. The same Mustang Flynn had bent me over the first time he and I…oh, god. She looked over at me and scowled.

  I stood frozen like an idiot, my stomach plummeting into my shoes. She smirked and nodded toward the top of the stairs. “Flynn will be back any minute. You should probably go. Before this gets awkward.”

  I willed my feet to move, but they refused. I gasped for breath and clutched at my chest, the pain was excruciating. Move, dammit. Stumbling, I finally made my way outside, slamming the door shut behind me and blindly racing away from a scene that was sure to play itself over and over again in my mind for as long as I lived.

  * * *

  The neon sign Mimi’s Cabana caught my attention. I’d been stumbling around for…I didn’t know how long. My tears had dried up and at that point I just felt numb. When I saw the sign, I knew I needed a stiff one—drink. I needed a stiff drink, not a stiff…ugh.

  I shoved the door with my shoulder and basically fell into the bar. Without looking around, I shuffled over and planted myself on a barstool, next to two big guys.

  The bartender came over. “Sweetheart, you look like you could use a drink. You okay?” She was a large woman clad in a coconut shell bra and a grass skirt.

  “I need a shot of tequila. A double.” Oh, crap, I’d left my purse at home. “Wait. I don’t have any money. I mean, I forgot my purse.”

  “I got it, Mimi,” the guy next to me said.

  I took the shot and downed it in one swallow before looking up to see who had just bought my drink. I didn’t recognize him. Just as I was about to thank him, my throat registered the foreign invader. I choked on the burning liquid, coughing so hard that the other of the two guys got up and started patting me on the back.

  After several seconds, the coughing subsided and my breathing normalized. “Sorry. Sorry, I’m okay. No, not okay, but my throat is fine now.”

  “Hey, you’re the nurse from the maternity ward at Sunkissed Med Center. Arden right?”

  Holy crap. It was Parker Pettit’s husband. I forgot his name, but I’d recognize that huge guy anywhere. He’d practically flattened me.

  “I’m Maxim, in case you forgot. You look like you’ve got some stuff on your mind. Gray and I just want to know one thing. Do we need to break someone’s face tonight?”

  I looked down into my empty shot glass and shook my head sadly.

  “Arden!” Suddenly, Laila appeared next to me on one side, and Parker on the other. I turned and waved feebly, managing what might vaguely resemble a smile. Parker and Laila exchanged glances, then Laila pulled me off the stool and into a hug. She all but carried me over to a booth in the back corner.

  Parker motioned me into the bench seat ahead of her. “Let’s go, sister. Sit down, we’re going to indulge in some girl talk.”

  I slid in. “I don’t want to interrupt your evening. Believe me, I’m not the best company right now.”

  They exchanged glances again and Laila patted my hand. “You’re not interrupting anything. You talk, we’ll listen.”

  I was about to protest, but the tequila must have loosened my tongue. I sucked in a long breath and started talking. Once I started, I couldn’t stop, and it all came out. All of it.

  From the Sleeping Beauty kiss to the dinner with my family, to finding little Miss Pregnant Penthouse Centerfold in Flynn’s shop. I just went on and on. I couldn’t stop.

  By the time I was done, I’d called Flynn every name in the book, but finished by explaining that it was probably my fault.

  When I went silent, Parker only had one thing to say. “I got this.”

  16

  Flynn

  I was already in a shit mood when Parker Pettit came storming into my shop. I wasn’t exactly sure what I might have done to piss off the pint-sized, purple bunny, but she sure didn’t look pleased. What I wasn’t expecting were the words that she hurled at me.

  “You stupid dingbatted sonofabiscuit! How the heck could you tell Arden t
hat she’s your mate and then cheat on her?!” She grabbed a wrench from the toolbox next to her and waved it at me.

  “What the fuck you talking ‘bout, Parker. And put that down before you hurt yourself.”

  “I’m gonna hurt you. She saw that skanky hoe here last night. Walked in on her waiting for you. How do you feel about that?”

  I swore and pulled my hands down my face. “Aw, fuck. She saw that?”

  “Yeah, she saw that! She was coming over to tell you she wanted to make things work, but instead, she got her heart broken.” Parker swung the wrench in my direction. “She’s still passed out at my house from drowning in tequila last night.”

  “Fuck!” I slammed my fist into the wall behind me, shattering the brick. “What she saw was not what it looked like. I came down and found that psycho-stalker spread out all over one of the cars. She wasn’t invited, she wasn’t welcome and she sure as hell wasn’t allowed to stay.”

  Parker let the wrench hang loosely at her side. “So, you weren’t cheating on her?”

  “Of course not, Parker. You know better. Have you ever known a shifter to cheat on their mate?”

  “Well, no.” She frowned. “But you’re—”

  “Not that big of a fucking asshole. I would never do anything to hurt Arden. She’s my mate. I have to make this right.”

  “Oh, well…” She dropped the wrench back into the toolbox and wiped her hand on her jeans. “In that case, I suggest you first make sure that whoever-she-is stops popping up and shoving her preg-o-belly in Arden’s face.”

  “She won’t be back. I filed a restraining order. I also called the man who I have a strong suspicion is the father of her baby, and told him he better get his ass back here because he’s a daddy-to-be. So, I suspect he’ll be returning to town to keep an eye on her soon.” I swore louder. “Fucking bullshit. I would never cheat on Arden. I…”

  “You love her?”

  Glaring at the rabbit, I growled and slammed the hood of the car I’d been working on. “She’s my mate.”

  “Not what I asked.”

  “Yes! Fuck, yes. She thinks I’ve only known her for five minutes, but I’ve been listening to her talk to me for six months while I was holed up in that hospital bed. I heard every word. Sure, I didn’t remember it all right away, but it’s come back to me in bits and pieces. I know all about the situation with her family, the way her mother always pushes these boring guys on her. Can you imagine Arden, a woman full of so much passion, so much fire, a woman with such a warm, open, tender heart, married to some stuffy bean counter who gives stiff, plastic kisses and considers passion to be scheduling vanilla sex on the calendar once a week?”

  Parker just shook her head, grinning.

  “They wouldn’t know what to do with a woman like Arden. Hell, I may not even know, but I swear to the heavens above, I will die trying.”

  Parker was still staring, still grinning, and now nodding. “Yep. You love her.”

  “She’s amazing, Parker.. I’ve never known a woman like her. She’s so damn good. So kind and caring…yeah, I fucking love her! I love everything about her.”

  “Then, don’t just stand here flapping your gums at me. Go and tell her that. She thinks she lost you for good. That you gave up on her.”

  I angrily scrubbed a towel over my knuckles. “Not a fucking chance. I was trying to back off and give her the opportunity to come to terms with everything. After I met her family, I realized she didn’t need anyone else trying to manipulate her or push their will onto her. She deserves to make her own decisions and have them respected. I can’t have her thinking I don’t care about her, though.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think giving her space is the best thing right now. Did she really wake you up from a coma with a kiss?”

  I tossed the towel down and grinned. “She did.”

  “Wow. That’s romantic. Well, Sleeping Beauty, go get your Princess Charming.”

  “Damn right I will. Point me in the direction of your house.”

  “You’re a shifter. Use your sniffer.” I rolled my eyes and she shrugged. “Alright, alright. Maxim’s at home with the baby, though. If he managed to get her down for a nap, beware. You wake her up, he’ll rip your throat out.”

  I climbed on the bike and headed in the direction Parker gave. It was a fast drive to Shipwreck Way. I parked the bike in front of the house and was halfway up the driveway when the front door cracked open and Arden slipped out, holding her shoes in one hand. She startled and jumped when she saw me. The pain that flashed through her eyes hit me hard.

  “Arden, we have to talk.”

  Her shoulders stiffened and she winced as she jutted her chin up and out. She tugged her shirt into place and walked in the opposite direction. Undeterred, I walked after her.

  “You didn’t see what you thought you saw.”

  She spun on her heel and threw one of her shoes at me, then groaned loudly and clutched her head. “Are you really going to try to tell me I didn’t see a naked woman spread out over the hood of the same car you and I…we…I can’t even say it. I know what I saw, Flynn. It wasn’t an optical illusion.”

  I picked up her shoe and ducked when the next one almost nailed me. Picking up the second shoe, I raised my eyebrows at her. “Got anything else to throw at me?”

  She growled and bent over. Grabbing a handful of sand, she threw it at me, but the wind was against her. Instantly, she cried out and covered her eyes. “Oh, crap. Why’d I do that? I guess that’s karma for ya’.”

  I closed the gap between us and grunted when she flinched away from me. “Stop it. Let me help. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

  “You already did that.” Tears leaked from her eyes and she was making little whimpering sounds. “Arden, baby, look at me.”

  Her eyes snapped shut. “No.”

  “Look at me. Right now.”

  She shook her head. “Uh-uh.”

  Her quavering voice cut me and I pinned her arms to her sides and held her against my chest. She fought against me, but I held firm. “Arden, are you feeling okay? You’re burning up.”

  “I drank too much tequila last night.”

  She had a fever. I doubted that a hangover would give her a fever. “That whole thing that you saw with Tiff on my car, it was a set up. I didn’t invite her there and I didn’t want her there. When I came downstairs and saw her, I kicked her the hell out. If you’re upset with me, be upset with me for something I actually did, not something you think I did.”

  She went still, but she looked up at me with watery eyes.

  “As soon as I made sure she was gone, I went down and filed a restraining order.” I stroked her back. “Sweetheart, I had no idea you stopped by. I would have come to you sooner and explained. I promise you I won’t ever cheat on you and I won’t ever lie to you. What you saw last night wasn’t me cheating on you. I would never. You’re it for me. I love you, Arden. I want to be with you forever. Only you.”

  She chewed on her lower lip. “You mean that?” Fat tears spilled down her cheeks.

  “I do. Come on. I’ll get you home.” I picked her up.

  “I can walk, Flynn.”

  “I’m carrying you.” She didn’t fight. She buried her face in my neck and it stayed there until I got her inside and put her down in her bed.

  When I moved away, her hand snapped out and caught my arm. “Don’t leave.”

  “I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart. I’m just going to find you some medicine and water.” I pressed a light kiss to her forehead before rifling through her medicine cabinet.

  By the time I returned, she was passed out. I left the ibuprofen on her side table and climbed in behind her. Wrapping my arms around her, I held her to my chest and stroked her back. We stayed like for the rest of the day, and all night.

  17

  Arden

  My massive hangover was actually a touch of a hangover and a lot of a nasty virus that lasted for days. I didn’t remember much because I mostly s
lept through it, but I did remember Flynn being in and out—cleaning up after me, feeding my cat, mopping my head with a damp cloth, and bringing me soup, water, or pain reliever.

  By the time the weekend came around, I was feeling a bit more like myself. When I woke up, I listened for Flynn, but the house was quiet. I reached for my cellphone on the nightstand. It was Sunday. I would normally have spent the entire day stressing about dinner at my parents’, but I wasn’t going. I was sticking to my guns about them. They needed to learn boundaries.

  I flicked on the bedroom TV and found that the classic movie station was playing a lineup of Rock Hudson, Doris Day movies. Hissyfit was sprawled on the end of my bed, staring at me, and occasionally licking his paws.

  It was a quiet morning. Between Pillow Talk and Lover Come Back, I finally got up and took a shower to get the stink off me. I dressed in another pair of pajamas, stripped the bed, and changed the sheets before climbing back in and pulling the blanket over my head.

  I must have fallen asleep because when I awoke, I felt Hissyfit touch my foot. I wiggled my toes to play with him. “Just keep your claws to yourself.”

  “Don’t I always?”

  I screamed and sat up. “You scared me! I thought you were Hissyfit wanting to play. I should have known better. He hates me.”

  “The cat? He doesn’t hate you.”

  “He doesn’t?”

  “No. He’s not a people cat, but he cares a lot about you. He considers it his duty to take care of you. He patrols routinely to chase off any rodents or squirrels.”

  “How would you kn—never mind.” Huh. All this time I thought the cat hated me. He just had an attitude.

  Flynn smiled down at me. “You look like you’re feeling better.”