by Elisa Leigh
Culinary school was competitive and hard work. Most of my peers went on to work for five-star resorts around the world, but I had another goal in mind. I wanted to come back and work for my grandmother’s shop Berry Delicious. That’s how I met Ruby. She comes in a few times a week to grab breakfast. Eventually, we got to talking, and we became fast friends.
My stomach is tied up in knots. I only agreed to this because Ruby was so insistent. Ruby is the only real friend I have in town, and she basically begged me to go out with her brother. It makes me wonder what kind of guy he is that he needs his sister to get dates for him. Knowing Ruby though, he can’t be all that bad. She said he doesn’t ever date and he seems lonely. If anything, we can eat dinner and talk about how crazy Ruby is for setting us up and that will be the end of it.
I’ve been watching the door for ten minutes waiting for a guy to come in that looks like he’s here to meet me. Ruby didn’t give me many details. She said he was tall and had dark hair. Uhh, if you’re thinking that’s not a whole lot to go on, you’d be right. She also told me to wear my bear necklace, which I thought was weird, but Ruby is a little different from most people I’ve met. Three guys have walked in, and they have all gone straight for the bar. Every time they pass my table, I breathe out a sigh of relief, thanking God, he wasn’t the guy I was supposed to spend an evening with. I know I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but come on, we all do it, it’s human nature. And these guys all look like they are here to drown their sorrows in the bottom of a bottle or find a woman to lose themselves in for a couple of hours.
I look at my phone and see that he should have been here fifteen minutes ago. I should probably just leave, it’s not like I wanted to come anyway. I grab my purse and leave a ten on the table to pay for my half-empty beer and a tip for Caity. I’m about to stand when the door opens again. In walks a man dressed like everyone else I’ve seen here tonight wearing jeans, boots, and a warm coat. He looks like he’s been working all day, judging by the dirty shirt he has on, but the expression he’s wearing is different from every other person I’ve seen tonight. He looks determined like he’s on a mission and he’s not giving up until he’s completed it. The man is sexy as hell, and I can’t take my eyes away from him. He looks around the bar until his eyes find mine and then strides in my direction looking beyond pissed. I can’t decide if I should be scared or turned on. My body and brain war within me, fight or flight is kicking in. While I know I should get up and leave, I’m glued to my seat waiting for him to approach, dying to know what he’s going to say. His eyes never leave mine as he walks to the table.
Once he’s standing in front of me, he stops and inhales deeply closing his eyes. When he opens them, I swear I see desire filling his dark orbs. “Get. Up.” He says roughly.
“I’m sor… what? Who the hell do you think you are?”
He places his palms flat on the table between us and levels me with a demanding stare, making my heart beat rapidly, and my stomach tighten up. “Honey, we are not having dinner here. My sister knew what she was doing sending you to Remy’s without protection, but we aren’t staying. Now, let’s. Go.”
“You can’t just tell me what to do. I don’t even know you. What if I wanted to stay?” I cross my arms over my chest and give him my best glare, but he only stares at my chest, making me even more infuriated.
Giving me a sexy smirk, he opens his mouth, and his voice is like a warm whiskey. “If you really wanted to stay, I’d give in and sit my ass down. I have a feeling this is the last place you want to be. So, stop being stubborn and get your cute ass up so we can go.”
I stand slowly and brush past him as I walk to the door. He may be hot, but I’m done with people telling me what to do. I put up with it my whole life with my parents. I promised myself the day I chose not to be a lawyer that would be the last day someone would get to tell me what to do. I walk to my Jeep Wrangler already thinking about that bottle of wine sitting on my counter. I grab the handle to get in when my arm is pulled from behind, stopping me from getting in.
“Aubree, wait.” His deep baritone voice says from behind me. It soothes over me like a balm to my soul, and the raging fire slows to a low burn. I turn to face him, and he quickly backs me up against my Jeep. Breathing heavy, I’m pissed that he spoke to me that way in there, but I’m more pissed that my body seemed to like it. What is wrong with me? We’ve barely talked and yet there’s a need inside me like I’ve never felt before. I want to listen to whatever he has to say, no matter that he’s been nothing but a dominating asshole.
Three
Cole
My bear has been clawing at my insides, roaring to get out since the moment Ruby told me she sent her friend to Remy’s. At first, I thought it was because he’s the alpha of our clan and is somewhat protective of those he considers his. Why would he believe Ruby’s friend was his though? The closer I got, the more restless and agitated he became. Once I opened the door to Remy’s and stepped in, her scent hit me like a ton of bricks, and I knew instantly my mate was here. My mate. The only thing that mattered was finding her. My bear calmed the instant we laid eyes on her, and wouldn’t you know it, she’s got long dark hair and is wearing a bear pendant. It’s my lucky day.
I don’t know how Ruby knew, probably the same way she just knows when the weather is going to be bad or not to take on a certain job. Whatever the hell it is I’m thankful. I want to pull this dark-haired beauty to my side and never let her go, but she’s human, and she wouldn’t understand my need to mark her and make her mine. The first thing I need to do is get her out of this fucking cesspool of horny men before my bear reacts and shows himself. That is the last thing we need. As calmly as I can, I ask her to leave so we can go somewhere else. Guess I wasn’t as gentle as she needed because she gets up and leaves in a huff. Catching her before she drives off, I turn her around and back her up against the vehicle she is about to get into.
“Aubree, wait.”
Shifters rarely mate with a human, but it does happen. I don’t know how we are going to work or if she’ll even accept my bear, but I know she is meant for us, that she’s meant to be mine.
“I had to get you out of there Honey. All those men around you were driving me crazy.”
Her eyes go wide, and she presses herself as flat against the Jeep as she can get. “Look, I’m just going to go home okay? It was nice to meet you. I’ll tell Ruby it just wasn’t a match and that will be the end of it.” She’s about to turn to leave, but I step into her space pressing my body as close to hers without touching.
“Let’s have dinner. I know a place we can eat and get to know one another.”
“That’s not a good idea Cole. This isn’t going to work.”
I know she wants this as bad as I do, I can feel it down deep in my bones. Her scent is also very telling, letting me know she is as equally affected by me as I am by her. I can’t help but lean in close and inhale her sweet scent that is driving my bear and me crazy. Like a magnet, her body is attuned with mine, and she leans into me pressing her full tits against me. I groan out loud, unable to control my response to her. “You smell so fucking sweet Aubree. Give me another chance, just have dinner with me.”
“Okay,” she says sweetly, barely above a whisper.
I assume the mating pull is the only reason she agrees right now, but I’ll take what I can get. I pull back and grab her hand quickly leading her in the direction of my truck before she can change her mind and back out of this. I help her into the passenger seat and shut the door once she is buckled up. Once we’re on the road, I take a left and head out of town. The silence between us stretches while the tension in the cab doubles with every mile.
Aubree twists in her seat, so she’s facing me. “Where are we going? Town and all the restaurants are in the other direction.”
“Anyone ever tell you that you’re a bit of a hard ass?” Her lips purse and I can tell she’s about to give me another tongue lashing. “I’m kind of working on inst
inct here. I’ve never been on a date before, let alone a blind one. It’s probably unorthodox, but what if I cooked us a few steaks and we hung out at my place?”
“I find it hard to believe that a guy that looks like you has a hard time finding a date.”
“I wouldn’t know, and I’ve never had any interest in finding out. To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t looking forward to tonight until I walked in the door and spotted you.”
She’s about to say something when I pull up my drive, and she sees my cabin.
“This is yours?” She asks in awe.
God, is it really this easy? Does mating instinct kick in immediately, even in non-shifters and life just works out? Nah, life doesn’t always work out, just look at my Mom and Dad. He found his mate but all his joy, his reason for living died only a few years later.
My bear chuffs inside reminding me to be in the moment. He likes that our mate is pleased and so do I. My bear must have known our mate was near because I’ve made a lot of upgrades to the cabin over the past few months. I love the look of excitement that is dancing over her features, and she hasn’t even seen the inside yet. As I said, I’ve had a lot of time on my hands lately.
“It was my Mom and Dads. They built it with the help of their friends and family when they were ma-, when they were married. I moved out when I turned eighteen, but when my father passed away earlier this year, I moved back in.”
Aubree grabs my hand and squeezes it lightly. “I’m sorry for your loss Cole. I can’t imagine how hard that was. Ruby told me about your Mom and how your Dad raised you and your brothers and sister on his own. You all must have been close.”
Bringing her hand up to my lips I place a soft kiss on the top of her hand. Damn, her skin is soft and smells so sweet. “Thank you. Come on, I’m starving.” She goes to grab for the handle, but I stop her. “Just wait there, I’ll get the door for you.”
“I can open my door, Cole.”
“I know you can, and if I’m not with you, go for it. When I’m around I get your doors, okay?”
She rolls her eyes but sits back in her seat waiting for me. I hop out of my truck and quickly make my way around to open her door. I might not have ever dated before, but I know how my Dad treated my Mom when she was still alive, the same way he treated Ruby her whole life. He instilled in us to always treat women with the utmost respect and treasure them. “They are our life force, and they should be treated like queens.” He would tell my brothers and me. Finally having my mate, I fully appreciate his words.
When I open the door, she’s ready to jump down, but I hold out my hand for her. Shyly she takes my hand, and I help her down. I don’t let her hand go as we walk up the stairs and to the back door. No one ever uses the front unless they are strangers. Family and friends always use the back. I open the unlocked door and walk in to find Gabe and Slate watching the game on the flat screen. My mind was so wrapped up with Aubree, I wasn’t thinking about anyone else being here.
I tense immediately and let out a growl. My bear is on edge and doesn’t want anyone around his mate until she has been claimed. “What are you two doing here?”
Slate looks pissed. “I think the question is brother, what the hell are you doing?” He questions looking at my mate.
Aubree moves to stand behind me and it the scent of her fear hits me full on. I need to get them out of here before they fuck this up for me. She’s human and doesn’t understand everything that’s going on between us. If she leaves it will be even worse.
“Aubree, these are my brothers.” I pull her from behind me and wrap my arm around her, pulling her into my side. “This goofy looking one is Gabe and is Ruby’s twin.” Gabe stands to shake her hand but growl low in my throat and pull us back, so he doesn’t touch her. His eyes go wide, and suddenly a wide smile spreads across his face. Dropping his hand, he waves. “It’s nice to meet you, Aubree. Ruby has told me a lot about you.”
“You too Gabe,” Aubree says with a nervous smile. She turns to Slate. “You must be Slate then. Ruby has told me all about you three.”
He eyes her skeptically. “She has, she’s told you everything?”
Aubree blushes and looks down. “Well, n-n-not everything. I just meant, I just meant that she talks about her brothers a lot. I can tell you all mean a great deal to one another.”
“Interesting. She hasn’t told me anything about you. What about you Cole, when did you two meet?”
“That’s enough, Slate. Go home. I’ll call you later Slate. And the next time you speak to my mate, you better fucking talk to her with respect.” I say, inflecting my alpha dominance directly at Slate, making what I said an order that he can't help but obey.
Slate looks at me like I’ve lost my mind when he’s about to say something Gabe grabs him by the shoulder and pulls him out of the house. When the door closes behind them, I face my mate with a confused expression. “Did you just call me your mate?”
Four
Aubree
Mate. Cole referred to me as his mate. What the heck does that mean? And why is Slate so pissed that I’m here? Weird. Gabe seemed fine, happy even, which again is kind of weird. These three men are massive compared to me, tall with broad chests and bulging muscles. I want nothing more than to get away, but I have nowhere to go. Stupidly, I let Cole drive us back to his place, and I left my Jeep back at Remy’s. Things were actually going great until we got here and his brothers were hanging out in his living room.
I watch as Cole orders his brothers out of his home. The steel I hear inflected in his tone sends a shiver down my spine and makes me want to listen to whatever the hell he tells me to do. His brothers do as he commands and leave the way we came in. Once we are alone, the one thing that keeps zooming around in my head is that he called me his mate, why? “Did you just call me your mate?”
He nods and watches me carefully. I can tell he’s waiting for what I’m going to say, but I’m still confused. “What does that mean?”
He sighs and leads me to one of the couches in the living room where he sits beside me. I watch as he wipes his hands down over his handsome face. I can tell he’s exhausted from working all day and I hate that he seems so uneasy about talking to me. I wish I could just push him into a hot shower and lather him up. I’d rinse him off and then wrap my mouth around his dick. I just want to make him happy, make him relax, and I want to be the only one who can. What the hell am I thinking?
Cole turns to face me and gives me a look that I can only describe as hesitant. “I’m going to start by saying that I know how unbelievable this is going to sound, but just give me a chance to explain.”
If he only knew the thoughts, I have running through my head. I nod, already accepting whatever it is he has to say as truth. There’s this unexplainable pull between us, something I’ve never felt before. The strength of it is purely magical. I run my fingers over my pendant, and little sparks of electricity tickle me where I touched it. I look up to see Cole watching me intently. Licking his bottom lip, he slowly grabs for my hand and kisses each finger before dropping our hands into his lap. He rubs his thumb back and forth over the top of my hand.
“My Dad always told me that when I found the one, I would spend the rest of my life with, I would know it the moment I saw her. You are that woman, Aubree. I’ve never dated before, never once had a girlfriend or anyone for that matter that meant anything to me. I have waited my entire life for you to come into my world. Now that you’re here I’m never letting you go.”
“Why did you agree to a blind date then if you were waiting for me?” I ask, unmasked jealousy burning through me at the thought of him going on a blind date with anyone, even if that person turned out to be me.
Cole pulls me onto his lap, so my butt is snug against his very hard dick, and my legs are hanging over the other side of his lap. He cups my face in his hands and pierces me with his dark, demanding stare. “I didn’t. Ruby told me a few minutes before I was supposed to meet you because she knew I wouldn’t have
gone. She also knew I wouldn’t have left a woman at Remy’s all alone. That isn’t a place for a lady. My sister likes to meddle in mine and my brother’s business, but only when she has good intentions. I’ll have to thank her later because she was right when she picked you.” He ends, rubbing the back of his fingers against my cheek.
His touch is burning me up inside. I’ve never met a man that I wanted to touch me. My core is aching, pounding in rhythm with my racing heart. Leaning into his touch my hard nipples press against his firm chest and I swear I hear him growl before he presses his full lips against mine. I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him back, loving the feel of our bodies pressed against each other. We open our mouths at the same time, our tongues colliding against our wet lips. He grips my hips tightly and moves me, so I’m straddling his lap. He drags my heated core against the hard cock pressed against his stomach. Moaning, I shamelessly rub myself against him again, loving the way his dick rubs against my clit and shoots pleasure through my veins.
I kiss down his neck, sucking and licking loving his taste. Scraping my teeth against his skin, I have the strangest urge to bite him and taste the blood. I imagine it tastes sweet and intoxicating. I’d mark him with my bite, and he’d wear it like a badge, proving to everyone that he’s taken. I pull away from him breathlessly, struck by the ludicrous thoughts I’m having.
“Hey, you okay baby?” Cole asks, lifting my chin, so I’m looking him in the eyes.
I shrug my shoulder, not knowing what to tell him. Cole wipes the remnants from our kiss from my bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. “That kiss was hot as hell, but let’s slow this down. I don’t want to scare you off now that I’ve found you.”
I small smile spreads across my face, and I nod. “I think that’s a good idea.”
Cole lifts me off his lap and sits me where I was before and then stands and rubs his palms together. “How about that dinner I promised you?”
