by Lynn Howard
It was quiet in her car as she headed back to her Pride. She didn’t bother turning on the radio; she kind of wanted to be in her thoughts for the drive home. There’d been enough noise the last few hours to last her the week.
Memories of the night, of Nova and Reed joking and teasing, of Carter absentmindedly touching her, of being called his mate more than once, played in her head. And made her smile. She could definitely do worse than Carter Simpson. That was for sure.
Carol and Constance were already home. Their trailers were dark. The whole area was quiet save the few insects who hadn’t burrowed into the ground for the upcoming winter. Fall was great and all, but in Missouri, it didn’t tend to last long. There tended to be a couple of weeks of fall before winter bullied its way in. Same with Spring. There were only a couple weeks of perfect weather before the heat and humidity slammed into the Midwest.
June’s feet crunched on the falling leaves. She tilted her head back and inhaled deeply, drawing the cool air into her lungs. She loved the smells of Autumn. There were hints of drying leaves, rain, and smoke from the locals burning wood in their fireplaces.
Another scent hit her nose. It was familiar. But not at all welcome. She glanced at her house and finally noticed a light on in her living room. She’d been so deep in lala land she hadn’t even noticed the extra car when she’d pulled up.
Shoving the door open, June stood in the foyer, arms crossed, brows pinched, and daggers shooting from her eyes.
“What the hell are you doing here, Jackson?” she spit out. He’d ruined her high with his mere presence.
“I made a mistake. I’m sorry. I want you back,” he said, standing from her couch. He’d made himself at home, pulled leftovers out of the fridge and even drank one of her beers. His feet had been up on her coffee table and her remote was in his hand.
“Too bad. Leave,” she said, crossing the room and tossing her purse onto the kitchen table.
“June. Please. Just…can we please talk?”
“About what, Jackson? I’m still a high school dropout, I still live in a trailer, and I haven’t lost a single ounce since you left. Am I missing anything else?”
His face crumpled and he looked ashamed. Good. He should. How dare he show his face after the way he’d treated her. How dare he let himself into her home while she wasn’t there. What if she’d asked Carter to come home with her? Then what? Would he have tried to be a badass and challenge Carter? Because Carter would wipe the floor with his face.
“I never should’ve said any of that. I didn’t mean it. I was just…” He huffed out a breath and pushed a hand through his hair. He’d always tried so hard to look like he was from a different area, as if he was too good to have come from a little town. His hair was gelled and sprayed into place just like usual, but he messed it up with his nervous gesture. “I was scared. We were moving so fast and I got scared.”
“Too fast? Jackson, we were together for two years,” she said, throwing her hands into the air. “You know…it doesn’t even matter. I’m over it. Thanks for the apology. But it’s time to go.”
Jackson’s brows slowly lowered until he was glaring at her. “I’m trying to tell you I’ll take you back, June.”
June’s head snapped back and her brows shot to her hairline. “Take me back? Are you serious right now?” She whipped her hair off her shoulder. “I guess you were so self-absorbed that you didn’t notice I smell different. I’m mated, Jackson. You’re too late. I found someone who truly cares about me, someone who likes me just the way I am.”
Jackson took a couple of steps closer, his eyes glued to the spot where Carter had marked her. “You let another man mark you?” he asked, his eyes flashing silver. “What the hell is wrong with you?” His voice was full of too much growl.
June wasn’t a small woman, not by a long shot. But Jackson still had a couple of inches and a lot more muscle on her. If he hit her, he’d hurt her. Oh, she’d fight back, even if she had to Shift to rip into him, but she’d still fight.
“Who is it?” he asked, taking another step closer.
“None of your business,” she said.
“Wolf or bear?”
June’s brows pinched together in confusion and question.
“Feline Shifters don’t mark there. If he’d been a cat, he’d have marked the back of your neck. Only bears and wolves mark where others can see. It’s like they have to make sure everyone knows who the women belong to.”
“Bear,” she said, her arms crossed, her head held high.
“You mated with a fucking bear. What? Couldn’t find another leopard who’d touch you?”
“Get out,” June said, her voice low and angry.
“I’ve heard bears have lower standards. Just as well. You were lucky to have me.”
“Get…out!” June yelled at the top of her lungs. She knew Carol would wake to her yelling. At least there’d be one witness if Jackson got stupid.
The smirk on Jackson’s face was nothing like Carter’s. Carter looked hot as hell when he did it. Jackson looked cruel, as if he had a million insults racing through his mind and was ready to unleash them on her.
“Bitch,” he muttered and headed for her door. He hesitated as he stepped out, his hand on the knob. “Just remember I gave you another chance.” His eyes roamed her body. “Guess bears are into chubby chicks.”
He pulled the door shut the same time she grabbed the closest thing she could and threw it at the door. A glass knick-knack shattered against the wood and dropped to the floor and carpet.
“Asshole!” she screamed at the door. It didn’t matter. She could hear his vehicle pulling down the packed dirt they used as the driveway. She’d walked right past his car and had been as blind to it as the fact a light was on in her house. She’d probably just seen it as one of her Pride sisters’ cars and hadn’t thought twice about it. She’d been in such a good mood, floating on cloud nine and all that.
Now? Nope. That floaty, lusty, fluffy feeling was long gone. In its place, doubt. So much doubt. She looked down at herself, at the way her belly stuck out, the way her thighs were thick, her hips were wide. Carter liked the way she looked, right? It hadn’t been him saying stuff just because they’d been forced into a pairing by their animals…right?
Doubt. So much fucking doubt.
Chapter Seven
Carter smiled up at the ceiling. They’d finally hung out and kept their clothes on. Okay. So they fooled around earlier in the day, but that was earlier. They’d spent hours together and had been able to talk and joke. And she got to meet the rest of his Clan, minus Luke once again, as well as Big River. She’d fit in beautifully.
She’d also tried to argue when a couple of his friends had referred to her as Carter’s mate more than once. That part kind of sucked, but they were still in that stage where they had no idea what they were going to do. Which was stupid. They both knew there was no way to fight the mate bond. But he agreed with her; this was moving way too fast for two middle aged people. He wanted to get to know June the woman. He wanted them to decide whether or not they’d live together. Although he couldn’t see himself living in her trailer. It was nice enough, just a little small for a bear Shifter. He had to duck through every door frame. His home, just like the rest of Blackwater’s homes, had been built by their own hands to fit their needs. And that included taller door frames.
He could picture June in his cabin, though. He could picture her shoes next to his at the front door, her clothes lined up next to his in the closet. Hell, he’d even let her paint the walls whatever color she wanted. As long as it made her happy.
Why the hell was he feeling all sappy from that last kiss? Actually, he knew why. It felt like they were dating and falling for each other rather than being shoved together by fate or the universe or whoever decided who should be mates. They’d made out a little, and then she’d left. Of course, she’d left him with blue balls, but whatever. He’d taken care of that in the shower. Now, he laid in bed pictur
ing her lying beside him. Someday. Someday they’d get to that point.
He hoped.
As he was dozing off, his phone chirped twice. He grabbed it and squinted against the bright light to read the message.
“What the fuck?” he whispered. Hitting June’s saved number, he lifted the phone to his ear and listened to the rings before her voice came over the line. “What was that message supposed to mean?”
“It means what it means, Carter.”
Was she crying?
“Am I really attracted to you? Seriously? We’ve gone over this. I think you’re the most stunning, beautiful, sexiest woman I’ve ever seen. Period. What’s going on?” He rolled onto his left side and kept the phone to his right ear, staring at the wall as he listened to her sniffle. She was crying. What the hell had changed since she’d left his house? It had been just over an hour.
“Are bears usually attracted to chubby girls?” she asked, her voice thick with tears.
Carter sat up and leaned against his headboard. “What?”
“Shawnee has curves. I mean, she’s not at all chubby, but she’s not as thin as a couple of those girls from Big River. Are bears generally attracted to chubby girls?”
“Where is all this coming from?”
“Just…please answer me.”
“I have no idea what other bears are attracted to, June.” His anger was rising with this line of questions. He was both defensive and angry she was accusing him of something. Although he had no idea what yet. “I just know that I want you more than I’ve ever wanted another woman in my life. Period. Now tell me what the hell is going on.”
June sniffled again. “Nothing. It’s nothing. I’m an idiot. Sorry. Go back to sleep.” She ended the call before he could say anything else.
Carter stared down at his dark phone. Something had happened. Neither he nor any of his friends had given her any reason to doubt the way he felt about her. She had to know he wanted her. Shit. They’d made love every single time they were alone. And he realized lying there in the dark that’s what they’d been doing; they’d been making love. Not fucking. Not boinking, as June called it. He was making love to his mate each time they were together.
Setting his phone onto the nightstand, he continued sitting up. No way could he fall asleep now. His mate was hurting. He just didn’t know why. He couldn’t just lay there and not do anything. His bear was already scratching at his skin to get out. He wanted to go to his mate, to comfort her, to hurt whatever had hurt her.
Throwing his legs over the side of the bed, Carter grabbed a pair of jeans and tugged them up his legs. He plucked a t-shirt from the floor and pulled it on. Slipping his feet into his boots without lacing them, he grabbed his keys and headed out the door. Just in time to see Luke pulling in. Just like last time.
And just like last time, Luke didn’t say a word to Carter. Just parked his truck and headed into his cabin. And just like last time, Carter filed it away in his deal-with-that-shit-later folder. Jogging to his truck, he tried to refrain from throwing gravel and making too much noise as he left the territory. Everyone was home from the bar and in bed for the night. They all had to work in the morning; he didn’t want to be the one responsible for their exhaustion.
Carter clenched his teeth as he drove five miles over the speed limit. He wanted to go way faster than that, but since there were very few vehicles on the road this late at night, cops would spot him in a heartbeat. Last thing he needed was a ticket from the human police.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, Carter pulled his truck up the hill and straight up to June’s trailer. The lights were on inside. As in, every single room was lit up. Why wasn’t she in bed?
Closing his truck door as softly as he could so as not to wake up the other women in the Pride, Carter made his way up to her door and knocked lightly.
“Go away!” June yelled through the door.
He took a step back and frowned at the door.
“I mean it, Jackson. I’m two seconds away from having someone come kick your ass.”
“June,” Carter said, moving closer to the door again. “It’s Carter.”
Footsteps hurried to the door and then she was standing there, her eyes puffy and red. “What are you doing here?”
Carter took in her appearance and stopped when he got to her shoe clad feet. She was still wearing the same thing she’d had on earlier. And she was standing in what looked like broken glass. Carter’s bear put pieces together: broken glass, someone hurt her, she was crying. Fuck.
His bear started trying to push forward until Carter’s mouth was crowded with fangs.
“Shit. Please don’t Shift, Carter,” June begged, tears welling in her eyes.
That did the trick. His bear receded so quickly Carter stumbled and caught himself with a hand on the side of the trailer.
“What the fuck happened?” he gritted out.
June stepped back from the door and let Carter in. Her Pride sister, Carol, was sitting at the table, anger bright in her gray eyes.
“Her ex, Jackson, happened,” Carol said.
“He did this?” Carter asked, gesturing toward the broken glass. He would find the fucker and beat the living shit out of him.
June followed his line of sight and shook her head. “I threw that at the door when he was leaving.”
Well then. Maybe Carter wouldn’t have to kick his ass. Sounded like June had almost done that herself.
“Why was he here?” Carter asked and couldn’t help the suspicion and possessiveness that burned his gut.
“He said he wanted to get back together,” June said, moving to sit at the table with her friend.
“He also told her that bears liked fat girls and made fun of her,” Carol said, narrowing her eyes on June. “He was a dick to her, just like he’s always been.”
Now her phone call made sense. That didn’t help the slow burn of rage roiling through Carter, though. He was back to wanting to beat the piss out of this Jackson fucker. What a piece of shit.
“I told him I was mated,” June said, barely glancing up at Carter. He didn’t miss the hint of pink to her cheeks. “I showed him your mark. That pissed him off. He said I only got you because a leopard male wouldn’t want me. And that you wanted me only because bears liked chubby girls.”
Carter’s nostrils flared as he breathed deep, trying to keep the growl building in his chest from bubbling up his throat and through his mouth. He knew his eyes were glowing; there was no way for him to control that part of himself.
“Where is he?” Carter asked and was fully aware of how deep and growly his voice had gone. His bear was right there, right on the surface, just waiting to burst free and lay into this Jackson fuck.
“Gone. Good riddance,” Carol said, grabbing a beer from the fridge. “Here. You look like you could use this.” She popped the top and handed it to Carter, then grabbed two more for her and June.
Carter took a long pull from the beer, emptying half of it. Of course, that just made him belch. Carol and June both turned and gaped at him with wide eyes. Carol started giggling first. June followed. Before long, all three of them were cracking up. That was way better than the heartbroken look June had all over her face when he’d first gotten there.
Lowering himself into the chair beside June, he turned to her as their chuckles died down. “You know that’s all bull shit, right?” he asked her, taking her hand into his.
“Which part?”
She’d only told him a little about her ex. That piece of shit had done a real number on her self-esteem. When Carter finally found him, this Jackson asshole better be the next Brad Pitt or some shit. Otherwise, how the fuck did he think he had the right to judge anyone. Last of all June. He wasn’t bullshitting when he told her he thought she was the most stunning woman he’d ever seen.
What he hadn’t told her was how fucking happy he was that she’d chosen him back. She could have anyone and she took a chance on Carter.
“All of it.
You’re an amazing woman. You’re gorgeous. Strong. Smart and funny. Witty. You’re the dream woman. You’re definitely my dream woman.”
Carol was leaning forward, her face in her hands as she watched him with a mushy look on her face.
“What?” Carter finally asked after both June and Carol stared at him for too long.
“That’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard,” Carol said with a sigh that reminded Carter of something Nova would do.
“Carol,” June said, her eyes on Carter’s face. “Could you excuse us?”
Carol didn’t say a word, just grabbed her beer and headed for the door. “Just remember to use protection,” she called over her shoulder as she pulled the door shut behind her.
The sound of Carol’s feet crunching on the gravel snapped June back to the here and now. For a second, it looked like her leopard had taken over and was ready to try to breed again. But that sound, the reminder of Jackson’s visit, pulled her right back to reality.
“He’s such an asshole,” June said, pushing to her feet. She grabbed a broom from between the fridge and a counter and headed for the foyer.
Carter grabbed a trash can and dust pan and helped her clean up the mess. He then went looking for a vacuum to get that crap off the carpet so his sweet woman wouldn’t cut her feet. He plugged in the ancient machine and ran it over the carpet again and again until he was confident he’d gotten every last shard.
They worked side by side, cleaning and putting everything away. When they were done, June turned to him and that sad look was back on her face.
“Will you stay with me tonight? Just sleep. I just…I really need you to hold me.”
Carter’s face softened and he led her to the bedroom and helped her out of her clothes. It was hard as fuck to keep his eyes and hands off her body, but they were taking this slow. And she’d been pretty straightforward with what she was looking for tonight.
