by Jenika Snow
He felt the need to be with her, protect her from any assholes who wanted to fuck with her, and make sure she always felt safe.
Charlie stood and walked toward his mate, and Ford watched with a pang in his chest as Charlie embraced Ary.
Feeling like he was intruding on their personal moment, Ford stood and motioned Bram to follow. They said their goodbyes, and when they were in the truck and headed down the road, Ford knew he wouldn’t deny him or his bear what they really wanted, and that was his little redhead, Talia Landon.
Fuck his demons and hang-ups, and fuck Mina for making him feel for all these years that he wasn’t worthy of claiming his mate.
12
Talia gritted her teeth for the fifth time in the last ten minutes. Mina, with her haughty attitude, was busy scolding the barista on the fact that they didn’t top her cappuccino with nutmeg.
She turned away from the human who thought she was so much better than everyone else and looked around the coffee shop. It was hard not to think about the first time she stepped in here.
She had been humiliated over her coffee spill, but then she had met Ford and fallen instantly in lust. She had thought maybe being with him sexually might have eased her arousal for him, but it had the opposite effect.
Here she was in a constant state of desire, unable to get the image of him over her out of her mind, thrusting deep and hard and sending her over the edge multiple times.
Her clit throbbed, her nipples beaded, and she cursed her body for having this kind of reaction to a man she had a one-night stand with, and that was what it had been.
They hadn’t exchanged numbers, and he hadn’t asked to see her again, so she needed to get it through her head that there wasn’t going to be another time with Ford Wylde, as crappy as that was.
“God, I swear these people are still as incompetent as ever in this town.” Mina took a sip of her cappuccino and made a face. “It certainly isn’t from Marco’s, but it’s going to have to do.” They sat at one of the small tables, and Mina pulled out a very thick leather book. If not for Luke asking her to go with Mina today, she would have been somewhere else, somewhere that didn’t feel like that seventh level of hell. “Okay, so I know Kimberly should have been setting this up, but I have her working on something more important, and I figure you really aren’t doing anything anyway.”
Talia gritted her teeth and counted backward from ten. “Excuse me—” Before she could finally tell Mina a piece of her mind, the bitch cut her off with a wave of her hand.
“Okay, so here it is.” Mina flipped through the book until she got to the page that had HONEYMOON sprawled in big black letters. “So, I need you make out an itinerary for the honeymoon. I want to make sure we don’t miss anything once we arrive in France.” Apparently, Kimberly, Mina’s second-in-command, who was nearly as bad as Talia’s soon to be bitch-in-law, was far too superior to do the grunt work.
She looked at the book and then back at Mina. Was this bitch for real? “You want me to make a list of all the things you plan on sightseeing while in France?” It appeared Talia was the lowest on the totem pole and therefore got to do the shit jobs. And who in the hell needed someone else to plan out their sightseeing?
“Well, I mean I know your schedule is pretty much free, what with you out of college and not working.” The pleasantly condescending tone that Mina gave her, coupled with the smile that had “bitch” written all over it, had Talia snapping. Oh hell no.
“Oh. My. God.” Mina’s breathy, almost dreamy words had Talia closing her mouth. Mina’s gaze was over Talia’s shoulder, and curiosity had her looking at what had seemingly changed Mina to a love-struck teenager. At first, all she saw was a younger human male kissing a young woman, but when those two moved to the side, her heart stopped.
Ford and another man who looked strikingly similar to him stepped into the café.
Of course he looked exactly the same, so damn sexy and his alpha bear pouring from him. He was speaking to the man he had come in with, but she watched in rapt awe as he stopped, lifted his head, and inhaled deeply.
Everything else faded as his gaze scanned the coffee shop before finally settling on her. For a long moment, all they did was stare at each other, and Talia’s intense arousal rose up like a raging wildfire.
There was a flash of heat behind his bright-blue eyes, and she knew his lust was just as strong as hers. It didn’t seem like only three days ago that he dropped her off, because everything rushed back, and she found herself back in his room with his sweat-slicked body over hers and his dick buried deep inside her.
Blinking a few times to clear her mind, she took in his face, one that was cut and bruised, and yet she hadn’t even noticed right away.
He moved his gaze away from hers, and a dark expression crossed his face as he focused on something over her head. The man beside him shifted on his feet and leaned in to murmur something to Ford. He shook his head forcefully twice and waved off the other man.
Ford moved closer to her, and Talia’s palms started to sweat. She swore she could smell his bear, that wild and untamed scent that drove her absolutely mad. Several other shifters in the coffee shop stopped what they were doing, moved out of his way, and stared at Ford approaching her.
The humans might not be able to smell that Ford was dangerously close to shifting, or that he was aroused and angry all in the same breath, but every shifter in there, including her, was drunk off it. It was all she could smell and feel move through her body since she had been with him.
He stopped in front of her, and she could see the vibrant-blue of his eyes. He held her gaze, and a flash of darkness from his bear starting to emerge turned the almost unreal color black. Slowly standing, they stared at each other, but as she opened her mouth to say “hello” or maybe even “I haven’t stopped thinking about you since we parted ways,” Mina spoke from behind her.
“Ford.” The way Mina said his name reminded Talia of a lover’s embrace. She took a step to the side so she could see her, and the lust pouring off the other female was potent and suffocating. “It’s been a long time.”
Mina had since gotten up from her seat and now stood right beside her. She turned back and looked at Ford, but her powerful bear was no longer looking at her and instead had his full attention on Mina, the indifference clear on his face.
Talia looked between her brother’s fiancée and the male who had consumed her so ferociously she couldn’t even think straight, then everything clicked into place.
Holy shit.
Their reaction to each other, although subtle, had Talia’s fox bristling. Could it be that this was the person Ford was talking about getting married? What were the odds?
The very thought sickened her, and her stomach roiled. Mina took another step forward and now stood directly in front of Talia, blocking Ford’s wide, muscular chest from her view.
“God, it has been far too long.” Mina’s voice was soft, but there was no mistaking the longing that was laced in the words. If Talia could sense it, no doubt Ford did as well. “You wouldn’t believe how much I’ve missed you.” Ford looked uncomfortable, but all Talia could smell was… disinterest.
Talia should say something, anything, but it was like the words refused to come forth. She cleared her throat and looked down, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable and out of place.
Yes, there was no doubt in her mind they had been together at some point in their lives. The scents coming from Mina were too clear to be anything else.
This was the human that was to marry her brother in just a week’s time, yet here she was, standing before Ford with so much lust pouring out of her it thickened the air around them like a heavy, strangling blanket.
Talia lifted her gaze once more and saw the man who had come with Ford rubbing the back of his neck as if he too sensed the uncomfortable feeling that surrounded everyone. He still stood right by the door, and it was as if he refused to come any closer.
His face was also pretty beat
up, with a healing black eye and a cut above his cheek. Had the two males been fighting each other? That was really the least of her worries, but right now, she needed the distraction.
Feeling Mina’s stare, Talia turned back toward the human. The burning question at the forefront of Talia’s mind was, Who is Mina to Ford?
“I’m going to need some privacy, Talia,” said Mina.
Talia locked her jaw, her anger, hurt, and discomfort a violent wave inside her. Talia looked back at Ford and was stunned to see him staring at her with so much raw… possession that it actually had her taking a step back.
“No,” Ford said with so much dominance in that one word that Talia felt it to her bones. “She doesn’t need to go anywhere, and you and I have nothing to talk about, Mina.”
Mina scoffed. “Ford, you and I go way back.”
“I said there isn’t anything that needs discussed, especially not anything that would require Talia leaving.”
Talia shook her head, needing air, needing to get away from this seriously awkward situation. “Um, yeah, I’m gonna go.”
Ford opened his mouth to protest. She felt that down to her bones. But she gave him a smile, a shake of her head, and turned to leave before he could stop her. And she knew he would.
Talia grabbed her purse. Keeping her gaze trained to the floor, she got the hell out of there. She passed the other bear shifter who’d come in with Ford, and now that she was close enough that the scent of coffee beans didn’t fill her nose, she could tell they were brothers.
She watched as Ford’s brother’s nostrils flared, sensed some kind of realization come over him, but Talia didn’t stop. She let her feet carry her right outside the café and down the sidewalk until she was far enough away that she could actually take in a deep breath.
She knew what she sensed from Mina, could tell the woman still wanted Ford. Luke needed to know.
Talia darted behind a smaller building and leaned against the side of it. Closing her eyes, she tried to rein in her emotions. She shouldn’t have this kind of reaction to Ford, not only because they were in essence virtual strangers, but because they were also not right for each other.
She never considered herself a strong female, not physically or emotionally. She considered herself the introverted and quiet type. But then there was Ford Wylde, a male who had her pushing all her reservations aside. She had gone home with him, not caring that her actions were far from what was normal for her.
Her human and fox had both wanted him, and although she had been with men before, that had been the first time her inner animal had urged her with tooth and claw to go after him. She had never been in love, didn’t even know what the signs of that emotion were, but what she felt for him went beyond anything she was familiar or even comfortable with.
Could I be in love with a male I just met?
It seemed ludicrous on every level, but she knew it wasn’t just simply lust. It couldn’t be, not with how much he consumed her.
It was a good thing she was leaving after the wedding, because no way in hell did she want to go through something like this again. She and Ford were at totally different ends of the spectrum, and it was best if she left.
She just needed to understand this experience was one she wouldn’t forget. That was the safe thing to do, and maybe the one that would keep her sane.
13
Ford stared at the door Talia just left through. Everything inside him demanded he go after her, his bear clawing to claim her, show her, tell her, make her see she was his.
His reaction to Talia had been instantaneous when he’d first seen her, and after speaking with his brothers, there was no fucking doubt she was his mate.
Mine.
My mate.
He sensed her in the café as soon as he stepped inside. Her scent was a powerful aphrodisiac that had him, as well as his bear, growing instantly aroused. He would have taken her right then and there, and fuck anyone who saw. In fact, he wanted everyone to see, to know she was his and no one else would ever touch her.
And then there was Mina, ruining the entire thing with her presence.
But Talia had taken away the darkness that had been his companion this whole time. His bear roared out to claim her, mark her, and let every other male know she was his. He’d known he wanted to tell her all of that, but it wasn’t until he had seen her at the café that he knew without a doubt that she would be his.
“God, Ford. It has been so long.” Mina’s voice brought him back to the present, and he realized he much preferred his inner musings to being with Mina in reality.
An involuntary growl left him, and her eyes widened. She thought the noise that came from him was one of danger. No, it was of his bear knowing his mate had just walked out the door.
Mina sat down and gestured for him to take the seat across from her. Ford didn’t have time for this, and when he opened his mouth to tell her just that, she started speaking.
“Please, Ford, just talk to me. I know everything ended on bad terms, but it has been ten years. You wouldn’t talk to me when I called you about the wedding, but things are different. I’m different.” She held up her hand, showing him the ring on her finger. “Please.”
He should have said fuck no, but he sensed the withdrawal from Talia, knew going to her right now would probably push her away even more. Besides, this needed to be done and over with concerning Mina. He put her behind him all those years ago, and for the first time since Talia came into his life, he didn’t feel that self-loathing.
He pulled the seat out and sat down, and her smile grew wide.
“Don’t misunderstand this for something it isn’t. Yeah, it has been ten years. You aren’t part of my life anymore, haven’t been for far longer than ten years, Mina. And I know you feel the same.” The words fell from his mouth without emotion.
She gave him this sly smile, and his bear bristled.
“Come on, Ford. I know you have to still have feelings for me. I saw the way you reacted when you saw me.”
Hold on just a fucking minute.
“What?” He was shocked by what she just said. “Are you out of your fucking mind?” He hadn’t meant to be so coarse, but fuck, what in the hell was she thinking that he still wanted her?
Her eyes were wide, but he wasn’t surprised that she was so conceited she actually thought he’d been pining over her for all these years. No way in hell was he going to let her think he had been sitting around Sweet Water just waiting for her to come back.
“I saw the way you looked at me when you came in though,” she said again.
The fuck?
There was no fucking way she was going to take what he felt for Talia for herself.
“I assure you that wasn’t for you.” Her once arousal-filled expression fell, and she looked down. Ford let his gaze linger down to the very thick prenuptial book in front of her.
But then something clicked in his head.
Why was Talia with Mina in the first place?
Before he could broach the question, Mina started talking again as if he hadn’t just been totally honest with how he felt for her, or lack thereof.
The only thing he could think of, the only thing he felt aroused by, possessed by, consumed with was the image of a fiery little redheaded fox with curves that went on for miles and wide, light-blue eyes.
“I just...” Mina leaned back in her seat. “I have missed you so much. Not a day has gone by that I haven’t thought about you.” She reached across the table, and he knew she was about to grab for him, but he moved his hands onto his lap.
Her desire for him left a bitter taste in his mouth.
And then a fucking lightbulb went off in his damn head.
Talia here with Mina. The wedding she was in Sweet Water for. All of those points came crashing into him.
“You’re marrying Talia’s brother?” He thought those words had only been in his head, but they now hung between them.
What are the fucking odds?
/> Mina nodded. “Yeah. Luke is my fiancé.” The smirk she gave him had even more disinterest filling him. He could smell the fact that she wanted him to be jealous. God, she had a lot of inner soul searching to do if she was that self-absorbed.
“I have to go.”
Ford was up and striding toward the door. The only thing on his mind was going to Talia, to say fuck everything and everyone except telling her how he felt, how he wanted only her, how he wouldn’t let her go.
They may have only shared one night together, but Talia Landon was his, and he was about to find his mate and claim her.
14
Talia pushed away from the side of the building after her heart finally slowed. She looked around, watched the people walk up and down the sidewalk, and realized life went on, even when her mind and body were at war with each other.
She stepped back onto the cobblestone sidewalk and tightened her hand on the strap of her purse.
Next weekend couldn’t come soon enough, because then she could leave Sweet Water and everything that came with it. She needed to tell Luke what she sensed and how Mina had been insanely aroused for Ford.
Her brother would believe her, no doubt about that, but it was the fact that he seemed to only see the positive and good in Mina that pissed Talia off. If this was what love did to someone, she would be content in the life she currently led.
As that thought went through her mind, she realized she may be already doomed. Her feelings for Ford were far from logical or sane, but maybe when one found their mate, this was how it worked?
The thought that Ford could be her mate, that he would take her as such, sent a hard wave of emotions through her.
The hair on her arms and the back of her neck stood up, and instantly her fox rose. Ford was close; she could sense it, and her body and fox knew that as well. Talia stopped and slowly turned around. Pedestrians parted as he made his way down the center of the sidewalk.
Even from where she stood, she could see he was more bear than man at that moment. His eyes were no longer blue but as dark as the night. He even seemed bigger, more muscular, and everything inside her melted at the sight of him.
