by Milly Taiden
His cell phone rang at that moment. “What do you want, Greer?”
“How could you, Sav? A human? You know I’ve been waiting for us to be mated.”
He growled. “You’re not the one for me, Greer. I’ve found my mate and I want nobody else but her.”
He heard what sounded like muffled crying. “I thought we’d be together.”
“I don’t know what gave you that idea since I broke things off with you months ago.”
A snarl sounded. “You think that pathetic human is better than me? She’s not.”
“Whatever you’re thinking, Greer, stop it,” he ordered in full Alpha mode. “That’s my mate. I will kill anybody that touches her. Do you understand me? Anybody!”
“You’re the one who’s going to understand to not take me for granted. You.” The line went dead and he was biting back the urge to rip his steering wheel to shreds. Instead, he took a deep breath and got out of the truck to knock on the front door of Zuri’s family’s house for the second time in a handful of days.
Sage opened the door. She grinned and motioned him in. “Hello, Savage. Or should I call you brother-in-law?”
Inside, Isaline and Mirabel were sitting on different sofa chairs, holding glasses of wine. Isaline picked up a cracker and cheese from the tray on the coffee table.
“Welcome back, Sav,” Isaline smiled. “Good to see you’re not backing off easily.”
He raised a questioning brow at Sage.
“What Isaline means is that Zuri has a tendency of scaring men away and until she went to the shifter gathering, she hadn’t been on a date since her divorce.”
He nodded. “How long has she been divorced?”
“Over a year,” Mirabel answered. “Please, come and sit. Let me offer you some wine or whiskey or coffee.”
“Coffee’s good,” he said and sat across from the other two women.
“So,” Sage smiled, her blue eyes filled with curiosity. “What did you want us to help you with?”
He gulped. He never asked anyone for help. Ever. He was a fucking leader of a bear clan with enough people to destroy a city, but here he was, looking for ways to make his next date with his mate a memorable one. “I want to take her out and I need some information on her likes and hobbies to be able to make a better decision.”
They all nodded. Mirabel brought another tray with coffee, cream, and sugar. “Well,” she started, “she’s always loved taking photos. She stopped when she got married because things were really hectic, and then after a while, she just didn’t get into it again.”
Isaline gave him a look. “Her ex was a douchebag. He was super needy and always wanted to be the center of her world. Everything was about him. So her hobbies went away.”
He had a hard time holding back the growl. The ex sounded like he needed to take classes on how to treat women.
“Yeah,” Mirabel sighed and set up her own coffee. “It was ever harder when he was going through chemo and stuff, because she felt so guilty.”
He frowned. “Why?”
“She was healthy. He wasn’t. He made comments about wishing she could understand how horrible the pain was.”
Sage’s cheeks turned red and her eyes flashed with anger. “He made her miserable, and even though she tried her best to support him, it was never enough for him.”
“Oh, I’m sure it’s horrible to go through any disease that painful,” Mirabel told him, “but when you have someone who’s supporting you and loving you. Someone who’s there for you 24/7 and who makes your needs their priority, and you overlook that because you’re angry life dealt you this hand? It’s a very sad relationship to be in.”
Isaline nodded, her cheeks full of crackers as she tried to swallow them down without choking. He was worried he would have to give her the Heimlich.
“So she gave up everything she loved to take care of him. Why did they break up?”
Did he really want to know? Yes. He needed to make sure he never made whatever stupid mistake her ex made so he never lost Zuri. She was his mate. His one and only.
The women glanced at each other.
“He left her to be with his nurse,” Isaline said. “He said he fell in love with her and couldn’t see spending whatever time he had left on earth with someone he didn’t love.”
The man was a complete dick. Who did that to someone who stood by you? Then again, humans didn’t know who their mates were. It was a game of chance with them.
“My husband died of cancer,” Mirabel said softly. “I stood by him through good and bad. But I can say one thing with certainty. He never said one unkind word to me. He appreciated my support. Some people don’t know that appreciation makes a big difference when you’re both going through something that big.”
Sage pressed her lips into a thin line. “Not that he was very nice before he got sick. He was so obsessed with being her center of attention we barely saw her.”
Isaline’s shoulders slumped. “She used to love going roller skating. All through my childhood and until she got married, she used to go to this skating rink in town. It shut down years ago, but I remember those days so well. She was so happy and carefree. She took chances and smiled a lot. Not like now, where she’s always questioning herself and looks lost.”
“Looked lost,” Sage smiled at Savage. “Until she met you. You’ve brought back that spark from the younger Zuri. The one we knew that loved roller skating or singing karaoke after too many drinks.”
Mirabel laughed. “Or loved going to carnivals and riding everything and eating tons of bad food because she loved having fun.”
Sage grinned. “I remember when we were kids, she used to beg Mom to take her to the boy band concerts. It was funny because I was never into it, but her excitement got to everyone. You couldn’t help smiling when you were around Zuri.” Her brows lowered and her look turned fiercely protective. “You’re bringing my sister back from that dark place she was in far too long. Whatever help you need, you can count on us.”
Chapter Twenty
Zuri glanced at her cell phone again. He’d told her he’d be there at noon and for her to be dressed comfortably. She’d taken him literally and put on a pair of jeans, a cute top from her favorite big girl store, and flat black booties.
She’d actually opened a window to decide if she was dressed appropriately. She was. With a denim jacket to match her jeans, she was ready for a chilly day. But where was Savage?
Okay, so he wasn’t technically late, yet. He still had five minutes to show up, but she’d hoped he would be early. A knock at her door made her jump to her feet. She grabbed her cross-body bag and rushed to open it.
Dear god. The man was so damn sexy. His beard was trimmed but still managed to look wild. His thick brows and piercing eyes drew her gaze to them immediately. His hair had been slightly trimmed as well and she frowned, unsure how she felt about that. He still looked dangerously alpha, but she liked his hair long.
A slow, way too sexy for his own good grin spread over his lips. “Are you done?”
She blinked. “Sorry?”
“Every emotion went through your eyes just now. Desire, curiosity and then confusion. I’m gathering you noticed something you didn’t like because you frowned.”
She grinned and walked out of the house with him. “You gotta stop doing that weird shifter smell thing. It freaks me out.”
“Actually, your face speaks for you. What didn’t you like? Am I not dressed to your liking?”
She shut the door and followed him to his truck. “No, it’s not that. You look great. I noticed you cut your hair.”
“It’ll grow back in a few days.” He opened the passenger door for her and stopped her right before she got inside. “If you prefer it long, I’ll do that,” he cupped her jaw and leaned down to kiss her. “For you, I’ll do anything.”
He picked her up and placed her in the passenger seat and closed her door once she was safely inside. She was sitting in a daze for a few minutes bef
ore she realized she had no idea where they were going.
“Where are we going?” She watched him handle the steering wheel with effortless grace. He had one of those huge pick-up trucks, which probably made sense with his logging business, and the fact he was huge himself, but intimidated the hell out of her. She liked small cars. One more thing they had different between them.
He glanced at her and winked, his mischievous grin tempting her to kiss him. “Don’t worry. I have a feeling you’re going to like today.”
She laughed. “You sound pretty confident.”
His eyes turned golden. “I am. I am also confident that you’ll realize after today there’s no point in questioning us.”
She glanced back at the road and wondered what the heck he could have planned. They drove to the neighboring state then pulled into the state fair parking lot. She sat up in her seat, her mind already conjuring images of the yummy treats she could have.
Once he parked, he helped her down from the truck again and soon they were walking through the controlled chaos, her with a banana split funnel cake, and him with an elephant ear and bottled water. She moaned with every bite and didn’t care how sticky her fingers or face got. They sat under a tree and watched children run around playing, going from ride to ride.
“Do you like your ice cream on fried dough?” he asked.
She grinned and nodded. “You ate your elephant ear before we’d walked ten feet from the food truck.”
He shrugged. “I’m pretty good at eating. Never had problems with that task.”
She laughed and scooped up more ice cream, but it was melting and it dripped down her lips as she ate it. There was no time to lick her lips or wipe it away. He was there, gliding his tongue from her chin up to her lips and then sucking on them. He groaned and kissed her hard, taking the powdered sugar on her lips with the kiss.
When he pulled back, he was licking his lips and she was looking around, hoping nobody heard her moaning.
“Don’t be embarrassed, beautiful,” he scooted closer and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “We’re mates.”
She finished her funnel cake, happy she hadn’t had lunch because it had been worth it. Oh, it probably had enough calories and fat for her to not need to eat for a week, but she didn’t care. She was having a good time.
They went on a few rides and she was reminded of why she loved the carnival so much. She felt like a little kid. The adrenaline rush on some of the fast rides along with the ability to just hang out, eat terribly, and enjoy his company were great reminders that she needed to get back to living life.
It was almost four hours later when they got back in his truck.
She turned to him with a smile. “Thank you! I had such a great time. I ate things I haven’t had in like ten years. I rode a rollercoaster.”
He laughed. “And you were fearless with your hands in the air.”
She sat back with a sigh. “I laughed a lot. I had a really good time. People watching and just hanging out. I hadn’t done that in too long.”
He turned on the truck and winked at her. “I hope you’re not ready to go home yet, there a few other things I have planned for us.”
Chapter Twenty-One
How could this get any better? When they pulled up to a heliport, she turned to him with wide eyes. “What is this?”
Another grin. “You’ll see.”
He showed ID and gave his name to the guard and they drove straight to a big helicopter with the American Flag decorating the outside. A big military man waved them over.
Sav helped her out of the truck and then into the helicopter. With headphones on, she was still unsure where they were going.”
“All right,” the pilot said. “Welcome aboard, Mr. and Mrs. McKane.”
She raised her brows at Savage. He mouthed it was only a matter of time. He might be right.
They were seeing the sights during an almost hour and a half flight. Then they landed in a different heliport. A town car waited for them.
“Mr. And Mrs. McKane. Welcome to Connecticut. My name is Sal,” the driver said with a smile. “I’ll be with you until your return to the heliport.”
What in the world had that bear thought up? They drove for fifteen minutes before they stopped in front of a business with fluorescent signs lighting up the outside. Savage, the ultimate gentleman, helped her out of the car and stepped back for her to see where they were.
She gasped, her eyes wide with surprise. “A skating rink?”
He laughed, the wind tousling his hair and giving him an even fiercer look. “Don’t tell me you don’t know how to.”
She snorted. “Are you serious? I practically lived in a skating rink my teenage years. Hell, I wore them inside the house, much to my father’s frustration. He swore I was going to break a leg.”
“Did you?”
She scrunched her nose and nodded. “Oh, yeah. I did. The worse part was that I wasn’t even roller skating when it happened. I took one off to show a friend how to do it and she had the other one on. I slipped in the front of the house and twisted my leg and broke my ankle.”
He curled an arm around her and guided her into the rink. “That must have sucked for you as a kid.”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I had a cast for three weeks and school had just let out. Man, that was the worst summer.”
He gave his name and they were shown inside to choose skates. There were already some waiting for them. She frowned at the ones she was handed and then glanced at what people had on.
“These are new skates.” She turned to face him. “Why do I have new skates?”
She sat and he got on his knees to help her put the skates on. “Because they’re a gift. From me to you.” He glanced up, his hair falling over his face giving him that dominant wild look she’d come to love. “I hope we can continue doing things that bring you joy.”
She gulped back at the knot in her throat and nodded. “That’s really sweet. Thank you. I don’t even know if there’s a skating rink in town.”
“There isn’t, but there is one the town over. We can go as often as you like.”
Lights flashed all around the rink and music pumped through speakers, filling the place with energy. There were more adults than kids there, all dressed up in fun seventies costumes.
Being there made her smile. Going out in the rink did something to her. It unlocked old feelings, reminding her of how much fun this used to be. Why had she stopped? Edward. She’d lost herself with him, and ironically, with Sav, she was finding herself again.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the rink and she realized something major at that moment. Her big, bad, savage bear had the grace of a ballerina. It took her a few minutes to find her balance, but once she did, man, did it feel good to be out there.
They were doing circles, dancing and laughing, and she couldn’t remember a time when she’d felt this relaxed in the past ten years. It was such a wakeup call. Her heart did a little flip when Savage pulled her into his arms at the center of the rink and kissed her.
The music shifted to a slow song and the lights dimmed. This wasn’t one of his usual operation give her wet panties kisses. This was a slow touch that made her skin sizzle and her breath catch in her throat. She had never felt that strange fluttering in her stomach before. But now she knew what women meant when they said a man had given them butterflies.
Chapter Twenty-Two
This was crazy. She’d been married for ten years and not once felt that with Edward. She was confused. She thought she loved her ex. She’d met him in college and they married right after they graduated.
Edward had never been overly romantic, but how was it that now, Savage was getting her to feel more with just a few details than Edward had their entire relationship?
Her heart skipped a beat whenever Sav smiled at her or gave her that I’m going to fuck you into the next room look. A single heated gaze had her body temperature soaring. And the emotions she was feeling wer
e new, too. This excitement of being with him. This happiness being held or kissed by him.
After a couple of hours in the skating rink, the driver took them to another building. There were older women and teenagers walking into the building.
“Where are we now?”
He laced his fingers with hers and brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. “You’ll see.”
She watched with curiosity as he gave his name and showed his ID. They were then escorted to an elevator bank. They took the elevator to the second floor. It was then she realized they were in a sports arena. The lights flickered as they got to their seats in a private suite. The attendant shut the door and she rushed over to see what was going on.
At the stage was her favorite boy band from youth. She screamed and whirled around to face Sav.
“Are you kidding me? This is insane! What? How?”
He stopped beside her and laughed while shaking his head. “I had a little help from your sisters.”
She squealed again and watched her favorite group from her teen years start singing a song she still remembered the lyrics to almost thirty years later.
She sang along and threw her arms around Sav’s neck, a smile on her lips, her happiness too much to contain. “Thank you!” She kissed him. “Thank you!” She kissed him again. And again. And peppered a bunch of kisses over his face and then pulled back, hopping on her heels and continued singing.
Dancing was added and she even got him to dance with her. He didn’t know the lyrics to the songs, but he laughed and let her be silly. It was the best date ever. The absolute best. Savage was giving her back memories of the old Zuri, and with it, the ability to be that girl again.
At one point, she glanced over her shoulder and realized there was food in the room. She kissed Sav again, her heart full of joy and her stomach growling from hunger. She picked up a chicken quesadilla and put wings and sliders on a plate for him. The smile he gave her when she handed him the plate made her knees weak.
