Page 23 of Coveted By The Bear (When Worlds Collide #1)

A month later…

Thanksgiving weekend had arrived, and with it a message from my brother. My phone pinged on the nightstand, and I reached over Miles to get it.

“Oh fuck,” I squeaked practically falling out of bed.

I would have, too, if not for my big, sexy mate grabbing me by the hips and hauling me on top of his gloriously naked body.

“What’re you trying to do, give me a heart attack, Woman?” he grumbled, one eye still closed.

“Honor is gonna be here in ten minutes!” I shouted.

“Wait. What?”

“Honor. My brother. He’s coming for the holiday,” I whined, sitting up and trying to ignore the feel of Miles’ thick, hard cock bumping against my ass.

“Okay. We’ll deal with it,” he said, his warm hands rubbing my hips.

“Don’t distract me. We need to shower and, and, oh God, that feels so good,” I moaned, arching my back when he palmed my breasts, squeezing the soft flesh there.

Miles flipped us over, so I was on the bottom. My heart thudded inside my chest. Pleasure stoked inside me. The eternal flame of my desire for this man remained strong.

Unquenchable and unparalleled.

He spread my thick thighs with big hands, pausing with his cock notched right at my slick entrance. Fuck. I wanted him so badly. My Bear rose inside me. The Sow was always so desperate for her mate’s touch.

“How long till he’s here?” Miles asked against my ear.

“Nine minutes,” I whispered.

“I can work with that,” he said, and slammed his hips into mine.

Fuck. Yes.

Okay. So maybe we could be a little bit late getting dressed.

Nine minutes and two orgasms later, I ran downstairs in my bathrobe with a towel on my head.

“Hope! Is that you, Sis?”

“Honor,” I squealed, hugging my brother tight.

It’d been so long since I’d seen him, and I had so much to tell him. Or not. Considering I had one big, furry secret I wasn’t allowed to share, I imagined this holiday was going to be a little strange.

Mom couldn’t make it up, but that was okay. Miles and I were going to see her at Christmas time, when we both had off from work.

“Hi,” Miles said, coming down the stairs and extending a hand towards my brother.

Honor narrowed his eyes and straightened his shoulders. He was a big man. But Miles had three inches on him at least.

“Honor D’Amato,” my brother said.

“Miles Orson.”

“Damn, Sis. When you get engaged, you sure do get engaged! What happened? There were no mountains for you to marry?” Honor asked, his lips pressed together to stop his smile from showing.

Jerk.

“Hope seems to like my size just fine,” Miles said matter-of-factly.

“Is that a reference to the size of your dick, because I really don’t want to have to kill you already?—”

“Okayyy! Ha ha ha,” I grumbled and rolled my eyes. “Can you two behave while I get dressed?” I asked, not sure I trusted either of them to be alone together.

“Just go. I’ll behave,” Honor said.

“Miles, please?” I asked my mate, and his eyes glowed inhumanly when they landed on me. “Miles!” I hissed.

“What? Yeah, sorry. Go get dressed, Pretty Girl.”

I shook my head and sucked in a breath.

Why were the holidays always so damn stressful?

Family. That was why.

Ten minutes later, I returned to the living room to see both men had taken up positions on either side of the living room. Arms crossed. Frowns in place. They looked ridiculous.

“Uh, so how are you getting along?” I asked, trying not to snort.

“Fine.”

They said at the same time.

“God save us from testosterone overload,” I muttered and looked up at the supposed heavens. “Okay, field trip. Let’s go pick up the Turkey!”

“I’m driving,” Honor said, grabbing the keys for Miles’ truck from the hook by the door.

“The fuck you—Ow! I mean, sure, you can drive,” he grumbled.

I rubbed the spot on his ass I’d just pinched and whispered my promise to kiss it better later.

But before we could follow Honor outside, I stopped in front of Miles.

“What?” he asked, looking down. “Shit. I know, I know. I’m sorry. But there is just something about Honor it seems, I don’t know. Strange.”

“I get it. I do, but can you maybe let up a bit? He’s my brother and I want to enjoy the weekend,” I said, rubbing his chest and making him purr. I sure loved that sound.

“What wouldn’t I do for you, Mate?” he said with a smile that quickly turned into a frown when Honor honked the damn horn.

“Probably the same things I wouldn’t do for you. Nothing at all.”

“I love you,” he said, kissing me on the mouth.

I knew Miles was a good man. He’d proved it over and over again. The way he took care of me. Of our home. Finding his place in the Clan. Helping me find mine.

He was so good. Such a sweet, hardworking mate. I couldn’t wait to marry him. I hugged him tight, catching a glimpse of the ornate silver band on my finger.

Since I was a mechanic, I didn’t want a stone, and though he was not happy, Miles compromised by having both our names engraved inside the ring.

“Move it!” Honor yelled from outside.

“Just let me scare him a little. He won’t know it’s me. I’ll shift and sneak up on him in the yard,” Miles said, and I giggled and shook my head, running my hands down to his hips.

His pocket vibrated, and he sighed and reached for his phone.

“I thought you weren’t working this weekend?” I said, grabbing my jacket from the hook by the door.

“I’m not, but the phone still works,” he said and tapped in his pin code.

I opened the door and stopped when Miles tugged on my hand. He turned the phone, pursing his lips and I saw his eyes ripe with emotion.

“What is it?” I asked, taking the phone.

It was a short video clip of an eagle flying, soaring really, across a blue sky. My heart beat quickened, and I sucked in a breath.

“Is that from her?” I whispered.

“Has to be,” he said, and he pulled me back for another hug.

The greatest sense of relief washed over me, and I knew it came from our matebond. The guilt Miles had been harboring over his rejection of that proposed mating between him and the she-Bear named Zara had been weighing heavily on him.

But she was safe now, and Miles and I could live our lives untethered by that unfair emotion. He didn’t ask his old Alpha to pair him up with anyone. That horrible man did it despite knowing Miles’ Bear had rejected even the suggestion of mating anyone other than his fated mate.

“You did good, Miles. You’re both free now,” I said, and Miles dipped his head, claiming my mouth and kissing me deeper than before.

“Will you two move it!”

“I’m gonna kill your brother,” he growled, lifting his head up.

“No, you won’t. I love you, Mate,” I said, and the truth of it rang out in my voice.

“I love you, too. More than anything. Let’s go get a turkey before I claw your brother.”

I laughed out loud, following Miles’s lead to the truck. I never imagined happiness like this could be for me, but now that I knew it was possible, it was all I felt.

“It’s about time. We’re gonna get stuck with the smallest damn turkey they have,” Honor grumbled.

The sound of Miles’ growl filled the cabin, but he played it off with a loud cough.

“What the hell was that?”

“Oh, engine. Hope’s gonna look at it later. Right, Hope?”

I nodded, only half listening.

A few minutes later, Honor pulled up outside the very crowded poultry farm and jumped out of the vehicle. Miles went to my door first, opening it and spinning my legs to face him before he helped me slide down.

I still wasn’t paying attention. My thoughts felt heavy.

The supernatural world was still new to me, and I was learning every single day. It seemed scary at first, but with Miles by my side, it was bearable.

More than that.

It was incredible.

My heart swelled with the notion.

“What are you thinking about?” Miles leaned down and whispered in my ear.

The look on his face right then reminded me of something he said to me once. Something about cherishing me, loving me, and something else. I smiled when it hit me.

“I was thinking how lucky I am to be coveted by the Bear.”

“I’m the one who’s lucky, Hope. You gave me everything. I cherish you, Pretty Girl. I’ll love you till the day I die.”

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you sweep a girl off her feet.

My Bear chuffed, and my heart thudded against my ribcage.

“I love you too, Mate. I love you forever.”

The end.