Page 14

W hat the fuck was fate thinking, sticking me with a shrewish female like Darby Matthews?

Driving us to my house, I hope that some privacy will help me talk my way out of the hole I am in. Since Darby stormed away from me two nights ago, my bear has been miserable, threatening to take control so he can claim her.

Pulling into the driveway, the outdoor lights trim the large house.

Not wanting to displace my parents, when I took over as alpha, I built a new home.

Pressing the button on the garage door opener, I wait patiently to pull in.

Darby is difficult to read—her mind is a steel trap, and her face is expressionless.

My shoulders slump as disappointment fills me.

This isn’t how I pictured things going when I brought my mate home for the first time.

After pulling inside, I shut the car off and climb out.

Reaching the door that connects the garage to the house, I press the button to close the door and shut out the cold.

Darby remains frozen in place.

Scrubbing my hands over my face, I enter the code to lock the door. No matter what she does, Darby is locked in. Do I feel guilty about taking such measures? Yes. However, it appears that it must be done, or we will never move past this.

Moving past the mudroom, down the hall to the primary bedroom, I strip off my clothes and head toward the shower. I smell like the restaurant and am offensive to myself, let alone my mate.

Washing quickly, I pull on a pair of sweatpants before leaving my room to check on Darby.

The house is silent as a tomb as I check the kitchen, dining room, great room, and the other three bedrooms. She is nowhere to be found.

Grabbing a beer on my way back through the kitchen, I check the garage.

Sure enough, Darby is still sitting in the car.

“Are you coming in so we can talk?” I ask defeatedly.

“I want to go back and see my sister,” she says petulantly. “You dragged me out of there before I even got to meet the babies. That’s my niece and nephews.” Darby fights back tears. Holding back the cringe, since she is right, I try a different approach.

“Please,” I say, pleadingly. “We need to talk. I promise to take you back to them as soon as we clear the air.”

Dangling that carrot in front of her might get her out of the car and into the house, but I have no intention of taking her anywhere tonight.

Propping a shoulder against the doorframe and taking a pull off my beer, I feign a relaxed posture.

After several minutes of just staring at each other, Darby reluctantly gets out of the car.

“Can I get one of those?” she asks, giving a chin lift in the direction of my beer.

“Help yourself,” I say, waving an arm in the direction of the kitchen and bowing slightly as if she is royalty.

Darby moves inside, passing by me as she flattens herself against the wall so as not to brush up against me. My bear is irritated, but I shove him down. The last thing I need is to freak my mate out any more than she already is.

Tracking her steps with my eyes, I keep some distance between us. Darby rummages around my refrigerator before coming out with three beers. Sitting them on the island in the center of the room, her eyes scan the open floor plan while popping open one of the bottles.

“Nice place,” she comments offhand.

“Thanks,” I remark, moving to get myself another drink from the refrigerator. “My cousins decorated the place.” I watch Darby nod in possible approval. “If there is anything you want to ch—” Holding a hand up in the air, she cuts off the rest of my statement.

“Hold it right the fuck there,” she states angrily.

“Look,” I say, defeatedly. “You are my mate. I only get one. I have no interest in trying to control you, although you could tone it down a little.” I wave a hand in a circle, encompassing all of her.

“This is the exact bullshit I was talking about,” she yells. “If you can’t take me as I am, you can fuck right off.” Darby’s language causes me to cringe. This isn’t how an alpha’s mate is supposed to react. Or act, for that matter.

“How long are, were , you planning on staying in Padston?” I ask, changing tactics.

“Permanently.” She chugs down the rest of her beer and opens the second one. “I already have a lease with Gypsy, to rent the apartment above the bar,” Darby informs me as the alcohol loosens her tongue.

“If you need a job,” I start, before she cuts me off, shaking her head from side to side.

“I have a job,” she informs me. “I need a space to open my new business.”

My bear perks up at this as my mind whirls through possibilities. There are a couple of empty storefronts in town, one of which is across the street from Simmer Down. There’s a new law firm next door.

“What type of business are you opening?” I ask, expecting something feminine. The response I get has me spitting the mouthful of beer I just took across the room.

“Tattoo parlor with piercings.”

Darby’s confidence doesn’t waver, despite my reaction.

“You do know that this town is full of paranormals, right?” I ask.

“Yes,” she snarks, narrowing her eyes at me. “The guy I apprenticed under was a shifter. He taught me what needs to be done for paranormals.”

Holding my hands up in surrender, so I don’t dig a deeper hole for myself, I step away from the counter, moving through the dining room to the great room.

The far wall features a large gas fireplace, serving as the focal point of the room.

I turn the fire on and then move to turn on the Christmas lights, including the large tree.

“Do you want to come and sit by the fire?” I ask, once again, changing the subject out of dangerous territory.

Darby guns the rest of her second beer, popping the third one open. Alcohol affects paranormals differently than humans. To get a buzz or drunk, we have to drink a considerable quantity, unless it is made with an extremely high alcohol content.

Taking a seat on the couch, my eyes track Darby’s movements as she walks past me toward the built-in bookshelves flanking both sides of the fireplace.

Among the collection are some rare first editions of classics, including Huckleberry Finn , The Great Gatsby , and The Scarlet Letter , among others.

“I could suggest a few newer stories to add to your eclectic collection,” Darby says, looking over her shoulder at me. It’s the first time she has made any suggestion involving us, and a shiver runs through my body.

Stepping away from the books, she moves toward me, flopping down onto the couch. Turning to face me, I freeze in place as our knees touch. I’m afraid to move, unsure if she realizes what is happening.

“So,” she says, drawing my eyes to meet hers. “What are you?”

My mouth opens and closes, unsure how to respond to her brazenness.

“I know, I know,” she says, taking a large pull from her beer bottle. “It’s not socially polite to ask, but you know. I’m your mate.” Darby sing-songs the last part, dropping her voice an octave to mimic me.

“Bear,” I blurt, my voice rough and harsh as my bear fights for control.

“Are we talking grizzly bear, black bear…what?”

“Brown,” I answer.

“Makes sense, I guess,” Darby volleys, pointing to the top of my head. “How are your cousins blonde then?” she ponders, her gaze becoming unfocused.

Saying nothing, I raise an eyebrow in response. Her hair is colored with streaks of bright pink—surely she already knows the answer to that.

“How does this work then?” Darby asks, dropping her head back on the top of the couch cushion as her head turns in my direction. My bear sits up as she gains his full attention.

“How does what work?” I volley, wanting to clarify what she is speaking about.

“You know,” Darby says, waving her hand back and forth between us. “The mating thing.”

Her disrespect for something so sacred has me cringing. Mentally chastising myself, I chant that she is human and just doesn’t know, trying to suppress my anger.

“The mating thing, as you so eloquently put it, is sacred among paranormals.” I clench my teeth, unable to stop my reaction. “While I understand that you don’t comprehend that fact, I am doing my best to push that aside,” I say condescendingly, unable to help myself.

“Look,” Darby says, sighing heavily. “I have seen how Kyle and Dayton are together. It’s more than just face value.

I get it—something you need to understand, first and foremost. I have never had any intention of getting married.

” Darby holds a hand up to silence me as my mouth opens to speak.

“You freaked me the fuck out with your gifts and I am still angry at that. As far as mating, I will keep an open mind, but don’t get your hopes up. ”

I can’t help the disappointment that fills me from her words. My bear falls backward on his ass, hanging his head in defeat.

“I do need to ask something, though,” Darby says, pausing as if choosing her words carefully. “What about sex?”

“What about it?” I volley, confused by her question.

“Can we have it?”

“Yeah,” I say, dragging out the word.

Opening my mouth to continue speaking, Darby doesn’t give me the chance before she pounces. Her lips smash against mine as she takes advantage of my confusion, thrusting her tongue into my mouth. All coherent thought leaves me as all of the blood in my body rushes to my cock.

Wrapping my hands into her hair, I take control of the kiss, moving her head to an angle that gives me better access to her mouth.

A moan escapes her as Darby moves to straddle my waist. Having no shirt on, she has unfettered access to my torso.

Raking her short nails along my chest, a growl rumbles in my chest.

“Fuck, that’s hot,” Darby mutters as she pulls away from my lips, trailing kisses along my jawline, down my neck and further down my body.

Reaching between us, she frees my cock, squeezing me tightly as her hand moves up and down.

Darby pauses, causing my eyes to fly open.

When did they close? She pushes off me, causing my brows to furrow momentarily.

Rising to her full height, Darby begins to pull clothing off, tossing the pieces haphazardly around the living room.

My dick is painfully hard as more and more of her creamy flesh comes into view.

My fingers itch to touch her. When Darby gets to her bra and panties, my bear lets out a loud rumble of approval, causing her to smirk.

Slowing her movements down, reaching a hand behind her back, Darby unhooks her bra, letting the straps fall off her shoulders before letting the whole thing drop to the floor.

Watching her tits bounce has me salivating, wanting to suckle her nipples into hard buds.

Continuing the striptease, Darby slips two fingers, one on each side, between the thin cotton material and her flesh.

Inching the fabric inch by inch, she bends in half, keeping her pussy out of sight.

I force myself to stay in place, letting her control the pace, but it’s difficult.

After stepping out of her underwear, Darby stands upright, tossing her panties at my face.

A growl of approval comes from my bear as I hold them to my nose, inhaling deeply.

Strutting toward me, Darby places one hand on each of my knees, licking up my neck.

I quickly raise my hips, tugging my waistband down and freeing my cock.

She moves away from my neck, bending over more.

Sticking her tongue out, Darby copies the move she did on my neck on my cock, licking from the base to the tip.

After rimming the mushroom head of my cock, she takes me into her mouth, causing me to hiss in pleasure.

My hips busk of their own accord as Darby bobs up and down on my dick, taking more of me into her mouth on each downward stroke. It doesn’t take long until I can feel my balls tighten, my orgasm imminent.

“Darby,” I pant. “I-I’m going to…to come,” I caution, but it only seems to urge her on. She hollows out her cheeks while moving one hand from my knee to fondle my balls. The slight tugging sensation is all it takes for me to detonate. My hips surge forward as my release spurts into her mouth.

“Holy fuck,” I say between pants as I sag back onto the couch.

Darby smirks as she resumes her place, straddling my lap. Her pussy rubs against my cock. Having her wet heat slide against me already has me hardening again, ready to go. Leaning forward, I suck one of her nipples into my mouth, holding it between my teeth as I tease with my tongue.