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Chapter Seven

Vivienne

He continues giving me shit as we go up and down the aisles, with me tossing stuff in the buggy that I know the two of them will want, as well as a few things I might as well imbibe in too. We have a brief, somewhat heated discussion at the checkout when he holds out his debit card while I’m pulling out my wallet.

“Fox, you don’t need to pay for this!” I hiss, since there are several humans in the line, along with two shifters. Not that the humans know that, of course. Still, I’m sure the shifters can hear every word I utter which has me trying to temper my response.

“Vivi, are you mine?” he asks.

“Yes,” I reply. I mean, I know we haven’t completed the mate bond, but outside of that, he’s my mate and I’m his so it’s a done deal except for the sex and the claiming bite.

“Then I’ve got it,” he rumbles. “No ifs, ands, or buts.”

Deciding it’s futile to argue, I wave my hand and say, “Knock yourself out, big boy.”

He leans in and in a barely-there voice replies, “I’ll show you big boy, mate .”

And… just like that, my core is wide awake and I’m trying not to twist my thighs to quell the ache that seems to be steadily growing. From the cocky smirk on his face, he’s aware of what his words just did to me, the big jerk!

Once he pays and the bagboy gets everything in the cart, we head out to his truck, he helps me into the passenger seat, then he gets everything loaded into the back. I’m mumbling to myself as I watch his very fine backside cross the parking lot so he can put the buggy in the cart corral, then I grin when it dawns on me that all that goodness is mine, all mine.

I may not have practical experience as such, but I’m definitely a voracious reader, plus Angie’s shared her own exploits from time to time. So, by the time he hoists himself into the driver’s seat, I turn a beaming smile on him. “Thank you. I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful, Fox.”

“You didn’t, Vivi, but something you’ll soon learn about me is my wolf and I have longed for a mate for a very long time. Both of us have certain ideas about how to treat the one that Fate decrees is ours so all I can tell you is, get used to it, okay?”

“You and your wolf have discussed this?” I tease. “I mean, mine makes her wishes known, but I don’t remember ever just chit-chatting with her.”

His chuckles join my giggles inside the confines of the truck’s cab and with it, a sense of absolute rightness. I’m sure we’re going to butt heads from time to time, but hopefully, it’ll be over minor things and quickly resolved, just like me letting him pay for my groceries was.

“He tends to growl a lot when he thinks I’m making the wrong decision,” he admits. “I, of course, advise him of my thought process. Sometimes, I go against what he suggests just to let him know that the man in me may not be an animal, but I’m still in charge.”

“How does that work out for you?” I ask, genuinely curious.

He shrugs while tossing me a grin. “Sometimes, I have to eat crow. There’s something to be said for animal instincts.”

It doesn’t take long to pull into the alley behind the shop and park. Then I watch in utter amazement as he proceeds to grab every single solitary bag that he put in the back in one hand, while handing me the one with the eggs and bread inside, before he follows me to the back door. I mean, I understand we have shifter strength, but what he’s doing is such a guy thing to do that I’m laughing as I unlock the door and shut down the alarm.

“After you,” I tell him. “The code for the door is seven, five, eight, zero.”

I can use a key as well, but I want to lock up down here and hate the thought of him waiting even a few seconds for me to get up the stairs to unlock the apartment door. “Got it. Lock the door, Vivi.”

“Working on it, Fox.”

Once we have everything unpacked and put away, he heads to the door. “I’m gonna head back to the clubhouse, babe.”

“Why?” I ask.

“Because it sounds like your girl and your dad had a major drama that put them on the road toward safety. They don’t need to be faced with your mate right when they get into town,” he replies.

My shoulders droop because I was hoping he would stick around. Still, what he’s saying has merit, so I move closer to where he’s standing and wrap my arms around his waist. “I’m agreeing to disagree,” I murmur as I stare up into his handsome face. “But it’s not like I won’t see you again.”

“Yeah, the only way that would ever happen is if there was a machete involved,” he agrees.

“A machete?” I whisper. How much do I really know about his motorcycle club anyhow? Why would that be the first thing out of his mouth?

“Teasing you, Vivi. Outside of something that neither of us can control, you’ll never have to worry about that, okay?”

“You had me worried there for a second.”

He smirks then says, “You shoulda seen your face, babe.”

I’m hard pressed as to which I like him calling me, sweetheart or babe. Hell, even saying my nickname gives me tingles all over. I suspect one is all him, the other has more to do with his biker side. Still, I’m not going to ask. Nope. I’ll wait until I meet the two women who are mates to his brothers and ask them instead. Deciding this is a brilliant plan, I reach one of my hands up and cup his jaw. While I don’t know his actual age, he has salt-and-pepper hair but looks like he’s at best, mid-thirties. Since we don’t show our true age during our long lives, I realize I have a question for him after all.

“Fox, what happens when the humans around town clue in to the fact that none of us ever appear to get older?” I ask.

He shrugs. “There are enough in town who are aware that shifters exist, Vivi. As a whole, we tend to keep to ourselves, and when we’re out and about, we usually don’t use names. Worst case scenario, if it ever becomes an issue with the world as a whole, I’m sure we’ll get into changing identities and shit. For now, we’re good, okay?”

I nod, only slightly mollified. “Is that why Zephyr Hills is the way it is?” I query. “I mean, I know there are human residents, of course, but are they like the town secret keepers or something?”

“That’s one way to look at them, Vivi. We want any shifter who is seeking asylum to know they’ll always be safe here. While I don’t anticipate there ever being any issues, trust me when I say that the club is prepared to handle any kind of threat, okay?”

“Okay. Plus, I’m sure your wolf would lose his mind if there was ever one against me.”

A low, rumbling growl comes from his chest and my eyes widen when I see his wolf peering through his own hazel orbs. “Hello, handsome,” I coo. “I definitely get the message. You’ll shred anyone who tries to hurt me.”

Fox shakes his head at me, chuckling. “Babe, really?”

“Yes, really. He’s part of you, Fox, and it might be archaic of me to say this, but I kind of like the fact that he’d show his fuzzy butt and decimate anyone who sought to harm me.”

“Fuzzy butt?” he whispers.

“Yeah,” I reply, my tone sassy. “But I’m sure I’m the only one who will think that way, because he’ll be all gnashing teeth and wicked claws.”

He pulls me closer to him and proceeds to kiss me senseless. I’d say breathless, but that’s a given at this point. Each and every lip lock makes me want to swoon, much like the Victorian heroines of the historic romances I occasionally enjoy reading.

“Okay, and you be sure to pack a bag because you’re staying with me,” he states.

Oh, I like slightly bossy Fox. A lot. “Okay,” I whisper.

“I’ll be sure to touch bases with you later on to make sure your girl and your father arrive safe and sound,” he continues.

“Alright.”

“Babe,” he murmurs, leaning his forehead against mine. “You okay?”

“Mmhm. I’m in a Fox fugue,” I reply.

Pulling away, he grabs my hand as we walk toward my door. “Make sure you lock everything up, Vivi,” he says.

“I will, Fox.”

One more delicious, too-short-for-my-liking kiss later, and he’s gone, leaving me to wait for Angie and Dad to arrive.

Several hours later, I hear the doorbell and stop stirring the pot on the stove to hurry downstairs. Once I make sure it’s them, I open the door and usher them inside. At least they each thought to grab a duffel bag.

“Come in, come in,” I encourage. “The apartment’s straight up the stairs and the door’s already open.”

Once they start up to the apartment, I close and lock the door and reset the alarm, then hurry behind them. “Okay, the five-cent tour is somewhat short and sweet,” I say, after I’m through my front door. “We’re in the living room, and through that arch is the kitchen. Straight ahead, there’s a full bath, then the guest bedroom on the right, my bedroom and ensuite on the left, and the laundry cove behind the doors at the end of the hall.”

“This is really cute,” Angie says, tossing her bag down and engulfing me in a hug. “And what, pray tell, is a laundry cove?”

I giggle then take her hand and practically drag her toward the doors that hide my washer and dryer. Once I slide the doors open, I wave my arms. “See? Laundry cove. It’s not an actual room, of course, and I thought it sounded cute.”

“Here, let me hug my girl,” Dad says, coming up behind us. I turn and fall into his arms, emotion rolling over me. I know that Alpha Dawson tried to push his way onto my dad, so I bear no ill will. Still, I’m glad he decided to come with Angie.

“Glad you’re here, Dad. So, are you two hungry? I have some beef vegetable soup on the stove,” I ask.

“Goddess, yes,” Angie replies. “We’ve been living on energy drinks the past few hours, so I’m jacked all the way up. Maybe some food will help kill the adrenaline.”

“Then let’s get to it because I’m sure you’re both exhausted as well.”