Page 5 of Wrong Number, Right Grizzly (Dial M For Mates #7)

NIX

Ronan flung off the bedcovers and sat up, his hair already mussed from lying down. "I should take a shower," he said as he sniffed under one arm. "I can't sleep like this."

I’d flicked off the lights as soon as he climbed into bed, so there was little light in the room apart from the parking lot outside. The rain was still coming down, but it wasn’t as heavy as when I was driving to find Ronan. My mate.

"Go.”

My grizzly was vibrating with excitement at having our mate so close, and I yelled at him to stay where he was and not take his fur.

He’s our mate .

We both know that . Now wasn’t the time to do anything about it.

I spent too long staring at Ronan’s ass and wished I’d caught a glimpse of him from the front. There were thin towels in the bathroom and a teeny tiny bar of soap that would be suitable for one person. Maybe I’d see a lot more of him when he came out.

But I couldn’t stay here while he was in the shower and imagining what he looked like naked.

“There might be a vending machine with chips or cereal bars. I’ll go look.” The burger and fries were a long time ago, and Ronan wouldn’t have eaten for hours, unless he’d had food in the vehicle.

The motel served breakfast, so I was sure I could bribe the clerk into opening the kitchen and grabbing bread and peanut butter.

Ronan disappeared into the bathroom and the shower started. It was kinda ironic that we’d been drenched in the rain but now needed a shower.

I walked to the door, leaving a trail of water droplets in my wake. The reality of meeting my mate was just dawning on me, and I had no clue how to go about this. Ronan was human, and there was no map that showed how to get from A to Z without terrifying and/or making him hate me.

My fated mate, the one person in the world meant for me, was naked and wet in the next room while I was off to scour the motel for chips and nuts.

Ronan was already questioning my motive for wading into a flood in search of him, a complete stranger.

And he’d been traumatized by being stuck in rising water.

He may never utter another word if I told him I could shift into a grizzly and both me and my beast had decided he was ours.

The smell in the air outside was no longer one of turmoil and uprooted lives, but rather a cool, clean breath. Tomorrow would begin the cleanup and totaling up of the destruction.

I doubted the motel office would still be open, but the lights were on and the clerk was watching the same soap opera as when we’d arrived. I asked if there was a gift shop to buy clothes and somewhere to grab a bite to eat.

The clerk's eyes didn’t leave the TV screen. "Gift shop?" He cackled. “This isn’t a fancy hotel with room service." He sipped a cup of coffee. Maybe that was how he stayed up all night.

I didn’t want to put on the same disgusting clothes I was wearing after my shower, and I was certain Ronan would appreciate a clean set.

“How far is the closest gas station?” The one near where I’d found Ronan was shut up tight when I passed the first time.

“You’d have to head toward town, and the roads between here and there are flooded, so you’re out of luck.”

I wondered how many squashed cereal bars I could scrounge from my car.

But the clerk set down his coffee. "Tell you what, you seem like you’ve been through some stuff tonight.” He went on to say that years ago the motel owner ran a promotion that included T-shirts and sweatpants. It turned out the owner was hoping to rebrand the motel.

He snorted. “That never took off.”

"I'll take whatever you have.” Ronan and I were about the same height.

The clerk disappeared into a back room and returned with an armload of clothing. Everything was emblazoned with the motel logo of a pine tree, a sun, and a swing. Whoever designed it had obviously not taken any design classes, and I suspected my grizzly would have come up with something better.

And the colors were loud. A bright yellow sun that needed to be looked at while wearing sunglasses, a green tree, and a bright pink swing.

“I have T-shirts in medium and large, sweatpants in large, and some flimsy cheap flip-flops.” He dumped everything on the counter. “Give me twenty bucks for the lot and it’s yours.”

The clothing was clean and also dry, so that was two pluses. I handed over the cash.

“I don’t suppose you have a vending machine?”

“Nope.” He rummaged in the cupboards behind him and plonked boxes on the counter. He opened each one and pulled out crackers, nuts, and granola bars. “They’re a dollar each."

I paid for the snacks and grabbed everything. I’d never been so enthusiastic for overpriced peanuts and merch.

The clerk returned to his program, and when I kicked open the door of our room, the shower was still running. I laid out a set of clothes on Ronan’s bed with the flip-flops on the floor. Until I put the sweatpants on the bed, I hadn’t noticed the motel’s name emblazoned down one leg.

I scattered the packets of food on the mattress, hoping my mate would appreciate my efforts.

Ronan was still in the shower, and I crept up to the door and put my ear to it, hoping he wasn’t weeping at the memory of what he’d gone through. But the water turned off, and I hurtled across the room and pretended I was engrossed in my new clothes.

Ronan emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his hips. I drooled at his washboard abs and tore open a pack of nuts, tossing half the contents between my lips to avoid him seeing me frothing at the mouth.

“Are these for me?” Ronan picked up the pants and put them against his body. He snorted at the name and said we should be paid if we were advertising the place.

His hair was dripping, and water droplets trickled down his chest, causing my temperature to rise, but there were only two towels in the bathroom and no hair dryer. I picked up one of the extra T-shirts I’d bought, and he wrapped it around his head.

He jerked his head toward the bathroom. “I’ll get changed.”

My mind drifted, and once again I was picturing my mate naked just feet away from me. When he emerged, I stifled my giggles with one hand, but I was also tamping down my desire. Stamped on the front of the shirt were the words, “Every night is an adventure.”

“What do you think?” He twirled around. “If anyone sees us, they’ll think we’re part of a sporting team. Maybe darts or beer drinking.”

“It’s quite the fashion statement.”

Much as I wanted to continue the conversation, I had to shower, so I picked up a set of clothes and strolled into the bathroom.

There was a tiny bottle of shower gel, one where you had to bang it on your hand ‘cause it was so thick and the opening was tiny.

But it was enough to lather my body, and my head was full of Ronan as my sudsy hand stroked my engorged cock.

One advantage of the sweatpants was they were so baggy, he’d never see my arousal, even without underwear.

My mate was munching on a granola bar when I came out, and I got one too. We toasted, smacking them against one another in the air above our heads.

“Once it gets light, I should call a tow truck.”

I’d almost forgotten the reason we’d met, but there were still flood warnings, despite the rain easing off. I pointed out that unless they were coming from the opposite direction, the tree would still be blocking the road.

"Right." He tugged at the oversized tee. "So we're stuck here until someone clears the road? Or I am. You might be able to get back to the city.”

“No way. I’m staying,” I blurted out. Ronan’s head shot up and his eyes narrowed. “I might get stuck between two flooded rivers, and I’d prefer to be warm and dry and be an unpaid advertisement for the motel.”

Now that I’d said it, it sounded as if I was only concerned about myself.

“And I didn’t wade out here in the middle of the night to rescue you, only to abandon you because I want to be in my own bed.”

Hmmm, again it sounded as though I was patting myself on the back and that I’d given up everything to be a hero.

I tried again. “Look, we have food, shelter, and matching outfits. What more could we want?"

Ronan laughed. “We’re living the dream."