Chapter One
Graham Roth lumbered his big bear shaped body to the tree where he’d stored his clothes, and shifted back into his human form. The change in his eyesight, while subtle, was annoying, and he reached for his glasses first.
The corrective lenses would never compare to the perfect, enhanced vision of his bear, but they were more than adequate for his human form, and because contacts weren’t a viable option for shapeshifters, he’d learned to accept the essential accessory years ago.
He got dressed quickly, and relished in the quiet sounds of the morning as he walked across the clearing toward his home. When he saw Tegan sitting on his back porch, he almost resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
Almost.
“I saw that,” Tegan playfully scolded.
“Good,” he answered. “If you didn’t, I’d tell you to get your eyes checked.”
“Funny,” she replied, deadpan.
“What are you doing here, Tee?”
“I thought you might want some company for the trip to Delilah’s.”
“Right,” he grunted. “More like you think I need a babysitter.”
“I’m worried about you.”
The fact that she didn’t deny his accusation meant it was true.
Fuck!
Skip out on one barbeque, and everyone loses their damn minds.
“I’m fine, Tee,” he assured her.
“You haven’t been to Delilah’s in almost a week.”
“I’m on a diet,” he stated, his tone dry.
She wasn’t even phased.
He understood her concern. He loved sweets, especially cinnamon rolls, and Delilah, the owner of Delilah’s Bakery, had mad skills with dough. All of the older woman’s recipes were good, but her cinnamon rolls were, hands down, the best in town.
Hell, they were the best, period.
The fluffy, sugary sweets were not only his favorite, but a favorite of his clan’s, and the group could easily polish off a dozen in one sitting.
Not that he always shared.
Graham usually visited the bakery two to three times a week, and typically came home with more than one box of sweets, but lately he hadn’t been in the mood. In fact, the last time he’d gone had been nearly a week ago, and when he’d shown up at Zach’s with donuts instead of cinnamon rolls, Tegan had searched his home, convinced he was holding out on them.
He hadn’t been.
Honestly, he hadn’t thought they would think it was such a big deal, but apparently, bringing the wrong pastries to brunch, and then canceling out on a family barbeque in the same week was cause for concern.
Fuck me!
He wished they would just leave him alone.
“Right,” Tee laughed. “I know you better than that, Roth. Go take a shower, so we can go get some breakfast.”
He sighed and walked into the house without another word.
He could have argued with her, but there was no point. Tegan was his best friend, and even though she was mated now, she still knew him better than anyone.
The truth was, he had been pulling back from the clan.
Four years ago, after he’d graduated college, Tegan had introduced him to her brother Tristian, and the man had not only offered him a job, he’d offered him a home. Suddenly, after many years of being a lonely tech nerd, and not really fitting in anywhere, he’d had a family and a purpose.
He’d immediately fit into the group, and being the odd man out hadn’t bothered him because he’d had Tegan, and she’d always been on the outside, too. Right up until Ethan finally pulled his head out of his ass, and claimed his mate.
He was happy for his friends, especially Tegan, because she needed some joy in her life, but as everyone else started to find their mates and pair off, he’d started to feel more and more isolated.
He’d been hiding his feelings well, or so he’d thought, but the fact that Tegan was on his porch before ten o’clock in the morning proved him wrong.
If Tegan knew, then Ethan, the clan’s second-in-command knew, and that meant his alpha, Tristian, knew. Soon, everyone would be on his doorstep with some pretext or another, but they would all have the same goal.
Fuck!
He made a mental note to never skip a barbeque, or any other function, again. While he appreciated the clan’s concern, it wasn’t necessary. He’d had one bad day, nothing more, and there was no reason for everyone to start coddling him.
Hell, it wasn’t like he wasn’t used to being alone. Working on computers, and basically anything else tech related, wasn’t really a social profession, and with the exception of his work in the club on the nights they were open, he preferred to work alone anyway.
Feeling lonely was a different story, but that was no one’s fault but his own.
His clan couldn’t help finding their mates, but even if they did have a hand in controlling their fates, he wouldn’t have wanted them to change a thing. He liked seeing the guys, and Tegan, complete with their other halves, and each mate fit into their family perfectly.
Hopefully, he would have the same kind of luck.
He shook his head, turned off the water in the shower, and started getting dressed.
His family would accept his choice of mate no matter what, and his true mate would grow to love his family as much as he did. That’s how mates worked. Fate sent you the one person created just for you…unless you weren’t compatible with anyone.
And therein lay his greatest fear.
It wasn’t whether or not his mate would fit into his clan. What he feared the most was never finding a match. How could he when most of his time was spent alone, staring at a computer screen.
Fate always finds a way.
He rolled his eyes at the thought of the familiar mantra, but the words brought him peace. If he was meant to find someone, then somehow, someway, he would.
Until then, there was nothing he could do. He needed to stop worrying over something he had no control over, and to stop feeling sorry for himself.
His mate would come to him when the time was right, and not a second before.
***
“Are you going to eat that?” Graham asked.
Tegan stared at him as if he were crazy, and shook her head. He eagerly pulled the uneaten cinnamon roll off of her plate, and shoved half of a soft, sticky ring into his mouth.
He understood his friend’s confusion, but where cinnamon rolls were concerned, all bets were off, and he was using her baffled state to his advantage.
“What the hell happened to you in that shower?” she accused.
“Nothing,” he shrugged. “Why? What’s wrong?”
He knew perfectly well what was wrong, but he enjoyed teasing her.
After his pep talk—reality check—or whatever you wanted to call it, he’d run downstairs, grabbed his keys, and called for Tegan to meet him in the truck. She’d eagerly complied, but her silence on the drive over, while he’d babbled about the weather, the traffic, and a few other mundane things, spoke a thousand words.
“You’re being weird,” she said, finally. “I’d say that you’re pretending to be happy, except that you’re not that good of an actor, so what’s up?”
“I had an epiphany.”
“An epiphany.”
She repeated the words without emotion, but he knew her too well. He didn’t have to hear the doubt in her voice to know that it existed, which, in fairness, was a perfectly logical response. Regardless, he chose to ignore it.
“Yes, an epiphany,” he repeated. “Honestly, last week, I was feeling a little…out of sorts. It was mostly because everyone has found their mates, and I’m still alone, but I’m better now. Everything happens when it’s supposed to, and I just have to be patient.”
“You’re not alone,” she said, fiercely. “We all love you, and—”
“I know,” he interrupted. “I meant alone, as in, without a mate. Poor choice of words. I’m mate-less, but I’m not alone.”
She nodded, but still eyed him suspiciously.
“I also have to remember to never skip out on a barbeque again.”
His smile and wink betrayed the serious words, but his friend was still angry.
“See that you don’t,” she scolded. “Everyone was upset, and I had to stop both Ethan and Tristian from bringing hell down on your front door. And probably your backdoor, too. You know they would have tag-teamed you.”
Yeah, he did know.
He also knew that though Tristian didn’t usually interfere with their private lives, the man could have forced him to participate in the informal dinner. When he swore his allegiance to his alpha, that meant he would follow orders—all reasonable orders—without question.
“I’m sorry,” Graham said. “I promise I’ll do better next time.”
“Good, because I don’t need any drama in my life.”
“Well, I’d hardly call it drama,” he said, rolling his eyes before turning serious again. “But I understand what you’re saying. I won’t push you guys away anymore, and I won’t stay home unless I have a good reason.”
“Good,” she said, “and by the way, any undo excitement, or stress, is drama in my book, and it’s not good for the baby.”
“Baby?” he suddenly stilled. “Are you having a baby?”
She nodded, smiling, as tears filled her eyes.
“Tee, that’s amazing,” he said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it hard. “I’m so happy for you and Ethan. A baby…”
He allowed the sentence to trail off, because no words could describe the extreme joy he felt for his friend and her mate. Soon they would have a cub running around on clan land, and everything would change once again.
He couldn’t wait to be a part of it.
“Are you nervous?” he asked.
“Nervous? No,” she laughed dryly. “I’m scared half to death.”
“Everything will be all right,” he said. “You’ll see. You and Ethan are going to be great parents, and there will be no shortage of love from the clan. When you guys need a break, you can always pass him or her off to one of his awesome uncles or aunts.”
“Remember you said that,” she teased, “because this kid is going to your house first.”
“Bring it,” he laughed, “but be prepared. As soon as he can sit up and support himself, I’m giving him his first laptop. He might end up a tech nerd like me.”
“That’s fine with me,” she shrugged. “You’re hardly a nerd, and I’ll need someone to show me how to use all the features on my phone once you get old and senile.”
“Very funny,” he said, his voice dry.
She smiled, reached across the table, and snatched the rest of her uneaten cinnamon roll from his plate. Normally, a move like that would mean war, but her baby announcement had thrown him for a loop. He’d let her get away with it this time, but next time, pregnant or not, all bets were off.
No one messed with his sweets.
The door to the busy shop had been opened and closed several times during their visit, but for the first time that morning, he heard the bell ring. Surprised by the invasion of the near silent ringing over the noisy chatter in the shop, he looked up to see who entered, and a blaze of sunlight blurred the figure and nearly blinded him.
He jerked his head away, and his stomach rolled as a wave of nausea swamped him.
“What’s the matter?” Tegan asked. “Your face just got really pale.”
“I don’t feel well,” he said, standing. “My stomach—”
His words stopped short when he looked up and found her staring at him.
Mate!
His bear growled beneath the surface, and his human side froze. He never thought he’d find her so soon, but finding her in Delilah’s Bakery made sense. If she didn’t share his love of pastries, he’d be shocked, but it wouldn’t change anything.
Mine!
The woman was his.
She was waiting in line at the counter, and unlike the blinding light from before, the sunlight now created an angelic-like glow around her frame.
The picture before him was surreal, but he didn’t need any extra convincing.
He already thought she was stunningly beautiful.
She was tall for a woman, but still stood about six inches shorter than his six-foot, four-inch frame, and her soft, lush, curvy body made his mouth water and his dick swell. She had shoulder length, chestnut brown hair, and steel grey eyes that reminded him of the fog that sometimes lingered in dark patches of the forest.
When she smiled at him, her eyes darkened to almost charcoal, and he was lost.
His legs gave out, and he collapsed into his chair, barely landing on the hard edge of the wooden seat. Her beautiful smile disappeared, and she turned away from him, breaking their connection.
“Oh my god!”
Tegan’s whispered words barely registered as he silently watched the woman place her order, pay, and then leave the shop with her fingers gripped around the handles of a plain brown paper bag.
“Graham!” Tegan cried, standing. “Go after her!”
Tee was ready to race after the woman, but luckily, his legs started working again.
He stood, and bolted out of the shop, narrowly avoiding a collision with a man in a business suit holding a tray filled with four cups of coffee.
“Sorry,” Graham barked, but he didn’t wait around to hear the man’s response.
When he got out to the street, he easily spotted his mate, and ate up the block of sidewalk between them in seconds.
“Excuse me,” he called out.
She glanced over her shoulder, but when her eyes met his, she looked away and quickened her step. He moved faster, and tried again.
“Hey,” he said. “Hold up.”
She looked back at him again, and this time he waved.
Thankfully, she stopped walking, and turned to face him head-on.
***
Sierra Bennett walked into Delilah’s Bakery, and tried not to sigh out loud.
The smell of donuts, cinnamon rolls, pies and other wonderful baked goods filled her nose, and she could practically taste the sugar that seemed to linger in the air.
She’d always had a soft spot for sweets, and although she only visited the shop once or twice a month, it was her favorite place in town. Delilah was a master baker, but she was also a kind woman with a strong head for business, and her small café was always packed.
Sierra got in line, and tried not to drool as she eyed the display of pastries. As much as she loved the soft, baked goods, she didn’t allow herself to indulge in them that often.
She was a curvy girl, with both feet firmly planted in the plus-sized department, but she still tried to make good choices when it came to food, and all sweets had to be enjoyed in moderation.
With her decision on what to order made, she turned away from the counter and surveyed the room. Her eyes landed on him a second before he abruptly stood and met her stare with one of his own.
Damn!
Gorgeous didn’t begin to describe him. Divine was a good start, but even that word somehow seemed lacking. He was an Adonis, wrapped up in a superhero, with the predatory dominance of an animal, and he was absolutely perfect. She knew the portrayal would have sounded silly if she’d voiced it out loud, but it was the best she could do.
There really were no words to properly define him.
His tall, big body towered over her five-foot, ten-inch frame, and for a moment, she actually felt…normal. Living as a tall, curvy girl in a sea of people with average heights and weights wasn’t easy, and she often felt like a whale swimming through a school of fish. Most people automatically kept their distance, or took off in another direction, but she imagined people got out of his way for a different reason.
Muscles laced his broad chest, and his arms were big and defined without being excessive. He might work out in a gym, but that wasn’t his sole form of exercise, and she immediately wondered about his profession.
More so because his rare, violet eyes, were hidden behind a pair of dark, stylish frames. The superhero reference slammed into her again, and she had a feeling only a privileged few ever got to see him without the much-needed accessory.
God, she wanted to be one of those people.
The image of him hovering over her, his face inches from hers, flashed through her mind, and her face turned up in a smile at the same time her pussy tingled.
What would it feel like to be filled by him? She had nothing to compare it to, but she had a feeling he knew what he was doing when it came to sex, and he could definitely show her how it’s done. In fact, women probably threw themselves at him all the time.
As if he’d heard her thoughts, he abruptly dropped back into his chair so dramatically he nearly missed the edge, and the blatant rejection wasn’t lost on her. She glanced to the left, and for the first time since spotting the man, she noticed his tablemate.
Shame swamped her.
What the hell was she doing ogling another woman’s man? Or any man for that matter? She’d learned a long time ago that her curvy body, combined with her plain brown hair, and dull, boring, grey eyes, rarely equaled anyone’s type, and the reality, while disappointing, would never change.
She would always be alone.
Embarrassed, she turned back toward the display case, and willed the woman in front of her to order faster. She could feel the couple staring, their eyes boring into her back, and the temperature in the room seemed to escalate at least ten degrees.
The low brush of whispers teased her ears, but she didn’t know where the sounds were coming from, and she couldn’t understand the words being said anyway.
Were they laughing at her?
The urge to fidget warred with the desire to run, and the moment she solidified her decision to leave, the shop owner arrived to take her order.
She didn’t want to make a scene, so she glanced in the case, and ordered the first thing she saw. Delilah filled a brown paper bag with a half-dozen cinnamon rolls, and a couple of minutes later, Sierra white-knuckled the handles of the bag, and moved to the door as quickly as possible without drawing undo attention to herself.
Once out on the street, the urge to run eased a bit, but she moved with purpose down the sidewalk. She wanted to put as much distance between herself and the shop as possible, and deep down, she hated the fact that she’d made a fool of herself in one of her favorite places.
How could she ever go back there again?
The irrational thought jarred her, and though she was still uncomfortable about the incident, she knew it was ridiculous to let it stop her from going back.
Besides, what were the odds that she would ever see the couple again?
She’d visited Delilah’s literally hundreds of times in the past, and today was the first time they’d ever crossed paths. It could be literally one hundred times more before it happened again.
“Excuse me.”
The words, strong and firm, echoed around the buildings, and she automatically glanced over her shoulder and made eye contact with the man from the shop.
What the hell?
Was he following her? Why? What did he want?
Sierra returned her gaze forward, and quickened her step.
She refused to allow a stranger to scold and mock her on the street for enjoying the view of his sexy body a few moments longer than she should have.
Unfortunately, he caught up to her easily.
“Hey,” he said, nearly occupying the space beside her. “Hold up.”
She looked back at him again, and this time he smiled and waved.
Shit!
She’d never be able to outrun him.
Might as well get it over with.
She stopped walking, and turned to face him head-on.
“Thanks for stopping.”
He paused, as if taking the time needed to catch his breath, but she knew he was stalling. What she didn’t understand was why.
She took a quick inventory of the few passersby, and luckily, she didn’t recognize anyone. They were still standing on Main Street, but the block they were on was less crowded than the one containing Delilah’s.
Good! Let’s get this done and over with!
“Well…I didn’t really have a choice,” she said, finally. “You obviously walk a lot faster than I do. What do you want?”
“I…”
He was stalling again, but the strange, intense-dreamy look on his face left her immobile. It was the look she’d always hoped to see from a man—one full of love and desire—and though she knew she was misreading him, she allowed herself to enjoy it for a few fleeting seconds.
I must be a glutton for punishment!
“Cinnamon rolls!”
“Um…what?”
As she uttered the words, the truth set in, and she felt her cheeks warm. Now things were starting to make a little more sense. The longing on his face had been for her bag of pastries, of course. She’d purchased the last six rolls in the display case.
“I…” he cleared his throat. “I’ll give you a thousand dollars for that bag of cinnamon rolls.”
A thousand dollars? What a nut!
He was definitely crazy, but at least he didn’t seem intent on lashing out and embarrassing her on the street because she’d been gawking at him.
“That seems a bit extreme,” she laughed. “It’s not even a full dozen.”
Not that it mattered, but she couldn’t think of anything else to day.
“I have to take cinnamon rolls home today,” he stated, matter-of-factly.
Yeah, probably because that’s what his girlfriend wanted and he’d do anything to make the lucky woman happy.
Damnit!
“I don’t want your money,” she said, holding out the bag, “but you can have the rolls.”
“Let me make it up to you another way then,” he said, reaching for his wallet. He opened the trendy, slim leather case, and handed her a business card.
She took the card on instinct, and immediately noted how the stylish, bold, black lettering stood out on the white background. There were only four lines listed: name, workplace, job position, and phone number.
Graham Roth.
God, even his name was sexy.
“How about dinner? Or a movie? Do you need help with any tech stuff? I’m really good with computers and phones, and…well, all devices really.”
Dinner? A movie? Yep, definitely crazy!
No way she was sitting through dinner and a movie with him and his girlfriend.
“No, that’s okay,” she said, letting a nervous laugh escape. She shook her head, and offered him the bag again. “Thank you for the offers, but I’m pretty sure your girlfriend wouldn’t go for any of those things, and it doesn’t matter anyway. You don’t need to repay me. You obviously need these more than I do.”
He reached for the bag, but instead of taking it from her, he closed his hand over hers. A spark of electricity raced up her arm, and spread through her entire body, making her tingle from head to toe. Her pussy throbbed in the aftermath, and liquid heat dampened her panties.
“I don’t have a girlfriend,” he smiled, taking a step closer. “The woman I was with, Tegan, is a friend and nothing more. What’s your name?”
“Um…”
For a moment, she forgot everything, but luckily it didn’t last long.
“Sierra,” she whispered. “My name is Sierra Bennett.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Sierra Bennett,” he said, taking the bag from her. “I owe you one—anything—and I hope you’ll contact me soon so I can settle my debt.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but her throat refused to comply. He was so close, so gorgeous, and so deliciously perfect, that she would have agreed to anything, and she instinctively nodded to seal the deal.
“Good,” he smiled. “I’ll see you soon.”
Without another word, he turned and walked away.
Sierra watched his retreat until he ducked back into the bakery, and then suddenly, it was as if the spell had been broken. She ignored the irrational disappointment that swamped her when he didn’t look back, closed her gaping mouth, and studied her surroundings.
People rushed up and down the sidewalk, but no one seemed to notice her blatant, gut-wrenching desire for the man she now gazed after like a lovesick puppy.
God, I’m an idiot.
She took a deep breath, shook her head, and continued on her original path.
Despite what he’d said, the man—Graham—had wanted the rolls and nothing else.
It didn’t matter that her hand still tingled from his touch.