Bria blinked at the bright afternoon light that was streaming into the bedroom before stretching gingerly. Her entire body was sore and there was a particularly deep ache in her pelvis and thighs.
She lay quietly for a moment. Her heat cycle was over and now that the overpowering need had disappeared, she could feel every ache and pain in her overused body. God, she needed to do more yoga or something. She had never hurt this badly after her heat cycle before.
You never had this much sex before.
That was a good point. The last two days were a bit hazy – all right, really hazy – but she remembered enough to know that she and Jace had more sex than she thought was possible. The need to take him, to claim him, had been so intense. A little shiver ran down her spine – what was happening to her? Her previous heat cycles had never been like this.
It’s just because you aren’t having sex on a regular basis, that’s all. You’re not a freak.
Right – so why did she feel like such a freak?
She glanced behind her. Jace was burrowed under the covers with just the top of his dark hair sticking out. She felt a wave of affection that made her stomach twist with nervousness. She was not starting to feel something for her boss – that was just the lingering effects of her heat cycle. She really should have a shower and go home. Jace had to be tired of her by now.
She eased out of the bed. She wouldn’t run away like she did the last time, she was an adult for God’s sake. She would make him breakfast, it was the least she could do after he helped her for the last two days, and then make a graceful exit.
She stumbled on her first few steps to the bathroom. A ribbon of sheet was wrapped around her calf and she unwrapped it before lifting the quilt and peeking at the sheets. She would have to buy him new ones. These were completely destroyed.
Nearly an hour later, Bria hummed softly as she turned the bacon in the frying pan. She was feeling much better after her hot shower, and the ache in her pelvis and thighs was more bearable now. She’d borrowed one of Jace’s t-shirts and she touched the smooth material before grabbing some eggs from the fridge. She started to sing, her alto voice filling the small kitchen, as she placed the eggs on the counter before turning the bacon again.
She thought of Jace asleep in the bedroom, his naked body cocooned in the warmth of his bed, and a thread of lust went through her. Maybe after eating she could convince him to have a quickie before she returned to her own home.
God, Bria. What is wrong with you? You just had a marathon round of sex with him for the last two days and you want to sleep with him again? Have some self-control, for God’s sake. He’s not going to want you again.
Probably not, she mused as she picked up an egg, but maybe if she pretended she was still in her heat cycle he would let her have her way with him again. Hell, she could actually focus on his pleasure this time – he would like that.
The details of the weekend were hazy, but she knew from past experience, that she wouldn’t have gone down on him or given a moment’s thought to his pleasure. It was all about her during her heat cycle and normally that didn’t bother her. In the past, there had always been the in-between times of her heat cycle to focus on her partner’s pleasure. But if she was only going to be with Jace when she was in heat, well – that didn’t seem entirely fair to her. She really needed to maintain better focus during her heat. She would try during the next one, try to remember that Jace needed pleasure as well.
Who says you’ll be with him during your next heat cycle? He only helped you because you begged him, remember?
Her face flushed with embarrassment. That was true but Jace had made it perfectly clear that he was willing to help her.
Yeah, and you rejected him. Just because he took pity on you this time doesn’t mean he will the next time. Even if he does – is that really what you want? Do you want to be that girl who uses a guy once a month to scratch an itch? You want a relationship, you know you do, and Jace doesn’t. You’re better off concentrating on finding a nice shifter who wants you for more than –
“Well, hello there.”
The sound of the unfamiliar voice made her squeeze the egg in her hand. It cracked and its insides slithering into the sink. She dropped the shell in the sink and whipped around. She stared wide-eyed at the man and woman standing in the kitchen and her tiger made a warning growl.
The man held his hands up. “Easy there, girl.” He sniffed in her direction before glancing at the woman standing beside him. “She’s small for a tiger shifter, huh?”
“Wh- who are you?” Bria stuttered.
“I’m Robert Shepherd and this is my mate, Velma. Who are you and what are you doing in my son’s kitchen?” The man raised his eyebrows at her as Velma made a small, tinkling laugh.
“I think it’s obvious what she’s doing, Bobby.”
“Bria? Is that bacon? I’m starving.” Jace strolled into the kitchen wearing nothing but a pair of pajama bottoms. A small moan escaped Bria’s throat.
His chest was covered in bites, bruises and claw marks, and bile rose in her throat. He looked like he had been through a battle of epic proportions. Her cheeks burned with shame as Jace blinked in surprise at the couple standing in the kitchen.
“Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?”
“Honey, your chest!” Velma said in a horrified voice. “What happened?”
“I think it’s obvious what happened, Velma,” Jace’s father snickered.
Both his parents stared at her and Bria turned bright red.
“What are you guys doing here?” Jace repeated.
“We were supposed to have lunch an hour ago,” Velma said. “We were worried when you didn’t show up and decided to check on you. You weren’t answering your cell phone.”
“I’m sorry. I forgot, but you can’t just walk into my house without knocking.” Jace ran a hand through his dark hair.
“We didn’t realize you had company,” his father said.
“Um, I,” Jace glanced at Bria, “this is Bria. Bria, these are my parents, Robert and Velma.”
“Oh, we’ve met,” Robert said cheerfully.
“Right.” Jace stared blankly at his bruised and bitten chest. “I’ll just, um, go grab a shirt.”
He turned, and Velma’s horrified gasp echoed through the small kitchen. “Oh, Jace!”
She turned an accusing stare to Bria.
Bria couldn’t hide her own look of horror. Jace’s back was even worse than his chest. It was completely covered in deep slashes, and her pulse beat thickly in her ears as she stared at the torn flesh and bruising. What the fuck had she done to him?
“It’s fine, Mom.” Jace left the kitchen.
Bria, blinking rapidly to hold back the hot tears, gave his parents a sick look of embarrassment. “I – I should go. I’m sorry.”
She ran from the kitchen and hurried into Jace’s bedroom. He was in the bathroom and she dressed quickly before grabbing her purse.
“Bria? What are you doing?” He came out of the bathroom, pulling a shirt over his head. She flinched again at the sight of his chest.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, “I – I didn’t mean to hurt you so badly.”
“You didn’t. It’s already starting to heal.”
“It was worse?” Her stomach rolled and for one moment she thought she was going to barf all over his bedroom floor.
“It’s okay.” He gave her a look of alarm. “Bria, sit down. I just need a minute with my parents and then we’ll talk about -”
“No,” she said. “I – I really need to go. I can’t, I mean I shouldn’t, stay any longer. Thank you for helping me. I’m so sorry about hurting you like that.”
“You don’t have your car here. Let me give you a ride home.”
“I can call an Uber.” She gave him another sick smile of shame. “Please tell your parents I’m sorry for making you miss your family lunch.”
* * *
“Bria, wait!”
Jace cursed under his breath as Bria ignored him and ran out of the bedroom. He punched the wall when he heard the front door slam shut. He took a few minutes to calm his tiger before returning to the kitchen. His mother was cooking some eggs and his father was sampling a piece of bacon from the frying pan.
He grinned at Jace as he crunched the bacon down. “She seems nice. Tiny for a tiger shifter but apparently quite the wildcat.”
Jace blushed and Velma whacked his father with the spatula. “Bobby, you’re embarrassing him. Grab some plates from the cupboard.”
As his father grabbed the plates and utensils, she smiled at Jace, but he could see the uneasiness lurking beneath the surface of her smile. “So, are you and Bria serious?”
“No.”
“You’re sure?” His dad said. “She looked pretty comfortable in your kitchen.”
“We’re not serious. I was just helping her through her heat.”
He didn’t miss the look of relief between his parents. His stomach churned but he understood why they were relieved. After what happened with Jonah, he couldn’t blame them. Not to mention the way he himself had been after he and Tabitha ended things. It was no surprise that his parents were leery about him dating.
“Are you driving with us to Ashley’s engagement party this weekend?” His father ate another piece of bacon.
“No. I’ll take my own car,” Jace said.
“Are you driving up Friday night or Saturday morning?” His mother added two eggs to a plate as the toast popped up.
“Probably Saturday morning.” Jace buttered the toast and added it to the stack on the table.
“Why don’t you drive up Friday night and we’ll have dinner at that restaurant – Bobby, what’s the name of it again?”
“Franco’s,” Bobby said.
“That’s right, Franco’s. Your aunt says they have amazing pasta.” Velma put eggs on the remaining two plates before placing the bacon on the table.
“I have a showing on Friday afternoon. I may not be finished in time to drive up and meet you for dinner.”
“All right, but make sure you leave in plenty of time on Saturday morning,” Velma said.
Jace joined his parents at the table and quickly ate a piece of toast and most of his bacon. He really was starving. Starving and tired and more than a little sore.
His tiger made a low growl of satisfaction. He had pleased his mate well this weekend and that made him happy, despite the pain in his back and chest.
Shit. He stared at the food on his plate. His appetite had disappeared. and nausea had taken its place. His tiger was still calling Bria his mate. He was so screwed.
“Velma, did you tell him?”
“Not yet.”
“Tell me what?” Jace glanced at his mother.
“Marilyn will be at the engagement party.”
He groaned and pushed his plate away before standing and pouring himself a cup of coffee. “Why? Ashley and she aren’t friends.”
“No, but their mothers are,” Velma said.
“You should bring Bria,” his father said.
Jace’s mouth dropped open as his mother said, “Why on earth would he do that? They’re not even dating.”
She turned to Jace, the anxiety evident in her voice. “You’re not dating her. Right, honey?”
“No, I’m not,” he said.
“I know,” Bobby said. “But Marilyn doesn’t know that. He could use that wee tiger shifter to fend her off.”
“Marilyn outweighs that little thing by sixty pounds. She’s big even for a female lion shifter.” Velma ate some eggs before sipping at her coffee.
Bobby shrugged. “After seeing Jace’s chest and back - my money is on the wee tiger shifter. Think about it, son – you know Marilyn is like a dog with a bone when it comes to you. If you show up with a date, it’ll help cool her off. She doesn’t have to know that Bria means nothing to you.”
Jace didn’t reply and his father glanced at his mother. “You know what, forget I said anything. It’s a dumb idea.”
“It’ll be fine,” Velma said. “Just be polite to Marilyn.”
“And when she tries to corner you in the bathroom for a quickie, duck and run,” Bobby said.
“Dad!” Jace glared at him. “Seriously?”
“Why does he get so grossed out when I bring up sex around him?” Bobby said to Velma with a grin. “It’s like he thinks we don’t have sex or even know what it is.”
“Keep talking about sex and I’m kicking you out of my house,” Jace said.
His father laughed as Velma patted Jace’s arm. “It’ll be fine, honey. Maybe Marilyn has a mate now.”
“Maybe I should just skip the engagement party.”
“You have to go,” Velma said. “You and Ashley have been close since you were kittens. She’ll be so upset if you miss the party.”
Jace dropped into his chair and drank more coffee as his father stole the bacon from his plate. “Yeah, I know. I’ll be there.”
* * *
“Kat? What are you doing here?” Bria stared in surprise at her best friend.
Kat lifted the bottle of wine she was carrying. “Sorry to just show up, but I bring wine.”
Bria laughed and stepped aside so Kat could come in. “You know you can come by whenever. Where’s Ronin tonight?”
“He joined Garth’s monthly poker game.”
“It’s on a Sunday night?” Bria hung Kat’s coat in the closet.
“They had to reschedule from last night. Garth’s mom needed his help with something. So,” Kat followed her into the kitchen of her small apartment, “have you found anyone?”
“Found anyone for what?” Bria grabbed a couple of wine glasses and the corkscrew.
“Your heat. It starts tomorrow.” Kat plopped down in a kitchen chair. “Wait, am I getting your cycle mixed up with my sister’s? I could have sworn yours started tomorrow because it’s always a week before mine.”
“No, you’re right. Only, it came early for the first time in my life.” Bria poured wine into the glasses. She handed one to Kat and sat next to her. She winced and shifted on the chair before taking a sip of wine.
“It came early?”
“Yep. Friday afternoon.”
“Shit, were you at work?”
“Yeah.” She crossed her legs and winced again before rubbing at her thighs.
“That’s not good.”
“It really wasn’t.”
“So, who was the shifter from Heat Me Up that helped you?”
Bria took another drink of wine. “Why do you think someone helped me? Maybe I took care of it myself.”
Kat laughed. “Sweetie, no cat shifter winces like that when they’ve taken care of the problem themselves. Also, you look both unbelievably tired and satisfied at the same time. You had loads of sex this weekend. I know it. You know it. Why are you being so secretive about who helped you?”
“I’m not being secretive.”
“Uh, yeah, you are. Who was it?”
“Fine. It was Jace, all right?”
Kat stared at her. “Jace. Your boss helped you through your heat cycle again.”
“It’s not like we planned it.” Bria drained her glass of wine and poured herself another glass. “It was starting, but I didn’t believe it. You know? My cycle never comes early. So, I kept telling myself it wasn’t happening. Only it was. By three I couldn’t deny it anymore, and by five, I was in agony. I couldn’t even think straight, and my tiger kept yowling at me for relief.”
“Shit, did you attack Jace in front of the entire office?”
“No, he wasn’t even there. Lincoln – he’s the smarmy lion shifter I told you about – was the only one left in the office.”
“Wait,” Kat leaned forward and tapped one long red nail against the table, “Jace wasn’t there, but Lincoln was. But you didn’t fuck him, you fucked Jace.”
“It’s kind of a long story.”
Kat poured herself some more wine. “I have nothing but time. Start talking.”
* * *
“It’s not funny, Kat.”
Kat laughed again. “It’s sort of funny. I can only imagine the look on his parents’ faces when he strolled into the kitchen all shredded flesh and puncture wounds.”
“Did you think it was funny when your mom walked in on Ronin making you breakfast after you banged him for forty-eight hours straight?”
“Ooh, point taken, girl. Yeah, maybe not so funny.”
Bria rubbed at her forehead. “I looked like a psycho cat slut.”
“You didn’t.”
“I did. His chest and back, Kit Kat – it’s gonna take more than a day or two to heal from what I did to him.”
“Okay, but he will heal so don’t sweat it. Are you going to get him to help you with your next heat?” Kat asked.
“He’s my boss.”
“At this point is that even an issue? You’ve already had sex with him.”
“I did kind of make him promise that he would fuck me for every heat,” Bria said.
Kat laughed. “I’m sure that was a real hard thing for him to promise.”
Bria rubbed her aching thighs. “He was so good at it. We had so much sex, I lost track of how many times I came. He never once couldn’t get it up or complained when I made him go down on me. The difference between him and Raden – hell, even Kyle – was unbelievable. The need was really bad again, and he just handled it. You know?”
Kat nodded and took a sip of wine. “I’m glad for you, sweetie. It makes such a difference having a partner who you can rely on during your heat.”
“I tried to make him say he was mine,” Bria said abruptly.
Kat stared at her. “Shit. You didn’t.”
“I did.” Bria gave her a miserable look. “When I woke up this afternoon, I didn’t remember half of what I had said to him – you know how things are a bit hazy when you’re first coming out of your heat - but I’ve been remembering stuff in bits and pieces all day. After I made him tell me he’d fuck me every heat, I told him he was mine and tried to force him to say it. He wouldn’t though.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. He shouldn’t have said it. It’s just – it’s embarrassing that I did that. He’s been upfront about not wanting a relationship and I keep saying dumb stuff to him. It’s why I can’t sleep with him during my next heat. I want more than he can give me and that’s not fair to either of us.”
“No, I guess it isn’t. Are you sure he doesn’t want to date? Last weekend, you were in his bed and cuddling him.” Kat asked.
“I’m sure. He was just drunk and feeling sad about his brother. I don’t know if I told this part to you or not, but he mentioned a woman named Tabitha. When I asked him about her, he shut me down and wouldn’t talk about it.”
“Ah, so it’s the old ‘gun shy about relationships because his heart has been broken in the past’ scenario,” Kat said. “Lame.”
Bria shrugged. “I guess so. I mean, I don’t know for sure, but I think it’s a safe bet.”
“You’re going to go back to the Shifter Love dating app, then?”
“Yeah. I haven’t had good luck yet, but there’s bound to be someone normal on there. Right?”
Kat slugged back the rest of her wine. “At least seventy-five percent normal.”
* * *
Jace stood and paced restlessly in his office. It was always busy on Mondays and today was no different. He was out of the office for most of the day at different showings, and when he had finally shown up at the office, Bria could hardly look at him. She looked tired and worn out. Several times, he had to stop himself from calling her into his office to talk.
The others hadn’t noticed the tension between them. Well, maybe Rosalie had – she was weirdly perceptive for a human – and he decided it would be best to let another day or two pass before he tried to speak to Bria. He didn’t want to wait though. He wanted to sit her down and reassure her that he was fine. God, the look on her face when she had seen his upper body. He should have been smarter and hidden it from her.
He glanced at his watch. It was just after five and Bria would be gone by now. He could leave without having to walk by her, without having to smell the scent of her embarrassment and shame. He traced the deep gouges in his desk before cursing under his breath. He hated that she felt that way. Even worse, his tiger had been growling and grumbling all day for him to simply pick up Bria and take her home. To take her to his bed and show her, in a very precise and very intimate way, that he wasn’t upset with her.
His jaw clenched and he stared at his desk again. He really should have Rosalie order him a new desk. He’d kept the gouges hidden by paperwork this afternoon but sooner or later, she or someone else in the office would notice them, and he’d need to come up with an excuse. But he liked seeing them, liked remembering the way Bria had purred and moaned as he fucked her against the desk.
Fuck. It was ridiculous to want her again. He’d just spent the last forty-eight hours between her soft thighs and there was no way he should want to be back there already. Other than the scratches and puncture wounds from her claws and teeth, his body had already healed itself from the other various aches and pains. But he had seen Bria wince when she sat down, had noticed the way she walked a bit stiffly. She wasn’t completely healed yet.
Besides, now that her heat was over she wasn’t interested in just having sex with him. She’d gotten what she needed, and it would be another month before she wanted him again. If she didn’t find a boyfriend between now and then.
There was a soft knock on the door and he spat out a ‘come in’.
The door opened, and Bria stuck her head into the room. “Hi. Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Yes. Shut the door.”
She held a large bag in her hand, and he stared at it curiously as she shut the door and approached his desk.
“I thought you had left already,” he said.
“I wanted to speak to you first.” She glanced at his door. “Um, Lincoln and Rosalie are still here so I’ll make this quick.”
“About yesterday – I’m sorry you had to meet my parents like that, I know it was embarrassing.”
“Oh, uh, that’s okay. It wasn’t your fault.” She picked at the handle of the bag. “How are you feeling today?”
“Fine. It really was much worse than it looked. You shouldn’t -”
“Are they healed?”
“Yes.”
She eyed him suspiciously. “Let me see.”
He hesitated, and she sighed. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“I told you that I didn’t mind scratching and biting.”
She bit at her bottom lip. “If you hadn’t – hadn’t restrained me, I would have really hurt you.”
“But you didn’t and next time I’ll be quicker to restrain you.” He flinched at his words, wondering if she would reject him immediately, but she was staring at the bag in her hand and hadn’t seemed to hear him.
“I bought you these.” She pulled two packages of sheets from the bag. “To replace the ones I ruined.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to. I also have this.”
She pulled a large jar from the bag and he stared at it. “What is it?”
“It’s a salve for your chest and back. It will help you heal faster.”
“Where did you get it?”
She had placed it on the desk and he picked it up and examined it.
“I know a place downtown. It’s a shifter store and they have ointments and salves for different things. It will help. Will you use it?”
He nodded, and she gave him a look of relief. “Good. Start using it right away, okay?”
“I will.”
“Okay, well, uh, have a good night.”
“You too.” He watched her walk toward the door, more turned on than he should have been by the sight of her ass in her tight skirt. His tiger growled happily when she paused at the door.
“Do you have someone to – I mean – how will you put it on your back?”
He grinned at her. “Well, Lincoln is still here, I’ll just ask him to rub it into my back. I’m sure he’ll love the idea.”
His pulse sped up when the smile curved across her lips. “I’d rather you didn’t show Lincoln your back. He knows I was in heat on Friday, and it won’t take him long to put two and two together.”
“Rosalie, then. She’ll be horrified, but I’ll just tell her the job description has changed.”
“No!” Her sudden growl made him twitch. “She is not to touch you.”
He didn’t reply, and she flushed before striding forward. “Take off your shirt. I’ll put some salve on it before I go home.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He gave her a flirty little grin then yanked off his tie and dropped it on the desk. She stared at it and he wondered if she remembered that it was the tie he had used to restrain her to the bed. It was stupid of him to wear it today, but he couldn’t resist.
“Do you like my tie, Bria?”
That delightful flush deepened, and he knew if he took off her shirt, the flush would cover her small but incredible tits. Fuck, he really wanted to suck on her nipples right now. Instead, he unbuttoned his shirt and then held the jar out to her.
She was staring at his broad chest, at the still-healing marks on his tanned skin. Did she even remember how it felt to be underneath him, to have his cock slamming into her tight pussy repeatedly? He knew that some cat shifters remembered very little during their heat, but he had no idea if Bria was one of them or not.
“Bria?” He prompted.
“Sorry.” She took the jar and he took his shirt off and draped it across the desk before turning around. “Oh God, it hasn’t healed at all.”
“Of course it has. Stop feeling bad.”
The obvious scent of her desire had been replaced with shame. He made sure not to move a muscle when she tentatively rubbed the salve into the slashes on his back. The salve was cold, but her hands were warm, and he tried not to groan with pleasure while she rubbed the salve into his back.
“All finished.”
Her voice was a little hoarse and he turned around, hoping she wouldn’t notice the way his cock was tenting his pants. She would smell his desire but there wasn’t anything he could do about that.
She bit her bottom lip as she stared at his chest. “Um, do you want some, uh, help with the front?”
“That would be very helpful.”
She swallowed, he heard the dry click in her throat, and scooped out a large amount of salve. She spread it over her fingers as he sat on top of his desk and spread his legs. She hesitated before stepping between them, and he held back his groan when her thighs brushed against his. She smoothed the salve over his chest, concentrating on each bite mark and scratch with studious regret, as the scent of their mutual desire hung thickly between them.
When her fingers scraped across one flat nipple, he inhaled sharply, and she gave him a worried look. “I’m sorry, did that hurt?”
“No, little tiger,” he rasped. “It doesn’t hurt. Keep going.”
She licked her bottom lip before stroking his chest with her soft, warm hands. She gasped when his big hands cupped her ass and he pressed her against his hard dick.
“I – is that better?” She whispered.
“Not yet,” he growled. “I need more.”
“Okay,” she almost moaned. Her hands rubbed across his collarbone and she gasped again when he slid his hands inside her skirt and gripped her bare ass.
He squeezed the firm flesh before tracing the thin strip of material between her ass cheeks. This time she did moan, a soft sound that set his skin on fire with need.
“I feel so bad about doing this to you.” She pressed her mouth against a particularly deep bite mark on his shoulder.
“You shouldn’t.” He squeezed her ass again.
“I feel like I should make it up to you, somehow.”
“Maybe you should.” He bent his head and sucked on her bottom lip.
She purred, and his cock throbbed at the sound.
Her purring fucking did him in every time.
“What do you want me to do?” She licked his mouth and he groaned.
Despite how much time they had spent mating over the weekend, he wanted her again with a desperation that would have been funny if it hadn’t been so ridiculously pathetic.
“You can go with me to my cousin’s engagement party this weekend.”
She blinked in surprise at him as he gave her his own look of shock. Where the fuck did that come from?
She pulled away from him. He let go of her ass with regret, and she folded her arms across her torso. “You want me to go with you to a family thing?”
“Yes. My cousin Ashley is getting married, and we’re having an engagement party for her. My entire extended family will be there.”
It was the wrong thing to say. Her eyes widened, and she took another step back. “Your entire family?”
Goddammit.
“Yes, but there will also be friends there. One of them is a lion shifter named Marilyn.”
She gave him a blank look and he forged ahead. “I’ve known Marilyn since we were kittens and she, uh, she has a bit of a crush on me.”
Her eyes flashed golden fire for a moment before returning to their normal blue. “So what? You want me to go with you and pretend to be your girlfriend, so Marilyn leaves you alone?”
He nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly what I want. I know, I sound like an asshole, but I have tried everything else with her – including flat out telling her I will never be interested in her as anything more than a friend. The woman is relentless.”
“Do you think me posing as your girlfriend will actually make a difference then?”
“I do. When Tabitha and I were together, Marilyn didn’t…”
His face turned red and he cleared his throat. “Anyway, you’d be doing me a huge favour by posing as my girlfriend. What do you say?”
“I’m not sure, Jace. It’s weird to pretend when I…”
She stared at the marks on his chest before taking a deep breath. “Yes, I’ll do it.”
“Thank you, I really appreciate this.” He hesitated and made a sudden decision. If they left Friday night, he would have an excuse to spend the night with Bria. Maybe she’d want to sleep with him again. “It’s an overnight trip. We’ll leave Friday after work and we’ll be back in the city by Saturday evening.”
Before she could reply, the door opened, and Lincoln poked his head in. “Hey, I’m going for a drink. Do you want to come with – holy shit, man, what the fuck happened to you?”
Jace grabbed for his shirt as Bria, blushing furiously, skittered past Lincoln and out the door.
“Christ, you look like you’ve been put through a meat grinder,” Lincoln said.
“Shut up, Lincoln.” Jace buttoned his shirt.
“Are those bite marks?” Lincoln grinned at him. “Nice! What little hellcat did you pick up at the bar this weekend? And is it serious? Because if it isn’t, give me her number. I’d love to get into the pants of the woman who -”
Jace growled at him, his eyes glowing bright green. Lincoln held up his hands. “Easy, buddy. What’s gotten into you?”
“Nothing. Just be quiet.”
Lincoln’s eyes widened, and he studied the open door before turning back to Jace. “Motherfuck. Bria did that, didn’t she?”
“No.”
“Bullshit. After you kicked me out of the office on Friday, you helped her with her heat.”
“Keep your voice down.” Jace shut his office door.
“Don’t try and deny it, my friend,” Lincoln said. “You don’t normally stand half-naked in your office with the admin staff.”
Jace scrubbed his hand across his face as Lincoln said, “Hell, I had no idea Bria had that in her. She’s so tiny and sweet. Maybe for her next heat, I can convince her to give me a chance. I’d love to feel those claws of hers sinking into my -”
He grunted with pain when Jace slammed him against the wall. “Keep away from Bria. Do you hear me? If you go anywhere near her, I’ll tear you apart.”
“Holy shit.” Lincoln’s voice was soft. “You’re falling for Bria.”
“No, I’m not.” Jace let him go and returned to his desk. He sat down and scowled at Lincoln when the lion shifter sat in the other chair. “I’m busy, Lincoln.”
“Are you and Bria dating?”
“No, I just helped her with her heat. I don’t want to be in a relationship anymore. You know that.”
Lincoln leaned forward. “I know you keep saying that, but I haven’t quite figured out if it’s because you don’t want to be in one, or because your parents don’t want you to be in one.”
Jace growled at him but Lincoln continued anyway. “You can’t live your life for your folks. I know what happened with Jonah was awful, but who’s to say it wouldn’t have happened even if Davra hadn’t left him. Jonah needed therapy and medication and -”
“Are you forgetting what happened when Tabitha and I broke up? Depression runs in our family. My aunt killed herself when she was only thirty-eight, and then Jonah, and then I…”
“You were nowhere near that point,” Lincoln said. “Don’t let your parents convince you that you were. You were hurting, you got help, end of story. You’re letting your parents’ fear dictate your life, buddy.”
“You weren’t in my head,” Jace said. “How I felt, the things I thought about when Tabitha and I ended it, it was awful and -”
“And it doesn’t mean you were going to off yourself like your brother did.”
Jace winced. Apparently, Lincoln couldn’t contain his usual bluntness any longer.
“Look,” Lincoln tugged at the crease in his pants, “your mom and your dad are terrified that you’re going to get in a relationship, break up and then kill yourself just like your brother did. I understand why they’re afraid, but that fear is smothering you and stopping you from living your life.”
“It isn’t.”
“It is.” Lincoln continued relentlessly. “Maybe you didn’t help alleviate their fears when you went a little squirrely after that bitch Tabitha broke your heart. But what you and your parents are both conveniently forgetting is that you didn’t spiral down until you thought suicide was the only option. You recognized what was happening and got some help.”
“My parents met Bria.”
“You’re shitting me.”
“I’m not.” Jace grabbed his tie from the desk and traced his finger along the pattern. “They dropped by my house on Sunday afternoon. Bria’s heat was finished, but she was in the kitchen making us something to eat. They walked right in and saw her.”
“What happened?”
“Nothing. My mom was a little horrified by the way my chest and back looked, Bria was incredibly embarrassed and left immediately. Mom and Dad stayed, and we ate brunch.”
“What did they think of her?”
“They didn’t think anything of her. They just confirmed right away that it wasn’t serious, and I wasn’t dating her and that was it.” He wondered if Lincoln could hear the bitterness in his voice. “Anyway, I’m more than willing to help Bria with each of her heats, but she wants a relationship too. I told her I don’t do relationships and she said she didn’t want to just sleep with me because of her heat. I wouldn’t have helped her with this heat if it hadn’t come early. She only fucked me because she was desperate.”
“You sure about that?” Lincoln leaned back in his chair and tucked his hands behind his head. “She turned me down flat and she was in agony from her heat. I could see it and smell it. Besides, the way you reacted when I talked about fucking Bria -”
The growl was tearing out of his throat immediately and Lincoln laughed. “Yeah, thanks for making my point. You want a relationship with Bria, she wants a relationship with you – go for it, you idiot.”
“You didn’t see the look on my parents’ faces when they thought I might be dating her.”
Lincoln sighed and stood up. “You’re not your brother, Jace. Don’t let them convince you that you are.”
He left the office. Jace turned in his chair and stared out the window. Fuck, what was he doing? Why the hell did he invite Bria to Ash’s engagement party? He had lost his fucking mind.
No, you just want to spend time with Bria. You like her.
His tiger growled its agreement. Give me my mate.
He sighed and turned back to his computer. He invited Bria because he wanted to use her to keep Marilyn off his goddamn back. If his father hadn’t mentioned it, he would never have even thought of it.