Chapter Six
Tristen was too shocked by her actions to think. It was like a cellphone dropped in the toilet. His brain froze and went blank. His gaze dropped to her breasts. Serena had been blessed with an extremely curvy figure. Her breasts bounced as she pulled the shirt off and dropped it to the floor. The muscles in her arms bunched under a layer of fat as she stripped off her pants. She was beautiful. Perfectly proportioned. Thick thighs, round ass. And those breasts…
He felt himself hardening as she kicked off her shoes. He was vaguely aware that she wasn’t stripping for his pleasure but that didn’t make his brain work any better. His bear urged him to rip off his own clothes and rub himself all over her. To part her legs and taste the sweetness of her orgasm as he thrust into her.
Serena unhooked her bra and Robert made a strangled noise.
“I’m not comfortable with this.” His voice was pitched higher. It was the only thing that could break Tristen’s gaze from Serena’s beautiful body. His brother was pale and he held up both hands. “Look, I’m not one to kink-shame, but I really don’t think I can go through a three-way with my brother.”
Serena rolled her eyes. She stripped off her panties, giving Tristen the barest glimpse of a dark triangle of trimmed hair before she shifted. Her Bear sprang from her form so quickly that he jumped back. She was a beautiful russet-brown, with red highlights in her gorgeous fur.
Then one of her paws whipped out. It hooked around his ankle, making him crash to the ground, before she shouldered Robert out of her way. She charged back toward the car. Tristen cursed as he scrambled to his feet. Serena slid into the car naked. She was trying to get back to the clan. And the danger of the Sawyer group who wanted to kill her.
“Shit!” Robert started out. “I left the keys!”
Tristen dashed out without another word. The engine of the car sputtered, then roared to life as soon as he got there. Tristen lunged, not allowing himself to think. He seized the bumper of the car and hefted it into the air. From inside the car, Serena made a yelping noise. The engine roared and the front wheels spun uselessly. Tristen’s muscles bulged and a drop of sweat trickled down his back.
“Let go, you idiot,” Serena shouted at him. “You’re going to hurt yourself!”
Nope. Tristen lifted it a little higher. From this angle, he could see Serena clearly. Her eyes were wide, mouth hanging open. The wheels still spun and her hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles were white. He grinned at her.
“I can do this all day,” he shouted.
Luckily, he didn’t have to prove his bluff. Robert was there within seconds. He opened the driver’s side door and pulled Serena out. The wheels stopped spinning and Tristen gratefully set the car back down. His spine ached a bit, his arms tingling with the burn of overexertion. Serena glared at him as Robert turned off the car and took the keys.
“You can’t keep me here,” she spat at him.
This time, Tristen found it easy not to let himself be distracted by her nakedness. At least, mostly. He kept his gaze on her face as he marched forward to take her arm. “It’s not safe for you out there.”
“This is kidnapping and illegal imprisonment. Do you know how much shit is going to go down if people find out about this? This is exactly what the Sawyer group wants.”
“No.” Robert sidled up to her other side and put a blanket around her shoulders. “They want you dead.”
“I have duties!”
“You’re technically not the matriarch yet,” Tristen interrupted. “We also spoke with your grandmother. She and Natasha will be handling things until you can come back. The official story is that you are taking time off from your duties so that you can get to know your new mate better.”
Serena yanked her arm away from him. “So you’re saying that you talked to everybody but me? Wow. That’s a real vote of confidence, there. I thought I could count on you. This is the kind of decision that is supposed to be mine to make, not yours!”
Robert held up a hand. “Technically—”
She didn’t let him finish. She dropped the blanket and slammed two stiff fingers into his throat. As Robert stumbled back, choking, she followed it up with a punch to his stomach. Tristen leaped forward and snatched the keys from his brother’s hands before Serena could take them.
The next second, her russet bear was on him. His feet slipped out from under him and he fell heavily to the ground. The keys jangled in his hands and Serena closed her mouth around it. Just as she started to bite down, she shifted again. Her blunt human teeth hurt no less than if they had been her bear’s jaws; he dropped the keys, crying out in shock and pain. Serena grabbed the keys, shoved them in her mouth and rolled off him. She shifted once more, threw herself down on him, making the air burst from his lungs, and dashed for the car again.
Tristen grinned. Even as he choked for breath, he staggered to his feet and lunged after her. He shifted smoothly, his clothes bursting off his body. His bear paws wrapped around her waist and pulled her back. She let out a yelp as he shifted back to human form and spun her around.
He pinned her against the car, catching her wrist in his hand. She snarled, flashing him bear canines, and he answered in kind. His bear was excited, loving this game with her. Even though it wasn’t really a game.
“You are an adept fighter.” He squeezed her wrist tighter. “But you have to know that I’m not going to let you go. You could get into this car and be on your way, and I’d still stop you before you got back to town.”
“I have to—”
“You have to be safe.” Emotion fueled his voice and he was surprised by it. He took a deep breath and shook his head. “Serena, right now you’re a symbol of hope for your clan. We need more information about our enemies. I know it’s hard for you, but you have to be safe. That is the most important thing you can do for your clan right now. Okay?”
Serena shook her head. Ever so stubborn. “Tristen, I know you think you’re protecting me. But this isn’t a matter of keeping the princess safe so she can be queen. I have to prove I’m strong. If I can’t protect myself without running away, how am I meant to protect the clan? I have trained my whole life for this role. I know it’s dangerous. I know that people want me dead. I’m not afraid.”
And she wasn’t. He could see in her eyes nothing but sheer determination. And he had never felt more drawn to another person. Never wanted anything more than to kiss her over and over and over until they were both panting and defenseless in one another’s arms.
At that moment, Robert spoke. “You two need to stop being all smooshed together naked like that.”
He felt her body pressed against his, as if for the first time. Her soft breasts pressed against his chest. The roundness of her hip pressed into his. The soft patch of hair against his upper thigh. And he became aware of how his own body was responding to her. The tightening in his loins, the heat that burned through him, the tightening of his skin wherever she touched him.
And a very prominent part of him jutting into her stomach.
He sprang away from her. As he did so, her gaze dropped. A red flush rose into her cheeks as her eyes locked onto the juncture of his thighs. He hung semi-erect, his hardness pointed at her feet. Her fingers dug into the paint of the car behind her. The keys fell to the ground.
“Okay, well. That’s embarrassing.” Robert’s voice was utterly even. He picked up the blanket and wrapped it around Serena before leading her back to the cabin.
Tristen watched them go, wondering if he should run after and apologize or if that would just make things worse. He tore off the final shreds of fabric that clung to him, swirls of guilt and lingering desire warring inside of him. His bear urged him to go after her, but he ignored it. How could he have acted that way? Forget about acting—that had happened because he had no self-control, apparently.
They were going to think he was some sort of gross pervert. And in all honesty? He felt that way himself. Why was he aroused in a situation that was decidedly not sexy? Fighting with her, arguing about her safety. Yes, they had been naked. Yes, their bodies had been pressed together. Yes, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. But it was the wrong time.
Tristen scrubbed his hands over his face and shook his head. He grabbed the car keys and pulled a pair of spare pants from the trunk and pulled them on as Robert came back out of the cabin. He was probably furious with him. Tristen knew he would be—hell, he was angry and jealous enough when it came to Serena and she wasn’t even his mate.
“I’m sorry,” he said when Robert jogged over to him.
“Tristen—”
“You don’t have to worry about me,” he said. “It doesn’t matter. That was… I’m not sure what it was. I was excited because she was such a good fighter. And let’s be honest, naked bodies pressed together have certain connotations.”
“Yeah, but—”
Tristen shook his head. “No, listen to me. I promise there is nothing you have to worry about. I want the two of you to be happy. Okay? That is what I care about most. And I’m sure she’s embarrassed. Hell, I’m embarrassed. I’m going to go back to town to find the Sawyer group.”
Robert shook his head as Tristen yanked open the door. “You don’t care what I have to say, do you?”
“Of course I do.” Tristen managed to meet his brother’s eye. “But right now tensions are high. I’ll get out of here so you can reassure and calm your mate. I’ll be back in a few hours. Just… protect her. As her mate is supposed to do.”
Robert didn’t respond. His eyes were narrowed as Tristen started the car and drove away. Tristen didn’t look back. Robert was Serena’s mate. He would take care of her. He would protect her. Now Tristen needed to find the Sawyer group and eliminate them.