~

 

“Ok,” Griffin tossed up one broad shoulder. “I can wait.”

“A patient man?” Keri’s grin started small, and it bewitched him as he watched it grow. “What are the odds?”

“I’ve waited for you all of my life, what’s another little while?”

“Ha! Nice line. Define, little while.”

“Not another twenty-eight years.”

“So sure, so certain, so in love with himself.”

“Sure that you are the one. Certain that you’ll be mine. And it’s not me that my heart fills with love for.”

“Stop with the cheese and throw some mustard my way.” She chuckled with a small shake of her head.

“I can offer you relish, tangy sweet.” Griffin grinned hard.

“Can we stop talking about food? I’ve eaten my fill, and yet, there’s always more.” And she hated it.

She liked a healthy life, and since running into her mate, she’d eaten way too much chocolate, a hot dog, a burger with everything, and enough cake to make her want to run it off in a marathon.

She was getting like Penny and Isla.

“I like a woman with curves.”

“I like to be able to bend in the middle.” Keri offered back.

The moment those words were out, she wanted to snatch them back. She knew he was going to make a meal out of it, so to speak.

“That thought does sound tempting.” Griffin allowed himself a small growl at the thought of her bending over in front of him.

“Ah, it’s a little brain moment,” Keri teased back.

In truth, the moment that she’d said it, she’d also imagined something decidedly dirty. She couldn’t be sure exactly what was going through the Alpha's mind, but she could be sure that it all boiled down to the same thing – sex, lust, being naked, and a good time was had by all.

That thought was so damn tempting to her, especially after the fire that they’d almost set off between them back in the hall of mirrors.

“I’m male; it’s going to happen.”

“A lot.”

“Are we talking about the little brain thing or the actual act of making love itself, because I’m getting confused.”

“Well, you are male.”

“And you are female, and we are made to fit together like…”

“Two peas in a pod?” she shot back with more than enough mischief in her eyes.

“I was thinking more interlocking,” Griffin offered back, starting a fresh wave of erotic thoughts shooting through her mind like a porn movie on fast forward to all of the good bits.

“I was thinking wait until you’re asked,” Keri leaned in and whispered to him, but that extra closeness was like a red rag to a bull inside of her womb, and it already had tap shoes on, but now it was doing a happy dance.

“I’m sure I can persuade you,” Griffin also leaned in, almost touching her nose with his.

Keri lifted her hand and slapped her palm against the hard muscles of his chest – she had the urge to test those muscles once more with her fingers, but she managed to resist that temptation.

“Let’s say we don’t test that theory.”

“Just yet,” Griffin offered back.

Then he pulled back slightly and wrapped an arm around her waist, bringing her body closer, but not touching.

“Thought we were waiting?”

“Doesn’t mean we can’t do a little recognizance along the way.”

 

~

~

~

 

Penny had never worked so damn hard on a holiday weekend before in her life. She preferred the easy life of slumming it on a nice beach with cold and icy drinks at her every whim, and a suntan at the end of it.

She’d get her suntan, but it was only because she’d been laboring away in the heat all day. As for the cold and icy beers on tap, or the copious amounts of wine to sip as she lazed the day away, well, none of that had materialized so far.

She guessed that she couldn’t bemoan the good Father wanting his church roof fixed, or whatever the proceeds of the summer fair were going towards, and she certainly didn’t hold with Keri’s plan of a walking holiday, so she decided that she’d kind of got the best of a bad situation – that was if you didn’t count the growly – stalky – sexy mate that she’d picked up along the way.

How could she not count him?

The man’s presence alone made it painfully clear that she was on the losing end of the mating pull. Sure, she might have been trying to fight it and get some wriggle room – not to be confused with wriggling against him, because that would be bad – or good – depending on which angle you looked at it from. But, she knew deep down that consigning her mate to her rear view mirror just wasn’t something that she could truly consider either.

Yes, it was true that she was doomed.

Doomed to have a mate that would love her forever.

Doomed to have a sex God for a mate.

Doomed to be put on a pedestal and worshiped like the be all and end all of life – she wasn’t sure she liked that idea much. Sure, she could sit on that pedestal, but she was damn sure that she’d fall off, and end up face down in the dirt at some point.

Doomed to succumb to fate’s whim and fancy.

And doomed to spend her life with a man that she could love and trust never to hurt her deliberately.

Doomed.

Penny had to admit that she was coming around to the idea of being doomed within Neal’s arms. Strong arms.

The man might have been a Neanderthal butthead, but he was her Neanderthal butthead, and that felt kind of good.

No more first dates.

No more disastrous first dates where the best outcome was to escape out of the fire exit when he wasn’t looking.

No more wondering what Mr. Wonderful looked like. Because he looked pretty damn good from where she stood to watch him trying to win her a fluffy rabbit – not that she’d asked him to win her anything – she’d framed it more of a challenge.

There he was; Mr Muscles on show, doing his best to throw darts through a dartboard instead of at the dart board – which annoyed the heck out of Jane who had to try to wrench them back out again…

“Winner,” Jane groaned as she eyed the dart board and rolled her eyes.

Those darts were lodged in there like he’d hammered them in.

“How many more wins for the rabbit?” Neal asked as casually as he could with a satisfied look of victory towards his mate.

Penny raised her eyebrows and inspected her nails as though she were bored.

“If I give you the bunny will you go somewhere else?” Jane’s voice was full of exasperation.

“Isn’t that cheating?” Neal asked her, and she frowned.

“Look, muscles.” The older woman narrowed her eyes at him before she grabbed one of the large rabbits by the scruff of the neck and tipped her chin down towards her chest. “You want Thumper or not? Because I’m getting muscles of my own trying to get those damn darts out of the board.”

Penny silently chuckled.

“Did I still win?” Neal looked to his mate for confirmation, and Penny looked towards Jane. She wanted to say no and make him work for it, but she took pity on the older woman with the pleading eyes that were begging her to just give in.

“Fine, winner – winner – not a chicken dinner,” She said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Jane tossed the rabbit at the man and hit him in the face with it. He snatched it downwards and grinned at the older woman.

“Thank you – come again,” Jane offered sarcastically, and Neal lifted his hand and opened his mouth to speak. “But not when I’m working the damn stall.”

“Got it,” Neal offer her one hell of a sexy grin, and she snorted her contempt for him. He was now out of favor.

“See, Jane started with a swoon and then she got to know the real you, and now she’s sneering – that doesn’t bode well,” Penny said as she turned on her heels and stalked away with her mate in tow.

“Here’s your rabbit.” Neal’s smile, and the tone of his voice said victory. Penny snatched a quick look at him as he fell in beside her.

“But, you two look so darn cute together. I’d hate to separate you,” she smiled with glee as Neal gave her an old fashioned look.

“I won it for you,” he said, offering the toy out to her.

“What’s the matter? Wolf getting frisky at the sight of a rabbit?” She teased back.

“You stalked, you hunted, and you snared the… pink bunny,” Percival teased as he walked towards them. “I’m so proud.”

“Bite me,” Neal growled.

“Not right now, maybe later.” Percival grinned as he strolled on by them, and Penny couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Take the damn rabbit,” Neal grumbled.

“Pink’s not my color, but it does suit you.”

“You don’t want the bunny?” Neal sighed.

“Not really, no. But I’m sure you two will be perfectly happy together…” she giggled as Neal took in a deep breath and sighed it out. “Make a kids day – give it away and show what a caring, sharing guy you are.”

Neal stuck his chest out with pride and nodded. Then he stalked up to the nearest small child that he saw and held out the rabbit.

“Mummy…” the child looked horrified.

“Can I help you?” The mother turned to look the big shifter up and down as if he’d just unleashed his fangs and his claws.

“She doesn’t like pink…” Neal offered quickly, lifting his free hand and pointing back at Penny.

“Oh, o-k…?” The woman shrugged her shoulders.

“Here,” he thrust the stuffed toy at the woman, wanting only to get away from the small child before there was the possibility that she would burst into tears.

He turned on his heels and fled.  

 “Wow, way to go to terrorize a small child,” Penny said with a chuckle as she strolled off with her mate in hot pursuit.