Two weeks had gone by since Madison first showed up in Deals Gap. In that time, she’d met new people, learned all there was to know about making donuts, and found she loved riding on the backs of motorcycles. Big, fat, vibrating-her-to-near-orgasm motorcycles. There may have been a time or two that she’d rushed to her room after getting home to masturbate and tip over that blissful cliff she’d clung to the edge of during the ride.

Her relationship with Greer had turned into friendship, even though he flashed flirty smiles and made ridiculous innuendos at a near constant pace. Something her libido wasn’t too thrilled about; but hey, at least she had a guy friend to talk to again.

That didn’t mean she didn’t miss the previous confidant she’d left back home. Her mother gave her random updates on Mack, but nothing about Van.

Mack had already dropped Sheila and was dating another woman. Her mother couldn’t remember the girl’s name, and Maddie really didn’t care. What she did care about was that every time she mentioned Van’s name, her mother clammed up. Maddie took it to mean he’d found a woman of his own, and that he didn’t care she’d left town.

It made her heart ache to think he could forget about her so quickly. Maybe he’d been waiting for the day he wasn’t beholden to her because of her relationship with his brother. She didn’t know, and at the rate she was going, she wouldn’t ever know.

The sound of a motorcycle could be heard rolling to a stop out front of the bakery. Her ride for the evening had arrived. Whoever it was, since the guys rotated giving her a ride, was earlier than expected. The sound of the bell tinkling drew her out of the back baking area.

“You’re a bit early,” she said, looking down, brushing the flour from her boobs.

“I’d say I was a bit late.”

Maddie’s head popped up at the sound of that deep penetrating voice. Her eyes widened, as her gaze fell on the one man she thought she’d never see again. The liger within chuffed in approval in a way she had never done before.

“Mack?” Her mouth dropped open and her brows furrowed as she took in every muscled inch of the man she’d just been thinking about. Except she wasn’t so sure it was Mack. There was something different about him. He had a possessive glint in his eyes she’d never seen before. At least not when it came to her.

“You wound me.” He placed his hand over his heart with a pained expression on his face.

Maddie peeked around him at the motorcycle sitting in front of the store. Her Van didn’t ride. At least not that she knew of. He was the steady brother. The rock solid he’ll-be-there-whenever-you-need-him guy. Mack was the wild boy, the one she expected to run out and buy the biggest, fastest bike available. He didn’t give a damn what people thought, and did whatever he wanted. The twins were polar opposites. And she could admit, like most girls at the time, she was lured in by Mack’s untamed attitude. He was the dark and dangerous bad boy of the pair.

“Can you really not tell?” His face crumpled in disappointment. A flicker of disbelief crossing his features.

“My Van would never ride one of those things, would he?” She wasn’t too sure what she really knew anymore. Mack had thrown her a curveball when he’d dumped her, and she started to second-guess the mating call she used to feel around him.

If the past two weeks taught her anything, it was that the mating call, when it hit, it hit hard and without question. Sienna and Gage were proof of that, along with their friends Dean and Niki. None of them could keep their hands off their mates.

The corner of his mouth curved, and his eyes twinkled with mischief. The second that happened, she knew without a doubt who the man in front of her was.

“Van,” she whispered. “Holy shit.” Maddie ran the short distance between them, and threw herself into Van’s arms. Her chest made contact with his, and she swore she felt sparks of electricity light her up.

His surprised umph and step back told her he hadn’t expected her to do that, and it took her mind off the feeling that arced through her body. He chuckled and juggled her in his big arms, getting a better grip. “That’s more like it,” he rumbled near her ear. The shockwaves of his voice sent a pleasurable tingle down her spine.

---

Van stuck his face into the crook of Maddie’s neck and took a deep breath. Sweet vanilla and sunshine washed over him, tugging at his cock. He opened his mouth against her skin and licked, unable to resist. His lion hungered for the taste of the woman he couldn’t get off his mind, and the one he knew was his mate.

God, it was like finally finding home. The knot in his chest unraveled the longer he held her in his arms. And if it were up to him, she’d never be out of reach again.

He’d missed her something awful the past two weeks. He was grateful when his brother finally let her go. Much longer of Mack stringing her along, and Van would be ending their relationship for him. Van’s lion was too possessive of the woman he couldn’t have. He and Mack had both felt the mating call for Maddie, but there was no way in hell they would or could share.

They’d made a private pact to leave it up to her without attempting to influence her decision. Time spent with the sexy ligress was the only thing they could do. When Maddie started to gravitate toward the more outgoing twin and unknowingly chose Mack over him, he’d been devastated and resigned himself to being there as her friend.

He soaked up all of the attention she would give him, hoping it would be enough to satisfy him throughout the years ahead.

It wasn’t. Each year that went by, and his brother didn’t claim her, killed a bit of Van’s soul. Maddie deserved more from his brother than he gave her. Now, it was his turn with the ligress, and he aimed to claim her heart and soul.

Maddie’s scent drove him to distraction, his lion’s canines pushed through his gums. Her smooth neck called to him. The animal wanted to claim her right then and there, not wanting to let her go. Van pushed the beast back, struggling for control. He would need it in order to prove to her that she was his. He expected his Maddie to initially balk at what he planned on telling her. He’d wear her down though, and if it took sweet kisses and hand holding, he’d do that too.

Before he could pull the lion back all the way, Van grazed the tendon that ran along the top of her shoulder and neck with his teeth. He bit down, pressing against her flesh. Not enough to break the skin, but enough to leave a mark. It would pacify his lion for now. But not for long.

Maddie gasped and wiggled in his arms. He almost missed the shudder rolling down her voluptuous frame. “Van, what are you doing?” She threaded her fingers through the hair at the back of his scalp. He didn’t know if she was trying to pull him away or push his canines further into her skin.

The chime of the door sounded vaguely in his ears.

Maddie batted at his shoulders. “Put me down,” she whispered harshly.

There was no way he would. She felt too damn good in his arms. He suctioned his lips to her neck, taking a long draw. He’d leave a hickey for sure.

“I suggest you do what they lady says,” a voice growled from behind him. The strong scent of wolf invaded his nose, making him sever contact with her sweet skin in order to look behind him.

Maddie pushed against his shoulders firmly, trying to break free. He set her down and turned around, keeping her shoved behind him. “I don’t believe I asked you to interrupt.”

“Dude, you didn’t need to. The lady said to put her down, and you clearly weren’t.” The giant man, who’d walked silently through the door, stepped up to Van. He sniffed and reared his head back in shock. “You’re pure bred. What are you doing here?”

“I came to bring Maddie back home.”

The guy’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “You her ex-boyfriend she thought was her mate?”

“No. I’m that idiot’s brother.”

“So, he sent you to do his dirty work?” The man growled, raising the hackles on the back of Van’s neck. He didn’t know who the fuck the guy was, but he acted like he had some sort of claim on Maddie. He’d relieve him of that idea. Maddie was his, and no other man would get in his way again.

The woman in question pressed between them, like only Mad Maddie would, her hands pressed against each of their chests with not a care in the world for her safety. Just because she was stronger than the average lion or wolf, it didn’t mean she couldn’t get hurt. Not when it was two sexually mature shifters she stuck her luscious body between.

Van reached for her arm to pull her out of the way, but she smacked his hand away.

“Stop it. Greer, this is Van. Mack’s twin, the one I told you about. Van, this is Greer; he’s the second-in-command in this area, so it’s probably not a good idea to mess with him. Now, make nice and say hello.”

Van wasn’t in the mood to play nice. He grunted, and that was the best he could do in the form of a greeting. He glared at Greer and Greer glared back.

“Oh, for Pete’s sake. Stop with the testosterone. It’s making my liger twitchy.” She rolled her eyes and spun away. “I’m going to put a couple things away, lock up the back, and grab my things. You two better figure out who is taking me home by the time I’m done.”

Van watched Greer as he watched Maddie leave the room. He knew the second she was out of sight. The other man snarled and bared his teeth. His gaze locking onto Van’s. “You’ve got some fucking nerve coming here.”

“She’s my goddamn mate, and I’m taking her home.”

“Like hell she is. She thought your brother was, and he dumped her for a skank.”

Van frowned and Greer shrugged. “Her words not mine.”

He certainly didn’t expect the guy to know much about Maddie so soon. She wasn’t one to talk or gossip about what went on in her life. Not even when everyone at school thought she was fucking both of them at the same time. She would give the gossipmongers and spiteful girls a pitying look and walk away. She never felt the need to defend herself, because she knew the truth and that was all that mattered.

“Yeah, I know who you are.” Greer’s eyes narrowed. “If you are, indeed, Van and not Mack. Maybe you thought to come here and act like Van, because he’s the one she confided all her secrets to. The one she had a closer bond to and missed the most.”

Hope bloomed in Van’s chest knowing she felt that way. That she missed him and not his brother. He’d always wondered how she felt about him. Was it only friendship? Did she wish she’d picked him? Did she know he was madly in love with her?

Van gave the man a snarl of his own. “Maddie knows exactly who I am. She could always tell us apart, and she is my mate, so you need to back the fuck off. Mack and I both fell for her. Felt the mating call. She was drawn to him for some unknown reason, but now that it’s over, I’ll be claiming her.”

Greer crossed his arms. “Why has it taken you two weeks to show up then, if what you say is true?”

“I needed to sort a couple things out first. With Mack. Then with our parents. They needed to know my intentions before I came down here. I also wanted to get our place set up, so she could move right in. The most important reason though, Maddie needed time. I held out coming down here as long as I possibly could.”

Greer’s eyes widened comically. Van felt a small bit of pride at knocking the nasty look off the man’s face. “Shit, you’re serious about her. What if she doesn’t feel the same way?”

“Not an option. I know she felt the pull toward Mack, but I really do believe it was misdirected energy. We’re twins, so it sometimes happens. Plus, I never made my intentions clear like he did.” Van sighed and pushed his fingers through his hair in frustration. “And, why the fuck am I explaining myself to you?” His future lay with Maddie and her accepting that she’d made a mistake. The woman wasn’t big on admitting those.

“How about because you’re in someone else’s territory, and it’s only polite to check in with the local brass.”

“Fine. You’re second-in-command, consider this my check-in. Now, are you going to leave and let me take her home, or what?”

“Definitely, or what. She gets the right to choose if she wants to go with you. I don’t mind her hopping on the back of your bike, but you’ll follow me back to Dark Moon.”

“What’s to stop me from just taking off with her?”

Greer shook his head. “Because, if you really do love her, you’ll give her the chance to say no. You can spend some time there with her in sight of all of her new friends. If you’re lucky, I’ll even get you a room to stay in, but not with her.”

Van thought about it for a minute, but his time was up before he’d made a decision.

“What’ll it be boys? Are we all going to be friends, or do I need to hitch a ride back to Dark Moon?”

Greer’s eyebrow popped up in question, and a smirk lifted the corners of his mouth. Damn, what Van wouldn’t give to be able to wipe that smug look off the guy’s face. “You’re gong to ride with me, and we’ll follow your friend here back to where you’re staying.” No way in hell was he calling it home.