Chapter Two – Matthew

Matthew Lewis had spent his life playing hard and fast both in business and pleasure. Raised by an uncle who didn’t care, he’d left school with no qualifications and a chip on his shoulder as big as the mountains surrounding Bear Creek.

With a need to prove his own worth, he’d fought tooth and claw for everything he owned. And now he owned his mate.

For an afternoon at least.

Unfortunately, it might take more than an afternoon to make up for the way he’d behaved over this stupid damn animal shelter that the whole town of Bear Creek seemed to have gone into a sympathetic meltdown over.

“Well done.” Someone he didn’t know slapped him on the back.

His lip curled in a snarl, a defense mechanism left over from his younger days. His other life, as he now thought of it. But that life had left scars that ran more than skin deep.

“You saved the shelter.” Another stranger smiled at him.

“Very generous of you.” Carter Eden, movie star and owner of Bear Creek Honey Beer Brewery, came across the marble floor with a presence that made women go weak at the knees. It amused Matthew just how oblivious Carter was to the hundreds of women who would happily throw themselves at Eden’s feet, or into his bed. All he had to do was snap his fingers.

But he would never do that because he had a mate.

Just as Matthew would never again look at another woman.

Because we have a mate, his bear stated with some amusement.

Matthew snarled inwardly. Glad you find it amusing.

Oh, I do, his bear replied. Is your heart going to end up broken like all the women you’ve dated only to leave them before they got too close and before they got under your skin?

I had no choice, they were not my mate. But Sian was his mate. Of that he was one hundred percent certain.

His eyes lingered on her body as she continued with the stupid auction. Stupid because none of it mattered now. Matthew Lewis, with his heart of stone, had singlehandedly saved the very thing he’d come here to wreck.

All those cute, fluffy animals can sleep soundly in their soft beds knowing that you bought the land for them. His bear’s voice dripped sarcasm, but he was as smitten with their mate as Matthew was. He was just better at covering up his true feelings. After all, burying his emotions had been the only way to survive living under his uncle’s roof.

Perhaps he should have been grateful to have a roof over his head at all. But he’d earned it in backhanded slaps and bruises on Matthew’s arms that never got a chance to heal before his next beating.

Matthew snapped out of his reverie as the auction drew to a close and the final amount raised was calculated. Two girls rushed toward Sian and hugged her, as “Jingle Bells” played loudly over the museum’s sound system.

Christmas. One of the worst times of the year.

You might have to reappraise that idea, his bear told him as Sian searched the sea of faces before her.

Her eyes rested on him, but then they kept roving. She was looking for someone else. He’d checked her ring finger, there had been no ring, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t in a relationship with someone.

She’s looking for the jackass who bid low on her. At the memory of Sian’s distraught face, Matthew’s fists clenched at his side.

But he’d seen the idiot walk out of the building. He was gone. For now. But Matthew got the feeling he was not gone for good.

“Thank you.” He sensed Sian’s approach and stood his ground.

“You are welcome.” Those words sounded foreign on his tongue. When was the last time he’d done anything for anyone for unselfish reasons?

His bear chuckled. Like this was unselfish. You only bid for Sian because you didn’t want anyone else to have her. We don’t have a pet, remember?

But that wasn’t quite true. He could have bid a hundredth of that amount and still bought her. No, he’d bid high for her, because he wanted to make her see she what she was truly worth. Not just to him, but to everyone in the museum.

“Perhaps we could get that drink.” She studied him closely. This wasn’t some grateful social encounter, Sian wanted answers. Answers he wasn’t sure he could give.

Not because he had something to hide. But because he didn’t know the answers himself.

When he came here tonight it was with the knowledge that he was one step nearer to gaining ownership of the land the animal shelter stood on. He’d already bought the house adjoining it from the owner, Kevin Jones, who had caved in and sold out when offered a substantial amount of money. Money Matthew planned to triple when he knocked down the shelter and Kevin’s family home and built a selection of houses that would appeal to successful business people who were also shifters.

He’d discovered an untapped market that he planned to exploit…

You failed, his bear reminded him.

Did I? Matthew asked. He’d bought and paid for his mate. If she didn’t spend time with him, he’d ask for a refund and the sale of the land would fall through.

“Perhaps we should get that drink.” Matthew nodded and held out his arm. Sian hesitated for a moment before hooking her arm through his and allowing him to lead her across the marble floor. The room was still crowded, and they were forced to walk close together, and the heat from her body excited his senses.

“White wine, please.” Sian smiled and accepted the glass of cool white wine while he ordered something stronger. Whiskey. He knocked it back in one go, the amber liquor burning his throat, just as her touch burned his skin. “So?” she asked, studying him through her long eyelashes.

“So.” He gave a half smile.

“Don’t play coy with me, please. What are your intentions?” Sian sipped her wine. Her lips mesmerized him, and he longed to kiss her. “Matthew.”

He’d been staring at her lips and the color crept into her cheeks as she tried not to stare right back. “I’m not sure what you want me to say.”

“Perhaps you could tell me more about your pet.” Her eyes narrowed.

“Pet.” He looked confused for a moment before he opened his mouth to answer.

“As I thought. You don’t have a pet, do you?” Sian tilted her head to one side. “So, let me ask you again, what are your intentions?”

“Maybe I have a bear hiding in my closet.” He nearly rolled his eyes at himself as he repeated the words the auctioneer said. He wasn’t so dazed by love to not understand it was a way of saying the pampering could be used for a shifter’s other side.

Sian’s lips parted, and she gasped softly. “Do you have a bear in your closet?”

He leaned forward, his breath caressing her skin as he asked, “Would you like to see it?”

Sian’s eyes widened. “Not here.”

“We could go somewhere much more private,” he suggested.

“Nice try. But my momma always told me not to go anywhere alone with a stranger.” Sian gave a brief shake of her head. “Anyway, I have to get my daughters home.”

Children. She had children. That was another thing he’d never factored into his dreams of finding his mate. But of course, as time moved on and his mate hadn’t appeared, it became more likely that when he did meet her, she might have children.

His hand curled harder around his glass and he had to consciously make an effort to relax.

“Was that your husband?” His question took her by surprise and she looked around the room as if to check whether he was still there. “He left.”

She nodded, her eyes glinting with unshed tears. “He came here to embarrass me.” She took a gulp of her wine. “Thank you.”

He lifted his hand and stroked her cheek, a light touch like a lover’s breath across her skin. She leaned into him, wanting to prolong the contact with him. “I’d rip his throat out if he tried to hurt you again.”

Her eyes flew to his. “He’s still the father of my children.”

Matthew nodded and let his hand drop to his side. “It was a figure of speech. What I meant was, if he hurt you, I’d make sure he knew that was not acceptable.”

“Still with the threats.”

“Not to his body. There are many ways to hurt someone. But I would never do anything that would cause hurt to you or your children.” He sighed. “I’m not giving you a very good impression of myself.”

“What gave you that idea?” she asked. “Pretending to want to adopt a pet? Threatening to hurt my ex-husband? Or bidding an insane amount of money for me to groom your non-existent pet?”

“Groom? I thought the word was pampered.” He tried to make a joke, he wasn’t good at them.

“We’ll have to discuss the finer details,” Sian said evasively.

“When?”

“I don’t know.” She looked over his shoulder and then gulped her glass of wine down. “I have to go, my daughters need to get to bed. It’s been a long night.”

“Hello.” Before Sian had a chance to make her escape, one of her daughters approached and stood in front of Matthew, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Hello.” Kids were not his thing, but there was a spark in this teenager’s eyes that reminded him of her mother. How could he not care for and protect the offspring of his mate?

“Why did you bid so much money for my mom?” Her question was direct. He liked her even more.

“Because she is worth it,” he added simply.

“I think she’s worth it, but I’m her daughter.” The young woman glanced up at her mom before asking, “Why is she worth it to you?”

“Rachel, we should go. It was generous of Matthew to give the money to the shelter, we shouldn’t be here questioning why he did it.” She gave him a tight smile.

“I was moved by your mother’s passion for the shelter.” That was the truth. If he hadn’t spoken to Sian before the auction, he might not have made the bid so high, despite her being his mate. But when she spoke so passionately about the shelter and the people she’d met there, people who supported her when she needed them most, there was no way he could not help her.

Rachel cracked a smile. “Good answer. We’re adopting two kittens from the shelter in a couple of weeks. Hopefully, we’ll have them in time for Christmas.”

Great, two children and two kittens. It was a good thing he wasn’t allergic.

“Hi, Ella.” Sian put her arm around her other daughter’s shoulders. “This is Matthew.”

“Hi, Matthew,” Ella greeted him with a less hostile smile.

“Hi, Ella.” What were you supposed to say to children? He could talk to his mate until the end of time. But teenage girls, what did you say to them when you knew nothing about pop culture or the latest movies on the big screen?

“Thanks for buying my mom.” Ella, who appeared to be the younger of the two children, slipped her hand into Sian’s.

“He didn’t exactly buy me,” Sian began to explain.

“I kind of did.” Matthew smiled what he hoped wasn’t a predatory smile as he fought the need to let everyone in the room know she was his mate.

“You bought a pet pampering afternoon,” Sian reminded him firmly.

“I know.” The room was beginning to empty and Rachel hung on Sian’s hand and yawned widely. “Can I take you home?”

“Oh, we can walk,” Sian insisted, taking a step backward. “We don’t live too far away.”

“Oh, can’t we have a ride home?” Ella pleaded. “It’s so cold and I’m so tired.”

“My car is right outside. I promise to keep you all safe.” Matthew relaxed his body language, trying to set Sian at ease. He was going to have to work hard and put on a real charm offensive to make up for his earlier behavior.

He also needed to figure out a new plan. Right now he’d invested in real estate right next to an animal shelter. He wasn’t sure how he was going to recoup his money since he’d paid over the value for the house. But he’d find a way, Matthew had a knack of finding the value others just couldn’t see.

“We’re fine, honestly.” Sian turned to the girls. “Why don’t you go and get your coats on while I say goodnight to Mr. Lewis.”

“Matthew.” He touched her arm, needing to feel the warmth of her skin on his fingertips.

“I think it would be better to keep everything on a formal footing.” Sian held out her hand for him to shake.

“There is nothing formal about our relationship,” he dropped his voice so only she could hear, while he shook her hand. The connection between them sparked and crackled along his fingertips and her eyes widened as she felt it, too. “You know that. Don’t you?”

Sian’s breasts heaved as she inhaled deeply. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“I think you do. You know about shifters.”

She nodded.

“You know about bonded mates.” He was certain she did since her friends who ran the animal shelter were bonded mates.

“I do,” she answered hoarsely.

“Do you think I’d have paid so much money for anyone else?” he asked, his voice low.

“No.” She swallowed hard and her eyes darted to her daughters who had wandered away to look at all the photographs of animals adorning the stage. “Matthew, I don’t know if I can give you what you want. My life is complicated.”

“I like complicated.”

“Not my kind of complicated.” She swung her head around as she searched for her girls. “I can’t play games. I can’t risk getting hurt.”

“Good, because I am not playing games and I have absolutely no intention of hurting you.”

“You have a reputation.” Her mouth was denying him, but every breath she took, every beat of her heart betrayed her. She wanted him, just as much as he wanted her, he simply had to allow her to come to that understanding herself. She was scared.

And maybe she had a right to be. But he would fix that. He had to. Or else face his life alone.