Chapter Eleven
Matthew couldn’t remember the last time he had slept so deeply. Frankly, he was disappointed that he didn’t wake up overnight. He wanted to make love to Catherine through the night and keep her up until she begged him to stop or passed out from an orgasm. However, he couldn’t complain, not when her sweet, warm body was pushed up against him, and her golden hair was spread across his pillow.
He glanced toward the large bay windows and saw the light peeking from behind the trees and the mountains. He also couldn't remember the last time he had stayed in bed so late. Usually, by this time, he'd be up having his coffee and reading his emails. Of course, he'd never woken up in bed with his mate.
Mine.
His dragon snorted contentedly as he stared down at Catherine. Yes, she was finally his. However, other thoughts crept into this head. Jack Cunningham. She still refused to tell him how she knew the man, but he had seen the fear in her eyes. A million scenarios went through his head. He was a stalker. An ex-boyfriend. Or someone sent to find her. It had made sense. From what he has seen of her place and from what he could piece together, Catherine had rolled into town with nothing more than the clothes on her back. She was running away from something.
But that was done now. She would be done with running because Blackstone would be her home from now on. He had meant it when he said he would protect her.
“Wha …” Catherine stirred, her lids fluttering open. “I …” She let out a gasp, then sat up. “Oh my god. I overslept. I’m … my clothes!” She looked around, then scrambled up to her knees. She let out an indignant shriek when he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her against him. "Matthew!" The slender column of her neck lay exposed, and he couldn't help himself as he pressed his lips there, licking at the soft skin. She moaned and sank back against him.
“Hmmm … that’s better,” he said as his lips moved higher. He turned her head back toward him and kissed her soundly on the mouth. “Where do you think you’re going and why would you need clothes?”
"Matthew …" she began, "it's late. I really shouldn't have stayed here." She stopped again when he planted his lips on hers. She let him kiss her again but pushed him away after a few seconds. "Your staff … Meg … they'll know."
“Know what?” That I have my mate in my bed?
“You know.”
“No, tell me,” he challenged. “Or maybe you could show me instead.”
He didn't wait for her to say anything. Instead, he silenced her with a kiss and brought her hand down between his legs. His cock was already hard and throbbing, and while she hesitated for a moment, her warm fingers enveloped him again.
He moaned as Catherine's eager fingers stroked him, his hips moving in time with her hand. Her eyes were lowered, watching as his cock grew even harder in her grasp. God, he wanted to go on, but if she didn't stop, he'd come all over her fingers.
With a growl, he pulled away from her. She gasped in surprise as he pushed her back, then rolled her onto her stomach. “Let me worship you, Catherine,” he said, covering her with his body.
He pushed her hair aside, revealing the smooth expanse of her back. He kissed the back of her neck, making her squirm and moan. Making his way down, he licked, kissed and sucked a path down her spine, dropping a kiss on the small of her back and then giving her ass a playful nip.
Matthew propped her up on her knees, exposing the full, pink lips of her pussy. She was already wet, the minx. Spreading her knees wider, he pressed his lips against her from behind.
“Matthew!” she cried, her head jerking back.
“You taste like heaven,” he said, then licked at her again. Wetness gushed from her, dribbling onto his lips. He couldn’t get enough. By the time he was done, she was writhing and squirming against the sheets.
He positioned himself behind her, his hands grabbing the creamy flesh of her ass. God, he’d been dreaming about this for so long, taking her like this. To let his primal side take over. He wanted nothing more than to slip inside her, fill her with his cum and get her pregnant with his child. His instinct was screaming at him to do it, but his more rational side prevailed. Take it slow. Matthew grabbed another condom from the nightstand and quickly put it on.
She let out one of her sexy little moans when he began to push inside her. He hoped it wasn’t too soon as she was still so tight around him. But he couldn’t stop now. He could only make sure she enjoyed this as much as he did.
Placing a hand between her legs, he found her clit. He teased her, and he felt her tight passage get slicker with her juices. She whimpered and thrashed her fists on the mattress.
Fuck, she was amazing. Tight and hot and so eager, her body clenching around him with each thrust. He held her tighter, pulling her up so her back was against his chest. He grabbed onto her tits from behind, drawing her body down as he drilled up into her.
“Matthew!” God, even the sound of his name from her mouth made him hot. Especially when he was driving into her.
"Fuck, Catherine … I can't …" He felt her pussy tighten and squeeze his cock, her juices flowing down onto him. He let out a groan and let go, his orgasm tearing through his body like a hurricane. With one last thrust, he came, his knees buckling so bad he fell on top of her.
He rolled over before he could crush her, lying on his back as he stared up at the ceiling. Catherine was next to him, still sprawled on her stomach.
"So, what were you saying again?" he asked with a cheeky grin.
She turned her head and smirked at him, looking adorable with her cheeks pink from exhaustion. Her eyes turned stormy for a moment, and she let out a sigh. “Maybe I can still sneak out and get to my room. Before anyone finds out.”
He sat up. "Catherine," he began as he traced his fingers down her back, "by now, breakfast prepared by the staff will have gone cold. And Meg would have checked on you and realized you didn't sleep in the guest room. Cat's out of the bag, sweetheart."
She bit her lip. “I just don’t want them to think …”
“That you came in here and ravaged me last night?” he asked, wiggling an eyebrow at her.
She laughed and hit him playfully on the shoulder, which prompted him to catch her wrist and pull her up so her arm sprawled across his chest and her face lay in the crook of his arm. “Catherine, we’re two consenting adults. I don’t think anyone is going to judge us.”
“You mean me,” she said.
He let out a sigh. “Catherine, I need to tell you—”
“You still in bed, old man?” a voice rang out as the door slammed open. “I thought you’d be up—” Jason’s eyes went wide when his gaze landed on them.
Catherine let out a squeak and rolled off him, taking the sheet with her as she wrapped herself up like a burrito.
"Don't you ever knock, you asshole?" Matthew growled as he leaped to his feet. He didn't bother covering up; Jason had seen him naked countless times. Hell, Jason saw the same thing every day when he looked in the mirror.
"Sorry, bro," he said, putting his hands up in defense. When he tried to look around him, a possessive fury gripped Matthew and he pushed Jason, making him stagger back. No one would see his mate naked except for him. He grabbed Jason by the arm and dragged him to the door.
“I said I’m sorry,” Jason complained as he yanked his hand away. “Though, I don’t understand how you can be so grumpy when it’s obvious you got your dick wet last night.”
“Shut up!” He grabbed his brother by the collar.
"Fuck. Sorry. She's your mate; I shouldn't be talking like that."
Matthew let go of Jason and massaged the bridge of his nose. "It's fine. Sorry. I can't help it."
“Dude, you are so whipped.” Jason slapped him on the shoulder. “I’m happy for you.”
“Who’s whipped?” A feminine voice echoed. “Jason, what’s—Oh my god! Why are you naked, Matthew?” Sybil placed a hand over her eyes.
“For a shifter, you sure are a prude, Sybil,” Jason said.
“Well excuse me for not wanting to see my brother’s … thing!” she said. “What’s going on? Were you out all night flying or something?”
“I guess you could call it flying—Ow! Goddammit, Matthew, you know I run my mouth sometimes. Fine, I’ll stop.”
“Then just stop talking and get the fuck away from me,” Matthew warned.
“Will someone tell me what’s going on?” Sybil said.
“Matthew spent the night with Catherine. His mate,” Jason said.
“Your what?” she squealed. “You found your mate? And she’s here?” Sybil looked ridiculous as she had one hand over her eyes, while the other was flapping around excitedly.
“Yep,” Jason said, popping the p. “And she can tell us apart, too.”
“Like what Mom said about Grandpa?” Sybil’s voice pitched even higher.
“It’s that Sinclair twin magic,” Jason said.
“This is amazing!” Sybil screeched. “Oh my God, I can’t wait to tell Mom and Dad! Where is she? Can I meet her?”
Matthew shook his head. “Guys, please. Sybil, stop hopping around; you’re giving me a headache.”
“I’m just so excited,” she said.
“Could you guys …” He lowered his voice, in case Catherine could hear him. “She doesn’t know.”
“She doesn’t know what?” Sybil asked.
“That we’re mates,” he said. “She’s human, so she doesn’t know about the whole mates thing.”
“You need to tell her,” Jason said.
“Look, it’s complicated. There’s a lot going on, and I’m trying to take things slow. We only met last week.” Had it really only been last Saturday when he went to The Den? It felt like it had been forever ago.
“Fine, we’ll let you go at your own pace,” Sybil said.
“And no telling Mom and Dad, okay? Not yet.” He glanced at Jason. “What are you guys doing here anyway?”
"Well, we know you just finished your first week as CEO of Lennox, so Sybil and I decided there was no way we were going to let you spend the entire Saturday working."
“You know Mom and Dad told us to make sure you’re not working yourself into the ground, right?” Sybil said.
“So, we’re here to take you sledding, like we used to do when we were kids,” Jason stated. “We invited everyone, too.”
“Of course, had we known you had other activities planned …”
Matthew shook his head. "Let me put on some pants so you can put your hands down, Sybil." He turned to go back into the room and closed the door behind him.
"Catherine?" he asked. The bed was empty, and there was no sign of her. "Where are you?"
The door to the bathroom squeaked open. “Is he gone?” Catherine asked as she stuck her head out.
“Jason’s not in here anymore.”
She let out a relieved sigh and trudged out of the bathroom, the sheet still draped around her.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. “Jason has zero boundaries. He’s my twin, after all. We used to share everything.”
“Right. Twins,” she huffed. “What are we going to do now?”
“Well, I guess we’re going sledding.”
***
It had snowed overnight higher up in the mountains, which made it the perfect setting for a day of sledding. Catherine had seemed reluctant at first but was put at ease when she met Sybil. When Catherine said she didn't have any proper clothes for going out into the snow, his sister eagerly dragged his mate to her room so she could borrow an outfit. While he had been apprehensive at the thought of Catherine spending time with Jason and Sybil, he realized he had been worried about nothing. His more easy-going siblings knew how to put her at ease and make her feel welcome.
Soon, they were packing up the ATVs with their sleds, goodies from Meg for when they got hungry, and hot drinks packed into thermoses (as well as bottles of wine from the cellar.) They took three ATVs, and Catherine rode behind him, her arms around his waist. He thought she looked adorable in the pink parka and matching hat with her hair braided back. She thought she looked like a marshmallow, and the coat was a tad too big, but he didn't care. Pressed up against him like this, he could feel every curve of her body. It made the rest of the ride uncomfortable, and he was glad he was wearing a long coat to cover his hard-on.
When they got to their favorite sledding spot, which was a hill on the east side of the Lennox estate, they stopped and parked the ATVs. As their group began to unpack their things, the roar of engines filled the air, signaling the arrival of other people.
“So you losers finally decided to show up,” Jason said as he finished unfolding the last of their chairs.
Nathan snorted as he hopped off his ATV. “Yeah, we would have been here sooner if Kate here got up earlier.”
The young woman behind him pushed her visor up her face, revealing expressive green eyes. "Who the fuck gets up this early on a Saturday?" she groused as she swung her legs over the ATV.
“Hey, Kate,” Matthew greeted Nathan’s younger sister.
“Hey, Matt!” Kate hopped over to him and gave him a hug. “Congrats, man. On surviving your first week.”
"Thanks." Beside him, Catherine stiffened, and her nostrils flared. Wait … was she jealous? That was ridiculous. Kate was like a sister to him. He tugged Catherine toward him and put a reassuring arm around her, ignoring the way her body tensed. "This is Catherine."
“Oh, you’re Catherine,” Kate said with a twinkle in her eye.
“You know who I am?” Catherine asked.
“Sybil warned me,” she said. When Matthew cleared his throat, she added, “I mean she told me you were joining us today.”
“Oh, that’s nice of her,” Catherine said in a chilly tone. “I—”
Kate threw her arms around Catherine. “It’s nice to have new people over,” she said as she squeezed tight. Catherine had a flabbergasted look on her face, but she returned the other woman’s hug.
When Kate let go, she gave Matthew a wink. “She gives good hugs. I like her already.”
Matthew grinned. Kate could be a bit much, especially to those who didn’t know her, but Catherine seemed to relax.
“Kate, stop dicking around and help me!” Nate called as he began unloading their things.
“Keep your panties on, moron,” she called. “I’m getting to know Matthew’s ma—friend!”
Nathan flashed his sister the bird, then turned to Catherine and Matthew. “Hey Catherine!” he said with a grin and a wink.
"Hi, Nate," she said wryly.
Matthew put a possessive arm around Catherine. He knew he was being irrational, as Nathan would never try anything now that they all knew Catherine was his mate, but still, it was an instinctive gesture.
Two more ATVs arrived, and Matthew knew that had to be Ben and Luke. The two of them didn’t live far from each other, and since Ben’s cabin was much bigger, Luke had stored many of his things there, including his ATV.
“Are we late?” Ben asked as he approached them, all his things slung over one shoulder.
“Naw, we just got here. Catherine,” he began, “this is my cousin, Benjamin Walker.”
“Call me Ben,” he said, extending his hand. Catherine took it, her hand dwarfed by his massive palm.
“Catherine,” she said.
“Nice to meet ya, finally. I’ve seen you at The Den a couple of times, though,” Ben said.
"Hello, Luke," Catherine greeted his adopted brother as he approached.
Dressed in nothing but his red flannel shirt, well-worn jeans, and snow clinging to his beard, Luke looked like a grizzled mountain man on steroids. He had a camping chair under one arm and a case of beer over his other shoulder. He gave her a grunt of acknowledgment and continued to walk to the spot where they were setting up the chairs.
“I can’t imagine him sledding,” Catherine said, her lips curling up at the corners of her mouth.
“He doesn’t,” Ben said. “He just likes to watch us tumble in the snow while he drinks beer.”
“I think I’ll be doing a lot of tumbling today,” Catherine said, a worried look on her face.
“What, you never been sledding before?” Ben asked.
She shook her head.
“City girl, huh?”
“Something like that.”
"Don't worry, I'm sure Matthew will teach you right," Ben said with a wink. "Well, lemme go put my things down and we can get started."
“So, you’ve never been sledding?” Matthew asked when they were alone.
She shook her head. “Nope.” She didn’t offer any other explanation, and he didn’t press her. He would know everything about her in time, but for now, he supposed it was enough that she was by his side. He could sense there was still something bothering her, something dark behind her eyes. She was probably worried about the investigation, but Matthew was confident they could put it behind them soon. He had caught her glancing at her phone a couple of times that morning, but she said she was texting with her grandmother’s neighbor, who she called when she realized she was stuck in Blackstone and needed someone to look after her.
“C’mon losers!” Kate shouted as she ran up the hill. “Last one down’s a rotten egg!”
They spent the next two hours trudging up the hill and then careening down at full speed on their sleds. Though she’d been wary at first, Catherine was laughing and screaming her lungs out as loud as the rest of them each time she slid down the slippery snow.
Tired, thirsty, and hungry, they all trudged back to their makeshift picnic site. Luke had started a fire and was already halfway through his case of beer. They all sat in their chairs and began to pass around the food and drinks.
“So, let me get this straight,” Catherine said as she took a sip of her spiked hot cocoa. “You’re dragons,” she said as she pointed to Matthew, Jason, and Sybil. “And you’re a bear,” she gestured to Ben. “But you’re cousins?”
Ben barked out a laugh. “Uh-huh.”
“How does that even work?” she asked.
“Here’s how,” Jason began. “A long time ago, a dragon fucked a bear—”
"Oh, shut up," Ben said. "Let me tell it. I do it better." He cleared his throat. "A couple generations back, a Lennox dragon fell in love with a Walker bear. They mated, which created my side of the clan because dragons can't produce baby dragons with other shifters," he explained. "We branched off from the rest of the Walker clan and stuck around with the Lennoxes. You know how these dragons," he said jerking a thumb at Jason and Matthew, "are always getting into trouble."
“Ha!” Jason laughed. “I can burn down entire towns in five seconds.”
Ben nodded. “Exactly. Bears are loyal and smart, dontcha know? We protect our own. Even from themselves.”
“So, you’re not really cousins anymore?” Catherine said.
“No, though we still like to call each other cousins.”
“Wrong,” Jason interjected. “You like to call us cousins. We can’t get rid of you.”
“Aww, no need to talk like that.” Ben reached over to Jason, grabbed him by the neck and pulled him into a bear hug.
“What the fuck, man?” Jason choked as he spilled his drink and his body went sprawling on the snow-covered dirt.
“Shhh … it’s okay, c’mere …” He rubbed his meaty hand over Jason’s head. “I know you guys love me.”
Nathan fell over laughing as Jason struggled to get away from Ben’s bear hugs. Catherine herself looked like she couldn’t stop herself from giggling. Her cheeks were pink from the exercise and the alcohol, and her braid had come undone some time ago. Matthew reached over and pushed a tendril away, and she looked up at him with her clear blue eyes, the blush on her face getting even redder.
They never did go back to sledding, but, instead, stayed gathered around the cozy fire, joking and laughing. Matthew let out a breath, the puff of air condensing in front of his face. When was the last time they were all gathered like this? Before he left for college? It was just like old times; the only one missing was Amelia, Ben's younger sister who was the same age as Sybil. She lived a few towns away, though she came back to Blackstone every now and then.
Glancing over at Catherine, he was glad to see that she was relaxed, laughing at the antics of his family and friends. Once in a while, he would catch her staring at him when she thought he wasn’t looking. The thought made hope bloom inside him. His dragon was getting impatient. It wanted the mating bond, to tie her to him.
Matthew still wasn’t quite sure what that bond was. He remembered that when his father had sat them down for “the talk” (among other things), all he said was, “You’ll know it when it happens.” Now he wished he wasn’t a brooding pre-teen back then who was anxious to just get on with his life. Had he known, he would have asked his father more questions.
“How about you, Catherine?” Sybil asked. “Any childhood antics to share? Embarrassing stories so the rest of us can feel good about ourselves?”
“Yeah!” Kate added. “Tell us! Were you a troublemaker like me or a good girl like Sybil?”
Catherine froze, her expression like the proverbial deer trapped in headlights. Matthew saw the fear in her eyes and cursed to himself. She was clamming up even more, and he wished he had thought to warn them not to bring up her past.
"I should get going," Luke said as he stood up, crushed his last empty can of beer in his hands, and tossed it into the now-full garbage bag he had brought along.
“Aww, Luke,” Sybil whined. “You can’t go. Meg is making us dinner back at the castle. I bet she has extra servings of her bread pudding for you.”
“Sorry, Sybbie,” he said, patting her head affectionately as he drew her in for a hug. “I got stuff to do. Later.” He waved to the rest of us, then strode over to his ATV.
“Stuff to do, sure,” Jason huffed as he watched Luke drive away. “Anyway, more pot roast for us. I do miss Meg’s cooking. I’m getting tired of eating fast food all the time.”
“Maybe you should find a girlfriend or a wife to cook for you,” Sybil said. “Or a mate.”
“Ugh, no,” Jason said with a wave of his hand. “Look, that mating shit might be good for you all, but not for me. There’s too much puss— er, variety in the world.”
“Amen, brother,” Nate agreed, raising a fist in the air and taking a sip of his beer.
“Really?” Sybil said. “Aren’t you tired of chasing tail? The same shit, different girl?”
"You're such a romantic, Sybil. Why would I be tired?" Jason asked. "Don't you know it's the chase that makes it all worthwhile?"
“I thought it was busting a nut in some chick,” Kate said dryly.
“That too,” Jason laughed. “See, Nathan agrees.”
"You all are such hypocrites," Kate said. "You change girls more often than you change underwear—don't look at me like that, Nate. We lived in the same house during your teenage years—yet when some guy tries to mess with me, Sybil, or Amelia, you all go scaring them off."
“Yeah, thanks to you, we’re all going to die virgins,” Sybil said.
"Speak for yourself," Kate added with a raised brow.
“Who the fuck is messing with you?” Nathan said as he shot to his feet.
“See? My point exactly.” Kate said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“How about you, Ben?” Sybil asked. “Don’t you want a mate?”
“Me?” Ben asked. “Sure. I just …”
“I’m sure Matthew agrees with me.” She winked at Matthew.
"Well," Matthew said as he cleared his throat and got to his feet. "Meg will be waiting for us. You know she hates it when we're late." He glanced down at Catherine, who had a more relaxed look on her face. "Are you ready, sweetheart?"
She nodded and took the hand he offered. “Yeah, I’m getting cold.”
He pulled her into his arms, letting his body heat warm her. Sybil cast him a knowing glance, while Jason gave him a thumbs-up sign. “Let’s go home.”