Chapter One
Paige Gentry stood alone in the freezer aisle of the local grocery store, and stared at the generous selection of ice cream flavors through the crystal-clear glass. The doors must have been cleaned recently, because they lacked the normal smudges and fingerprints she usually found. They were also fog-free because she’d kept them closed during her long perusal.
All of the flavors looked good, and she couldn’t decide which one to choose. It didn’t help that she was feeling sorry for herself, and wanted to eat them all. Although, in fairness, taste them all was a more accurate description.
Earlier in the evening, dinner with Rebecca and Logan had been great. She loved seeing her best friend happy, and Logan was amazing, but everything was about to change, and she just wasn’t ready.
Except, that wasn’t exactly true.
If she were being completely honest with herself, it wasn’t that she wasn’t ready for change, it was that she didn’t want to be left behind.
It had only been three months since the couple had gotten back together, but anyone with eyes could see nothing would ever come between the pair again. Their engagement party was less than a week away, and their baby was due in six months.
Paige was excited about becoming an auntie, but she’d always thought her and Becca’s kids would grow up together, and that idea was becoming less likely every day.
Her friend’s happily-ever-after was awe-inspiring, but it wasn’t normal, and Paige had to face the facts. She was tall, curvy, and over thirty…well, only a few months over, but still.
She had to be honest with herself.
Finding someone to spend the rest of her life with might no longer be an option.
She hoped it wasn’t true, but there was plenty of evidence to prove otherwise. Hell, she hadn’t met a decent man in months, and he’d only approached their group to talk to her friend. Now that her best friend was part of a couple, her opportunities to meet someone were cut in half.
Hell, who was she kidding…they were basically non-existent.
Damn! That was depressing!
Tears pricked her eyes, but she refused to cry in the middle of the ice cream aisle like some loser, so she bowed her head and willed them away.
“It’s really hard to choose just one, isn’t it?”
The stranger’s deep, masculine voice washed over her like a soothing balm, the perfect medicine to heal all of her invisible worries, but it didn’t last. The sound of someone to her left, combined with the fact that she hadn’t heard a single peep of his approach, sent a jolt of fear down her spine, and she snapped her head up to get a good look at him and her surroundings.
Holy hell!
Deep blue eyes the color of sapphires stared at her from a strong, perfectly chiseled face. He was tall, about six inches taller than her five-foot, nine-inch frame, with black hair to match her own, and a muscular body that looked like it had been carved from stone.
His mouth was turned up in what could only be called a half-smile, and he watched her with a wariness she didn’t understand. It was almost as if he expected her to cause some sort of scene, but his caution didn’t take anything away from his looks. In fact, if anything, it added to his appeal. As did the streaks of dirt that marred his forearms, t-shirt and face.
He reminded her of a predator, and she desperately wanted him hunting her.
Her pussy tingled, and liquid heat dampened her panties before she remembered that he’d asked a question. Or, something that sounded like a question. More than likely, he’d been making fun of her.
Of course.
Anger swamped her, and she snapped back a defensive reply.
“Excuse me?”
“There are so many choices, and they all sound so good,” he said, ignoring her attitude. “It’s always hard for me to choose just one.”
“I was just thinking the same thing,” she admitted. “I can’t decide, and I’ve been standing here a long time.”
“I know the feeling.”
He granted her a full smile this time, and the gesture lit up his whole face, causing her to melt all over again. He opened his mouth to say something else, and the overhead lighting reflected on him in a different way, highlighting a mark on his left cheek.
“Would you like to—”
“Is that blood on your face?”
The words came out a higher pitch than she’d intended, and his smile immediately fell. He turned back toward the case, looked at his reflection, and then sucked in a deep breath, lifted his arm, and brushed his sleeve across his cheek.
“Probably,” he said, his voice lacking emotion.
Seconds ticked by as they stood side-by-side in silence, and she took a chance and glanced at his reflection in the glass. He looked tired and defeated—the same way she’d looked a few minutes before—and though he was obviously rough, tough and dangerous, she hated the idea that she might have embarrassed him.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “That was rude. Are you injured?”
“Nah,” he shook his head. “That’s from the other guy. I thought I’d gotten it all off.”
God, he’d obviously been in a fight, but why?
“Are you a police officer?”
“Something like that, yeah.”
Something like it, but actually not it at all.
He didn't elaborate, and she decided not to press the issue. What did she care, anyway? It wasn’t like she was ever going to see him again.
“You know,” he said, still staring at the glass. “The best thing to do is to buy a bunch of flavors and share them with someone. If you don’t have anywhere to be, we could take a bunch of these to my house and taste them all together.”
Oh my god, is he asking me out?
The thought made her pause, but then she pushed it away.
Asking her out would be taking her on a date somewhere, usually out in public.
His offer was more of a booty call without the booty. Not that she cared. Okay, she cared a little, but not enough to say no. In fact, despite his appearance, and the fact that he was a stranger, she wasn’t afraid of him, and the thought of saying no never even crossed her mind.
In fact, her feelings were exactly the opposite. She was drawn to him in a way she didn’t understand, and she wanted to say yes almost more than she wanted her next breath. What did it matter if he only wanted to overeat with the fat girl? It was better than doing it alone.
“I don’t have anywhere to be,” she smiled, “and that sounds like a great idea.”
***
Ansel Mason flipped down the visor in his truck, and studied his reflection again. The dome light in the cab didn’t provide a lot of brightness, but aside from a few smears of dirt, he thought he looked okay. He looked over his arms again, and decided his appearance was good enough.
Hell, it was after nine on a Sunday night, and the grocery store parking lot was nearly empty. He doubted there were that many people inside, and he really wanted to grab some ice cream before he went home and vegged out in front of the TV.
He opened the door, and dragged his ass out of the truck. To say it had been a rough night was an understatement, and he could feel the effects of the brawl he’d been involved in an hour or so before.
Fucking panthers!
While most of the cats abided by the peace treaty created by his alpha and the new panther leader, there were still a few outliers that didn't want the rivalry between the two groups to die. They were becoming fewer and farther between, but they still existed, and tonight there had been three of them.
The fact that three weak beta cats thought they could best him, a dominant alpha bear, made him want to laugh, but not in a funny way. He rolled his shoulders, and threw the dirty towel he’d been carrying in the trash.
He was tired, and not just because of tonight.
As the third highest ranked Enforcer of his clan, and the best tracker on the team, he spent a lot of time alone. Patrolling was easiest when done solo, and even when he was in charge of a team, each man worked primarily independently until they needed back up.
He didn’t mind the work. He was damn good at his job, and more importantly, he enjoyed doing it. In fact, because he was obligated to protect the clan, but he also worked for Logan’s private security firm, the lines between the two were often blurred, and he spent a lot of time hanging out in the shadows.
The aftermath, however, is what bothered him.
He spent so much time alone on the job, that he hated going home to an empty building every night. Granted, his house was furnished, but those were just possessions—tangible things—and they didn’t really mean anything if he didn’t have someone to share them with.
That’s what he wanted most of all.
A mate.
Someone to share his life with. Somebody that would be waiting for him when he returned home. Not that she couldn’t have her own life—he didn’t want a prisoner, or a little woman to take care of him—but a partner who would be there with him at the beginning and end of each day.
Unfortunately, the chances of him meeting anyone were slim. There weren’t a lot of women hanging out in the shadows, and the ones that did were up to no good. He spent most of his down time alone, or with friends, and so there weren’t a lot of opportunities to meet anyone in those situations either.
He’d always thought it would just happen one day. He’d meet his mate and all would be right with his world, but as the years dragged on, the possibility of ever finding someone lessoned considerably.
He was only thirty-four years old, but he often felt older, and the fact that shifters usually lived longer than their full-human counterparts dragged him down. He shook his head to clear his mind of the depressing thoughts, and entered the store.
Damn!
After spending so much time in the dark, the fluorescent overhead lights burned his retinas. He blinked a few times to push away the sting, and made a beeline for the frozen food section. As soon as he got what he wanted, he could get back in his truck and go home.
He turned down the ice cream aisle, and stopped dead in his tracks.
Mate!
The knowledge slammed into him with the strength of a Mack truck, and he had to force himself not to buckle under the pressure. His bear roared beneath the surface, and when he didn't move, the animal paced, desperate for him to claim her.
She was tall, about six inches shorter than his six-foot, three-inch frame, with curves that made him want to rip off her clothes and fuck her against the clear, cold glass. Long, thick and wavy, black hair fell to the middle of her back, and he couldn’t wait to see the strands spread out over his pillow.
It didn’t matter that he couldn’t see her face. She was made for him, his perfect match, the one person on earth that could bring him peace, and he knew she’d be beautiful.
Just being near her soothed him in a way he didn't understand. Her power was jarring, and the way it consumed him was a little scary, especially since they hadn't even met yet, but he wasn’t about to let her get away.
With no real plan in mind, he approached her and said the first thing that popped into his head.
“It’s really hard to choose just one, isn’t it?”
“Excuse me?”
Her dark brown eyes speared him with invisible daggers, and his entire world stopped. Beautiful wasn't a strong enough word to describe her appeal. She was gorgeous, stunning, just…absolutely perfect.
She was also angry.
Her hostility was a tangible thing, and he quickly racked his brain for a reason why. His bear growled, unhappy with her reaction, but he silenced the animal so he could think.
Could it be their location? Did she think he would berate her for her food choices? The thought was ridiculous. He loved her curves, and he wanted a woman who wasn't afraid to eat, but, of course, she didn't know that yet.
She didn't know it now...but soon she would.
His bear agreed, and he ignored her irritation, and kept talking.
“There are so many choices, and they all sound so good. It’s always hard for me to choose just one.”
It had been the right choice. She visibly relaxed, and then replied.
“I was just thinking the same thing,” she smiled. “I can’t decide, and I’ve been standing here a long time.”
Oh god...she was even more beautiful when she didn't want to kill him.
“I know the feeling.”
They stood there, side by side, and he knew there wasn't too much more he could say about ice cream. She would leave soon, and if he didn't act quickly, he might let her get away.
“Would you like to—”
“Is that blood on your face?”
Fuck me! Just fucking great!
Faced with meeting his mate, he'd completely forgotten about the fight he'd been in a few hours before. Covered in dirt and blood wasn't the best way to make a first impression, but it was a wonderful female repellant.
After all this time, he was going to lose his mate because of his job.
Shit!
“Probably,” he said, deadpan.
Damnit!
Seconds ticked by as they stood side-by-side in silence, and he didn't know what to say. How did he explain that even though he was dangerous, he would never be a threat to her?
“I’m sorry,” she said. “That was rude. Are you injured?”
“Nah,” he shook his head. “That’s from the other guy. I thought I’d gotten it all off.”
“Are you a police officer?”
He knew if he said yes, she would let it go, but he couldn't outright lie.
“Something like that, yeah.”
She wasn't fooled, but she was still standing next to him, so he took another chance.
“You know,” he said, still staring at the glass. “The best thing to do is to buy a bunch of flavors and share them with someone. If you don’t have anywhere to be, we could take a bunch of these to my house and taste them all together.”
He sucked in a gulp of air and tensed as he waited for her response. He knew most women would run before they’d follow some dirty, blood covered stranger home, but luckily, she wasn’t like most women.
“I don’t have anywhere to be,” she smiled, “and that sounds like a great idea.”
Fuck yeah!
He let out the breath he'd been holding at the same time his bear roared in triumph, and then he reached out and opened the freezer door.