~

 

“Get off me,” Maggie bit out, and Roland had a few choice words that he’d like to offer back to her, but all he could do was gasp for breath, and offer a rumble of pain in the back of his throat that he couldn’t even push past his lips.

Maggie finally managed to get both hands free and palm his rock hard chest. There was a momentary urge that flashed within her mind to go all touchy-feely against those muscles and see just how hard they actually were, but that was wrong, and she knew it.

She felt bad that she’d kicked the guy in the balls. It wasn’t her usual go-to move, not that she had a go-to move because situations like these never arose for her.

If she wasn’t out at the library, bookstore, working, getting groceries, or grabbing takeout and coffee, then she was normally curled up in bed or on the sofa reading a good book. Men didn’t really figure in her life in anything other than a work-shop routine, and there was the nice librarian that liked the same books that she did and commented on them once in a while, but even he was married.

There she was, thinking naughty thoughts that didn’t belong in her mind, and lying under some sexy bear shifter guy after she’d done him wrong. Whoops.

But, she still needed to get up and get the hell out of there before he stopped holding his balls, and started trying to kill her. Even if he didn’t, it would still be … awkward.

Life just didn’t seem fair, somehow. She pushed against his chest, and he barely moved at all. He was a dead weight and little wonder.

Maggie felt as if it was a hopeless cause, and then he offered up a growl, a good one; it was deep and sounded angry to her ears, but she finally felt his weight shift a little as one large hand slammed, palm down against the floor next to her head, and his head came up. She winced at the sight of his beetroot red cheeks, and his accusing eyes didn’t help matters much either.

“I just want to go now,” Maggie rushed out, by way of an explanation, and he growled again.

“If ever – there was a time to say – not damn cool – this is it,” Roland bit out between sucking in hard breaths.

His balls would recover, his trust in her; not so much. And there he was thinking of her like the sweet little human that needed to be handled with care.

Damn, she’d certainly blindsided him with that one.

“Can you get off me?”

“Still, kind of busy holding my balls.”

“Only with the one hand,” Maggie said with a small wince, but he caught it. Maybe she had a conscience. “You’re heavy.”

“And you’re deadly with your damn knee. Had a lot of practice?” He growled as he tried to push up and ease his weight from her a little more. She was right; he needed to move, he didn’t want to squish his mate.

“You’re my first…”

“You’re a natural.” He offered her a sour look, and she couldn’t help herself – she chuckled.

Roland almost choked on his tongue at the sound of her amusement. She thought kicking someone in the balls was funny – who the hell did that?

“You’re…”

“Pissed off.” He growled again; he couldn’t help himself.

“Funny – you’re funny.” Maggie pressed her lips together in an attempt not to laugh. She wasn’t laughing at the man’s pain, she actually still felt guilty for that, but the look on his face, the tone of his voice, and his sarcastic humor was just like he’d walked out of one of the books that she liked to curl up with.

“Glad I could amuse you,” he said with a deep frown of uncertainty cutting into his forehead, and a look of pure suspicion in his eyes.

“Stop pouting…” she chuckled again.

“I don’t pout…”

“That bottom lip says differently.”

“You kicked me in the balls!” he bit back with a big dollop of disbelief for her actions.

“I didn’t kick you…”

“The searing pain I just experienced says…”

“It was my knee…”

“That’s nitpicking.”

“Nothing wrong with picking a few nits,” she said and followed it up with a beaming smile that lit her eyes and held him mesmerized.

Roland wasn’t sure if she jabbed him with her little fist in his stomach. It sure felt like something hit him there.

His shifter blood was both a blessing and a curse. His balls felt a whole lot better, but his length was getting harder with each second that ticked by.

He needed to get the hell off her, and fast; before she felt something that he couldn’t deny.

“Is that…?” Maggie stopped in mid-question, and her eyes narrowed as she considered it, filling in the blanks.

Roland winced. Busted.

“By-product of being kicked in the balls…” he rushed out.

“Knee…”

“It likes to prove it’s still alive…” he lied. It was all her and being that damn close to her.

“Like; you can’t keep a good man down?” She grinned again.

“Well, they do have a mind of their own.” Roland pushed up from her, and she sucked in a breath.

His body protested the loss of contact. His bear protested the fact that he hadn’t acted on instinct and claimed her. His balls still protested a little, and he groaned.  

He wasn’t going far, and neither was she. Roland wasn’t going to let his mate out of his sight until he’d made her his.

 

~

~

~

 

Tank saw the two big bear shifters through the window as they climbed out of their pickup truck, and had rushed out of his sister’s house in full protection mode. He wasn’t one for asking questions when his sister and her cub were around, and he’d shifted into his bear before Dane could say a word to him.

Bowie’s beast burst from inside of him a heartbeat later, and if Dane had the time to roll his eyes and groan, he would have. As it was, Dane allowed his beast to break free of the steel cage he’d, almost perfected, and three big ass bears went head-to-head right there on the front lawn of the property.

Rayner’s jaw dropped at the sight of the three beasts going balls deep with their fangs and claws. She’d witnessed that bear fight on clan land that had resulted in her being bitten, but that was like a schoolyard fight compared to the chunks that these guys were ripping out of each other.

Yet, there it was – her big old bear wanted in on the action. She could feel the beast within her rush to the surface, and she couldn’t get out of the damn truck any faster than she did.

Even the damn hinges on the passenger door protested when she booted the door open and tossed her body outside. Rayner tried to fight against the beast – hold it at bay – and for a few long moments, she was winning the damn day.

Then her mate roared with anger that was tinged with pain and her bear burst from inside of her with a roar.