~

 

Mick stood under the spray in the shower and washed the blood from his skin. The red flashes that were fading fast were the only signs that the bear shifter had his claws in his skin. He’d been healing from the moment that he’d been cut.

His body was still full of tension from the fight and the arrival of his mate’s so-called friend. He still hadn’t gotten to the bottom of that woodpile yet, but he would.

The thought of that man having his hands on his mate made him madder than hell.

His beast was still raw from the man’s declaration. He’d like to put his fist in the man’s face and keep punching until he couldn’t punch anymore.

“Mick,” Faith’s voice echoed out around the bathroom. His head shot up, and his eyes snatched a sideways glance at the door, but she wasn’t standing there.

“Faith?” He snapped off the water and pushed open the door to the cubicle, reaching for a towel and fisting it as he padded towards the bedroom.

“Look, I know you’re going to be…” Faith’s brain stopped working the moment that her mate came into view.

Mick’s hard, wet body sent her blood rushing through her ears, her eyes drank him in, and her heart raced inside of her. That was even before her palms got sweaty, her stomach took a rollercoaster ride, and her womb did a happy jig.

“Like what you see?” Mick’s deep tones said his beast was still near the surface.

“A lot,” Faith rushed out on a chuckle.

She didn’t bother to drag her eyes back up to his – the man had all of his goodies on offer, and she was window shopping.

Mick watched her with interest. Then he lifted the towel he had fisted in his hand and used it to dry his hair. Her eyes never made it past his waist.

“Wanna mate?” he teased, and she could hear that teasing quality in his voice, but she still couldn’t get her eyes to move up his hard body.

“Tempting…” she gave a sing-song answer that made him chuckle.

That deep rumble of laughter tempted her too. Everything about the man tempted her.

“You just have to say yes, sweetheart,” Mick teased some more.

“Such a little…” Faith paused, and Mick’s face dropped, and so did his eyes, as he stared down at his long, hard length and frowned. “Word.” She added with a wicked grin that made him growl when he flicked his eyes up and caught it on her face.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Mick said.

“I didn’t know it was a pop quiz,” Faith shot back. “Didn’t know I needed to.”

“Well, I’m not in this alone, sweetheart,” Mick reminded her.

“Do you do that a lot?” Faith’s gaze suddenly flicked up to his, and she saw him wince like he was confused, but he looked like he was considering the question.

“Ok, I’ll bite…”

“Not yet you won’t.”

“Do what a lot?”

“You know,” she shrugged. “The… in it alone thing,” she tossed back. “Do you have hairy palms?”

“Wanna come find out?” Mick growled, just a little, just enough to pique her interest, and he saw her eyes flare.

“What you and your hand get up to is of no concern to me,” Faith shot back.

“It is since you’re my mate,” Mick reminded her, and she winced.

“You had to go bring that old chestnut up,” she grinned.

“Answer the question, Faith,” Mick took a step, and she gave him a quick sideways glance.

“I’m not very good at multitasking, and right now my brain is kind of busy,” she shrugged.

“Answer the damn question, Faith,” he growled a little longer, a little deeper, and took another step, then another.

“Busy-busy,” she grinned.

“Don’t make me take matters into my own hands, witch,” he teased, taking another couple of steps and closing the distance between them.

Faith’s heart was at full speed ahead. Her eyes were alive with fire and mischief, and he thought that he could see some passion there, some desire, maybe more than just some.

“And what big… hands you have,” Faith offered back with a small wicked chuckle that sounded so damn dirty to his ears that his cock twitched hard, and her eyes shot downwards once more.

“Answer the question,” Mick growled.

“Someday.”

“Someday you’ll answer?”

“Someday I’ll mate with you,” Faith said, but as she snapped her gaze back up to his, he reached out with one thick, muscled arm, wrapped it around her waist, and yanked her against the length of him.

“Not good enough,” Mick said, then he brought his lips down on hers, and every rational thought that had remained in her head took flight.

 

~

~

~

 

Jeannie reached into the bottom drawer and pulled out a sweatshirt. When she grabbed it by the shoulders and held it up to inspect it, she had to wonder just how many times she could fit inside of it.

“While I have no problem at all with you stealing my clothes,” Jason’s deep tones echoed around the room and made her jump in place. She whipped a look around towards him, and the not-so-subtle grin on his lips gave her the urge to zap him. “Maybe you should borrow something from Leslie’s wardrobe.”

“Leslie isn’t here,” Jeannie said, and Jason shrugged.

“She won’t mind.”

“I’ll wait and ask,” Jeannie said, lifting her foot and nudging the drawer closed.

“But stealing from me is fine?” Jason teased, narrowing his eyes and giving her a curious look.

“You want the sweatshirt?” she held it out to him.

“I’m hot stuff,” he said as he gave her a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows and she snorted.

“Blow your own trumpet, why don’t you?” she snorted.

“Well if my mate wants to do it for me,” he took a step inside the room, and it was her turn to narrow her eyes on him.

“Get a life,” Jeannie shot back.

“That’s what I’m trying to do. A mate, family, pups of our own, any of this sounding familiar to you?”

He offered her the kind of grin that she imagined made the other girl's panties drop, but she wasn’t any girl – no, she was his mate, damn it. If her panties dropped then, they stayed down, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to be walking around panty-less.

“Just another everyday horror story,” she whispered back.

“I’m sorry, have you met… me?” he gave her another sexy grin, and she tried not to look, but it was just so damn difficult.

“I’ve had the misfortune.”

“I’m Mr. Wonderful.”

“Says who?” Jeannie demanded, placing her hands on her hips with his sweatshirt still bunched in her fist.

“You, once we’re mated.”

“Ha-bloody-ha-ha,” she shot back with a small sneer.

“You have to admit,” He motioned up and down his body. “This is good.”

“I do not,” Jeannie snorted her contempt for him.

“Nooo?” He grinned again, and she managed to inspect the spot that still stood between them on the carpet.

Jason ducked his head down and looked up at her. His eyes were dark, but they were full of amusement, and she pressed her lips together and tried not to smile.

“Nothing?” He asked, and she rolled her eyes closed. “Not even a smidge?”

“Ok, fine, sure, it’s good…” she tossed him a bone and damned herself in the process as she opened her eyes, lifted her head, and found him right there looking back at her.

“I knew you liked me,” he offered.

“Don’t push it,” she bit back, still trying not to smile.

“Little push, little pull never hurt anyone?”

“Says you.”

“Yeah, says me.”

Jason reached up with one hand and cupped her cheek. He’d thought that she was going to pull away, but instead, when his fingers touched her skin, she turned into that feeling, that connection between them.

“One kiss, then you can tell me to go to hell,” Jason promised.

“I think one kiss would make me not want to tell you to go to hell,” she offered back.

“That’s what I’m hoping,” Jason said, closing the small distance between them, waiting for her to zap him, or knee him, or step back, step away… but she didn’t move, and he took that as a good sign.

“Let’s pause for thought,” she said, slapping the palm of her hand against his nose and halting him in his tracks.

“Ouch,” Jason lied.

“Serves you right, speedy,” she chuckled.