~

 

“No, no I didn’t,” Bowie said, shuffling his weight on his feet, and looking at the ground between them. Then he folded his arms across his chest and looked sheepish.

“But you’re going to!” Rayner announced with glee as she grinned from ear to ear.

“Going to what?” Dane asked, coming up behind them as the big man shuffled on his feet once more. Now he looked more embarrassed than sheepish.

“Tell him!” Rayner teased.

“Nothing to tell,” Bowie gave a small shake of his head in denial and regarded her from beneath his dark lashes.

“Your nose is growing,” Rayner chuckled, but she chuckled even harder when Bowie rested the palm of his hand over his nose and scowled back at her.

“Is not,” he bit out.

“Liar — liar – set his pants on fire,” Rayner chuckled as she bounced up and down on the spot like Tigger on a good day.

“I have to go,” Bowie grumbled. “Things to do.”

“Oh no, you don’t get out of it that easy you big oaf,” Rayner chuckled harder. “Tell him!”

“Tell me what?” Dane demanded.

He didn’t think that it was going to be a bad thing considering the way that his mate was bouncing up and down with excitement and smiling like the Cheshire cat as she teased his brother, but he was still curious to be let in on the secret that they shared.

“I’ve still got nothing to tell,” Bowie grumbled.

“Fine, I’ll tell him,” Rayner said, tossing up her hands and shrugging her shoulders up to her ears before letting them fall back down.

“It’s nothing,” Bowie said, scowling at Dane as the alpha walked over to stand beside his excited mate.

“Oh, it’s something,” Rayner chuckled.

“It sounds like something to me,” Dane said, getting in on his mate’s teasing as Bowie shuffled on his feet once more.

“Your mate has an evil streak,” Bowie grumbled.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Dane chuckled, and got a jab from Rayner’s elbow in his ribs that made him push out the air in his lungs as the pain shot through his side. “Point made.

“This evil streak mate is going to kick you in the balls if you don’t tell him,” Rayner lied.

She just wanted to hear Bowie say it, say the words, and put everyone’s mind at rest that his mating, at least, was settled.

“That’s not a good idea,” Bowie growled as he shook his head from side to side in a manner that reminded her of his big old bear.

“True, you need your balls for mating,” Rayner chuckled.

“Mating?” Dane’s interest piqued at the sound of that.

“A really big mean streak,” Bowie grumbled.

“It gets bigger, and meaner, the longer that I have to wait for someone to do something that I asked them to do,” Rayner tossed back.

“Is that the same with all females?” Bowie asked.

“Yes,” Dane said.

“Oh, really?” Rayner’s eyebrows shot up toward her hairline as she turned a steely gaze toward her mate.

“Mostly,” Dane shrugged again, “sure, but back to Bowie and mating.” Dane grinned at his brother as he used him to deflect his mate’s annoyance, and Bowie tossed a look of disbelief at Rayner.

“Don’t look at me — this is all your fault. And now you’ve built up expectation to add to everything else,” Rayner said.

“And that’s a bad thing?” Bowie grumbled.

“Well, that depends if you have something really spectacular to offer when push comes to shove,” Rayner said, suggestively wiggling her eyebrows, and offering him a look of pure glee.

“Oh,” Bowie groaned.

He initially knew that they were talking about Dane and spilling his guts to his brother, but his mind had gone to his mate — mating with her — and the fact that she had been waiting for that to happen.

What if he disappointed her?

“You got the goods, right?” Rayner teased him.

“You will give the man a complex,” Dane said, flicking a look Bowie. “More of a complex than he already has.”

“You two suck,” Bowie growled.

“But the question is, do you?” Dane chuckled.

“Well, would you look at that? My bear seems to have settled,” Rayner grinned.

“Lucky you,” Bowie growled.

“I don’t think Bowie’s bear knows if it wants to fight, mate, or crap in the woods.” Dane grinned at his brother’s uncertainty about mating that Rayner had provoked within him, it was funny in a surreal kind of way.

“Yes I do,” Bowie growled back.

“So what is it?” Dane challenged him.

“It’s Bowie, the man lives to fight,” Rayner teased him.

“Mate!” Bowie spat out, and surprised himself doing it.

“See,” Rayner said turning to Dane. “That’s all he had to say.” She chuckled, before turning on her heels and walking away from the brothers with the low rumble of a growl from Bowie following on her heels. She grinned to herself.

“Mates are just so…” Bowie didn’t quite know how to say the words, or even what he wanted to say.

“You have no idea,” Dane agreed with a nod of his head. “But, and trust me on this, you will.”

 

~

~

~

 

“Here he comes,” Roland bit out as his hearing picked up the sound of a truck coming up the road.

Rayner turned towards the sound and offered a hard glare in the general direction of the makeshift car park. She couldn’t see him and he couldn’t see her, and yet, she couldn’t help herself.

“At least he’s not coming in like a thief in the night this time,” Dane growled.

“I’m going to sort this out,” Rayner said, and took off on fast feet, the only problem was that her feet were walking in the air — Dane’s arm was around her waist and he’d lifted her backwards against his body with her legs just dangling like she was on an invisible treadmill. “Put me down!” She hissed back over her shoulder at her mate.

“Not a chance in hell,” Dane growled.

“It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are that led to this — the challenge has been issued and accepted,” Roland informed her.

“Well, that’s just fine if you’re a pig ignorant male with a stupid attitude — I’m female, we have a better handle on things,” she was talking, but making little sense. She just wanted an end to the stupidity.

“Rules are rules,” Dane warned her.

“Really? Because I thought rules were made to be broken by people who didn’t give a damn,” Rayner hissed back.

“Not right now they aren’t,” Dane informed.

“How about … now?” She asked.

“Nope,” Dane grumbled.

Rayner sighed. “Fine. Put me down.”

“Nope,” Dane chuckled.

“No?” Rayner shot a curious look back over her shoulder at Dane, but the man had already snapped off the smile on his face.

“No.” Dane gave a small shake of his head.

“So you’re going to carry me around like a handbag?” Rayner demanded.

“If I have to, yes.”

“That’s insane,” Rayner bit out on a scowl of annoyance.

“And embarrassing for you,” Roland chuckled.

“Just put me down,” Rayner demanded.

“Not until you promise to behave yourself according to the rules,” Dane said.

“Fine,” Rayner bit out in annoyance.

Dane placed her down on her feet and she immediately started off toward the car park. Dane grumbled a groan as he took off after her.

“Where are you going?” Dane demanded.

“Well, as I don’t know the rules — I’m going to get in my violence while I can,” Rayner tossed back. If she had to, then she’d fight him herself.