Beaufort Creek Shifters (10 book series)
The Bear’s Arranged Mate Chapter 7

Jermaine

Fear dripped from her like icicles melting in the wake of spring. Elva tilted her head back while staring up at me, a sort of longing shedding light on the space between us. Maybe it was just the afternoon sunlight. Or maybe it was headlights. It could have been

anything at this point.

I wasn't quite sure it mattered.

"So, if it's not the self-defense thing and it's not pack business-"

I tapped her lips. "Who said it wasn't pack business?"

"You would have led with it."

She had a point. And while it irked me, it also impressed me. "We should keep having s*x."

She stumbled back. The mat beneath her squeaked when she shifted her weight, shock splashing all over her face. She shook her head. And then she scrubbed her scalp with her manicured nails. They were French tips today, short. Likely short to keep from accidentally scratching her students.

Once her lower lip was between her teeth, I couldn't picture anything other than the way she had looked in the shack on the mountain.

"Listen, we've been fighting about a lot of things. We've been bickering nonstop since we got back," I explained. "And it shouldn't be like that."

"That's normal for us."

I frowned. "Sure, but it's not something we should be doing in public. We need to present a united front."

"So, this is about appearances?"

"What else would it be about?"

Shock transformed into betrayal on her face. And just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. She smoothed out her features and gave me her rock star smile, the one that said she couldn't get hurt by anything or anyone.

I was starting to think that wasn't true.

"Jermaine, if you just want to bang because it feels good, I'm down for that," she responded. "But don't paint it up as something that it isn't."

"It's a mate bond. What else can it be?"

She chuckled dryly and shook one finger between us. "Uh, no. It's a partnership, remember? We're not mated."

"But we did the ritual."

"That doesn't make us mates."

I hung my head. Why was this hurting my feelings? It wasn't like I had that many feelings for her other than a need to protect her.

And bang her.

And hold her until she spilled every little secret she was hiding behind those luscious lips.

My throat tightened up as I shoved my hands into my pockets. It was my attempt at being nonchalant. It might have come off as egotistical instead.

But it wasn't like that mattered. Elva came off as proud more times than not. It fit our image.

"If we want to survive any new attacks, we have to be vigilant," I reasoned. "Which means we have to remain strong. Together."

"The ritual didn't do that?"

It didn't make sense. Her body pitched toward me, arms open and hanging at her sides while her eyes drooped with a lustful desire I had seen on the mountain. Yet her voice-her tone-seemed to deny any indication of her longing. How was that even possible?

"Come on, El," I whispered. "You want it, too. I know you do."

"Who says?"

I breathed deep as I stepped forward, allowing the inhalation to inspire my movement. Within seconds, I was right in front of her with my hand on the small of her back. How the gods had managed to fit so much spunk and personality in such a tiny body was impressive. And it only made me want her that much more.

My fingers roamed the flesh hiding beneath the waistband of her tights. "I hate to admit this, but I made a mistake."

Her eyes grew round. "With what?"

"With my security checks. I haven't been as..." I rolled my right shoulder, cracking the joint with ease. It loosened me up enough. "I haven't been watching things as closely as I should."

"And that's my fault?"

The woman knew she was irritating. So why did she keep trying to push my buttons?

I growled low in my throat. "You're being mean, El."

"I thought you liked it when I teased you."

"It makes me want to put you in place."

She grinned, fame and fortune echoing in that expression like she'd been granted eternal life. She was as sly and devious as any groupie-but certainly far more independent. She didn't do anything she didn't want to do. Which meant that her remaining in my arms was entirely her choice.

To process that or not to process that? Good question.

She sucked air into her lungs when I scooped her up. She didn't fight me, curling her hands over my shoulders like she had on our honeymoon. It was still odd to think in those terms, a strange pang ripping through my chest when I considered how we were, by all technicalities, married.

"My brain has been a little, uh..." She met my gaze. In this position, it was easy to look into her eyes. Brilliant green shimmered back at me. "Foggy." "Yeah?"

She nodded slowly. "I haven't exactly been..." She rolled her hips. Such a subtle motion couldn't go unnoticed by a man like me. "... on top of things."

A ravenous heat flooded my entire body. Three long strides put us across the room with her back flush against the mirror. My lips scorched her mouth, a thousand unspoken words transferring between our warring tongues. We were squirming within a matter of seconds from just one ridiculously timed pun that only seemed to rev up my lust.

I wanted her-all of her. And I wanted her all the time.

Nothing could have explained that longing away. The more I kissed her, the more clarity I gained. My brain webbed together the events starting from Blake's appointment as alpha and my mating ritual with Elva. Once everything was summarized up until the present moment, there was nothing else to do but give in.

Completely.

Kiss after kiss encouraged our bodies to melt together. This wasn't the same as the foreplay that happens before s*x. It was different.

It was more...sensual.

Her fingers lightly grazed my skin. Her lips followed the pace of my mouth. She breathed in with every touch and exhaled with every brief parting. We synchronized easily, falling into a pattern of dueling lips that made me want to drag her into an empty room. The window to my left caught my attention. I snapped back, setting Elva carefully on the ground despite her whimpering protests. I rubbed her shoulders and then cupped her face, trying to get her to look into my eyes. Once I had her attention, I implored her to settle herself.

It only took a few minutes. And as soon as she was under control, I took her hands in mine. "If we feel it, then it shows."

"I'm just..." She looked away, light flashing over her eyes and making them iridescent. But just for a split second. Her throat clicked when she swallowed. "I've only ever fought with you. It's hard to let myself..."

"Be seen?"

She looked up. "Yes."

"Well, we can always keep kissing for a while, El. We don't have to rush."

"You sure?"

Never had I ever seen her so doubtful. Elva had always been a confident, sassy woman with a hardcore fashion sense and enough tattoos to put sailors to shame. Her creativity with language went far beyond that which was acceptable. Just her eyes alone were enough of a lure for any poor soul weakened by her gaze.

Not that I was admitting she made me weak.

But it certainly came close.

Maybe too close for comfort. "I'm positive."

"So, what do we do?"

"You know, that couples shit."

She snorted and then broke into a vicious cackle, tilting her head back so far that it touched the mirror behind her. She squeezed my hands as she steadied herself. "What in the world does that mean?" "Like whatever boyfriends and girlfriends do together."

"What are you? Ten?" She snickered and shook her head. "Gods, you need a crash course on this whole dating thing."

I smirked. "You willing to teach an old bear new tricks?"

"Only if you jump through fire hoops."

"That's something you would end up doing, sweet pea."

She pushed my shoulder lightly, a playful smile stealing her lips. Everything about her right now reverberated with hope. Of a brand new day, of a new relationship, of something worth fighting for.

That was the kind of hope that I knew would keep me in check.

What happens when we fight again?The thought was too much, sending me to the window where I drew the blinds, pretending to help instead of hiding from her penetrative gaze. Will it all fall apart again? And then how long will that last?

Elva swept her hand over my shoulder. The slightest touch of her fingers put me at ease instantaneously. Instead of thinking about the ways it could go wrong, I found myself picturing her in normal situations with me-at the movies, waiting in line at a carnival, sharing a plate of lobster. And that just gave me a brilliant idea. "Let's do dinner."

"Dinner?" She bent over to roll up a mat. My mouth watered at the sight of her round, plump ass hugged by the black tights she wore. "You mean like going to a restaurant and sitting with each other?" "Yeah, that's couples shit."

She laughed. "Why are you so hooked on doing that? Is it for like the image thing? Because Brandi and Milton did that, remember?" And look what it got them."Yeah, I'm aware."

"So, you want us to...?" She set the rolled mats on the other side of the room and grabbed a bottle of cleaner. "Fall in love or something?"

My mouth twisted. I rubbed the back of my neck, flipping around to face the mirror. Well, that didn't help. She could still see my reaction.

Too late.

She spritzed the mats and wiped them down. She went to the chairs next. All around the room she went with that bottle, spraying and wiping. She didn't try to make me talk and she didn't push for an answer.

It might have been the first time Elva and I had occupied the same space without arguing.

Something about it doubled my hope.

I scratched my temple and then shrugged, trying to play it off. "It couldn't hurt to get along seeing as we're stuck together."

"Is that how you see it?"

Damn it, I thought. So much for not fighting.

But when she reached the door and turned around, she wore a mischievous smile. She set the bottle and towel down, and then beckoned me into the hallway. "Because if we're stuck together, we might as well do everything together." "Like what?"

She shrugged, wandering into the hallway just as I tried to ask again. Like what? She couldn't seriously think that being good mates meant spending about every waking second in the same company. We had to be apart at some point. We had to do our own things. Like shower.

My eyes landed on her round rump swaying in front of me. She glanced over her shoulder, sinister mischief working into a sweet smile that told me I was in for it. When we reached the end of the hallway, she yanked open a heavy metal door and ushered me inside. It was a locker room. The women's locker room.

And it was empty.

Five stalls took up the right wall while five sinks matched them on the left wall. One giant mirror ran the length of either side with curtains to separate the showers from the main tiled walkway.

Elva teased the straps of her sports bra. "Whatever we want."

I gulped.

It was like she had read my mind.

Before I could say a word, Elva stripped out of her clothes and waited in the doorway of the third stall, using part of the plastic curtain to cover her body. Just enough of her body.

Her eyes glittered with amusement as she turned on the shower. "Come on. You did a lot of sweating."

"Elva?"

"Yeah?"

I cleared my throat, slowly working my jeans off as I stepped toward her. "If we do this..."

"There's no going back, right?"

"It's not that."

She frowned as steam billowed around her. Clouds floated up her legs and hugged her shoulders before dissipating. "Then what?"

The way my heart thumped made me dizzy. Already, hot steam crowded my nostrils, putting me into a meditative state. One more step toward her would break my walls. I would be open to her, vulnerable, totally susceptible to whatever she wanted to put me through.

If we do this, we risk everything.

I removed the rest of my clothes and set my boots aside. I stepped into the stall with her and grabbed the soap bar from her hand, lathering it between my palms.

"If we do this," I whispered, "we have to be careful."

"Of what?"

I spread my palms over her back, lathering soap wherever I could reach. Just a few minutes later, I had her pinned to the wall, lips brazenly marking the spaces untouched by soap or water. I didn't answer her question. I didn't bother. I was too scared to do it.