Total pages in book: 20
Estimated words: 18899 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 94(@200wpm)___ 76(@250wpm)___ 63(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 18899 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 94(@200wpm)___ 76(@250wpm)___ 63(@300wpm)
“Thank you,” I mutter. It’s the only response my befuddled mind can come up with.
By the time Clay and Wilder leave with Angel Baby, I’m a confused mess. I turn off the neon open sign hanging in the front window and turn to Thorne. “I really need you to explain a few things to me.” Boy, that’s a freaking understatement.
Chapter 6
Thorne
I’m ashamed of the pitiful display my brothers and I put on in front of my mate. “Come have a seat with me, sweet girl.” I take her soft hand in mine and lead her to one of the tables. “I’ll explain all I can to you.”
Fuck. I’m not sure where to even start, but I know I need to do something quick because I can’t bear the thought of losing her. No pun intended.
“First off, I’m so sorry I got in a fight in your bakery.” I’m not at all sorry I kicked the fucker’s ass though. “But the sight of my brother touching your luscious body sent me over the edge.”
“Sweet girl?” She stares at me with a raised eyebrow. “And why did you get mad that he accidentally touched me? It was totally innocent.”
“Your last name matches your sweet scent, and my bear latched on to the name.” I can’t get the smell out of my mind. I’ve been fantasizing about licking every inch of her gorgeous body to see if she tastes as good as she smells. My cock turns to stone in my pants, reminding me that I’m getting ahead of myself here. First, I have to win Mabel’s heart, and then I can mate her and keep my little mate forever. “And I want to keep you all to myself.”
“Oh.” Her emerald-green eyes fill with confusion and a tiny touch of apprehension. I tell myself to proceed with caution unless I want to ruin my only chance of happiness. I’d hoped to have more time to quietly woo my human mate before informing her that she’s my eternal soulmate, and explaining how territorial bears are, but my inner animal has run out of patience.
“Would you come over to my place tonight? I’ll cook us dinner, then I can take my time and explain everything to you.” Plus, I really need the opportunity to get my thoughts together and make contingency plans. Just in case my mate proves to be harder to convince.
“I really should cook for you since you helped us so much, and I know your estimate didn’t cover all the work you did,” Mabel tells me, but my bear insists I cook for my mate.
“You can cook for me next time.” I negotiate with my mate while trying to keep my impatient bear at bay. “This first time, my bear wants me to cook for you.”
Her mouth opens and closes silently a few times before she seems to make up her mind. “I’ll have dinner at your house but not tonight. Can we make it Saturday night when I don’t have to get up early the next morning?”
“If you can wait that long for me to answer all your questions.” I don’t want to do this half-assed.
Mabel steps closer and runs her hand over my arm. “It’ll give me time to figure out what I want to know.”
“That sounds like a plan.” It kills me to think about waiting five more days to make her mine, but I’ll do anything for my mate. “I’ll pick you up at five o’clock on Saturday.”
“That sounds great.”
Once my girl agrees to our date, I help her finish cleaning up the bakery before rushing out to my SUV. As I drive up the long, windy mountain road that leads to my secluded home, I call my asshole brother. “I need a favor.”
“Why the hell would I do you a favor?” Clay asks. “You gave me two black eyes and a split goddamn lip.”
My dipshit brother should know better than to touch another bear’s mate, so the whole fight was his goddamn fault. I’m not really sorry for the ass-kicking, but I apologize anyway. “I’m sorry I kicked your ass.” It’s a half-assed apology at best, but it will have to do.
“Fucker,” Clay hisses. “What do you need?” Our brotherly bond insures he won’t stay pissed too long. I can always count on my brothers to have my back.
“Mabel is coming over to my house for dinner on Saturday night. Can you keep Angel Baby for me?”
“That’s fine. He likes me better anyway.” My brothers act all tough and growly, but they both have a soft spot for my tiny Chihuahua.
“Are you okay?” I ask Clay, needing to know if he’s gotten over the shock of finding his mate.
“Peachy.” I guess Clay isn’t ready to talk about it. “I haven’t ever been better.”
“I’m here if you need to talk.” Although most bears look forward to finding their mates, it’s scary when it actually happens. For the first time in my life, I have something to lose that means more to me than my own life.