Prologue

  Alexander “Bunny” Bunsun grinned as his mate Tabby glared at him from across the room, her lime green hair standing out against the deeper evergreen shade of the Christmas tree.

  His mother had cornered her, cooing at Tabby’s vaguely rounded stomach like a lunatic.

  Tabby wouldn’t admit it out loud, but she was in heaven. She still hadn’t reconciled with her own parents, their actions when she’d been kicked out of her Pack still haunting her. Her old Pack’s new Alpha had invited her home for the holidays, but she’d adamantly refused. She wanted very little to do with her old Pack, and for the most part they’d chosen to obey her wishes.

  So having Bunny’s parents hover over her protectively had been both a blessing and a strain. She needed this, needed family around her while she carried their child. Maybe he’d get her to agree to speak with her parents now that the holidays were here.

  Tis the season, after all.

  “I’m tickled they get along so well.” William Bunsun, Bunny’s father, picked up Bunny’s glass of spiked egg nog and downed it.

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “No problem.” He patted his stomach. “Anything I can do to help keep you in shape.”

  Bunny shook his head at his father’s antics. The man was insane. “I have no idea how you got Mom to agree to go out with you.” He shot Will a fond, annoyed look. “All things considered.”

  “Hey, now.” Will shook his finger at him. “I will have you know I was hot back then.”

  “You still are, baby.” Barb winked at them, her deep brown eyes sparkling with happiness.

  Will blew a kiss at Barb, making Bunny’s brother Eric twitch. “Ugh. Knock it off, you two. I don’t want to watch old people kiss.”

  Barbra Bunsun slapped her son upside the head hard enough to nearly knock him off his feet. “Who are you calling old?”

  Eric rubbed the back of his head and whimpered. He was still on their mom’s shit list for being mean to Cyn and scaring their cousin Heather. Considering Barb had declared Julian and Cyn family, that was a huge no-no. “Ow.”

  Tabby placed another ornament on the tree. She’d insisted on having Christmas Eve at their new home, and his family had insisted on helping her decorate. So here they were, spending a Saturday night with his parents and brother, decorating their new home and scarfing down pizza, cupcakes and egg nog. “You know, I’ve been dying to ask. Every time I do, Uncle Steven and Aunt Laura laugh and refuse to tell me.”

  Uh-oh. Bunny poured himself another cup of spiked egg nog. He knew what was coming, and he was going to need a little fortification for this family story.

  Maybe he should add some more whiskey. His parents had a tendency toward TMI that was going to make this painful.

  “How did you two get together?” Tabby tilted her head and snuggled up against him, his own personal super-heroine.

  Shit. Bunny finished the glass in one long swallow. Here we go.

  Eric groaned. His brother knew what was coming. Poor Tabby had no clue, and wasn’t allowed alcohol to dull the horror.

  Barb began to laugh as Will hugged his mate, cuddling her close. “Now that’s a hell of a tale…”

  Chapter One

  He hid in the bushes, waiting for his prey, positive that this time he’d catch her.

  The first time he saw Barbra Browne had been the first time he truly understood why his father still growled over his mother. Barb had been walking across campus, her smile brighter than the sun, her dark hair teased around her in a shining halo of riotous curls. She’d been an angel, beautiful and perfect, taking a gloomy day and making it the best one ever.

  He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her.

  When she laughed he’d sworn his heart started beating for the first time. Then the wind had shifted, and he’d known immediately why he’d been so fascinated by her. Her scent, dear God above her scent, had almost driven him to his knees. She smelled of cinnamon and spice and everything nice. He could spend the rest of his life just breathing the air around her and die a happy man.

  She was his.

  He’d turned around, cutting his cousin Steve off mid-sentence, to follow the small, luscious creature all the way back to her dorm, studying her like the predator he was. Her bronze skin glowed with health, her startling hazel eyes full of laughter and a love of life he’d found infinitely appealing. He’d wanted that gaze turned on him, wanted her to see him.

  He’d gone home to let his family know he’d found his mate, and that he’d be claiming her within the week.

  That was months ago.

  It was almost Christmas break. If she left before he got to mark her he didn’t know what he’d do. He had to bite her, make her his in every way before someone else came along and stole her away from him. There was no way his Bear would allow anyone else to claim the luscious woman meant just for him.

  There! That warm cinnamon scent wafted toward him. Everyone was excited for the holiday break, but none more so than his mate. He could see her now, heading down the path, her cheeks were bright with cold, her eyes sparkling as she took in the campus holiday decorations.

  Her acid wash jeans hugged her body, the winter parka not even hiding her incredible ass. She wore a headband today, holding those curls at bay, and bright green earmuffs that matched her earrings.

  God. She was so beautiful his heart ached.

  His Bear wanted out as yet another male friend hugged her for far too long. Will was having a hard time keeping him contained. They were on campus and he did not need his furry ass tranqed and carted off to the zoo.

  She was closer now, her cinnamon scent wrapping around him, filling him with warmth.

  He could hear her, chatting away with her best friend and roommate, laughing as if she didn’t have a care in the world. She’d go past the bush he was hiding behind as she always did, and when she did, he would pounce. Today, their game of Bear and Honeypot would come to an end.

  This time he would catch her, and Barbra Browne would be his.

  Barb shook her head and tried desperately not to laugh. “Stacy?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I spy with my little eye something that begins with W.”

  Stacy grinned, her teeth white against her dark skin. “Oh! I know! I know! White boy.”

  She shook her head and tsk’d. “Damn, that’s the third time this week he’s hidden behind that bush.”

  “Too bad he isn’t all there, because he sure is hot.” The man had the whole John Cusack vibe going, with his long, dark hair and quirky ways. The only thing different was his strange, blue-green eyes. Vibrant and colorful, his eyes changed with his moods, sometimes blue, sometimes green, sometimes both. They were stunning, and Barb had found herself gazing into them more than once before common sense kicked in and she got away from the crazy.

  Barb inched closer to the opposite side of the path. When the time came, and she knew it would, she’d need to be able to duck out of the way.

  Stacy giggled. “Sure, if you like ‘em pasty.”

  “Hmm.” Barb wasn’t about to admit it, but it was looking more and more like she did like them a little paler than her family would be comfortable with, especially her father. There was something about Will that tugged at her, made her trust him despite his goofy ways.

  “Those eyes of his are pretty, I’ll give you that. All swirly blues and greens.”

  Barb nodded. They were his most stunning feature, one she… “Wait. When did you get close enough to see his eyes?”

  Stacy and Barb ducked, ignoring William Bunsun as he sailed over their heads.

  “Oh fuck.” He landed hard in the bush on the opposite side of the path, his feet twitching on the concrete.

  It really was a shame the man had the brains of a sparrow, because otherwise she’d totally tap that.

  “He always overshoots us.” Stacy sighed as if she really gave a crap.

  Barb nodded. “Too much bounce in his jump.”

  “Sort of like Tigger, but without the stripes.”

  “Or the theme song.”

  “Barb, Stacey. A little help, please?” His warbly baritone shivered through her even as his goofy antics made her laugh. The man was a nut, but he was a good-natured one.

  The girls continued down the path, ignoring the man’s pained groan. They knew from experience he would be back later, hunting Barb with a single-minded determination that she would have found scary if the man hadn’t been so sweet.

  At first she’d been afraid of him. William Bunsun acted like a crazy stalker, hunting her all over campus. He hid behind garbage cans in the cafeteria, stalked her on the paths between classes, and in general acted like an idiot. She’d almost called campus police on his ass more than once.

  Almost.

  Sometimes she still questioned why she hadn’t, but she knew why she would never turn Will in to campus police. And it wasn’t because of a pair of pretty eyes and a tight ass in tighter jeans, either.

  About two months after school started, when she’d been considering calling the cops on his ass, Will saved her from a real stalker.

  The relief on some of the faces of her dorm mates when that man had been kicked out of school had told her exactly what William Bunsun had protected her from that night. He’d decimated the creep following her, beating him bloody and chasing him off before turning to Barb. For all he was awkward and geeky, that night he’d been her guardian angel. It was the first time she’d realized what power resided in the man who watched over her, and she’d been intrigued.

  He’d stared at her, his blue-green eyes dark and troubled. “You all right?”

  She hadn’t been able to speak, so she’d shrugged instead. Apparently he’d understood, because he’d disappeared into the bushes once more.

  He’d followed her home that night, and every night since. He’d guarded her, kept her safe when she worked late, and made sure she never had a damn thing to worry about when it came to the things that went bump in the night.

  So she’d let him continue to chase her, feeling safer than she ever had before thanks to the white man who couldn’t jump.

  Over time it had become a game to them both, one they enjoyed immensely. It was a strange hide and seek he played with her. She knew when he was with her and when he wasn’t.

  When the gifts and notes started showing up she’d finally known what he was doing.

  He was wooing her, in his own freaky way.

  Too bad for him, though. Barbra Browne did not plan to go down easy, especially for the Great White Hunter. He might have managed to wiggle his way into her heart, but it would take more than that to wiggle into her pants.

  “Guess what? There’s a party tonight at Brian’s place.”

  Barb groaned. Stacey sounded way too excited. “Please don’t tell me you told him I’d be there.” Brian had been trying to get into her pants for months, but the man just didn’t know when to take no for an answer. She’d been holding him off for so long her arms were starting to get tired.

  Stacy hunched her shoulders and tried to hide behind her books. “Sorry.”

  “Stacy!”

  “Afternoon, ladies.” The women nodded hello to Steven Williams, a smaller, paler version of his cousin Will. He didn’t have the same midnight hair or odd swirly eyes. His were a normal dark blue, his hair a lighter shade of brown. “He fly over you again?”

  “He’s eating dirt back there.” Barb gestured with her thumb. “Is he on a sports scholarship?”

  Steven laughed so hard he had to stop walking.

  Barb waited until the hyena was done laughing. Seriously, there was something wrong with these Bunsun-Williams boys. “You going to Brian’s party tonight?”

  “Nope, but be careful, okay? I’ve been hearing rumors around campus about Brian and his parties. I’d hate it if anything happened to you two.”

  Barb smiled. Steven was such a nice guy, but he couldn’t hold a candle to his cousin.

  “Thanks.”

  “Shit, I’m late for class. See ya.” Steve sauntered off, no doubt to dig up his cousin. Or fertilize him. You could never tell with Steven.

  “One of these days that guy’s going to catch you.”

  Barb snorted even as she shivered. The need to let Will catch her had been growing steadily. “Hell no. I’ll get caught when I want to be caught.” She darted a glance over her shoulder to see Steven laughing as Will brushed off, shooting his cousin a dirty look.

  It took everything in her not to laugh. God, he was such a dork. But maybe…

  Maybe he was her dork.

  The two women entered the dorm, arguing about Brian’s party. “Aw, c’mon, Barb.

  Brian’s got some pot.”

  “No.”

  “Yes.”

  “No.”

  Stacey crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m going, and I’m smoking.”

  Barb grimaced. Damn it. Stacy went nuts when she got high, and if she did, she’d get in trouble. “Fine.”

  Stacey squealed. “Yay!”

  Shit. There went her plans for a nice, quiet evening.

  Chapter Two

  “Damn it.” Will watched the woman of his dreams walk away, again.

  Hell. At least she was amused. He had that going for him. And it was always a bonus when the love of your life didn’t call the cops on you.

  “Why don’t you just ask her out?”

  He glared at his cousin. “Where’s the fun in that?”

  “You’re acting like an ass.”

  Will sighed. “She’s just so…” His hands moved, forming curves. “And she’s got…” He patted the air the way he wanted to pat her pert ass.

  “Yup. Where I come, we call that…” Steven leaned in close. “A girl.”

  “Fuck you.” Will took the hand his cousin held out for him and let Steve pull him to his feet. “You’ve claimed your mate, let me claim mine.”

  “Speaking of mates, yours is going to that party tonight, the one I forbade Laura from going to.”

  Will bit back a curse and stared down the path Barb had taken. Laura was Steve’s new mate. A cuter little Fox he’d never seen, but the family had been startled when Steve brought her home. They’d expected him to mate either another Bear or a human, the way most of them did.

  But Steve had taken one look at the tiny little redhead and known where his destiny lay. He’d mated her that night and they hadn’t looked back since.

  If Steve was keeping his mate away from the party it had to be bad. The young couple was known around campus for enjoying the college lifestyle. They were frequent partiers, yet still managed to keep their grades high enough to satisfy both sets of parents.

  Will hated them sometimes. Since seeing Barb his grades had plummeted. Keeping her safe was far more important to him than any grade could ever be, and after that stalker incident, he’d been unable to leave her alone.

  But if he wanted to take over his father’s business some day and make it shine he’d need the dual degrees in business and landscape architecture he was pursuing. Will loved the work his father did, but he planned on being a little more hands-on. He loved digging in the dirt, planting new life and watching it grow. It soothed his Bear, kept him calm.

  “There’s more.”

  Will braced himself. He had the feeling he wasn’t going to like what Steve had to say.

  “The party is at Brian’s.”

  Will snarled. That jerk had been harassing Barb for months, trying to push her into a sexual relationship she didn’t want. Will had tried to warn the guy off, but he’d just laughed at Will.

  Brian would get the surprise of his life when Will finally claimed his mate. Barb was going to eat his face off if he tried anything. And if he still didn’t get the hint, Will knew exactly where he’d bury the body parts.

  “Easy.” Steve plunked some damp, partially frozen soil in his hands.

  Will stared at the clod of dirt. “What the hell, man?”

  Steve shrugged. “You always seem to feel better after making mud pies.”

  Will glared at him and stepped back onto the pathway, dropping the mud back where it belonged. “I was twelve.”

  “You shoved it down my pants.” The two men began walking back towards the center of campus.

  “You’re right. You were annoying the shit out of me, and I did feel better after that.”

  “Jerk.”

  Will laughed as they entered the student center.

  Steve immediately began scanning the area for his mate. “Do you know what you’re going to do about Barb?”

  Will smiled, and three people backed away from him. “What do you think?

  Steven took one look at his face and grimaced. “I think I’m going to a party so you don’t go to jail.”

  Will sniffed and wiped the corner of his eye. “I love you too, cuz.”

  Steven stomped off, muttering about insanity and bloodlines and crap Will didn’t really care about. He headed for his dorm room. He was a Bear on a mission.

  He had a party to crash, and a woman to mark.

  She was giggling so hard into her pillow she could barely breathe, but the book was so damn good she just couldn’t put it down.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  Barb jumped and hid the book she’d been reading. “Nothing.”

  “Gimme that.” Stacy snatched the book out of her hands and frowned. “What the hell is a Regency romance?”

  Barb tried to get her book back before it got torn. “Stop!”

  “Joan Smith’s Escapade? Miss Prattle? What the hell?”

  “I like it.” Barb sighed and slumped on the bed. “She’s damn funny, and instead of fainting away or letting the man get away with crap she gives as good as she gets.”

  Now Stacy looked intrigued instead of disgusted. “Yeah?” She eyed the cover for a moment before grinning. “The hero kinda looks like Will.”

 

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