FavoriteObsession, page 6
Desperate for the bliss she knew he’d deliver, she shoved her hand down the waistband of his jeans. The flexing of his buttocks as he ground his erection into her pulled a moan from her chest. She couldn’t wait to have him inside her.
She slid her hand between them and popped the top button of his jeans. He grabbed her wrist. Confused by his refusal of her touch, she eased back. Josh’s face filled her vision. The desire stamped there didn’t support his actions. She opened her mouth to ask why he’d stopped her but snapped it closed as the catcalls and hoots of the crowd around them finally registered in her lust-induced fog.
He grinned and she offered him a matching smile, albeit a shaky one. She suddenly felt shy with all the humans whistling and cheering them on.
“You taste good, Mira.”
Heat flushed her cheeks. The simple words rocked her and filled her with happiness. “So do you.”
“You like to make a big entrance. Don’t you, cousin?”
Kade’s voice boomed over the murmurs of the crowd and the classic rock playing in the background. She turned to watch him stride toward them. His displeasure rolled off him. With his gaze locked onto her, she knew exactly what caused his bad mood. She raised her chin. Let him be mad. It was simply a kiss, one I don’t regret.
Kade stopped in front of them, hands clenched at his sides. The pissed-off male flicked annoyed golden eyes between each of them before settling on Aron. “Why would you start a fight with someone under my protection? You know I can’t let this go unpunished.”
“Don’t blame this on me.” Aron pointed at Josh. “He started it. I was simply trying to enjoy my beer.”
Josh offered a hand to her. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. Both shifters followed the simple gesture as if they’d never seen a person do such a gentlemanly thing before, but she knew exactly what put the livid glint in their eyes. She had allowed a male whom they considered a lower pride member to help her instead of reaching for them. A slap in the face to both of them. Like she cared.
Gaze on the shifters in front of her, she stepped closer to Josh. He laid his palm over her lower back. The subtle show of ownership wouldn’t go unnoticed, nor would her acceptance of it. Yeah, she was in for a stern lecture. At the moment, she didn’t care.
She smirked and focused on Aron. “I disagree. You were the one looking for a fight. You always were a showoff.” She motioned toward the empty booth in the far corner. “Why don’t we get a table in the back? I’m sure Aron will want to visit for a few minutes before he goes home.”
Aron dismissed the couple of human women who’d descended on him to offer their version of comfort with a wave of his hand. He inclined his head. “I agree. It’s a tad loud for conversation but I can promise I won’t be leaving anytime soon, sweet Mira. So don’t you worry. I have plans,” he grinned, showing off a hint of fang, “and you’re a part of them.”
Curiosity showed on Kade’s face. “Is that right?”
Aron nodded and casually looped his arm around Jazz. “Oh, yes. My wandering days are over.”
Josh called out a drink order to one of the waitresses and led Mira forward before she could comment. She and Jazz slid in one side of the booth. Josh claimed the spot next to her, but Kade and Aron glared at each other, neither taking a seat. Coiled muscles and narrowed eyes marked their silent battle of superiority.
“Must we play this game?” Jazz turned her attention to Aron. “We know you’re a big, bad alpha, but Rafe has told me you want no business leading the pride. So don’t pretend to challenge Kade. Either sit down or get out.”
Mira smiled. She loved her friend’s frankness.
Aron chuckled. “Of course, little female.”
Once Aron took his seat, Kade leaned close, one hand on the cushion next to Aron’s head, the other on the table. “Unlike some of our previous homes, we are too integrated with humans to give in to dominance scuffles all the time. Decide now, cousin. Accept me as you pride leader or fight me. We can set up the ceremonial challenge for tomorrow night.”
Aron inclined his head. “Jasmine is correct. I want no part of leadership. Never have, never will. That has not changed in the years I’ve been away.”
A single nod of Kade’s head and the tension in the air around them eased. “Good. Care to tell me why you’ve decided to return to the family after all these years?”
Aron sat up taller, as if working up the courage to make his announcement. Since he’d already told her why he’d made the trip, she didn’t understand his hesitation.
“I learned of the Council’s order for Mira so I’ve come to reclaim what is rightfully mine.”
“No.” She fought the wave of sadness and rage his words brought. “Too much time has passed.”
Aron propped his elbows on the tabletop and leveled a hard glare on her. She shivered under the look, her instincts warning her she wouldn’t like his next words.
“I’ve heard rumblings that the Council has already chosen your mate if you fail to follow their order.”
She waited for him to tell her who. All he did was stare at her. Finally, she conceded, matching his pose so only a few inches separated them. She embraced the anger seeing Aron brought, better than the churning fear turning her gut into a rolling mess. “Who?”
“Micah, Edmund’s great-great nephew.”
She closed her eyes, pain overwhelming her as quickly as the anger had. The name of her dead mate brought the memory of that horrible night back. Her pulse raced. The tightness in her chest made it hard to drag in air. She wheezed, fear gripping her and threatening to send her into a full-blown panic attack.
Josh rubbed circles into her upper thigh. She focused on the sensation of his roughened fingertips. The horrors faded back into the recesses of her mind as he soothed her with his gentle caress. The memories weren’t gone. She’d never be free of them, but Josh’s presence made them bearable.
“So, my dear Mira, am I right? Wouldn’t you rather be mine than tie yourself to a male whom I’ve been told could be a mirror image of your dead mate?”
She let her breath escape in a long rush. “No, of course I don’t want Micah, but that doesn’t mean I’d welcome you. Our binding didn’t happen when it should’ve and it won’t now. So take your offer and shove it up your ass.”
Jazz stifled a laugh, but no sign of amusement showed on Aron’s face. Mira couldn’t put a name to what she saw reflected in his eyes. Regret, maybe? She wasn’t sure. The contacts he wore hid what little she could’ve garnered.
“You were a teenager, Mira.” He growled and the sharpened points of his claws emerged from his fingertips. “Edmund hurt you, physically and emotionally. I gave you the time you needed to heal.”
Time? He’d given her time, all right. Fifteen years she’d waited for him to claim her. He never had. After he sent word of his denouncement, she went on with her life. It didn’t matter. The past couldn’t be changed. Only the future counted and Aron had no claim to it.
“Don’t pretend to be a martyr. If you’d truly wanted me, nothing would’ve stopped you from mating me. We are a stubborn species. Once we set our sights on our prey, we don’t relent until we get it.” She leaned forward so he had a perfect view of her cleavage. With his eyes focused there, she sneered. “And you will never catch me.”
Aron lifted his gaze to her face and watched her, waiting for her to acknowledge him as her alpha. Silence stretched. She grinned. Hell would freeze over before she submitted to him or chose him as her mate.
He blinked and dropped his attention to her lips. He licked his. “I’ve come to the conclusion that not claiming you might have been a mistake. This is my chance to find out.”
She opened her mouth to tell him off. He held up a single finger. She sat back to enjoy the moment. Aron groveling was a damn fantasy come true.
“Do not be so quick to turn me away. Have you forgotten the visit your sire received?”
She blanched and slumped in her seat. Although she felt Josh’s eyes on her, she couldn’t speak of the cursed blessing that had ruined her life.
“Explain,” Josh ordered.
When it became apparent nobody else wanted to speak of the prophecy, she glanced up. Aron’s eyes met hers. The neutral mask he wore didn’t give her any clue to his feelings. He’d never told her how he felt to be chosen—cursed as she had. Apparently, he wouldn’t today either.
“Our goddess appeared before Mira’s father on the day of her birth. She told him Mira’s offspring would someday lead us into a new era.” Aron turned his gaze on Josh. “He chose me to be Mira’s future mate.”
“What the fuck—”
“Enough, Josh.” Kade dipped his head to hide his softly glowing eyes. “This is not the place to discuss our family’s issues.”
Aron winked at her, all evidence of his serious mood gone. He faced Kade, a big grin on his face. “So…as a member of your pride, I officially request your permission to court Mira as my mate.”
“Granted.”
Her mouth dropped open. “How could you?”
Kade shrugged. “You have to pick one of us and Aron’s offer saves me from having to mate you myself. Honestly, this is the best news I’ve heard in a while.” He faced Aron. “Welcome home, cousin. I’ve recently purchased some properties close to mine. You’re welcome to pick one.”
Mira glanced between Aron and Kade. She had no words. A sense of helplessness seized her, left her trembling inside.
Jazz, who’d been silently watching them, clicked her tongue. She waggled her finger at both males, a move Mira had seen her friend use on her kids. “You are both insensitive jerks! You’re treating Mira like she’s some neglected dog in need of a new owner. She’s a person who happens to have her own wants and desires. You have no right to force her to pick between men who don’t love her.”
Kade sighed. “Mating has nothing to do with love. I’m happy Rafe and Devin found it, but the bond is all about breeding. If we find a female who can tempt us to spill our seed inside her, it’s enough to keep us coming back for more.” He tipped his chin in her direction. “And Mira? I don’t know of any male who isn’t drawn to her.”
“Three hundred years that wretched prophecy has hung over my head.” She focused on Josh’s deep-blue eyes, the color of the sky right before a storm, and told him the truth. “It turned me into a prize to be fought for. It’s the reason Edmund attacked me and why I’ve been harassed by hopeful males since. But none of my damn suitors wanted me. They wanted to be the one who got to knock me up.”
When Josh only stared at her with guarded eyes, she gave him a little shake. “Do you understand now? I’m nothing more than a breeding mare. The ultimate fucking prize.”
With that, she shoved at his shoulders until he got the hint and slid out of the booth.
He grabbed her hand. “Mira, wait.”
She shrugged out of his grip and stormed away. It took every ounce of dignity she had left not to run. Tears she couldn’t give in to burned her eyes. A couple of minutes, that was all she had to wait. Once she got to her car, she could let them fall.
Each step she took aggravated her inner animals. They wanted to go back to Josh. She ignored their annoyed growls. They always wanted to go back to him. She pushed her way to the front door and slipped outside. The noose on her chest eased some.
Eyes closed, she took a deep breath, needing to clear her lungs of the lingering scents from the bar. A whiff of rage drifted on the breeze. She popped her lids open and focused on the human female looking at her with pure hatred stamped on her face.
Lips thinned and nostrils flaring, the little redhead’s fury rolled off her. Mira raised a brow, amused by the sight. Her cats, however, wanted to rip the girl’s throat out. She dismissed their violent response. Too many humans had been labeled as a threat by her inner spirits for her to take their reaction seriously. “Problem?”
“Yeah,” the woman nodded, “stay away from Josh.”
The mention of Josh’s name tensed Mira’s body as her cats slammed into her chest, desperate to get out. She tightened her hold on their metaphysical leashes and focused on the woman’s glinting green eyes. “And what gives you the right to tell me to do anything?”
The woman raised her chin. “I’m Josh’s lover.”
Mira took two steps forward before she stamped down her anger. She curled her fingers to hide to tips of her claws. Mouth parted slightly, she inhaled in an effort to taste the truth of her words. All she smelled was the woman’s wrath.
“Don’t lie, little girl.”
The redhead sucked in a rough breath as if she couldn’t believe Mira didn’t trust her. “I’m not! Josh has been cheating on me. You’re not the first whore he’s flaunted in front of me.”
She lunged at the woman but the female was yanked out of the way. Mira whirled, hands fisted to beat the truth out of her. A male with a bushy red beard had the girl tucked behind his body.
He inclined his head. “Sorry ’bout that, ma’am. My sis here has had a wee bit too much to drink.” The male tugged the female toward the parking lot. “Nice night, ma’am.”
Her cats didn’t want to let the humans go. They posed a threat. The same musty drug scent she’d smelled on the human who’d hurt Josh clung to the male’s clothes. His signature, however, didn’t match Zeb’s. Mira held her ground. She stared at their retreating backs until they climbed into a lifted pickup and drove away.
The female’s words bothered her but the anger boiling her blood was better than the sadness. She turned away from the bar and headed into the woods. She needed to run. Tonight had pushed her to the limit of her control. Any more and she’d likely explode.
Chapter Seven
Josh watched the last two waitresses pull out of the parking lot. He pivoted on his heel, took two steps and stopped. Kade leaned against the rear wall with his hands in his pockets and a troubled look on his face.
“What do you want?”
Kade shrugged. “Do I need a reason to visit my favorite human?”
Josh strode across the lot, flung the door open and waved him inside. He wanted this talk over with. There was only one reason Kade would be here.
Mira.
Only the beer signs’ faint glow brightened the interior. Josh didn’t bother with the lights. He could see well enough and the shifter following him would have no problem getting around. In the main room, he weaved around the tables with chairs upturned on them. Once behind the bar, he grabbed their beers, the usual for their late-night drink-fests. Normally, he looked forward to them. With the shit that had gone down tonight, he didn’t want to deal with anyone, let alone one of the men Mira might chose as her mate.
Two longnecks in hand, he tipped his chin toward Kade. “Where do you want to have this lecture? Here or in the office.”
“Why do you assume I’m here to lecture you?”
Josh shifted one bottle to his other hand and dropped two chairs from the nearest table onto the floor. He placed the beers on the clean surface and straddled the seat. “’Cause after what happened today, it’s a given. Let’s get this over with. I’ve had a shitty week.”
With a hard glare fixed on him, Kade took a swig of his favorite lager, a local brew. He swallowed and slammed the amber glass to the table. “I thought I’d made myself perfectly clear. It’s become apparent you need a reminder of the rules.”
“See. I was right. You came here to lecture.”
“It’s not a lecture. I gave you an order. You disobeyed me.”
Josh stood and the chair clanked to the floor. Palms on the table, he locked gazes with the feline leader. “And I’m damn tired of being held to rules nobody else in your family has to follow.”
Kade mirrored his pose, a matching clunk echoing through the room. “Do not challenge me.”
Josh sneered. If he had fangs, he’d hiss at the bastard too. “You know very well we’re past that. You’re the top cat. For Megan’s sake, I acknowledge that.” He leaned close enough to smell the hint of beer on Kade’s breath. “Spit it out. What did I do wrong this time?”
“You kissed Mira.”
Josh shoved away and picked up the chair. He needed a moment to school his features. Just the mention of what he’d shared with Mira heated his body. Their first damn kiss and everyone in the bar including the male behind him had gotten to share in it. Because, yeah, he’d known Kade was there. Josh had seen him out of the corner of his eye when Jazz had doused him in beer. He hadn’t cared either. When Mira had pressed her soft curves against him, getting his lips on her had been his only thought.
Unable to delay any longer, he righted the stool and sat. “And? It was just a damn kiss. No big deal.”
The lie soured his gut. It was a huge deal, in his eyes at least.
“I like you, Josh.”
“Really?” He chuckled. “Well, thanks for that, but I can’t say I feel more than friendship for you. You’re handsome and all, just not my type. I do have a cousin…”
“You know that’s not what I meant.” Kade glanced heavenward, a long sigh escaping. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
Josh snorted. “God, please don’t tell me you came here to talk about my feelings. Should I go get Megan’s nail polish and we can paint our toes while we talk about who we want to marry?” He tipped his beer, drank the contents in one long swallow before slamming the empty bottle down. “Don’t give me your bullshit. The only person you’re worried about getting hurt is Mira. And you know what?”
Silence stretched. Finally, Kade gestured for him to continue.
“Forcing her to pick one of you as a mate is going to hurt her in the worst possible way.”
“I hate that she’s in this position too.” Kade righted his stool and sat. “My hands are tied. I’ve had lawyers looking into it. As soon as the Council tagged on the qualifier that they’re taking this drastic measure for the good of the species, a whole new set of rules got rolled out.”
