Jade Crew: Forgotten Bear (A BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (Ridgeback Bears Book 3) (14 page)

“Deal,” she said softly and pressed her lips to his with a fiery passion that caught him off guard with the sheer
need
buried in her movements.

A need that he felt echoed within him as he kissed her back. She answered that need, that echo, filling a void he had never known existed within him, and filling it perfectly, like the missing piece to a puzzle.

Without realizing it, he was pushing inside of her, slowly enough so she could adjust to fit him, but faster than before. Gwen’s hips pushed toward him as she whispered in his ear that she wanted it harder.

“Shhh, someone is going to hear,” he told her as her moans increased in volume as he thrust into her again and again.

“Maybe,” she agreed, grabbing onto his shirt collar and pressing her face to his, smothering any further protests from him.

***

“How does my dress look?” Gwen asked as they gently closed the door behind them.

He looked up and down the hallway guiltily, ensuring that no one was around before he inspected her.

Russell smoothed out a couple of imaginary wrinkles. “You look fine,” he assured her. “Now, what say we go enjoy the rest of this party?”

“Are you telling me you aren’t already enjoying yourself?” Gwen looked at him with mock anger.

“Well, truth be told, no.” He waited just long enough for her to look suitably outraged. “I’ve actually been enjoying you,” he said with a wink before pinching her rear.

“The nerve!” she said, managing to continue pretending to be angry and blushing at the same time. Though he noticed she didn’t fight it when his hand entwined itself with hers.

“I love you,” he told her again.

Gwen looked up, allowing him to once again become enraptured with the beauty of her eyes. The jade coloring was like a sign, a foreshadowing that they were meant to be together.

“I love you too, Russell Warne.”

He smiled. “You make saying my full name sound so naughty. What’s gotten into you today? Not that I mind it,” he rushed to add after she arched an eyebrow at him.

“I guess the idea of spending a lot of time with someone you care for deeply affects me like that,” she told him. They arrived back at the main hall before he could come up with a good reply.

Although the couple had told everyone not to bring gifts, most people had done so anyway. Because it was a small wedding, they had decided to open them throughout the reception and over dinner, much to the delight of the guests as they received hugs and handshakes in person, instead of a handwritten card months later.

“What did you get them?” Gwen asked as they seated themselves at their table, having grabbed their gifts from the car.

She had an envelope, while he had a large bag wrapped around an object.

“What did you get?” he said instead, throwing the question back on her.

“Oh no mister, I’m not sharing,” she told him, smiling joyfully. “Not until you answer my question.”

Russell contemplated how he wanted to answer. His gift was more for Garrett than Emma, but he knew it would help the two of them forge a stronger relationship, which, he thought, was the basis of what a wedding should be about.

“You’ll see,” he said, grabbing the bag next to him and standing up. He took a deep breath, steadying himself. The next few minutes were going to be tough, he knew. So much that had to be said. Hopefully his gift could do much of the talking.

“Hi Russell, you look great!” Emma said happily as he approached their table.

“Not nearly as good as the two of you,” he said, meaning every word. Emma looked happier than ever, and even Garrett seemed to be smiling left and right. He nodded at Trestin and Ajax, who were seated on respective sides of the bride and groom.

“Oh nonsense,” she said with a wave of her hand. “Oh, what’s this?” she asked as he set the bag on the table.

“This is for Garrett, but I think it will help with your marriage,” he said apologetically, pulling his gift out of the bag and setting it down.

“Oh nonsense, I’m sure it’s great,” Emma said, though she gave the unwrapped present a curious look.

The large, brown leather book had one simple word embossed on the front in burnished gold writing.

Brothers.

“What is it?” Garrett asked, looking up at him.

“It’s you,” Russell said through eyes that were suddenly blinking very rapidly as they tried to stay clear.

He watched as Garrett frowned in confusion, opening the first page. Russell’s brother and Alpha stared at that page for a long time. Seconds stretched into moments, and still he said nothing as Russell waited.

Then he turned the page.

And another.

And another.

“Oh my God,” Emma breathed as she realized what she was looking at, the enormity of what Russell had given them sinking in.

“That’s you,” Garrett said thickly after a moment, pointing to something on the page.

Russell nodded.

“And that,” he hesitated. “That’s me?”

Another nod.

Garrett flipped quickly back to the cover. “And this says ‘brothers.’” He looked up at Russell. “Are you telling me that all these photos,” he said, skimming through the album, “are of the two of us?”

Russell didn’t trust his voice, so he simply nodded once more.

“We’re brothers?” he asked. “I have a brother?” Garrett looked over at Emma. “I have a family?”

Emma looked back, speechless.

“Stepbrothers,” Russell managed to get out through the lump in his throat. “Since I was seven. You were nine.”

“Nine?” Garrett asked. “I’ve known you since I was nine?”

“Your mom and my dad got together. We grew up together, best friends,” he managed to get out, before the emotions overwhelmed him. Instead of trying to say more, he simply flipped the pages, showing Garrett their lives together as they grew up. There were images of them playing sports on the same team. They had birthday parties for the two of them. As they got older, they were sitting in Garrett’s first car. There was a photo of Garrett and his prom date, with Russell sitting on a chair behind them making ridiculous faces. Hundreds of photos of a life that that Garrett couldn’t remember.

“And our parents?” Garrett asked hopefully.

Russell was forced to shake his head. “They both passed several years back,” he said sadly. “It’s just you and me now.”

“I love you brother,” he told the man across the table, who had forgotten him and everything else.

Chapter Fourteen

Gwen

Gwen watched as Russell pulled a book from his bag and presented it to them. She wasn’t sure what to do as she noticed the startled reactions of Emma and Garrett.

When Garrett stood up and embraced Russell, fighting back what were obviously heartbreaking emotions, she couldn’t bear it any longer. She stood up and rushed over to the table. Emma had already turned to Trestin, who was by her side crying, the tears ruining her makeup, but she didn’t seem to care.

“What did you—” Gwen began to ask, until she saw the photo album. She looked from Emma, to Garrett, and then to Russell. The depth of emotion she saw evident on their faces told her what the photos must contain.

“You told him,” she said. It was a statement, not a question. “Good.” She wanted to wrap her arms around Russell, but he was having a moment with Garrett, so instead she went over to Emma and gave her a big hug.

“You knew?” Emma asked through the tears.

“Only as of a few days ago. I had no idea this is how he was going to tell you though!” she said, trying not to allow any sympathetic tears to flow down her own face.

“Russell,” she heard Garrett say slowly from beside her. “I need to know something.”

“What is it?”

“Was I a good man? Before, I mean,” he rumbled, his normally strong and confident voice tentative and nervous.

“I came to Genesis Valley because I had to,” Russell explained. “You were only coming to visit. You could have stayed out there because you were a good person. But I liked it here a lot. So I asked you to come and visit, since I couldn’t leave. You were on your way when we lost contact. Then four months ago I show up on the grounds outside the Kedyn mansion, and there you are being introduced as our Alpha, with no prior memory,” he said angrily.

“So that explains your reaction to me that day,” Garrett said with a nod. “But, are you positive about the rest? About me? Do I... do I already have a family?”

Gwen’s heart nearly broke as Garrett finally spoke the words she knew he’d been dying to. He was worried that he may have been betraying someone by getting married, she realized all of a sudden.

“No. Ever since our parents passed, you’ve spent most of your time just drifting around the country. Never getting into trouble, but never interested in settling down. I never thought you would, either. Until you met Emma. But as for the rest? Yes, I’m positive,” Russell stated confidently. “Why?”

“It’s just...” he faltered, and Gwen watched as he turned to Emma for support. She grabbed his hand and nodded, telling him it was okay.

Now that’s love. I wonder if someday Russell and I can be like that
.

“I recall growing up in a bad house. My father was not a nice man. I feared that I might have ended up like him.”

Russell shook his head. “You mentioned that to me a time or two. I think that’s why your mother left, to get the two of you away from that. You were never anything like that,” he assured his brother.

“I still don’t understand that,” Gwen said, speaking up at least. “I thought you guys healed fast enough to prevent things like memory loss?”

“We do,” Garrett told her, his normal voice of command returning. “It shouldn’t be possible.”

“Just like there shouldn’t be rogue crews running around Origin,” Emma said, speaking her thoughts aloud.

“There’s something going on that we’re missing, isn’t there?” Russell asked, the mood suddenly changing.

“Whatever it may be, it is eluding me as well,” another, deep voice said, finally joining the conversation.

Gwen looked on as Ajax stood, one of his huge hands landing on Garrett’s shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze, before addressing the group. “What I have yet to figure out is if it comes from somewhere higher, or if it’s an outside influence.”

The group nodded. “But this is supposed to be a time of happiness and joy, of family and love,” he continued into the silence. “We can worry about the other things later. For now, let us celebrate the joy of family, both new,” he nodded at Emma, “and old,” he finished with a dip of his head in Russell’s direction.

“Cheers!” Gwen agreed, though she had no drink to raise. Looking around, she realized that none of them were holding drinks. A soft chuckle rolled through the group as they broke apart to find some.

She sidled up next to Russell as Garrett was talking to him again.

“Thank you. I have so many questions, and we have a lot to catch up on.”

“I’m not going anywhere. Now that it’s in the open though, we can spend some time and try to figure out
why
you lost your memory too. See if we can’t find the rest of your memories somehow,” Russell said with a smile, before embracing his brother again.

“One thing I have to know though. How come you waited, and why now?”

Gwen smiled as Russell squeezed her tight. “You can thank Gwen here for the now. When she finally got me to explain why I was acting so stressed around you, she insisted that I had to tell you now. That I, what was the word?” he said, looking down at her, “I don’t have the
right
to keep it a secret, I believe?”

“Sounds about right,” she told him.

“As for why not earlier? Well, that’s a bit more complicated.”

“Evan,” Garett said simply.

“How does he do that?” Gwen asked, looking back and forth at them. “He just knows these things!”

“Part of being an Alpha I guess. One of those things they teach at Alpha school,” Russell told her, poking fun at his brother.

Garrett laughed. “There’s not much else complicated going on right now either,” he told her. “Russell, until now, has never openly sided with me. I’ve always wondered why. I’ve noticed that he keeps Evan on track as best he can, and lately has begun fighting him when he can’t. So that seemed the logical route,” he said, explaining his logic.

“I see,” she said, following along.

“Good. Because this,” he continued, motioning to the three of them, “is going to set him off completely. We’ll have to keep an eye out for what his response will be. I have a feeling it’s not going to be pretty.” He grimaced. “I’m really hoping he doesn’t force my hand. I’ve seen enough death lately, I don’t want to have to dole out more.”

“Do you think he’ll do more?” she asked, looking back and forth between the two of them. Despite their assurances, she was worried about what might happen.

“You’ll be fine,” Garrett assured. “He doesn’t
want
to be ended, so I think he’ll stick to something that more makes our lives,” he pointed at him and Russell, “a living hell, rather than actually hurt someone.”

At that moment the rest of the Ridgebacks, minus Evan, arrived. Garrett and Russell were effectively mobbed by them as Garrett was forced to show them the book, which was followed by hoots of laughter and teasing as his new family looked over the photos of the two of them.

Russell managed to extract himself fairly quickly as she watched, and he moved over to her.

“I’m proud of you,” she told him, giving him an affectionate but short kiss, propping herself up on her toes to reach his level.

“It feels good to have that off my chest,” he confessed to her.

“I’ll bet,” she said sympathetically, hugging him tight. His large, strong arms wrapped around her, holding her close as he took a slow, deep breath, letting it out with what sounded like a relaxing sigh.

The snicker caught both of their attentions at the same time. They turned, looking off to the side beyond the brightness of the lights that lit what would be the dance floor after dinner was served. There they saw Evan, staring at them both.

Pathetic
, he mouthed at them, sneering. His eyes promised revenge before he backed out of the exit doors into the dark of the late afternoon light.

“You know,” she said, staying close to her man. “I’m getting really tired of him. He scares me.”

“I agree,” Russell said, his voice tight with concern and tinged with anger. “I think you should stay close to me at all times.”

“That would be nice,” she murmured, looking up at him. “What exactly did you have in mind?”

“You’re moving into the Lodge. With me,” he proclaimed.

“What?” She was too stunned to say anything else.

“Mates need to be near each other. So this solves that problem, and allows me to keep a closer eye on you.”

“Are you claiming me as your own?” she asked softly.

“With every inch of me,” he said gravely. Then he stopped, and looked at her. For just a split second, she saw doubt flash through his eyes, though it was quickly overpowered. “That is, assuming you have no issues with it,” he said.

Gwen pretended to think about it for three or four seconds. “I do not,” she said, before breaking out into a smile.

They kissed again, slightly more passionately this time.

Then she broke away abruptly as something occurred to her.

“Umm, Russell?”

“Yes my mate?” he asked.

“Doesn’t
Evan
live at the Lodge?”

“Technically, yes. But he’s never there anymore. And any time he
is
there, he’s not alone. I’m there, or Garrett, or Corey, or Darren. Someone is always around when he is. Unlike when he’s in the city. Where you are. Alone. And more than five minutes away.”

“Okay,” she said, though her nerves were anything but calm at the idea.

“Plus Emma is there often as well. Evan knows better. Besides, I think he’s more out to get me and Garrett than he is either of the two of you. Garrett’s his Alpha, and he knows now that with me being his brother, Evan’s spot as second is in jeopardy.”

“I thought Corey wanted that spot?” she asked, trying to remember the order of command in the Ridgebacks.

“Hell, Corey doesn’t even want his spot as third.” Russell laughed. “Let alone second. No, it was going to be me even before I told Garrett anything,” he said confidently.

“So,” she said, her eyes looking up at him suggestively, “does that mean you’re going to be an officer now? Do I have to salute you, or,” she let her voice turn into a purr, “do I have to call you sir?”

The flare of arousal in his eyes was unmistakable as he stepped closer to her, bending down to first nibble on her neck before whispering in her ear. “I think ‘sir’ is acceptable, don’t you?”

She pulled back to be able to look him in the eyes as she nodded. “Yes sir,” she said, giving him her best innocent and obedient look.

This could be more fun than I thought.