Unexpectedly Mated (BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance): An Alpha male. A curvy but sassy BBW. A trip to Sin City neither will ever forget. (Sassy Mates) (7 page)

“Nic
.” He reached for her, gathering her in his arms, holding her close and sitting down on a sofa with her over his lap. “You asked me to marry you last night.”

Her head jerked up. “Are you kidding me? I asked
you
to marry
me
?”

He nodded.
Fuck a beer. He needed a damn gallon of vodka.

“And you said yes?” She sounded so perplexed. He wanted to kiss her, the confusion she felt made the wolf inside him helpless.

“I did.”

She stared at him for a quiet moment
, bewildered. “Why?”

He didn’t think she was ready to speak about feelings. “Because I wanted to marry you too.”

Apparently that wasn’t the right answer. She pushed out of his arms and jumped to her feet then screamed. He hauled her back on his lap in a rush.

Fear urged him to stop whatever was hurting her. “What’s wrong?”

“My feet are so swollen they hurt.” She groaned. Her sadness all but breaking his heart. “This is not the way to start a vacation.”

Nic glanced down at her very swollen and burning feet. There was no justice in the world. She still had to figure out how she managed to get married to Jake the previous night and not remember. She’d had so much liquor her feet looked they belonged to baby elephants and Jake was being too damn nice. And the sex?
God! The sex had been mind-blowing.

She was still muddling over having made the sort of commitment to Jake that she’d always been afraid of when he picked her up in his arms and got to his feet. She curled her arms around his neck and met his gaze.

“Where are we going?”

“The tub for a soak.” His brows dipped in a furious frown. If she didn’t know better she’d think he was mad at her. “It’ll help the swelling of your feet.
And may help you calm down some.”

She blinked, unused to this gentle and caring Jake. It was surreal. “But I’m hungry.”

He grinned, his sexy lips curving in a sinful smile. She didn’t like the way her heart flip-flopped in her chest. Nor did she like the warmth that filled her belly.

“Don’t worry, love. I’ll bring the food to you. And water, lots of water to help your poor
little feet.”

Yeah, it was attack of the pod-people. Jake was a goner.  He set her down next to the giant tub while it filled with water. He poured some
bubble bath and ordered her in. The water was cool and nice. She didn’t have it in her to argue. She had a rock on her finger that said she’d married Jake. Dammit all to hell! She couldn’t remember. How could she not remember her own wedding? While he was gone getting her food, she raised a hand to the back of her neck. She must’ve slept poorly because it hurt like hell.

A gasp shot out of her. Right in the area she was sure she’d hurt somehow, there were ridges from a recent wound. Her heart pounded hard in her chest. What had she done? She turned to look at herself in the wall to her right. A wall that happened to be a giant mirror. Turning just so, she saw it. Bite marks. Dear
God. She was mated. Terror and excitement fought for supremacy in her chest. Emotions twisted her gut into a sick mess of dread and hope.

Everything she’d ever questioned about her and Jake was no more. So maybe she didn’t have the family history Karla or Jordan had. But that didn’t mean she trusted people. People to love her. She didn’t know what love was. She didn’t know if she could love Jake. And he sure as hell wouldn’t take anything less from his mate.

She was in such deep shit. Not to mention the headache blazing in her temples. “Oh, God. Just kill me now.”

“Nic?” Letty’s voice sounded from the bedroom.

Nic glanced at the door and saw her little sister’s wide, shocked eyes staring at her.

“Hi,
” she mumbled.

Letty shook her head and tsked.
“Damn, girl. You look like shit!”

She definitely felt like shit.

Letty handed Nic a bottle of water. “Jake said to give you this.”

“Thanks
.” She took the bottle and set it on a shelf next to her.

Letty grinned.
“Have you looked at your face? I saw that makeup last night. Looked much better then.”

“Ha-ha, real funny. We both know I went to bed without taking it off. One thing I did let go for the night was my use of common sense it seems.”

Letty placed a white towel on the edge of the tub and sat down. She must be on the clock. “I leave you alone due to an emergency and you go and get hitched?”

Nic dropped her head in her hands and groaned. “My head is going to kill me. But if it doesn’t my own stupidity will.”

Letty laughed. “Stop being so dramatic. I heard you wanted the world to know you were finally getting ‘that wolf to commit’.”

“Don’t even joke.” She leaned back, placing her head on the towel by her neck.

Letty’s lips twisted in a wry grin. “I wish I could say it’s a joke, but we have it on video. In fact, I think Kel put it up on the internet as ‘Wild Bride Rides Her Groom to The Altar’. From what I heard, you’re trending.”

“
What!” She sat up and almost wet Letty with the sloshing water. “Tell me you’re lying. Please.”

“Sorry
, Sis.” Letty stood just in time to stop herself from getting soaked. “Hey, stop pouting. I’m not the one who yelled it to the world. You did. Would have been nice if you could have waited ‘til I could stand as your maid of honor. Why did you have to run off to The Wedding Chapel O’ Love and not say anything to me? I believe Jordan and Ellie are pretty pissed that you went and got hitched and didn’t bother to tell them to come join the party either.”

Waves of embarrassment rolled through her. “I don’t remember any of it.”

Letty gasped. “None? Not even proposing?”

Oh, good
God. She’d done that in public too? “Nothing. My last memory was when I was sitting at the table, drinking with Barbara and she encouraged me to try some strange liquor combo I never heard of before. House specialty or something.” She gulped back the acid rising up her throat. “I had a lot of shots.”

Letty tskd
, shoving a strand of golden brown hair behind her ear. “Wow. You sure know how to party. What are you going to do?”

She couldn’t wrap her head around what her sister was saying. Nic was married. To Jake. Jake Wolfe. The only man she’d wanted in forever.
The hottest, sexiest most unbelievably fine hunk-a-licious man she’d ever been with. So why was she ready to cry?

“I don’t know. I don’t really know Jake that well.” She gulped, pushing back the
flashes of insecurity and panic. She didn’t do panic. Nicole did lots of talking back but no panic.

Letty sat down on the edge of the tub again, her arms folded over her chest. “Well, there has to be something you like about him. You’ve never been a person to rush into anything. You’re super cautious. Even around
Mom and Dad. You try to watch what you say so you don’t hurt feelings, but since you can’t help yourself, you try to stay away.”

She glanced at her sister as if seeing her for the first time. “You noticed that?”

Letty winked. “You’re my big sister, my idol. I notice everything you do. And even though I hadn’t met Jake before, I knew he was special. You haven’t stopped talking about him since you met him.” She waggled her brows. “In a very sexy way, I might add.”

“Jake’s a womanizer.” The words left her lips before she had a chance to think them through. It was her defense mechanism. She didn’t really know if he was a true womanizer. All she knew was the he own
ed a strip club.

“Do I need to slap you upside the head with that big ass mirror over there?” Letty snapped. “Is this the same guy who called me down at the lobby because you were so freaked out it worried him?”

He had? This was all so new to her. Nic just didn’t know what to do. “Jake called you?”

“Mm-hm. He didn’t just call me,” Letty said. “He ordered me to get my ass up here because his ‘mate’ was upset and he didn’t know how to make you feel better.”

That just wasn’t like Jake. He was so laid back. So...chilled. Like nothing ever bothered him. From what she’d seen of him since she woke up it was like a whole new person. A much more controlled man with the sex drive of a God. He was such a dirty-talker. All she had to do was remember some of the things he’d said and her skin heated.

“I guess you’re thinking of something good about him
.” Letty raised a brow. “You got that whole ga-ga look on your face.”

Nic inhaled sharply. “Look. I get that I got drunk and propositioned Jake—”

“Married. You married Jake,” Letty drawled slowly.

“Fine!” she growled. “I married Jake.
We’re both adults. I’m sure we can figure this out without anyone having to lose a limb over pissing the other off.”

Letty stood. She straightened her jacket and grinned. “Good luck with that one.
While you try not to kill your new husband and become a widow in a single day, I heard the Alpha from the Vegas Pack hit on you last night.”

“Oh, hell.”

Letty headed for the bathroom entrance, stopped and turned to face Nic again. “Try to keep your new husband from bloodying the lobby. It takes forever to get that cleaned up.” She smiled. “So think about what it is you want. Oh, and remember you and I still have a date to visit the evil parents this evening.”

“Like I’d forget
,” Nic mumbled.

Letty twisted her lips.
“I sure as hell tried to, but mom called. Repeatedly. There’s no ignoring her.”

Nic nodded
. She wiggled her toes in the cool water. Her feet didn’t look like giant hams anymore. “It’s fine. I’ll be ready by the time you get off.”

“S
o he left?
And you haven’t seen him since?” Barbara asked, handing Nic a cup of coffee.

She’d just gotten out of the shower when Barbara had knocked on the door wanting to know how Nic was feeling.

“He left. Said he’d give me some time to myself so I don’t feel overwhelmed by him.” She sighed. She would’ve preferred for him to stick around and talk to her. Tell her how he felt. What he wanted. But no, he’d gone and any question she had for him would have to wait.

Barbara shook her head. “Those boys. I swear I should’ve smacked them upside their heads more often. Maybe then they’d have listened to me.”

Nic leaned back on the sofa. She’d put on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt, not ready to face the world by being dressed up. A new knock sounded on the door.

“Stay there. I got it.” Barbara stood and opened the door. It was Jordan, Ellie and Emma.

The three stopped when they got a good look at Nic.

Jordan gasped. “Damn.”

“Wow,” Ellie choked.

“What the hell happened to you?” Emma
asked bluntly.

Barbara frowned. “She had a rough night.”

“We heard,” Jordan chastised. “You couldn’t grab a phone and call us when you decided to pop the question? Apparently half the bar stopped dead in their tracks to listen to you.”

“They cheered her on too
.” Barbara chuckled. “It was very . . . entertaining. I think the part where she asked everyone to sing ‘happy wedding day to you’ really took the cake.”

Nic sighed
, embarrassed beyond belief. She’d never be able to show her face in that bar again. “I married Jake. And now I have no idea what to do.”

All the others nodded as if they understood her dilemma.

“Where’s the food?” Jordan asked, rubbing her stomach.

“Should be here soon.” Nic leaned back into the soft leather
sofa she was curled in.

“We think better around food
,” Emma said. She shrugged at Nic’s grimace. “You know it’s true.”

Twenty minutes later with enough food to feed an army, Shaari joined them.

“He mated you!” She gasped, her pretty eyes wide. “If that doesn’t tell you how he feels, I don’t know what would.”

“Um, words?” Nic replied. Yeah, that would be nice. To know how he feels. What he’s thinking. Hell, something other than the mask of a
dirty-talking sexy womanizer he hides behind.

“Hell yeah. We need those words.” Emma bit into a pastry
. The icing spread over her fingers in a sticky mess. She then licked them individually.

“I don’t understand
.” Shaari frowned. “Why are these words so important?”

Jordan hugged a throw pillow to her chest and answered
, “Because we are human women. Well, I used to be anyway. When you’re human, you can’t scent emotions, arousal, fear or lies. All you can do is hope that the person is telling you the truth.”

“And if he never tells you?” Shaari’s eyes turned sad.

“Then you’re always going to wonder. Even if someone does things to show you he loves you, the fact is, we want to hear those words. We want to make sure our feelings are returned. We want to be loved.”

“Unless you don’t know how to love,” Nic whispered
. A sharp new aching taking hold of her heart.

“How could you not
know? Everyone knows.” Ellie sat on the arm of the sofa Nic was curled on and played with her hair.

Nic shook her head. “I don’t have a bad family. They’re just very cold people. I don’t know what being loved feels like.”

“Of course you do!” Barbara jumped in. “You love Letty.”

“She’s my sister. I care about her deeply. I don’t know what this love between most
couples is about.” She sat up, trying to explain a little better. “My mother didn’t show emotion unless it was superficial. Approval or disapproval over something she wanted or something we did.”

“You mean there weren’t any hugs or kisses?” Emma asked, sipping on her coffee.

Nic shook her head. “Never. Dina didn’t allow for displays of affection at any time. Our family was the cream of the crop and we were to behave as such. No crying, screaming or acting up. And certainly no hugging or kissing. That would’ve messed up her makeup.”

“What a bitch!” Barbara snapped.
“I hugged my babies until...okay, I still hug my babies. Even though they hate it. I hug my adopted babies too.” She grinned at Jordan and Emma.

“And we love every single hug too!” Emma winked.

“So how could I know what love is? I have never really felt much of anything before. I’ve always been afraid to open myself up to pain after seeing what it can do to allow someone else to control your feelings,” Nic said honestly.

“Oh, honey
.” Barbara sat on the other arm of the sofa and pulled Nicole in for a hug. “Jake loves you. He’s just really stupid about showing it.”

Jordan snorted. “Don’t feel bad, Nic. They all are.” She popped a piece of muffin in her mouth. “It took Ellie and Barbara pushing them to go to us during the scenting ceremony for them to move their asses.”

A new knock sounded at the door. Shaari stood to open it. It was a security guard with an envelope. He handed it to Shaari and left.

Nic watched Shaari sniff, her brows rising with interest. “It’s for you, Nic.”

“The smell told you that?” Emma gasped.

Shaari grinned. “No, it has her name on it.”

Nic chuckled and grabbed the envelope out of Shaari’s hands. Sure enough it had her name scrolled in the front with a bold masculine writing.

Inside the envelope, there was an invitation to a private dinner. From Grady Harris.

“Who’s Grady Harris?” Emma asked, glancing around.

Shaari’s features turned serious. “The new
Alpha for the Vegas Pack. He’s known to be very close friends with Alpha Rockhill and Rahound.”

“Wait, Rahound? As in Caleb or his uncle?” Jordan asked.

Barbara’s blue eyes turned troubled. “The uncle.”

“Oh, hell.”

“I’ll just decline the invitation.” She shrugged. “What’s the big deal?”

Shaari sat down on a chair, tossing her long ponytail over her shoulder. “The big deal is that if he’s anything like I’ve heard, he won’t take no for an answer. He’s got his sights on you and it could mean trouble.”

Emma folded her legs under her on the recliner. “Send him a message saying no thanks. Or are you going to go just because he wants you to?”

“Hell no!” Nic’s sharp reply brought up all eyebrows.

She picked her cell off the table next to her chair and dialed her sister.

“Can you do me a favor and send Mr. Grady Harris a message that I’m not interested in dinner? Thanks.”

“What’d she say?” Emma asked.

Jordan giggled.
“That she’s gonna end up having to clean blood off the lobby.”

“Okay, back to my wonderfully hard-headed brother who needs a lesson in love.” Ellie caressed Nic’s hair. “What exactly would you consider a good way for him to show you his feelings?”

Nic thought about that. She was probably the worst person to ask that question. She didn’t even know if she had the feelings in her that most couples shared. Having lived most of her life in an emotional distance from everyone, it was hard to say what she should be looking for. The new emotions in her heart were already driving her crazy. If Jake messaged she smiled. And a weird fluttering took hold of her stomach. When he touched her, she went up in flames and warmth filled her heart. She would lose her mind soon if she couldn’t figure out how to control her feelings.

“I don’t really know. Jake and I have never really done anything alone. Things most people do to become emotionally attached.”

“A date!” Barbara squealed and slapped her hands on her thighs. “You’re going on a date.”

“Oh what a great idea
.” Jordan clapped. “We can help. Find you a nice place and set it up so you two have alone time.”

Nic swallowed hard. A date with Jake. Him wearing more than a pair of black ass-hugging jeans and a T-shirt showing off those sexy tattooed muscles. Jake dressed up would be very dangerous for her hormones
and those insane emotions running rampant in her chest. He’d probably be beyond dangerous to her sanity too.

“You guys can do all kinds of fun stuff!” Ellie exclaimed. “This is Vegas. There’s shows, dinners, concerts. So much you two can do!”

Nic licked her lips. “I’m not really sure—”

“I’ll go check out your closet!” Barbara rushed off to Nic’s bedroom. “We’ll get you all sexified for my
son.”

Shaari’s jaw dropped open.
“Did she really just say sexified?”

Emma bit down on another pastry. “Mm-hm. You’ll get used to it.”

“I’ll send Jake a message,” Ellie said. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and typed on the large screen. “I’ll tell him that if he hopes to get any kind of a long lasting relationship with you he better do more than make your panties wet.” She raised a hand. “No need to deny it. I know he makes your panties wet.”

Nic felt her face heat as though she’d been under the hot sun for hours.

Jordan tapped her nose and winked. “It’s a shifter thing.”

Lovely. So everyone knew she had the hots for Jake. Nice.

“This date will have to happen after I go visit my mother and step-father with Letty. We have a family dinner they called once they knew I was going to be in town.” She watched the others move around with renewed purpose. Her personal life.

“Don’t worry
.” Shaari grinned. “The men are off in some meeting or another with Aric and a few of his friends from other packs. They will be busy for a while.”

Nic tried to
stifle the giggles. Her stomach hurt from how much she’d laughed already. “Ellie, if you keep staring at your mother with those big surprised eyes, I’m going to pee myself.”

Ellie ran a hand through her short spikes and sighed. “Are you not watching this? She’s buying sex toys.”

Nic nodded, watching Barbara add stuff to her shopping cart. Who used a shopping cart at an adult toy warehouse? Of course, she was one to talk. She had her own damn cart. The number of items in that cart was starting to worry Nic. She’d thrown random things in it without paying much attention to what she grabbed.

How they ended up in a toy shop she didn’t know. One minute Barbara declared Nic needed a new dress for her date with Jake and they’d gone out shopping. Before she knew it, they’d gone from buying her a sexy dress to going to the adult warehouse across the street.

Now there she was with a cart filled with toys, some of which she had no idea what they were for. All she knew was that her nerves over her first real date with Jake had made her grab a bunch of impulse buys.

Emma and Jordan approached them with some dress
-up costumes from the other side of the store. Emma held what looked like a policewoman uniform. Only it was missing most of the actual uniform. Jordan had a sexy nurse outfit in hand.

“Ooooh
, Barbara,” Emma gushed. “You so have to check out the costume section. They have this super sexy catwoman one you’d rock.”

Ellie groaned and slapped her forehead. “Please, don’t encourage her.”

Barbara smiled wide, sliding red tipped nails through her blonde hair. “I’ll have you know I don’t need to be encouraged. I am a VIP member to a special adult shop that caters to the shifter community.”

Ellie gasped.
“Mother!”

Jordan grinned. “What shop?”

“I want in on this whole shop business. I can never have enough toys.” Emma rushed to Barbara’s side and gave her big puppy innocent eyes. “Tell us more all-knowing one.”

Nic glanced down at her buzzing cell phone. It was Letty reminding her of their visit to see their mother. Nic’s mind wandered away from the raucous conversation to Jake. Sex with him had been amazing. And she knew there wasn’t a single doubt in her mind that Jake
would make her burn in bed forever. What she wasn’t familiar with was this love business.  Love was deep. Emotions. Binding. She didn’t know if she had it in her to allow someone that far in her heart.