Xan's Feisty Mate (5 page)

The one thing that stood out in her memory, that she’d never told anyone else, was the hatred she had witnessed in the eyes of her mother when she stared at all three of them. However, she feared the twins for some reason. When they’d stood tall next to their dad as he’d tossed her luggage into the trunk of her car, Sandy Mattice had pointed at Breezy and said words that she still couldn’t remember after all these years. But her brothers had stepped in front of her, and their mother had looked away and jumped into her vehicle. That was over twenty years ago.

Talk about a screwed up family. Or at least partly. Her father and brothers had done everything in their power to make her happy and feel loved, and give her a better life as much as they could, going as far as painting her room pink, and letting her paint their nails. She laughed.

“What’s put that smile on your face?”

She told Xan, and he smiled. “I’ll have to give them both a raise.”

“I don’t want everyone to know about my scars. Nobody except my family and you, and the few doctors that I’ve had to see over the years have seen them.”

His eyes narrowed. “I will know the entire story.”

“So bossy.”

“You better believe it. Now, let’s go before Kellen beats the door in and then you know what will happen.”

She rolled her eyes but got up. He followed, taking his top off and putting it over her head, the ruined sweatshirt falling to the ground at her feet.

“Has anyone ever told you that you were a Neanderthal?”

“You better believe it where you’re concerned. Let’s go, or do I need to carry you? I believe if I go by your description, I would need to toss you over my shoulder.” He closed his eyes, then opened them, the blue replaced the brown. “I don’t think that would be too smart as it would put your ass and pussy too close to my face.”

She shuddered at his words. “Xan, you really shouldn’t talk to me like that.” Her body came alive, where it was cold with other men, it now seemed to be electrified, or on fire just for Xan. Damn him, and he knew it.

“Don’t act like a virgin, Breezy. I don’t expect it, nor want that kind of shit in my bed. Come.” He opened the door, leaving her feeling like a bucket of ice had been thrown over her.

“You are such a fucking prick.” Her words had him stopping outside his room, his mouth hanging open. She was sure nobody, especially a female had ever called him names before. Well, she had news for him. He was a dick. As his hand reached out to grab her arm, she twisted and hurried down the hall. Safety in numbers.

“You can run, but you can’t hide.” His softly growled words made her tummy flip.

Kellen stood by the large picture window at the front of the house while Lyric sat on Rowan’s lap. Breezy envied the two lovebirds their closeness. She sat down on one of the large leather recliners, opting for single occupancy instead of one of the sofas. The alpha raised his eyebrow, but didn’t make a move until Xan came in, grabbed a beer from the fridge and smirked. Breezy squeaked as he handed her the unopened bottle, lifted her, then sat back down with her in his lap.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“You’re in my spot.” He took the bottle back from her.

She tried to scramble up, but one beefy arm held her in place. His barked order of “Stay.” Had her glaring at him.

“You two finished?” Kellen sat on the window seat, humor glinting in his gaze.

“Yep.” Xan took a long pull from his drink, offering he held it up to Breezy. She grabbed the cold longneck, brought it to her lips and drank deeply.

****

X
an realized he’d hurt her feelings, and wanted to kick his own ass. He couldn’t say what drove him to keep mentioning her sex life, except that the image of her with other men drove him insane. He’d never cared how many men his previous women had before or after him. The fact they weren’t virgins happened to be a plus in his estimation. For one, he wasn’t a gentle lover. For two, he was a large man, and wasn’t sure he could go slow enough to make it good for a virgin. For three, virgins expected a lot of shit he wasn’t prepared to give. With Breezy, he imagined he could do all the above, except change his size. Only he couldn’t change his or her pasts. If he could track down every man or wolf she’d been with and kill them, his wolf truly wanted to do it, legal or not. The man in him was almost tempted to get their names and allow the beast to do it. He sighed and took the bottle back from her slim hand, finishing off the cold brew. Damn society and their rules.

“You done planning the death of the entire male populace?” Kellen broke into his musings.

Xan looked at his best friend. “Fuck me.”

“You’re not my type. Now, let’s get back to the problem at hand, and I don’t mean you’re a problem, Breezy, but obviously someone is out to get you specifically. If I’d had my head outta my ass, I’d have connected the dots a little sooner. Back when Lyric was almost grabbed and Taya had been abducted, you’d had a note put on your car. I know you had stated you didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, no wolves in the area. Now we know we aren’t dealing with just a group of rogue wolves, but humans, too. The attack on Lyric and Taya, and now you, could all be connected. We know the rogues had employed humans, but we never found the group who held her or who orchestrated the attacks. By the time we got to the abandoned house she’d been held in, it was cleaned out.”

Xan’s arms tightened around Breezy. “All we know is there were humans as well as wolves. The ones we killed were never reported as missing from any pack, and the humans that we questioned didn’t know jack shit, beyond they were supposed to be on some mission. They were new to their crew and weren’t filled in, or they were considered collateral damage and whoever sent them didn’t give a shit if they lived or died. Either way, they were not missed.”

Rowan held his hand up. “I know professional mercs, and none of the ones I encountered were anything more than boys playing.”

“That’s what we figured. Do you think any of your old buddies could or would be willing to help us out if this goes south?” Kellen asked Rowan.

“I’m sure I could make a few phone calls and have a small team here in a matter of days. However, there will be full disclosure. Meaning I will tell them about what I am.”

Kellen nodded. “Understood. But you need to know I will not hesitate to kill them if they fuck with me or mine.”

“Not a problem, alpha, since we are family, I’d say we are on the same page. You’d have to get behind me if they did something to warrant that sort of action.” Rowan ran a hand over Lyric’s head.

“If I get as sappy as you two, would someone please shoot me?” Kellen turned back toward the outside.

“There was something else,” Breezy said, jumping up, making Xan growl.

“What do you mean?” Kellen stood from his perch, his attention focused on Breezy where she paced.

“When I went inside to buy that stupid pack of gum, there was a guy who followed me around. Not odd because it was a convenience store. What was weird was what he was wearing. I remember thinking it was odd for him to be wearing all black like he was. He was really huge, like bigger than you and Xan.” She looked at Rowan who was a little bigger than both men. “About your size, maybe even bigger. He had on a long sleeve black top that looked like a second skin. It showed off every muscle he had, and his pants had a bunch of different pocket thingies.”

Xan growled at her description of the other man. “Were you checking out his muscles or what?”

She put her hands on her hips. “Oh, yeah. I totally wanted to bang him right then and there. Not. He was scary looking and his bulky build was off putting. He looked out of place is what I’m saying, but he didn’t look at me, so I ignored him. Usually if a guy is checking you out you can tell, but I didn’t get that with him. You know what I mean?”

“I do.” Lyric raised her hand. “Creepers give off a vibe. This guy was obviously a pro, but not wanting to get in your pants. More than likely he was tracking you or he could’ve been into wrestling, or a fan of The Rock.”

“Oh, god, not him again.” Rowan groaned.

“Back to the creepy dude. Did he say or do anything else, or did you see anything else?” Kellen questioned.

Breezy chewed on her bottom lip. “No. When I walked outside I was busy opening my gum when I noticed the note under my wiper. I thought it was going to be a stupid admirer, not a stalker.”

“You get those a lot?” Xan’s hand shot out and pulled her back to his lap. She fit just right, even when she squirmed and almost injured him.

“Don’t be an ass, Xander.” Her elbow connected with his midsection.

“For fucksake, do I need to separate the two of you? Y’all are trying my patience, and I have the patience of a saint.”

Xan snorted. “Sure, I can see that. Answer the question, bella.” His arms pulled her in closer.

“No, I don’t get notes left on my car all the time. I’ve had a rose or two left before, but who’d have thought I’d get a...stalker like note right on the heels of Taya and Lyric.”

Xan ran his hands up and down her arms, hoping to chase the goosebumps away. He vowed nothing would touch her, or take her from him.

“The note seemed pretty specific.
Your blood will be our blood.
Do you have any enemies, or jilted lovers, anyone we should know about?” Kellen asked, his stare intimidating. Xan wanted to know the answers as well.

She shook her head. “The only person who might be angry at me is the new doctor in the ER, but that is recent. No jilted lovers. I have no enemies. My life is pretty boring. I go to work, the club, and home. I haven’t been on a date in years.” She clamped her lips shut.

He stilled beneath her. Years? “What do you mean?”

When it appeared she wasn’t going to answer, Xan shifted her in his lap, ignoring the others in the room. “Surely you’ve had a date, or boyfriend, lover, something?”

“Look, I was busy with school, then becoming an RN and getting specialized. I didn’t have time, nor the want. I like going out with my girlfriends, and then they all became mated, so...” she took a breath. “I work with humans, and I’ll go out with some of the nurses. But, it’s different. I find myself always on guard. It just became easier to just go home and read.”

Something like possession filled his being. Kellen chuckled, but Xan ignored him. He began to connect a few dots himself. Her penchant for blushing. The way she seemed shy, yet melted when he touched her. He tried to think back and picture her with any of the men or wolves from the MC or pack, and came up with zero. Mine. He and his wolf both snarled. It didn’t matter if she’d been with a couple dozen or none, she was theirs. He’d find it in himself how to be gentle, how to go slow, and by all that he was, he’d make it good for her.

“I think it’s time we left, kids.” Kellen smacked his hand on his thigh. “We have several wolves along our borders keeping an eye on things. I’m only a howl away.” He tapped his head.

“Lock the door on your way out.”

“Rude, brother dear.” Lyric laughed.

“Love you, sis. Rowan, you take care of my baby sister or else.” Xan did look up to meet his brother-in-law’s gaze. The fierce stare was one he felt for Breezy and knew he didn’t need to tell the other man anything else.

“I’ll let y’all know when I hear from my team.” Rowan held Lyric’s hand as they walked out the door.

Kellen stopped by the large entryway. “If you remember anything else, or if there’s something you think I should know, give me a holler.”

Xan looked up from the amber eyes of his mate, even though she hadn’t acknowledged him yet to look at his alpha. “I will.”

The door shut with a resounding thud. Nerves began to dance in his gut. He’d never thought to seduce his mate. A virgin at that. His eyes narrowed. “Breezy, we need to talk.”

“That is never a good thing to hear. Usually that means bad news.” She tried to slide off.

His hands gripped her hips, making her straddle his thighs on the large recliner. “You know I want you, so don’t play like you didn’t know that. I need to ask you a question, and I need you to be honest with me.”

He watched her swallow, her tongue peeked out and licked her lips, but she nodded.

“Are you still a virgin?” His voice came out more of a growl.

Her eyes widened, and she looked away. “Does it matter? I mean, yes I guess it does to you.”

A tear welled in her eye, followed by another and he found she was crying. “Don’t cry. Damn woman. You’re breaking my heart here.” He pulled her into his chest, murmuring softly as he rubbed her back.

Her hiccupping laugh ended with a snort. “Who’d have thought Xander Fucking Carmichael would be good at this.”

He ran his hand up her back, tangling his fingers in her still damp hair. “Good at what?”

“You know, holding a sobbing female and letting her get snot all over him.” She kept her face buried in his neck.

“You do realize you call me names a lot, right? I’m not sure I appreciate being called
Xander Fucking Carmichael,
unless it was when I was buried deep inside you and you were screaming that.” He tugged her head back, loving the blush he knew his words would cause. “Now, answer my question.”

“Fine. Yes. I’m a virgin. There. Happy now?” God, how he loved the sparkle in her eyes.

“No, but I will be once I change that little fact.” He groaned as she tried to move away, the action causing her pussy to rub against his engorged cock. She stilled. “Yep, I’m harder than a steel pike ready to drill. I think that should answer your question about whether I still want you, being a virgin and all. Damn, I only hope I can do you and I both justice before I bust a nut.”

“You’re awful sure of yourself.” He put his lips over hers, stopping her flow of words.

“You know you’re mine. My mate. Admit it, Breezy. Tell me you and your wolf don’t feel it.” He waited for her to admit what they both knew was a fact. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. He’d been the ass who couldn’t see what was in front of him, ignoring the best thing until she was almost taken. Not anymore. Xan would claim her and make damn sure nobody ever hurt what was his, including him.