Текст книги "Bear Necessities"

Автор книги: Dana Bell

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 5 (всего у книги 15 страниц)

He snarled. She’d called him Alex. No one called him Alex except his immediate family.

Possessiveness roared through him. She was family. She was his.

He looked up to find her staring down at him through Wolf eyes. Her fangs were bared. “Put me down.”

He let his fangs scrape her breast. The moan she let loose was music to his ears.

“Why?”

She grinned. “I want to mark you.”

He shuddered. “My way.”

“What?”

He turned and threw her onto the bed, ignoring her startled screech. “My way.”

The boots had to come off before he could peel those jeans off her legs. He yanked them off and quickly pulled off her jeans. He eyed the boots lying on the floor. He wasn’t sure he’d allow her to wear those to work again. They screamed fuck meto him.

He was the only one who got that pleasure.

Next went the underwear. She lay there, watching him pull her clothing off, the delicate lace ripping under his hands. He was using too much strength, leaving bruises behind, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. He needed to feel her coming around him.

Once she was naked , he stood up. “Play with yourself.”

Her eyes widened for a moment before her lids dropped, her hands reaching up to pluck at her nipples. Her thighs spread, allowing him to see the juicy lips of her pussy.

He nearly dropped to his knees, eager to worship the woman writhing on his bed.

He dragged his clothes from his body, not caring where they fell. He only knew he had to climb up there and bury his face between the thighs of the woman he’d claimed.

Tabby watched Alex crawl up the bed. There was no way in hell he looked like a Bunnyto her, not with that look in his eye. The expression on his face was one of wicked intent, his gaze glued to her pussy. He licked his lips and everything in Tabby quivered in anticipation.

Oh, hell. He was going to eat her out.

At the first swipe of his tongue, she gasped. Rough and wet and warm, it was almost too much to bear. He licked and sucked and nibbled at her clit like a starving man at a five-course meal.

It almost made her forget about what shecould do with hertongue. “Turn around.”

He paused. “Hmm?”

She shuddered. She’d felt that hum through her entire body. She looked down at him. “I want your cock in my mouth.”

If possible, his eyes turned even darker. He knelt and tapped her hip. “Switch places with me.”

She grinned. If he knew what she had planned, he might not be so accommodating. “Sure thing.” She let him settle down on his back before swinging her body over his. She lowered her face to his cock, licking the drop of pre-come off. The salty sweetness flowed over her tongue. “Mmm. You taste delicious.”

He grabbed hold of her hips and tugged her down to him, sucking her clit right into his mouth. She gasped, thrusting her hips back at him. Oh, yeah. The man knew what he was doing.

Then again, so did she. She wrapped her hand around the base of his cock and took him in, sucking on the flared head. She felt him pause before he attacked her pussy with a vengeance. Her thighs trembled.

Hell if he was going to get her off first. She had every intention of milking an orgasm out of him before she marked him. She laved his slit with her tongue, wringing more drops from him. He groaned, the sound vibrating through her pussy.

Oh, fuck.He’d moved his tongue to her hole, fucking her ruthlessly with it. His thumb danced across her clit while he drank her juices. She bucked back into him, fucking his mouth. Shit.She didn’t know how much longer she’d be able to hold off that orgasm.

She reached over and bent his knees for him, tugging on his hips to get him to start fucking her mouth. It took him a few moments to get the idea, but once he did, he fucked her in earnest, his tongue matching the movement of his cock in her mouth.

She suckled him in earnest now, dying for a full taste of her mate. The heavy weight of him on her tongue was incredible, his scent driving her to the brink of ecstasy.

Then he did something, twisted his tongue or his thumb somehow and she was coming, screaming around him, desperately licking at his cock to drag him along with her.

His mouth pulled away from her on a gasp. “So good.” His hands landed on her hair, pushing her head down onto him. “Fuck, take it baby.” He damn near choked her, but she didn’t care. She wanted him to come. She knew what would happen when she marked him and wanted him primed and ready.

“Fuck!” He poured down her throat, his body bowed. He came so hard, she did choke, unable to catch all of it. She swallowed what she could, damn near purring at the taste.

Then she pushed his spent cock aside and marked him right where his balls met his thigh.

“Oh fuck!” She was sucking on the mark she’d given him, her pretty little ass swaying in front of his face like she was wagging her damn tail.

His cock was rock-hard in an instant. He waited until her fangs pulled free of his flesh before grabbing her by the hips and lifting her up off the bed. She squeaked in surprise. “Fuck me. Now.”

He dropped her onto his cock. He didn’t even bother turning her around. She’d marked him and now he was going to fuck her until the animals in both of them were satisfied. He grabbed hold of her waist and pulled until he was sitting upright, her thighs draped across his, her pussy dripping on him. He reached around and began to strum her clit. “Ride me, baby.”

The want he’d felt before was nothing compared to now. If she didn’t come on his cock, he’d go insane. At least he thought so until she began to move, gliding up and down his length with languid strokes designed to drive him crazy.

When she rolled her hips, he felt his eyes cross from the exquisite torture. Fuck, she was incredible. “Play with your breasts.”

She moaned, throwing her head back against his shoulder. Her hands reached up and began tugging on her nipples. He could feel the ripples moving through her pussy with each stroke of her eager fingers. “You want more, baby?”

“Uh-huh.”

He pinched her clit then soothed the minor hurt. “You want to come?”

She cast him a sultry look over her shoulder. “Do you?”

He grinned and thrust, letting her know without words how much he wanted.

“Play with your clit.”

He moved his hands to her hips. He was going to give his woman a little help.

One of her hands moved down to her pussy. He looked over her shoulder to watch, wanting to see the rhythm her fingers moved in. He’d memorize it if he had to.

She rolled her hips again, riding his cock while she stroked herself.

“It’s so good.” She moaned, pressing into her own hand. Just the sight of her riding him and touching herself damn near sent him over the edge.

He lifted her up slightly, ignoring her mewl of protest. He wanted a little room to maneuver and he could easily hold her weight while he fucked them both to orgasm.

She gasped at his first hard thrust, sighed over his second, and tried to take back control on the third. She turned wild on him, leaning forward and thrusting back into him. One hand sank into his thigh while the other remained busy at her pussy. He could feel her fingers stroking him every time he exited, the butterfly touches sending his need skyrocketing.

She had to come. He needed her to come now.

He got to his knees behind her and bent her over the rest of the way. He positioned her so that her head and shoulders were on the covers and her ass was up in the air. All the while, he never left her body and her fingers continued to work frantically.

He leaned down so that his chin rested on her shoulder. “Now we reallyfuck.”

Her eyes went wide. “What was that before, pretend fucking?”

He licked her neck and took her like the animal he was.

Oh my God.Tabby desperately tried to ride the storm called Alex. He pounded into her, his body locked to hers, his arms tight around her. She couldn’t move, couldn’t fuck him back. She was impaled, imprisoned on his cock, in his arms.

And she loved every minute of it.

She couldn’t even reach her clit. One of his big paws was holding her arms hostage. The other held her head down, keeping her teeth away from him. Smart man. If anyone else dared treat her like this, she’d bite his face off.

But this was her mate laying claim to her at last. She settled down, her body relaxing into his, her head tilting even further to the side. She submitted to her mate, the one man who could bring her to her knees with a look and a smile.

She could hear the slap of his thighs against her ass, felt the trembling start deep inside her. She’d only come once or twice without touching her clit, and boy did it feel like the third time was going to be the charm. Her entire body strained for release. “More.”

With a savage growl, he gave her what she asked for. She’d unleashed the beast in him with her demand, and she was going to pay the price for it with a very sore, very happy pussy. Then again, he’s got those wonderful healing powers…

If she thought he’d been pounding into her before, she was sadly mistaken. He began in earnest, ignoring her howls of pleasure. The big paw holding her arms in place let go, only to take hold of her breasts. He squeezed her nipples to just this side of pain. She whimpered, her breath stolen, unable to beg for more. The hand holding down her head clenched in her hair, holding her steady while he took what he wanted and gave her what she needed.

Her orgasm began, rolling through her, the pleasure so intense she could barely draw the breath to scream. Every muscle in her body clenched, the pleasure damn near tearing her apart.

He quivered around her, in her. How he held back his own orgasm she’d never know. “Oh, fuck yes. Do that again.”

She tried to shake her head no, she wouldn’t survive another one like that, but he was moving again and she couldn’t stop it. The first orgasm rolled right into the second, her body pulsing, her breath lost to her. Her body obeyed his command, heedless of the impossibility of it. He owned her, body and soul, and let her know it in no uncertain terms.

She clenched around him, determined to take him with her this time. She snarled up at him, whimpering when his hand tightened, reminding her of who she belonged to. God, it was incredible, and nothing like what she thought being with a Bear would be like. She’d expected something like this with a Wolf and had felt a small pang that she’d never know the kind of mating that she’d always dreamed of.

Alex was taking those dreams and shattering them with reality.

It was happening again, her entire body shoved into orgasm. This time she had enough breath to scream his name. “Alex!” His fangs pierced her shoulder, intensifying the orgasm until she damn near blacked out, spots dancing in front of her eyes as her body shook.

Alex roared, the sound more feral than any other she’d ever heard. His cock twitched inside her once, twice, and liquid heat poured into her. He’d come, finally, his fangs still buried in her neck, her body quivering at the intensity of her own pleasure.

If he kept fucking her like this, she might never leave his bed. She now understood the meaning of the phrase dying from pleasure. She was wrung out, limp, damp and sated to her toenails.

He pulled out of her and dropped to the mattress beside her. His big chest heaved, glistening with sweat. He rolled his head and looked at her, her head still on the comforter, her ass still in the air. “You okay?”

Her muscles were too weak to move even enough to lower her ass to the mattress.

Maybe she could sleep just like this? She smiled, knowing exactly what it looked like. “Best. Fuck. Evah.”

Alex chuckled. She almost growled at the smug male satisfaction on his face, but really? He’d earned that look. He pulled and pushed until she was practically on top of him, their feet propped up on the pillows. Neither one appeared to have the strength to move right way around on the bed. They lay there for a few minutes, dropping sweet kisses wherever they could reach without actually moving.

Eventually Alex stirred. “Do me a favor? Next time bite my neck.” He grumbled, but his lips were twitching. “What am I supposed to tell my father when he asks to see my mate mark? Should I drop trou and proudly point?”

She hid her face in his chest and giggled. Her mate had just given her the best orgasm of her life andhe was fun in bed? She’d died and gone to Tabby heaven.

Chapter Four

Bunny frowned and tried to figure out what it was that had woken him up. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept so damn well. He woke up wrapped around the warmth of his mate, his erection nestled between the cheeks of her ass. She was snoring lightly, her green hair plastered to her cheek. Their feet were still propped up on the pillows; they’d never bothered turning right way round. The low hum of the air conditioner reminded him that he’d need to start looking for a place if he was going to stay in Halle. He had no intention of living with the three women in their tiny apartment. He’d have to ask Tabby if there was any particular neighborhood that appealed to her.

There. He heard it again. Beethoven’s “Für Elise”. He carefully climbed out of bed and dug through his mate’s pants. Her cell phone vibrated in his hand, Beethoven blaring out until he got it open. “Hello.”

Silence.

“Hello?”

“Who is this?”

Bunny pulled the phone away from his ear and glared at it. “This is Bunny. Who is this?”

“This is Tabby’s boyfriend.” A long-suffering sigh sounded through the speaker.

“Fuck. Is she cheating on me again?”

Tabby’s boyfriend?He stared at the woman sleeping in his bed. “I guess so.”

“Damn. Dude, I’m sorry, but I need you to do me a favor. Would you tell her Gary called? I heard she got hurt yesterday and I want to make sure she’s all right.”

The concern in Gary’s voice grated on his nerves. “Despite everything, she’s…

she’s everything to me, you know?”

Something about this just didn’t feel right. All of his instincts were screaming at him that Gary was a lying sack of shit, but how much of that was due to his mate bond with Tabby? “Yeah. I know the feeling.” He took a deep breath and tried to calm the rage inside him. “I’ll make sure she knows you called.”

“Thanks, man. And don’t blame yourself. We’ve been having problems recently and, well, Tabby doesn’t handle stress well.”

Bunny shut the phone and cut him off, unable to listen to another word. He studied the woman on the bed. How well did he really know his mate? Could she have a boyfriend? A fucker named Gary?

Tabby yawned. “Hey, was that my phone?”

Her voice was husky with sleep and affection. He crushed the phone in his hand.

The flimsy plastic shattered easily. “It was.”

“Alex?” She sat up with a frown. “What’s wrong?”

He took a deep breath. He’d give her a chance to explain, to make this right. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Other than you? No.”

Damn. Right now, he wished he was a goddamn Coyote. They could smell a lie at fifty paces. “You sure?”

“Yes,” she drawled. She pulled the sheet up around herself, hiding her beautiful breasts from him. “Who told you otherwise?”

“Gary did.”

She blinked, fury blanketing her features. “ Gary.”

Something inside him eased. That was not the response of a guilty woman. “Ex-boyfriend?”

Tabby stared at him for a moment before carefully blanking her features.

“Nothing you need to worry about.”

Oh, hell. Now that wouldn’t do at all. “Bullshit.”

“Alex,” she sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

“He called because he heard you’d gotten hurt, but as soon as he heard my voice, he asked if you’d cheated on him again. He told me he was your boyfriend.” The possessive fury rose in him again. He battled it back down, knowing he’d failed when her expression turned wary. “So if he’s a pain in your ass that makes him a pain in myass.” A pain he’d be more than happy to rub out if it came down to it.

“Let Gabe deal with him. Please?”

“This is something the sheriff knows about?” He settled on the edge of the bed.

“Yeah. It’s an ongoing pain. I’m just having trouble finding the right medicine to get rid of it.” She smiled weakly. “Can we go out for breakfast now?”

He stared at her, deliberately letting his eyes bleed to brown. “I’m more than willing to take care of Gary for you.”

She shook her head, panic drifting across her face. “No. Alex, no. You have more than enough to worry about. Let Gabe handle it. Please?”

Tabby was rubbing his arm, her expression pleading. He didn’t understand the hint of worry in her eyes, but she was obviously upset. He closed his eyes and let go of the anger. The last thing he wanted to do was get into a fight in his new hometown. He couldn’t risk losing this place when it meant so much to Tabby.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Could he have been the one who hit you?”

She blinked, looked shocked. “I don’t know. Maybe? Whoever it was stayed downwind, and no one saw anything.”

He nodded. He’d definitely be paying the sheriff a visit. “If he did, he’d better pray the sheriff gets to him first. Understand?” She nodded, her shoulders relaxing in what looked suspiciously like relief. He cupped her cheek, his chest rumbling happily when she nuzzled into his hand. “I have to do my yoga before we go, and I’m thinking we could both use a shower. What would you like to eat?”

She tilted her head. “Yoga?” Her lips twitched. She looked both amused and intrigued.

This wouldn’t be the first time someone teased him over the yoga he did every day. “Don’t. Please. It helps more than you know.” If it wasn’t for the peaceful meditations he did each day, he probably would have killed someone by now.

“Does it hurt? I’ve seen some of the positions people get into and it looks massively uncomfy.”

He smiled, relieved. She wasn’t going to give him shit. “Not once you’re used to it, no. It’s a nice, slow stretch that helps to center me.”

She nodded. “Yoga, huh? That explains your truly epic ass.” She tilted her head and tried to sneak a peek.

He felt himself blushing. No one had ever called his ass epic before.

“Can I watch?”

He’d have felt more comfortable about it before the comment about his ass. “Sure.

Just do me a favor and keep quiet, especially after I put my music on, okay?”

She looked intrigued. “Sure. But afterwards I want bacon.”

He’d talk to Anderson once he got to the hospital. She might not want to give him the details on Gary, but he bet the Puma would be more than happy to fill him in.

“Not sausage?” He pointed to his groin and waggled his eyebrows.

She giggled. “Alex!”

“Fine.” He stood up and tugged her out of the bed. “Yoga, shower, then food.”

“Then work.”

He grinned. “You going to do some ink on me?”

She stumbled. One finger traced the Ursa Major stars on his lower back. “What kind?”

The heat in her voice had him nearly growling with need. “You’ll see.”

“I should hope so if I’m going to be tattooing you.” She settled back, ready to watch him stretch.

He unpacked his iPod and plugged it in, selecting the music he’d learned put him in the best frame of mind for his meditation. He settled into the routine, ignoring her start of surprise at his choice of music. Granted, not many of his friends were familiar with Loreena McKennitt, but the Celtic music soothed him, the woman’s voice and style calming the beast in him.

“Damn. Just…damn. I’m going to like mornings with you. Naked yoga doesn’t sound nearly so skuzzy now.”

He felt his cheeks flush again and glared at her. The lust on her face was making this difficult. Triangle pose was a real bitch with a hard-on. “Tabby,” he growled, moving to Proud Warrior, arms outstretched, legs wide, his weight evenly balanced between his straight back leg and his bent front one. His erection bobbed between his legs, shooting the calm he was aiming for all to hell.

“Sorry.” She headed into the bathroom to presumably take care of business. Once she was out of sight, he was able to concentrate on the movements of his body, allowing his muscles and mind to ease into his day. He slipped into the final pose, legs crossed, hands resting on knees, his eyes closed. A fine sheen of sweat covered his body. His slow breath cleansed his mind. He felt invigorated and completely at peace.

“You finally done, Gandhi? I have bacon to hunt down.”

He opened one eye. “You’re going to be a serious pain in my ass about this, aren’t you?”

She leaned against the doorjamb and smirked at him, showing fang. “What part of hungry carnivore did you not get?”

He shook his head and stood up. “Fine. You’re hungry and I smell bad. Shower first, remember?”

She waltzed into the bathroom and grabbed his toothbrush. She started to brush her teeth.

His stomach rumbled. Suddenly he was ravenous. “You know what? Hurry up, I want my strawberry pancakes.”

She made a face. “Ew.”

“What’s wrong with strawberries?”

“Real strawberries? Nothing. That syrupy crap they put on pancakes? Blech.” She shuddered delicately and handed him his toothbrush. “Here. You can join me in the shower when you’re done.”

“I can? Really? May I borrow my shampoo while I’m at it?”

She chuckled and stepped under the spray. “Maybe. We’ll see.”

He grinned and brushed his teeth. He stepped into the shower a few minutes later and thanked God he’d decided to stay in a nice hotel. No tiny little shower stall in this place. It had a full-size tub.

And that meant he could have some fun with his wet, naked mate.

Tabby squeaked when a large set of paws landed on her ass. “Behave, Alex.”

“Since when am I Alex?”

She was wondering when he’d ask that. She was the only one who called him that other than his brother. “Since I decided there was no way I could moan “Bunny”

while you’re fucking me. Especiallywhen you’re fucking me.” She glanced behind her at his lengthening cock. “You may be furry, but you sure ain’t cute.”

His lips quivered. “Why, thank you, ma’am.” He leered down at her, his soapy palm skating across her nipple. “I aim to please.”

She tilted her head and decided to keep playing. She cupped his balls, rolling them in her palm before letting them go. “And these are notrabbit ears. They don’t vibrate or anything.” She then tapped the head of his cock with her fingernail. “Although, come to think of it, it does kind of look like his little nose is quivering.”

His hand stopped. His chin dropped down onto her shoulder. The leer had turned into a wide grin. “That’s because he smells something delicious.” He grabbed hold of her hand and dragged it back to his hard flesh. “Have I mentioned he loves to be petted?”

She curled her hand around his shaft, but refused to be coaxed closer to the head of his cock. “Are you sure it’s safe? He’s drooling an awful lot. Has he had his shots?”

She giggled madly when he picked her up and pinned her against the wall.

“Drooling?” He palmed her thighs, spreading her wide. She didn’t fight him. She wanted this just as much as he did. She wrapped her legs around his waist, let her heels rest on the top of his truly amazing ass. “I’ll show you drooling, you little witch.”

She wasn’t afraid of him. How could she be? He was smiling down at her, his hazel eyes gleaming with laughter and something else, something it was too soon to put a name to. At the most, she was willing to call it affection. It was a good start, one they could build on.

An even better start was when he began to kiss her, the minty taste of his toothpaste mingling with his own heady flavor. His palm slid down her body. His fingers paused at her nipple ring, twisted it until she was gasping into his mouth.

Tabby tightened her legs and tilted her hips, an invitation he accepted. His hand wandered south again, curled around her pussy until his fingers were stroking her clit in easy circles. He slid his cock between the wet folds of her pussy, teased her until she was damn near ready to beg. “Alex?”

“Tell me you want me.”

She gulped. His eyes were bleeding to brown, his fangs descending. The mark on her neck throbbed in time with her clit. “I want you, Alex.”

The head of his cock slid home, stretching her wide. His lips brushed against hers, kept them in an almost-there kiss. He ignored her attempts to deepen it, to bring him into her mouth the way he’d entered her body. He rocked them together with lazy motions, their gazes locked together. It was a coupling completely unlike what they’d done the night before. Last night had been about staking a primal claim on each other.

This was…something else. Something she hadn’t known was possible. The hurried fucking she’d done with her teenage sweetheart, the one-night stand she’d had since rejoining the human race, hadn’t prepared her for making love with Alex.

She clenched around him. She understood what this sweet, lazy fucking was.

This was just as much a claim on her as the other, but where last night had been about her body, this morning was about her heart.

His lips pursed and he took the kiss his mouth had promised. The hot water beat down on his back. His buttocks flexed beneath her heels as he thrust over and over, the sweet slide dragging her closer and closer to orgasm. His hand left her pussy to curl around her hip, the strength of his hold almost bruising. “Tabby,”

he breathed into her. His eyes closed and she knew he was close.

She wanted, needed to come with him. Her hand reached down and took off where his had left off, stroking herself. She was so damn close. “Alex. Bite me.

Please.”

His eyes flew open. His chin brushed against hers, his mouth nipping its way down to her shoulder. She felt her own fangs descend and knew she’d mark him when they came.

His teeth pierced her, throwing her into her orgasm. He groaned as she bit into him, marking him once more. She rode his cock and the never-ending orgasm that flowed through them both.

They were both quivering at the end. Less intense than last night, it was nonetheless just as profound. She’d never had an orgasm last that long before, the sweet flood of pleasure going on and on that way.

She wanted that again, that feeling of belonging.

She licked his wound closed. Her head dropped back against the tiles. The only thing she wanted to do was crawl right back into the bed in the other room, wrapped up in her mate.

He lifted his head from her shoulder, a thin line of blood trickling down her chest.

The wound was already closing. He rested his forehead against hers, his lips taking hers in a gentle kiss. “Good morning.”

She smiled. “Yes indeed.”

His answering smile matched hers.

Bunny walked into the hospital, still torn about leaving Tabby with the other girls at Living Art. She’d insisted on it, saying that she had to work and he had to check on Chloe. She was right, damn it. He almost called his father to ask him to go protect his mate, but with Chloe still unconscious and her attacker still on the loose, there was no way he could divide his family’s attention that way. He frowned. Maybe he could enlist Julian or some of the Pumas to keep a surreptitious eye on the place for him. But first he needed to know how his little cousin was doing before he went to see Sheriff Anderson.

That part of his day he hadn’t discussed with his mate. He had every intention of finding out just who the fuck Gary was and what kind of a threat he represented to Tabby. If he found out the fucker was the one who’d hurt his mate, Halle would be short one asshole. There would be nothing that could stop him from ripping Gary apart.

He entered Chloe’s hospital room to find Ryan, his father, Aunt Laura and Uncle Steve already there. “How is she?”

Aunt Laura looked like she hadn’t slept in weeks, her eyes red-rimmed and weary. “No change. She won’t wake up, damn it, and I’m at my wits’ end.”

Uncle Steve placed his hand on his mate’s shoulder, his own expression full of fear and grief. “She could wake up at any minute, sweetheart.”

“Then she needs to.” The determination in Aunt Laura’s voice came as no surprise. The tiny Fox female had to be strong, surrounded as she was by Bears.

“Dr. Howard suggested we find something to stimulate her with. Can you think of anythingthat might trigger a response?”

He sighed. “No, I…” He blinked. “Wait.” The sheriff had said something the first time they met, when Bunny was still shocked over finding his mate.

Mate.

“She has a mate.”

The uproar that followed was loud. “What?” Uncle Steve’s voice was full of hope.

“Since when?” Ryan bellowed.

“Is it Sheriff Anderson?” Aunt Laura asked. She stood, somehow towering over the men in the room, though she barely topped five foot three.

“She knows who it is, but from her scent I’d say she hasn’t claimed him yet. And no, it’s not Anderson. The man already has a mate.” Bunny pulled out his cell phone. Right after the attack on Chloe, he’d programmed Dr. Howard’s number into it. He knew Dr. Howard had Anderson’s phone number, and Bunny needed it. “Let me make some calls, see what I can find out. Maybe if we get her mate in here it will be just what she needs.”

And maybe he could get some of his own questions answered while he had the sheriff here.

“Speaking of mates, how’s yours?”

Bunny grimaced. “She got attacked yesterday.”

“What?”

“By who?”

The family chorus of outrage was strangely soothing. “I have no idea.” He breathed deep, afraid he would accidentally shatter the phone in his hands. “By the time I got to the shop, she was on the ground, a lump on the back of her fucking head.”

Ryan’s hand landed on his shoulder. “Do you need help?”

He stared at his cousin, knowing what Ryan was offering and what it would do to them both if Bunny took him up on it. One of the ways they sometimes blew off steam was by fighting each other. The way Bunny was feeling, if he took Ryan up on that offer, one or both of them would be lying in the bed next to Chloe’s. He shook his head. “Nah. I’ll make sure to do an extra twenty minutes of yoga.”

Ryan rolled his eyes. “You have to get over that some day.”

Bunny shrugged, uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was going. “I need to call the sheriff.”

“You need to remember you were sixteen when it happened. Let it go, Alex.”

The soothing sound of his father’s voice did nothing to help. “I have. I make sure it’s never going to happen again.” Nearly killing someone because you’d lost your temper was a sure-fire way to teach you how to control yourself. He’d done everything in his power to see to it he’d never hurt another living soul.