Hunting a Mate Read online

  “You gotta stop doing that. I can’t hang with my brothers with a hard-on and I’ve never seen anything so sexy as those whiskers, that little nose,” his voice was deep and husky.

  Aw, dammit. She finally recognized the tip of her nose stung.

  She also realized Archer really was turned on. His dick was hot and hard and she wondered if she could get away with touching him. Just a little bit. Just a small slide of skin on skin…

  “What’s more, I don’t want to have to claw out their eyes for looking at you.”

  At that she rolled her eyes. “Seriously? I know the whole mating thing has you hot and bothered, but you can’t tell me that this,” she pointed at her face, “is sexy.”

  “Fuck yeah, it is. Sexy and mine.”

  Her body reacted in an instant. Not with fur or more whiskers or a change in her eyes. Nope. Now her panties were soaked.

  Oh. My. God.

  Archer drew some of the surrounding air into his lungs and exhaled with a rumbling purr. “You like that.” The purr grew louder. “Lemme show you how much I like—”

  “We are not fucking in this house!” Chloe’s words rang loud and clear through the home, bouncing off the walls and zinging through the air until it reached them.

  Paige groaned and lowered her head to rest on Archer’s shoulder. “I love her, but…”

  Archer chuckled. “She’s a pain in the butt?”

  “Yeah,” she grumbled and enjoyed the feel of Archer’s hands on her, his palms sliding along her back.

  They remained in place enjoying the sensations of being close to one another. Until…

  “You didn’t shift.”

  She froze. “I…”

  “Didn’t shift. Chloe surprised you and you didn’t shift.”

  She drew back and met his stare. “I didn’t shift.”

  Even though it was her best friend, Paige was in a stressed situation. So while Chloe typically didn’t cause any type of reaction, she was already on edge and she should have pulled a ferret impression in an instant. Yet, she hadn’t.

  “I didn’t shift,” she whispered, unable to believe the truth. Then she couldn’t suppress her smile, the wide split of her lips as joy suffused her. “I didn’t shift.”

  “Wanna know why?” He grinned.

  She rolled her eyes. “Why?”

  “Because you know,” he brushed a kiss across her lips. “And your ferret knows,” another, this one deeper than the first. He lapped at the seam of her mouth and she slowly opened for him. “That I,” the next had him slipping his tongue between her lips in a sensual meeting of their mouths, “will protect you.” He flexed his hands and reached for her ass, large hands palming the globes. “From anything life can throw at you.”

  Instead of letting him take full control, Paige retaliated, her tongue tangling with his. She tasted him, she nibbled his lower lip, and she made him tremble as well. “You think so?”

  “Know so. You’re my mate and I’ll kill any-fucking-thing that tries to scare you, hurt you, or make you cry. Hell, if it makes you frown, it’s a goner.”

  “That’s…” She sank into him, letting him take her weight as she snuggled inexplicably closer.

  “Disgusting.”

  “Sweet.”

  Holt’s voice overlaid Chloe’s, and Paige closed her eyes and sighed. Sighed, but didn’t twitch or tremble. No new whiskers appeared and actually… she lifted a hand and stroked her nose… her nose was now human.

  Archer groaned. “Can you just go away?”

  “Nope, we’re waiting for you two to stop eye fucking before we sit down to eat and Donovan is threatening to eat Chloe’s brother Leo if we don’t start serving food and Chloe won’t let me throw steaks at everyone until you guys are there, so,” Holt clapped his hands. “Get your shit together and let’s go.”

  Paige swallowed hard. “Get your shit together and let’s go.”

  Right. Like it was so easy. Archer gave her a gentle squeeze, drawing her attention back to him. His gaze said it all, his expression telling her that she had this in the bag and if anyone gave her crap, he’d kill ‘em. Quick and easy.

  For the first time in her life, she felt like she could face a room full of loud men and not worry about suddenly shifting.

  A loud bang followed by a crapton of cursing came from the backyard and… pop.

  Okay, she still had a tiny bit of worry.

  * * *

  “…and because he lost the bet, we made him dress up in drag for his birthday.” Holt grinned. “He looks pretty damn good in a dress. Better’n some of Sawyer’s dates, at any rate.”

  “That story? Really?” Archer shook his head and slowly padded toward his seat.

  He’d left his mate snug on the wood chaise lounge while he ducked inside to grab a couple of beers. And… damn. She hadn’t popped a whisker or blinked an eye when he’d nudged her forward and walked away. It’d irked his cat that he was easily forgotten, but pride quickly took the place of his hurt feelings. Paige was smiling and laughing, enjoying being around his family, fur-free.

  She scooted forward at his approach and he straddled the seat behind her. Then she wiggled back into place on his lap the second he was settled. He had Paige in his arms, soft and sweet and so damned sexy…

  For the last hour, his brothers had been trying to outdo one another in the “let’s tell funny stories about Archer” competition. Currently, Donovan was in the lead, but the usually less than garrulous Holt was running a close second. Archer turned his head to nuzzle the side of Paige’s neck, loving that her spot on his lap put her at the perfect height.

  “What they aren’t telling you, baby, is that because it was my birthday, I got to choose the venue for the evening.”

  She looked at him, wide-eyed, then a small smile teased the corner of her lips. “You did something evil, didn’t you?”

  She knew him so well already.

  “Took us to a gay bar.” Holt’s voice was low, growly and still pissed after all these years. “An entire evening with no fucking action.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that.” Donovan grinned. “As I recall, you were quite a hit, Holt.”

  The giggles started from the other side of the group. Chloe was curled up in Holt’s lap, much the same way Paige was snug in Archer’s. Cats liked their mates close. Wrapped around them if possible. All sweet and warm and wet…

  “Oh, that’s too funny,” she giggled, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “I can just see him there, all stiff and uncomfortable.” She sat upright suddenly, holding her arms at her sides in the best damn impression of his brother Archer had ever seen.

  “I can assure you, I was not stiff!” Holt protested, and the deck devolved into laughter. Even Holt cracked a smile.

  Archer took a moment to snuggle his little mate nearer. No whiskers in an hour and her nose was still perfectly pert and adorably human. Despite his asshole brothers, who could not do anything quietly. Once she realized they were like that, and no one was going to remark on her suddenly ferrety features (and they’d better not or Archer planned on stuffing their heads down the toilet in Holt and Chloe’s downstairs bathroom) she relaxed and finally seemed to be enjoying herself.

  Donovan started with a new story, but Archer tuned out his voice so he could concentrate on Paige. His inner cat was grumpy, trying to argue that she was comfortable with him now and they should just leave and start working on some kits of their own, but he growled at it until it was quiet. The thing went silent, the inner cat equivalent of sitting with its back to him. Pain in the ass creature.

  Paige’s attention was all on Donovan, her expression rapt as his brothers spilled the beans on him. Before, it might have bothered him. Now…he didn’t care what silly stories they told. They were all in the interest of her getting to know him better and that was a good thing. A real good thing since he couldn’t wait to claim her. His body responded to just the thought, cock hard and aching in his pants within an instant.

/>   She slowly turned her head, her gaze meeting his and blinked. It was a slow sweep of her eyelashes that had his cat purring. That slow blink was something cats used in the wild to show trust. (He refused to acknowledge that house cats did the same thing.)

  The way she sat against him, she had to feel his hardness pressing against her thigh. He grinned, totally unrepentant, and was rewarded with a flush of color across her cheeks. She looked down and away, but he scented her interest seeping from her pores.

  “There are people within sniffing distance, you two.” Sawyer leaned forward and snapped his fingers between their faces.

  Archer and Paige jerked apart. With a start, Archer realized all conversation had been silent for long moments, and noticed the rest of the group looking at them with grins on their faces.

  “Fuck you, Sawyer,” he snarled. If Sawyer’s interruption ended with Paige popping a whisker, he was gonna… He flicked a glance at his mate and internally smiled at what he found. She was grinning, eyes dancing with happiness, and not a hint of her inner animal in sight. Which meant he could finish bitching at his brother. “Just because you’re jealous doesn’t mean—”

  “Hell yeah, I’m jealous, Paige is one prime piece of—”

  Archer tensed, ready to shove Paige aside and dive at his brother for being such a dick, but Holt beat him to it. Or rather, Holt’s fist shot out and decked Sawyer before the last word left his lips. It also sent his brother tumbling ass over head off the edge of the deck and Sawyer landed with a satisfying grunt.

  “Asshole,” Sawyer grumbled. “Excuse a guy for being honest. You know honesty—”

  Everyone on the porch groaned—including his mate.

  “What?” He raised his eyebrows, attention flicking from one person to another. The only one who didn’t look like he was gonna be sick was Donovan. Yeah, by now, everyone knew about Chloe’s family and Dr. Collinsbert’s Hexagon of Trust and Honesty. Well, almost everyone. It was plain his two brothers didn’t know. Sawyer said, “I don’t get it.”

  Holt spoke up. “Arch, make her promise, right now. No, psycho shrink. Right here, right now. Save yourself the trouble later.”

  His brother snarled and Archer felt his cat rush forward in response. No one made demands of his mate. No one. If Paige didn’t wanna promise shit about going to some therapist, she didn’t have to—

  Paige cut into his “gonna kill Holt” thoughts with a high-pitched, tinkling laugh. “Oh, I promise. I’m just surprised you didn’t get Chloe to do the same before you guys,” she flapped her hands. “You know.”

  Holt—Holt—blushed. “I was busy but since you two haven’t locked yourselves in a room yet, I’m telling you it’s important.”

  “I don’t get it.” Archer shook his head and met Paige’s stare.

  She smiled, soft and sweet and maybe explanations could wait because he had the urge to brush a kiss across those lips…

  “Dammit, we’re losing him again,” Donovan spoke up. “Get a room, you two.”

  “And not in this house,” Holt drawled.

  Oh, he wanted to find a room. One that definitely wasn’t in Holt’s home and one hundred percent in hers.

  Chapter Five

  Paige wondered if there would be a day she could come home, Archer in tow, and not be ambushed by her family.

  They’d handled their first date and finished it with flying colors despite his brothers giving him crap. Now they’d successfully finished their second, complete with a way-too-expensive bottle of wine and decadent dessert. She figured once they rounded date three, it’d be time for a home run. Er, their mating.

  Except… her family.

  Since this was the second time he’d accompanied her to her apartment and once again she was faced with her mother, the prospects weren’t good. Hell, if it was only her mom, she would have been able to deal. But nooo, there was more.

  Because there stood Alluring Alicia and Magnificent Melanie. Okay, admittedly, those were snarky nicknames, but when a girl had issues, she liked to make fun of others to make herself feel better. Especially considering their name for her was Oops. Seriously. Oops.

  Archer’s hand was a warm presence against her lower back and she took strength from the touch. She’d need it. The small group of women hovering near her front door focused on them, three visitors giving them narrow-eyed stares. She slowed in her approach, ferret anxious and unwilling to subject her mate to her family again.

  And this time, it’d be worse. Mainly because of the presence of her sisters. A single Baxter woman was scary. Three of them banded together and focusing on a single person? Deadly. Okay, not deadly in the literal sense, but… Yeah.

  Paige slowed further, feet hardly moving across the plush carpet toward her apartment door. She ached to spin and race back to the safety of the elevator, to get the hell away from the, er, hell that waited mere feet away.

  “Steady,” Archer murmured. “I’m here.”

  Right. She swallowed hard and fought to calm her racing heart. Right. “I know.”

  “And nothing’s gonna happen to you.”

  Paige ignored Alicia’s snort. “I know that too.”

  And she did. Deep down, even her ferret knew. The animal was upset, but not frantic with panic. Her face didn’t tingle the slightest bit, no hint of her whiskers or nose popping free of her human form. It was anxious, yet calm. Because she had her mate. Her big, bad, ferocious, sexy as hell mate.

  She swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and forced herself to cross the last few feet to her place. “Mom, Alicia, Mel, nice to see you.”

  “It’s Melanie,” her mom immediately corrected. God forbid Pamela Baxter’s kids had nicknames.

  Paige smiled tightly. “Right. Hi, Melanie.”

  Her sister gave her a small smile in return. One that was a mix between an apology and a hello.

  “What’s going on?” She reached for her doorknob with trembling hands, forcing her family to step aside so she could open the door. Except she shook so hard, she dropped her friggin’ keys. Twice. When they went tumbling to the floor a third time, Archer took over.

  “Let me, baby.” His voice was low and soothing and exactly what her ferret needed. It was practically a purr, a call from one animal to another.

  She nodded and stepped back, giving him space so he could scoop them up and then grant them access to her home. She strode through the doorway, Archer on her heels and her sisters and mom silently followed.

  Like before, she paused in the living room and faced off against the visitors. Or rather, unlike before. Mainly because she was still human shaped despite the stress and anxiety thrumming through her veins. Because of Archer.

  She reached for him, not because of what his touch could do, but because she needed him. Their fingers twined together for a moment before he released her and slid his arm around her waist, tugging her alongside him. She was half surrounded by his body, his presence, and she sank into his side.

  The three women still hadn’t said a word or responded to her initial question. Archer squeezed her waist gently, urging her to speak. “Mom? What are you guys doing here?”

  “Mom told us about this,” Alicia’s finger pointed at them, “ridiculousness and we came to talk some sense into you. I mean, Lucas is a good lay, but if you want someone else to take care of your heat this year, we’ll find someone else. You don’t need this person.”

  And by “person,” she meant “piece of shit.”

  “Excuse me?” She wasn’t sure if Archer would have objected to Alicia’s words and tone, but Paige sure as hell did.

  “We can get you someone acceptable,” Alicia continued as if Paige hadn’t said a word. “Melanie’s boyfriend said he’d do you.”

  Paige flicked her attention to Melanie and her sister’s pale face and stricken expression were enough to tell her this was news to her.

  “What are you talking about?” Melanie wheezed.

  Alicia shrugged and Mom spoke up. “I called him this mo
rning. He’s from a good background and should something happen, he won’t tell a soul.”

  “You called this morning,” her sister’s voice was soft. “We were in bed. We’d… I was lying next to him.”

  Her mother flicked a speck of lint from her sleeve, looking like she didn’t give a damn that Mel’s heart was breaking before their eyes. “Yes, well, he wasn’t the most articulate, but we got the point across. He’ll be here Friday to handle Paige’s little heat problem.” Mom focused on her. “And then you can get back to this person. If you must.”

  Paige took a deep breath and released it slowly, staying grounded in the here and now. She was supported by Archer, she was wanted by Archer, and he didn’t think of her as Oops or her sudden shiftings as incidents. She shifted? He cuddled her close and protected her. She was on two legs? He held her close and made her hotter than hell.

  But that look she received from her family? The one that said Paige was less.

  “I must keep Archer in my life because he’s my mate,” she pushed through gritted teeth.

  Her mother clicked her tongue. “Really, darling?”

  It’d be a term of endearment if her mother wasn’t so damned condescending.

  “Yes. Really. So, if—when—I go into heat, it will be shared with my mate.”

  “You’re being difficult.” Mom rolled her eyes. “I hate it when you’re difficult. You were this way as a child as well.” She dug into her purse, slim hand delving between the flaps and Paige tensed.

  She knew what her mother sought. Knew what it’d do. And she hated her mom more than a little for what she was about to do.

  She whipped her attention to Archer. “Don’t let them—”

  She didn’t get to finish, didn’t get to finish her panic attack and her fear didn’t get a chance to blossom into full-blown terror because… he kissed her. Those lips skated over hers in a gentle caress and then he melded his mouth to hers. She immediately opened to him, immediately took him into her and moaned as his delicious flavors burst over her taste buds. He stroked her and she returned the caress, their tongues tangling in a sensual dance that mimicked what they’d do… eventually.