Mating Brand: 3 (Mating Heat) (6 page)

“We’re going to go inside. I’ll head downstairs to order my
cousin to stay in the basement and then we’re going to talk. Swear to me that
you aren’t going to flee, Charma. Otherwise I’m not allowing you out of my
sight. I’d prefer not to take you near Braden right now. He’s young and in
heat. I don’t know if he’ll be dressed. Clothes irritate our skin when we
suffer this condition. I’d rather spare you that sight and, hell, he could be
doing something embarrassing that you really don’t want to see.”

She peered up at the back of his head. He didn’t glance at
her, just stared straight ahead at his closed garage door. “I swear. I’m not going
to leave you again, Brand.”

His body relaxed and he released her hands. “Good. I’m
trusting you to keep your word. You don’t know how tough that is for me but I
don’t really have a choice. Let’s go.”

The lack of confidence hurt a little but she couldn’t blame
him. “I swear, Brand. Leaving you was the worst and toughest thing I ever had
to do. It tore me apart. All the reasons I left are gone. This is where I want
to be. You have no idea how much I mean that.”

He took a deep breath and expelled it slowly. “I’ll really
tie you to my bed if you make a run for it. Fair warning.”

“I understand.” She didn’t feel threatened.

Brand took Charma’s hand, she climbed off the bike and he
slid the keys under the seat. He glanced at her before she followed him up the
walkway to his front door. He pushed open the door, which wasn’t locked. Lights
had been left on and she inhaled. Brand’s scent lingered inside his home but
she didn’t detect any others.

“You live alone?”

“Usually. My cousin is just staying with me during the heat.
It’s got a full apartment in the basement so he doesn’t come up here. That’s
why you probably won’t smell him.”

“My sense of smell isn’t as good as yours,” she reminded
him.

Her gaze left his to study the living room. It had obviously
been furnished by a man, his black leather couches, matching easy chairs and
bare furnishings testament to that. She smiled when she spotted the big-screen
television that was a prominent feature in the room.

“I know. You probably want to change a lot and you’re
welcome to do anything to make it more homey.” He closed the door, grabbed her
and pinned her against the wall. He leaned down until his face hovered inches
from hers, his gaze intense. “I’m going to mate you and I don’t care about the
bastard who did it before me. I’ll bite you until his scent is gone and only
mine remains. Deal with that, hon. I’m never going to let you go. I’ve spent
every single day of the last nine years thinking about you. I missed you and
hurt because you weren’t with me.”

She battled tears and won. “Me too.”

“Let me deal with Braden before we talk. Are you hungry?”

“No. I ate a burger on the drive here.”

His gaze lowered. “You need to eat more. You’re so damn
thin. I’m a great cook and I’ll feed you until you gain back every pound.”

His thoughtfulness was a reminder of what she’d lost and
missed. “You’d cook for me? Really?”

His gaze met hers. “I’d do anything for you.” His hand shot
out and he locked the door. “Make yourself at home. This is yours now too. Ours
together. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.”

He spun away toward a hallway and disappeared around the
corner. Charma remained against the wall where he’d put her and drew in a shaky
breath.

Hot tears threatened to spill again. She stood inside Brand’s
home. She’d dreamed of seeking him out but never thought she’d see the day. Her
gaze roamed the room. She wouldn’t change a thing. Her arms hugged her waist as
she smiled.

“Home,” she whispered.

Charma sensed Brand behind her and inhaled, his scent
flooding her senses. She slowly turned away from the kitchen and found him
standing inside the doorway watching her.

“I was exploring. I love your home.”

“Ours,” he corrected. “Yours and mine.” He took a hesitant
step forward. “I keep expecting to wake up and realize this is just a dream.”
His hand lifted. “Come here, hon.”

She went to him without hesitation. Her hand clasped his
larger one and he pulled her into a hug. His face burrowed into her hair. He
seemed content to just hold her. She rested against him. He’d never left her
thoughts and at night while she’d lain in her bed, she’d relived their months
together. It had kept her sane.

She remembered the day Brand had arrived at her apartment in
Texas with a blindfold…

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“You have to wear this and just come with me.”

She laughed, sure it was some kind of joke. It wasn’t. He
insisted on covering her eyes after she got into the cab of his truck. Charma
had a tough time resisting the urge to reach up and remove the blindfold. “Where
are you taking me?”

“We’re almost there.”

“Is this some kind of romantic picnic? I can smell the trees
but there’s no exhaust from other cars. We’re somewhere out of the city.”

“Stop sniffing.” He chuckled.

“You know I hate surprises.”

“You’ll like this one.” He paused and she had to strain to
make out what he said next. “At least I hope so.”

“I heard that.”

“We’re here. Don’t move.”

The truck stopped and the engine died. She waited
impatiently until he got out and opened her door. His fingers curled around her
upper arm as she unfastened her seat belt. He led her about ten steps before
stopping and positioning himself behind her. One arm wrapped around her waist
as he leaned down to press his lips to her ear.

“Have I told you how much I love you?”

Warmth spread through her “Yes. I love you too. May I look
now?”

“Not yet. My roommates are a bunch of idiots and I might
have to kill them if I catch them checking out your ass one more time when you
stay with me. You’re living with the world’s biggest grump. It’s getting
tougher to leave your apartment in the mornings but it’s worse on the nights we
can’t spend together. I want to be with you all the time.”

Her heart rate increased as his words and their possible
meaning sank in. His fingers touched her face and the blindfold came free. She
blinked a few times to adjust to the sunshine. The first thing that came into
focus was a rustic cabin in the woods. It was a cute single-story A-frame. She
forgot to breathe.

“I hope you aren’t angry.” He dropped the blindfold and
wrapped his other arm around her waist to hug her tightly. “I signed a lease.
It’s ours, Charma.”

She latched on to his arms to keep upright when her legs
threatened to buckle. She was stunned.

“I know I should have asked you first,” he rushed on, “but
listen to me before you make up your mind. I can pay the rent so don’t worry
about the price. It’s not exactly a dream home but it’s cozy inside and it’s
remote enough to give us as much privacy as we want. You might be worried about
your car breaking down on the drive out here but I changed a few of my classes
to fit with your schedule. I’ll drive us to the campus. We won’t have to sleep
apart anymore or worry about your roommate hearing us have sex.”

She recovered from the shock and turned in his arms. The
look of anxiety in his expression was clear. “Brand…”

Lines appeared next to his mouth. “I think I thought of
everything. I talked to your roommate. I know your pride pays your rent. She
swore to say you’re still living there if anyone asks. Hell, she was thrilled
with the prospect of getting half the rent paid without having to deal with an
actual roommate. It was motivation enough for her and your family won’t find
out you’re living with a werewolf.”

Hope was the next emotion that sprang up. “Really?”

Brand grinned. “Yeah.”

She turned her head, stared at the cabin. “It’s so adorable.”

“It’s not the biggest place, only one bedroom, but it’s in
great shape. I had the guys come out with me a few days ago to paint and do
minor repairs.”

She faced him again but had to blink back tears. “Yes!”

He lifted her off her feet and hugged her tightly. “You
haven’t even seen the inside.”

“I don’t care. We’ll get to sleep together every night. I
hate when we’re apart too.”

His gaze flicked to her shoulder then back to her eyes. “Sometimes
I want to bite you.”

That heartfelt confession made her sad. “We can’t do that.”

“You love me.”

“I do but you’re a wolf and I’m a cat.”

“You’re half cat but I don’t give a damn. It doesn’t change
my feelings or my urges.”

“Our families would raise hell if they knew we were a
couple. I also told you—”

“Don’t,” he cut her off. “Don’t mention that asshole you’re
supposed to mate because your leader ordered it. Not now, not today. We’re
living in the here and now. We have a while before you have to return to your
pride.”

He was right. She always resisted thinking about when she’d
graduate and be expected to return. “Okay.”

He slowly eased her back to her feet. “Let’s try living
together before we have a discussion about that kind of crap.”

She could tell he was upset. “I’m so sorry, Brand. I’d want
you to bite me if it were possible. I swear I would.”

He released her waist and snagged her hand. “I refuse to
argue today. Let’s go inside. I’ll give you the tour.”

“Okay.” She was willing to let the matter drop.

He fished his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door.
Charma tried to take a step inside after he swung the door open but she gasped
instead when Brand scooped her off her feet and carried her inside. It was romantic
and sweet of him to carry her over the threshold.

The living room and kitchen were one big open space. She was
in for another surprise as she studied the new furniture. “You big liar!” She
laughed though.

He turned her a bit so she could take in more details of the
room. “Sorry about that. I didn’t want to buy stuff you’d hate so that’s why I
made up the story of needing to replace everything in the living room of the
house I rent with the guys. They do randomly get sick from drinking but I’d
never sink money into that hole. It’s like a fraternity with five guys living
in one house. They destroy everything nice.”

She turned her head and stared up at him. “This was so
sweet, Brand. It must have cost you a small fortune.”

He shrugged. “Not really. I just had to buy stuff for the
living room and our bedroom. I got us a king-size bed. No more twin.”

She grinned. “I kind of liked having to sleep on top of you
so one of us didn’t fall out of my bed.”

The bedroom was down the only hallway. They passed a bathroom
on the way. He paused inside the door. “I just got the bed and a nightstand.
There’s built-in drawers under the closet. See?”

Charma wiggled until he put her down. The space wasn’t big
and the bed took up most of it. “A dresser wouldn’t fit. I love it just as it
is. It’s perfect.”

“I got the most important thing in this room.”

She grinned, following his heated stare to the bed. “Yes,
you did.”

His gaze shifted to her. “I meant you, hon.”

She loved him so much it made her chest hurt. “I think we
should test out how comfy that mattress is.” She reached for the edge of her
shirt, tore it up her body and tossed it to the floor.

Brand kicked off his shoes. “Welcome home, Charma. We’re
going to be so happy here.”

“I know we are.”

She’d take every precious moment with Brand. She pushed
thoughts of when she’d have to return to her pride away. They had a few years
before that happened…

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Brand took a deep breath, pulling her back to the present.

Life had seemed so perfect back then until it had all come
crashing down around her. She’d had to leave the man who’d won her heart and
the life she’d loved. The solid arms around her were real again.

“My cousin is safe in the basement. He knows you’re here and
won’t come upstairs if he hears us.” He brushed his lips over her forehead. “I
want to talk. No. I want to take you to bed and make you mine. I know that’s
too fast. I know you mated someone else. It pisses me off smelling him on you.
It’s faint but it’s there. I want it gone.”

“I had no choice. I told you that.”

He snarled. “We could have found a way. Right now I’m so
torn between rage over what you did and relief that you’re here.”

“You don’t understand.”

“Nothing could excuse what happened. I came back from my run
to discover that you’d taken off.” He snarled.

Charma hated seeing his pain so much that she flinched.

“Don’t you dare,” he warned. “Don’t fear me. You know I’d
never hurt you no matter how angry I am.”

“I know that.” She wasn’t afraid of Brand. “I hate that I
did that to you.”

He glanced away, took a deep breath, exhaled. His gaze
locked with hers. “Me too. I’ve had a lot of years to think about what I’d do
if I ever found you. Bottom line is that you mean more to me than anything
else. I’m going to try really damn hard to get past the pain. We were young and
we both made mistakes.”

“You didn’t make any.”

“I sure did.” Emotion darkened his eyes. “I should have bent
you over in front of me and bitten into you to claim you no matter what you
said. You were mine. It was that simple. I should have listened to my heart
instead of hearing your damn excuses. You wouldn’t have run out on me if I’d
just mated you. It would have been a done deal.”

“It would have made things so much worse.”

“Nothing could have been as bad as spending year after year
obsessing over a woman I had no way of being with.”

It ripped at her heart to see and hear such anguish from the
man she loved. “I’m so sorry. I don’t even know why you still want me after
what I did.”

“Because you’re mine.” His chin lifted slightly, showing
that stubborn side of him that she remembered so well. “You’re the woman I
love. Nothing is ever going to change that. We’ll work this out. I refuse to do
anything less.”

His body relaxed and he lifted her suddenly and scooped her
into his arms. She stared into his eyes as he carried her through the house
toward an area she hadn’t explored yet. He strode down a hallway with dark,
open doorways, to the lit one at the end. His scent was strong inside the
bedroom, assuring her it was his.

She glimpsed a big bed, two nightstands, a chair in a corner
and a large television on a dresser, before he took her inside a bathroom. He
used his elbow to turn on the light. There were two sinks in a long counter
that he eased her butt onto when he set her on it. He released her as he
stepped back.

“Give me your hand. Your blood is driving me nuts.”

She had forgotten about the cut from the glass. She glanced
at it, spotted the red stain on her palm. It wasn’t bad. Brand cradled it in
his hand and shocked her a little by staring at her while he lifted it to his
mouth. His hot tongue cleaned the small wound and his eyes began to shift a
little. Dark hair grew out on his cheeks in a soft sprinkling. She lifted her
other hand and brushed her fingertips over his jawline and the soft, sparse
fur.

“You’re having a hard time holding your skin.”

He released her hand. “Yeah. I’m really a mess inside right
now. Don’t worry. You know I’d kill myself before I hurt you.”

“I know that.” She believed it with her whole heart.

“Good. It would destroy me if I really frightened you. I
need to calm down a little and get a handle on things before I mate you. I want
it to be good for you but being in heat, I’m barely able to control myself.”

“You told me about this.” Memories surfaced of him warning
her of what would happen when he hit those weeks. They’d joked about who would
be hornier in heat. “We planned to take vacation time from our summer classes
and lock ourselves in our cabin so I could take care of you. I just couldn’t
remember exactly when it happened.”

He growled at her. “Now. My wolf is going crazy to mark you
so I’m going to mate you.” His irises bled black, his wolf showing. The tone of
his voice deepened. “Please don’t say no. Don’t deny me again because, to be
completely honest, I’m doing it anyway.”

It stunned her that he planned to mate her right off the
bat. “It’s been a long time since we were together,” she reminded him.

“You think I don’t know that?”

“We’ve both changed.”

He cocked his head, staring down at her. “The feelings are
still there. You feel it too.”

She refused to deny the truth. “We’re both highly emotional
right now.” His soft growl indicated that he didn’t like her words. “I just
meant that seeing each other brings back a lot of memories.”

“It does,” he agreed. “But you’re here and I swore I wouldn’t
let you go if I ever had you in my arms again. That I’d mate you if it ever
happened.”

“Don’t you want to get to know me again before you make that
kind of life-altering decision?”

“No.” The determined set of his jaw was something she
remembered well.

“We might not click anymore, Brand.”

He leaned in, studying her eyes. “We’ll adjust to the
changes. We were happy once and we’ll find that again.”

She wished it were that easy. “I hope that’s true but a lot
has happened over the years. We’re strangers now.”

“You couldn’t have changed that much, hon.”

“You don’t know that for sure. I know nothing about your
life since we parted.”

“What do you want to know?”

Her mind blanked. “I’m not sure.”

“I missed you. I dreamed about you almost every damn night.
Did you miss me? Did I haunt your dreams?”