Bear with Me (Half-breed Shifter Series) (7 page)

“I love you,” she told him
again, each time he thrust. “I love you so much.”

“Rhea,” he groaned, bucking
under her.

“Take me, Brick. I’m yours.
I’m all yours.”

Flipping her onto her back,
he came over her and thrust into her hard, his eyes alight with fever. “Mine,”
he growled.

“Bite me again.” She didn’t have
to repeat the pleaded words; he lunged at her throat and punctured her pale
skin.

She screamed out her orgasm
and jerked his wrist to her mouth to remark him one more time herself.

Chapter Six

“Are you ready for this?”

Brick took Rhea’s hand and
blew out an unsteady breath. “Fuck, no. But let’s do it, anyway.”

“It’s time to face the
world,” she announced as she opened the door to their love nest.

Brick almost expected his new
father-in-law to be standing on the other side, gun loaded and aimed, ready to
start making his bear rug. The light in the basement den was on, but the room
was empty. Whew. Thank God.

Two weeks and three days had
passed since he’d entered Rhea’s kinky torture chamber. And Brick felt like a
completely different person than the one who’d entered it. He’d been so cocky
and self-assured when he’d come to the Griffin house to spend Rhea’s
confinement time with her. But now, uncertainties raced through his
bloodstream. And Rhea’s father was actually the last thing to bother him.

His mate no longer suffered
from her mating heat. So...what if she finally came to her senses and rejected
him? His fingers tightened around hers as she led him up the stairs.

“Don’t worry,” Rhea murmured,
squeezing his grip. “I won’t let him kill you.”

He huffed out a laugh. “As if
he could.”

Rhea glanced back, shaking
her head and grinning. “And...here returns the Ego-trip Brick we all know and
love.” But her blues eyes were warm and happy as she said it, as if it was one
more thing she loved about him. It helped eased his worries more than anything.

“You forgot immature,” he
told her, smacking her on the ass for ol’ time’s sake.

She paused and came around
fully, two steps above him on the stairs. “Watch what you smack there, mate.
Wherever you touch me, I get to touch you back.”

He grinned. “Well, in that
case.” He cupped her between the legs. “Touch away.”

She immediately arched into
his fingers and gasped. “Damn.” Shuddering, she closed her eyes and shook her
head. “I really should’ve seen that coming.”

“Really, you should have,” he
murmured, coming up one step to nip at her exposed throat with his teeth.

She began to melt into him
and even slid her hand down the front of his pants until she felt his hard cock
jerk under her touch. And that quickly, she retreated, shoving him away and
scurrying up a couple more steps. “Down, boy. Wait until we get home. We’re in
my parents’ house,
remember
?”

Brick drew in a deep,
refreshed breath. “Oh, and what sweet revenge it’s been to fuck Shaw Griffin’s
daughter in his own—”

“Hey! That was only because
of the mating heat. Now we have to be respectful.”

“Party pooper,” he muttered
but willingly let the issue drop. He could wait...until they made it back to
their new home, which they’d decided was going to be Brick’s place since it was
bigger.

As they entered the ground
floor, Rhea frowned as she glanced around. “Hmm. I wonder where they are. Wait
here. I’ll go check the kitchen.”

She been gone for only ten
seconds when something pressed against the back of Brick’s head and nudged him
forward. The sound of a shell racking into its chamber told him it had to be
Shaw...with a damn big gun.

“I swear to God, if you make
one of your smart-ass sarcastic comments, I will blow your fucking head off.”

Brick lifted his hands into
the air, surrendering. “I love her,” he said. “You know I love her. I told you
so before all this went down.”

“But you didn’t need to go
and take her choice of mate away from her. She had the right, the fucking
privilege
,
to choose her own fucking mate.”

“You’re right.” Brick nodded,
complying. “And if she wants to choose someone else, I will gladly let you put
a bullet in my head, because I’d rather die than make her miserable. But maybe
you better get her opinion on the matter before you off me.”

“Yeah, Dad, because I do
choose Brick.” In the doorway behind them, Rhea crossed her arms over her chest
and tapped her toe. “Now lower that damn gun from my mate’s head before you
piss me off,
father
.”

Shaw lowered the gun, and
Rhea pulled Brick to her side. Together, they faced Shaw who only glared as if
he was still tempted to lift the shotgun again.

Rhea growled. “We’re not
teenagers anymore. Stop acting so pissed off like we ran off and eloped or
something. And stop worrying about my
choices
. If I’d been in the right
frame of mind at the time it happened, I would’ve chosen Brick anyway. So, it’s
fine. Everything is fine.”

“It’s not fucking fine. That
bastard—”

“Oh, my God. It’s Brick.
Brick
!
You’ve known him since he was thirteen. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. He’s the most
loyal friend I’ve ever had. And he worships the ground I walk on. How could you
want anyone else for me?”

Shaw scowled and glanced
away. “He’s go God damn
annoying
,” he mumbled under his breath.

She grinned and took Brick’s
hand lifting it to her lips so she could kiss his knuckles. “Yes, he is. And
that’s why we love him so much.”

“Shaw,” Brick said softly
stepping in toward the older man. “I will spend the rest of my days, working to
make her the happiest damn jaguar ever. She’s my entire life. I cherish her.”

Jaw knotting, Rhea’s father
let out a long sigh. “God damn it,” he muttered. Then he turned to Brick and
held out his hand. “Welcome to the family, son.”

Hearing the word
son
come from this man’s mouth—even in that rough, reluctant tone—did him in. But
Brick contained his pleasure and shook tightly with his new father-in-law. “Now
if you don’t mind.” Brick grinned and glanced at Rhea. “I have a honeymoon to
start.”

Shaw’s hand tightened on his,
not letting go. “You just spend two weeks—”

“No enough time,” Brick cut
in with a wink. “Not nearly enough time. Hey.” He nudged Shaw in the elbow.
“She’s her mother’s daughter. You ought to know what I mean, right?”

“That’s sick and disgusting,
but yeah, I get it.” Shaking his head, Shaw sighed again and let go of Brick’s
hand to wave the two newlyweds from the house.

***

No sooner did the newly-mated
pair make it home, though, than Rhea’s father was ringing them.

Rhea sighed as she answered.
“Dad, I told you. I chose him...willingly. I love—”

“Something’s come up,” Shaw’s
voice clipped into the receiver, alarming her. “This has nothing to do with
that. Get your mate in the room and put me on speaker phone, will you?”

But Brick was already in the
room. And because he’d been behind Rhea with his arms wrapped around her waist
as he nibbled his way up the side of her neck, he’d been able to hear Shaw’s
demand.

Growing serious, he stopped
his kisses. “I’m here.”

Shaw let out a breath before
explaining, “An old comrade from the Hunter organization just contacted me. His
name’s Clem Riker. He’s pretty high up. And he asked to come to dinner at my
place this evening. Wanted me to invite my entire family, all three of my
children...and their mates too.”

Panic raced through Rhea’s
veins. She gritted her teeth against the injustice of it. But if her father’s
cover had just been blown, this was the absolute worst timing ever. She’d just
gotten mated, she was in love, deliriously happy, and though she hadn’t told
Brick her suspicions, she was almost positive they were about to start a
family.

“You think he suspects—?”

“I don’t know,” Shaw snapped.
“But I don’t like how this feels. Something’s...off.”

“So you don’t want us to come
to dinner?” Brick asked.

“Oh, I want you there. If you
don’t show, it’ll sound off alarms. I want to do exactly what he asks. But I
want you all to be very aware, and very cautious. Have escape plans and attack
strategies ready. Got it?”

“Got it,” Brick and Rhea
chorused together.

Rhea hung up and turned in
Brick’s arms. His worried eyes inspected her face before he leaned in and
kissed her brow. “Don’t worry, baby. I’m not going to let anything happen to
you.

Love filled her to the brim.
“My God. How have I known you for so long and not realized you were the one?”

He just grinned. “Sometimes
it’s hard to see past my annoying and immature traits to all the awesome
underneath.”

Nuzzling her cheek against
his chest, she had to agree. “Well, I’m so glad I finally did.”

“Me too, kitten. Me too.”

***

Everyone else except for the
main guest had arrived when Rhea and Brick returned to her parents’ house that
evening. Even Dane’s in-laws—Knox and Jaycee—were there.

“Oh, my God.
Brick
!”
Brynn screeched as the newlyweds walked through the front door. “Welcome to the
family. I always knew you and Rhea would end up together.”

When she threw herself at him
and hugged him tight, Rhea had a split second vision of herself pulling her
sister off her mate by the hair. And then punching her in the face. No one
touched her man but her.

But Brynn’s own jealous mate
growled low in his throat, so Brynn quickly jumped back, even as she continued
to grin up at Brick. “You two look so happy.”

“Of course I do.” Brick
puffed up his chest. “I finally got to boink one of Shaw’s—”

“Enough!” Shaw growled,
glaring harshly. “Are you ever going to cut that shit out?”

“Not until you admit you love
me.” Brick blew him a kiss.

Shaw snorted and walked from
the room.

Knox bumped Dane in the
elbow. “I’m starting to think you’re not the worst son-in-law ever.”

Everyone laughed but Brick.
He sent Rhea a confused glanced. “What? I’m an awesome son-in-law.”

She merely beamed as she
lifted up onto her toes and kissed his cheek. “Yes, you are, baby. Yes, you
are.”

Before she could smooch on
him too much more, Brynn grabbed her arm, then Brynn snatched Ari’s arm. And
she rushed all three females from the room. Once they were closed into Brynn
and Rhea’s old bedroom, Brynn whirled around and clapped her hands. “Okay, who
totally loved her first mating heat?”

All three females lifted
their hands. “Holy hell,” Ari raved, fanning herself. “Dane was so—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Brynn and
Rhea waved their hands to stop her from continuing. “We really don’t want
details about our brother like that.”

Ari frowned and let out a
small huff of disappointment. “That’s not fair. You guys can dish all the
details, but
I
can’t?”

“Basically? Yeah,” Rhea said.
Then she put her hands over her abdomen. “Who else thinks she’s pregnant after
her mating heat?”

As Ari lifted her hand,
looking excited, Brynn bounced on the balls of her feet. “I already know I am.
Gannon, my super sniffer, can already smell it on me.”

“Ooh, could he smell me too?”
Both Rhea and Ari pleaded together.

Brynn rolled her eyes. “Well,
sure.”

They talked for another ten
minutes, giggling like a pair of teenagers, and Rhea felt as carefree as a
teenager. She had the love of her life and she could find out if she was
carrying Brick’s young. Tonight! No one cared a whit about a possible Hunter
coming to the house. They’d dealt with Hunters before.

“That’s it. I can’t wait,”
Ari finally said, mirroring Rhea’s thoughts. “I want to know if I’m pregnant
right now.”

“Well, let’s go maul my man
for news, then, shall we?” Brynn led them back out of their old room and down
the stairs where everyone was still waiting for the Hunter to arrive.

Even though he was immersed
in a conversation with Dane, Brick’s gaze immediately sought Rhea when she
entered the room. She glowed under his sexy inspection. But he must’ve known
she was up to something because he narrowed his eyes suspiciously as she
followed Brynn and Ari to Gannon’s side.

Gannon was discussing
something wolfly with Knox but paused when his mate approached. Brynn didn’t
even have to say anything. The pair merely looked at each other, she made a few
motions with her eyes, and Gannon leaned into toward Ari, his nostrils flaring,
before he moved his head closer to Rhea. When he pulled back, he returned his
gaze to Brynn and nodded. She let out a squeal and turned to her sister and
sister-in-law.

Realizing this meant they
were all three going to have babies together, Rhea started squealing too.

Suddenly Brick wrapped his
arms around her waist from behind. “What are you three up to?” he demanded, his
voice husky and amused in her ear.

Rhea spun to face him. She
gave him a long lingering kiss before she could announce—

The doorbell rang,
interrupting them.

The Hunter was here.