Bearing It All (Grizzly Affairs Book 1) (15 page)

“Trust me when I say that is the most stupid idea I have ever heard.” Ignoring his scowling look, she continued. “That's what they want!  If they have been watching the house they know that we've not left without the other. We separate, they will be certain that something is up. All they will have to do is find out where I am, come after me and then kill you for the heck of it.”

“I know how to protect my mate.” He defended, looking away from her unconcerned.

Throwing her arms up in frustration, Aria scoffed. “Oh for heaven sakes! Stop calling me that.”

“It is what you are. Do you recall the claiming that took place just there last night?” He asked with a snarling voice, his hand pointing towards the open doorway and bedroom.

She remembered. Every touch, kiss and second of last night would forever be etched in her mind. She'd been the one to agree to it in the first place. Part of her liked the idea of being his mate; however she couldn't promise Doyle anything while she was looking over her shoulder. Not to mention whatever Malca had done to her was possibly killing her. Already she could feel the fatigue settling over her as her head continued to feel too heavy and painful.

“Listen to me. I know how these people think—” She began, desperate to break through Doyle's stubborn will.

“No, you listen to me.” He interrupted his eyes boring into her with an impenetrable resolve. “Aria, you continue to think that I am some simple minded man. I am a shifter, more importantly a grizzly. It would take more than one bullet to put me down. Stop worrying so much. I can and will protect you.  I am the protector here; you will obey me in this, mate.” His words growled out with promise.

She glared back at Doyle, hating the expecting look he wore on his face as he waited for her reply.  She struggled not to bare her teeth at him like a tiger that she wished she was in that moment. He wouldn't be able to this domineering if she ripped his furry, grizzly hide to shreds!

Obey? Did he really just use the word obey in reference to her? He treated her as if she were some child that needed told what to do.

Fat chance that any of that would be happening!

What did he expect her to do? Just stay behind and wait for him to take on Malca single handed. All he would succeed in doing is getting them both kill or captured. Hell with that! Was that what he called a mate? Just some woman to listen and obey every word that came out of his stupid mouth! Anger suddenly replaced the soft concern she'd once felt for his wellbeing. He could go after Malca if he wanted to, let her tag his ear and put him in a cage for all she cared!

Too enraged to even yell at him, she abruptly stood up in the bath water, uncaring of her naked form. She ignored the way his eyes lit up as the soapy water slid down every contour of her glistening form. Licking his lips in anticipation, he reached up to grasp a glistening thigh only to have his hand slapped away.

"What's wrong, love?" He asked with a confused look.

For a moment she was willing to overlook his words and keep her anger in check—then that moment passed. "
I will obey you
? Screw you! If that is what this mating stuff is about, you can go find someone else and have whoever shove it up your ass for all I care!" She yelled. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides in her effort to refrain from clawing his eyes out.

"Ok,” he said softly placating, holding his hands up in defense against her outburst. What surprised him even more is that even his bear took a step back with eyes widening with fear. “Maybe I could have phrased that better."

"Maybe!" Too angry to even look at his face, she moved to step out of the tub only to be stopped when he too rose to his full height. His hand moved to grasp her arm, stopping her from moving an inch from his side.

"I'm sorry. But I am the man and you need to let me handle this. You are my mate and I will protect you, even if I have to do it from your own free spirit." He stated matter a fact.

Slowly he drew her closer. She quickly jerked her eyes from his deliciously slick body. Unfortunately, she didn't look away before he shot her a smug look at her notice. The bastard. His touch suddenly softened as his hand drifted down from her arm to her hip. Grasping her buttocks, he jerked her wet form against his equally wet one.

"Now that's settled,” His demeanor turned too smug for her liking. If he thought he was getting anything from her after that, he could forget it! “I need to find a use for this. Any ideas?" He whispered in a desire filled voice, while he grinded his straining cock against the soft swell of her stomach. His heavy eyes ranked over Aria's form; completely ignorant of the danger his chauvinist attitude was putting him in.

Leaning in to kiss her, he felt her pull away before he could guess her intent. With an emotionless expression, she bent down swiping up the wash cloth out of the steaming bath water before tossing the soaked cloth over his pulsing manhood. The dripping cloth hung limp over his straining cock, effectively turning his desire for her into an immature towel rack.

"There." She bit out. Flames that could only hope to rival her rage shown deeply within her bright eyes "Now it has a use." Without another look she stepped out of the tub. Taking with her the only towel, she strode haughtily from the bathroom. Never knowing that behind her, Doyle was mutely gasping after her like a startled fish out of water.

You’re an idiot
. His bear commented in the stillness of the steam filled bathroom.

The bell above chimed as the door of the only grocery store in the quiet town was slowly pushed open. Tucking the keg of beer under his arm, his opposite hand reached up to tug his dark baseball cap lower, shadowing his face against any that would happen to look his way. Keeping his head tilted down, he buried his free hand within his jacket pocket.

The street was virtually empty excluding an occasional car slowly passing over the refrozen streets. He was a ghost that walked among the living. That could never change. No matter how many times he changed his appearance or his name. He would always be a ghost, wanting nothing more than to live once again. It was pathetic. When had he become like a lonely dog, pressing his face against a glass window of a home, begging to be let in?

Turning a corner, his steps slowed as he neared the door to his temporary, dingy motel room. Digging down in his pocket, he brought the small key to the locked door. The lock emitted a soft click as the lock disengaged. Before he could open the door, he picked up the sound of loud thumps and breathless moans on the other side.

Pressing his lips into a thin line of displeasure, he swung the door open. His eyes immediately zeroed in on the writhing and naked couple on the second bed near the door. Slamming the door closed he walked over to the kitchen area without a backward glance. Behind him he heard the girl gasp in dismay at his entrance, but once the sound of the headboard hitting the wall increased her mind was directed elsewhere.

Selecting a beer and popping the cap off, he took a long swig as he looked around his not- so-humble abode. The room was complete with two meager twin beds divided by a small table and simple lamp a top of it. Off to the left was a small kitchen area with a microwave, small food smeared fridge, and another simple table accompanied with two chairs. Off to the right was a bathroom. All in all; it was better than most of the places they had stayed in the past.

Lifting his eyes back to the panting couple on the bed, Raoul curled his lip in disgust as he watched his brother pound into the bony blonde sitting astride him. His eyes watched with no interest at all. He'd seen this all too much. If his brother wasn't killing something, he was fucking it. The morning light spilled over the girl's naked back, highlighting her ribs and spine that seemed ready to come out of her skin.

He didn't bother to stop his upper lip from curling in revolt. Raoul didn't like bony women. He was a man and he wanted something to squeeze to him other than a femur. For his brother it didn't matter; hell, once he'd caught his brother with a man before. Sex was sex to him.

But for Raoul, he'd seemed to lose interest in that biological urge long ago. He wasn't impotent by any means; he just couldn't stomach the vacant action anymore.

His eyes suddenly widened as he watched Thomas move his grasping hands from the narrow hips of his companion, smoothly sliding them up over her small, bouncing breasts to circle her throat. His hands tightened around the neck of his bottle as his brother drove faster up into the gasping girl as he cut off her air. Surprised; the girl circled his hard wrists as she gasped at the force of his thrusts from beneath her. Bending forward Tom ran his tongue over her reddened face as he grunted with every thrust.

Slamming his beer bottle down on the table, Raoul moved to stop what his twin was doing. He was halfway to the bed when his brother squeezed his eyes closed, shouting out as his climax washed over him. The girl's eyes rolled in the back of her head as she gasped out her own release. As his brother came back to his senses, he let his hands fall from the girl's reddened neck only to shove her off him with mild distaste. Landing on her back against the simple green bedspread, she closed her eyes as her lungs struggled to draw in enough air.

Climbing off the bed, Thomas headed straight for the bathroom without a word to his exhausted bedmate. Hearing the water running for a short time, the girl sat up. Her weight was braced on her stretched out arms behind her. Her position attempted to accent her small breast more, but not by much. Her dark eyes fell on Raoul as he turned to survey the peeling, burgundy wallpaper on the surrounding walls.

“You’re twins.” She acknowledged with a lust filled grin, running a hand through her stringy, tussled tresses.

“You found a smart one.” Raoul shouted to his brother after scoffing at the obvious spoken fact.

Climbing, inelegantly to her bare feet, Raoul watched as the woman made her way across the room to him. Wrapping her stick thin arms around his neck, Raoul stood unimpressed as she plastered her sweaty body against his clothes. The smell of stale sweat and sex clung unpleasantly to her.

“Would you like a round for you too, big boy?” She giggled, making a show of wetting her lips in a way that would make a porn star blush. Reaching up, his hands gripped her slim wrists. Pulling them down from his neck, he gave her a light shove away from him.

Stepping around her, he sneered. “I don’t use another man's toilet seat.”

Walking to the unused bed, he blocked out the strong smell of sex, sweat, and fruity perfume as he threw himself onto the squeaky mattress. The water abruptly shut off as Thomas walked out wearing only a pair of black briefs. His black hair was slick and skin wet from his obvious shower. Walking to the table, he picked up Raoul's half drunk bottle and began finishing it off. His bored eyes no longer; if they ever did, held any interest in the naked toothpick standing a foot from him. As if on cue; her whiny voice broke through the still air like an insect flying around ones ear.

“What do you want to do now, babe?” She asked to Thomas’s back.

“Nothing,” He answered with a sigh. Though a smarter woman would have taken the hint, this bimbo would obviously require a more direct dismissal.

“Come on,” She whined, stomping her foot like a child that wasn't getting what they wanted. “We could have fun again.” Her words were heavy with meaning, full with enticement and temptation for any one of them.

Her face fell to a snotty scowl when neither hot blooded man responded to her. She reached out in one last attempt wrapping her hands around Thomas’s middle as she rubbed her naked breast against his back. Not soon after their skin touched, Thomas roughly jerked her hands away from him and shoved her away from him.

Stumbling on her feet, she glared back at him. “What the hell is your problem?” Turning to face her, his hand slowly lifted the bottle to his lips with a blank expression.

“Get out.”

“Excuse me?” She nearly screeched out in disbelief. Planting a hand on one bony hip, it was clear that she'd never had a male lose interest in her so quickly. As she opened her mouth to speak again, Raoul stopped her.

“Just get your clothes and leave.” When she looked like she would have argued, he continued before her lipstick smeared lips could part. “Trust me; it would be in your best interest to keep your mouth shut and leave. Now.” He growled out with irritation.

Rolling her eyes and huffing out an unintelligent response she walked over to retrieve her short black dress that lay in a rumpled heap between the beds. Jerking the thin fabric over her body, she quickly grabbed her small, matching pocket book. The door slammed loudly as she exited with more force than needed.

Sighing wearily, Raoul jerked off his black cap before tossing it carelessly across the small room. The scent of cigarette smoke began to fill the air around him. There was no use in getting any rest. Sleep had eluded him last night and he was sure it would be the same now, no matter how tired his body was. Pulling himself into sitting position, his hand ran through his buzz cut as his eyes sought out his brother. Thomas seemed more interested in puffing out smoke rings in between swigs of beer, to notice his watchful eyes.

“We're grabbing the package today.” He purposely spoke his words as a statement. He was tired of waiting. They had been watching Malca's missing package for nearly three days. If it had been up to him the little imp would have been dragged back days ago, but his brother wanted to play with his prey.

“Last night I made contact with the boss lady.” Thomas mumbled, taking a slow drag from his cigarette. His dark eyes flashed over Raoul with dark intent.

“We have a green light?” Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, his hands laid limp across his bent knees as he waited for an answer.

“Yes.” Carelessly, smashing what was left of his cigarette against the top of the table, Thomas folded his arms over his athletic built chest. “But; I need more time before we bring her in.”

Scoffing out in anger, Raoul jumped to his feet. “Time to do what exactly?”

“Let me worry about that, brother.”

“Fuck that! You will finish this mission today or I will do it for you.”

Smirking, a deep chuckle erupted from deep within Thomas’s chest. “Will you now? You and what army? I'm leading this mission, not you.”

“You lost the right to lead when you murdered that girl.” Raoul bit out bitterly as he paced away from the bed. “Do you want to draw attention to our presence here? We need to get the woman and get out of here before you bring down the whole police force of this ice block down upon us.” during his ranting, Raoul could hear his brother moving around behind him.

A loud popping sound echoed behind him before he had time to see what his brother was doing. It wasn't until a moment later that the fabric of his t-shirt began sticking to his skin with a blossoming, moist pain on his chest. Hesitantly, his hand reached up to cover the hot, throbbing area. Pulling his hand back, he took in the sight of dark blood covering his hand. Twisting around to face his brother, Raoul narrowed his eyes in accusation.

Lowering his arm, Thomas gently set the small handgun down on the table next to him. The sound of the heavy metal kissing the wood echoed over Raoul’s pain filled gasp. Walking over to his brother, Thomas lifted his leg and savagely kicked Raoul to the floor as his legs crumbled beneath him. Thomas smirked heartlessly down at his twin as Raoul looked up with a mix of surprise and despise.

“Don't look so shocked, brother. Just like with Cane and Able, only one can be the favorite. And I've decided it should be me.”

Stepping over his bleeding comrade, Thomas grabbed his discarded clothes and slowly pulled each item on leisurely. Picking up his boots by the bed, he sat down on the disheveled mattress as he pulled them on. “Don't worry, brother. You will have some time before you bleed out to think about where you went wrong. Personally; you should have realized earlier that the boss lady offered both of us the same deal; the female in exchange for our freedom. The little snag was only one of us could collect on it. No matter; I plan on doing all kinds of fun stuff with my free time.” Smirking wolfishly, he leapt to his feet with enthusiasm.

Walking back to the kitchen area, he tucked the gun in the front of his jeans as he threw his bag over his shoulder. Turning, he strode back to his prostrated twin with light steps. Raoul glared up at him as his thick blood ran through his pressing hand.

“Oh; and one more thing, brother,” drawing back his boot, Thomas drove it into his twin's ribcage and smirked when he heard the satisfying sound of the bones snapping and Raoul's grunt of pain. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited for that. Now if you don’t mind, I have some things to do before I go collect my bounty.” throwing a bone chilling smile over his shoulder, Thomas threw open the door and left Raoul as his dark blood covered the floor beneath him.

* ~ * ~ *

Pulling her long sleeved shirt down with an angry jerk, Aria stormed into the kitchen. Her anger grew with every stomping step. Part of her was tempted to just steal his truck, drive off and never look back. But knowing him, he’d just come after her.  Clenching her fist against the kitchen counter as her teeth gritted in aggravation.

How could he not understand that she needed to be involved? The murdered girl from last night only proved to her that they knew where she was hiding and they were coming. Did he not understand how dangerous Malca was? How could he act so stubborn?

Maybe because I didn't tell him the whole truth,
As the thought slipped through, she felt some of her anger fade away—some.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she silently groaned as she remembered her promise from the previous night. She'd sworn to him that if he didn't go digging around and involving others that she would come clean. All she'd told him was that the men pursuing her had held her prisoner. Maybe it was a mistake not telling him the whole truth.

Prepared to march back into the bedroom and spill everything, her footsteps faltered. The memory of his previous words kept her from moving. When she told him the truth, would he then demand that she stay behind so that she could be protected? She scoffed at the idea. She may not remember who she was before Malca took her, but what she did know was this; she was no weakling. She would never stand back while the
man
handled the situation. Doyle needed to accept that before he could ever accept her.

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed behind her. Warm chills of awareness slithered up her spine as Doyle entered the room. Though still beyond angry with him, she couldn't fight off feeling breathless when he was near. She held herself stiff as his strong arms circle her from behind, pulling her tightly against hard and bare chest. At first she'd anticipated he would say something; an apology or a declaration. He didn't. Instead for the first few minutes he just held her against him.