Goal: A Mate (Bachelor Auction #2) (6 page)

Pierce McKinney was placing him as head coach of his own team and giving him a position on the board of the new Elemental Hockey League. Unlike other professional outfits, the NHL wasn’t snubbing their nose at shifters participating openly in the sport. It would make transitions easier for pro players who wanted the chance to use their powers and abilities during play.

This was all good, but doubts about his worth as a player and coach had assailed him during his waking hours ever since Pierce had made the offer. The only thing he’d had to look forward to was his date with Kelly. At least he thought he did. Ten canceled dates.
Ten.
Her excuses sounded sincere, but he’d known her long enough to tell when she was lying. If he didn’t know any better, he would’ve thought she didn’t want anything to do with him. Never in his life had he worked this hard for a woman’s attention. He knew he was good looking and had enough confidence to approach anyone he had his eye on, but Kelly was the only one he gave a damn about.

“Gotta go after what you want,” his old coach from the Claymores had told him. “Can’t hold back your talent just because you want others to shine. You’ll miss your chance.”

Now or never. Brandon pushed off from the wall. His body took over. His legs pumped, his arms swung, his core tightened. He took a few turns around the rink, getting his bearings back. His brain replayed a thousand victories and losses while his muscles flexed and relaxed, filled with the memory of a million movements.

On his fourth round, he grabbed his stick off the top of the goal that the rink staff had set up for him. In the middle of the ice sat a pyramid of black circular punks, all shiny and fresh out of the packs. With the tip of his stick, he knocked one black disc off and began to carry it back and forth, going through the motions, imagining a goalie and defenders at the ready to take away his prize.

With the flick of his wrist, he aimed it where glove side should be. It bounced off the bar and into the net. The red light came on and the word GOAL flashed behind the net.

He let out a whoop and returned to the pile of discs to have another go, trying different maneuvers this time. Some worked and some didn’t. He overshot at least twice and a few hit the crossbar—the bane of a shooters existence. A couple of times he didn’t know what the hell he was truly aiming at, but it sure as shit wasn’t the net.

His shoulder burned and throbbed. Sweat bathed his face. His sweatshirt stuck to his torso. He had worked himself too hard. His body protested every movement he made. Sharp needles of pain seared through the muscle with each flex and lift until he listed, putting all his weight on his left side.

Time to get the fuck off the ice. Maybe Kelly would want to do a late dinner. He doubted it after that phone call he’d gotten, but he had to try. After a long, hot shower, he dressed and got into his SUV to head home and drop off his hockey equipment before heading to Kelly’s office. Each step set off an avalanche of sweet pain, proof he’d had a damn good workout. His doctor would give him shit for working his shoulder beyond what he’d done with the therapist, but he didn’t care.

Brandon was only thirty, but the game had taken at least five years off his healing ability. As a werewolf, he should have been one hundred percent by now. Instead, he’d have to force shift just to hasten the process. He wasn’t looking forward to it.

The roads were clear for once. He turned on the local sports station and listened to the latest news about the leagues until he pulled into his driveway. Brandon had just turned the key and shut down the engine when his phone rang. He answered it without checking the caller ID. “Hello?”

“Get your ass over to Kelly’s and pack a bag for her. You come pick her up at the office and take her to your cabin in the middle of Nowheresville. And do not let her leave until you’ve convinced her that she’s your mate and I figure out a way to deal with the cat shifters without killing them. OK? Good.” Reenie hung up before Brandon could respond.

He hit speed dial. Reenie answered on the first ring. “What?”

“Just come and pick her up? That’s kidnapping.” He didn’t feel comfortable with just taking her to his place without her permission. Even if his wolf gave a woof of approval.

“She’s
your
mate, not Alberto’s! Kelly is overworked, not getting sleep, horny all the time—she thinks I can’t tell—and obsessed with trying to make this work. She needs a romantic weekend away. And, I admit, I have an ulterior motive. I have a plan for how to handle things with the kitties, but I need her out of the way. And before you ask, yes, it’s legal, and I won’t need bail. Why are you being so stupid? Look, you want her as your mate right?”

Brandon could practically see his sister rolling her eyes, exasperation on her face. “Of course,” he replied. “She
is
my mate.”

“Then take some initiative. Besides, this could be your last chance. After this who knows what will happen, what with her dad’s stupid proclamation. Grab your chance now. Besides, it’s your birthday. You should make it special.”

Shit! He’d forgotten all about it. A weekend spent with his mate without any interruptions and with an excuse to be romantic? “Fine. I’ll do this, but I’ll give her the option.” He turned the key. “I’m not just going to kidnap her.”

The engine purred back to life. He backed up and drove to Kelly’s rental house. As soon as he pulled up, he spotted trouble. Alberto stood at the door, ringing the bell. He was wearing suit pants and a jacket with a crisp white shirt with no jacket, despite the cold. Annoyance grated Brandon’s nerves as he shut down the vehicle and got out, not bothering to lock the door.

Brandon’s wolf growled. Liquid heat poured into his muscles as his body readied itself for the shift. Some of his earlier pain faded away in the face of a challenger for his woman.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Brandon made a show of flipping through his key ring to find the extra Kelly had given him just in case.
Yeah, she trusts me
, he said to himself.
Not you.

“I’m here because Kelly is my intended, and with Martin giving the go-ahead for the merger it’s important that she and I have a little talk about our future.” Alberto did that thing where he showed off all his teeth, and Brandon wanted to punch him all over again. “I can give her financial stability so she doesn’t have to work anymore. I can give her comfort and all my time, since I won’t be running hither and yon with the local hockey team. And besides, I’m a purebred werewolf. I’m more than perfect as her mate. You can’t say the same thing. Her father agrees, otherwise he wouldn’t have sent out that e-mail. Can you say the same thing? Hmmm?”

Brandon could smell the sour tang of the fib he couldn’t work out the real reason that Alberto would be at Kelly’s near the end of the work day.

“You know she’s at work right? Did you think you could break into her place and wait it out? Try again asshole.” Brandon found the key he was looking for, unlocked the door, and slipped past Alberto, blocking the entrance so the other shifter’s couldn’t slip in after him. For some reason a faint trace of rose perfume hung between them.

What the fuck? Brandon leaned forward, bringing his nose closer. It was unmistakably Reenie’s scent. He pulled back and eyed Alberto with a new idea that he liked even less than the idea of the bastard sniffing around Kelly, but he held himself back. He would decide what to do about Alberto and Reenie after Kelly was safely bound to him.

“Take all the time you want with Kelly, but in the end she’ll be mine.” Alberto leaned against the door frame, arms crossed, his damning grin fixed firmly in place. “There’s nothing you can do about it.”

“She’s
my
mate.” Brandon’s wolf peeked out with a growl. “You’ll learn that soon enough. Now get the hell out of here.”

“Going to challenge me, little wolf?” Alberto lifted a thick black eyebrow in question. His gaze darted down to Brandon’s shoulder.

What the fuck could his sister see in this asshat? Brandon’s wolf rose up as he pulled his arm back and swung, decking Alberto on his chin, causing his head to snap to the side. “Leave, asshole. She’s
mine.
Back the fuck off.” Brandon took a step back and slammed the door closed.

Reenie was right. He needed to stake his claim. He needed Kelly to realize he was more than a friend. Kelly was a neat person, so it wasn’t difficult to gather the items she would need for a weekend away. The last thing he picked up was her baby doll nightgown. As he lifted the filmy, diaphanous garment, he spotted a black velvet case lying beneath it. Remembering his encounter with Alberto, he wondered if the bribery had begun. He reached for it only to stop. No, no, no. He wouldn’t violate her privacy. He turned away.

But the wolf whimpered as he tried to leave the room. The hair on the back of his stood up. The beast tried to surge up and take over. Each step became labored as the animal pushed at him to go back and peek. He gritted his teeth and tried to fight through it. Sweat beaded on his brow and his arms and legs shook.
“Argh, fine!”

The wolf released him, and he let out a gasp of air. He wiped away the moisture, turned on his heel, and went to the dresser. He opened the drawer and picked up the case. With a flick of his thumb, the lid opened to reveal a sleek, flesh-colored vibrator. The cock portion was very lifelike—and about his size if he was guessing—with ridges and veins. The flared head was painted red, as if to show the fabricated penis as flushed and filled with blood, ready to go. Next to it sat a few packets of cleaning solution and lubricant. Below that was a silver bullet, which was about the length of his thumb but a bit thicker. A small remote control sat next to it.

Set in the lid of the box was a series of circular items—he had no clue what they were for—along with some clips. He picked up a clip and turned it this way and that. What the fuck? He only had a basic knowledge of sex toys and could identify only the most obvious of items. A few times he and some teammates, on a lark, had gone into adult shops. They hadn’t seen everything, but he’d come away with a few ideas to use in his sex life. He could only imagine what he could use this for with Kelly. This weekend was going to prove a revelation to him—if she went along with it and didn’t try to kill him.

He closed the lid and stowed the box in the satchel. Just as he was about to leave, he spotted her plants. He couldn’t let them die. She would never forgive him for that. It was one of the things he loved about her—that she cared so much about the small bit of greenery scattered around the place. The pots of herbs and flowers weren’t just there for decoration. She used all of them in decorations for the holidays or cooking. Once the plants were well watered, he gave her home a once over, and after satisfying himself that there was nothing else that needed attending to, he set her alarm and locked up.

Alberto was nowhere to be seen as he left, but he did spot a few fellow pack members skulking about. Two of them were his own age and one was about her father’s age. He could only shake his head. It was a good thing that Reenie had called, otherwise who knows what could’ve happened? Werewolves on the prowl for a mate could be dangerous; ones that wanted alpha status as well were unpredictable.

Brandon climbed into the SUV and put the duffle bag in the back before buckling up and turning on the car. As it warmed up, with the heat blasting, he kept watch in his rearview and side mirrors. If the men moved closer, he’d call Martin or a few of his friends to keep watch. Maybe even Reenie to house sit. He wanted no distractions or problems to arise while they were gone. Brandon would be claiming his mate this weekend, edict and alpha hunters be damned. Kelly was his. The time for ignoring that was over.

Chapter Five

Kelly leaned against her car, forehead resting against the window. The day had been too long, yet there were not enough hours in the day. Tomorrow would probably bring in more issues. The cat shifters had backed off as soon as Kelly and Al had shown up, but they wouldn’t be cowed by a show of force and threat of lawsuits.

Kelly couldn’t understand why they were doing this. Reenie had set up a talk between the cats and Madison, but it wouldn’t be until next Friday, so it was a wait-and-see game at this point. Now Kelly wished that she could have gone out on a date with Brandon after all. It would at least have been a distraction.

At the very thought of being alone with Brandon, heat swirled in her stomach and moisture flooded her pussy. Last night’s dream rose up. Maybe a little quality time with her vibrator would take the edge off.

The wolf let out a low grumble, and Kelly smiled. Or maybe she could call him. A large yawn took her off guard. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to curl up for a nap or curl up in bed with Brandon. The latter sounded much more appealing, but she doubted he’d be home. There was a multitude of things to do before Pierce made the big announcement about the new hockey league.

“Kelly?” Brandon’s rich baritone shivered across her skin, warming her up from the inside out.

She glanced toward where the sound came from. Brandon stood a few feet away. The wind ruffled his wavy hair, giving him a rakish look. The overhead street lamps bathed only half of him in a waxy golden light. His bright blue eyes seemed to glow with an intensity she couldn’t read. He wore a simple pea coat; the parted sections revealed his blue plaid shirt and jeans. Scuffed-up motorcycle boots finished off the casual outfit. Dark-brown scruff covered the bottom half of his face.

She lifted her hand, wanting to feel the rough texture against her fingertips. Kelly swallowed and took a step toward him.

He raised a thick brow but said nothing.

“Brandon?” Her voice shook as she said his name. Something about the way he stood, the silence and stillness, made her nervous.

The wolf flashed in his eyes, a spark of copper, before melting away to color of midnight skies.

She licked her lips. “Bran?” A tremble of fear caused her stomach muscles to flutter. She’d seen that expression on his face during a face-off on the ice, but he’d never turned that look on her.