Unexpectedly Mated (BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance): An Alpha male. A curvy but sassy BBW. A trip to Sin City neither will ever forget. (Sassy Mates) (12 page)

“I always figured that you enjoyed owning that club because you were a womanizer.”

He barked a cynical laugh. “When have you seen me with any woman? Tell me.”

She licked her lips. “Maybe you don’t pick up women at your club, but that’s what they want, Jake.”

Jake growled. “And the woman who is my mate, my wife needs to trust that I won’t be doing that. That I’m not interested in anyone but her.”

“I’m sorry.
Maybe you’re asking for too much from a relationship that started a handful of days ago.” She shook her head, pulled out of his hold and stepped back. “I want to be alone.”

He
shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. “Nic, don’t do this.”

“Jake, please. I need space
,” she said, her gaze sliding away from him. She marched into the bedroom and shut the door. Shut him out. And shut out her feelings for him. Fear won.

J
ake downed another
shot of whiskey. The liquor no longer burned. It now joined the many others before it in his stomach with a small sting.

“There you are!” Ellie hissed
. She flailed her arms wildly. “What the hell is going on?”

He didn’t want to talk about it. His mate didn’t want him. He’d seen the fear in her eyes over her feelings. She didn’t want to love him.
Did she care about how much he loved her? Nope. Or how ready he was to give his life up for her? Not even a little. All Nic was worried about was being hurt. Not much he could do about that. She was the one who had to take a chance on them.

“Nic and I, we’re over.” He lifted a new shot to his lips and let it slide down his throat.

Suddenly a hard smack sounded and a slight twinge radiated over the back of his head.

“What the hell, Ellie
,” he snarled and rubbed his head. “Why did you hit me?”

She yanked on his arm
, moving him from his stool. “Come on, you idiot. She’s leaving.”

His
pride was wounded and dammit he hated to think that he’d done something to push her away. That his business was something she couldn’t handle. Nic didn’t want to trust him and he couldn’t be with someone who questioned everything when he was damn obvious about her being the only woman he loved.

“Let her go.
” He shrugged, the pain in his chest growing with every painful breath out of his lungs. “She doesn’t want me.”

Ellie slapped him over the head again. “Of course she wants you. She loves you.”

Jake turned around and glared at Ellie. “If she loves me, then why is she leaving? Why is she using my club as a reason to break things off?”

Ellie sighed and sat down at the stool next to his. “Because she doesn’t know what she’s feeling is love.” She smiled sadly. “Think about it. She’s never had anyone tell her they love her. She’s got all these feelings scaring her and you haven’t said anything but how much you enjoy sleeping with her.”

He opened his mouth but Ellie lifted a brow as if asking him to deny it.

“You guys are all the same. You assume that mating a human woman with trust and emotional issues is the same as mating one of us.” She took the shot on the bar and drank it in a single gulp.

“Damn!” She scrunched her nose and coughed.

Jake shook his head at
the faces she made. “You know that stuff is strong.”

Ellie shrugged. “You know what they say, whiskey gives you balls.”
She passed him a shot. “Here, have one. Maybe then you’ll grow some too.”

He chuckled at her words. “
Real funny. I did tell her I want her, but only because she should already know how I feel.”

Ellie laughed. “Oh, really? Did you somehow turn her into a mind reader the last time you had sex? Because I’d like to know how the hell you achieved that.
”

He shook his head at Ellie’s sarcasm. “Come on, Ellie. She’s one of us know. She can sense things.”

“So wait
.” Ellie motioned the bartender for another round of shots. “You’re telling me that you are expecting her to magically figure out all these new emotions she’s experiencing, and to know that you love her, right?”

Fuck. When she put it like that, he felt like a damn idiot. “You think I need to tell her how I feel?
Even after everything we’ve done together?”

Ellie gulped the new shot, made a face and squinted. “Yeah. If you want to keep her, you will.” Her shoulders dropped and she sighed. “Didn’t she explain to you how her parents never showed her or Letty any love? She doesn’t know that what she’s feeling for you is love.”

“She said they were very cold while she was growing up.” Shit. Shit. Shit. He was a real fucking dumbass. She’d given him the signs. He saw the fear in her eyes and ignored it.

“She loves you. I know she does. It’s only a matter of showing her it’s okay to love you because you love her back.” Ellie patted his arm.

“I know she does. I just don’t like that she refuses to admit it.”

She rolled her eyes. “This is Nic. She’s stubborn as a mule when it comes to her emotions. Besides, you cannot tell me that all that awesome sex you two had involved you declaring your love for her.”

“
No. It didn’t. It involved a lot of dirty talking.” He grinned.

“That part, I so did not need to know
,” Ellie groaned. “So what are we gonna do about your wife?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “
I’m such a fuck-up.”

“Nah, you’re a good guy. She knows that. She wouldn’t have married you otherwise. She just needs you to put her mind and heart at ease.”

“She’s so scared to care.” He remembered the panic in her eyes when he told her he wanted her for himself. That he wanted nobody else.

“That’s because she thinks she’ll get hurt. And can you blame her? All her life she’s been emotionally distant from everyone. She’s this wonderful teacher who cares about her students but doesn’t understand that she loves them. She cares about her sister but doesn’t think that’s love. She doesn’t know how to define it. She just knows she cares.”

“Why does she need to define it?” The last thing he wanted was to put more pressure on Nic. If she needed the words, he’d happily give them to her, but he didn’t want her to say them back unless she was sure.

“She doesn’t. All she needs is to see that you love her no matter what. It’ll click for her.” She grinned, her blue eyes glassy. “Trust me.”
She sniffed. “I hate you. I’m getting all teary eyed and it’s your damn fault! Why the hell did you let me drink that shit?”

He laughed while Ellie wiped at the corner of her eyes with a bar napkin. “You know you love me, baby sis.”

“I do love you. That’s why I’m going to help you get your mate back.”

“Where did she go?”
he asked, now ready to rush out and get his mate back.

Ellie hopped off the stool. “To the airport. You’re going to have to hurry to catch her.” She ran
to the hotel lobby with him. “She thought she was being slick, asking Letty to drop her off. Letty called me and explained before they left.”

“She’s s
uch a hard-headed woman,” he growled, reaching the main entrance.

Jaxon was walking in at the
same time he tried to get out. “Hey, where you off to?”

“
The airport, but I need a car,” he said.

Jaxon threw him the keys and smiled. “It’s still right there. I can see you’re on a mission, so take it and good luck.”

He squeezed the keys in his grasp. “Thanks, I’m pretty sure I need it.”

Ellie rushed into the passenger side of the sports car while he slid into the driver side.

He started the car and pulled away from the hotel and into traffic. He glanced at Ellie, her gaze was on the people on the strip. “Are you sure you’re okay being here while Caleb is still taking care of things on his own?”

She nodded. “He contacted Nate and said he’d accepted Jaxon’s enforcers help. That put Aric at ease
.” She pursed her lips. “And me too.”

“I can tell you’re up to something.”

“When we go back, I’m going to make him accept my help.” Ellie folded her arms in a defensive way he knew all too well.

“You think that’s a good idea
?” He maneuvered around traffic and onto the highway.

“I have to try. He won’t admit it, but he needs help.”

The sadness she tried to mask sounded in her voice.

“We’ll help him.”
He honked and pushed the tiny sports car forward.

Ellie smiled softly
and patted his arm. “Let’s help you get Nic back first. We’ll worry about other stuff later.”

“If I didn’t already love you I’d lo
ve you all over again.” He turned and smiled at his little sister. Always trying to save the world. One day, she’d be the one who needed them. When the time came, they’d all step up to the plate for her.

Ellie winked. “I know
, I know. Don’t tell mom or she’ll get all teary eyed talking about her babies.”

He laughed. “You got it. Let’s get Nic.”

He was more than ready to tell his wife how much he loved her.

Nic waited in
the security line to return to Blue Creek. The others didn’t know she’d left. That was it. Her marriage would be annulled and forgotten. Jake had to find someone else. She couldn’t do it. There was no living with the uncertainty of wondering if he loved her or not. She loved him. God, how she loved him. It scared the life out of her to know that she did. She’d lied to herself long enough. Every time she thought of Jake her stomach twisted in knots and she smiled like a complete idiot.

How could she be in a relationship with him and not be sure how he felt about her? Jake was so good about telling her his sexual desires for her. He’d never once spoken of his feelings. Not that she had either, but she knew she loved him. She also knew fear kept the words from falling out of her mouth. If she wanted to keep herself from being hurt, she’d have to break off her newly formed relationship with Jake. It’d only be a matter of time before he did break her heart.

The wolf in her growled in frustration. She wanted to go back to Jake, demand to know his feelings and tell him that she loved him. Temptation to get out of the security line and head back to the hotel and confront Jake had her walking forward slowly, until she was letting people pass ahead of her. Should she do it?

G
o back and let Jake know that she loved him? Fuck it. She’d do it. Her heartbeat increased in speed and sweat gathered in her palms. She yanked her cell phone out of her pocket to call Letty to come back and get her. She motioned for others to move past her in the line.

There was only one thing to do. Nic loved Jake and she had to take the chance on them. It was that or live with the
‘what ifs’ for the rest of her life.

“Letty?”
she murmured when her sister answered.

“What happened?” Alarm sounded in Letty’s voice.

Nic gulped. “Can you come back and get me?” More people passed her by. “I need to talk to Jake. I don’t want to leave like this.”

“How?”

“I love him. I need to tell him. I feel like an asshole for being so damn scared to let him know.” She pressed her fingers to her temple. “He’s been amazing with me the past few days and has shown he cares. I have to stop letting this fear of my emotions control me.”

“I’m so happy you feel that way, sis. He loves you, I’m sure of it
,” Letty assured her.

She wasn’t so sure, but that didn’t matter
anymore. She loved him and if he wanted to be with her then she’d learn to open up to him more. Emotions were scary. Love and pain could drive a person crazy. But the thought of not being with Jake hurt more than anything.

“I don’t want to leave.
” She bit her lip. “I love Jake. I need him to know. If you can’t come I’ll catch a cab outside.”

“Uh…” Letty cleared her throat. “I’m
...glad you’ve decided that...really.”

Nic frowned
. Letty’s hesitant words told her she’d probably have to catch a cab. “Why?”

“I love you, Nic!” Jake
’s voice shouted from behind her. How did he find her?

“
I’m glad you decided to talk to Jake because he went to the airport to get you back,” Letty said in a rush. “I love you, now go make up with your husband. Bye!”

She watched the crowd stop
, turn around and stare.

Her lungs compressed. It was hard to breathe and get her brain to acknowledge that Jake was there. He said he loved her in the middle of a crowded airport. She
brought the phone down from her ear and shoved it into her pocket. Then, when she finally got her feet to move, she spun on her heels. Sure enough. There he was, standing in the middle of the terminal with his hands fisted at his sides.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she mumbled, push
ing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Dare she hope that he was telling her the truth? She had been two seconds from hopping out of the security line to hail a cab back to him. The man she loved. The crowd grew more interested in them. She hoped people would keep walking but nobody seemed interested in missing their conversation.