Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 27312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 137(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 137(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
“You’re pulling me away from my girl,” I say, trying to keep my low rumbling voice steady. I’m seething as I narrow my eyes on him. “You’re going to get your head ripped off if you’re not careful. I won’t be able to hold my bear back for much longer.”
I already feel my grasp on him slipping. He lets out a nasty roar inside me before charging forward again.
“Shit,” I grit through clenched teeth as I feel my chest start to swell. I squeeze my eyes shut and grunt as I force him back down. It’s like trying to put the lid on a volcano that’s ready to blow.
“Breathe,” Jacob says as he starts to look around in a panic. “We’re in a packed bar here. Take it easy.”
I’m breathing heavily as my bear slinks back down. He starts pacing around, but I can feel he’s not happy.
The bartender is watching us closely. I can smell the man’s polar bear and he seems alert and ready to go.
I look at my brother as my chest heaves up and down. “What do you want?”
“I just need to warn you. Watch what you say to that girl.”
“That girl,” I say slowly, feeling the rage coming back. “Is my mate. She can know anything about me that she wants.”
“It’s not just you,” he says with a sigh. “Come on, Cameron. We don’t even know her.”
“You don’t know her,” I say, poking my finger into his chest. “I do. I’ve been dreaming about her for decades.”
“This is not some fantasy anymore. This is real life and real life has consequences. Deadly consequences. You know damn well that we had no jurisdiction to go after Burton. You want that on the front page of The New York Times?”
“What am I supposed to do, Jacob? She’s my mate. My girl. You getting this? There are no secrets between us.”
“But there are secrets between us and the rest of the world, particularly the US Military. You getting this? She’s a journalist for fuck’s sake. How did she even find us anyway? How does she even know about Burton?”
I take a deep breath and look back at Mary. My heart melts as I watch her try to pick a fruit fly out of her beer. Her glasses are resting on her scrunched up nose, looking adorable as she tries to pluck it out with her finger and thumb.
Maybe I was too quick to give out all of our secrets. This doesn’t just affect me after all. I have my brothers and cousin to think about too.
“What did you tell her?” Jacob asks in a low tone.
I sigh. “Everything.”
“Everything?! What the fuck, Cameron?! We came here to start fresh. To have normal lives for once. Maybe even to start families… She’s going to drag up all our old shit!”
My bear starts to get riled up again. I can feel his pacing start to increase as he lets out a low growl. He doesn’t like anyone talking badly about our girl or anyone getting agitated around her. If I’m not careful, I’m going to have a two thousand pound pissed off Kodiak bear causing a rampage in here.
I don’t want that to happen. How will Mary react to seeing that? Mate or not, she’d probably hightail it back to New York to get away from me.
On top of that, it’s the only bar in town and I’d rather not be banned for life.
I take a deep breath, trying to calm everyone down—my bear, my brother, myself…
“She’s not going to do any of that,” I tell him. “She’s my mate. She’s not going to throw us under the bus.”
“You don’t know that. You just met her.”
I’d like to disagree with him, but he’s right. I don’t know her at all. Just because my soul recognizes her as my other half, it doesn’t mean she’s going to have my best interests at heart. It doesn’t mean she’s going to put me over her career. It doesn’t mean anything.
All I can do is hope for the best now and pray that she’s as trustworthy as I think she is.
“You guys are making a scene,” Easton says as he comes over. “Take it outside or settle the fuck down. We’re already in hot water for getting into a brawl with those firecunts.”
“I’ll go outside,” I say as my bear lets out a feral snarl. “You guys stay in here.” I turn back to Jacob with a warning look. “And don’t interrupt us again.”
“Everything okay?” Mary asks when I charge back to the table.
“Fine,” I grunt. “It’s a beautiful night. Let’s go on the patio.”
I grab the beers and head out before she can answer. She grabs her purse and follows me as my brothers slink back to their table.
Heading outside was a good idea. I could use the fresh air.