Island Stripe Pride - Chapter 65: Chapter 65
You are reading Island Stripe Pride, Chapter 65: Chapter 65. Read more chapters of Island Stripe Pride.
Bruno smiled as he walked down the hallway to meet with Carter. The wedding guests were arriving today, and the rehearsal dinner was tonight. He’d left Mara’s bed reluctantly while the woman had been snoring softly in her sleep. She was so damn cute, his heart had been likely to beat out of his chest while he’d stood there staring like a lovesick cub.
Poor little kit. Sweet, sexy, insatiable woman.
He’d been pleasantly surprised that her appetite had matched his own. The first time she came all over his cock had been incredible. By the third, he was beyond addicted. She didn’t know it yet, but Mara had a fucking monster Tiger at her back, willing to do anything for her.
He’d kissed her hard on the mouth, pulling a throaty moan from her lips and a smile that made his insides turn to jelly. It took all his will not to pull off his clothes and get back in bed with her, but Carter had been texting him all morning, and he was already late. She was tired too, but didn’t have to be in till later. Pretty little Bunny needed her sleep. He’d have to make sure she got plenty of rest and enough nutrition.
Bruno was never late. No one had ever mattered more than his Pride, but Mara did. She mattered most of all. The sexy little Bunny was changing everything about him, and Bruno was shocked to find he did not give a single solitary fuck.
“I’ll see ya later, kit. Get some rest,” he murmured, kissing the sleepy smile on her lips just to see if he could taste it.
He could. He really could. Mara’s smile tasted like happiness, and that was something he hadn’t had with any sort of regularity in his life. She could remedy that. Mara could be his happiness, hell, she already was. And Bruno had already decided he was going to hold on to it with both hands.
His Tiger was all growly and possessive, demanding he take care of his Bunny. And she was his now. Now that he had her, he was not letting go, and fuck what anyone else thought. He was going to prove to Dean and Carter he could do this job here. He was going to make himself invaluable to the Pride.
“It’s about fucking time,” Carter growled, and Bruno looked inside the man’s office to see he wasn’t alone.
Two men and one woman, sniff, Lion Shifters from the smell of them, sat inside Carter’s office. The males stood to the back, guards it seemed, while the female scrolled through messages on her cell phone. She appeared very well put together, from her name brand suit to her expensive bag and shoes. She must be high in the Luani Pride, at least that was his guess. But Bruno was not into Pride politics.
“Bruno, come on in,” Carter said jovially, slapping him on the shoulder.
Bruno raised his eyebrows at the abrupt change in his demeanor, but even with Carter trying to slap the shit out of him, he did not make a single sound.
“This is the infamous Bruno D’Italia? Excellent.”
The she-Cat’s eyes lit up as she stood and offered him her hand, but Bruno got around it by going to her guards first. His Tiger would not let him touch the female. Not after last night.
“Matthew Taylor and Dexter O’Grady. I know you, and I read your files,” he murmured, shaking hands with two of the Pride’s best Enforcers. They were also beat cops for the 135th, and he respected that.
“Yes, my father sent them to protect me, but I can see he didn’t need to do that. I’m Lorraine Luani.”
The woman inserted herself between the two males and Bruno, extending her hand again. He frowned at it, looking at Carter, who just nodded his go ahead. Fuck. He gripped it quickly, intending to let go, but the woman was like an oyster clutching at a pearl, for fuck’s sake.
“My father is thrilled you agreed to host the ceremony here. Rami Llewellyn is important to him, even though he mated outside of us. Still, my father thinks this little agreement, as well as other things, will serve well to bring our two Prides together,” Lorraine Luani said with a satisfied smile.
Bruno raised his eyebrows at her statements. She seemed a little judgy to him, but who was he to have an opinion? Bruno tugged his hand free, and Carter took over the conversation, thank fuck.
“Well, you are the first to arrive, and I believe your rooms are ready. If you would allow me—”
“I am sure you have better things to do. He can show us the way,” Lorraine said, nodding at Bruno as if he wasn’t there to answer for himself.
Pushy, overbearing female. No touching, snarled his beast.
Fuck. He was growling, and the sound was not at all nice. The two males looked at each other and at him, but Bruno cleared his throat and nodded. He had to prove to Carter he was good at this job so he could stay. With that in mind, his Tiger backed off, and Bruno was careful to avoid the she-Cat’s searching hands, solving the problem by taking two of the suitcases in the hall.
“They’re in room 207 in the main building,” Carter murmured.
“Right. The elevators are this way.”
“Wonderful,” Lorraine practically purred, and attached herself to his elbow.
Fuck. He thought grabbing her bags would have stopped the woman from clinging, but clearly, she did not get the hint. Of course, that would be about the same time a certain sexy Bunny would come strolling through the doors. He watched the color drain from Mara’s face as she dropped the paper bag she carried on the floor and turned around the way she came.
“Shit,” he mumbled.
“You shouldn’t allow people to dump their garbage on the floor. You know, I read a lot about you, Mr. D’Italia, and that White Tiger of yours. I sure hope to see him sometime this weekend—”
“Excuse me. Bradley!” Bruno called, and the smaller Shifter came running over.
“Yes?”
“Can you please help the Luani party to their suite? I have to go,” he growled, dropping the suitcases and tugging free of the octopus-armed woman’s grip.
“Certainly,” Bradley whispered. “Right this way—”
He didn’t stick around to hear the rest of the conversation, Bruno had a spitting mad Bunny to chase down. He found her in the parking lot, bent over, trying to retrieve her keys from under the car where she must have kicked them. She was wearing the cutest pair of baggy chef pants he’d ever seen. They were bright blue and covered in black tiger stripes. Part of him was thrilled she had them on, hoping they were for him.
“Mara! Wait,” he said, jogging towards her, and grabbing the keys before she could get them.
“Give me my keys,” she growled, and his heart damn near broke when he saw her eyes glassy with unshed tears.
“Hold up. Are you crying? Fuck, Mara, I don’t know what to do about girls crying.”
“Fuck you. Give me my keys,” she growled again, and dammit, it was sexy.
She probably wouldn’t appreciate him adjusting his dick right now, so he didn’t. Just held the keys out of her reach and let her slap his chest.
“You know, I shouldn’t be surprised. I shouldn’t even be mad. I knew you were a tomcat, but fuck, Bruno, you couldn’t even wait a day to find another female to notch your bed post with?”
She had it all wrong, but her words still hurt. He was a tomcat. Had been in his youth, anyway. But it appeared his reputation preceded him.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Wait a minute, Mara. First, I don’t want another female—”
“Oh really, what about Miss Blonde and Beautiful in there? Woman had her fingernails embedded in your skin, for fuck’s sake.”
“You’re right, but listen to what you’re saying, Mara. She had her hands on me. I was holding her bags, trying to figure out how to get her off me, when you came in. I should’ve been faster about it, you’re right, but I didn’t know how to do that without insulting her, and I am trying to earn my place here, so Dean doesn’t make me return to the city,” he said in a rush, trying to explain and wishing he knew how to make her stop crying.
“She was grabbing you,” she agreed, and relief washed through him.
“I’m sorry, Mara. I am so sorry. I never ever want to upset you, kit, but I know it won’t be the last time. Sometimes I won’t be able to help but fuck up, but I’ll work on it. I promise. Just don’t give up on me yet,” he growled, his Tiger fucking him up on the inside for hurting her.
“Oh Bruno,” she murmured.
Mara rushed into his arms, crushing herself to him. He caught her against his chest and wrapped her tight. He would always catch her. Always. Fuck, it felt so good to hold her.
“You mean it? You want to stay here?” she asked, wonder in her tone.
“Fuck yes, I mean it. Last night was important, Mara. You are important to me. I can’t change my past, but I swear on my life you are the only woman I want to be with.”
“Really?”
“Yes, woman, what do you think? My Tiger doesn’t go around picking females to protect every day. Feel this here,” he rumbled, placing her hand over his chest where his animal was growling fiercely. “That’s my Cat wanting to kick my own ass for hurting you. You’re the beast’s now, Mara. And he isn’t letting go.”
“He isn’t?” she asked, blue eyes trained on him. “Good,” she said before he could respond.
Then she pressed her lips to his in too short a kiss. She was pulling away before he even tasted her, but the sappy grin she wore was like balm to his bruised heart. The Tiger chuffed, satisfied she was happy again.
Give her smiles. More smiles. More kisses. But no more tears.
I can do that.
“I’ll see you later,” she murmured, taking her keys and waving her fingers at him.
“You can count on it, kit.”
Bruno returned to the lobby, grateful the Lions were gone. Bradley was smirking at him, and Toni was glaring at him from behind the guest relations counter. He walked around the counter, past the giant Island Stripe Mountain Resort sign, and felt the tiny Bunny’s breath on his neck as she followed him into the office.
“One rule. I gave you one rule,” she snapped, and Bruno sighed.
“Let’s hear his side of it, baby,” Carter murmured, walking in after them and settling his arms around his mate.
“Look, Carter, Toni, before you start yelling, you should both know something,” Bruno began.
“What?” Toni snapped.
“I’m in love with your sister. I know I don’t deserve her, but I swear I will spend the rest of my life trying to.”
“Well, damn,” Toni replied, and sniffed. “How am I supposed to yell at you now?”
“Awww, honey,” Carter murmured, cradling his sniffling mate inside his embrace. He mouthed the words pregnancy hormones, but Bruno knew better than to comment. Gaze averted, he simply waited for the couple to finish their whispering before he went back to work.
“Alright, I decided you can court my sister,” Toni announced loudly. “But you better not make her cry again, pussycat, or I’ll hang you by your own damned tail,” she snapped and waddled out of the office.
“Um, Carter?”
“Yeah, bro?”
“Your mate is terrifying.”
“That she is,” Carter replied with a grin. “Tiny, terrifying, tempestuous, and totally mine.
“Um, congrats?”
“Thanks, bro. Hope you get lucky like me someday.”
The weird thing was, Bruno hoped so, too.
Poor little kit. Sweet, sexy, insatiable woman.
He’d been pleasantly surprised that her appetite had matched his own. The first time she came all over his cock had been incredible. By the third, he was beyond addicted. She didn’t know it yet, but Mara had a fucking monster Tiger at her back, willing to do anything for her.
He’d kissed her hard on the mouth, pulling a throaty moan from her lips and a smile that made his insides turn to jelly. It took all his will not to pull off his clothes and get back in bed with her, but Carter had been texting him all morning, and he was already late. She was tired too, but didn’t have to be in till later. Pretty little Bunny needed her sleep. He’d have to make sure she got plenty of rest and enough nutrition.
Bruno was never late. No one had ever mattered more than his Pride, but Mara did. She mattered most of all. The sexy little Bunny was changing everything about him, and Bruno was shocked to find he did not give a single solitary fuck.
“I’ll see ya later, kit. Get some rest,” he murmured, kissing the sleepy smile on her lips just to see if he could taste it.
He could. He really could. Mara’s smile tasted like happiness, and that was something he hadn’t had with any sort of regularity in his life. She could remedy that. Mara could be his happiness, hell, she already was. And Bruno had already decided he was going to hold on to it with both hands.
His Tiger was all growly and possessive, demanding he take care of his Bunny. And she was his now. Now that he had her, he was not letting go, and fuck what anyone else thought. He was going to prove to Dean and Carter he could do this job here. He was going to make himself invaluable to the Pride.
“It’s about fucking time,” Carter growled, and Bruno looked inside the man’s office to see he wasn’t alone.
Two men and one woman, sniff, Lion Shifters from the smell of them, sat inside Carter’s office. The males stood to the back, guards it seemed, while the female scrolled through messages on her cell phone. She appeared very well put together, from her name brand suit to her expensive bag and shoes. She must be high in the Luani Pride, at least that was his guess. But Bruno was not into Pride politics.
“Bruno, come on in,” Carter said jovially, slapping him on the shoulder.
Bruno raised his eyebrows at the abrupt change in his demeanor, but even with Carter trying to slap the shit out of him, he did not make a single sound.
“This is the infamous Bruno D’Italia? Excellent.”
The she-Cat’s eyes lit up as she stood and offered him her hand, but Bruno got around it by going to her guards first. His Tiger would not let him touch the female. Not after last night.
“Matthew Taylor and Dexter O’Grady. I know you, and I read your files,” he murmured, shaking hands with two of the Pride’s best Enforcers. They were also beat cops for the 135th, and he respected that.
“Yes, my father sent them to protect me, but I can see he didn’t need to do that. I’m Lorraine Luani.”
The woman inserted herself between the two males and Bruno, extending her hand again. He frowned at it, looking at Carter, who just nodded his go ahead. Fuck. He gripped it quickly, intending to let go, but the woman was like an oyster clutching at a pearl, for fuck’s sake.
“My father is thrilled you agreed to host the ceremony here. Rami Llewellyn is important to him, even though he mated outside of us. Still, my father thinks this little agreement, as well as other things, will serve well to bring our two Prides together,” Lorraine Luani said with a satisfied smile.
Bruno raised his eyebrows at her statements. She seemed a little judgy to him, but who was he to have an opinion? Bruno tugged his hand free, and Carter took over the conversation, thank fuck.
“Well, you are the first to arrive, and I believe your rooms are ready. If you would allow me—”
“I am sure you have better things to do. He can show us the way,” Lorraine said, nodding at Bruno as if he wasn’t there to answer for himself.
Pushy, overbearing female. No touching, snarled his beast.
Fuck. He was growling, and the sound was not at all nice. The two males looked at each other and at him, but Bruno cleared his throat and nodded. He had to prove to Carter he was good at this job so he could stay. With that in mind, his Tiger backed off, and Bruno was careful to avoid the she-Cat’s searching hands, solving the problem by taking two of the suitcases in the hall.
“They’re in room 207 in the main building,” Carter murmured.
“Right. The elevators are this way.”
“Wonderful,” Lorraine practically purred, and attached herself to his elbow.
Fuck. He thought grabbing her bags would have stopped the woman from clinging, but clearly, she did not get the hint. Of course, that would be about the same time a certain sexy Bunny would come strolling through the doors. He watched the color drain from Mara’s face as she dropped the paper bag she carried on the floor and turned around the way she came.
“Shit,” he mumbled.
“You shouldn’t allow people to dump their garbage on the floor. You know, I read a lot about you, Mr. D’Italia, and that White Tiger of yours. I sure hope to see him sometime this weekend—”
“Excuse me. Bradley!” Bruno called, and the smaller Shifter came running over.
“Yes?”
“Can you please help the Luani party to their suite? I have to go,” he growled, dropping the suitcases and tugging free of the octopus-armed woman’s grip.
“Certainly,” Bradley whispered. “Right this way—”
He didn’t stick around to hear the rest of the conversation, Bruno had a spitting mad Bunny to chase down. He found her in the parking lot, bent over, trying to retrieve her keys from under the car where she must have kicked them. She was wearing the cutest pair of baggy chef pants he’d ever seen. They were bright blue and covered in black tiger stripes. Part of him was thrilled she had them on, hoping they were for him.
“Mara! Wait,” he said, jogging towards her, and grabbing the keys before she could get them.
“Give me my keys,” she growled, and his heart damn near broke when he saw her eyes glassy with unshed tears.
“Hold up. Are you crying? Fuck, Mara, I don’t know what to do about girls crying.”
“Fuck you. Give me my keys,” she growled again, and dammit, it was sexy.
She probably wouldn’t appreciate him adjusting his dick right now, so he didn’t. Just held the keys out of her reach and let her slap his chest.
“You know, I shouldn’t be surprised. I shouldn’t even be mad. I knew you were a tomcat, but fuck, Bruno, you couldn’t even wait a day to find another female to notch your bed post with?”
She had it all wrong, but her words still hurt. He was a tomcat. Had been in his youth, anyway. But it appeared his reputation preceded him.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Wait a minute, Mara. First, I don’t want another female—”
“Oh really, what about Miss Blonde and Beautiful in there? Woman had her fingernails embedded in your skin, for fuck’s sake.”
“You’re right, but listen to what you’re saying, Mara. She had her hands on me. I was holding her bags, trying to figure out how to get her off me, when you came in. I should’ve been faster about it, you’re right, but I didn’t know how to do that without insulting her, and I am trying to earn my place here, so Dean doesn’t make me return to the city,” he said in a rush, trying to explain and wishing he knew how to make her stop crying.
“She was grabbing you,” she agreed, and relief washed through him.
“I’m sorry, Mara. I am so sorry. I never ever want to upset you, kit, but I know it won’t be the last time. Sometimes I won’t be able to help but fuck up, but I’ll work on it. I promise. Just don’t give up on me yet,” he growled, his Tiger fucking him up on the inside for hurting her.
“Oh Bruno,” she murmured.
Mara rushed into his arms, crushing herself to him. He caught her against his chest and wrapped her tight. He would always catch her. Always. Fuck, it felt so good to hold her.
“You mean it? You want to stay here?” she asked, wonder in her tone.
“Fuck yes, I mean it. Last night was important, Mara. You are important to me. I can’t change my past, but I swear on my life you are the only woman I want to be with.”
“Really?”
“Yes, woman, what do you think? My Tiger doesn’t go around picking females to protect every day. Feel this here,” he rumbled, placing her hand over his chest where his animal was growling fiercely. “That’s my Cat wanting to kick my own ass for hurting you. You’re the beast’s now, Mara. And he isn’t letting go.”
“He isn’t?” she asked, blue eyes trained on him. “Good,” she said before he could respond.
Then she pressed her lips to his in too short a kiss. She was pulling away before he even tasted her, but the sappy grin she wore was like balm to his bruised heart. The Tiger chuffed, satisfied she was happy again.
Give her smiles. More smiles. More kisses. But no more tears.
I can do that.
“I’ll see you later,” she murmured, taking her keys and waving her fingers at him.
“You can count on it, kit.”
Bruno returned to the lobby, grateful the Lions were gone. Bradley was smirking at him, and Toni was glaring at him from behind the guest relations counter. He walked around the counter, past the giant Island Stripe Mountain Resort sign, and felt the tiny Bunny’s breath on his neck as she followed him into the office.
“One rule. I gave you one rule,” she snapped, and Bruno sighed.
“Let’s hear his side of it, baby,” Carter murmured, walking in after them and settling his arms around his mate.
“Look, Carter, Toni, before you start yelling, you should both know something,” Bruno began.
“What?” Toni snapped.
“I’m in love with your sister. I know I don’t deserve her, but I swear I will spend the rest of my life trying to.”
“Well, damn,” Toni replied, and sniffed. “How am I supposed to yell at you now?”
“Awww, honey,” Carter murmured, cradling his sniffling mate inside his embrace. He mouthed the words pregnancy hormones, but Bruno knew better than to comment. Gaze averted, he simply waited for the couple to finish their whispering before he went back to work.
“Alright, I decided you can court my sister,” Toni announced loudly. “But you better not make her cry again, pussycat, or I’ll hang you by your own damned tail,” she snapped and waddled out of the office.
“Um, Carter?”
“Yeah, bro?”
“Your mate is terrifying.”
“That she is,” Carter replied with a grin. “Tiny, terrifying, tempestuous, and totally mine.
“Um, congrats?”
“Thanks, bro. Hope you get lucky like me someday.”
The weird thing was, Bruno hoped so, too.
End of Island Stripe Pride Chapter 65. Continue reading Chapter 66 or return to Island Stripe Pride book page.