The Maverick Pride Tales - Chapter 33: Chapter 33

Shit.
He’d have to replace that. But that was not important. Only his mate mattered. And right then, she was upset.
That was not okay with him. Maybe he could still hunt down that asshole who’d taken her virginity and beat some sense into him. Didn’t the soon-to-be-dead asshat know how to treat a woman?
And what about the rest of the idiot Pride? Was every Tiger in the vicinity a fucking moron? How could this gorgeous creature not know how truly lovely and desirable she was?
If he did not already spend so much time working with them, he might have been surprised. But it was a fact. All the men in the Pride were completely fucking stupid. And for that reason alone, he would let them live.
Fact was, Brayden was profoundly glad they were all tasteless morons. If they had paid more attention than was necessary to sweet Jessica, his Bear would likely demand he round them up and teach them a lesson.
Actually, that sounded good to the animal either way.
Grrrrrrr.
Mine.
No one looks.
No one touches.
No one but me.
The sound of his name brought his head up and immediately he was taken in by a pair of shocked teal eyes. Uncle Uzzi was grinning like the sly old Witch he was, but Jessica looked downright stunned.
Uh oh.
Brayden had been caught in the act of spying on the Neta’s sister. Surely, there was some punishment involved. He only hoped she’d be the one to dish it out.
Images of Jessica and some handcuffs came to mind, and while it wasn’t necessarily his kink, he could so get into that with her.
Grrrrr.
Fuck. He needed to get his mind out of the gutter.
“Brayden Smith,” Uncle Uzzi repeated his name.
“Why don’t you stop hovering near the door and come on in here? Take a seat next to our lovely Jessica.”
Not ours. Mine, growled his Bear.
Brayden just ignored the animal and took a seat on the other side of the table. He did not trust himself to be close to Jessica at that moment.
He nodded his head in lieu of a verbal greeting, afraid to speak until he got his Bear more firmly under control. The facts that his fingernails had grown in length and darkened in color, and his arms now bore a dark smattering of fur, left little doubt that he was almost out of control.
“Should I go?’ asked Jessica.
“No!” Brayden exclaimed.
The word had left his mouth before he could rethink it. He winced and shook his head. Dammit, he was going to fuck this up already, wasn’t he?
“Well, kids,” Uncle Uzzi said and smiled.
“This is going to be easier than I thought. As you know, your Neta has asked me to help strengthen your Pride by finding mates for all eligible members. But here you two are, and I didn’t even have to leave the Pride House!”
“Oh, I don’t think⁠—”
“We’re not⁠—”
But even a half-assed denial refused to leave Brayden’s mouth. The temperature in the room was boiling. His pants were too tight. Shirt too rough. Fuck. He really wanted to go for a walk through the woods in his fur to calm his inner beast down.
“Children,” Uncle Uzzi said, eyeing them both and daring them to disagree.
“You two have been dancing around each other for quite some time now if I am not mistaken. And unless my dearly departed wife, Betty, is the one correcting me, I am very rarely mistaken,” he said, his blue eyes still twinkling.
“So, this is what I am recommending. Go on a date. Together. Today. Now in fact,” the old Witch commanded.
“But I have work,” Brayden began.
A date? How could the old cook have come up with such a crazy plan so fast? His head turned, and he caught Jessica’s stricken look.
Fucking hell. His Bear snarled at him, and Brayden opened and closed his mouth, trying to fix the damage he just did.
If he said no, she would think he wasn’t interested in her. Nothing could be further from the truth, but with his past, maybe she was better off without him. Then the next thought came rolling into his head, and Brayden growled out loud, causing two sets of eyes to bore into him.
If he refused, Jessica would find someone else. Another male to wine her and dine her, kiss her, and stroke her, touch that sweet body, and claim her as mate.
Grrr.
If that happened, his Bear actually would go completely fucking nuts. He couldn’t have that. Whether he was willing to take her as mate right now no longer mattered.
Ready or not, Brayden’s fated mate was sitting right there.
Mine.
“Jessica?”
“Yes, Brayden?”
Her head was turned away from him, and he didn’t like that, not one bit. He waited a beat, willing her to look at him. What was it they always said?
Curiosity killed the cat.
But no, never that. His beast would not allow it. Still, she must have felt something like that, since one minute later, those electric teal eyes of hers landed on him, a questioning look gracing her beautiful face.
“Would you like to go out? With me?” he asked, feeling like a fucking cub.
But the second the words were out, his bear chuffed. The beast was finally happy he’d taken the step forward.
“Really?”
Brayden could not believe how clumsily he’d asked her out. He was sweating by then, and so nervous, he damn near forgot to breathe. But the way her face lit up with joy and wonder had his pulse racing and thunder roaring in his ears.
So beautiful.
So mine.
Maybe this was not such a bad idea. Maybe she felt the same pull toward him he’d always felt toward her. If that were true, there were just so many possibilities in how this thing would play out. The only question was, was Brayden brave enough to take the chance?
“Yeah, really,” he replied, and didn’t even bother fighting his grin.
“Excellent!” Uncle Uzzi exclaimed.
“Now, I only have till six tonight, so if you two could please send in the next pussy?”
Brayden turned confused eyes on Uncle Uzzi, only to be distracted by the sound of Jessica’s laughter.
Holy shit.
The sound was positively dazzling. Not to mention the way her face lit up. Jessica’s coloring was just incredible. It fascinated him, from the bright teal of her eyes to the multifaceted reds in her mostly auburn hair. All of it complemented by dusky rose lips, a pert nose, stubborn chin, and the prettiest damn eyelashes he had ever seen.
He fucking loved watching her giggle. Wondered if she was ticklish, too. Hell, he could even picture running his fingertips along the soft skin of her stomach and sides. Of course, anytime he pictured that, his cock would start to swell, and it was back to reciting multiplication tables.
“Uncle Uzzi calls all Big Cat Shifters pussies,” Jessica explained, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes.
“I see,” Brayden replied, a smile tugging at his lips as he watched her.
“Thank you. I’m going to excuse myself to the ladies’ room, but I will be in the hallway so we can talk. Okay?”
Jessica turned and hugged Uncle Uzzi, before retreating. Brayden was about to follow when the old Witch stopped him.
“Oh, and one more thing, Bear.”
“Yes?”
“You better treat her right, or I will be seeing you again under less jovial circumstances, Mr. Smith,” Uncle Uzzi promised with a glint of gold in his blue gaze.
“I will always treat Jessica right,” Brayden said.
His Bear did not like challenges, but he recognized power in the old male, and he appreciated him using it on behalf of Jessica. Uzzi Stregovich was a magical matchmaker unparalleled in the supernatural world. His reputation preceded him, but Brayden was pleased to know he was a good man on top of that. He nodded at the old Witch before following Jessica’s path to the other room.
The female was walking towards him, having finished with the restroom, or so he assumed. She smiled, and he gestured in front of him. Together, they made it to the kitchen, but the place was packed with Tigers.
Brayden didn’t want to have this discussion in front of an audience. He made sure to make eye contact with Jessica, then nodded towards the front of the house. After a minute, she followed him onto the nearly empty porch.
Fucking pussies.
His Bear chuffed. The animal could really get used to Uncle Uzzi’s nickname for his fellow Pride mates. Rubbing a big hand along the back of his neck, he turned his head from side to side, looking for a more private spot. Brayden wanted to be alone when he said what he had to say.
“So, where do you want to go?” Jessica asked shyly.
Her cheeks were a pretty shade of pink, and her breath was coming out in little white puffs. Frowning, he realized he’d dragged her outside with no coat.
“Uh, are you cold?”
“No, I’m not cold,” she replied.
Jessica raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to answer her first question.
“I know Uncle Uzzi seems to think we could be a couple, but uh, I have a past, Jessica.”
“I know. I’m so sorry, Brayden,” she replied.
There was so much sympathy clear on her face, his chest squeezed.
The female was always so sweet and kind. She was young and green, full of sunshine and life, like the promise of a spring day in the dead of winter.
Brayden was going to hurt her. His heart too closed off, his soul too broken. If he claimed her as his Bear wanted to, chances were he was going to ruin it. He knew it, and it was killing him.
The truth was Jessica Maverick deserved so much better than a broken Bear like him.
“Look, Jess, I was only going to talk to Uncle Uzzi because Hunter ordered it. I wasn’t looking for a mate. I can’t do permanent. It’s not you⁠—”
“Oh, uh, I see.”
Jessica’s voice went brittle and her spine ramrod straight.
“You don’t have to explain yourself, Brayden, I understand. I know I’m not what most Shifters see as a desirable mate. And I don’t blame you. Not really, but uh, if you could just excuse me,” she said, and moved to go around him.
Brayden held his arms wide, preventing her from leaving. He needed to explain to her that she’d gotten it all wrong. There was not a fucking thing wrong with the woman! Didn’t she know that?
Grrrr.
His Bear tore into him, and he allowed it. Brayden deserved to feel the pain inflicted by his angry beast. Even when he tried not to, he’d fucked up and hurt her anyway.
This was not how he’d planned for this conversation to go. He was simply going to⁠—
You were going to what? Tell our mate she was not what we wanted?
His Bear pushed the words into his head, roaring his fury inside his mind. The animal clawed at his insides, enraged with him for fucking this up.
“Get out of my way,” she said, refusing to look at him.
“Just give me a second, please, Jess. That is not what I meant to say.”
“I know you were already mated, Brayden. I heard the story, and you have my deepest apologies,” she said, eyes brimming with tears.
“Maybe you’ve found your true love once, and don’t believe it can happen again. I get that. I really do, and look, I am sorry if Uncle Uzzi put you in an awkward situation⁠—”
“No, that’s not it,” he growled, and ran a hand over his face.
His beard had already doubled in length, though he’d trimmed it that morning. No doubt it was due to the tension he was feeling. Being a Shifter was complicated.
“Let me take you out to lunch,” he surprised himself by saying.
“I mean if you want to. But I would really love the chance to explain myself without sticking my foot in my mouth,” he added with what he hoped was a tempting grin.
He held his breath, waiting for her to reply. So much hinged on the next word that would fall from her plump pink lips.
Shit. How had this happened so suddenly? When did his future happiness depend on one woman?
Uzzi Stregovich was one powerful fucking Witch. Had he bespelled the Bear? Or maybe the truth had been right in front of him for years, and his inner beast was just tired of waiting for him to figure it out.
Ya think? growled the Bear inside his mind’s eye.
Brayden could see the big animal rolling his eyes and covering his face with his paws. It was long past time to admit his feelings. Truth was, Brayden had been curious about the beautiful She-Cat for a while now. How could he not be?
Just look at her, he told himself.
She was gorgeous. Warmhearted and sweet. Not to mention sexy as hell. No wonder he wanted her like mad. And if Uncle Uzzi was to be believed, this incredible little Tiger wanted him too.
Fated mates were rare and wonderful in the supernatural world. Everything inside him was buzzing with energy at the prospect that she, Jessica Maverick, was destined to be his.
Mine.
Not yet, big guy.
He reined in his Bear and stood with baited-breath while Jessica bit her lip and weighed her decision to give him another chance. His pulse raced, heart pounded, and breath became jerky as his eyes remained glued to her sweet face.
One glance down at her body in the silly yet clingy sweater and skintight leggings had his cock throbbing with need.
Oh yeah. He had it bad. Maybe having a mate would be a good thing. And not just to strengthen the Pride, but to heal his wounded heart. Maybe Jessica Maverick would be good for him.
He just had to convince her to give him a chance while proving to both himself and the Tiger that this was worth a shot.
“Well, Jess? What do you say?”
After another pregnant pause, she lifted her incredible teal eyes to him and, once again, he was struck by her beauty. The background was mostly gray and white. Winter in New Jersey was pretty monotone, if not for the deep wooden structure that was the Pride House and the rich greens of the pine trees in the woods behind them. But none of that could hold a candle to the fiery redhead with the teal eyes.
She positively glowed. Dazzling him with the reds and golds in her hair, and that icy teal gaze that sent shivers down his spine.
“Alright,” she said.
But Brayden still didn’t move. Not sure he heard her right.
“I’ll go to lunch with you,” she reiterated.
Brayden had no idea just how much hope he’d had pinned on her saying yes until she did. Then his Bear bellowed in triumph and his heart beat double time.
The slightest hint of a smile started slowly on her sweet face, and it was all he could do to stop himself from picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder like a cave-Bear.
“Yes? I mean, uh, yeah, good,” he added in a softer tone of voice.
Was he ever going to act normal around her? Before he could answer his own question, Jessica laughed. A real belly rumbling sort of sound that he liked. A whole fucking lot. And Brayden had the answer to his own question.
He would make an ass of himself repeatedly just to hear that sound. A happy Jessica Maverick meant a happy Bear. Brayden never felt so good as he did, seeing her smile because of his idiocy.
So yeah, if he had to be a clown, he would. For her. Shit. This was real. His heart thudded, blood boiled, and body tensed. Brayden was dumbstruck staring at her, red hair dancing in the breeze like flames on a bonfire.
Mine, his Bear pushed at him, and for once, his human side did not fight it.
“So, later then, right?”
“Yes,” he agreed.
Jessica stood there a moment longer, looking like the sweetest damn temptation he had ever seen. Possessive instincts he never knew he had rose like the tide as he simply took her in.
Her skin was smooth and clear, a peachy sort of pale that made him think of sweet cream and sliced fruit. His Bear’s favorite treat. But he had a feeling it was about to be replaced by something much, much sweeter.