Angel: Rochon Bears (10 page)

Her blonde hair was pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck. But he knew what it felt like wrapped around his hands, silky and soft. He could see her eyes finally. How had he missed them, even in the dark? The beautiful blue eyes now watched him with suspicion. It didn’t take away from her beauty. She had soft peach skin that looked like smooth cream. Her cheeks were round, and he could tell that when she smiled, it would light up her whole face.

He also took in her body. It looked like his hands remembered. Curves for miles, and in all the right places. His cock was already at full attention just from smelling her scent earlier. Now it was uncomfortable behind his zipper.

Angel would never forget the crisp air and the light fading into twilight as he saw his mate for the first time. He would replay this moment over and over for the rest of his life.

“What did you expect me to say, Angel?” Becca was trying really hard to be casual about the previous night. Wasn’t that what you were supposed to do? Act nonchalant and flippant like you slept with strangers all the time? Except, that was so far from the truth for her it was comical. This act was not her, but it seemed to come out like a defense mechanism.

“Well, a nice greeting would have been a better start. How are you? Sorry I snuck out last night, something along those lines.”

“I thought leaving quietly was the best option. Wouldn’t you have thought I was some clingy chick if I woke you up demanding breakfast?”

Angel couldn’t tell her that if she’d woken him, and he had finally seen her that he would have made her breakfast. Then lunch and dinner, and every meal after that because he was never going to let her go. Instead, he said what he was thinking without telling her the whole truth.

“I would have taken you to the diner in town. I know the owner, and she makes a mean French toast.”

“Really?” Becca didn’t believe him for a second. The long standing designation of
Fuck Buddy
didn’t include dates in public. They were middle of the night, back alley, cloak and dagger meet-ups. Or maybe he was saying that because he thought she’d pick up the tab. Isn’t that what those women on the cougar dating site commercials did? But he did track her down. He had no other reason to wait for her unless he wanted to see her.

“Yes, really. But since we missed breakfast, why don’t I take you to dinner?”

Becca wanted to take him up on the offer no matter how impractical it was. No good could come of it, so wasting either of their times seemed selfish. Becca tried very hard to never be selfish.

“That is a very nice thought, Angel. But I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep last night,” she said with a blush. “I feel a headache coming on, and it’s not something I want to mess with, so I’m going home, having a bath, and sipping some wine.”

Why she told him all that she had no idea. But there was something about him that made her want to talk to him. Worse, something that made her want to be back in bed with him. That couldn’t happen.

“You’re sick?” he asked worriedly. How did you take care of a sick mate? What if something was really wrong with her? Shit, her health and well-being were all he could think about now.

“No, I just get bad headaches. I try to avoid them, and if I don’t, I have to load myself up on migraine medication, and that puts me out for a few days.” Again, why did she tell him that? It made her sound like a little old lady taking her meds and hitting her—
I’ve fallen down
—button.

“Migraines? My brother is a doctor. I can call him,” he offered. He felt his animal panicking at the thought of their mate hurting. How did you fix that?

“No, thanks. I’m under medical care. Thank you for your concern. I’m going to go home and settle in for the night. Maybe I’ll see you around?”

Becca was just trying to be nice. The headache that was niggling at her before was now creeping up. It wasn’t a whole brain, fuzzy headache yet, just a normal one. Over the years, she had become gun-shy with normal headaches. Before she knew it, her vision started getting halos, and if she got to her medication in time, she could suffer through it. If she didn’t, she could be facing days of hiding in a dark, quiet room and occasionally vomiting from the pain.

That was not what she wanted her weekend to look like at all.

“I don’t like the idea of you going home alone if you don’t feel good.”

“Sorry to break it to you, but I always go home alone.” Gee, that made her sound lame. “I’ve taken care of myself for many years. Thanks for the concern, though.”

Becca hoped he took the hint and let her go without more guilt tripping. Why she felt guilty about something that was totally mutual, she didn’t know. Of course, it might be that she was trying to leave him standing in the parking lot was what was making her feel shady.

Not needing a man, especially a young one telling her what to do, Becca added a little more annoyance to her voice when she said, “Look, I appreciate your concern. I’m fine. Last night was fun, but you can go on with your life knowing that I’m a big girl that can take care of myself. Now I’m going home. Alone. Goodnight.”

“I don’t like it,” he said gruffly. His hands were fisting open and closed as he struggled to figure out how to keep her near him. He wanted to tuck her into bed, make her dinner (not that he knew how to cook), and ensure she was safe. Her being home alone made his bear very unhappy.

Angel reached out and grabbed her hand into his. “Wait,” he started, “I—uh—”

“Angel, I’m tired. I want to go; please respect that.” She didn’t want to hurt him, but there was a good chance that they could keep doing this for hours. He seemed like the persistent type. After the previous night, she knew he had almost unlimited patience.

Becca’s headache was getting worse. She could feel the twist of nausea start in her stomach. No sleep, alcohol, stress, and a jolt of adrenaline from being surprised was the perfect recipe for a migraine.

Reaching for the handle of her car, she managed to just wrap her fingers around it when her head was engulfed in a pair of warm, strong hands.

She turned in shock and was unable to even get a peep out before Angel’s mouth was on hers. A smart girl would have pushed him away, maybe thrown in a dramatic slap across the face for good measure. She was not a smart girl.

Her mouth opened under his, and he swept his tongue into her mouth as she moaned. Damn, it hadn’t been a dream. He was a great kisser.

Becca was losing her air and reared back, his hands still cupping her jaw. “Angel…”

“Fuck, sorry. I just—I needed that,” he said.

“Well, consider it a goodnight kiss. I have to go.” She felt like she was detangling herself from an octopus before getting her door open and shaking off his hold. It felt awful pushing him away. It was unnatural and made her stomach twist. There was something about him without a doubt that was terrifying and attractive.

Pulling the door wider, she slid between it and Angel and got in. She paused to make sure she wouldn’t catch any of his body parts as she closed the door. He was still standing at her window looking confused and frustrated. She glanced up and saw him staring at her, his bright eyes reflecting the late afternoon light.

Starting the car, she turned away and drove away from Angel Rochon.

B
ecca wondered
if you could think too loud. A normal person would say no, but she knew better.

Her drive home from work had been stressful. Luckily, she was able to get home on autopilot because her mind was only on Angel. She felt exactly like she thought she would leaving him in the parking lot staring after her.

She felt like a bitch.

Granted, she didn’t owe him a thing. He had no claims on her, and why he would even want her was baffling. She was too old for him, and he was acting like she’d broken his heart or something.

She couldn’t help but look behind her as she drove. She expected to see some suspicious car tailing her. Of course, there wasn’t, but it didn’t help her stress level.

By the time she got home, the headache was spreading. Hoping to catch it before it got too bad, she took one of her pills and started a bath. Putting in all her bubbles and bath salts, she lit some candles, turned off the lights, and sunk into the hot water.

Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes and tried her best to relax. Anticipation of a headache was a dreadful part of the experience. When you knew it was coming, you went through the stages of grief. Denial, anger, but never really acceptance because part of you always hoped for a miracle.

The darkness behind her eyes had started with black; then colors started swirling as the pain increased. Becca knew if she opened her eyes, the room would have a bright halo effect. Her eyes created fluctuating colors around objects as her sight tried to keep up with the random nerve firings in her brain.

Somehow, she managed to get herself out of the tub, wrapped in a towel, and she crawled into bed. The pain poured over her. The left side of her head felt like it was caving in. Her neck muscles were knotted and burning. Becca scrabbled to her nightstand where she kept another bottle of medication. She shook another pill out and swallowed it with a swig of water she kept in the drawer for emergencies.

Knowing she had to relax, she took a deep breath as the first tear rolled down her cheek. Today was not a good day.

* * *

A
ngel pulled
up to the hospital and parked in the visitor spaces. He texted his brother Eddie and told him he needed to see him; it was an emergency.

He ran into the hospital and straight to his brother’s office. Eddie spent so much time there that he had an office with a large couch that he would sleep on during long shifts. His mate Gemma worked at the hospital too.

He made sure to knock loudly at his brother’s door because he’d once caught his brother and Gemma doing other things besides just sitting on that couch, and he wasn’t going to make that mistake again.

“Come in,” the voice came from the other side.

Opening the door, he poked his head in with his eyes closed.

“Don’t be an asshole,” Eddie said from his desk.

Stepping in, Angel peeked an eye open and scanned the room. “I told you it was an emergency. Shouldn’t you have met me at the door?”

“No, the last time you said it was an emergency I was standing outside with three ER staff members and a gurney. You needed gas money,” Eddie reminded him.

“It was an emergency for me,” Angel said, taking a seat across from his brother.

“What is it today? Splinter? Need me to tell mom that you did something you shouldn’t have? Sexually transmitted disease?”

“Hah, you’re a riot. I came to you for non-monetary and non-medical advice,” Angel said as he sighed and rubbed his hand over his eyes.

Eddie could see his brother was struggling with something. Usually, Angel was all sarcasm and flippant attitude. Today, he looked confused and agitated.

“Dude, what is up with you? Your whole vibe is making my bear cranky.”

“That’s because you’re a prissy polar bear,” Angel said, without any heat behind it.

“Okay, now I know there is something wrong. You love giving me shit about my bear, and that comment was barely even trying.”

“I hooked up with this woman I met at The Chinook last night. It was amazing, like better than amazing. I woke up this morning, and she was gone.”

“So she snuck out. Can’t be the first time that’s happened to you,” Eddie said with a snort.

“No, not the first time. But it was the first time it got me so riled up that I had to talk to Cage about it.”

Eddie took that in. His brother was never one to think anyone could give him advice. He respected their Alpha, but he thought he could figure things out on his own. He met a woman that he liked, but if it wasn’t his mate, then his bear would never be happy. So what was the point in getting twisted up about some girl?

“You know that a woman that isn’t your mate is just going to bring you heartache. You spent the night with her. Trust me; you can’t force that kind of thing.”

“I get that. I didn’t understand why my bear cared so much about her. He was riding me about seeing her again. So I asked Cage about what I should do. He said to make sure she was all right, and it would settle my bear.”

“Did you?”

“Managed to track her down, yeah. She wouldn’t see me. So I sniffed out her car and waited for her to get off work.”

“Well gee, junior, that wasn’t creepy or stalkerish.”

Angel snorted. “I remember you saying something about sitting outside the gas station for Gemma. Or did I just imagine that?”

“That was different. She was my mate,” Eddie said confidently.

“Yup, that is what makes it different.” Angel let that hang out there for a minute as he watched his brother.

Eddie stared at Angel for a moment, his bear telling him that the change in his brother was something he should be able to recognize.

“She’s your mate?” Eddie couldn’t keep the shock out of his voice. He thought he was young when he found his mate in his thirties. But his brother was still a cub!

“Yeah, she’s my mate. I didn’t know what to say, man. I just couldn’t get the words out, not that I knew what those words were supposed to be. She wasn’t expecting to see me; obviously, since she snuck out on me. But showing up at her work was a little surprising to her.”

Angel could feel his anger rising. His bear was frustrated that their mate was probably at home, taking care of herself while she wasn’t feeling good.

He should be there, doing something. What that could be was a fucking mystery to him.

“I can imagine that,” Eddie said.

“She wasn’t feeling good. My bear said she was in pain, and she practically ran me over to get away.”

Eddie stared at him. “Why was she in pain?”

“It wasn’t me, asshole,” he growled.

“Didn’t say that,” Eddie said.

“She said she was getting a headache, a migraine. Not that I know the difference. But she didn’t look good.”

“Migraines are not like a headache. It’s worse. There is pain, sometimes vomiting and it’s about as miserable as you can get. Medication doesn’t always work. Sound hurts, lights hurt, it’s not fun.”

“Shit, what if she’s home by herself suffering? I can’t have that!” Angel’s voice was getting desperate.

“First, you need to calm down. You don’t know anything about her. She isn’t going to let some stranger into her house, especially when she is feeling vulnerable.”

“I know about her,” Angel said grumpily.

“You had a one-night stand. Did you do a lot of talking?”

“A bit. Her name is Rebecca.”

“Rebecca what?”

Angel had to ponder it for a bit. He remembered what he called her. Becks, baby, babe. He was sure she told him her full name at the bar. Or did she?

“I don’t know,” he moaned, leaning forward and hiding his face in his hands again.

“Well, did she move here? You would have met her in school before now.”

Looking through his fingers at Eddie, he mumbled. “She’s older than me.”

“How much older?”

“Uh, thirty-something? Maybe late twenties?”

“Fuck, dude. You couldn’t do this easy could you?”

“Have you ever know me to do anything easy? How the hell am I supposed to do this? The fates know me; they should know that I shouldn’t have found my mate for two or three decades.”