Bear Naked and Bite Marks (14 page)

“I’d better get a pot of coffee
started.” Before she could move away Declan cupped both of her cheeks in his
hands and leaned down. He kissed her softly at first, but became a little more
adamant in it, and she knew that his bear was staking its claim, even if Manny
wasn’t around to witness it. He pulled back, but there was no amusement or
triumph in his now chocolate eyes.

“I’ll keep the meerkat company.” He
turned and headed into the living room, and she knew he was not keeping Manny
company
, but watching him to make sure he didn’t do anything
extreme. Melissa sighed again and headed into the kitchen. This night had gone
from wonderful to downright nightmarish.

Chapter Ten

Declan leaned back in the chair and
stared at the meerkat. Declan could hear Melissa in the kitchen making the
coffee, but honestly Declan would have been more comfortable just calling a cab
and sending Manny’s drunk ass home. The guy was starting to piss off Declan to
the point he was on the verge of shifting just thinking about the dick. Manny
dropped his hands and leaned back against the couch. He slowly opened his
bloodshot eyes and stared at him.

“Even though I’m sure you feel like an
ass right now, or maybe you don’t—” Declan shrugged and threw his arms over the
back of the chair. “You coming here after the fucking shitty thing you did at
the restaurant, and after I know Melissa told you to back off,
is
a bigger step over the line you already crossed.” Manny
didn’t say anything and showed nothing in his expression. “I want to make
something absolutely crystal clear.” Declan leaned forward and rested his
elbows on his knees. The little fucker smirked, actually
smirked
, like this was a damn joke. Yeah, Declan had sensed the
sympathy that came from the male was a little off, and clearly it had all been
a front.

“I love that female in there, and there
isn’t anything that will change that.” Declan slowly leaned back and stared at
the other male. The little fucker had the audacity to say that shit to him
right now?

“We’re mates, asshole, and there isn’t
anything that is going to change
that
.”
Declan was already feeling unstable, but the fact this male was basically
saying that he wasn’t going to back off, made Declan nearly homicidal.

“And that won’t stop me or change the
way I feel for Melissa.” Manny smirked again, and Declan gritted his teeth. He
had to talk his bear down from coming out and finishing off this douche-bag
that threatened what he had with his mate. But he was holding it together, at
least enough that he wasn’t shifting. His nails were now claws, and he had them
curled into his thighs. “Melissa and I have known each other forever, and she
may not know it, but she cares for me just as deeply as I do for her. You are
just something to pass the time until she realizes males like you are nothing
but trouble and violence.”

“You do realize that I am a grizzly and
you are a meerkat, and that in taking you out I wouldn’t even break a sweat?”
Declan clenched and unclenched his hands.

“Yeah, nothing but violence and
bloodshed from the likes of your kind.
Melissa is a gentle soul, and therefore needs a gentle male. You alpha assholes
think you can come in here and take whatever you want. And when you leave after
you’ve had your fill—which is what your kind is good at—I’ll be there picking
up the pieces and telling her that there are better males out there that
deserve her love and would cherish her. Males like me.”

Declan clamped his jaw down hard enough
he wouldn’t have been surprised if his teeth cracked. Before he could say
anything Melissa strode back in the room. She stopped and looked at both of
them, holding two cups of steaming coffee, but clearly feeling the tension
heightened in the room. “Thank you so much, Melissa.” Gone was the
holier-than-thou attitude that Manny had just given Declan, and in its place
was the timid, softly spoken introvert that he played pretty fucking well. This
guy wasn’t a threat physically, but he was clearly obsessed with Melissa, and
thought Declan was just going to up and leave. No way was he going to walk away
from his mate, and no way in hell was he going to let this dick think he could
take away something that meant a lot to Declan.

“Everything okay?”
Melissa looked between them, and Declan forced himself to smile.

“It’s all good, baby.” Declan stood and
walked over to her. He wasn’t all about making a scene with the PDA, but he
sure as fuck was all about making it known that she was his mate and belonged
to him. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in. Taking her mouth
in a deep kiss, he knew she was uncomfortable with the show he was putting on,
but it wasn’t a fucking show as much as it was Declan staking his claim. She
wore his mark, smelled of his scent, and there was nothing that would change
the fact she was his. He pulled away, and it took her a second to catch her
breath.
Good
. But that breathlessness
turned into annoyance. Maybe if she knew why he had just attacked her that way
in front of the meerkat she wouldn’t be angry, or at least she might be less
pissed? But as it was her wolf bristled at the fact she thought he was being an
asshole in front of a male that was clearly in emotional pain.

If
she only knew about the lying fucker she might not be so upset with me.

“Declan, what the hell?” She said it
softly, but Manny would have been able to hear her, and the bastard was
probably feeling like his dick had just grown an inch. She handed him one of
the cups of coffee and brought the other one to Manny. Then she sat down next
to the fucker, and Declan had to force himself to loosen his hold on the dainty
fucking cup or he would have crushed it. He moved back to the chair he had been
in and sat his ass down. “Manny, I really don’t want to be the cause of you
losing it like this.” There was a lot of compassion in her voice, and if it
hadn’t been directed at this joke of a male who was playing her, Declan might
have actually felt her sentiments, too. As it was he wanted the meerkat gone so
he could talk to her about this sick, very unhealthy thing he had for his mate.

For the next twenty minutes Declan sat
there, keeping his damn mouth shut, and forcing himself not to bitch slap Manny
every time he laid on the sob story about how sorry he was for coming over and
doing this. It was all a mask of deceit, even if it didn’t seem like a lot to
others. Declan knew males like Manny, knew the ones that got stuck on one
female, never moved on, and were a lot more twisted than they let on. Finally
there was a honk outside from the cab, and Manny and Melissa stood. Declan
wanted to pull her away from the other male, but he kept his place, not wanting
to create a scene that would further pleasure the meerkat into thinking his
little “prediction” was right. Melissa led him out of the house, and when the
door was shut and she was facing him again, Declan knew that his little PDA
back there was about to blow up in his face.

“I can’t believe you, Declan.” She
exhaled loudly and walked into the kitchen. He didn’t know whether to follow
her or give her space. This was definitely not a situation that he was used to,
nor had he ever been in. But he followed her, because having her pissed and her
not knowing why he had done what he had done needed to be fixed. She was
cleaning up the coffee grounds on the counter, and rinsing out the coffee pot.
“You knew he was already screwed up when he came here, knew how he felt about
me, and I told you I talked to him.” She kept her back toward him and tossed
the towel she was using to clean the counter into the sink. She did turn around
then. “You kissing me like that
was
totally
unnecessary.” Her cheeks took on a red hue from her anger. Declan leaned
against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. This wasn’t going to be
an easy conversation, not with the way his mate was growing more annoyed with
him by the second. “You think I don’t know what that was back there? You think
I didn’t get that you were stalking your damn claim in front of Manny? That was
a jackass thing to do when the guy was all but falling apart.”

No one had ever talked to him like that,
dared to call him names, and if it was a male that had said those things, there
would have been bloodshed and bones broken. But she was a female and his mate,
and he’d never hurt her. Instead, he took what she had to say, knowing that she
didn’t know the conversation he had had with Manny, or the fact the
motherfucker was a lying bastard. There was no doubt the male was probably hurt
and jealous over Melissa finding her mate, but shit, the scents Declan picked
up, the ones Manny tried to hide, still couldn’t be hidden from Declan. She
needed to hear what he had to say, whether she liked it or believed him.

“That asshole was playing you in there,
Melissa.” She sighed and shook her head. “Why the fuck would I lie about that?
He thinks I’m going to fuck you and leave you, and then he’ll be there to pick
up the pieces. He’s a manipulator, baby, and he knows how to play the game. But
he can’t hide shit from me, and in fact didn’t really try that hard. For such a
little guy he has some goddamned balls of steel to be challenging a grizzly
bear over his mate, and thinking he’d win. To be honest, he was really lucky I
was able to keep my bear from taking control and showing him what happens when
he thinks he can take what is mine. And it was only because you two have been
friends for a very long time, and the fact that you care for the asshole, that
I didn’t shift and beat his ass.”

“And that is why I am putting space
between us.” He grunted, but he saw the narrowed- eyed look she gave him.

“What?”

 
She huffed out. “You are so infuriating.” She
straightened her arms at her sides. “I have never met a male so alpha and … so …
damn infuriating.”

He ginned, but it was more predatory
than anything else. She would learn soon enough that when it concerned her he
would go to any lengths to let any bastard know that she was his.

“Baby, you haven’t seen anything yet.”
She ground her teeth, and the grin he flashed this time was filled with humor.
She might drive him crazy with her stubbornness and sassy fucking mouth, but
Declan also found this tug and pull with her hot as hell.

She glanced down at the floor for
several seconds. “I thought I had seen total possessiveness with Candace, Ary,
and the other females, but damn, you take it to a whole other level.” She
looked up at him, but there wasn’t any more fight left in her, and something
inside of him cracked at the look she gave him. “I’ve known Manny my whole
life. He’s always been gentle and quiet, and never hurt anyone. I’m not calling
you a liar, but he’s never done anything malicious to anyone.” He looked at her
incredulously. “Okay, so his behavior the last two times I’ve seen him have
been less than normal, and frankly a bit creepy, but I’m trying to think about
it from his point of view.”

Declan let out a low growl.

“You are ignoring what is right in front
of you, Melissa, and everything I have told you. Think about the shit he pulled
at the restaurant, and the fact he was beating the hell out of your door, drunk
as fuck, and pissed because you found your mate. If he was such a good friend
he would be happy that you finally found your other half, and not have this
toxic jealousy inside of him that has consumed him beyond reality.” She didn’t
say anything for several seconds, but Declan could see in her eyes that she
knew what he said was the truth.

“I understand you, Declan, I really do,
and I see it from your point of view. What can I say? He’s been in love with me
since we were in high school and has gone off the deep end.”

“That’s not love, Melissa. That’s a sick
obsession, and one that will only become more twisted now that I’m in your
life.” They stared at each other for several long seconds, and finally her
shoulders slumped forward.

“Yeah, I know all of that, but I still
feel like a bitch, and that all of this, and how Manny acts, is my fault, Declan.”

“For what?”
He moved toward her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“Because I knew that he had very strong
feelings for me, and I obviously didn’t try hard enough to let him know that
there was nothing going to happen between us.” Declan pulled her close to him
and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

“Even if you told him once, which I
doubt is how it went down, that one time should have been enough for him to
realize that things weren’t going to progress the way he wanted them to.” She
didn’t say anything, but she didn’t need to, and neither did he. Declan
continued to hold her, and when she pulled away he was reluctant to take a step
back.

“I told him I’d drive his car home
tomorrow. You wouldn’t mind following me so I have a ride back, would you?” He
shook his head and smiled.

“I’d insist on doing that anyway.”

“Thank you. Come on.” She took his hand
and started moving toward the bedroom again. “I think round two will help ease
some of the tension.” She looked over her shoulder and grinned, and just like
that he was hard as fucking steel, and everything else was pushed aside.

Chapter Eleven