Page 24 of Driven Wild By The Grizzly

I ease Jessica off my lap. “Go out the back,” I tell her.

She hurries off, not stopping to ask why. Because she trusts me.

I wait until she’s out of sight, then I stride to the door and snatch it open.

Two shotgun barrels are pointing right at me.

Behind them is a man. A human, late twenties, dark hair and eyes, olive skin, determined expression. Jessica’s brother. There’s a distinct family resemblance.

“Put your hands up,” he snarls.

I go to tear the gun from his grasp and knock him to the ground.

Then I stop, let my hand drop. He’s the brother of my mate. First impressions and all. She won’t be happy if I humiliate him; make an enemy of him. And her happiness is what I care about, more than anything.

I raise my hands casually. “No need for all that. Let’s go inside and meet each other all civilized.”

He sneers, his gaze raking me up and down. “Civilized. Right.”

My bear growls. He’s on thin ice. But I respect the guy’s guts, his loyalty to Jessica.

“Jessica!” he bawls, trying to peer into the cabin. “Get out here!”

“She’ll come when she’s ready,” I tell him. “And she’s not gonna be happy to see you waving that gun at me.”

There’s a waft of air behind me, and her scent hits my nostrils. “Ricky! What on earth are you doing?”

Jessica appears at my side and I wrap my arms around her protectively. He might be her brother, but no one waves a gun near my mate.

“For the last time, put the gun away,” I tell him.

He pales. My bear is rising up beneath my skin, the bones in my skull broadening, and I know he sees it.

He lets the shotgun fall to his side. “Jessica, what the hell are you doing here, with this… this…beast?” he almost spits.

“Don’t you dare talk about him like that!” Jessica yells.

I gaze at her in awe. Her voice is so strong, so confident.My mate.Pride surges in me.

And her next sentence takes my breath away:

“He’s my mate, Ricky.”

He shakes his head hard. “Your what?”

“My mate. I’m his. We’re fated to be together.”

The poor guy looks like he’s about to combust. I almost feel sorry for him.

“Jessica, what the fuck? After all that bullshit with Kevin. After everything we’ve been through. Now this?”

He chokes out the last word. He’s a man at the end of his tether. I remember Jessica saying he’s been struggling to get his business started up again in a new town. Guess he’s feeling pretty desperate right now.

“Listen,” I cut in. “I know this is a lot to hear. Things happened real fast yesterday. But I’m in love with your sister. And I’m going to take care of her for the rest of her life—”

His eyes bulge. “If you’ve done anything to her, I’ll kill you!”

“Ricky, it’s not like that. I’m in love with Ethan, too,” Jessica blurts out.

---