Page 6 of Mated to the Pride

“Oh, ‘cos of this?” I tapped my bicep, wrinkling my nose. “Nah. That’s all Taco Bell.”

“Jessica, your bag is in your room,” Blake called. “Just in case you want it.”

“Thank you!” she called back. “And honestly, really — Jess is fine…”

I watched her go, fighting the instinct to let my eyes drift down to her ass.Maybesomething could happen between us further down the line, but I really didn’t want to push it. She seemed like a cool person in general, and we had three whole months to spend here. I didn’t want to make things awkward or uncomfortable for her, or for anybody else on the team.

But she’d definitely noticed my arms…

Jessica

This whole endeavor was still definitely the biggest risk I’d ever taken in my professional life, but I felt more certain about it as time went by. The drive to the cabin was long, but it gave me a chance to get to know my new employers — or colleagues, really. They treated me more like an equal than as a subordinate, and I appreciated that.

Blake seemed pretty insistent on calling me by my full name, but I hoped to be able to persuade him out of that before long.

The first day after we arrived, things were pretty calm. The boys still had some unpacking to do, and I got up early to get breakfast going. The smell of cooking bacon soon tempted four hungry Norths out of their rooms, just in time to have it served up fresh and crackling onto their plates.

“I knew this was a good idea,” said Hale, ruffling a bit of life into his hair. “I think you just earned every cent we’re going to pay you with this one meal.”

“You haven’t eaten it yet,” I warned. “You remember my training is in finance, right?”

“The culinary courses missed out,” said Stone, already halfway through his plate. “You’re amazing. Thank you for this.”

“You’re welcome, Mr. North. That’s why I’m here!” As they carried on digging in, I remembered another question I had. It was a slightly awkward one, so I figured it was better to get it out of the way early. “Hey, uh… listen. I have to ask. You’re all Norths. So, are you… brothers…?”

They certainly didn’t look like it.

Stone and Hale glanced at one another, and Blake sat up a little straighter to answer my question. “It’s a long story,” he said, “but no, we’re not technically related. We consider each other family, but we’re not connected up that way.”

I nodded, but that hadn’t really clarified things.

“More like cousins,” said Stone, trying to be helpful. “Think of it that way. We grew up together. Our families are so close they’re basically all the same thing.”

That didn’t explain the shared surname, but I decided to give up on asking before things got even more awkward. “I see. And now you all work together.”

“We make a good team,” said Hale. “The kind of work we do, you need to be able to communicate quick and fast. You need to be able to trust each other. Just kind of makes sense.”

“Plus,” said Stone, “we each have different skills that complement each other. I’ve studied a lot of first-response medicine, so I’m our unofficial medic.”

“Weapons and communication,” said Preston, holding up a hand. It was one of the only times he’d spoken directly to me so far, and it surprised me to see him meeting my eyes. I’d already decided that he was deathly shy — either that, or he didn’t like me.

Blake pushed his plate away from himself, finally finished. “I take the lead.”

“And I back him up,” said Hale. “Blake’s a pretty strategic thinker. Very methodical. Great ideas. I’m more of a people person.”

I looked at each of them, impressed by the wide array of skills. I still didn’t really know what they were here for, but I’d heard ‘military’ and ‘classified’. I’d signed a non-disclosure agreement — and now the word ‘weapons’ had been thrown into the mix. They were so capable that I felt a little intimidated simply to be in their presence. Trying to make light of that, I held up my hands. “And I… make a mean breakfast.”

“Let’s not undervalue that,” said Stone. “I’d take breakfast over Hale’s supposed people skills any day.”

“You see what I put up with?” said Hale. “Every day!”

“Not every day,” said Blake. “Because this is the part of the conversation where I remind you thatIam working with Stone on shift this time, and you’ll be teamed up with Preston.”

“You’re not all working together?” I asked, then pulled a face and covered my mouth. “Sorry. It’s none of my business.”

“It’s fine,” Blake insisted. “It’s like Hale told you before. The fact that you’re here at all proves that we trust you. If we need to keep something from you, we’ll let you know; otherwise, ask away.”

His eyes were so intense that I couldn’t help but blush and avert my gaze. “Okay,” I said. “I’ll bear that in mind. Thank you.”

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