Page 14 of Fearless as an Eagle

I give him a slightly deranged smile and ask, “Where’s Mia?”

“In the shower…Why?”Mason asks, drawing out the word as he narrows his eyes at me. He clearly doesn’t trust me and he’s probably right not to.

“You’re about to find out,” I answer before storming down the hall and flinging the door open without even knocking. I’m not waiting for her to sneak out to have this conversation. We can have it right here.

The sound of the door opening startles her and her scream echoes around the small room. I stomp inside and glare at her through the foggy glass of the shower.

“We need to talk.”

“Could we maybe have this conversation when neither of us arenaked?” she screeches but her eyes roam over my body, warming me with a look.

“We could, but I don’t want to wait that long. Besides, I’d never prevent you from looking your fill.” I smirk as her head jerks up and she scowls at me.

“Say what you’re going to say already, so I can finish my shower in peace.”

“You think keeping us at a distance is going to protect your heart. Like if you don’t give us a chance to hurt you, everything will be okay. But that’s not how it works. You know we’re your mates now. Even if we were to leave this second, you would think about us every day for the rest of your life. Always wondering if it could have worked. If you could have been happy. I will not let you put yourself through that.

“I just went out in the storm and it looks like it’s set in. We’re going to be here for a while. I won’t let you hide from us. We’ll show you what it means to have a mate. I know Mike hurt you, and I wish with everything I am that I could take that pain from you. But he was a stupid college kid who didn’t realize what he had or what he was losing by rejecting you. Trust me when I say we won’t make the same mistake. You don’t have to be afraid to be with us. I’ll let you think about that. Come out when done, but don’t take long. You know I’m not afraid to barge in here.”

When I turn to leave the bathroom, I come face to face with Mason and Riley. They both give me nods of agreement and I walk past them without another word. I’ve said all I need to say on the matter. Now it’s up to us toshowher. My mama always said actions speak louder than words.

Chapter 12

Mia

Ican’tbelievethatjust happened. I’m suddenly thankful for the half-frosted shower doors. Sure, it’s not a big deal for shifters to see each other naked, but he’s mymate. Despite any protests I may have, if any of them were to see me naked, I would want it to be under sexier… I meanbettercircumstances. Of course, that didn’t stop me from admiring his strong, muscular physique. The man definitely works out. After I screeched like a little girl at him busting in on me, I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. From his firm chest down to his six… eight? pack, lower to the Adonis belt that makes smart girls dumb. I got lost in imagining what would happen if he opened the shower door and got in with me.

I know I said I didn’t want a mate, but there’s no way I could have turned that down. A girl can only be so strong, and I’m definitely not strong enough to resist that temptation. I mean, just look at him! He’s fucking sex on a stick! Short, coarse hair that I want to run my fingers through covers his chest. There’s a tattoo on his right pec, though I couldn’t tell what it was. Right now, I want nothing more than to explore his body and see if he’s hiding any other tattoos from me. But that’s a dangerous thought. I can’t have sex with these men. No matter how mouth-watering they are. If I do, it’ll hurt even worse when they leave.

Snapping myself out of the erotic daydream, I finish washing my hair and get out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my head before drying the rest of my body. I slip into my comfy pajamas, a soft tee that says “life is better in pajamas” and a pair of pants with moons and stars all over them. If they want to get to know me, they’re going to get the unfiltered version of me. Let’s see how fast they change their mind about being my mate when I don’t put on a show. I’m going to do my best to be my authentic self with them. Maybe if I had been more open with Mike, he wouldn’t have… No. It’s not my fault. I did nothing wrong. Some things just aren’t meant to be. But what if this…Theyare?

Maybe Bennett’s right. Maybe I should at least give them half a chance. Not shut them out completely out of fear. Fuck. This is so damn confusing. I just don’t know what to do. I can’t stall any longer, though, if I don't want him to make good on his threat and come back and drag me out. So I square my shoulders, and after a deep breath, I open the door. Only to come face to face… er face to chest… with the man that’s twisted up all my thoughts.

“Thought I was gonna have to come in again,” he says, his voice a dark timber that sends shivers down my spine.

“You’re lucky I had already washed my body before you interrupted me. I could have taken a lot longer in there. In fact, next time, Iwill.”

“As long as you’re not using it to hide from me, you can take as long a shower as you want,Cuore Mio.”

“You ever going to tell me what that means?” I ask with a brow raised.

“Eventually. Gotta make you work for it.” He winks, then steps to the side and gestures for me to go back toward the living room.

Walking down the hallway, I find Mason and Riley in the kitchen. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be cooking. I didn’t even realize so much time had gone by that it’s actually past lunchtime. The sound of oil popping in a pan and the scent of fresh fish sizzling in the oil assault my senses. I don’t know what they’re cooking, but something smells like garlic. There’s no hiding that heavenly smell. FYI Ilovegarlic. These guys are already worming their way into my heart.

My stomach rumbles loudly and I cover it with my hands as if I could actually muffle the embarrassing noise. I hadn’t even realized I was hungry until the prospect of eating was right in front of me.

Riley hears the undignified noise and smiles at me over his shoulder. “Hungry, baby girl?”

“Maybe a little,” I admit, with a small shrug.

“Lunch is almost done, love. Sit down and Riley will bring you your smoothie,” Mason directs.

I do as I’m told, even though generally I don’t enjoy being bossed around. But even I can recognize their innate need to take care of their mate. Maybe this time will be different. Mike never anticipated my needs like this, that’s for sure.

It’s not long before Riley sets a red drink in front of me. Before I can ask him what it is, he boops my nose and runs away.

That one’s going to keep me on my toes… Wait. No. They’re not sticking around. There will be no need to be on alert with him if he’s not around.

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