Chapter 8 #2
Race gave him the hairy eyeball. “Yeah, I guess I’m on high alert.”
“Oh that’s a shame, go back to sleep.” Now, now would be good.
“You want to come in and chat?”
Thinking fast, he lifted his hand. “I can’t! Greasy fingers! I put that drone together though if you want to go downstairs and look at it.”
Oh, that was very well done, mate.
Thank you. I am so not in the mood as much I adore him.
Nolan loved his brother dearly. His brother was his hero, but Ryder was his mate, and they were in a very new mating cycle. He wanted to go be busy and adult and naked.
Naked sounded like the most perfect state.
He wanted a lot of up-close and personal dual nakedness with his very own bear.
Race just squinted at him, seeming incredibly suspicious. Nolan tried for a really bright smile because dammit, he loved his brother and he didn’t want to have to punch him in the face or drug him or something and knock him back out.
Race glanced past him to look at Ryder, his eyebrows going up. “Can I talk to you for just a second, Nolan? I know you’re fixing to be all busy, but I need to chat with you just briefly.” Race stepped back, holding the door open for him, giving him a pointed glare.
Nolan sighed, rolling his eyes, and he tried not to be all pouty about it. “Okay, but like two minutes.”
“Thanks. Be right back.” Race closed the door and walked into the room with him, pulling him away from the door by the arm. “Are you sure this is wise?”
Nolan crossed his arms over his chest, tugging his limb out of Race’s grip. “Am I sure what is wise?”
“Hooking up with Ryder. Don’t get me wrong, I’m the one who sent Ryder your way and sent you to Quin, but you’re kind of—”
“I swear to God if you say on the rebound, I will ball up my fist and punch you in the nose.”
Race held up his hands in a placating gesture. “No, I didn’t mean on the rebound. I know that’s not what you are. You didn’t care about that asshole at all. In fact, you wanted to escape him desperately.”
“I did.” Nolan tilted his head. “I want to be here with Ryder.”
“Okay, but you’re not just being with him because he’s safe, and he makes you feel like you don’t have to worry about your ex coming after you, right?” Race waved his hands in the air. “I mean, I can get you someplace safer if you want. Someplace where there’s no drones or darts or ex-assholes.”
Nolan pressed his lips together and stared. Then he took a deep breath again because he wanted to just scream, but that was not nice. “The drone came after you.”
Race’s expression went stricken. “I know. I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lead them right here to the door.”
“I know you didn’t. But it just seemed like a prudent thing to say to get you to slow down and understand what I’m saying. I think Ryder and I are mates. For real mates.” He thought Race didn’t really believe in that, like in the whole “it was fate” sort of way, but…
“Uh-huh. Yeah, whatever. Look, I’m just trying to protect you. It’s— I don’t want you to be like frying pan-into-the-fire guy.”
“I don’t feel like I’m in the fire, and I appreciate you. I do, but I’m not going anywhere.”
“Maybe you should come stay with me for a couple of weeks,” Race tried.
Nolan shook his head. “Not gonna happen. Listen to me when I speak to you. Please.”
He knew he was the younger brother. He knew that he was the one who was mostly unreliable because he had allowed the situation with the Herschel to overwhelm him, so he guessed he deserved to be doubted.
You do not. That was Ryder, so sure, so definite. You are brave, and strong, and if Race isn’t making you feel that way, then you can just walk out and say, “I’ll talk to you later, okay?” There’s no shame in that.
You’re right. He looked at his brother and smiled. “I know you have to think I’m a nut, but I’m not crazy. I’m just into Ryder, deep.” He sighed. “I need you to trust me. And if you can’t, I understand. But I’m still going to do this my way.”
Race waved his hands. “I don’t think you’re a nut. I just think you’re my little brother, and I worry about you. But Ryder is a good man, a good bear. I trust him, and I do believe without question he’d be good to you. So if you want to move really fast, I’ve got your back.”
“Thanks. I love you. I kinda feel like I know what I want for the first time in my life.”
Race beamed at him, snuggling in for a hard hug. “I’m glad for you, kiddo. Really I am. I just…I worry. I can’t help it, you know?”
“I do.”
They held each other for a good long time, then Nolan let go. His mate was waiting.
“Is he right outside the door?” Race asked.
He nodded. He could feel Ryder, solid and sure behind the door.
“Then you’d better get with the program and let him in before he breaks it down.”
He snorted, shook his head, and opened up the door, reaching for Ryder’s hand, and he got a warm press of fingers and palm for his trouble.
“I will support you one hundred percent.” Race gave him a tired smile and offered Ryder a jerk of the chin. “I know I’ve been sleeping for hours, but I think I’m gonna go back and nap a little more. I just can’t seem to get my brain into functional mode.”
Ryder squeezed his hand and nodded at Race. “It’s sucky to be tranqed, man. Your body just doesn’t want to wake up, and your brain thinks it’s being sucked dry.”
“I see you know this feeling.” Race chuckled. “I love you, bro.”
“I love you too.” Nolan waited for Race to wander back into the bedroom before he towed Ryder off to the big suite, because he didn’t want to get interrupted again.
The urge had faded some, but it was still there, deep and quiet, and he knew it wouldn’t take any time to make it bloom into a full flame again.
Ryder’s soft chuffing followed him. He wasn’t laughing; he was just loving and interested. Nolan could tell the difference.
Once they got the door closed on the bedroom, Ryder pulled him in, letting him lean. “Are you okay?”
He shook his head, then shrugged. “Yeah, yeah, he wants me to take it easy. To slow down with you.”
“That’s probably smart.”
“Shut up.” He pinched Ryder’s nipple. “You’re supposed to say no, I don’t want you to go. Stay here because I am staying here.”
“Well, I didn’t want to be an asshole.”
“I already know you aren’t an asshole.” He kissed Ryder’s cheek. “He’s just worried about me.”
“He’s a brother, so he’s allowed, I guess.”
“Still, I’m not interested in fighting about it or discussing it or anything. I just want to breathe. In here. With you. With the door locked.”
Ryder chuffed at him. “Is that all?”
He pinched again, more gentle this time. “No. I also want nakedness and covers and snuggling. Lots of snuggling.”
“Is that what we’re calling it now? ‘Snuggling’?” Ryder gave a bright glancing grin and Nolan reached out to give out another titty twister.
“Oh no.” Ryder caught his wrist. “No, no, no. No more of that unless it’s for fun.”
“I think it’s fun.” Nolan grinned right back, loving how open and happy Ryder was. His ex had never smiled, had never treated him like he was anything but a possession.
How could he not know?
Ryder was the most perfect bear ever, and this was not a rebound thing. In order for there to be a rebound, one had to have been invested in the relationship they were in before.
Race would figure that out. He knew Race understood that these brothers were safe and important in their lives. He just didn’t know how deep Nolan was in already.
He started working on Ryder’s clothes, not really sure he wanted to get busy anymore because that was a little bit gone as far as the mood was concerned. But he definitely wanted skin on skin and to get into that big bed.
Ryder reached up to stroke his bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. “You know the bed is reinforced, and so is the floor. We could always just get our bear on and have a nap together.”
His heart thumped because that was the perfect answer. “I’d love that. Not that I wouldn’t have sexy times with you, because I would any day, but Race sort of took the wind out of my sails.”
“I know, mate, and that’s fine. I would never force you to do anything or push you even to do something you’re not willing to do.”
“I believe you.” Nolan started stripping off clothes because snuggling in bear form sounded great.
At some point they would have to discuss what to do if Herschel showed up now that the cameras had absolutely determined this was where Nolan was, and he knew Race and Rye’s brothers would have to be in on that discussion because it affected all of them right now.
He just wanted to hide.
“Come on. Let’s just get fuzzy.”
He nodded at Ryder and winked. “You do know that I’m a little bear?”
Ryder beamed at him. “I love my little bear.”
That made him rumble and a growl began to form deep in his chest. It made it easy to stretch, let his muscles ripple. His paws curled and he stretched out.
He landed on all fours, wiggling his butt and breathing in deep—all of the scents just beautiful and overwhelming, making his eyes cross.
The air seemed to pop and crackle around him, and he heard a low, groaning grunt.
Suddenly, Ryder was there. He was a great, big, shaggy, golden-brown bear, and he was so beautiful that Nolan could hardly stand it.
There was a moment of wanting to protect his territory, of wanting to drive the other bear out because that was bear instinct. They could be solitary creatures.
But then Ryder moved forward and nuzzled along the side of his snout, hot breath tickling his ear as Ryder rubbed against him, and joy filled his heart.
Mate! He pushed hard, his entire bear soul rejoicing. This was his mate. This was right and good, and no one could deny him this. My Ryder. My own mate.
I’m your own, oh little bear. My perfect little bear.
He heated, top to bottom, rejoicing as Ryder rubbed against him, spreading his scent, marking him. Nolan did his best to stand his ground, Ryder’s grizzly huge, dwarfing him.
He didn’t feel in the least bit threatened. This was his own mate, but he wanted to be able to stand his ground and be good enough.
Ryder snorted softly. You are perfect. I don’t want to knock you down, so come up on the bed and snuggle with me. I’ve waited my whole life for you.
I fought to escape so I could find you. Nolan got it now. He understood all the way.
They rolled up onto the bed together. Ryder got in first, and then Nolan crawled up into the soft touch of that amazing belly fur, nuzzling in, growling with sheer joy.
He loved how Ryder smelled, and he loved how big and protective Ryder was. He felt safe, as if nothing could hurt him here, even though he knew that was not the truth intellectually. It made him sad that so many omegas never found this. So many of them got stuck with assholes like he’d been with.
We’re not thinking about that right now, little bear. We’re only thinking about you and me. Ryder shoved a big paw up over his body, holding him close, and Nolan grumbled but it was a happy noise, not an angry one.
The bed creaked under their weight a little bit, he had to admit, but it held up well. The platform Ryder had put it on was really sturdy, giving him hope that they could sleep this way a lot.
Any time, sweet bear, any time at all. You can also sleep down in front of the fire whenever you want. Although probably not when my brothers and yours are here.
Nolan snorted. Race loves to snuggle.
So do I, but until we’re settled in for the winter and safe, my bear stresses that someone’s out there. Ryder chuffed softly. It’s ridiculous, but we’re bears. At least we’re not wolves, right?
Nolan understood completely. Soon it’ll be winter. Time for hibernation.
I love that. Winter is one of my favorite times. Ryder was settling in, getting heavier, and it felt so good just to rest together. There was a simple peace emanating from his grizzly mate, and it pleased him to the bone that he was a part of that.
Do you three hibernate all together?
No, but we’re very close, and we do spend a couple of weeks hanging out together. Somehow we’ll end up at someone’s house—there’s lots of food, then there’s lots of sleeping. You know how that goes.
He didn’t, but he wanted to learn. It sounded amazing—family and friends sleeping, lots of food. Is it usually here where you crash?
No, actually. Usually we stay at Warrick’s. He’s the oldest, he has the biggest place, and we each have a bedroom there. Now it’ll be different. I have you.
Nolan did love the sound of that.
Well, one way or the other, I’m going to love spending the winter. He rested his head down, his body feeling heavy and happy, and settled.
Nap, little bear. Everything’s going to be all right. We’re going to figure everything out, and I’m not going to let anyone hurt you, so just rest.
I can do that.
It was actually easy with Ryder surrounding him, solid against him. He closed his eyes and relaxed, and before he could even think about how happy he was, he fell asleep.