Chapter 3 #2
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Doctor Matthias Stark.” She wags a finger. I’ve got a foot and a half of height on her plus a medical degree under my belt, but I feel like I’m eight years old. “Or I’ll nominate you for King of Bad Bear.”
“King of Bad Bear?” Lana asks, her eyes twinkling.
“I’d vote for you,” Teddy grins. I shake my head at him slightly, but Daisy’s already running with it.
“You should!” she cries. “Put your votes in at the Daisy Day Cafe booth. Winners will be crowned King and Queen of Bad Bear at the end of Winterfest.” She points to a small stage set between two bear-shaped ice sculptures.
“How many votes per person?” Teddy asks. I can see he’s plotting something.
“You can vote once a day, every day you attend Winterfest,” Maisy says. My bear perks up at the sound of her soft voice. “Entries must be made in person.”
“And you’re welcome to campaign for your nominee,” Daisy adds.
“Excellent,” Teddy rubs his hands together.
“Don’t,” I warn, but he just chuckles. I bet he’s going to recruit all of my brothers to spam the voting box and make me king.
They’ll get a picture of me standing on that dais in a dinky crown, holding a scepter, and then the triplets will hack professional networking accounts and post it as my profile picture.
I’m about to order Teddy not to get near the voting station when I notice my brother Axel walking towards us.
He’s in his signature blue jeans and black leather jacket, with his long black hair tied back out of his face like he’s been working.
He’s also got his red metal toolbox and a wrench in hand.
“Maintenance check’s done,” he calls, and I notice he’s looking at Maisy. “Ferris Wheel’s good to go.”
She smiles at him, and her whole face lights up. “Thanks, Axel.”
He gives her a nod.
My hands clench into fists. Heat flares through me, red hot energy making my body ready to rage.
Against my own brother.
Maisy and Axel’s whole interaction was less than ten seconds, but it was enough to tell me she’s comfortable with him. More comfortable than she’s ever been with me. Axel’s already walking off, but I want to go after him and pulverize his face. Make sure Maisy only smiles at me.
The jealousy doesn’t feel good. Axel is my most chill brother. If I talked to him, told him Maisy was my mate, he’d back off.
But no, I can’t do that. Just like I can’t tell my brothers about Mom. I don’t burden others with the curveballs Fate throws when I can handle them on my own. That’s how I maintain control.
And right now, I just need to get my emotions under control.
“All right, you kids need to help me get this party started by hopping on the Ferris wheel.” Daisy hooks her arm through mine.
She still has hold of poor Maisy’s arm. “You two, climb on first for me.” She propels us up to the wheel, cutting past the group of children and their parents who have been waiting for the ride to start. “Show everyone how safe this is.”
My bear nearly roars his approval with the plan. My first instinct is to shout, YES.
Then logic kicks in. My brain calculates whether I took enough Moon Cure to be shoulder to shoulder with Maisy for an extended period.
It’s probably fine.
Avoiding it would probably cause more strain on my condition because my bear would go rabid. And I need to be close to her, to cover her with my scent, so that Axel backs off.
I hold out my hand like a gentleman for Maisy when Daisy tells the attendant to start loading up, with the two of us going first.
Maisy stares at my proffered palm in surprise. Her mittened fingers lift, then freeze mid-air, like she’s afraid she made a mistake.
I give her an encouraging smile. “My lady.” I bow, since I look more like I’m asking her to dance at an old-fashioned ball than a guy who’s about to climb on a Ferris wheel. “Shall we take a spin?”
Her cheeks flush even pinker. “Oh. Um, yes. Okay.” She puts her hand in my palm, and I escort her up to the first chair. I want to pick her up by the waist and set her on the seat. To take care of her like she’s mine, but I can’t.
She’s not mine.
She can’t be mine.
I settle for sitting beside her, feeling the warmth of her small, soft body pressed next to mine. The Ferris wheel advances, loading the next passengers.
“Thank you for the prescription, I’m feeling much better,” Maisy blurts.
“Of course. Anything you need, Maisy–day or night. Just text me. You have my number now.”
“Oh. Um. That’s very generous of you, Dr. Hu…uhhhh…Stark.”
I’ve noticed Maisy always calls me Dr. Stark, even though I’m known as Dr. Matthias on the mountain. “Call me Matthias.” I make it an order.
She inhales sharply, and her scent blooms stronger. “Dr…Matthias.”
“Just Matthias.”
Or sir.
“Matthias,” she almost whispers.
Good girl.
I swear I feel her body heating through the contact of our thighs touching. The urge to touch her is so strong, I have to lean over the edge away from her, pretending I’m looking down.
My brother Teddy still loiters below, staring up at me like he’s puzzling something out.
Fuck. Did I show my bear? Did my eyes change color when I settled beside Maisy?
I’ve made it years without my family knowing my secret.
I’ve always maintained my privacy with them, and with this matter, it’s no different.
I don’t want them to worry about me going moon mad or to pressure me into claiming Maisy while she’s still in her formative years.
The Ferris wheel attendant finally finishes loading everyone, and we continue rising in a gentle arc through the air.
Maisy clutches her mittened hands together in her lap and looks out at the view of our quaint little mountain town. The snow falls in steady, soft flakes, blanketing everything and making it look like a gingerbread village. “It’s, um, beautiful, isn’t it?”
My chest constricts. It’s so precious how nervous she gets with me.
My lovely mate may be human, but she feels the biological pull to me.
Some part of her knows she belongs to me.
Her body responds to mine. I’ve known she was mine since she was just fifteen–she was a late bloomer as far as puberty went.
If I didn’t have my mom’s illness and helping with the triplets to contend with, I would’ve quit my job and moved as far away from Bad Bear Mountain as I could have that very day. But I couldn’t leave. And I couldn’t claim her. So, I vowed never to touch her and came up with the Moon Cure.
The next time we sweep up to the top, the Ferris wheel lurches to an abrupt stop.
“What’s happening?” Someone beneath us asks.
“Just a little technical difficulties, everyone!” the attendant calls out. “We’ll have you back up and running in a few minutes–not to worry!”
I lean forward to peer down and see Daisy slipping him some money.
Aha! She planned this on purpose.
Maisy grips the bar in front of us. “I knew we shouldn’t have gotten this thing. Even with a ninety percent discount,” she mutters then winces when the car starts swinging in the cold wind. “What do you think is going on?”
I can’t stop myself from putting an arm around her. “It’s okay, beautiful. We’re perfectly safe.”
Beautiful?
Shit. Did I say that out loud?
Maisy turns her gorgeous face to mine, her blue eyes wide. She’s not breathing.
The urge to kiss her overcomes me.
I don’t act on it–of course I don’t–but my dick thickens, and a scratchy, feverish sensation travels across my skin.
Pain seizes my lower belly, simultaneously traveling down to my balls and up to my heart.
Fuck, I want to kiss her.
Those soft, pillowy lips were made to be claimed by me.
My vision changes to dichromatic. I’m looking through my bear’s eyes, seeing fewer colors. I blink rapidly, trying to force my bear back down. The physical pain increases. I’m not sure if it’s a side effect of the Moon Cure or simply how it feels to be close to my mate without claiming her.
“Are you okay?” Maisy asks.
My grunt sounds affirmative but barely human.
She rests a soft hand on mine. Her mittens are thin, and I feel the chill of her fingers beneath them.
“You’re cold,” I murmur. My bear settles as I focus on her comfort. Shifters have a slightly elevated temperature, and I’m grateful for it. With my arm around her, I will my warmth to seep into her.
As soon as I’m on the ground, I’m going to tell Daisy that a Ferris wheel in January is a bad idea. The health of my patient—my most important patient—is at stake.
I hear her pulse speeding up, but she lets me cover her mittened hands with mine. I’m so much bigger than her, and right now that’s a good thing—my warmth heats us both.
“How do snowmen pay their bills?” she asks, her voice a bit breathless in a way that makes my cock perk up.
It takes me a second to realize she’s telling a joke and remember how to play along. “How?”
“With cold hard cash.”
A chuckle rumbles deep in my belly. I knew the punchline would be silly, but it’s still funny.
“You like jokes.” I’m charmed by her. She’s utterly adorable.
She blushes. “I used to be afraid of everything. But I had this joke book I was obsessed with. And whenever I was scared or sad, I’d tell myself jokes over and over.
And it worked. It still works.” Even as she says this, her eyes dart down to the ground, and she gulps.
Being stuck up here is scary for her. And cold.
I love that she’s opening up to me. I rack my brain for any dad joke I know. I vow to learn a hundred by the next time I see her. The only one I can think of is painfully bad, but for her, I’ll tell it. I’ll do anything. “What do you call a cow with no legs?”
“What?”
“Ground beef.”
Her smile lights her face.
“The triplets also had a joke book,” I tell her. “They went through a period where they told the same ones over and over.”
“What do you call cheese that’s not yours?” she asks cheerfully. Her enthusiasm for the joke is really selling it.
I shake my head, my grin stretching my face as I wait for the punchline.
“Nacho cheese,” she cries, and I crack up. My laugh creaks out of me. How long has it been since I’ve had a good belly laugh? Too long.
I need to laugh more. My sense of humor has gotten dusty.
I’m writing myself a prescription for more Maisy.
“You’re a delight,” I tell her with real feeling. She beams at me, and I’m struck by the dazzling stars in her eyes. I knew Maisy was gorgeous and just my type. But I’ve never gotten close enough to have a conversation with her, and now I’m regretting it. I’ve missed so much.
“Thank you.” Her cheeks are bright. She glances down at the ground. “I hope Daisy is calling Axel back. He can fix anything.”
Just like that, my jealousy is back.
“How well do you know my brother?” A growl creeps into my voice no matter how hard I try to keep it out.
“Axel? We’re friends. Just friends,” she clarifies with a little laugh.
I appreciate it because it allows me to get myself under control. It’s not right that I want to kill my own brother just because he smiled at her.
How close are they? I’ve never smelled his scent on her, but I wouldn’t because I’ve been keeping my distance from Maisy.
“He took me to prom as a favor to Daisy. Which was actually cool because everyone in my class had a crush on him.” Another little laugh, this one self-deprecating. I try to keep my cool and listen, really listen.
“He takes me on rides sometimes,” she sounds wistful. “We just cruise the mountain roads and listen to music. Not often, just when I need to get away from it all.”
I frown. What does she need to get away from? I don’t know her, not really. And I hate that.
There’s a long moment of silence while she stares into the distance, and I try to read her. She’s tense, almost like she’s gearing up for something.
“Do you want to go on a date with me?” Maisy blurts.
I’m not sure who is more shocked–me or her. Her eyes widen even further, and she leans her head back a little, as if to create more distance between us.
I’m about to shut her down as gently as I can because there’s no way on Earth I can go on a date with this exquisite creature without her ending up naked and fucked so thoroughly she wouldn’t be able to walk straight when I remember her New Year’s resolution list. Number six: Go on a date.
If I don’t take her out, she might ask Axel or some other asshole, and I’m not sure my bear could handle that without tearing the guy to bits and scattering his body across the mountain.
Maybe it’s time to stop watching her from a distance and be a bigger part of her life. I can’t claim her yet, but maybe I can be the guy to help her gain some confidence.
That will mean getting closer, but I think I can manage it. I can tweak the Moon Cure compound and up my dose. That will allow me to keep my bear–and fate–under control while I help my beautiful girl spread her wings and fly.
Maybe it’s time for me to break my rules.
Time for me to recognize my interest in Maisy for what it is…
She’s my fated mate.
She belongs to me, which means she’s mine to encourage and mold. If I’m careful, I might be able to do that without taking over her life. I can be the Mr. Knightly to her Emma–guiding and encouraging until she’s matured enough to handle a man like me.
Besides, I don’t think I can stay away. I need more Maisy in my life.
She reads my hesitation as rejection, and her face turns a deep shade of purple. “Sorry,” she says. “That was highly inappropriate. I mean, you’re my doctor and all…”
I’m not her main medical care provider, actually, but I realize she’s trying to give me an out.
I take her hand again. “I would love to go on a date with you, Maisy.”