Chapter 10
Murphy spun around, his lips peeling back into an animalistic snarl as he caught Jasper’s scent in the air. His brother stepped into the lobby, a lazy grin on his face as he waved at them both in greeting.
Only, at that moment, he wasn’t Murphy’s brother. He was competition, a potential rival who might take Nessa away from him now that she’d voiced an interest in exploring her options; now that she realized she could handle another male’s touch.
No one touches her but me, he thought harshly, the words beating through his head like a drum. He wasn’t sure if it was the mating sickness, irrational jealousy, or both that compelled his actions, but right at that moment, he didn’t care.
“Get out,” Murphy ordered sharply, his nails lengthening into deadly claws as his fury mounted. His brother stopped in his tracks, his expression turning wary.
“Murphy?” Nessa asked quietly behind him, his body blocking her from Jasper’s gaze. He wanted her to stay behind the counter, far away from the other male at all costs. “What’s wrong?”
Murphy didn’t answer, but a terrifying rumble exploded in his chest as he caught the scent of Nessa’s distress.
“Easy there, Murph. I’m just here like you asked,” Jasper reminded him, keeping his voice light and easy. He held out his hands, palms up, as if he were trying to tame a rabid animal. “There’s no need to threaten me.”
“I’m sorry. You know each other? Who are you?” Nessa came around the counter, and Murphy sidestepped in front of her, keeping her away from Jasper while still facing the male. “Rude,“ she muttered, and then he felt her peer around his shoulder, staring at the other male in bewilderment.
Did she think Jasper handsome? He was almost as tall as Murphy, just as broad-shouldered and buff.
His brown hair was a bit longer, and his green eyes always drew in the ladies—at least the females in the bear clan.
He didn’t have scars that he was ashamed of littering most of his body, nor did he hold the fate of an entire bear clan on his shoulders.
He’d make her laugh in ways Murphy couldn’t.
He was a clean slate, easygoing. What if Nessa decided Jasper was the bear she wanted to be with?
Don’t be ridiculous. She wouldn’t do that. And even if she did, Jasper would never betray your trust.
Still …
“I said, get out,“ Murphy growled, waves of his power blasting through the air as he began to shift.
Jasper’s knees buckled as Murphy felt shivers race across his skin. The familiar sensation was coupled by his clothing tightening, his muscles expanding—
“Hey!”
Small, warm fingers locked around his wrist, pushing up the sleeve of his sweater until soft skin connected with his. Nessa’s scent enveloped him; traces of berries and vanilla that had his mouth watering. Murphy shuddered, some of his rage disappearing as her hold on him tightened.
“You need to calm down, Murphy. It’s alright,” she whispered.
Murphy nodded, taking deep, heaving breaths before pushing his bear back. The animal followed his command easily, without so much as a fuss. Odd. Lately, his bear had fought him at every turn. The fact it was so easily obeying was enough to startle him back to reality.
What the hell was he doing?
Wincing, Murphy shot his brother a disgruntled look. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me,” he grumbled out the lie.
“Yeah, sure,” Jasper drawled, standing back up on unsteady legs. “Maybe next time we don’t meet here if it’s a problem,” the male suggested, sliding a covert glance at the female tucked behind Murphy.
Murphy didn’t like him even looking at his Nessa but he bit back a snarl before it could form again. Turning his wrist to dislodge her hold, he snatched her hand in his, pulling her forward until she was standing close beside him, practically tucked into his side.
She was stiff, a frown on her face as she watched Jasper with distrust.
“You remember my mate,” Murphy said to his brother, emphasis heavy in his voice. “Nessa, this is Jasper. My youngest brother.”
At the introduction, Nessa’s shoulders relaxed, and she let out a small, relieved breath.
“Oh, thank God. I thought he was an enemy,” she said quickly, casting one last look at Jasper before turning her attention fully to Murphy.
“What was that about? Are you okay? You’re not going to Hulk out are you? ”
Jasper snorted. “Didn’t peg you for the comic book type.”
She ignored him, studying Murphy intently. “Seriously, what’s going on?”
“It’s nothing,” Murphy said with a shake of his head. He knew he was full of shit, and as her gaze narrowed on him, he knew she’d read right through him.
“Is it mating sickness?” she asked, lowering her voice. “And don’t lie to me.”
“I don’t want to discuss it, Nes.” Mostly because he wasn’t sure how to answer.
“Uh-oh, Mom and Dad are fighting already,” Jasper chimed in.
Murphy snarled, snapping his head toward his brother. “Enough, or you’ll be patrolling the border every night for the next six weeks until you learn some damned manners.”
Jasper quickly zipped his lips at that, feigning an interest in the teahouse’s decor. Murphy sighed, squeezing Nessa’s fingers gently. The sooner he got her away from his brother, the better he’d feel. “Where are your car keys?”
“Why?”
“Jasper is going to take your SUV to get fixed.”
“Right now?” She whistled under her breath. “You work fast.”
“Well, you told me you’d charge interest daily, remember?” he joked, though he didn’t feel any humor in this entire situation.
“Won’t it take a while to get fixed?” Nessa asked, leaning toward him, so close that he could feel the warmth of her body against his. “I don’t know much about vehicles, but I feel like puncture wounds in a door aren’t something you can just slap some duct tape on.”
“I wouldn’t recommend duct taping anything on your car,” Jasper cut in, still staring aimlessly at the shelves of tea around him in mock fascination. “Shit’s a pain in the ass to remove. Strips the paint, if you’re not careful.”
Nessa shot Jasper an odd look, like she couldn’t figure out whether she found him annoying or funny. “What if my car isn’t ready by the time the teahouse closes? How will I get back?” she asked Murphy.
“I’ll drive you home and then back here in the morning, if that’s the case,” Murphy assured her, still inhaling deeply. As he dragged in her scent, the last of his anger faded, leaving behind only embarrassment for his earlier behavior.
He’d come very close to shifting inside the teahouse, wrecking Nessa’s place and kicking Jasper’s ass in the process. All because of one off-hand comment she’d made.
He shouldn’t have reacted so poorly. He needed to get a grip.
What she did with her free time, with her body and heart, wasn’t his business anyway. Mating her was a risk he wasn’t willing to take. He’d told her that point-blank, and he’d been telling his bear the same thing for months.
Yet now, after getting to know more about her, seeing the kind of female she truly was, and being confronted with the all-too-real possibility that she could actually find solace in another, that she could be taken from him and he’d lose out on a chance with her …
It felt like his head had been effectively dislodged from his ass. His reasoning for staying away now seemed trivial, at best. She was a human, yes, but she wasn’t like the ones he’d known before. She was a protector at heart, courageous— attributes that would be an asset in a mate.
But was it mating sickness or his bear pulling at his emotions, trying to force this kind of response from him?
He didn’t know. But if that were the case, why hadn’t his bear thrown a fit when he’d pushed it back just now? Why did it seem almost like an observer in this situation?
The answer was simple: his bear had nothing to do with his actions.
Fuck! What was he going to do?
“Come on.” Nessa moved in front of Murphy, her hand tightening on his as she tugged him toward a nondescript door at the end of the long counter.
Eager to get her away from his brother, he followed her quickly into the office, barely refraining from slamming the door behind him.
Moving them to the small desk set in the corner, Nessa began sifting through her purse, which was plopped on the desktop there, while keeping her fingers entwined with his.
“Now that we’re alone, are you going to explain what the hell just happened?” she asked, staring at him from beneath her lashes before she pulled her keys free from her purse.
“I’m sure my brother can hear us in here just fine,” Murphy commented.
Jasper chortled from the other room, his voice muffled as he called out, “Sure can!”
Nessa’s eyes widened briefly. “Wow, I can’t believe I keep forgetting how different we are from each other.
” She shook her head. “Just pretend, for my sake, that he can’t hear you.
My comment set you off, didn’t it? When I was talking about possibilities,“ she hedged, her gaze wandering to the closed door behind him and then back to his face.
“Yes,” he gritted out, still debating on whether to be fully honest with her. “I didn’t like it. When my brother came in, I saw him as a threat to my claim on you.”
“You mean your bear’s claim,” she corrected, unaware of how completely wrong she was. “What I said upset him, didn’t it? It’s a ‘him,’ right? Does he have a name?”
“Nessa,” Murphy bit out, exasperation clear in his voice. “Is now really the time to ask?”
She sent him an awkward smile that was more of a grimace than anything else. “I’m talkative when I’m nervous.”
His brows furrowed in confusion. “Why are you nervous?”
“Um, because you almost shifted into a freaking grizzly bear in the middle of my lobby, where anyone could have come inside and seen you!” she exclaimed.
“And instead of being smart and running for my life, I rushed to stop you, thinking you needed my help. What if you’d shifted and mauled me to death? ”
“I would never hurt you,“ Murphy argued, pulling on her hand to get the importance of his point across.
Hesitantly, she moved around her desk, allowing him to tug her fully against him.
She was so much shorter than him, she had to crane her neck as she stared into his eyes.
He liked their height difference, though, mostly because his protective instincts went on high alert; the need to shelter her from anything and anyone overpowering.
“Never, Nes. You’re safe with me no matter what form I’m in or how little control I have,” he murmured, his palms itching to cup her face. He resisted, only because he didn’t want to push her any further than he already had today.
Yes, she’d said she liked his touch before, but that didn’t mean she’d welcome it again. Not so soon.
Nessa studied him, an uncertainty shining in her eyes that nearly broke him. He saw the moment her indecision left, her chocolate gaze softening ever so slightly, and he nearly sagged in relief at how good it felt that she trusted him.
“Okay,” she answered finally. “I’ll try not to say anything so callous again. I didn’t mean to anyway. I babble when I’m nervous, and it just kind of came out.”
Murphy raised a brow. “You talk all the time, Nessa. You can’t always be nervous.”
She shrugged, her hair sliding off her shoulder from the motion, the color once again catching his eye. “Maybe you just bring it out of me, Murphy.”
His heartbeat quickened. “I make you nervous?”
“I mean, sometimes, yeah. Like before, when you told me you found me irresistible.” She blushed, breaking eye contact to look at his chest. “I know you were just trying to explain things to me, but you’re an attractive man, and it’s been a long time since someone complimented me like that. I didn’t know what to say.”
“So, in response, you felt the need to tell your mate that you were ready to find another male?”
Nessa winced. “Well, I mean, I didn’t say that, did I? Who knows if I’ll ever be ready for something like that anyway? It’s just nice to know that maybe, one day, my vagina might welcome a visitor or two before I die—“
One or two?
That same jealousy erupted from within him, and Murphy growled dangerously.
Nessa froze, her eyes going as wide as saucers as he palmed the nape of her neck, dragging her closer until he couldn’t tell where she began and he ended.
Leaning down, his nose brushed against hers, and the air around them filled with a sensual tension, her sweet scent deepening into an irresistible fragrance.
“Murphy?” she breathed, placing a small hand on his chest. Her fingers twisted into his sweater, wrinkling the material. “What are you doing?”
Before he could answer, there was a sharp bang on the office door. “You’ve got customers waiting, and I’d really like to leave now,” Jasper shouted through the wood.
“I—“ Nessa cleared her throat, dropping her hand and abruptly taking a step away from him. “Duty calls,” she said with a faint laugh. And then she bolted from her office, leaving Murphy wondering just what the hell he was going to do now.