Cynful

Chapter Three

Julian handed over his keys to the valet and ran into the brightly lit Freidelinde mansion. Tonight was the annual Halle Halloween masquerade. Jamie and Marie Howard had apparently continued a long-standing tradition and agreed to host it at their lavish estate. He entered the building and grinned.

The place was rockin’ and it wasn’t even nine o’clock at night.

Julian smiled at everyone he met, until his eyes landed on Eric Bunsun. He was still ticked at Eric. Not only had the Grizzly messed with his date, he’d disrespected Julian’s mate. He planned on having words with Alex’s brother if the boy didn’t straighten his ass out. No one, especially not another Bear, treated a Kermode’s mate that way. Julian might not be as strong physically as Eric, but he could still put the man in his place.

Eric simply nodded and turned away. If he was ashamed of himself he didn’t show it. Julian snarled and added Eric’s education to his to-do list.

He’d caught glimpses here and there of the Pumas. Emma and Max were dressed in matching gangster costumes, the long coat of Emma’s costume giving way to a pair of short-shorts that had Julian’s eyebrows rising in surprise. The Curana had some fine legs on her. She and Max were striding through the room as if they owned the place, the Pumas in their path acknowledging them with a discreet tilt of the head to show their submission. Simon and Becky were dressed as Spiderman and Spiderwoman, the spandex outfit striking on Becky’s slender frame. Gabe and Sarah had come as Indiana Jones and Lara Croft, an odd yet fitting combination. And Adrian and Sheri were…steampunk vampires? Maybe? He would have said cowboys if it weren’t for the brass goggles on their heads and the painted brass Nerf guns at their hips. He was pretty sure the fangs they were flashing weren’t plastic. When they passed Max and Emma, they grinned and whipped out the guns, nailing the Alpha and Curana before running away, laughing like little children.

Those two are just too weird.

“Have you seen the girls?” Alex’s deep voice startled him. He turned to find the Grizzly behind him, grinning at the fleeing Pumas. Max and Emma had taken off after Sheri and Adrian, vowing Nerfy revenge. Julian stared at Alex’s masked face and burst into laughter. Alex had come dressed as Tuxedo Mask, complete with cane and red rose. The man’s obsession with Sailor Moon was scary.

“What the hell are you dressed as?” Alex shook his head. “Paul Bunyan? Really? You couldn’t come up with something better than that?”

“It’s too cold out for a loincloth.” Julian shook his head. He’d bound his long black hair in a braid down his back. The bottom of it swung out and hit a nearby partygoer. He waved his foam rubber axe in apology. Nerf seems to be popular tonight. “Sorry! Besides, I’m all out of my favorite war paint. It’s not like I can order a new supply from Mary Kay.” He frowned. “I thought you were giving the girls a ride tonight.” Julian immediately sniffed the air, looking for any sign Cyn had made it. It was just too loud to pick her voice out from among the crowd, though he’d been listening for it since entering the mansion.

“They should be here any minute now. Tabby wanted their costumes to be a surprise.” Alex gave him a secretive grin.

What the hell had Alex talked his mate into? If Cyn showed up as a stripper—okay. If Cyn showed up in a skimpy outfit, he’d have to yell at Alex…in public.

In private he’d owe him a burger.

Murmurs of surprise and laughter came from the front of the ballroom. Julian turned and there, in all their glory, were Alex’s fantasy women come to life.

“This skirt’s so short it’s a sports bra.” Cyn reached behind her and tugged on the bright red skirt with a grunt. The white, satiny shirt gleamed, the huge, sailor-like collar red and white striped just like in the anime. The huge purple bow was draped across her breasts like an invitation, the red gem in the center glittering. Her elbow length white gloves were topped with bands of red in the same shade as her skirt. She’d thrown on a waist-length black wig to go with her white and red Sailor Mars outfit. Julian’s jaw dropped at the length of thigh the shiny miniskirt revealed. She was the only one of the three not wearing boots. Instead, Sailor Mars wore red fuck-me pumps.

He was beginning to understand Alex’s obsession. Fuck, she looked hot. He owed the man two burgers. Maybe even fries.

“That’s nothing. Try wearing this wig.” Tabby reached under the blonde wig to scratch her scalp. Some of her lime green hair escaped, giving the blonde, floor-length pigtails some really odd highlights. Her outfit was predominantly white and navy blue, with touches of red. She made a stunning Sailor Moon.

“I kind of like it.” Glory stuck out her powder blue booted foot to admire it. She hadn’t even bothered with the short, blue-black wig Sailor Mercury should have worn. Instead, her blue curls were loosely held back by the gold tiara all the Sailor Scouts wore.

“Oh my God. You got them to dress as the Sailor Scouts?” Julian’s eyes gleamed as he took in Cyn’s seriously short skirt. “Me likey.”

He started forward, only to stop when Cyn plastered a Post-It note covered in kanji on his forehead. It was a well-known Sailor Mars trick, but only if you were a fan, which meant she could only have learned it if Alex told her about it. “Hey, it worked!”

Everyone laughed. Julian ripped the Post-It note off his forehead. “Ha-ha. Very funny.”

“Ahem.”

Glory’s eyes widened as she stared at something over Alex’s shoulder. He turned to find Ryan, dressed as a sheik in all white, grinning at them. He carried a white rose in his hand. “Someone call for the Moonlight Knight?”

“Oh hell no.” Alex shoved his cousin back a step with a low, menacing growl. “You stay away from Sailor Moon, you sneaky bastard.”

Julian burst into laughter. Ryan must have found out about the costumes the girls were coming in and bought his costume to match, but he’d picked the wrong guy for Glory’s Sailor Mercury.

“Your Sailor Scout is safe. I find myself enchanted by the color blue.” Ryan held out the rose to Glory. “Sailor Mercury, may I have this dance?”

Glory took off running in the opposite direction.

Ryan grinned. “When will she learn that predators love to give chase?” Ryan took off after his errant, unclaimed mate.

When he stopped laughing long enough to take stock he realized Alex and Tabby had also disappeared. Only Cyn was left. She batted ridiculously long, false lashes at him. “Want to dance?”

Did he look stupid? He glanced down at his red-checkered shirt. Perhaps he shouldn’t ask that out loud. “Yes, please.” He vibrated between the need to take her in his arms and hold her close and the need to cover her skin so no one else could see how fucking sexy she was.

She stepped into his arms and his first need took precedence. God. Damn. He had to buy his woman more miniskirts. “You look gorgeous.”

“Thank you. You look…lumberjacky.”

He grinned. “Thanks. And for the record, I’d love to show you how I swing my axe.” He waggled his eyebrows, chuckling when she threw her head back and laughed. That ridiculous wig almost fell off her head. “How did you get roped into this outfit, by the way?”

She scowled and tugged on her skirt again. “Tabby lost a bet.”

“And?”

“She talked us into this stupid shit.” She glared at him. “Not. One. Word.”

He had no idea what she was talking about but he zipped it anyway.

“This skirt is illegal in twenty-five states. The wig itches like a bitch and I look horrible in white.”

Huh. He thought she looked delectable. He bit his tongue and kept dancing. Was it his fault if his hands just happened to slip down to the top of her ass?

“And then she has the nerve to try and talk me into full makeup! She even wanted me to wear these—hands!”

Julian’s hands, which had made a very happy foray to her southern hemisphere, moved back up to her waist.

“These stupid contact lenses you can’t even buy off an eye doctor. You have to order them over the web. They’re the same ones Lady Gaga used in this video—hands!”

Julian immediately removed his hands from under her skirt. Damn, she was wearing boy shorts under it. All of his secret fantasies of backseat explorations were dashed.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself, mister?”

Julian pretended to think about it for a moment before shaking his head.

“Jeez. It’s like talking to a three-year-old.”

“A three-year-old wouldn’t be trying to shove his hands down your pants.” Julian stopped dancing long enough to rub his shin. Those pointy red shoes were hard on the anatomy.

“Jules!”

Julian stood and grinned at Jamie and Marie Howard. They’d dressed as a cowboy and a sexy cowgirl. Damn, he’d have to buy Cyn a pair of chaps. He wondered how Jamie felt about his mate wearing them with nothing more than a pair of boy shorts under them. “Nice party!”

“Nice kick.” Marie high-fived Cyn, the fringe of her short, tummy-bearing vest swinging with her movements. Julian was definitely begging Jamie for the name of the shop he got that outfit from.

“What if Julian didn’t deserve the kick?” Jamie patted his wife’s butt.

Marie shrugged. “Does it matter?” She winked at Cyn and accepted her fist bump.

“Ah. He has a penis, therefore he’s the enemy. Gotcha.”

Marie swatted her mate’s arm. “I’m not that bad.”

Julian smiled at the love between them. Marie had a strained relationship with Emma and Becky, and therefore Max and Simon, but he had no idea why. She seemed like a perfectly nice woman to him.

“Be good, you.” She wagged her finger in her mate’s face, but he merely grinned. She turned on Julian and wagged her finger at him as well. “You too.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The Howards danced away, already greeting other guests.

“Liar,” Cyn whispered in his ear.

He cupped her ass again and braced for impact. “Yes, ma’am.”

Cyn tossed the wig in the backseat of Julian’s car and sighed. She’d agreed to let him take her home, but only that. The man had barely reached first base, and she had every intention of keeping him there for a while, no matter how good his hands felt. After all, they hadn’t been dating long enough for second yet. “God, my feet hurt.”

“So does my shin.”

She grinned. That should teach him to keep his hands where she could see them. Besides, he was adorable when he pouted.

“Going to invite me in?”

That deep, dark tone always sent a shiver down her spine, but Cyn stiffened it. She wasn’t going to give in to him that easily. Julian would have to work to earn the right to bite her. “Nope.”

“Damn.” His hand drifted to her thigh. “Have I mentioned I like your costume?”

“Maybe.” She pushed his hand down to her knee. She wasn’t opposed to him touching her. In fact, she’d love to do more than touch, but Cyn wasn’t easy. It was going to take Julian more than a date or three to get her boy shorts off.

That wicked gleam was back in his eye, and she just knew something outrageous was going to pop out of his mouth. “How do you feel about role-playing?”

Cyn bit her cheek to keep from laughing. Role-playing, huh? “Well, Rolemaster was a bitch to learn because of all the Companion books, plus you needed a physics calculator just to figure out your stats.” The car swerved as Julian jerked, his expression shocked. “Some versions of Dungeons and Dragons weren’t too bad, but Star Wars seriously sucked unless you were a Jedi.” She tapped her fingernail against her lips. “Wait, did you mean pen and paper or online RPGs, because—”

His expression had gone completely blank. “Oh, my god. You’re a geek!”

“Yup.” She waited for the usual explosion she got when she revealed her secret life as a (gasp!) nerd. Most of the guys she dated either laughed their asses off at her, thus ending any chance they had of getting into her boy shorts, or simply stopped calling. What self-respecting man wanted to date a tattooed geek? If anything were capable of scaring Julian off, this would be it.

“That is so fucking hot.” His gaze had turned reverent, those brown eyes sparkling with laughter.

Apparently one freaky Bear did. Cyn’s jaw dropped. “I’m sorry. What did you just say?”

He grinned at her and pulled to the curb before turning in his seat to face her. “What online game do you play?”

She blinked. He couldn’t be serious. Could he? “Which one do you think?”

“I’d say DDO, but I’m betting it’s World of Warcraft. Eve Online would be too boring for you. Not enough action.”

She nodded before she could stop herself. “Wait. You play?”

“Yup.”

“You.”

“Yes.” He was looking confused.

Good, because so was she. “Mr. Shits-in-the-Woods.”

“Hey! I only do that when I’m fuzzy. And I have high speed Internet in my cave, thank you very much. Why, recently, I installed a dorm fridge right next to my sleeping furs.” He crossed his arms and glared at her.

“Fine. Yes, WoW, and I play a paladin.”

He blinked, then grinned. “I play a warlock.”

“Pfft. Of course. It all makes sense now. You’re a spell-caster.” Cyn sneered at him good-naturedly.

“Oh yeah. Because it takes serious brains to beat the bad guys with a huge metal stick.” Julian rolled his eyes in disgust.

Cyn studied her nails. “Oh look, I’m a big, bad warlock. I think I’ll give myself a mani-pedi while my summoned pet does all the work.”

“Yup. I named my pet Paladin.”

They glared at each other across the console. “Hmph.” Cyn relented first. “Maybe we could group sometime.”

“Oh, baby. I am so turned on right now.” Julian leaned forward and tried to steal a kiss.

Cyn added another bruise to his leg. She was really beginning to like these shoes.

“You’re mean.” Julian pouted as he put the car in gear and turned down her street.

“Yes. You have a problem with that?” She was fighting off a laugh. God, the man was such a goof! And he liked the same stuff she did, crazy though it was.

She was in such deep shit.

“Nope.” He pulled into her driveway and cut the engine. “I like it.”

She shivered. His deep voice had turned sultry, sexy as hell. She had goose bumps running down her arms. How the hell was she supposed to resist him when he spoke like that?

He leaned over the console and cupped the back of her head. She had learned to crave his taste in the short time they’d been dating. Cyn wasn’t one to give in to cravings just for the hell of it, but she was learning that Julian’s kiss was more than a craving. It was rapidly becoming an addiction.

Her heart beat faster as his lips drew near. She wanted his kiss more than anything, even more than she’d wanted Living Art. God, what was she supposed to do? Two weeks of dating and the man had her melted into a puddle of mindless goo.

His mouth came down on hers, gentle and patient, his tongue stroking her lips until she parted for him and allowed him inside. His taste hit her, made her shiver. Her nipples beaded beneath her padded bra, a new addition to her wardrobe thanks to a certain sexy Bear. It wouldn’t do to let him know that they went hard whenever he touched her. He kept it slow, languid, seducing her with his kiss, his hands staying exactly where he’d put them.

He was adhering to the rules she’d set down, and she’d never been more sorry in her life.

Julian broke the kiss and smiled down at her. His eyes were pure silver. “Let me walk you to your door tonight.”

Oh hell to the no. If Julian got to her door she’d invite him in, and she wasn’t ready for that. She swallowed hard. “Not yet.”

Is that my voice? It was husky and low and, God help her, chock full of a need she wasn’t quite ready to fulfill.

Julian grimaced and shifted in his seat. He smiled, and she was once again reminded of why she wanted to take things slow when his fangs poked his bottom lip. “I’ll watch for your signal.”

She shook her head. Really, the man took overprotective too far sometimes. No one was after Cyn, and the fucker who’d been after Tabby was in shifter jail, hopefully getting his ass reamed by Tony the Tiger. “You’re the one who told Alex and Ryan to constantly stop by the shop, weren’t you?”

Those silver eyes darkened back to brown. “Why would I do that?” He pulled back until he was back in his own seat. “Alex is the overprotective one, not me. Ryan, on the other hand, just wants his mate.” The look he shot her should have melted the dashboard. “I understand how he feels.”

She remembered some of the things Alex had told her, about how shifters yearned for their mates until it became almost painful. “Have I told you you’re doing a good job with the whole dating thing?”

“It’s not like I haven’t done it before.”

She could practically feel the laugh trying to break free. She huffed and tapped her foot. “Way to ruin a mood, Share Bear.”

He froze. “Oh no you didn’t.”

She opened the car door and dashed for her front door. There was a Bear on her tail, and she had no intention of getting caught too easily. She giggled and dug out her keys, but didn’t get any farther than jangling them in the direction of the lock before she found herself pressed against the door. One hundred and eighty-five pounds of laughing hunk caged her in, one impressive package brushing against her lower back.

Wait. She giggled? Since when? Cyn laughed, smirked, sometimes even guffawed, but she never giggled. Pretty soon she’d be in a Martha Stewart apron, learning one hundred ways to cook with honey. “Get off me, you big dork.”

“Don’t you want to rub my tummy symbol?”

God damn it. How did he do that? She was giggling like a loon again! “Go away!” She wiggled, elbowing him right in his symbol.

“But I want to share with you!” He was laughing right along with her, and that made all the stupid giggles worth it. He could have easily gotten pissed, but instead he’d run with it, taking the insult and turning it around on her. She had fun with him, even when they were both wearing the lamest costumes on the planet.

Okay, the guy who’d shown up as SpongeBob SquarePants might have the mighty lumberjack beat, but barely.

“I think we’re done sharing for the evening.” She turned in his arms and stared at him. It amazed her how someone as good looking as him could want someone like her, but according to Tabby, once Julian had gotten a whiff of Cyn’s scent no one else would ever do.

“But I’m really good at cuddling.” He was doing his damndest to look innocent, but the devilish gleam and silver eyes gave him away. “Especially in bed.” He patted her butt. “Just call me Teddy.”

“Uh-huh.” She pushed against his chest and he took a step back. Damn. The boy had some muscle on him, muscle she was dying to see. Why couldn’t he have tried to mate me in summer? She opened the door and waved good-bye with a cheery grin. “Night-night!”

He sighed and stared at his stomach. “You failed me.”

“Are you talking to your tummy symbol or your—”

The look he shot her from under his lashes dared her to finish that question.

She laughed, part of her desperate to invite him inside. Sense won out, but her libido was threatening to never speak to her again. “Sweet dreams, Super Bear.”

One dark brow quirked upward and he pressed a soft kiss to the back of her hand. “Trust me. They will be.”

She shut the door behind him after one last, lingering kiss. Cyn watched as his headlights disappeared down the road and kicked off the high-heeled torture devices with a sigh.

He’d sounded so strange just before he left, almost sad. Why would he react that way to a simple wish for sweet dreams?

“Shifters are so weird.” Cyn yawned and headed for bed, wishing for a few sweet dreams of her own.