Very Bearly Mated by Rebel Carter

Chapter 4

She stared at him, eyes wide and not understanding what was happening until it was too late. “Wait, Eri-” she began, but the big shifter was swapping her up into his arms and kissing her. At the first brush of their lips Rosie knew she was in trouble, the second his tongue slid against hers Rosie was very certain there was no going back from this, not without irreparable damage.

She was never going to get over this damn kiss. Not ever.

Eric kissed her like she was the beginning and end of all things. His mouth was hot and greedy, consuming her, taking every last inch of her that he could, but his hands? Goddess, his touch was gentle. Fingers sliding into and combing through her hair tenderly before moving on to cup her face as if she were the most precious thing in his world. Though, Rosie supposed for Eric, she was.

After all, she was his fated mate.

She managed to resist for another second, but when Eric pulled away, just enough space and time for him to whisper, “Rosie, my Rosie,” against her lips, she was a goner. Rosie leaned into his touch and gave as good as she got. She kissed Eric with as much need as she was able to pour into it. The bear shifter had known her for all of two hours and he had already managed to ignite more emotion in her than anyone else she had ever met. Annoyance, anger, fear, interest, lust, and now this.

This was joy. Pure and simple.

She wanted him to kiss her and keep right on kissing her. She wanted him to never stop, for them to stay locked in this moment for as long as they could. Rosie wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer while she memorized everything she could of this moment. The feel of Eric’s body against hers, the way his hair slid through her fingers, his heart thumping in time with her own, right against her chest, the way he smelled, the taste of him. He was sweeter than she had imagined, that slightly spicy and woody scent that was warmth and longing—it all felt like home.

“Eric,” Rosie whispered when they broke apart. Her hands were buried in his hair and she swallowed hard, head falling forward, forehead to his chest. Eric’s hands moved, sliding down to her shoulders and then her back. He pressed her to his chest, thumbs rubbing idle circles against her spine.

“Don’t fight me, Rosie. Don’t fight us.”

She opened her eyes, but didn’t move, staying where she was. “But, we didn’t pick this,” she said, eyes locked onto the buttons of Eric’s shirt in front of her. It was an expensive shirt, one that she knew was bespoke, not off the rack. The bear had taste far finer than she had ever thought to give a bear credit for. She was fast coming to find out Eric wasn’t at all what she thought a bear shifter might be.

She lifted a hand, finger tracing the button in front of her lightly as she spoke. “We didn’t choose this, Eric. It’s Fey magic. That’s all.”

Eric’s hands moved again, this time to settle at her hips and his fingers pressed into her sides. “That’s all?” he asked. “Fey magic is what keeps order in our world. You know that. It isn’t just Fey magic. It’s everything.”

Rosie’s lips pursed and her finger stopped moving. She pressed the button against his chest. “I don’t like doing what I’m told.”

“Really? I never got that impression from your pleasant disposition,” he deadpanned, and she grinned. The smile came fast and easy, just like the emotions she could already feel take root for Eric. They were rooting, wrapping around her and burrowing deep into her, into her heart. Rosie knew that with each passing second it was going to be painful to rip them out. Freeing herself from her mate was not going to be easily done.

“I have a proposal,” Eric said, breaking Rosie’s thoughts away from roots and settling down, and what exactly a witch would have to do to yank them out at the source and keep her wandering lifestyle alive.

“And what’s that?” Rosie asked, unable to not take the bait her mate was so clearly laying out for her.

“You keep talking about choice, which tells me you want to be won.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “That’s not what that means.”

“It is,” he said, and his fingers gave her sides a gentle squeeze, “you don’t want to just fall in line with me because we’re mates. Because of a little firework show, right?” He wiggled his fingers for emphasis against her hip.

“Right,” Rosie agreed, because he did have her there.

“Then I’ll romance you. Win you fair and square myself.”

Her eyebrows knitted together and she laughed, unsure what to make of Eric’s words. “What do you mean win me fair and square?”

“Forget about the mate bond,” he said, and when she raised an eyebrow he rushed on to add, “this will happen because I’m very,” he moved closer, his lips almost brushing hers and Rosie sucked in a ragged breath at the change in position, “very good at winning women.”

Rosie rolled her eyes at his humble brag. Of course, Eric was good at romancing women. He looked like sex on legs, he owned a fancy schmancy bar, and he dressed like he had just walked off the pages of Vogue. He was smooth, he was debonair, and in a town like Oak Fast, that stood out. The women here had probably thrown themselves at his feet before his fated mate status made itself known.

And that was only this morning. Rosie wouldn’t be surprised if Eric had a roster he’d left on read since she’d become a part of his world.

“I’m sure you are, but like we went over before...I’m not an ordinary woman. All of your bullshit tricks aren’t going to work on me, Eric.”

He raised a hand, fingertips ghosting over her cheek and he grinned at her. “Of course you’re not, you’re my mate. And do you know what that means?”

Because she was a fool for punishment she let her curiosity answer for her. “No, what?”

“That this is going to be so much easier than wining and dining an ordinary woman.”

Her mouth fell open and she pressed her palm against his chest. “Wow, gee thanks,” she said, giving his chest a little push to get some distance between them. It was only an inch, but it was something. “You really know how to make a girl feel special.”

Eric shrugged. He didn’t look concerned in the slightest. “Oh, I do. You’ll find out soon enough.” Rosie made to push him further away but Eric surprised her when he moved away all on his own. “So what do you say? Are you up for it?”

“If it’s a proposal that means I get something out of it,” she replied, hands going to her hips. “What’s in it for me?”

“You mean other than an adoring mate who will see to your every need and want? A shifter all your own devoted to giving you the life you want?”

Rosie jerked back at that, because she knew that no matter how much Eric defied her expectations of what having a bear shifter was as a mate, she knew that at his core he was still cut from the same cloth.

Eric Waites would not leave Oak Fast.

He would not leave his bar and family legacy with their roots digging into the community as deep and as wide as they did. There was over a hundred years of history here, of living and thriving and she was not so foolish a witch to think Eric would give it up for her. Even still she had always been a fan of the underdog and if anyone deserved a chance to win, even if the odds were stacked against them, it was her fated mate.

She could try to give him that at least.

“Oh, all right,” she told him, stepping back from him and striding towards the door. “You’ll get your shot, Eric.”

“What’s my timeline?” he asked, surprising her with his shift. The bear sounded like he was all business now. She glanced back at him to see that he was watching her with the same intense and hungry expression he’d had on his face outside of Barista Witch that morning.

“Timeline?” she croaked because the sight of Eric being all business was sexy as hell. Luna help her if he rolled up his sleeves…

He nodded. “I need to know what I’m working with here, so I can plan accordingly for success.”

Success.

He was sure of himself. She could hear it in his voice. So sure that if she wasn’t careful she might just believe him.

She licked her lips and stopped, one hand on the door of the bar. The next full moon was in fourteen days. She’d been planning a cleansing ritual for it. Letting go of old blockages and baggage, and all that. She did it periodically to keep her power flowing efficiently, but also just because it felt damn good to let shit go.

She suspected it would be as good an occasion as any to let Eric Waites and their almost fated mate bond go as well. Two birds, one stone. Let Eric go, same as anything else weighing her down.

Rosie cleared her throat and met Eric’s eyes. “You have two weeks to win me over,” she told him.

He dipped his chin in acknowledgement. “Done.”

Rosie rolled her eyes at the cocky tone in Eric’s answer. He thought he was going to win. She pushed open the door and hurried out into the sunlight, leaving her annoying mate behind. It was only when she was down the block that Rosie slowed down and sucked in a deep breath.

“Everything is going to be okay,” she told herself. “He is not going to win and you are going to stay a free witch. You are going to walk away from this.”

Two weeks wasn’t too long, and it wasn’t too short. It was only fourteen days. What could possibly happen in fourteen days that she wouldn’t be able to recover from?

* * *

“Is therea reason your mate is here again?” Alice asked, leaning on her elbows and looking out the window. “I mean, I thought you handled that yesterday when you power walked right in here talking about a timeline.”

“What?” Rosie looked up from the sink she’d been cleaning. “What are you-”

“Here he comes. Not even creeping outside like last time. Very bold of him.”

She turned in time to see Eric walking into the coffee shop, a book under his arm. “What are you doing here?” Rosie asked.

“I’m not one for wasting time when I have...what is it? Thirteen days now to win my mate over?” Eric asked. He came up to the counter and put the book down “Didn’t think it was wise to waste time, so I spent last night doing some research, petal.”

Rosie rolled her eyes at his chosen pet name while Alice grinned. “I think that’s my cue to take my break.”

“Alice, wait,” she began but Alice waved her off and practically skipped out the door. The traitor. Rosie was going to remember that the next time the fox wanted to borrow her shoes for a date. When they were alone, Eric continued speaking.

“In all my research I learned a valuable thing,” he said, flipping open the leather bound book that looked more like a journal than anything he might have gotten at the library. “Went by Walker Books and talked to Toni. She had some interesting reading for me.”

Rosie crossed her arms and tried not to frown at the mention of Toni. The bookseller had an uncanny way of knowing exactly what you needed at the precise time you needed it. Even if Toni hadn’t yet come out as magical, Rosie knew there was something to her that wasn’t normal. If Toni had given Eric reading, then the shifter had an ace up his sleeve and he was playing it now.

“Oh, did she now?” Rosie asked, an unexpected tremor entering her voice. She cleared it when Eric looked up at her curiously.

“Nervous?” he teased.

“More like annoyed.”

“Good, like it when you’re riled up,” he replied, and before she could tell him what she thought of that he gave the book a little slap of his hand and turned it around so that she could read it. “You and I have a little contract to sign.”

“A contract?” Rosie’s brows knit together. What the hell was the bear going on about now.

He tapped a finger against the pages in front of her. “Yeah, read it here.”

Rosie took a step forward and then another until she was at the counter with Eric and glaring down at the book he had brought. At the top of the page, in large bold letters, she read: COURTSHIP CONTRACT.

Her mouth dropped open. “What the hell is-wait, are you saying that you want me to sign a legally binding contract to allow you to-”

“Court you?” he asked, and then nodded. “Abso-fucking-lutely, petal. And do you wanna know why?”

Rosie narrowed her eyes at him, leaning forward and putting her palms down on the counter on either side of the book. “Why?”

“Because I know better than to take a witch’s word on anything as truth.”

“Are you calling me a liar?!”

He held up a finger. “Not you, just witches.”

“But I am a witch!”

He nodded. “Of that I am wholly aware and that is why you’re going to sign this contract,” another tap of a finger to parchment, “right here.”

“I can’t believe you walked in here talking shit about witches being liars and then think I’m going to sign anything you have.”

Eric sighed, it sounded long suffering and annoyed which only made Rosie’s blood boil all the hotter. “When we agreed to the timeline something occurred to me, because as you know I am a businessman. I’m from a family of business owners and entrepreneurs, Rosie. I know a thing or two about deals, and I know enough to see when I’m being sold a pile of shit.” He leveled a hard look at her. “And I know when my mate is lying to me.”

“I am not lying to you!”

“You are. You have no intention of letting me win you,” he countered. “You are set on cutting me loose and fighting this.”

“That’s ridiculous. I am not. You have thirteen days, to the full moon, to win my heart and I gotta tell you, Eric. You are really making a mess of that right now.”

“Maybe, maybe not. But this contract is going to make sure that I get a fair deal out of this.”

Rosie pushed away from the counter and was glad the coffee shop was empty. It was late morning, just after their morning rush and there were only a few people in the shop but they all knew well enough to leave the couple fighting at the counter alone. Word had already spread about Rosie’s newly mated status, how Eric Waites, apparently one of the town’s most eligible bachelors, was now off the market and tied to a witch.

No one was going to break up their little spat.

“I am not a deal! I am your mate and maybe you need to treat me with a little more respect than bringing this stupid contract for me to sign.”

“If we’re going to talk about respect then maybe we should revisit the part where you do me the courtesy of meaning what you say. I don’t know if you know this, but even if our bond hasn’t been sealed, I can still tell when you lie to me.” He put a hand to his broad chest and gave his shirt a tug, “Right here, Rosie. It’s like someone hitting me in the chest over and over. Second you left the bar, I felt it. You’re lying to me. Doesn’t matter what I do or feel, you’re going to turn me down.”

Her mind raced, going back to the moment she declared she wouldn’t give into Eric and she swallowed hard. He’d felt that. Felt her going back on their deal the instant she had decided on it. Oh no.

“Eric, I-”

“Sign the contract, Rosie.”

She looked down at the parchment in front of her and shook her head. “No.”

“If you don’t sign it, I’m going to take you.”

Her head shot up and she stared at him. “What?”

“You heard me. I’m not going to live like this with my mate just a few streets down from me. I want to do things right but you’re making it hard, Rosie.”

“You can’t just take me,” she shot back.

Eric’s brilliant blue eyes shone silver. “Can’t I?” he asked. “Is it really taking if you’re begging me for it?” The last of his words were uttered on a growl, the sound of it low and rumbling in her chest. Rosie felt that rumble right between her legs and she clenched her thighs together. She knew mates were different. That her body would crave Eric, want him to bond with her, need his touch. She hated that Eric’s statement about ‘taking her’ would probably amount to him showing up on her doorstep where she’d drag him inside her house herself. She was going to want him and he knew that. All he had to do was wait it out.

This contract was at least a way to head that off. At least she thought so.

The silver in Eric’s eyes deepened, the blue almost gone now and Rosie knew his bear was close to the surface. There was no way he wasn’t close to losing his skin and in the coffee shop of all places. Reggie, her boss and another bear shifter, would throw a fit if he knew another bear was in here flashing himself like this. The last thing she needed was to give the town another update on her mated states via more gossip. She could see the shift coming and she hurried forward, thrusting out a hand to him.

“Where the fuck is a pen? Put your bear away this instant.”

As if on command, the silver in Eric’s eyes vanished and he let out a breath in a shuddering sigh, his big shoulders relaxing. He held up a pen to her, but his hand was shaking and Rosie swallowed hard at seeing it. Shifting came naturally, but stopping one? She’d listened enough to the shifters around her to know that took serious effort. He’d obeyed her at the cost of his own strength.

“Thank you,” she murmured, looking away from Eric and down at the contract. It seemed standard, or as standard as something like this could be. There were only a few bullet points but the one that stuck out to her the most were the last two.

• Each signee must participate in good faith to the full terms of the courtship contract. Any and all sabotage, deceit—both verbal and non, and/or attempts to intimidate or force consent will be stopped by magical means, any attempts to carry out said behavior will render the contract null and void.

• If contract terms are not met upon the agreed date, both parties agree to part ways and consider their relationship, both natural and magical, null and void.

“Both natural and magical?” Her eyes shot up from the contract to Eric. “Does this mean our-”

“Yes, it means our status as mates would be over.” He sucked in a breath and then nodded at the contract. “I put the date on it at the bottom. Sign it and it’s official. I have the time you gave to win you, and if I fail, then-”

“I’m free!”

Eric’s lips pressed into a thin line at the excitement in Rosie’s voice but he nodded all the same. “That’s right, petal.”

Rosie had never signed anything so fast in all her life.