Matt didn’t know what to do. Should he struggle? What would help him get out of this alive? He didn’t want to piss Jordan off, but he didn’t want to encourage unwanted attention either. He sank onto Jordan’s lap and let the other man hug him, but he didn’t hug back. He had to make Jordan see Aubrey like he really was, and not the monster Jordan’s mind had turned him into. “Your mate tried to kill his brother. Aubrey would never kill someone unless there was no other way. You have to trust me on this. He’s a good man.”
“No, he isn’t. I’ve been watching him for several months. I befriended you to get close to Reynolds. I knew the minute you moved in with him. When I saw you at school, I saw a chance to get more info on Reynolds. I didn’t know you were his mate at the time. When I found out you were his mate, I was given the perfect opportunity to make him suffer like I’ve suffered.”
“All along you’ve planned on killing me.” A piercing pain settled in Matt’s chest and his whole body quivered uncontrollably. “So why haven’t you?” He took a deep breath, trying to hold it together.
Jordan touched his cheek. “Because I can’t. I’ve never met anyone like you.” He nudged Matt out of his lap, stood and turned his back. “Jonathon was an ass. I admit that now, but Reynolds is just like him, Matt.”
Matt reached for the gun.
“Run away with me.” Jordan dragged his hands through his hair.
Matt’s hand froze over the gun.
“Forget about him and come with me. He’ll never commit to you. He’s just like Jonathon. Jonathon never wanted me. I don’t think he ever felt anything for me but our mating bond. He never intended to claim me. Furthering his career and amassing money was all he cared about. Trust me when I tell you all you will get from Reynolds is heartache.”
Dropping his hand, Matt stood. His heart ached for Jordan. Not only had he lost his mate, but his mate rejected him. Aubrey wasn’t like that. He had his faults, but he wasn’t cold. If anything it was just the opposite, he cared too much. He didn’t care about the money, unless it affected the people he loved. Matt touched Jordan’s shoulder. “It’s okay. I’ll help you. I can’t just leave, Aubrey and my family—”
“It will be hard and it hurts physically not to have your mate, but you can get over it.” Jordan’s voice wavered a bit. “I’ll help you… We’ll help each other.”
“I can’t leave, but I won’t let them punish you. I’ll tell everyone I came with you willingly. I can still help you and be here for you, but I have to give Aubrey a chance. Just come back with me. It’s not too late.”
Jordan turned and smiled down at Matt. The tears ran down his cheeks in streams. “Yes, it is.” He cupped Matt’s face and kissed him on the nose. The acrid, nervous smell disappeared entirely. Drawing back, he stared at Matt with a serene expression on his face. It gave Matt the creeps, and he realized he should’ve taken the gun when he had the chance.
“I’m going to miss you, Matt.” Jordan strode past him and picked up the revolver.
“No!”
Aubrey pulled his brother-in-law’s truck up in front of the cabin behind Jake’s SUV. He and Gadget got out and the first thing they heard was Matt’s voice full of fear. Terrified, Aubrey darted from behind the cover of Chay’s truck toward the door.
A gunshot rang out, stopping him in his tracks. Everything grew silent except for the pulse thundering through his ears.
Oh gawd no!
Aubrey sprinted toward the cabin.
Rhys tried to grab him and someone said, “Aubrey, wait,” but he paid no heed. He didn’t give a damn about his own safety. He had to get to Matt.
Aubrey’s entire focus narrowed on his destination. He ran as fast as he could, but it was like wading through knee-deep mud. Anguish like he’d never known swamped him. “Matt!” It came out in a strangled whisper instead of the holler Aubrey intended. If that son of a bitch Jordan killed Matt… Panic joined Aubrey’s fear.
He hit the door full force, putting his shoulder into it and busting it wide open with a resounding bang. The overwhelming metallic scent of blood burned his nostrils, and the acrid taste of bile rose in his throat. A cold sensation ran down his spine to his feet. It took only a second for his sight to adjust to the dark room, but it was the longest second of Aubrey’s life.
Tears filled his eyes at what greeted him. In the dark oppressive cabin, Matt stood out like a beacon. He knelt on the floor with his head in his hands, rocking back and forth. The despair tugged at Aubrey’s heart, mixing with the subsiding panic. Several feet away from him, Jordan lay in a puddle of blood with half his face gone. Splatters covered the wall and a gun lay on the floor next to Jordan.
Afraid to trust his eyes, Aubrey inhaled deeply. No, the blood wasn’t his mate’s.
He’s okay. Jordan didn’t kill him.
Staring at Matt, he took another breath, but it did nothing to calm him.
Jordan
shot himself?
Aubrey shook his head to clear it. It didn’t make any sense, but he didn’t care. All that mattered was that Matt was alive. Sweat dripped from Aubrey’s forehead and his vision whited out. He’d thought he was never going to see his mate again.
Someone caught Aubrey’s shoulder, steadying him. “Breathe,” Jake whispered.
Heavy footfalls raced past, and Gadget gasped, “Matthew,” much more calmly than his scent proclaimed.
“Dad?” Matt’s voice shook.
Aubrey sagged, dropping his hands to his knees. He wanted to go to his mate, to hold him and never let go, but his feet were rooted to the floor. Over and over in his head he kept repeating,
he’s all right, he’s all right
. Aubrey wasn’t sure if he believed it, but he willed it to be true.
Someone touched Aubrey’s back. “Aubrey, you okay?” Rhys asked.
Aubrey nodded, but it was Jake that answered. “Yeah, too much adrenaline. He’ll be fine in a second.”
When Aubrey’s vision began to clear, he ran a shaking hand down his face.
Matt stood. His father looking him over from head to toe. Making a fuss over him like Aubrey longed to do, if he could just get his legs to cooperate. His entire body was numb.
“Aubrey, you and Gadget get Matt out of here. Rhys and I will see to getting this cleaned up.” Jake holstered his gun and grabbed his phone from his belt.
“Au—Aubrey?” Matt met Aubrey’s gaze from across the room, and time stood still. He let go of his dad and walked slowly toward Aubrey. Matt was a bloody mess, but he’d never looked better. And he was in one piece. Nothing mattered but that.
Matt stumbled forward, stopping in front of Aubrey. He turned his head toward his father, and back to Aubrey with his brow furrowed. With all the dark splotches running down his cheeks his eyes looked a lighter blue. They were also bigger than normal. He was without a doubt the most wonderful thing Aubrey had ever seen. “Aubrey?”
Aubrey had never felt so much uncertainty in his life. He wanted to take Matt in his arms, to touch him…to beg his forgiveness. Would Matt want anything to do with him? Not only had Matt left Georgia mad at Aubrey, but this whole thing was Aubrey’s fault. If it hadn’t been for him, Matt would have never been in danger in the first place.
Come on, Aubrey, you can do this.
He had to try.
Aubrey held out a trembling hand.
Just like that, Matt stepped into his arms.
Aubrey sighed in relief, feeling much older than his years. Burying his nose in Matt’s neck, he inhaled and reveled in the warm embrace. The tension left his body, making him feel so heavy. He was going to spend the rest of his life trying to make up for all the wrong he’d done his mate.
“I knew my dad would look for me, but— What are you doing here? I mean in New Mexico?”
“I came to take you home.” Not even caring that his voice wavered, Aubrey kissed Matt’s cheek and nuzzled his jaw. “When I realized you’d been taken…”
“You came after me?” Matt stepped back, cocking his head a little.
“I’ll always come after you.” The tears finally spilled over, but Aubrey didn’t care.
“But people will know…” Matt glanced around at his dad, Jake and Rhys. None of them were paying attention. He started to turn his head back to face Aubrey, but his gaze landed on Jordan and his shoulders slumped. His entire posture sort of collapsed.
“Oh, darlin’. Come on.” Aubrey tugged him outside. He opened the door to Chay’s truck and urged Matt to sit. “Are you all right?”
“Jordan wasn’t a bad guy. He didn’t hurt me. He was just— His mate is the guy who attacked Keaton.”
“I know.” Grabbing Matt’s hands, Aubrey squeezed them, needing to touch his mate.
“He was my friend.” A tear streaked down Matt’s cheek.
“I thought he’d killed you.”
Matt frowned and rubbed his thumbs over the backs of Aubrey’s hands.
Touching his cheek, Aubrey asked, “What is it?”
“You thought he killed me, but you came rushing in here anyway? Are you crazy? You could’ve been killed too.”
Aubrey nodded. “That was the plan.” He cupped his mate’s precious face in his shaking hands and stared right into his beloved blue eyes. “I love you so damned much. I couldn’t live without you. If you’d died, I wanted to die too. I could never be happy in a world without you in it.”
Silent tears streaked down Matt’s face and he swallowed hard.
“Please forgive me. I’ll do anything… I’m never letting you go again.”
Matt threw himself against Aubrey. “Promise?”
“Cross my heart, sugar.”
Epilogue
Aubrey woke to the sensation of being watched. Call it a sixth sense, but someone was staring at him and it wasn’t Matt. Speaking of… Matt was no longer nestled against Aubrey’s chest as Aubrey had positioned him last night. Nope, this was someone else. Aubrey blinked his eyes open and came face-to-face with an angel, or maybe he was a devil for rousing Aubrey into consciousness.
“Hi, Bree.” Eddie sat cross-legged in front of Aubrey only about a foot away. He tilted his head to the side and a black curl tumbled over his forehead. As he grinned, two dimples appeared on his round cheeks. His wispy little brows drew together in a cute expression of confusion. “Why are you still asleep?”
“Is he awake?” another small voice asked from across the room. Seconds later the bed wiggled and Darren was there beside Eddie. Darren was most definitely a devil. He was the spitting image of Matt, but unlike Matt, Darren was full of mischief. There was no mistaking the glint in those dark blue eyes.
Aubrey smiled at the devil and angel. After staying in New Mexico for a couple of days, he and Matt brought the two youngest Mahihkans back to Savannah with them. Matt thought it would take their minds off their mother being gone. The boys were going to fly back to New Mexico with Keaton and Chay at the end of next week.
“What time is it?” When the announcement earned him two identical frowns, he added, “Is everyone else awake?”
That gained him a set of beaming smiles—Darren’s minus a front tooth—and bobbing heads.
Eddie pointed to Darren. “He said we should wake you, but Matthew said we shouldn’t.”
Darren nodded his agreement and immediately shook his head. “Matt said we shouldn’t ’while ago. He didn’t say nothing about waking you up now.”
Mirth bubbled up inside Aubrey, but he managed to hold it back. He wasn’t sure if the imps would appreciate being laughed at. “And where is Matt?”
Eddie blew the curl off his forehead. “Downstairs wiff Keaton and Chay. Matthew made us pancakes. But we’re done eating. Last night, you said we could go ride the horses after we ate breakfast.”
Darren sighed and his shoulders slumped. He looked so much like Matt at the moment Aubrey had to work really hard to contain his outright laughter. “Chay ate the last piece of bacon.”
Aubrey bit his bottom lip. “Chay is probably starving since he and Keaton haven’t had anyone to cook for them.”
Darren’s brow furrowed and his bottom lip pooched out. “So wha—”
“What did I tell you two?” a familiar voice interrupted.
Eddie slapped a hand over his mouth and Darren’s eyes widened.
Aubrey peered past the boys and nearly swallowed his tongue. “Hi.”
Matt leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face. His hair was damp and he had that just-showered look. Fresh and…yum.
“Good morning.” Matt’s smirk turned into a full-fledged grin, and his gaze went to the two magpies on Aubrey’s bed. He hitched his thumb over his shoulder. “Out.”
“Bye, Bree.” Eddie kissed Aubrey’s cheek and slid off the bed.
Darren leaned in close to Aubrey and whispered, “Don’t forget about the horses, ’kay?” then followed his younger brother.
“Keaton and Chay are taking the two of you riding. Now get out of here and leave Aubrey alone.” Matt walked farther into the room and sat on the bed, but looked over his shoulder. “Behave.”
“We will,” the dynamic duo parroted and ran out of the room with excited squeals.
Aubrey chuckled. “No wonder your dad didn’t protest much when we decided to bring them back with us. They’re a handful.”
“And then some.” Matt lay down on the bed and scooted closer. “I owe Keaton and Chay. I had to promise to cook them three meals a day the remainder of their vacation to get them to take the kids horseback riding. I think they played me though because Keaton mentioned taking the kids out way before Chay started bartering with me.”
“Mmm…probably.” Aubrey leaned forward, his entire focus on those luscious lips. “They both love kids, your brothers in particular. It’s totally worth it though. I’ll help you.”
Matt leaned forward those last few inches, pressing his lips to Aubrey’s. “We have the house to ourselves for at least an hour.”
“Yeah?” Aubrey nipped his mate’s bottom lip and tugged him closer until their lower bodies touched.
Oh yeah.
Matt was already hard for him. It didn’t take Aubrey’s body long to catch up. They hadn’t been alone together for more than a few minutes since they arrived home. Darren and Eddie kept sneaking into bed with them in the middle of the night.
“Yeah. And I don’t think I’m going to be very patient.” Matt slipped his hand under the covers beneath the waistband of Aubrey’s pajama bottoms and grabbed his prick.
Bucking into Matt’s hand, Aubrey kissed his chin, then his lips, and his nose. “No?”
“No.” Matt licked Aubrey’s lips.
“Thank God.” Slanting his lips over Matt’s, Aubrey moaned and rolled to his back.
Matt’s tongue stroked inside as his hand squeezed Aubrey’s dick. His erection nestled against Aubrey’s hip and he whimpered. When he pulled back, his eyes had shifted. He shoved at Aubrey’s pajamas. “Get these off.”
Aubrey lifted up and shoved the pants to his thighs with Matt’s help. With his hand still under the covers, Matt began to stroke him and dove right back into the kiss.
“Ahem.”
Matt moved away so quickly, he nearly fell off the bed. Fortunately, he let go of Aubrey’s cock first.
Catching Matt’s arm before he plummeted to the floor, Aubrey met his father’s amused gaze.
“Matt?” Aubrey’s mother skidded around the doorframe, bumping into his father. She didn’t stop until she reached Matt.
With his eyes once again human and all traces of arousal gone from his scent, Matt sat on the edge of the bed.
Aubrey’s own excitement vanished. There was nothing like getting walked in on by your parents to kill the mood. Aubrey gave a quick thanks to the fact that Matt hadn’t pulled the covers off him.
Mom grabbed Matt’s arm, tugged him to his feet and caught him in a huge bear hug. “Are you hurt? What happened?” She kissed his cheek and looked him over.
Dad strode toward Matt too. “We got here as soon as we could, son. We had to get a helicopter to pick us up from the ship and take us to the airport.” He hugged Matt too. “It took awhile to coordinate. We would’ve been here sooner if we could’ve.”
While their attention was focused on Matt, Aubrey pulled his pants up, sat and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. “Why did you leave your cruise?”
They looked at him like he was stupid, but Mom finally answered. “Keaton called us and told us about Matt being kidnapped.”
Completely dumbfounded at the concern and affection in his mom’s tone, Aubrey blinked. They already cared for Matt enough to rush home and check on him. Aubrey smiled. He shouldn’t be surprised, his mate was a very lovable guy.
Turning back to Matt, Mom grabbed his cheeks, making his face look like a Cabbage Patch Kid. “I was so scared something was going to happen to you. I just kept thinking I’d never get to throw you an engagement party or watch you graduate college, or—”
“Howard told you?” Matt asked.
“Yes, darling.” Mom nodded and wiped off the lipstick she’d just left on his cheek. “Are you sure you’re okay?” She began fussing over Matt, making Matt blush.
“We didn’t interrupt anything, did we?” The expression on Dad’s face said he knew darn well that they had.
Aubrey growled at him. Geez, he and Matt had better luck having sex when no one knew about them being mates…
wait.
He hadn’t told his parents yet.
The surprise must’ve shown on his face because he got a response from all three of the room’s other inhabitants.
His mom said, “Congratulations, honey.”
His dad shrugged.
And Matt bit his bottom lip. “Oops.”
Aubrey’s heart soared. He’d wondered if his parents would accept that Matt was his mate eventually, but he never dreamed that they already knew and were okay with it.
“Okay, then.” Dad cleared his throat again. “We’ll just go downstairs and find Keaton and Chay.” He grabbed Mom’s arm and started dragging her from the room.
Matt shot a glance toward Aubrey’s retreating parents. “I’ll show you where they are.” He headed toward the door.
“Matt?”
Turning around, Matt cocked his head to the side. “Yes?” His voice squeaked.
Aubrey tried not to smile, but he just couldn’t help himself. He strode past his befuddled mate and locked the bedroom door. On the way back he caught Matt’s hand and led him to the bed. “Are you keeping secrets?”
Matt’s only answer was a giggle.
Aubrey finally let out the chuckle he’d been holding in since he woke. He was one lucky man.