Bear the Burn(36)

“Shut up,” Rory said with a laugh.

Boone wiggled out of swatting range and took a long swig of his beer, still grinning behind the bottle.

“I like her sappy,” Dade admitted as he passed Leah and Rory their drinks. He came to a stop in front of Quinn and popped the top of her beer, then handed it to her. “She cares about the things I’d forgotten were important.”

“Awwww,” Leah said softly. And now she looked all choked up, too.

Boone coughed out the word, “Pussy.”

“Tastes delicious,” Dade said, sitting beside Quinn, one long leg folded, the other straight, the heel of his heavy boot clomping against the porch. He draped an arm around her, the epitome of male bravado.

“Dade,” Quinn gritted out, mortified. Heat rushed to her cheeks at the memory of what he’d done to her right before they’d left the house to come here.

“Boy, I know I raised you better,” Ma said, but she was stifling a smile that said she was used to crude antics.

Boone and Dade tinked their beers together as Rory shook her head. From Cody’s place leaned against the porch railing where he’d been watching the cubs play, he ducked his head and covered a smile.

Quinn stripped off her jean jacket as her blush upped her internal temperature to Level Magma.

Rory grabbed her arm and traced the bite scar Dade had given her. “Damn, girl. You’ve been through it lately, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, but my girl doesn’t stay down for long. Don’t let her soft heart fool you. My mate has teeth, and she’ll dish it back.” Dade tugged the collar of his white T-shirt, exposing the bite mark she’d given him earlier.

Quinn nearly choked on her beer. Mother effer. Dade was going to embarrass her to death in front of his ma!

Now, Rory and Leah were clapping slow, talking about how she should’ve bit him harder, and Boone was trying his damndest to give her a high five she refused. Ma looked surprisingly proud, and Cody was reaching into a blue plastic cooler as he grinned and shook his head.

“Here,” the alpha said, just before he tossed her a purple water pistol.

Lurching forward, Quinn barely caught it and gasped as icy water flung onto her bare legs.

“No,” Dade said, amused warning in his eyes. “I was bragging, and it isn’t anything to be ashamed of that you like to bite when we’re—”

Quinn squirted his chest. “Stop it.”

“Making love,” he finished, standing to duck out of the way of her shots.

“Dade, stop!”

“Like the bears do!” Dade hooted. “It’s natural, baby.”

“Shut up!” Damn her stupid unstoppable smile. The man didn’t need any encouragement.

Another stream of water came from his left, and Cody grinned maniacally. He didn’t have a water pistol like hers. More like a water assault rifle. It was huge. Cody pumped it and blasted Dade again as her mate ducked and ran for the cooler.

There was a split second when Quinn looked at Rory, and they froze, then cracked face-splitting grins, set their beers down in a rush, and ran for the cooler with the others.

Quinn screamed when freezing water blasted against her back as she ran down the porch stairs. She was wielding two matching guns now, but Aaron ran toward her, his little legs moving double-time. “I want to help! I’ll protect you!” he called out, and she handed him one of the sloshing weapons. “Uncle Dade, you need to learn better manners!” he yelled, shooting jets of water at her mate as Dade laughed and dodged out of the way.

The tree line looked safe as she fled the water gun fight with Dade and the others on her heels. She sprinted around a tree, laughing uncontrollably as spurts of water barely missed her. She was soaked to the bone, her hair was plastered to her face, and her mascara probably looked like she was crying black rivers, but she couldn’t help the throaty laughter coming from her if she tried. The forest was filled with the sound as they ran, weaved, and sprayed each other until even the biggest water soakers were empty.

“Boo,” Dade said breathlessly as he leaned around the tree she was hiding behind.

Without thinking, she reached up on her tiptoes and kissed him square on his mouth. He froze in surprise, but relaxed and dropped his plastic weapon with a thunk. His arms went around her shoulders, and his lips softened against hers.

When Boone whistled out a catcall and told them to get a room, Dade eased back and told him to “Peel the banana,” as he held up his middle three fingers. Then he pulled the outside ones in, flipping his brother off, and Boone said, “Ahh, I see what you did there.” Giant water gun slung haphazardly over his shoulder, he strode past them with a wink.