Quinn hid a grin and breathed a sigh of relief at the Council’s findings. Now he could go home and love some sense into his foolish mate. There was no doubt she was his true mate and it was about time she realized it.
CHAPTER FOUR
Paige parked her car in front of the official looking trailer of Blackwood Brothers Construction. Painted on the side was the company logo, a large grizzly standing on its hind legs, roaring. She shivered. Was that how Quinn looked when he shifted? Judging by his size while in human form, it wouldn’t surprise her if he stood over nine feet and weighed over a thousand pounds as a fully shifted bear. Should she be afraid? Now that she’d had a taste of him, she wanted another. And another. And another. She nibbled on her fingernail as she contemplated what to do. Go or stay.
In the passenger seat was a red tote containing the food she’d made for lunch. After Deb had called on Sunday and coerced the information from her that Quinn had finally called and asked her out for lunch, Paige had asked her what his favorite foods were and spent Sunday evening searching the internet for salmon recipes.
Today, she’d left work early enough to go back to her apartment and grill it just before their date. Hopefully, it had stayed warm in the heated carrier.
“Hello.” She jumped in her seat as a voice sounded outside her car door. Even though her window was rolled up, she heard the deep, masculine voice clear as a bell. It was one of the twins. She couldn’t tell which one. Only Ryland had ever visited Deb at the office, but she’d only spoken to him once.
The man was as big as Quinn, but not as handsome, at least not to her. She knew many, many women would find the man adorable. His hair was a light brown, lighter than either Deb’s or Quinn’s. With his sunny good looks, he reminded her of a surfer, happy and carefree. Maybe that was the difference between the brothers. While this man looked adorable, Quinn’s expression was more somber and serious. Before she could protest, he had the driver’s side door of her car open and she was standing beside him on the graveled lot.
“Hello,” he said again. “I hope you’re here to see me. I think we’ve met before. My name’s Ryland.”
Quinn’s bear stirred inside him as he heard a car pull up outside the trailer. The animal had been restless all morning, impatient for Paige to arrive. He pushed away the reports he’d been working on all morning. An inspector was coming by sometime this afternoon for an impromptu review of their records. He rose from his chair and walked to the window. As he stepped outside, Quinn watched as his brother helped her from the car. The bear inside him rose on its hind legs at the sight of another man’s hand on his mate. It was already agitated that the woman didn’t carry his scent to warn other unattached males away. Furious with the man that she didn’t carry their mark. Under his breath, he muttered something rude and succinct. He felt like an adolescent again, trying to deal with hormones that had suddenly gone haywire. He’d been all fingers and thumbs the entire day and twice had to remind himself to pay attention to his job.
Even though the man touching his mate was his brother, a man who would protect the woman with his last dying breath, all the bear knew was another male was poaching on his territory. Ryland was the same age as Paige. Not that age mattered to a shifter, a true mate was a true mate. Quinn was older, harsher than his younger brother. Maybe too dominate for her.
No one in his family could be called homely and his twin brothers were the best looking of the Blackwood siblings. Of course, his little brother might not look so good to a woman without his front teeth he thought darkly.
As he walked toward the talking couple, he wondered if Paige knew twins ran in bear shifter families. He imagined her belly swollen with his cubs and he hardened thinking of planting them inside her. Then his knees threatened to buckle when he thought of her giving birth to two shifter bear cubs. She might be a curvy woman, but she was still human. A frail, tiny human. That thought was beginning to haunt him.
“Paige.” The rumbled sound of her name had both of them turning around. He knew his tone carried more than a hint of aggression. When he was close enough, he placed himself between her and his brother. His bear was trying to break through to protect its mate, to claim its mate. So close, he could feel the heat of the animal against his skin.
When Ryland folded his arms across his chest, Quinn knew his brother wasn’t going anywhere any time soon. He made a quick introduction. “Paige this is my little brother, Ryland. Paige, this is Ryland.” The words my woman were left unsaid. His tone and stance pretty much said it all.