"Can't sleep?" Aiden sounded amused.
She returned to her back. "No. You?"
"No, it's the first night with my mate, I find that sleep is last thing on my mind." He teased.
Meryn didn't want to think about what he implied, she might jump him. To get her mind off of her wanton thoughts she changed the subject.
"What was it like growing up here?"
"Fun, they're lots of ways for a little boy to get into trouble, especially a little boy trying to emulate his brothers and father."
"Like what?" Meryn was intrigued.
"One night Colton and I snuck out to watch the unit warriors patrol the perimeter, but got caught. I actually had to hide behind my father to stay out of reach from my mother for that one." Aiden chuckled. "What about you? I know you had to have gotten into trouble as a youngster."
"Not really. I stayed to myself mostly. I was raised by my grandmother and didn't want to make her mad." Meryn sat up in bed and peered over her wall.
"Hey Aiden."
He turned to her. "Yeah?"
"Can you shift for me? I've never seen a bear up close before."
He sat up. "Sure, but you'll have to cover your eyes, I have to be naked to shift."
Meryn shook her head. "Not on your life."
Aiden hesitated for only a moment then shrugged. He slipped from the bed and stood. He dropped his pajama bottoms and deliberately turned to face her. Her mouth went dry as she stared at his perfect body. It took every ounce of self discipline not to tackle the man to the floor. It took her three tries to clear her throat.
"Go on." She tried to sound indifferent but knew she failed when he winked saucily at her.
One second he was her every fantasy come to life, the next he was an extremely large, dark brown bear. Laughing with excitement she hopped off the bed and walked over to stand in front of him. She reached out a hand and he head butted her palm. She pulled his shaggy head to her chest and buried her hands in his fur.
"You're not so scary, just a big ole teddy bear." She kissed the top of his nose. He buried his muzzle between her legs and she gasped, the damn thing was cold! Giggling she raced back to her side of the bed and climbed in. Seconds later she heard the rustle of clothes and the bed dip.
"Do you think you'll be happy here Meryn?" He asked.
"I think so. I'm not going to lie, everything is strange and scary, but also fun and exciting."
"You know I'll be with you every step of the way right?"
"Yup, I don't know if that is the scary part or the exciting part." She yelped when a pair of fingers appeared from under the wall to pinch her butt. His deep laugh was contagious and she laughed along with him.
"Ow! Definitely scary." She swatted at his hand as it reached for her again.
"Goodnight Meryn."
"Goodnight Aiden." Meryn was smiling when she turned back over. It was nice to have someone to say goodnight to.
CHAPTER THREE
Aiden woke the next morning and found himself smiling. He hadn't slept so soundly in weeks. When he went to turn his head he felt a hand against his face. He sat up and looked down at the small body in the middle of the bed. Meryn for all her rules the night before had sought him out in her sleep. Like a stealthy assassin she had tunneled under her 'Great Wall'. She lay on her back, sprawled arms and legs akimbo. Her mouth was open, she snored lightly and a thin line of drool traced down her cheek. His heart swelled in his chest. He had never seen anything more adorable in his life. Grinning from ear to ear he went into his closet and got dressed. When he saw the towel hanging from the door knob he chuckled. His mate so far had surprised him at every turn. He quietly opened the door and snuck downstairs.
When he walked into the kitchen, four sets of eyes turned to look at him. With the biggest shit-eating grin he could muster, he swaggered to the coffee pot. His men had decided to visit for breakfast.
"Glad to see you got through the night without being knocked unconscious again by your tiny mate." Colton teased. Keelan chuckled and Darian laughed outright.
"She is a delicate flower, she was scared." Aiden protested.
"Where is the fucking coffee?" A gravelly voice demanded from the doorway. Colton lost his composure and began laughing. Even his second in command looked away trying not to smile. Aiden hesitated at giving his mate coffee. She had been pretty high strung yesterday.
"How about some juice?" He offered.
"How about you shut the fuck up and give me some coffee?" Meryn stumbled through the doorway and collapsed into a chair.
"Oh yeah, she's real scared." Colton hooted and pounded the table laughing.
"Why are you being loud? Is it fun being so loud, this early in the morning? Do you know what happens to loud morning people? They die. They die horrible deaths, mutilated in their sleep and are then buried with their balls in their loud fucking mouths." Meryn glared at him through half shut eyes. The men gulped.