Fighting for Keeps (Rocky River Fighters 2)

“You’re as bossy as ever,” he grumbled.

“Talk to me, Seth, or I’ll kick your ass.”

“You can’t kick my ass,” he replied with a smirk. “You’re pregnant. You can’t fight.”

“I can as soon as this baby’s born, and I won’t take it easy on you.”

He snorted. “Like you ever have before. Okay, okay,” he said as she glared. “My leopard talked to me today.”

“Was he being an ass? Is that why you’ve been so mopey tonight?”

“I don’t mope,” he protested.

“You do, and you have been. Now tell me why, because your animal acting like a jerk isn’t anything new.”

Exhaling as he put his knife down, Seth tossed the dragon back and forth between his hands. “He actually wasn’t, for a change. But what he said can never be. And since I’m not going to follow through on it, it’ll just make shit between us worse.”

“What’d he say?”

“I met Amelia Anderson earlier. You know, old man Anderson’s niece. And he said… well, he said she’s my mate.”

“Seth, that’s great news,” she replied, a smile lighting her face before it faded to a puzzled frown. She bumped his shoulder with hers. “What’s the problem here? Finding a mate is amazing.”

“Do I look like I’m ready for a mate?” he asked, arching his brow. “I’m not exactly in the best place to take one on.”

“Are any of us, really? I wasn’t ready for a mate, or even willing to contemplate having one, when I met Alex.”

“You were in a lot better shape than I am, though,” he replied wryly. “Besides, you should have seen her. When I first saw her at the fights Saturday, she was wearing slacks and a blouse. She was elegant. Even today, in a t-shirt and jeans, she had more class in her little finger than I do in my whole body. She’d never go for a guy like me.”

“Get the hell out of here with that shit, Seth. There is no one better than you. Well, except maybe Alex,” she said with a wink, referring to her mate.

He gave her a half-smile. “Even if she’s not better than me, per se, she’s still out of my league.”

“But maybe she’s not. Maybe you two are just what the other needs. Our animals aren’t wrong on who our mates are. They always pick the person who matches us best. Don’t automatically turn away from her. Especially if she gets you and your animal on the same wavelength again.”

Nodding thoughtfully, he picked up the knife and quickly carved the finishing touches on the dragon. Handing it to Cammie, he said, “For your little one. I’m not convinced you’re right, but I’ll think about what you said.”

Cammie got an uncharacteristically mushy look on her face, and she slid an arm around his shoulders, giving him a squeeze. “Thanks, Seth. And don’t blow off what I said, or only think about it for five seconds. Something like this requires real thought and consideration.”

Leaning back on his elbows, he watched as Cammie set off toward the house he designed and helped build for her. Just last week they put the finishing touches on it. Rocky River’s main house felt weird without her and Alex in it, even though Alex only stayed with them for a couple months.

He still thought he was too fucked up to take on a mate. That little flashback a few minutes ago was proof positive. There were a lot of hurdles between him and Amelia. Himself and his leopard being front and center.

But maybe she was right. He still wasn’t convinced, but maybe there was something to his leopard declaring Amelia his mate. It was worth thinking about, anyway.

Amelia finished dressing in another pair of jeans and a V-neck shirt, not bothering with contacts and makeup just yet. She made her way to the kitchen, intent on making a traditional English breakfast, needing something that reminded her of home.

She put on the kettle for her tea, and got out the makings of eggs, sausage, and bacon, while thinking over the debacle of yesterday. She hadn’t meant for the meeting to be so short, but the contacts had been incredibly uncomfortable, and Seth obviously noticed, because he thought she had something in her eye. And her makeup was probably a mess, because she hadn’t missed how his eyes widened when he got a good look at her face.

But it wasn’t the uncomfortable contacts or the obviously bad makeup job she’d been thinking about nonstop. Seth was a good-looking man, she’d noticed that right away last Saturday. Rich, chocolate colored hair and a light beard of the same color, and eyes nearly the same shade. He had a strong jaw, aquiline nose, and full lips. But yesterday, she saw him up close without a shirt on, and she couldn’t get the image out of her mind.

He had a light sheen of sweat on his tanned skin, and a muscular chest with washboard abs. It was his biceps she found herself wanting to lick, though, and the thought just about stunned her stupid. She’d never in her life wanted to lick a man’s arms before, but she wanted to trace Seth’s bulging muscles and veins with her tongue in the worst way.

Fanning her face at the thought, she turned the burners on the old stove off and poured herself a cup of tea, frowning when a knock came on the back door. Walking over to open it, she froze when she found the object of her unexpected lust standing on her back porch, an almost uncertain smile gracing his face.

“Seth,” she said in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

Holding up the plate he was holding in his hand, he replied, “I wanted to bring this back to you, and thank you again for the cookies. I have to be honest here—no one else got even a crumb. I ate them all.”