Bear and Bear Alike: A Blackwood Brothers Book Read online

  Ryland made the sound of a whip slicing through the air as he sat down on the soft leather sofa facing the desk. Quinn had replaced the uncomfortable metal chairs they’d had soon after Paige had moved in with him. Since then, he and Ryan had walked in on the couple getting down and dirty on it more than once. Now, Paige used it for quick catnaps when she came to see Quinn at the construction site after work and on weekends. He knew his brother couldn’t wait for the building to be completed so he could spend more time with his mate.

  “You’ll do what the doctor says, woman.” Quinn’s voice held more than a trace of his bear as he stared down his mate. Ryland smelled the heat of Paige’s arousal at her mate going all macho. He didn’t have his mate yet, but he knew they didn’t like it when you played the alpha male card. He knew his brother was walking a thin line. Especially, when you had no sound reasoning for what you were ordering them to do or not do. This time, he had to agree with his brother. Paige was human and carrying two bear cubs would be taxing on her body.

  “Mmm.” Paige continued to glare at her mate as she ate her lunch. “We’ll see about that now, won’t we?”

  “When are you going to see the doctor again, Paige?” He didn’t know what made him try to rescue his brother, but he did.

  “Tomorrow morning. Then Quinn’s taking me out to lunch at this wonderful little diner Deb and I found near our office. They serve the most delicious burgers. Would you like to meet us there?”

  Ryland finished chewing the bite of barbeque chicken he’d just taken, moaning at the mouthwatering taste. He’d never tell his Momma, but Paige was sometimes a better cook. His brother really was a lucky bastard. Not only did he have a mate whose curves made his bear growl with lust, but she looked and cooked like an angel. And now she was having his cubs. “I’d love to sweetheart, but we’ve got another pour scheduled.”

  “Right,” Quinn nodded as he also devoured the food Paige had cooked. “We’re almost back on schedule.” The delays caused by the jackals had reeked havoc on the production schedule. Coupled with his and Ryker’s no-shows some days, and the build could have been in serious trouble.

  He chose his next words carefully. He knew what he was about to say would put his brother in shitcreek without a paddle.

  “I hear you finally caved, Quinn, and set a date for the wedding.”

  “Mmm, mmm.” Quinn automatically agreed around a mouthful of food.

  Not that Ryland could blame his brother for his lapse in manners. Paige’s cooking was almost as good as her curves. Thankfully, she liked to share. Her cooking. Not her curves. He took another bite of his food and almost rolled his eyes in ecstasy. He didn’t, for one reason. He wanted to see his brother go down. One, two—

  “What do you mean you caved, Quinn Blackwood?” Paige slammed her container of food down on the desk with enough force to make the metal top sing. Which was something, considering the container was plastic and Paige was human.

  Quinn swallowed his food hard. “Now, darling, that’s not what I meant. I was just agreeing with Ryland that I—”

  “Caved!” When she twisted on the desk, her short skirt rode up on her rounded thighs. Ryland leaned over to get a better look. Damn, the girl was curvy.

  Quinn’s gaze zeroed in on him. The man knew he was checking out his mate. He also knew there wasn’t anything he could do about it. He had a mate to soothe. Quinn rose from the chair and towered over Paige, the stance hard and fierce. But Ryland and Paige knew he would never harm her. That he’d give his life before he’d allow anything or anyone to hurt his mate.

  “I did not cave in setting a date to marry you, Paige.” He placed his hands on her cheeks and tilted her face to his. “I love you, baby. I want to marry you. I need to make you mine in every possible way.” He kissed her with such sweetness Ryland thought they’d turn into a sugar pile. Ten years ago, hell ten months ago, he would have gagged at the thought of sharing something so tender with a woman. Don’t get him wrong. He loved women. Loved to fuck ‘em. And leave ‘em. He hadn’t had a serious relationship in his life.

  Now…now seeing his brother with his mate made him want one of his own.

  We have one, his bear reminded him.

  Suddenly, he lost his appetite. He placed the container on the desk and walked to the door. Quinn and Paige were too busy whispering and kissing to pay him any mind. He picked up his tool belt and went back to work. Back to the third floor where the scent of his mate still lingered.

  By the time Ryker walked up the front steps of his house, the moon had risen high in the sky. Clouds drifted by, sometimes obscuring the large white orb. Rain was predicted and he welcomed the thought. He wanted to shift and take a run. Needed to take a run. Needed something to cool his raging libido.

  Staying on site all day had taken a toll on his control. He’d smelled her everywhere. In the air, along the walls. Had she been there last night? He could have sworn the scent had been stronger than it had been yesterday.

  “Ryker?” His brother’s voice sounded from the side of the porch.

  He grunted to acknowledge his presence then sat down to yank off his boots. The men on his crew had worked hard today, finishing the third floor, before moving on to the next. He’d driven them hard. Trying to remove the scent of his mate from the building and from his mind. He stood and glared at his brother. “What do you want, baby brother?” Ryland hated when he pulled the I-was-born-four-minutes-earlier card.

  “Aren’t we going to look tonight?” He pointed to the discarded boots.

  “Nope. Running. I need to run.”

  Ryland was allowing his twin to take the lead on finding their mate, but that didn’t mean his bear wasn’t chomping at the bit to find her, too. His bear was confused. The animal knew the cat shifter was theirs, yet, the scent was off at times. Drawing him while pushing him away. All at the same time.

  “Sounds good.” Ryland went to remove his t-shirt.

  “Alone.” Ryker’s voice was clipped.

  Ryland stopped and looked at his twin noticing, not for the first time, the lines etched on his features. While technically, bears didn’t run—running used too much energy—they did need to shift into their animal form. Usually when they need to think. Or protect. Or hunt. Ryland knew Ryker needed to do all three tonight. He knew what was driving Ryker’s bear. She’d been there yesterday. Today, they’d smelled her scent, the strongest it had been in days.

  The past few months had been helicious. They’d think they were getting closer to finding their mate, only to have her trail disappear, lost in the jumble of smells in the city. It was frustrating as hell, but the scenting went both ways. The cat had to know the bears were her mates. So why was she running from them?

  “You sure you don’t need any company?”

  “Nope.” Ryker stripped and shifted before his brother could say anything else. The house had been designed with a bear shifter in mind. There was no question the porch would hold the bear’s weight and accommodate his height. Ryker lumbered down the steps, chuffing as he passed his brother. He knew Ryland understood his need to be alone.

  What neither brother understood, was how they would willingly share a mate.

  Ryker shuffled out of the yard and into the forest that surrounded the house. It was early fall and his bear tore easily through the undergrowth that covered the forest floor. When the brothers had bought the land, they’d made certain each of them had plenty of breathing room. Quinn had been the first to build a house, a good three years before Paige had entered his life. He had built his two years ago. Ryland had never had the urge and Ryker knew that was another reason why his brother was questioning sharing the cat shifter.

  Standing still, Ryker gazed up into the night sky. He studied the stars as his father had shown him and his brothers and found the North Star. The clouds parted, revealing the Great Bear constellation. As he stared, it seemed to grow brighter and brighter until it stood out in the star-studded sky. While the heavens might not reveal his m
ate’s location, he prayed the magic of the mating bound would lead him to her.

  “Show me,” Ryker ordered.

  Thunder rolled overhead and he felt the tension of the building storm. The air carried the scent of moisture and the promise of rain. He heard the screech of blue jays as they urged their mates to return to their nests. Squirrels raced into the hollow deadfalls, their jaws stuffed with the fallen nuts they’d been able to snatch.

  Another rumble of thunder and the first drops of rain fell to the ground. Ryker lifted his bear snout to the sky, closing his eyes and welcoming the cool rain. He let the water pour over him, the storm moving closer and increasing in intensity. Flashes of lightning filled the air, almost immediately followed by a boom of thunder. Soon, the storm was directly overhead. Ryker threw back his head and roared, his thick brown coat soaking up the rain. The storm was as violent as the thoughts racing through his mind.

  He and Ryland had been searching the city for weeks trying to find their mate. They knew she’d stayed on the site for over a week, living there. His bear growled, deep and low. Was she alone in the world, without the proper means to support and care for herself? That thought had driven him to start his search for her the first time he’d discovered her scent. Without telling his twin. He’d never thought they would share a mate. He was too damn possessive. He sank to his haunches. His sister, Deb, had told him he just had to have a little faith. If fate had brought his mate to Atlanta and the construction site, then fate would bring her to him.

  The bear roared again.

  Screw fate. He wanted his mate now.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Paige’s doctor appointment went well and Quinn kept his promise to take her to lunch. The quaint diner reminded her of something out of the 1950s. Padded booths covered in red vinyl and chrome trim lined the walls. The floor sported a checker pattern in black and white tiles. It even had a counter where you could order and eat your lunch. Behind the counter, a window separated the kitchen from the front. The cook wore a paper hat and white t-shirt that revealed an anchor tattoo on his arm. She expected to see a cigarette dangling from his lip. Retro was in again.

  “Isn’t it wonderful?” she whispered as they slid into an empty booth. Within minutes a waitress was flipping over squat glasses and filling them with ice water. Paige smiled, loving the woman’s vintage uniform. The diner was definitely quirky and she loved it.

  Just like she loved the man beside her and the babies inside her. Her hand flew to her stomach with maternal protectiveness. Quinn had known from the beginning that she was carrying twins, having heard their first heartbeats. Today, she’d fallen a little more in love with the big alpha bear when he’d seen the 3D ultrasound image of their cubs. He’d gruffly wiped away tears when the lights had come back on.

  Quinn stopped the waitress from handing them menus with one of his charming smiles. “You ready to order, aren’t you, baby?”

  “Yep. A cheeseburger with everything, and fries. Oh, and a glass of milk.” Deb, Paige’s best friend and one of Quinn’s older sisters, had discovered the diner about a week ago.

  “Good girl,” Quinn praised her. Since they’d found out she was pregnant, she’d given up carbonated beverages and caffeine. Two of her favorite things. Well, besides sex with her soon-to-be husband. Despite the hard time she was giving him over setting a date, she was in no hurry to hold a wedding. They were already mated and that was the equivalent of being married in the shifter world.

  “We’ll get you a bowl of ice cream for dessert.” He winked at her before placing his order. “Give me two of the same.”

  The waitress looked at him with a raised brow. “Even the milk?”

  Quinn slipped his arm across Paige’s shoulder and pulled her close. “Yeah. Even the milk.”

  “Sure thing.” The waitress smiled again and hurried away. Quinn watched as she placed the order with the cook before pulling his phone from his pocket. Paige threw him a questioning look because he’d promised no business today. He hated that look. More importantly, he hated he’d been the one to put it on her face. He’d almost messed up the best thing in his life by being overly concerned with business. And a dumbass according to his sister. “I need to call the twins.”

  “Okay.” The trust on her sweet face quickly replaced the look of concern. He thanked the fates every day they’d seen fit to send her to him. He wanted that for his brothers.

  Hence, the reason for the call. He promised himself he’d tell Paige all about it later tonight. He didn’t dare do it now with the sensitive shifter ears that might be listening. He didn’t want to be the one to spook the cat and perhaps cost his brothers another day without their mate.

  “Damn it,” he muttered. Naturally, Ryker refused to answer his phone. Some days he doubted the bear even carried it. He smirked as he dialed Ryland’s number. Ryker’s attitude would change quickly once he mated. Or had a mate carrying his cubs.

  He felt his knees weaken at the enormity of what was about to happen. He was going to be a father. To twins!

  “Hey, bro, what’s up?”

  Unknowingly, Ryland’s upbeat tone did much to settle his nerves. His parents had raised twin bear cubs without too much drama and both of the men had turned out fine. Well, for the most part. His bear was still sore at the way they’d teased and tormented him about his mess-up with Paige. Now, he felt a little older brother smugness. They had no idea what awaited them. “I think I found something you’ve been looking for.”

  Silence followed his announcement and Quinn was rethinking his decision to tell his brother over the phone that he’d found his mate.

  “Really? You think you just happened to stumble on her after Ryker and I have been searching the Goddamn city for over two fucking months!”

  Quinn hadn’t expected the outburst. Not from Ryland. “Watch it. Paige is sitting right beside me.”

  Ryland resisted the urge to crush the phone in his hand. He’d searched by himself last night when Ryker had decided to go for a run instead. His ego was still in a wad because he couldn’t track their mate as well as Ryker. And now, his older brother had just happened to stumble upon her.

  A small smile curved his lips when he heard Paige scolding Quinn. He was on the top floor of the building, supervising the drywall crew. From this height, he watched Ryker supervise the men working the concrete being poured for the sidewalk that would wind around the front of the building. He knew he should tell Ryker about Quinn’s phone call, but didn’t want to get his twin’s hopes up. If it was another false lead, he didn’t know if his brother could stand another disappointment. He decided to check it out for himself.

  “Where?” He didn’t think he could manage to say much more.

  “At the diner. I’m with Paige.”

  “The same diner Deb just happened to tell Paige she needed to try? Give me the address. Now.” In the shifter world, his sister was gaining a reputation for her matchmaking abilities. She’d set Quinn up on a blind date with Paige and the rest was history. If she’d withheld the location of their mate…

  Quinn allowed himself another grin when he heard his brother’s commanding tone. Ryland was always giving him hell for his alpha behavior around Paige. He knew the man wasn’t conscious of the fact that he was using the alpha male power all bears had.

  He rattled off the name of the diner and the street address. Before he could say anything else, his brother hung up. The twins had yet to say which bear was the true-mate of the mysterious cat shifter. If she turned out to be Ryland’s, his baby brother was in for a real eye-opener. The man thought he could charm his way in and out of every situation. He’d learn soon enough that mates could be as stubborn as hell and no amount of the Blackwood family charm would get them to obey.

  Paige had overheard enough of the conversation to understand what was going on. “So you think the cat shifter the boys have been hunting for is here, right now? Do you think she’s one of their mates?”

  “Yeah. I think so. They
’ve both been closed-mouth, but if I had to guess, I’d say she is Ryker’s since his bear seems to get more agitated than Ryland’s around her scent.”

  When the waitress brought their milk, Paige placed a straw in hers and took a sip. Slowly. Was he a total jerk for imagining her mouth closing around his cock the same way it did the straw? His body hardened at the thought, so yeah, he was a jerk. A total horn-dog jerk. He just couldn’t get enough of his mate.

  He took a long drink of water. Anything to calm his libido. He shifted on the padded seat of the booth, trying to maneuver his dick into a more comfortable position.

  “Do you know which woman it is?”

  “No, just that she’s very close or I wouldn’t be able to scent her. The twins never let me or Jason near the tracks except once or twice.”

  He couldn’t imagine the hell his brothers were going through. Scenting their mate and not being able to find her. Worse, not knowing who she belonged to. Or, having to share her. Not unheard of, but tough as hell he was sure.

  He thanked fate every day for giving him Paige. Needing to touch her, he pulled her close and rubbed her stomach. He loved touching her stomach, knowing the cubs recognized his touch. He’d heard their very first heartbeats. It had paralyzed him the first time he’d realized what the whoosh, whoosh sound meant. It had been late at night with Paige sleeping in his arms. Suddenly, it wasn’t just the two of them in the bed, but four, a family.

  They had just left the doctor where a 3D ultrasound had been performed. While the babies were still in the early, early stage of development, their tiny faces had been clear as day on the black and white screen. Seeing them like that kind of freaked him out.

  “Are you sure one burger will be enough?” Tonight he would fix her a steak with lots of vegetables.

  Paige rolled her eyes. “Yes, one burger is enough. Being pregnant does not give me carte blanche to pig out for the next seven months. I’ll be as big as a house.”