Guarded by the Grizzly

:A Fated Mates Shifter Romance (SWAT Shifters Book 2)

Bella Drake

He’d do anything for her. She’s trapped in a loveless marriage. When duty and destiny are pitted against each other, will desire lead to disaster?

Bear shifter Nash Barnes is a relentless agent of justice. Sworn to his FBI SWAT team, nothing comes between him and protecting his community. Until he meets Aria. But when he discovers his fated mate is already married to another man, his distress puts his teammates’ lives at risk.

Aria Morgan is desperately unhappy. Trapped in a marriage of convenience to a mean, abusive cartel member, she’s long since given up on love. But when a handsome stranger defends her from her aggressive husband, she can’t quite convince herself to send him away.

When Nash offers to kick her husband out of her house, she’s torn. She longs to finally be free of him and explore the explosive chemistry brewing between her and the sexy agent, but taking her shot at love could cost Aria her life.

With a target on her back, there’s nothing Nash won’t do to protect his true mate.

Guarded by the Grizzly is the seductive second book in the SWAT Shifters paranormal romance series. If you like fated mates, steamy scenes, and strong heroes, then you’ll love Bella Drake’s pulse-pounding new series.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Epilogue

Chapter 1

Nash

Adrenaline coursed through Nash Barnes' body as he pressed his back to the wall, assault rifle held against his chest. He was pumped for this operation.

Any operation, in fact, that stopped him thinking about her.

His fated mate.

The one who was married to another man.

He grimaced, and tried to push the thought-the horrific image-aside, with about as much success as he had every other waking moment since.

He was hoping that the rush he got from doing his job as an FBI SWAT team member would finally help to distract him. But even as he waited to enter the building and capture key players in Miami's cocaine trade industry including the drug lord Juan Martinez, all he could think about was her. Aria Mor-gan-the most beautiful woman in the world.

And she belonged to someone else.

His bear rattled inside his chest, ready to abandon the mission and hunt down Aria's husband.

Nash didn't get the sense the bear wanted a nice, friendly chat-and that made two of them.

Our mate, his bear all but bellowed in his head.

Kill anyone who dares claim her.

Even though Nash's every instinct was pulling him toward the bakery where she worked, he'd fought against it. He'd stayed away, and it had been the longest forty-eight hours of his life. Shit. How had it only been forty-eight hours? Every minute was torture. But he'd done it. He hadn't even spoken to her.

Not since Cole, his friend and teammate, had forcefully dragged him away. Nash swallowed hard Their friendship had almost ended that day. He'd been all set to fight his friend. He'd sworn and raged, and fought to get back inside to his mate, but Cole had made him see sense. He had made him walk away so that her scent didn't make Nash do something he'd later regret, but putting distance between them hadn't helped. Now that Nash knew what his mate smelled like, he wouldn't forget it for as long as he lived. When Nash had calmed down, he'd done the honorable thing and walked away, but with each moment that passed, he regretted that decision more and more.

He wished he had at least spoken to Aria-gotten to know more about her. After all, he could live with the fact that she was married to someone else if he knew that she was happy and loved. He might even be okay with it.

His bear's rumble called him on his bullshit.

Who was he trying to kid? He would never be okay with it, but he would just have to deal with the misery. All that mattered was his mate's happiness.

"Ted," Cole hissed. "Did you hear me?"

Nash's SWAT team nickname jarred him from his morose thoughts, and he blinked over at his best friend.

"What?"

"I said we're moving! Come on," Cole whispered.

"We're meeting Kit and Hawk around the back of the house. Ice and Flint are going in through the front door."

How had Nash missed all that information being imparted? Had it happened here, or back at base?

He'd been so distracted in the last two days that he wasn't sure which way was up. He'd probably missed a ton of info, info he needed to do his job.

He sent a reproachful thought in his bear's direction. This wasn't good. In his line of work, it was imperative to know every detail of a mission before hitting the streets. When you didn't, that was when accidents happened. And when you were part of a SWAT team, an accident could mean someone getting injured at best, or killed at worst. Nash would hate to have something like that on his conscience.

His teammates relied on him to have his head on straight.

Protect team. Then mate.

He took a deep breath then pulled his shoulders back. "Let's do this."

Cole side-eyed him for a long moment before giving a curt nod. He followed his friend around the back of the property, ducking low to pass beneath windows undetected as they went.

He was going to have to go and see her-talk to her. It was the only way he could set his mind at rest that she was being properly cared for. If he didn't, his bear would force its way out and then go hunt for her himself. Nash could imagine the terror on people's faces when they came face to face with a six-hundred-kilogram grizzly bear while walking the streets of South Beach.

He heaved a sigh. It was just his luck that his mate would turn out to be married. He'd always had bad luck, but this was on another level. He hadn't told his family yet, but he could already envisage the disappointment on his mother's face. His older brother Jake had been happily mated for years. His mate was a bear, so they'd both recognized what they were to one another straight away. Everything had been smooth sailing for them. Jake wouldn't understand what Nash was going through. Nash doubted many shifters would. He had never heard of something like this happening before.

"Nash," Cole hissed. "Did you hear what I said?"

Damn it. He hadn't heard a thing.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't."

Cole sighed then scrubbed a hand over his face.

"Do you need to sit this one out?"

Nash shook his head. "No, I'm good. I'm not gonna lie though, I'll be glad when this is over." So much for the distraction from his mate.

"You're sure you're okay to do this today?"

"Perfectly."

Cole eyed him dubiously. "Okay, but let it be known this is against my better judgement. I think you could do with a few days off from work, maybe longer."

Jesus, Nash couldn't think of anything worse.

The last two nights sitting at home alone had been hell. Being alone hadn't bothered him before, but now that he knew his mate was out there, he hadn't been able to sit still for two minutes straight. At least work was keeping his mind off everything.

Somewhat. If he had to spend all day and all night cooped up in his house he'd go crazy. And he didn't trust himself to shift into his bear form right now so it wasn't like he could shift to blow off steam and while away the hours.

"I'm good," he reiterated.

He hoped that would be the end of it. Nash loved Cole like a brother, but when the wolf shifter set his mind on something he could be as stubborn as a mule. Cole nodded then got them moving again, and Nash breathed a sigh of relief.

Around the back of the property, they met up with Kit and Hawk and slipped into position, their backs pressed up on either side of the door. The moment Flint, their team leader, busted in through the front with Ice, they'd go in through the back, moving in simultaneously so that the occupants of the house didn't get the chance to run from room to room and possibly escape. As long as no-one dropped the ball...say, by being too caught up with thoughts of their married mate.

"We're in place," Cole murmured.

"Copy that. We go on three," Flint said. "One, two, three!"

Cole slammed his foot into the door and the wood shattered and splintered with a loud crash.

Unlike most SWAT teams, no battering ram required: one of the perks of being shifters. Their extra skills as supernatural creatures were the reason they'd been recruited onto the SWAT team in the first place.

As a bear shifter, Nash had the best hearing.

There was little that escaped his hearing-usually.

More proof his head wasn't in the game, as if he needed it. He shoved the thought aside. Now was not the time to be having feelings about his feelings.

As they all rushed into the building, the noise from inside the house was so loud that there were few people who wouldn't have heard it-and those people couldn't hear anything at all.

From the other side of the house, Flint shouted at someone to get down. A man cursed in Spanish.

Loudly. Ice shouted at someone not to move, and then the sounds of a scuffle reached Nash's ears. He shook his head. No-one ever listened.

As he and the others made their way toward the front of the large property, a pair of Mexican guys sprinted their way, guns in hand.

"FBI! Drop your weapon!" Cole shouted. "Get down on the ground!"

The first man tossed his weapon and dropped like a stone, but the second lifted his gun and aimed it at Cole. Before he had the chance to squeeze his hand around the trigger, Cole fired his own weapon and the man hit the floor with a loud, dull thud.

The agents didn't break stride: Cole crouched down to press two fingers to the downed man's neck and Hawk jammed one knee into the other man's back as he snapped a pair of handcuffs around his wrists.

One glance told Nash the pair had everything under control, and he pressed ahead with Kit.

There were two doors on their left, the first ajar, and when Nash nudged it open with his foot, it led into a bedroom. The sheets were in disarray as if the person who'd slept there last night hadn't bothered to make it that morning, or more likely, it had been recently vacated when a heavily armed SWAT team crashed through their doors.

"T'll check the bathroom," Nash whispered.

Kit nodded. "I've got the closet."

Nash closed his jaw around a yawn as he crossed the room. He hadn't slept worth a damn for the past two nights and he didn't relish the idea of yet another sleepless night. The second this op was over, he was going to go to the bakery to see Aria.

He didn't know if seeing her would help him or make things worse, but he had to do something. He couldn't go on like this. Staying away from her was pure torture.

He nudged open the bathroom door and after he'd made a cursory check for occupants, he turned.

On the opposite side of the room, Kit was opening the closet door, but she'd barely turned the handle before the door burst open. A man barreled out and the artificial light glinted across as blade as it slashed wildly through the air.

Nash bit out a curse then ran to Kit's aid, but before he reached her, she let out a yelp of pain. Nash saw red. He charged the man, slamming him back against the closet door. At the same time, he made a grab for the arm that held the knife and twisted it, then slammed that, too, against the door. The man grunted but kept on fighting. He was stronger than he looked, but he was no match for a shifter, and certainly not a pissed off one defending his teammate. He drew back the attacker's knife hand and slammed it one more time against the door, squeezing the hand as he did, and with a gasp of pain, the man's fingers opened around the hilt and the blade fell to the ground. Nash kicked it away, then slammed the man into the door again for good measure before spinning him around and securing his hands behind his back.

"You okay?" he asked, turning to look at Kit over his shoulder.

But she looked far from okay.

Her face was sheet-white, and she had her hand over her right hip. It was covered in blood.

"Jesus Christ, Kit!"

"I'm okay," she bit out. "Probably just a graze."

But it wasn't, and they both knew it. The coppery scent of blood was thick in the air, far stronger than it would have been for a graze. The asshole had got her good.

Guilt lanced through Nash. This was on him.

On every operation, the first thing he did when he entered a room was use his impeccable hearing skills to listen for any hostiles. But he hadn't this time. He'd been too distracted, too afraid to use his shifter senses because to do that, he had to let his bear close to the surface. And ever since he'd met his mate—and walked away-he was terrified that if he gave his animal side even the smallest amount of leeway, it would try to break free to go in search of Aria. And because of that fear, he hadn't followed protocol, and hadn't even had the balls to tell the rest of the team that he couldn't.

And now, Kit had been hurt. Because of him.

"Do you think you can walk?" he asked.

She nodded then attempted to walk toward the bedroom door. The grimace of pain on her face told Nash how much the movement had cost her. He wanted to reach out and support her weight, but the prisoner was still struggling and letting out a string of cuss words in Spanish that were mostly wasted on Nash. He gave him a shake, then shoved him toward the door.

"Let me go out first," Nash said to Kit, grabbing hold of the prisoner before he could make a break for it.

Kit was in no condition to properly defend herself if she ran into another hostile, and they both knew it. She gave a curt nod then hung back while Nash pushed the man out into the hallway.

"All clear," Hawk said as soon as he set eyes on Nash. Then his eyes widened, and his nose twitched, and Nash knew his teammate was scenting Kit's blood.

"Is that...?"

Nash nodded. "Kit's been stabbed. She needs help."

Hawk's jaw tightened and he shouldered past Nash and the perp to get into the bedroom. Nash sighed as he led the cuffed man outside. Flint would have every right to kick him off the team for this, and part of Nash hoped he would. He deserved it. If he couldn't protect his teammates, then why was he even here? Their special skills were the reason they'd been picked in the first place. If Nash couldn't be relied upon to use his shifter abilities, then what use was he to the team? Maybe it was for the best. If he couldn't get his shit together, more of his team were going to get hurt, and he couldn't stand to be responsible for that.

Arresting the men at the house was only the beginning of the operation. There was another team waiting to go in and search the property after the SWAT team had vacated. Nash and the others took the men they'd arrested at the property back to the FBI base of operations on the outskirts of the city. From there, they would be interviewed so that the FBI could learn more about when and how they brought their cocaine into the city, and hopefully finally crack the gang they'd been chasing for months.

Most of the men professed to speak no English, but Hawk was Mexican American so when he started conversing with them in fluent Spanish, they were all out of excuses.

Kit was taken straight to their medical wing which was in the basement of the building near the parking lot. It was reserved exclusively for shifters.

Not everyone who worked in the FBI was privy to the information that shifters not only existed, but lived and worked closely among humans, and it would probably freak out the regular med staff if their patients started healing from deadly wounds in a matter of hours. But there were some wounds even shifter healing couldn't fix. Nash felt like a band was wound tight around his chest. If anything happened to his teammate...

The entire team were with him in the messroom, waiting for news, when Flint strode in.

"She's fine," he said, and a collective sigh reverberated around their small group. "She was stabbed in the upper thigh and the blade just missed her hip bone."

A lump rose in Nash's throat, and he tried and failed to swallow it down. His fault. It was his fault.

"The doctor has seen her and said there won't be any lasting effects. He gave her some pain killers and..."

Flint checked he wasn't being overheard then added, "She's shifted into her cat form to help her heal quicker. She was fast asleep when I looked in on her. There shouldn't be any complications."

"Oh, thank God," Hawk said. "Can I go and see her?"

"I'd let her rest for an hour first," Flint said.

Hawk nodded.

Flint turned then pinned Nash in place with a fiery stare. "Can I have a word?"

He didn't wait for a reply, just turned and headed back out of the room.

As he walked past, Cole shot him a reassuring smile, but it had little effect. Nash knew he deserved whatever was about to come his way. He found his team leader waiting for him out in the corridor. Flint pushed open the door to one of the interview rooms then stood aside to let Nash go in before him. Nash walked into the room then took a seat on the chair that was usually reserved for the people they ar-rested. Fitting. Flint came in then closed the door behind him, shutting them in together.

He sat down in the chair opposite Nash with a sigh. "Okay, tell me what happened in there."

Nash swallowed hard, and then went through the details of the operation in excruciating detail, omitting nothing. After he was finished talking,

Flint frowned.

"What about your abilities? Didn't you use them when you entered the room?"

Nash tugged at the top button on his shirt. It wasn't the biggest of rooms and with two overly large shifters crammed into it, the temperature had already started creeping up. Plus, Flint ran hotter than most, even when he wasn't interrogating someone.

Nash stared down at his hands. "I'm trying not to use my abilities right now."

Flint frowned. "What the hell? Why not?"

"You know I met my mate the other day."

Flint nodded. "Gray told me. I understand she's married. I'm sorry. That must have come as one hell of a blow."

"It did. And, you see, my bear is ready to go hunt the man down and kill him, either that or find Aria and carry her off into the woods."

"And you're afraid to let your animal side close to the surface in case you get all furry?"

"Exactly."

Flint rubbed at his temples, and then dropped his hand, his steely gaze pinning Nash in place.

"Look, Nash. I understand your predicament, I do. But I need to be confident that every man or woman on my team is not only pulling their weight, but that we all have each other's backs."

Nash nodded, but Flint wasn't done.

"Our abilities set us apart from every other SWAT team in the FBI. They are what make us damn good at our jobs. If you can't control your animal side, then you're a danger to all of us."

Flint paused to take a breath, but Nash kept his eyes averted

"Kit will be all right. But it was lucky that asshole only had a knife. If he'd had a gun, we could be looking at a whole other scenario right now. And let me tell you something for nothing—I do not want to have to contact the family of any member on my team to tell them their loved one is dead, you feel me?"

Nash nodded and finally raised his eyes. "Do you want to replace me on the team?"

"What? Fuck, no. But I do want you to take some time off-for your own sake as well as everyone else's. You're no good to me when you haven't got your head in the game. We don't rely on luck."

"I'm going to go and talk to her," Nash said.

"I don't know if it will accomplish anything, but maybe if my bear sees that she's happy and cared for, it might stop being so agitated all the time."

"Are you sure it's a good idea to let your bear get that close to her? What if you can't control him?"

"I have to at least try," Nash said. "What's the worst that can happen?"

Flint's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline.

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"No, probably not."

"That's wise. Look, take tomorrow off. Talk to your mate then we'll reassess the following day, okay?"

"I will. Thanks."

Flint nodded. "Good luck."

Chapter 2

Aria

Aria smiled as she watched her employer, Maya, smooth a hand over her stomach. The action looked to be unconscious and probably was, but it was significant to anyone in the know.

"When are you going to tell him?" she asked, nodding to Maya's belly. There was a collection of four pregnancy tests that confirmed their suspicions. One might have been enough for most people, but Maya was nothing if not thorough. It made her a good boss-and a good friend.

Maya sighed dreamily. "As soon as I see him. I thought about calling him at work, but I figure this is something that should be done face to face."

"Oh definitely. You don't want to tell him over the phone. You need to see his face when you give him the news. Do you think he'll be happy?"

Another sigh. "Knowing Cole, he'll be elated-probably more so than me."

"You're not excited?"

"Oh, I am, it's just that it's happened so fast. I mean, we've only been together for six months. It just feels a little soon, you know? But it is what it is, I sup-

Maya clamped her hand over her mouth then ran from behind the counter and into the bathroom.

Aria chuckled as she watched her go. That was the third time that morning. She knew she really shouldn't laugh. She could only imagine how poorly Maya felt.

Aria was just about to check on the cinnamon buns that were baking in the oven out in the kitchen when the door to the bakery opened. She couldn't quite contain her grimace as she laid eyes on the person who crossed the threshold. Diego. Her husband.

"What are you doing here?" she said. It was bad enough that she had to see him at home. Work was her one refuge, or at least, it was supposed to be.

It was dumb to antagonize him, but she'd long since given up trying to be civil. She'd learned that it didn't matter how she spoke to him, anyway. The way he treated her changed with his mood, but it varied from hostile to downright abusive.

"How much money have you got on you?"

Aria's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me? I gave you money yesterday. Have you spent it already?"

"If I hadn't, I wouldn't be asking you, would I?" His face, not handsome at the best of times, arranged itself into a sneer. "What are you, stupid?" Aria wished she could tell him to get lost, but every time she'd tried to put her foot down before, the threats had started. It wasn't worth it. Not when Maya was here.

"I haven't got any money, Diego," she said, hoping that would be the end of it.

He glared at her then strode behind the counter, grabbed hold of her arm and squeezed.

"Ow, get off. You're hurting me!"

"Listen carefully," he said in his heavy Mexican accent. "I know you've got money in the bank, so don't fucking lie. Go and get me three hundred dollars. I'll be waiting for you when you finish work. Get it or there'll be trouble, understand?"

He shook her then squeezed her arm harder. "Understand?"

"Yes," she said quickly. "I understand."

He finally let go of her arm and strode to the front of the store.

"Remember," he said. "Three hundred dollars.

Make sure you get it."

He left without another word. Aria rubbed her arm as if she could wipe away not only the lingering tenderness in the limb, but the memory of their exchange. No luck on either front. She'd have to wear a long-sleeve shirt to work for the next week-she knew from experience his steely grip on her was going to leave a bruise.

A moment later, Maya appeared in the door to the back room, so Aria quickly plastered a fake smile on her lips.

"Feeling better?"

"I wasn't eavesdropping," Maya said. "I swear. But I heard everything. Are you okay?"

Aria nodded, ignoring the lump that rose in her throat.

"Does Diego always get physically abusive with you?"

"Um..."

"Aria, it's okay. You can talk to me."

Aria burst into tears.

She'd never spoken about her relationship with Diego to another living soul, but she was tired of keeping everything to herself, tired of bottling things up. She felt like a dam that was filling up with water-there was only so much she could contain before she burst.

"He's a monster," she said between sobs. "And he's getting worse with time."

"Was he like that when you married him?"

Aria dragged a hand across her eyes and sucked in a juddering breath.

"I..."

She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth and gnawed on it. Yes, she wanted to confide in Maya, but how much could she tell her? She decided to throw caution to the wind. She'd got to know her boss well since she'd been working for her and she thought she had the measure of her. Maya wouldn't judge her, she was sure of it. The problem was that Maya was blissfully happy with her partner, Cole, and it seemed a stretch to imagine someone who'd found such love would ever understand what she'd done. But she had to tell someone.

"We're not a couple in the traditional sense," she hedged, dusting off her already-clean hands on her apron.

Maya frowned. "I don't understand what you mean by that."

Aria sighed. "About eighteen months ago, my mom got sick. Cancer. When she told me that she'd been diagnosed, she also told me that she didn't have any health insurance."

"Oh, Aria," Maya said, her expression filled with worry.

Aria nodded. "She had a little bit of money, but the cost of treatment was so high, and she barely had enough saved to cover half of it. I used all of my savings trying to cover the shortfall, but it still wasn't enough." She sniffed. She wasn't going to cry, no matter how hard it was talking about this. Not again. "We were twenty thousand dollars short, to be precise."

"And there was no one you could go to for help?" Aria shook her head. "Mom's sister has passed away and her children weren't in a position to help us out."

"So, what did you do?"

Aria lowered her head. "My mother's nurse overheard us talking about the medical bills and she took me to one side. She was Mexican American and said her brother had a Mexican friend whose visa was about to expire...and he was looking to get a green card."

Abruptly, it was too hard to look at her boss. Her friend. She ducked her head and stared at her nails as she forced the rest of the words out.

"She said if I was interested, he would pay me the twenty thousand dollars to marry him so that he could stay in the country."

"So, you did it, you married him?" Maya's voice was even, but Aria could tell she was working hard to keep it that way. She took a deep breath and nodded.

"The nurse set up a meeting between me and Diego and we talked. He was well dressed and so charming. I figured he'd come from a rich family and just wanted to live in America. At least, that was the impression he gave at the time."

Maya gave her a pitying look. "But it wasn't true?"

"No. It wasn't. I got the money for my mom and I married Diego. Later, I learned that he'd worked for a Mexican drug cartel. He stole from them-that was how he had the money to pay me."

"Oh, Aria."

"I know."

"So, you've never been together together?"

Aria huffed out a laugh that was devoid of humor. "You mean, have I ever slept with him?"

Maya nodded.

"No, never. He has to live in my house in case immigration comes to check, but we've never been together sexually."

"And the violence?"

"That, um, that came later. He was okay at first, polite, even nice sometimes, but he started to get more and more agitated about something. He wouldn't tell me what was wrong, but it was obvious that whatever money he had stolen was gone.

Then, I overheard him talking to his friend, Mario, and he said that the cartel had caught up with him."

Maya's eyes widened. "Is he sure?"

Aria shrugged. "I don't know if he's just being paranoid or if they really have found out where he's been hiding."

"We have to tell Cole about this," Maya said.

Aria's eyes widened. "What? Are you crazy? No!"

"Aria, Cole works for the FBI. He might be able to help you. If the cartel really has found out where Diego is, then you could be in danger. What if they come to your house? If he stole a lot of money from them, they'll kill him, and do think they'll want witnesses?"

Aria shuddered. She'd had the same thought herself, of course, but there was nothing that could be done about it.

"I could go to prison," she said quietly. "I broke the law by marrying him. If Cole finds out I've committed a crime, he'll be forced to act on the information. It's his job, Maya. I could never put him in the position of having to lie for me, even if it's a lie of omission." She turned away and started rearranging the pastries in the display, making sure there were no gaps where some had been sold.

"Besides," she said, setting her tongs down, "even if I wasn't worried about going to prison, I can't tell anyone."

"Why not?"

"Because Diego has threatened to hurt my mom if I do."

"The rat bastard!" Maya said.

Aria's eyes widened. She'd never heard her boss curse before.

"But if we just—"

"Please, Maya, I'm begging you. Don't say anything to Cole about this. It's my mess. I'll deal with it myself, okay?"

Maya opened her mouth to reply when the door to the bakery opened and a tall, dark-haired man walked in. He smiled at them pleasantly.

"Good morning," he greeted them.

Aria would have recognized that accent anywhere. A shudder ran through her. Mexican. She swallowed hard, irritated with herself. Just because Diego was a bad penny didn't mean anyone who shared his accent was the same.

"Good morning," she said brightly. "How can I help you?"

He peered into the glass counter that held a myriad of sweet pastries. "I don't know, what would you recommend?"

"Everything is good here," Aria said. "The cinnamon buns are to die for. Oh! The cinnamon buns! I was going to check on them!"

"I'll go," Maya said with a grin.

When her boss disappeared into the kitchen, Aria turned expectantly back to the man.

"Decided what you'd like?"

"I see one thing I like," he said cryptically.

A blush spread across Aria's cheeks. Was he flirting with her?

"I'll take one of those sticky pastries," he said, pointing to a honeyed bun.

"Okay, sure." Aria grabbed the bun with the tongs, then slid it into a paper bag.

"Anything else?"

He grinned. "How about a date?"

"Oh, um, thanks for asking, but I'm married."

She held up her hand to show him her wedding ring. She hated telling people that when she knew her marriage was a sham. It felt dishonest, somehow. She had known when she married Diego that it would be the end of her dating life for the foreseeable future, but there was no price she wouldn't have paid to raise the money for her mom's treatment. Even now that she knew what type of man Diego was, she was convinced that she'd done the right thing. But every day she wondered if there had been some other way to get the money she needed for her mom without having to take such drastic measures.

"That's a shame," the customer said. "Your husband is a very lucky man."

Aria smiled in acknowledgement of the compliment as she handed him the pastry and took payment. He turned to leave, but swung around at the last moment.

"You be sure to tell your husband to cherish every moment he has with you-because we never know when our time is up."

It was a strange thing to say, but before she had even formulated a reply, the man was already walking out onto the street.

"See you soon, beautiful!" he said over his shoulder.

Aria frowned. She certainly hoped not. The man was probably harmless, but since she'd found out about the cartel, she saw danger on every street corner and was suspicious of every new person she met. Especially, much as she felt awful to admit it, those with Mexican accents. Lately it felt as if she was jumping at her own shadow and she hated it.

Diego had a lot to answer to.

Chapter 3

Nash

Nash's insides twisted with a mixture of nerves and excitement, and he wasn't sure which emotion was most dominant. He was excited to be seeing his mate again, but she didn't know about the mate bond. He was no one to her—a stranger. How could he ask her probing questions about her happiness and wellbeing? She would probably tell him to get lost. And rightly so.

He'd gone straight home after his 'chat' with Flint, but being cooped up inside the house had him going stir crazy in minutes—made worse by the fact that Cole had made him promise to wait all day before he went to see his mate—and then stuck around to make sure he honored that promise. A whole day. It was crazy. But his friend had reasoned that the best time to talk to her would be after she had finished her shift-any other time and she might have been busy with customers. It was a sound argument, so Nash had agreed to it, but his bear half had been even more agitated than usual, doing what Nash could only describe as internal pacing. Now, finally, the time had arrived for him to see her again.

He could hardly wait. It was all he could do to keep from breaking into a sprint. His beast's excitement matched his own, swelling inside him until he thought he might be in danger of exploding-in more ways than one-the moment he laid eyes on her.

"How are you feeling?" Cole asked as they strode along the sidewalk on the short walk from the parking lot.

Nash shrugged. "Nervous, excited." He shot a sideways glance at his friend. Unsurprisingly, he wasn't fooling him. "Afraid."

Cole clapped him on the shoulder. "We'll be there soon enough, buddy. And I don't want to give you false hope or anything, but you know, humans feel the pull of the bond, too."

Nash glared at his friend. "What are you suggesting? That she's the type of woman who would dump her husband for another man?"

Cole frowned. "Isn't that what you want?"

"Well, yeah." He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck.

. "But that's not the point."

Cole rolled his eyes. "We're here."

"Oh, God. I feel sick."

"You can do this. Have you got control over your bear half?"

"I think so."

"Is that a yes or a no?"

"Um, yes?"

Cole shook his head then checked his watch.

"Okay, they should be coming out any minute now.

Oh, no."

"What do you mean, oh, no? Oh, no, what?"

"I think you're going to have to do this another time."

"What? Hell no! We're here now. I want to see my mate."

"Right, but um, her husband, Diego, is heading this way."

Nash whipped his head around so quickly he was surprised he didn't get whiplash. As the wiry man amble along the sidewalk, he narrowed his eyes. His bear roared its fury within him at the mere sight of the man who'd touched his mate, fighting to be set free so that it could go and kill him, and anyone else who tried to stand between him and Aria.

Easy, he warned it. To Cole, he said, "He looks shifty. I don't like the look of him."

"Come on," Cole said. "Let's get you out of here."

"No, not yet."

"Nash," Cole said, a note of warning in his voice.

"Do I have to drag you away from here?"

Nash forced himself to draw in a deep breath and roll out his shoulders. "No, I'm good." The tension barely stayed gone long enough for him to get the words out. "Why does he keep looking over his shoulder?"

Cole shrugged. "Don't know."

"It's weird. Does he think someone's following him? Why would someone be following him? Oh, God."

The door to the bakery opened and Aria stepped out onto the sidewalk. The scent of her hit Nash like a ton of bricks and he swayed from the onslaught.

She was even more beautiful than he remembered.

When she set eyes on Diego, she didn't smile as a wife usually would have when greeting her husband after a long day at work. Quite the opposite— she looked downright hostile, and Diego's vacant expression had morphed into a look of contempt. Hope swelled in Nash's chest.

"She doesn't like him," he remarked cheerfully.

"Actually, I think she hates him."

Cole cleared his throat. "Now, don't get your hopes up. Maybe they just had an argument this morning."

"Let's listen to what they say to each other."

"Do you really think we should be eavesdrop-ping?"

"Yes."

Though he was loath to do so, Nash let his bear side a little closer to the surface, listening intently for the way they greeted one another.

Diego curled his upper lip as Aria approached.

"Did you get it?" he asked.

"You told me to, didn't you?" Aria responded.

"All three hundred dollars?"

"Yes."

"Give it to me."

As Aria dug around in her purse, Nash sucked in a quick breath.

"Can you believe that scumbag? He's taking her money. What a cheap, freeloading, shit for brains, piece of crap."

"Don't sugarcoat it," Cole deadpanned, rolling his eyes and planting a hand on Nash's chest like he thought he was about to surge forward and beat the crap out of the man. Nash shook his head. Cole knew him too well.

Aria handed over the money then said, "You know, it's about time you found yourself a job. If you keep taking all my money to feed your gambling habit, how do you expect me to pay the mortgage or put food on the table?"

Nash let out a roar that was more animal than human and managed two giant strides in their direction before Cole grabbed him from behind and dragged him back.

"Damn it, Nash, think about what you're doing."

"I have thought about it," he said. "I'm going to go over there and kick the shit out of him. Then, I'm going to turn him upside down and shake him until Aria's money-"

"Oh shit," Cole and Nash said in unison.

Diego had grabbed Aria's arm and squeezed her so tightly she let out a painful yelp. Nash took off at a run. He thought about shouting at Diego to let go of her, but he was so worked up, he couldn't get the words out of his mouth. Instead, he waited until he had reached them, curled his hand into a fist, then drew his arm back and slammed it into Diego's face.

The man toppled over like a domino, and stayed down.

"Oh my God!" Aria said. "What did you do?"

Nash's breathing was ragged. He'd never been so angry in his entire life. He turned to his mate.

"Are you okay?"

She gasped, her eyes wide as she stared at him.

"You're a shifter!"

"How—?"

Oh, his eyes and teeth had shifted. He couldn't say he was surprised. It was a combination of adrenaline from the chase, anger at seeing his mate hurt, and breathing in his mate's intoxicating scent.

...Wait a minute.

"You know about shifters?"

"Yes." She drew in a quick breath and then the words tumbled out of her, low and fast. "I dated a werewolf in high school."

A low growl slipped from Nash's lips.

Aria folded her arms. "Don't you growl at me!"

The chastisement made Nash hang his head in shame. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Aria crouched down and pressed her fingers to Diego's neck to check his pulse. She sighed and got to her feet again.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

Nash frowned. "I saw him put his hands on you and my bear reacted. He can't stand violence towards his...towards women, and neither can I."

Aria's eyes widened. "You're a bear shifter?"

Nash nodded.

"Wow. Are you as big as a real bear when shifted?"

Nash puffed out his chest, "Actually a little bigger."

Aria's mouth fell open in surprise, then she seemed to come back to her senses and frowned.

"Look, I get that you're guided by your animal instincts sometimes, but you can't just go around punching people when you see something you don't like. This is my husband."

"Oh, I'm well aware of that," Nash said.

Aria narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Are you now? And how do you know that?" she asked, taking a small step away from him.

"Um, your wedding band," Nash said.

"Oh, right."

"Plus, I came here with Cole and he - "

"Oh, you're Cole's friend?" She glanced past him and seemed to see Cole hovering behind them for the first time.

"Yes, I'm sorry." He cleared his throat and surreptitiously wiped his hands on his jeans, trying to make sure they didn't have any of Diego's blood on them. "I'm Nash Barnes."

"Oh, right. Nash. Yes, Maya has spoken about you."

When a small growl sounded over Nash's shoulder, he realized his friend had been listening to their conversation and apparently didn't like hearing that his mate was talking about another man. The corners of Nash's mouth twitched, threatening to lift into a full smile.

Aria's eyes widened. "Wait, is Cole a shifter too?" Nash nodded. "Yep, he's a wolf shifter."

"What the hell?" Cole groused, rolling his head back in what appeared to be a plea to the universe for strength. "Jesus, Nash."

Nash spun around and regarded his friend.

"What? She's my ma-" His eyes widened when he realized what he'd been about to say. "I mean, she's Maya's...friend."

Cole rolled his eyes.

"Hey babe," Maya said as she approached. "Sorry, I had to lock up. What are you all-oh my! Is that Diego? What happened to him?"

"Nash punched him," Aria said.

Maya frowned. "What, why?"

"He saw Diego grab me," Aria said quietly.

Maya sighed. "Oh, right. You can't go on like this,

Aria. You've got to do something about him."

"What? I've only just met him."

"What? No, I mean Diego. You can't let him keep doing this."

"He's treated you like this before?" Nash fumed, his anger bubbling to the surface.

"Just stay out of it, please," Aria said. "You've already made things worse by punching him. He'll be furious when he wakes up." She turned to shoot a glare at Maya. "You promised you wouldn't say anything."

Maya heaved a sigh. "I know, but please think about what I said. He can help."

"I don't need any help," Aria said. She turned and eyed the unconscious body—like it was a bur-den, rather than the object of her affections, Nash couldn't help but note with a stab of silent pleasure.

"Well, except maybe getting Diego into my car."

"I'm not letting you go home with him," Nash said. "Not if you're in danger."

Aria glared at him. "You're not letting me?"

Nash nodded, resolute. "You're coming to live with me."

Chapter 4

Aria

Aria craned her neck to look up into Nash's stupidly handsome face. "Did you just ask me to move in with you?"

"Yes, but-"

"You don't even know me."

"No, but-"

"I don't even know you."

"I know, but it's obvious you need protection from this," he pointed down at Diego with a scowl on his face. "This loser. And I can give it to you."

"Look, thank you for the offer, I appreciate it, but I don't need your help. I don't need anyone's help."

Nash blew out a breath of frustration and ran a hand through his thick, dark hair. He was evidently annoyed but doing his best to keep himself in check.

He was so handsome when he was frustrated. Actually, he was handsome when he was angry, too. Aria hadn't seen what he looked like when he was happy, but she imagined it was a sight to behold. Then she cursed herself mentally. How could she be thinking about how handsome Nash was when her husband was lying on the ground unconscious, not two feet away from her? What the heck was wrong with her?

Diego chose that very moment to groan and blink open his eyes. She turned back to Nash.

"You should leave. I don't want Diego to see you when he wakes up."

"I don't think that's a good idea," he said.

She shot another glance down at her husband, and then back to Nash.

"Please," she begged.

She glanced at Maya with pleading eyes and Maya nodded.

"Cole?" Maya said.

Her partner nodded. "Come on, buddy," Cole said.

"Let's get out of Aria's hair."

Nash ran a hand through his hair again, then nodded. "Okay, but please, Aria, think about my offer. You can't stay with him, you're not safe."

"Aria?" Diego mumbled.

"Okay, I'll think about it, but please just leave," she said in a rush.

Nash nodded, seemingly satisfied, then turned to leave. "Take care of yourself," he said.

"See you tomorrow, Aria," Maya said.

Aria nodded. "Tomorrow."

"Aria," Diego said, sounding annoyed now.

Aria turned back to him just as he was sitting up.

He blinked up at her. "What happened?"

He didn't remember?

Aria was tempted to lie and say that he'd fainted, but he was going to have one hell of a black eye so that might not be the best course of action. Of course, she could always say that he'd hit his head on the ground. That might explain the black eye.

On the other hand, knowing Diego, he had remembered perfectly well what had happened, but was just too embarrassed to admit that he'd been knocked out.

"Someone punched you," she said at last.

"What? Who?"

"I don't know. He left."

"Oh. What kind of asshole goes around punching people they don't know?"

A better man than you, she wanted to say. Then she was annoyed with herself. She wasn't even sure why she'd had that thought. She didn't know a thing about Nash, after all. He really could just be a bully who went around punching people for fun. Somehow, she didn't think so, though. She believed him when he'd said he'd reacted badly because he didn't like violence towards women. She shook her head.

She really shouldn't be so trusting-that was what had gotten her into this mess to start with. But there was something about Nash that made her want to believe him. About everything.

"Take me home," Diego ordered.

Aria rolled her eyes as he got to his feet, albeit a little unsteadily. She opened her mouth to ask if he needed any help, then thought better of it. He hated looking weak, and the last thing he'd want was her help. And the last thing she wanted was for him to feel like he had to prove how tough he was.

As they walked along the sidewalk to get to where she had parked the car, the weird little high she'd felt being around Nash disappeared and her mood plummeted. Diego was definitely going to take this out on her tonight.

Aria wished, not for the first time, that she could just walk away from the marriage. But if she did, they would ask Diego to leave the country and he would think nothing of telling the authorities about their financial arrangement to get back at her. Not to mention what he might do to her mother. She couldn't let that happen. No, it was a nice fantasy, but she had to face facts— she was stuck with Diego, at least until he got his green card. Then she would finally be free of him. Unfortunately, and without a lot of luck, that was still years off. Until then, she'd just have to endure having him in her life. But it didn't mean she couldn't count the days until her freedom.

Diego was quiet on the drive back and when they arrived home, he quickly retreated to his bedroom.

She called him when dinner was on the table and he came down to eat it, but he barely said two words to her before he disappeared back upstairs again.

Weird. He was never that quiet. He hadn't even complained about her lousy cooking, which was what he usually did throughout dinner.

She had expected him to take what had happened to him out on her, but it was as if Nash's punch had the opposite effect on him. It was almost like he was afraid to go near her or say anything that might get him in trouble again. She couldn't say she wasn't secretly a tiny bit pleased that he was getting a taste of how she spent most of her time around him feeling.

Then she blew out a heavy sigh and set about cleaning up. Thoughts like that didn't help her, and that wasn't who she was. No matter what Diego had done to her, she didn't take pleasure in someone else's suffering, deserved or not. She had chosen this life, and sure, she might not have known what she was getting into, but that didn't mean she was going to let it change who she was.

After Aria had cleaned away the table and done the dishes, she sank down onto the sofa and switched on the television. There was nothing on that she particularly wanted to watch, so she just channel surfed for a while, staring idly at the flickering images. She had just started to get into a nature documentary when there was a knock on the front door.

She checked her watch with a frown. It was nearly nine. Who could be calling at that time of night? An icy lance of fear ran through her. Oh, God, what if it was the cartel-what if they'd caught up with Diego, and —

She shook her head. She highly doubted they were the knocking on doors sort. They'd be more likely to break it down. Get a grip, Aria.

Another flash of panic rushed through her. What if it was someone from immigration, calling by for another spot check? Diego's black eye would raise all sorts of questions neither of them could answer. She couldn't afford for them to get suspicious.

She shot to her feet then rushed to the front door, pausing once she got there to try to steady the tremble in her hands. Cautiously, she pressed one eye to the spyhole. Her mouth dropped open in surprise, and it took her a moment to gather her wits and open the door.

"Nash, what are you doing here?"

The handsome bear shifter eased his weight from one foot to the other and back again, looking past her for a brief moment before his gaze darted back to her face. His arms hung by his sides and his hand started to twitch forward before it fell back into place.

"Hey." He cleared his throat. "Can we talk, please?"

Aria frowned and glanced back over her shoulder. Diego wouldn't be happy if he saw Nash hanging around here. But she couldn't bring herself to turn him away, either. She nodded while she groped for words.

"Um, okay. I mean, yeah. Sure." She grabbed her door keys off the little table next to the door and stepped outside, pulling the door closed behind her.

"How did you find out where I live?" she asked as she followed Nash to the bottom of her front yard, sneaking a quick glance at the upstairs windows.

Diego's room was round the back, but she could never quite shake the feeling he was watching her.

"Did Cole tell you?"

Nash sighed. "No, I didn't get your address from Maya and Cole."

That got her attention. Her head snapped back round to the abashed looking shifter. "Then how?" He winced. "I work for the FBI, remember?"

"Oh, right." She narrowed her eyes at him, and barely managed to keep from planting her hands on her hips. If Maya had told him about her... situation... "Are you here on official business?"

Nash's eyes widened. "No, no, not at all. And if they find out that I got your address using FBI resources, I could get into a lot of trouble at work— probably even lose my job."

Aria frowned. That didn't make a lick of sense.

"Why would you risk your job to come and see me? I told you I'd be all right, didn't I?"

"I know, but I had to see you again—I had to speak to you. It's important."

"Okay, well, go ahead."

"Aria, I don't really know how to say this, so I'm just going to come out with it. You're my mate. Do you know what that means?"

"Yes." Aria couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Wait. I mean, are you sure?"

A sad smile tugged at his lips, and she had the sudden urge to reach out and smooth them out with her thumb. "Yes. It's not something we can mistake."

"Wow, that's... Your mate? I don't really know what to say to you, Nash." She flushed and ducked his gaze, speaking instead to her feet. "I'm, well, I'm married, you know that."

"I do know that Aria, I do, but he's abusive to you.

You can't tell me that you're happy with him." His voice crackled with anger, but she didn't think he was angry with her. It softened until her heart ached at the sound. "Do you love him?"

She shook her head. "No, I..."

"Then leave him. Come with me now. I can make you happy. A shifter would never hurt their mate.

There's nothing I wouldn't do to keep you safe. I would cherish you. Every single day."

Aria wrapped her arms around herself, feeling the sting of tears forming behind her eyes. She believed every word of what Nash was saying to her, and that just made it worse. Because in another time and place, hearing the words that Nash was saying would have been a dream come true. And it didn't matter. She'd made her bed and now she had to lie in it. When you'd made a deal with the devil, you didn't get to have a happily ever after.

"I'm sorry," she said, avoiding his eye again, "but I can't leave with you."

Her heart broke as she took in the crestfallen look on Nash's face.

"But why? You've already admitted you don't love him, so why would you choose to stay? Is it out of some sort of sense of duty? Is it for religious reasons? Do you think that because you married him, you have to stay with him?"

"No, it isn't anything like that."

"Then what is it? Tell me, please." He made to take a step closer to her and pulled himself up short.

"Make me understand what's going on in that head of yours."

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

"I married Diego for money!" Aria blurted. Her head swam. What had she done? That wasn't something you could admit to an agent. Not ever.

Nash blinked. "Okay, I've gotta say, I didn't see that one coming. I don't understand. Diego hasn't got any money, has he? Earlier, outside the bakery, he was the one taking money off you."

She couldn't believe she'd just told him that. She was such an idiot! He was FBI, there was no way this could end well. He had a duty to the law. But whatever was going to happen, she didn't want him to think badly of her.

"My mom was sick with cancer," Aria explained in a whisper. "She didn't have health insurance and we couldn't afford all her bills. Diego wanted a green card."

Nash nodded. "I see. So, he paid you to marry him so he could stay in the country."

"Right."

"But, you fell for him?" Nash said, phrasing the statement like a question.

Aria screwed up her face in disgust. "What? Hell, no. I don't even like the man, let alone love him. Matter of fact, I'd go as far as to say I can't stand him." She sucked in a breath. "Are you going to arrest me now?"

Nash barked out a surprised laugh. "What?"

"I know the law, Nash." She shook her head. "I don't care, just... just get it over with. Do you... Do you hate me now? I wouldn't blame you."

A slow smile spread over Nash's lips. "Why? This is the best news I've had all day." Aria frowned. "It is? Why?"

"Don't you see? He's your husband, and earlier, at the bakery, you told me to go away and leave you with him, so I thought you loved him. I thought I was destined for a lifetime without my mate, but I had to at least come here tonight to see if you were all right and tell you what you are to me. I never would have forgiven myself if I hadn't at least tried.

And no, I'm not going to arrest you. Although I can think of other uses for a pair of handcuffs we might both enjoy more."

Aria shook her head. "But nothing has changed, Nash. We still can't be together."

"The hell we can't," he said.

Aria folded her arms. "I'm being serious. I can't leave him—not now, or for the foreseeable future." Nash gaped at her as if she'd grown another head.

"Why not?"

"He threatened to hurt my mom,"" Aria said quickly.

"That's it, I'm going to kill him," Nash spat, making to barge past her, his eyes already fixed on the door that she had no doubt he could smash through with barely a tap.

"No, listen to me." She stepped to put herself in his path again. "You can't just go in there and-"

"No, you listen to me. The days of that man threatening you and abusing you and treating you like his own personal ATM machine are over. I am going in that house and I'm kicking that sorry son of a bitch out."

He tore his eyes from the house and met hers again, and she tried to ignore the rush that came over her, because there were more important things at stake than her hormones-like the fact he was about to get all of them killed.

"Then," he continued, oblivious to her reaction, "I'm going to call my brother who owns a private security company and I'm going to tell him to put your mom on round the clock surveillance. If that man so much as breathes in the direction of your mom's house, my brother will put a bullet in his ass." Aria shook her head, blinking. "I don't.. You'd do all that for me?"

"That and more," Nash replied, raising one hand to gently touch a finger beneath her chin.

A lump started to rise in Aria's throat. "But you don't even know me."

"You're my mate. That's all I need to know. You put yourself through hell to protect your mom. And now you're standing here, protecting a man who treated you in the most horrific way, because you're kind, and good, and beautiful, and I love you for it, but I need you to move aside now."

When Nash made to move past Aria, she planted a hand on his chest to stop him.

"Nash, wait. There's something else."

"Go on," he said, a little warily. He was right to be wary. Any sane man would run away from this situation.

"It was only after I married Diego that I found out where he got the twenty thousand dollars to pay me for the marriage."

"Okay..."

"He used to work for a drug cartel. He stole from them and now he's on the run. He thinks they've found him."

Nash's lips thinned. "Jesus, that man is a piece of work. They haven't found him, though. If they had, he'd be dead already. But they might have an idea where he is, which makes it all the more paramount that we kick his ass out before he brings a whole heap of trouble to your door."

Aria took a deep breath, then pulled back her shoulders. She couldn't believe she was going to go along with this, but if she didn't, she might not live long enough for Diego to get his green card and leave. This was the best chance she had of finally being free. And more than that, the thought of Nash walking away from her door and not coming back filled her with a cold terror she hadn't felt since her mom's diagnosis. She felt guilty about taking Diego's money then not going through with her end of the bargain, but enough was enough. He had lied to her about where he got the money, he'd put her life in danger, and on top of all that, he was a mean, abusive man. He didn't deserve her feelings of guilt or remorse.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked.

Nash winked at her. "Nothing will ever give me more pleasure than kicking that scumbag to the curb. Let's go."

Aria followed Nash to the door then unlocked it and let them both into the house. Diego was coming down the stairs as they came in.

"Who the fuck is that?" he snapped, glaring at the bear shifter.

And then recognition flashed over his face and his eyes widened in alarm.

"What's going on?" he asked. "What is he doing in my house?"

"It's not your house and it never was," Nash said.

"Go and pack a bag. You're leaving."

"What? I'm not going anywhere!"

"You can say that, you might even believe it, but if you don't leave of your own free will, I will be forced to take matters into my own hands and I don't think you want that, do you Diego?"

He turned to glare at Aria. "If you kick me out, you know what will happen."

"Oh, and what's that?" Nash asked, rolling out his broad shoulders casually. "Are you referring to your threats against Aria's mother, or the issue of immigration finding out about your sham of a marriage?" Diego's eyes widened even further. Aria would have been lying if she said she didn't take a small amount of pleasure from that.

"Now listen up and listen good," Nash said, towering over Diego. "I work for the FBI, and I can make your life a living hell. I also have a good friend in the Mexican American community here in Miami. I only have to say the word and he will find who you stole that money off in the cartel and he will tell them exactly where you've been hiding."

Diego's face blanched. "You wouldn't do that."

"Oh, wouldn't I? Then make another threat against Aria or her mom and call my bluff." Nash checked his watch. "You've got fifteen minutes to pack and get out."

Diego hesitated for only a moment before turning and hotfooting it up the stairs.

"I can't believe that worked," Aria whispered.

Nash chuckled. "Yeah, well, I can be very persuasive when I want to be."

"So I see."

Nash didn't let her out of his sight while he called his brother Jake, and told him about the threats Diego had made on Aria's mother. It was even worse hearing it spoken out loud by someone else. Had she really allowed Diego to terrorize her like that?

Jake promised to have a man stationed outside her mom's house within fifteen minutes. Aria couldn't believe the relief she felt when she heard that, but a scared little part of her couldn't help but wonder how long it would last. She hadn't thought about it earlier, but how long could she reasonably expect Jake to keep up the surveillance on her mom's house?

Diego might just lie low until Jake and his friends left, and her mom would be right back in danger again. But today, at least, she was safe. That was something.

It didn't take Diego the full fifteen minutes to pack his bag and come back downstairs. Aria had thought he would kick up more of a fuss, but he made a couple of threats that fell short after Nash's speech to him earlier, then left without any more of a fuss.

"How are you feeling?" Nash asked.

"Like a weight has been lifted," Aria admitted.

"But I'm worried about my mom."

"There's nothing to worry about," Nash said. "She has around the clock protection for as long as she needs it."

Aria sighed. "Sure, but around the clock protection isn't cheap. Your brother can't be expected to foot the bill, and I can't afford to pay for it. I work in a bakery, remember? And I got into this whole mess in the first place because I didn't have any money."

"My brother isn't footing the bill, I'm paying for it," Nash said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Well, I get a reduction on account of us being family, of course." Aria blinked across at him. "You're paying for it?" Nash chuckled. "Who did you think would be

paying for it?"

"I...I don't know. I mean, I never thought about it.

It's a lot of money, Nash."

He shrugged. "I can afford it."

Aria's browed knitted. "Just how much do they pay you in the FBI?"

Nash spluttered a laugh. "Not as much as you might think, although SWAT team pays more than average, plus my teammates and I get a little extra because of our special skills."

"So, how can you afford it?" she pressed.

"Aria, I don't want you to worry about the money, okay? I come from a wealthy family, and what's mine is yours."

"What?"

He shrugged. "You're my mate."

He said those three little words as if they were the answer to everything, and in Nash's mind, they probably were. Aria knew how important a shifter's mate was to them, but Nash was doing a heck of a lot for someone he'd only just met, mate or not. How could he have such blind faith that she was the type of person he should go to all that trouble for? Everything she'd told him could have been a lie—a ruse to get him to help her.

"Have you got a spare pillow?" Nash asked.

"I'm sorry?"

"A pillow," he repeated. "Your couch looks comfy, but a pillow would be good."

"You're spending the night?"

"Well, of course. You didn't think I was going to leave you here unprotected, did you? What if Diego comes back? I don't think he will, of course, but I'm not about to take chances with your safety. Don't worry, we can figure out another arrangement tomorrow."

Aria was just about to offer Nash Diego's bedroom, but thought better of it. She doubted Nash would appreciate being surrounded by Diego's scent

—she knew how funny shifters could be about things like that. She got up then headed for the door.

"One pillow coming right up. Oh, and Nash?" She paused in the doorway and looked back at him.

"Thank you for everything you did for me today. I really appreciate it."

The smile on his face made Aria's heart skip a beat.

"What are mates for?"

Chapter 5

Nash

As he sat around the table in the room Flint had procured for their team meeting, Nash couldn't keep the grin off his face. Cole had been angry at him when he told him he'd gone to see Aria the night before, but he was pretty sure that was only because he could have gotten fired and Cole didn't want to have to break in a new partner-because there was no way he'd get someone as awesome as Nash again.

And even though he'd chewed him out about being so reckless, Nash knew that really he was happy for him that things had worked out for the best.

Okay, so he did have to admit it might have been just a tiny bit reckless to use his status as an FBI agent to gain someone's address for his own personal gain. Legally speaking, he was pretty sure that what he'd done could be considered stalking and there were laws against that. Nash could have been looking at a prison sentence, not only the unemployment line. But he would do anything or face anything for his mate, even jail time if it had come down to it. He was just happy it hadn't.

"What's got you looking like all your Christmases have come at once?" Ice asked.

Nash's grin widened. "I kicked my mate's husband out of her house last night."

Ice choked on his laugh. "You're a very strange man, Ted, anyone tell you that?"

"You. Frequently."

"It bears repeating."

Nash rolled his eyes, but the grin stayed firmly in place on his lips. He and the Ice man constantly gave each other shit, but it was all in good fun. Ice was a polar bear shifter and claimed that his species was superior to Nash's 'garden variety' bear. Nash liked to set him straight on that front.

The doors swung open and Kit limped through, trying to conceal the abnormality in her gait and not doing as good a job as she'd probably have liked.

Nash scrambled to his feet, all levity forgotten.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked as she made it to their table.

She grinned, though it was closer to a wince as she eased into her seat. "I heard you ladies were having a bake sale."

Hawk chuckled, but he was the only one.

Nash frowned. "Seriously though, are you well enough to be back at work?"

She shrugged. "Probably another day or so until I can go back out in the field, but I didn't think a team meeting would be too taxing. That is unless you give me too much shit and I have to knock your ass out." Nash grinned. "I'd like to see you try. How's the

leg?"

"Hurts like a bitch."

"I bet. Look, I just want to say that I'm sorry for -"

Kit held up her hand to cut him off. "Save it. I don't want to hear your apologies because you didn't do anything wrong and if anyone here says otherwise, they'll have me to deal with. It's not your job to babysit me, I can take care of myself."

Nash opened his mouth to reply when Flint strode into the room. Probably just as well, because what he'd been about to say—meant in the best possible protective teammate way-would likely have earned him a slap round the back of the head.

His good intentions seemed to end that way a lot, though he was damned if he knew why. Women.

There was no understanding them. Not even his mate—how on earth had she been worried that he would arrest her, of all things? He scrambled to put the distracting thought from his mind as Flint made his way through the room. The team leader's eyes widened when he saw Kit was present, but he didn't comment on it. Probably why he got less slaps. Well, that and his rank, obviously.

"Listen up, everyone. We haven't got this room booked for very long, so we need to keep this meeting brief."

He took a seat at the foot of the table and tossed a manila folder onto its surface. He opened it and glanced at his notes.

"This is where we're at. You all know that Juan Martinez, the head honcho we were hoping to catch, wasn't present at the house yesterday. Hawk has questioned the men we did arrest, but he didn't get anywhere. They wouldn't give up Juan's location or give any information about how they are bringing the drugs into Miami."

Hawk ducked his head apologetically, but Flint carried on.

"We're checking to see if any of the men have warrants out for their arrest or are wanted back in Mexico. If nothing turns up, we haven't got much to charge them on except resisting arrest, and, in the case of one of them, assaulting a federal officer." Flint glanced at Kit as he made the last remark.

"We didn't find any drugs at the house, despite what our informant told us. Does anyone have anything they want to add?"

When no one spoke up, Flint nodded. "All we can do right now is keep our ears to the ground and see what turns up. I want you all to shake down your informants and see if we can come up with another location. Okay?"

Everyone nodded their agreement.

"All right, good. That's it, then."

"If you've finished with the meeting, I've got something I'd like to mention," Cole said.

Everyone turned in his direction, waiting expectantly to hear him impart some information about the case.

"I'm going to be a father!" he blurted.

Whoops and hollers and a symphony of congratulations rose from the group.

Nash's jaw just about hit the floor. "Holy shit! I wondered why you had that dazed expression on your face. Figured you were just dreaming about being a bear shifter again."

"She just told me last night," Cole said. "It hasn't really sunk in yet."

"You'll make a great father," Flint said, but he had a distant look in his eyes that made Nash wonder what was up. Cole didn't seem to notice, he was too caught up in his obvious delight. It got Nash thinking about little tiny Aria bear shifters running around..

"Thanks"" Cole said. "Maya has been feeling nauseous for days, but it didn't occur to me that she could be pregnant. How did this happen?"

"Do we need to have a talk about the birds and bees?" Nash quipped.

Cole rolled his eyes. "I mean, I know how it happened. But so soon after we got together? I didn't think I'd be making this announcement for another ten or twenty years."

"It is fast by a shifter's standards," Kit said. "But it's not unheard of. My cousin Vince's mate got pregnant within the first week they got together."

Hawk winced. "That's it, I'm never having sex again."

Kit laughed. "I'll remind you of that when you meet your mate."

"Okay, that's it, people," Flint said. "We need to leave the room or they'll be kicking us out. I know you've all got other cases you're working on aside from this, so I'll let you get back to your desks. Good to see you up and about, Kit."

"Yeah, you miss me?"

"Like a hole in the head," Flint grumbled. "Nash, can I have a quick word?"

"Sure thing."

When everyone got to their feet and made their way out of the room, Nash remained seated. Soon, only he and Flint remained.

"Well, you're back in work today, so I take it the conversation with your mate went well yesterday." Nash nodded. "Better than I could have hoped for. Turns out the husband is an abusive loser. I had the pleasure of escorting him out of Aria's house last night."

"Shit, no kidding?"

"For real. I mean, we're not technically together yet, but we're on the right track." Nash couldn't keep the grin from his face.

"Well hell, congratulations. I'm glad it worked out for you."

"Yeah. You and me both."

"All right, now, out. I wasn't joking about them kicking us out of here."

Nash nodded and ducked out of the room, then went in search of Hawk. He couldn't believe how quiet his bear had been all morning. His animal's restlessness had all but disappeared to be replaced by a quiet, somewhat reserved mood. It made a refreshing change. It was...restful. His bear wasn't even giving him shit about shifting, which was unexpected, considering it had been a while since he'd last let his animal stretch its legs. He found Hawk at his desk, buried under a mountain of paperwork.

"Hey, you got a couple of minutes to talk?"

"Sure. We good here?"

Nash did a quick scan of the other people in the room, checking no one was in hearing distance, and then nodded. This conversation wasn't for human ears.

"Yeah, here's good."

Hawk arched his brow. "Sounds ominous. Pull up a chair."

Nash grabbed a chair from behind a nearby desk then put down next to Hawk.

"What's up?" Hawk probed, when he didn't speak at once.

"Did you happen to overhear what I said to Flint a minute ago, about evicting my mate's husband from her house last night?"

Hawk barked a laugh. "Shit, you were serious about that?"

"Deadly. Well, the thing is, he's Mexican, and Aria only found out after she married him that he used to work for one of the Mexican cartels."

Hawk let out a low whistle.

"Yeah, and it gets worse. He stole money from them."

"Shit. The guy got a death wish?"

"Seems that way." Not that he suspected anyone would be crying about Diego's unfortunate and inevitable demise. "Anyway, Diego seems to think they've caught up with him. I know you've got a lot of contacts in the Mexican and Mexican American communities around the city and I wondered if you could ask around for me, find out if anyone knows anything about him."

"You want to find out if the guy is telling the truth or just full of hot air?"

"Exactly. My biggest concern is the danger to my mate's life. I want to know how real this cartel threat is."

"Sure, I'll ask around for you," Hawk said.

"What's his name?"

"Diego Suarez. Aria said he's got a Mexican American friend he hangs around with in Miami. I'll try to get the friend's name and text it to you."

"No problem."

"Thanks, Ramon. I appreciate it."

"So, you kicked the husband out, eh?" he said with a chuckle.

"Yeah. You know, he's some piece of work. I mean, aside from all this cartel business. He's been taking Aria's money and he's a mean sonofabitch-abu-sive."

Hawk grimaced. "Shit, no kidding?"

"Yeah. Hopefully we've seen the back of him, but I don't want to take any chances, you know?"

"Of course. Leave it with me, I'll see what I can dig up."

"Thanks, man. Let me know if there's some way I can repay the favor."

"I need something, you'll be the first to know." The rest of the day dragged. Nash counted down the hours until he could see his mate again, but the more he looked at his watch, the slower time seemed to pass. Eventually, it was time to leave and he practically ran to the elevator that took him down to the parking lot. The drive to the bakery was torture.

Every set of lights seemed to be against him, and every driver seemed determined to crawl along in front of him.

Finally, he pulled into a parking spot not too far away from the bakery and headed the rest of the way on foot. As soon as he got near, he spotted his brother standing in the shade of one of the nearby buildings, his eyes trained on the bakery. He was sipping on a coke and munching down what appeared to be one of the honeyed buns that Nash was partial to. He'd left one of his team watching Aria's mom so he could keep an eye on Aria while Nash was working. He was going to owe him some serious favors for this one.

Jake clocked him before he made it within twenty feet of the bakery's entrance and ambled over to meet him.

"Hey. How was work?"

"Boring. How was your surveillance?"

"Uneventful. Though, actually, I did see someone hanging around about three hours ago. Tall dude with dark hair, he looked Mexican in appearance so I assume it was Diego."

"What happened?"

"He clocked me watching the front then left."

"Shit, it must have been Diego. What the hell did that asshole want?"

"Probably trying to wheedle his way back into your mate's life."

"Yeah, probably. You meet my mate?"

Jake grinned. "Yeah. She's nice." He held up the honeyed bun. "She's been bringing me food all day. I keep eating like this and I'm not going to be able to chase down a grandmother, let alone a young man in his prime. Might be worth it, though. These honeyed buns are the shit."

Nash chuckled. "They're good, right?"

"Anyway, I'd better get going. Chloe wants me to take her to look for a new car. She could go herself but she hates haggling."

"What's she in the market for?"

Jake screwed up his face in disgust. "She's got her mind set on one of those little two-seater electric cars. Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against electric, they're good for the planet and shit, but the one she showed me online was bubblegum pink and no bigger than a postage stamp." He shook his head.

"If she thinks she's gonna get me in something like that she can think again."

Nash threw his head back and laughed. "What, was it the wrong shade of pink for you?"

Jake shuddered visibly and Nash laughed harder.

"Anyway, bro. I'll let you get off."

"Anxious to see your new mate, huh?"

"Am I that obvious?"

"Yes."

Nash chuckled. "Send me a bill for the hours you've put in, all right?"

Jake scowled. "Fuck, no. Aria's family. If I charged you for her protection, mom would never speak to me again. By the way, I spoke to mom earlier and told her where I was and now she's arranging a family barbecue so everyone can meet Aria. Oh, and she's pissed at you for not telling her you met your mate."

Nash pinched the bridge of his nose. "Great.

We're not even together yet and now she's got to meet the whole family? Talk about a way to scare her off. And don't change the subject. You are not footing the bill yourself. Aria is my responsibility. And anyway, your time is valuable. You can't work for nothing."

"I'm not working for nothing. I'm getting payment in honeyed buns."

Nash rolled his eyes. "We'll talk about this later." brothere, whatever, Jake said. "See you later, bab

Nash scowled. He hated when Jake called him that, but he didn't have the time or inclination to stand around arguing. He wanted to see his mate.

"See you later. And thanks."

Chapter 6

Aria

Aria handed Nash the cup of coffee then sat down on the sofa beside him. She hadn't admitted to it, even to herself, but she'd been looking forward to seeing him again all day. At first, she thought it had been overkill having his brother Jake stand outside on guard duty all day long, but it was sweet that Nash wanted to do it for her. It had been a long time since anyone had wanted to put her wellbeing before theirs, never mind going to such lengths to make it happen. And she had to admit, she hadn't been as concerned with the threat of the cartel as she maybe should have been, but now she had another threat to worry about-Diego.

Diego was hot-headed and he wouldn't like that she and Nash had thrown him out of the house. She didn't know how vindictive he would be, but perhaps it was better not to find out. She had to be honest with herself, knowing that Jake was outside the bakery all day watching out for her, gave her an immense amount of relief-it gave her a safety she hadn't known she craved.

She still felt guilty that she couldn't afford to pay Jake for his services, but the least she could do was see that he didn't go hungry, and from what she knew of shifters, they liked their food-and everyone liked Maya's honeyed buns.

"Tell me more about this wolf you dated in high school," Nash said, after taking a sip from his coffee cup.

A girlish giggle escaped Aria's lips. "Why? Don't tell me you're jealous of someone I dated nearly ten years ago."

Nash furrowed his brow. "Jealous? Who, me?"

"So, that's a yes then," she said around a grin.

"Were you two ever, you know, intimate?"

She coughed out a laugh. "No! We were only fifteen."

"But you were close."

She shrugged. "We grew up together, you know, same neighborhood, same schools, although I never knew he was a shifter until we started dating and he told me his secret."

"He could have gotten into a lot of trouble for that," Nash said. "We're not allowed to reveal our secret to anyone except for our mates."

"He told me that and made me swear not to tell another soul-and I didn't, until you, and well, that doesn't count as you're a shifter yourself." She sighed. "I don't know, I guess we were both so young and naive. I don't think he realized the implications of what telling me could mean. I never revealed his secret, but I could have of course. So easily."

"He was lucky. Although I'm not sure how many people would have believed a fifteen-year-old girl when she told people her boyfriend was a werewolf."

"Yeah, I guess so. I hadn't really thought of that."

"What happened to him?"

"I don't know. He went off to college and I moved to Miami, and we lost touch."

"Oh, you're not from Miami?"

"No, Orlando. But it feels like you have to be drawing a pension to live there and I wanted to be where the action was, so I moved here." She gave him a wry smile. "I seem to have found maybe a little more action than I was looking for."

Nash placed his cup on the coffee table then picked at a piece of loose cotton on the seam of his jeans.

"And, were you and Diego ever..."

"Eww," Aria said, her face screwed up in distaste.

"Hell, no."

She took in the relieved expression on Nash's face and her mouth stretched into a grin. "Look at you.

You are jealous."

Nash sighed. "Sorry. I'm not usually the jealous type, but then I've never had a mate before, so this is unchartered territory."

Aria nudged his arm. "For what it's worth, I've never had a mate before either."

She'd been hoping to make him smile, but instead, Nash leaned in and captured her lips in a kiss so hot it smoldered. When he eventually pulled back, she was breathless and more than a little flushed.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"It was the first time you referred to me as your mate. I liked it."

"If that's what I get in return, then I'll refer to you as my mate more often."

"Is that your way of saying you want me to kiss you again?"

"Well, the first time wasn't terrible."

Nash's mouth fell open then he barked out a laugh. "Wasn't terrible, huh? Let's see if I can do better this time."

He leaned in and Aria closed her eyes, already anticipating another mind-numbing kiss. But it didn't come. When she opened her eyes, she found Nash with his head cocked to one side. He was clearly listening to something, but what? Aria opened her mouth to ask, but Nash put his finger over her lips, silencing her. Then he sprang up from the couch, far more quickly than someone of his size should have been able to move. He darted for the front door, swung it open, and disappeared outside.

Panic flashed through Aria. Nash had gone out there unprotected. Sure, he was a shifter, and strong, but his claws were no match for a gun, or for whatever else Diego might have brought. And it had to be Diego, come for his revenge. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself, wondering whether she should follow him outside or just wait until he got back. Fortunately, she didn't have to mull the dilemma over for very long because a moment later, Nash came back into the house.

"Everything okay?" she asked. "Was someone out there?"

Nash frowned. "Yeah, I definitely heard someone, but when I got out there, I didn't see anyone hanging around. Weird."

She shivered again. "Do you think it might have been Diego?"

Nash scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck.

"I'm not sure. Maybe."

Aria crossed the room to him, then ran her finger over Nash's cheek. "Your eyes have shifted into your bear form."

He nodded. "My teeth too. Look."

He opened his mouth and showed her his sharp incisors.

"Will I ever get to see you shift?" Aria asked.

Nash shrugged. "Of course. I can shift for you right now if you'd like."

"Would you?"

"I'd love to. It's been a while, anyway. If I hadn't shifted soon, my bear would have tried to force his way out."

Aria's eyes widened. "Really? He can do that?"

"I've usually got a lot of control over my bear half, but as my mate is involved, all bets are off. A shifter's animal side is very territorial and protective over their mate, as, uh, you might have noticed."

"Ah, you mean the punch? I've got to say, I'm not normally the type of person who will tolerate violence in any shape or form, but I can't help but feel that Diego had that coming to him."

"I'm not a violent person either, but when I saw him put his hands on you and I heard you yelp, I reacted."

When Nash pulled his shirt over his head, Aria's mouth fell open. Nash chuckled as he undid the buckle on the belt of his jeans.

"If I don't take my clothes off, they'll be shredded when I shift into my bear form".

"Oh, right. Of course."

"Did you think I was getting fresh?" Nash asked as Aria pretended to be interested in something on the television.

She laughed. "The thought did occur to me." And it hadn't been an entirely unpleasant thought.

"I'm going to get down on my knees then start the shift. It makes it easier. It will only take a few moments, okay?"

Aria nodded, anticipation twisting in her belly.

"Okay."

She counted to five then turned, just in time to see the air shimmer around a very large brown bear.

"Oh my," she breathed, staring across at the magnificent creature with wide, unblinking eyes. "Wow.

Look at you."

When the bear made a snuffling sound, Aria moved a step closer. She wasn't sure why she was so wary, she knew that it was just Nash and that although the creature would be guided by its animal instincts, Nash was still in there and hopefully in control, and she'd be safe, but it felt strange being so close to a gigantic predator like this. And Nash hadn't been kidding when he said that he was larger than the average bear. He was absolutely huge.

The bear made a chuffing sound then got up on his hind legs and Aria's jaw just about hit the ground. The animal towered over her. Clearly, the creature had gotten impatient with waiting for her to approach and came to her instead. Aria's first instinct was to take a few giant steps back away from the creature, but she stood her ground.

"You're beautiful," she whispered.

Was she mistaken or was the bear smiling at her?

She had to have been imagining it. Tentatively, she reached out to touch the bear's fur and was surprised at how soft it felt beneath her fingertips. She had expected it feel coarse and wiry, but it wasn't.

The bear made a snuffling noise and Aria smiled.

"Oh, you like that, huh?"

The bear got down on all fours again and from this position, Aria was able to run her hand over the fur on the bear's head. It—he-leaned into her touch again and again.

She spent at least fifteen minutes stroking the bear's silky fur then the air around the magnificent beast began to shimmer and in a few moments, no fur remained and Nash sat in front of her, completely naked. Aria knew she should have looked away to give Nash his privacy, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from his wide muscular chest, washboard abs, and thick, firm thighs.

"I'm not sure which form is more impressive," she mused. "This one, or your bear half."

Nash chuckled. "You are more than welcome to admire both."

When she didn't turn away from him, Nash's eyes grew dark with desire then he leaned forward and captured her lips, kissing her deeply. Aria sighed into the kiss and all at once, it morphed into something altogether more passionate. She went with it, opening her mouth for his probing tongue and heat flushed through her body.

As the kiss deepened further, Nash pushed her down until she was lying flat on her back with his impressive frame covering hers. It was pure heaven to be surrounded by all that strong, smooth skin.

Her legs opened in invitation to better accommodate him. It had been so long since Aria had felt the warmth of a man's body on top of hers and this moment felt even more special because it was Nash. She felt drawn to him in an inexplicable way and knew it had to be because of the mate bond, and yet, it was so much more.

Nash ran his hands up her sides then over her breasts and she shivered as the heat of his touch permeated her clothes. He braced himself over her as he kissed her neck then flicked his tongue over the bottom of her earlobe and the sensitive skin behind.

"Nash," she breathed, arching her back and tilting her head for him to kiss his way down her neck.

"It feels so good."

His answering growl sent shivers ghosting down her spine. He rolled his hips and Aria gasped. She moved her hands from his strong, powerful shoulders and down his broad back until she reached the cheeks of his ass, feeling the corded muscle. She squeezed him, pulling him more tightly against her body.

When they next kissed, it was a slow, languorous dance of tongues-an exploration of sorts, and when he moved his mouth to her neck, her nipples tightened and wetness flooded her core. If it felt this good to just have him naked on top of her, kissing her neck, what was it going to feel like when he got inside her?

"You're wearing far too many clothes," he said against her neck. "Any objections to me rectifying that?"

Aria smirked. "None at all. But do you really want to do this on my living room floor?"

She cursed herself as soon as the words were out of her mouth because she was desperate to feel Nash's skin against her own and now, she had to wait to get to the good stuff

Nash lifted his head to meet her gaze, a wry grin on his lips. "I wouldn't have been opposed to it, but if you're offering to take me to your bedroom so you can have your wicked way with me, the answer is hell yes."

"Then you're going to have to let me get up."

He sprang to his feet with the agility of a gymnast then reached down to pull Aria into a standing position. Hand still entwined in his, she led the way upstairs before she could change her mind, not that there was any danger of that. She might have only just met Nash, but being with him felt right in a way she didn't bother to question. She didn't have even a modicum of doubt as she switched on her bedroom light and stepped aside for Nash to enter.

"Nice bed," he said around a grin.

"Says the man who was more than comfortable on the living room floor."

He shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a simple man.

I don't need much to be happy. Just me, my mate, and a flat surface."

Aria shook her head, giggling like a teenager.

"You're impossible."

Nash laughed then pulled her into his arms and all thought of laughter faded. He pulled her shirt over her head then kissed his way down her neck and chest before taking one of her nipples into his mouth through the delicate lacy material of her bra. Aria gasped, her back arching as if on its own volition. He reached behind her and snapped open her bra before pulling it off her arms.

He took hold of her breasts and leaned down to kiss her nipples without the barrier of fabric. She groaned as he sucked on a nipple and it instantly hardened into a tight little nub. He nodded in satisfaction then did the same thing to her other nipple.

Next, Nash kissed his way down her stomach and popped open the button of her jeans before pulling down the zipper. He tugged the jeans down her legs, and she lifted her feet one at a time so that he could tug the pants all the way off. After he'd tossed them to one side, he led her to the bed. She climbed on, holding out her hand for him to join her. He did, lying down beside her and pulling her to him, his lips finding hers as if guided by instinct alone.

They kissed for long moments and she succumbed to the forceful claiming that was his kiss.

Nash's hands seemed to be everyone at once, his touch much gentler than she had expected. He rolled them so that he could lie on top of her then she rolled him, straddling his hips, his impressive erection sitting between them proudly, the heat of it warming her stomach.

"I want you," she said against his lips.

Nash growled and the next moment she was on her back again and he tore her panties off and threw the scraps of material on the floor before moving lower down the bed to feast on her. When his tongue found her clit, she moaned in delight, but then his teeth latched onto the little nub, and she all but came apart, shouting out her surprise and pleasure into the silence of the room.

"God, yes," she groaned, closing her eyes, her head pressed back against the pillow.

Nash flicked his tongue over her clit again and again before sweeping it through her wet folds and her body began to vibrate the molten fire. Just when she thought she was about to come, Nash slowed down the movement of his tongue and mouth, giving her time to relax, before increasing the pressure and tempo again, tormenting her so deliciously that she never wanted it to end

The sensations that rolled through her body were incredible, but Aria wanted more and it was almost a physical relief when Nash growled, "Are you ready to take me?"

"Yes," she gasped.

The word had barely left her lips before Nash came up over her body again and captured her lips, pushing into her with one smooth, fluid stroke. That fire that had started to consume her spread to her heart. Being with Nash felt right, but this was on another level, a meeting not just of bodies, but of souls.

"Nash," she breathed.

When he stared into her eyes there was a swell of emotion in the depths of his and she knew he was feeling the same thing she was-that this was meant to be.

"I'm sorry. I swear I'll spend more time pleasuring you with my mouth next time we make love, but now, the first time, I just needed to be inside my mate."

"Don't apologize. This is perfect -exactly what I needed."

He breathed out a sigh of relief. "Good."

He thrust into her deeply and she lifted her hips to meet him move for move. His hands roamed over every inch of her they could reach, and Aria touched him everywhere too, learning every smooth plane and hard line of him by heart.

When he thrust harder, she wrapped her legs around his waist and held on tight and as their already sweat-soaked bodies moved together, they found the same tempo, their hips moving in perfect synchronicity. On and on their bodies moved in their erotic dance, but when she looked up into Nash's eyes, she was floored by the emotion she saw in their depths. She never would have imagined that such a big, strong man would have such an emotional side, but Nash looked positively choked up.

"My beautiful mate," he breathed. "I've heard stories of how wonderful this would be, but they don't do it justice."

Aria became choked with emotion, too. She hadn't heard any stories about what it would be like to be with a mate, of course, but she knew how important this was for Nash, how much it meant to him, and that meant a lot to her. Some part of her acknowledged that she'd met Nash only days ago, but it didn't matter, it was as if she'd known him her whole life. Like their souls had called to each other from afar, and now they could both finally hear the call, and answer it.

It was a powerful, wonderful feeling to know that the man she was with was made for her and her alone, that the stars had aligned and fate had chosen them to be together. It made her feel so small and insignificant, and yet part of something greater, something profound.

They made love for a long time, their bodies moving together as if to the beat of their own drums.

Then, all too soon, Aria felt the telltale signs of an impending release start at the base of her spine and she chased it, lifting her hips more aggressively and begging wordlessly for the orgasm she so desperately craved.

Nash sped up the movement of his hips then, making love to her in earnest. Each time he thrust into her felt deeper than the time before and the harder he snapped his hips, the wetter she became and their movements had a rhyme and rhythm of their own.

"Nash," she breathed, when her passion reached a height that it had never been to before. The tremors started inside her and radiated out from the core of her body.

"That's it," Nash encouraged. "Come for me, my beautiful mate."

His sweet words of encouragement were all that Aria needed to find her release. She threw her head back against the pillow and came hard, the erotic sensations exploding through her body. Nash followed her over the precipice, grunting through his own orgasm, his hips stilling as he emptied himself inside her. Pleasure, raw and unbridled rushed through them both and just when she thought she couldn't take anymore, her orgasm seemed to intensify until it finally, mercifully started to ebb.

When they were finally spent, they collapsed onto the sheets next to one another, breathing heavily.

"That was incredible," Nash said. "I never knew it could be like that. Thank you."

Aria couldn't contain her amusement. "You're thanking me?"

He grinned. "Not for the sex, although, yeah, thank you for that too."

"Then for what?"

"Thank you for accepting me as your mate so readily."

Aria smiled at him. "I'm not sure I had any choice in the matter. It's fate, after all."

"Fate," he repeated then they held each other close until their sweat-soaked bodies cooled, and Aria drifted off into a deep, contented sleep.

Chapter 7

Nash

"Nash, wait up!" Hawk called, halting Nash in his tracks as he made for the office.

"Hey, what's up?" he greeted his teammate.

"I've got that information you wanted, and you are not going to believe it when I tell you what I've learned."

Nash blinked. "You got the information already?

That was fast. Go on then, I'm intrigued."

"So, I asked around last night, no one in my family or circle of friends had heard of Diego so I reached out to one of my informants and he was only too happy to spill the beans. He said he can't stand him."

"Now why doesn't that surprise me?" Nash asked dryly. "I don't think many people do like that man.

Well, maybe his mother, but who knows? Probably not even her. What did you learn?"

"Our man Diego used to work for the very cartel we've been trying to bring down for all these months."

Nash stared at Hawk in disbelief. "You have got to be shitting me."

"I shit you not. So if we find Diego, we might be able to get him to tell us where the big boss man, Juan, is hiding out. Can you believe it? We've spent all this time working this case and the solution might have been under our noses all along."

"There's only one problem with that," Nash said.

"Yeah, what's that?"

"I might have punched Diego and knocked him out when I saw him manhandling my mate. I don't think that man is going to tell me a damn thing."

Hawk shrugged, seemingly unconcerned about the punch. "I'm sure we can get him to talk." He flashed Nash a grin. "Besides, we can always threaten him with you. If we can find him that is. He might be long gone by now."

Of course, Hawk didn't know about the marriage arrangement that Aria had made with Diego. Diego wasn't going to leave town in a hurry because of his immigration status. But of course Nash couldn't tell him that, not without betraying Aria's trust, and he would never do that. Ever.

"That shouldn't be a problem. Let me call my mate-" He broke off with a soppy grin, he didn't think he'd ever get tired of using those words, and then shook his head in an attempt to rattle some sense and focus back into it, and carried on, "I'll try to get the address of that friend Diego is always hanging around with. I'll bet he's staying at his house."

Hawk shook his head. "Man, you've got it bad. All right, you go use your excuse to talk to the lovely Aria. I'll brief the rest of the team."

Nash pulled out his cellphone then scrolled through his phone book and found his mate's number

. She answered after a couple of rings.

"Hey," she said. "I didn't expect to hear from you until I got off work."

"Hey gorgeous. Sorry to disturb you at work, I know your job is important and-"

Hawk mouthed the word rambling at him and he shot him a glare and pointedly turned his back, listening to the sounds of Hawk leaving, and then tried again.

"Uh, it's pretty important," he finished lamely.

"No problem. What's up?"

"I need to get hold of Diego. I don't suppose you can give me his friend's name and address, can you?"

There was a pause on the line. "What do you need to get hold of him for? Is something wrong?"

"No, no, nothing is wrong," Nash said quickly.

"The opposite, actually. You're not going to believe this, but we've been working on bringing down this drug cartel for months now and after we kicked Diego out of your house, I got my friend Hawk to ask around about him."

"Right..."

"I wanted to know how serious the cartel threat was and if Diego could have been lying about it or whatever. Well, it turns out, it's the very same cartel we've been trying to take down, so I'm hoping Diego

"Okay, I mean, I can't see Diego wanting to talk to you, but sure, I can give you his friend's details. He's probably there."

"Yeah, I know it's going to be tough, but at this point, we've got to follow every lead we can."

Nash took down the man's details then bid his mate goodbye. "See you later, beautiful," he said.

He could practically hear the smile in her voice when she replied. "See you tonight."

As soon as he got off the call with Aria, Nash went to inform the rest of the team that he had an address for Mario, Diego's friend, and Flint wasted no time giving the order to gear up and get ready to move out.

Before they left, Nash pulled Flint to one side and told him about Aria's arrangement with Diego.

So much for never betraying her trust. But much as he hated to break his mate's confidence, he couldn't risk Diego saying something about it when they brought him in for questioning. And it wasn't as if they could accuse Diego of lying about the deal.

Twenty thousand dollars was a very precise amount of money. There would be a paper trail when Aria had paid for her mom's medical bills.

Flint muttered a curse when Nash told him.

"You're becoming a pain in my ass," he said. "Anything else I should know about while you're in a sharing mood?"

When Nash winced, Flint closed his eyes and heaved a sigh. "This is something else I'm not going to like, isn't it?"

"I might have punched Diego the other day and knocked him out," Nash said.

Flint's eyes widened in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"He was manhandling my mate," Nash said with a shrug. "She yelped in pain. Any self-respecting shifter would have done the same thing."

"Like I said. A pain in my ass. Now get the hell out of here before I bring you up on charges. Or is there anything else?"

"No, that's it."

"Knew I shouldn't have come into work today,"

Flint muttered as he strode off down the corridor to get kitted out.

Fifteen minutes later, the whole team moved out.

It was probably overkill, but they didn't know what they'd be facing when they got to Mario's house, so it was better to err on the side of caution that get in a situation that two or three of them couldn't deal with alone. This case had brought enough danger down on their team without recklessness adding to it.

Mario's home wasn't in the best neighborhood.

The houses were run down, and many had their windows boarded up. Dogs barked at them from behind chain link fences as they made their way from their vehicles to get to the house.

When they arrived at Mario's property, three of them went around the back of the house and three stayed at the front. They wouldn't be breaking in this time-they had no evidence that Mario had ties to the cartel, even if it was likely. After all, where else would he have met Diego?

They split up, just in case Mario or Diego tried to make a run for it out the back door. If that happened, the suspicious behavior would be cause for an arrest, which would make their lives a whole lot easier.

But whether he ran or not, one thing was for sure: they weren't leaving here without him.

Nash knocked on Mario's front door, and this time thought nothing of bringing his animal side to the surface so that he could use his special abilities.

His bear had been content since it had met Aria. It was a relief not to be at war with himself. Now Nash didn't have to worry about being a danger to the team. He tilted one ear to the wood of the door and listened

There was no whispering inside the house or any panic at the knock, and sure enough, a few moments later, footsteps headed their way. When the door opened, Nash winced at the sight that greeted him. When he glanced at Flint, the team leader was pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head.

Diego's eye was black and swollen.

"Pain in my ass," Flint whispered, so quietly

Diego wouldn't have heard him.

Diego's eyes widened when he set eyes on Nash.

"What do you want now?" he asked. "I stayed away from her like you said."

Nash was about to call Diego out on the lie because he knew that he'd been hanging around the bakery, but he caught himself at the last moment.

He wasn't there for that, and he could practically feel the hole Flint was boring into his back.

"FBI," he said. "We'd like to ask you some questions."

"What if I don't want to answer them?" Diego groused.

"We have at least two people who will testify that you used to work for a known drug cartel," Flint lied.

"Trust me, Mr. Suarez, it's in your best interests to cooperate with us fully."

There wasn't much that Diego could have said to that, and he didn't try. When Nash told him he had to accompany them to the FBI building, he didn't even try to get out of it. There really wasn't anything he could have done. They had him over a barrel, and they weren't prepared to take no for an answer. And Nash in particular had no intention of giving him the chance to worm his way out of this one.

As their group outings went, it was one of their least eventful, not that Nash was complaining. There was a real buzz of excitement around their group when they got back to base. They'd been working on bringing down the cartel for months and Diego was a solid lead in capturing the key players—if they could get him to talk. They had no way of knowing how cooperative he'd be, especially if he thought he was likely to land himself in even more trouble, and worse, if he thought they were going to bring him up on charges, there was every chance he'd decide he had nothing left to lose and start blabbing about the money he paid Aria to marry him.

Still, there was no point stewing over it. He'd just have to deal with whatever came his way. He would find a way to protect Aria, whatever the cost.

He pulled out his cell phone to call Aria and tell her they had Diego. Nash needed to warn her that there was a possibility Diego might talk about their arrangement. He swallowed bitter-tasting guilt. If Aria hadn't met him, she wouldn't be in such a precarious position, but he hated to think about what the alternative would be. Her suffering years of abuse at Diego's hands or getting killed when the cartel caught up with him. Either scenario was quite frankly abhorrent. But that didn't change the fact that his presence was the one that was causing her distress right now, and that felt beyond wrong.

Nash was just about to dial when his phone started ringing, startling him. He checked the display, surprised to see his brother's name pop up on the screen.

"Hey, Jake, what's up?" he answered.

"Nash," Jake said, his voice raw and breathless.

"They've got her. They've got Aria."

The blood in Nash's veins turned to ice. "What are you talking about? Who's got her?"

But he already knew. Jake confirmed it, anyway.

"There were three Mexican men," Jake said. "She came out to bring me food and they surrounded us.

It all happened so quickly. They were all shouting in Spanish. They had guns and I thought they were going to shoot me, but they hit me over the head.

When I came to, Maya was standing over me and trying to wake me up. I'm so sorry. They took her, Nash. They kidnapped her."

In that split second the whole of Nash's world came crumbling down around him and pain unlike any he'd known took root in his heart. They'd taken her. He'd only just found his mate, and now he might lose her. Forever.

Chapter 8

Aria

The house she'd been taken to was old, dirty, and smelled of urine. There were droppings in the corner of the room that looked as if they'd come from rats-which might explain where the smell of pee came from. Then again, one of the men who had kidnapped her was a bit pungent, so perhaps he had done it. It wouldn't have surprised her. Nothing would have surprised her anymore. Except getting out of here in one piece.

It was typical that just when she'd found Nash and was finally happy, she'd been kidnapped by some very dangerous men who worked for a drug cartel. Well, she supposed it answered one question.

Diego hadn't been merely paranoid. The cartel really had caught up with him.

One of the three men who had taken her and brought her to this God-awful house was the man who had come into the bakery the other day and flirted with her. She'd known something hadn't been right about him, and her instinct had been spot on. Why hasn't she listened to her instincts? Why hadn't she just spoken to Nash about it? Why hadn't she told Maya, or Cole, or anyone at all? But that didn't help her now. She didn't know if anything could. It was a safe bet that she wasn't going to make it out of this alive. She smothered another sob. She'd seen the men's faces. Whether she gave them Diego or not, they weren't going to let her live. She was terrified, and the injustice of it all rankled, but it was the thought that she was never going to see Nash again that made tears sting behind her eyes.

It was hard to say if it was a good thing or not, but the men who had kidnapped her didn't seem to realize she understood Spanish. They'd been talking in front of her freely since they had kidnapped her, not that it helped her at all. And maybe it was yet another sign that they had no intention of letting her leave alive. The thought sent a fresh shiver through her.

The men were sat around on an old brown sofa in an adjoining room. She'd caught a glimpse of it when they brought her in, and it looked as dirty as everything else in the house.

"The shipment is coming into the port this afternoon," one of the men said in Spanish. "And Juan came in this morning. We told him we'd have Diego for him by the time he got to the storage facility in Watson. We've got to make her talk, or it will be our necks on the line."

"The boss is going to a lot of trouble for someone who stole so little money," another man said.

"It's not the money, it's the principal," one of them said. "He needs to make an example of Diego— show people that no one steals from the cartel and gets away with it."

Aria struggled with the ropes they had used to secure her hands behind her back, but they had tied them too tightly. Each movement, however small, made them rub against her skin until the pain caused her breath to hitch. She knew she'd broken the skin on her wrist, and it was probably bleeding, but she kept working at it. She had to get free. If she could get her hands on one of their guns, she might be able to escape. She wasn't just going to sit meekly here waiting for them to kill her.

One of the men came in front the adjoining room.

Clearly, he'd decided to take matters into his own hands. She tried not to shrink back from him.

He leaned down in front of her face. "Where is

Diego?"

She shook her head. "I don't know."

He backhanded her across the face. Pain flared across her flesh, and she cried out, trying to blink away the tears stinging her eyes.

"Where is Diego?" he demanded again.

"He moved out of my house a couple of days ago.

I don't know where he is now, I swear."

Aria expected another backhander or perhaps a slap, but what came at her was the man's fist and as it connected with the side of her face, her cheek exploded with pain. She cried out again, this time more loudly. She wished she could keep quiet because she didn't want to give this man anything, especially her fear, and definitely not her tears, but she wasn't that brave. A tear escaped her eye and slid down her cheek.

"Where is Diego?" the man asked again.

This time, Aria didn't even consider giving him the same reply. She didn't know how many more of those punches she could take.

"He might be staying at his friend's house," she said quickly. "Mario. I can give you his address."

He nodded. "Give it to me. We will go to look for him. If he's not there. I will ask you again, but next time, I won't be as nice."

That was nice? She shuddered to think what his bad side looked like. But if they found him, they had no more use for her. All she could do was buy herself some time. Jake knew she'd been taken. Maybe Nash could find her. It was her only hope. Nash would come. He'd promised. He'd said there was nothing he wouldn't do to keep her safe. She just prayed he'd make it in time.

Not five minutes later, two of the men left for Mario's house, leaving the man with questionable personal hygiene behind to watch over her. Aria only hoped the men didn't run into Nash's SWAT team at Mario's house because if they didn't come back, body odor man looked like the type who would kill her first then ask questions later.

She was still trying to get her hands free of the ropes when he entered the room, his eyes roaming salaciously over every inch of her. He sauntered up to her and the smell of stale sweat nearly made her gag. He trailed a finger along her cheek and she winced at the pain that shot through her.

"Pity to mark such pretty face," he said in broken

English. "Diego picked well, no?"

When his finger trailed down to her lips, Aria whimpered. She turned her head away from him, revolted. She did not want this vile, dirty man touching her or to be anywhere near her, but the way he was looking at her told her he had other ideas. He grinned, revealing yellow teeth, and when he leaned in close to her face, the smell of tobacco almost overrode the stale sweat. She gagged then, unable to help herself.

He ignored it.

"My friends be long time, no? What we do until then?"

The man's finger slid down her chin and neck then lower to her breasts.

"Get off me," she said, unable to take his dirty hands on her for another moment.

This time she expected a punch, but he didn't deliver it. Instead, he stood up to his full height then pulled a knife from a scabbard in his back pocket. Its edge gleamed in the dim light of the room. It looked dangerously sharp, and Aria had no doubt he knew how to use it.

"You don't make nice, I cut that pretty face of yours."

As if to prove his point, he trailed the knife over her swollen cheek, bringing the tip right up to her eye. A whimper escaped her lips. She was going to be raped. At least, she was sure the man thought that was about to happen. But as she was secured to the chair, he'd have to untie her hands first and when he did, Aria would give him the fight of his life and then some. Nash was coming, and that gave her all the strength she needed. She might have been kidnapped, but she wasn't ready to become a victim.

Chapter 9

Nash

Nash had always prided himself on being levelheaded and good in a crisis, but with his mate kidnapped and no leads on where she'd been taken, it was all he could do to keep his bear from bursting out of his skin and going on a murderous rampage... starting with that waste of oxygen abusive asshole husband of hers. And if he'd thought for one moment it would help, he'd have let his beast have its way. When he found her, if the cartel had harmed a hair on her head, he was going to tear them to shreds.

Nash had never felt anguish like this in his entire life. He didn't know how he was managing to hold it together when all he wanted to do was rage and scream and punch something or someone, preferably the men who had taken his mate, but he knew he had no choice. If he lost his cool, he could lose a lot more than that. He could lose Aria.

That thought alone was enough to steady him.

He took a deep breath before pushing open the door to the interview room where Diego awaited him. In all honesty, Nash was surprised that Flint had let him question Diego. He'd thought after everything that had passed between them, Flint wouldn't let him anywhere near the man, but Flint had said their history might work in Nash's favor-Diego would be fearful of him. He'd believe Nash to be a loose cannon and wouldn't want to get on his bad side. Nash had to promise Flint that he had control of his bear side before the team leader would let him get anywhere near the room, but Nash swore he didn't have anything to worry about on that score.

It was a promise he intended to keep. All that mattered to Nash was getting his mate back and until she was safe in his arms, Nash's bear was on lockdown. He needed a level head until she was home.

"What's going on?" Diego demanded as Nash entered the room. "I've been in here for an hour. You can't treat me like this."

Nash battled the urge to tell Diego to shut the hell up unless he wanted to find himself locked up in a dark hole for the rest of his short and miserable life.

But if he was going to find Aria-and he was-then he needed Diego on his side. Nothing else was as important as that one objective-not even bringing down the cartel. Not even his animosity to the man who'd mistreated the most important woman in his world.

"Aria has been kidnapped by your old... colleagues," Nash said.

Diego didn't even blink. "Why is that my concern?"

Fury flashed through Nash and his bear urged him to wipe the smug look off Diego's face with the swipe of a large paw, but he kept his face stoic.

On the outside, he would show Diego nothing but a cool, calm, steely facade, even if on the inside he was a hot mess.

"I'll tell you what your concern is," he said. "Your involvement with a certain drug cartel. Do you realize you can go to prison for that involvement? For a very long time." He planted his hands on the table and leaned his weight on them, glaring at Diego. "Is that what you want, Diego-to rot in a jail cell for years? Because it's looking like a real possibility."

For the first time since they'd brought him in for questioning, Diego looked genuinely afraid. Clearly, the idea of incarceration didn't appeal. Nash could work with that. Flint's superiors had given him permission to offer Diego a deal.

"There is a way that you can avoid prison," Nash said calmly.

Diego narrowed his eyes. "How?"

"We want two things from you. Tell us where they would have taken Aria for questioning, and give us the location of Juan Martinez." He straightened. "If you do that and your information helps us to rescue Aria and arrest Juan, we will give you immunity from prosecution. Plus, if you testify against him, you can go into witness protection."

Diego pretended to mull over the deal, but it was only for show. He would take the offer. It was the best one he was going to get, and he knew it. Otherwise, Nash would make sure he went to prison for a long time. It was the only place he would ever be safe from the bear shifter if he allowed any harm to come to Aria.

"There is a house the cartel takes people to when they want something from them," Diego said. "She might be there."

Hope started to swell in Nash's chest. "Give me the address."

He nodded slowly, and Nash passed him a pencil and pad.

"And Juan's location?"

"He has a mansion he rents here in Miami. If he's in the country, he'll be there."

After Diego had given him the two addresses, Nash all but ran from the room. His stomach twisted painfully as he went to the office where the rest of the team awaited the results of Diego's questioning. They were gathered together in a group and all looked his way as he entered the room.

"I've got them," he said, by way of a greeting.

"The two addresses. Let's move out."

If Flint had issues with him giving orders, he let it slide. The team leader had procured the assistance of another SWAT team that would go with him and Ice to apprehend Juan. Nash, Cole, Hawk, and Kit were going to the house where Diego believed Aria was being held. They took two cars in the hopes that there would be more of them on the drive back. But the drive to the location was painfully slow, and it felt as if they hit every damn stoplight on the way there.

"We're gonna get her back," Cole said into the strained silence.

Nash could only nod. He didn't trust his voice right now. Yes, they would get her back, he was sure of it, but what condition would she be in? Would they have tortured her for Diego's location? She was brave, he knew that. She had to be to have put up with Diego's crap for so long-and all to help her mother. She was completely selfless. He loved that about her. He might have only just met her, but he already had the measure of the type of woman she was, and it was the type of woman he would gladly have at his side for the rest of his very long life. He didn't want to face it without her.

"We're here," Cole said.

Nash looked up, surprised to see that the vehicle had stopped moving. He took in a calming breath, pulled his shoulders back, and put on his game face.

"Let's do this."

Chapter 10

Aria

The man had quickly grown tired of just tormenting and groping her and moved onto the next stage of his vile plan. She took in the evil smirk in his dead eyes and knew she was in trouble.

"I untie you now," he said. "Remember, you play nice, or I cut you, no?"

Aria didn't care if he cut her from ear to ear. She would rather have a scar running the length of her face than have this disgusting man on top of her and inside her. She nodded meekly, hoping he would fall for her ruse and believe she was terrified into compliance, and waited for him to reach behind her and untie the rope that bound her.

When the rope slid from her wrists, the cool air was like a soothing balm on her bruised and battered skin. But it was short-lived. The man grabbed her roughly and tossed her to the ground. The move was so unexpected that she toppled and fell awkwardly, twisting her ankle with a yelp as she fell.

He lunged for her and she tried to push away from him, but pain shot through her ankle, stealing her breath and freezing her in place. He grabbed her arms as his big, smelly body came down heavily on top of hers.

"Get off me!" she shouted. "Get off me!"

She brought her knee up and tried to roll them, but the man merely laughed in her face, enjoying her efforts to escape. The rancid smell of his breath made her stomach roll uncomfortably and she wondered what he would do if she actually threw up.

He had both of her arms pinned above her head, but from that position he was unable to open his pants to do anything more than grind himself against her. He was trying to secure both hands with just one of his, but Aria was giving him too much trouble.

He soon grew tired of the game, and released her with one of his hands then punched her in the side of the head, catching her temple. She cried out, the force of the blow making her vision swim, but she refused to stop fighting. She would never stop fighting him. She screamed at the top of her lungs, her frustration making her fight harder still, and she managed to rip her right arm free. She swung it at him, punching with all her strength and terror, but she might as well have been hitting him with a feather for all the effect it had

He pinned her in place with his heavy body as he reached for the belt on his jeans. He managed to undo the buckle and was pulling down the zipper when Aria spotted something. In his haste to get what he wanted; he'd made a fatal error. Hope and terror welled in her stomach as her gaze snagged on the knife he'd dropped to the floor in his rush to open his jeans. While his hands were occupied trying to open his pants, Aria reached out and wrapped her hand around the knife, inching it toward her. He didn't even notice.

It was a struggle trying to open the sheath one handed, and she fought to free her other hand, but to no avail. Then, to her horror, she was suddenly out of time. He'd managed to free himself from the confines of his pants and reached for the button on her jeans. She bucked and fought wildly then, but the top button popped open. Panic flooded her, and she writhed and twisted with renewed fury, but nothing seemed to work.

She gave up trying to get the scabbard off the knife and brought it down against his lower back with all her might. He grunted in pain, then must have realized what she'd hit him with because his eyes flared with fury, and he let go of her other hand so that he had both hands free to retrieve the knife.

"Stupid bitch!" he shouted, his spittle hitting her in the face. "You pay for that. Crazy, stupid American bitch!"

He caught hold of her wrist and bent it back at an unnatural angle. Aria screamed in pain and the knife fell from her hand and clattered to the floor.

Angry tears sprang forth from the corners of her eyes and he laughed wildly at her distress. He picked up the knife and opened the scabbard with a simple flick of his wrist. But before he could remove the weapon, the front door crashed open, and a hulking figure charged into the room with a roar that sounded like a battle cry. Nash.

He took in the sight before him then lunged for the man, grabbing him and yanking him away from Aria. He brought his fist back and slammed it into the man's face once, twice, then a third time before someone grabbed him from behind and tried to pull him off the man. Aria didn't see who it was because she couldn't take her eyes off Nash. He had saved her. That was all she could think about. Nash had rescued her. But he was out of his mind with anger.

"Nash," she whispered, surprised at how hoarse her voice was.

She didn't think he would have been able to hear her over the sound of his roars, but he snapped his head in her direction and it was as if just looking at her made him come back to his senses.

He threw the man into the corner of the room as easily as though he was tossing a rag doll and he hit the wall with a dull thud. Then Nash fell to his knees on the hard concrete floor and reached for Aria. He pulled her into his arms with a sob and as he held her, she couldn't contain the emotion that had welled up inside of her.

Nash rocked her through her sobs and wails, all the while stroking the top of her head and whispering soothing words in her ear.

"It's okay now. I've got you, you're safe. He can't hurt you anymore. You're safe. I've got you."

Aria listened to the sound of his voice and breathed in his already familiar scent and felt herself starting to calm down from the hysteria that had her in its clutches. She drew in a few shaky breaths and then the last of her tears fell.

Finally, she moved back out of Nash's embrace and looked up to meet his gaze. Her heart ached at the desolate expression on his face and when she looked into his eyes, it was as if no one was home.

Like he was there with her physically, but his mind was some place far away.

"Nash," she whispered.

He continued to rock even though she wasn't wrapped in his embrace anymore.

"Nash, baby?" she said in an effort to get through to him. "It's okay. I'm all right. Nash?"

It took a few more attempts at saying his name before he finally snapped out of whatever daze he'd been in.

"Aria?" he said, finally looking at her.

She nodded. "I'm okay," she said again, hoping that this time it would get through to him.

He sagged as if all his breath had left him in a whoosh. "You're okay."

After a few more moments of them staring into one another's eyes, Nash seemed to come back to himself. He scanned her from head to toe, cataloguing her injuries, then noticed that the button and zipper of her jeans were open. He let out a roar of agony, but Aria was quick to reassure him.

"He didn't touch me," she said. "Not like that. He didn't get the chance. You saved me."

Nash reached out and carefully did up the button and zipper on her jeans. He let out a low growl and turned to where he'd thrown the man, but he wasn't there-Nash's SWAT teammates had cuffed the man and taken him out of the room.

Aria's eyes widened. "There were three of them.

The other two went to Mario's house to try to find Diego maybe fifteen-twenty minutes ago."

Nash looked up at a woman agent who was standing near the doorway

"I'm on it," she said as she pulled out her cell phone, dialed a number and began relaying the information to someone, speaking in calm, stoic tones.

"There's a team heading over there now," she said when she ended the call. "Don't worry, we'll get them."

Aria sagged back. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, everything hurt, and it was all she could do to keep from shaking.

"Come on, let's get you up off the floor," Nash said. "And out of this dirty room."

Aria nodded. "I'd give just about anything for a hot shower."

"I'll take you home."

As Nash escorted Aria out of the house, another of the agents came running up to them. "We've got them," he said. "Two agents were in the area, and they picked them up snooping outside Mario's house. We'll need Aria to identify them, but we've got them."

"It'll have to wait," Nash said, a protective growl in his voice like he was daring anyone to argue. "I'm taking her home now. She needs to shower and rest."

"Of course. Just bring her into the office whenever she's feeling up to it."

"I can go now," Aria said.

"Are you sure?" Nash asked. "You don't have to."

Aria nodded. "I think I've got enough energy left in me. And I'd rather get it over and done with now so I can go home and relax and not have to worry about needing to go anywhere later or tomorrow.

Will it take long?"

"Not at all," Nash said firmly, locking eyes with the other agent. He wrenched his gaze back to her.

"And they'll be behind a one-way mirror, so they won't know you're there, okay?"

"Okay. That's good."

As they were walking to the vehicle, Aria leaning into Nash and relishing his closeness, a shout of jubilation came from behind them. The female officer hung up a call on her cell phone as they all turned to look at her.

"That was Flint. They've apprehended Juan."

"He's the big boss man," Aria said. "I heard the men talking about him."

Nash turned to her, his eyebrows raised. "Did they happen to say anything else?"

Aria nodded. "They said there was a big shipment of drugs coming in this afternoon."

Nash blinked. "Did they say where?"

She frowned, trying to remember. "The port. And they said they had told Juan they would have Diego for him before he went over to the storage facility on Watson."

"Holy shit," one of the male agents said and when Aria looked across at him, she realized it was Cole, Maya's partner. She'd been so focused on Nash, she hadn't even realized Cole was there.

"It's how they're doing it," Nash said. "Getting the drugs into Miami-through the port and a storage place on Watson."

"'ll call it in," in the other male agent said.

"We've got them, we've finally got them."

Aria got the feeling it was going to be a very long day, but Nash's words surprised her.

"You guys are going to have to do this one without me. I need to take care of my mate."

"We wouldn't have expected anything different," Cole said, as a black sedan pulled up in front of them.

"Your mate comes before your job."

Aria had never been more relieved and more filled with love and admiration for the man in front of her in all her life.

Epilogue

Nash

"Oh my God, your shower is to die for! Have I told you that before?" Aria said as she came into the room, patting her hair with a towel.

When he caught sight of her with wet, tousled hair, his mind wandered with all kinds of erotic possibilities. They'd only made love that morning, but he just couldn't get enough of her, and he doubted he ever would.

Nash chuckled. "You might have mentioned it once or twice in the past three months."

She shrugged. "I swear it gets better every time I use it."

"Another reason to put your house on the market and move into my place," Nash said casually. "I'll add it to the list."

Aria lowered the towel, then narrowed her eyes.

"Are you keeping a list?"

"Well, not an actual list on paper," he said. "But it's all up here." He tapped the side of his head then went back to watching the game.

"My house is bigger," Aria said before taking the towel back into the bathroom.

When she got back, Nash lowered the volume on the television then sat up straighter on the couch.

He meant business and couldn't be distracted by the game.

"Yours is slightly bigger," he conceded. "But mine is brand new and it's in a better neighborhood."

Aria sank down into the cushions next to him.

"Mine is closer to the bakery," she said. "I can get to work inside of ten minutes."

"Right, but mine is closer to my office. It only takes me fifteen minutes from here. It takes me thirty from yours."

"Mine's got a bigger yard," Aria said.

"Diego lived in your house," Nash said quietly.

Aria leaned against his side, and he put his arm around his mate's shoulder.

"I'll call the realtor tomorrow."

Nash froze and stared at her face, unsure if he'd heard her correctly. "Really?"

She shrugged. "You're right. Diego did live in that house, and I don't need any more reminders of all the horrible long months I spent married to that man."

"You're sure?"

"Completely."

"Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me."

"I've got a pretty good idea. You know, I still can't believe that Diego got extradited to Mexico. It doesn't feel real. I keep expecting him to pop up from behind every bush and tree."

"He won't be popping up anywhere for a very long time," Nash said. "He'll be facing a lot of jail time for his crimes. It was a good thing the deal we made with him was only for prosecution in this country. We never said anything about any other country." And that was something he didn't feel even remotely guilty about. Even if Diego hadn't made Aria's life a living hell for months, he would still have deserved it for all the rest of his crimes.

And he was still convinced prison was the safest place for the man. His bear wasn't the only one to hold a grudge against anyone who would harm their mate. Whenever he thought of him, it was hard to remember the reasons for not letting his bear have its way. Until he looked at his beautiful mate and remembered what he had to lose. "The Mexican government had been working just as hard as us to bring down that cartel. They'll probably make an example of him."

"It couldn't have happened to a nicer man," Aria said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Nash snorted. "You must be relieved though, to finally be free of him."

"Oh, like you wouldn't believe. And not just that, but free from the threat to my mom's life, and the worry that he'd spill the beans about our marriage."

"You never have to worry about that again," Nash said. "I'm only surprised he didn't contest the divorce."

"That was weird. It was like he finally grew a conscience or something."

"I think it helped that you went into see him when you came back to the office with me that day and he saw what that man from the cartel had done to your face. He'd lived with you for months, after all, and I know you weren't intimate, but he must have cared for you on some level, even if he had a funny way of showing it."

"I don't think he cared for me," Aria said. "I don't believe he's capable of caring for anyone."

"I guess we'll never know," Nash said. "But at least you're finally free of him now."

"Yeah."

"Why did you go to see him that day?"

"I don't know. I suppose I wanted to thank him for talking to you. If he hadn't, I dread to think what would have happened. I know I didn't owe him anything, but I just wanted to thank him for that."

"Now that your divorce has been finalized, it feels like you're really mine."

"I've always been yours," Aria said. "Even before it was finalized. I've been yours since the moment we met, and probably long before then."

Her words caused a funny sensation in the pit of Nash's stomach. He closed the distance between them and kissed her soundly and she became pliant in his arms, kissing him back with equal fervor.

It didn't take long for the kiss to get heated, just as it always did, regardless of how innocently it started out. Her ragged moan spilled into his mouth and the sound of it made him forget about everything except her. He pushed her onto her back and came down on top of her, grinding his already hard cock against her core. She opened for him and he groaned.

"Fuck, babe, how do you make me so hot?"

Aria chuckled against his lips. "It's my special talent," she murmured.

"I'll say."

He kissed his way from her lips down to her jawline and below to the tiny little scar on her neck where Nash had bitten her the third time they'd made love. His claiming mark on her, proof to all the world that she was his, and he was hers. Each time Nash saw that tiny, innocent little scar, it reminded him of how it got there, and he was ready to take her all over again.

He crushed her to him and deepened the kiss, moving his hips in anticipation of what was to come. At the same time, he lifted her shirt, revealing inch after glorious inch of creamy white skin.

Aria hadn't put on a bra after her shower, so it gave him easy access to her nipples which had already hardened into firm little buds. He took one into his mouth and as he sucked on it, Aria groaned and arched her back.

Nash closed his eyes and pressed himself harder against her, rolling his hips a little more. If he didn't get inside his mate soon, he was going to go off like a damn teenager on his first time. The effect she had on him never seemed to lessen over time. The opposite, in fact.

She slid her hands into his hair, fisting it and pulling him closer. It was as if she couldn't get enough of him and that was just fine by Nash. The feeling was mutual. Always. The mate connection they shared pulsed between them, filling Nash with even more desire.

As she panted into his mouth, she slipped her hands in between them and pulled open the button on his jeans. She got the zipper down next, and before he got the chance to lift his hips to give her better access, she wrapped her hand around his cock.

"Fuck," he grunted as she began to stroke him.

It felt so goddamn good.

He couldn't believe he'd come just a couple of hours previously and twice the night before. That was just how much he wanted her. There had been no letup in the months since they'd got together. If anything, his need for her grew more and more with each passing day.

He threw his head back as she stroked him with a sure, practiced hand. Then the scent of her arousal hit him. If he hadn't already been laying down, it would have floored him. He closed his eyes and allowed himself a moment to enjoy the sensations racing through his body, but his mate needed him, and he had to see to it that she found her pleasure first.

He got up and pulled off Aria's jeans and panties before he seated himself between her milky thighs.

He thought he might love this even more than she did. With a hungry smile, he leaned down and swept his tongue between her folds, making her shudder with delight. Then he latched onto her clit, sucking it into his mouth.

"Nash!"

He let out a throaty chuckle then flicked his tongue over the little bud. Back and forth, over and over again, until her legs started to shake, and she tried to squeeze them shut. Then he sucked her again and she splintered apart, screaming out her release as her hands clamped onto his shoulders with the power of a vise.

When he sat up, he grinned in satisfaction at the expression of sated bliss on his mate's face.

"My turn," he said with a wicked grin, and sprang up from the couch to remove his jeans.

He kicked them to one side and was about to seat himself on top of his mate when she shook her head and sat up, put a hand on his chest, then pushed him back against the couch before throwing a leg over his thighs and straddling him.

Nash groaned as Aria lifted the shirt over her head and tossed it aside. He loved to watch her breasts bounce as she rode him. It was one of his favorite things. Who was he kidding? Everything he shared with her was his favorite thing.

The trouble was, now that Aria had found her release, she would take pleasure in torturing him. She sat back on his thighs, then reached between them and fisted his cock. He watched as it slid between the delicate fingers of her small hand.

He was desperate to bury his cock inside her tight, wet core, but watching her play with him like this had its own merits. And when she sped up the movement of her hand, Nash grunted and threw back his head.

"Jesus, yeah, babe. Like that."

Aria got off his lap, but before Nash could protest, she knelt on the floor between his legs then lowered her mouth over his length. Nash pretty much saw stars. It took all his willpower not to thrust up into her mouth. It was tempting, but he liked his mate to set the pace. It kept things interesting.

Aria bobbed her head up and down, swirling her tongue around the head and getting it good and wet before sinking all the way down to the base. All too soon, he found his hips lifting to meet the movements of her mouth as control slipped away from him. She sucked him harder then. Faster. Then, just when Nash thought he couldn't take any more without coming, she pulled off.

"Babe, you're killing me," he groaned.

She chuckled as she straddled his hips. "Maybe, but what a way to go, right?"

He couldn't argue with that reasoning. He would have said so, too, only she took hold of his cock, pressed it between her wet folds then sank down on it until she was fully seated.

"Oh, shit," he moaned, reason leaving him completely.

She lifted herself up then sank back down again, repeating the action over and over again, until Nash was out of his mind with lust, chasing an orgasm that was so very close to the surface. He leaned in and took her mouth in a hungry, desperate kiss and as he pressed his tongue into her mouth to duel with hers, she ground herself onto him, making him grunt into her mouth.

"I love you," he said.

She rode him harder, moving up and down with purpose, then she gasped and threw her head back and he knew she was about to come again.

"That's it," he gasped. "Come with me."

It was as if he'd said the magic words because the movement of her hips grew erratic and she panted, her breathing speeding up the way it always did when she was about to come. As he watched the pleasure that spread across her face, his heart constricted with how much she had come to mean to him over the past few months.

He loved her now, desperately. He watched the flare of her release morph into every line on her face and it brought his own orgasm even nearer.

"Nash," she breathed, her eyes wide.

Then she threw her head back and cried out as her release barreled through her. As she shuddered through her orgasm, she clamped down on him and his fingers scrabbled against the cushion on the couch, trying to find purchase, trying to hold onto anything that could keep him grounded.

But it was too much.

He held onto her hips, his fingers gripping her with a bruising strength and as she continued to clamp down on him, he roared out her name then came, spilling his seed deep inside of her.

After they'd both stopped shaking and shuddering through their orgasms, Aria collapsed against Nash's chest with a loud sigh.

It was only lunchtime on Sunday afternoon, and they were supposed to be going to a barbecue at his mom's house later, but at this rate, they'd be going nowhere but back to bed, and not to do anything other than sleep.

Though he would have liked nothing more, if he didn't show up at his mom's place, she would send out a search party looking for him. Nash knew because it had happened once already when they had gone to bed for a quickie before they left for a family barbecue, only to be woken up three hours later by Jake pounded on the front door and threatening to break it down if they didn't answer.

Nash's mom loved Aria and called her up on the phone more often than she did Nash. Nash suspected it was because Aria was the first human to become a part of their family. His mom and dad were both bears, as was Jake's mate. His mom had even dropped a hint that maybe she'd have grandbabybears sooner than usual because Aria was human. Nash had rolled his eyes at that. It was his own fault for telling his mom that Cole and his mate were expecting a baby. Now his mom had it in her head that all shifter and human couples were able to conceive more quickly.

Aria's mom loved Nash, too. He loved to remind his mate of that fact. The first time he met her mom, she had pulled him in for a hug and when he had asked her what it was for, she'd said it was for kicking that horrible man out of her daughter's life. Nash had smiled at that. Of course, Aria's mom hadn't known that her daughter had married Diego to get the money for her treatment. She'd have been devastated if she knew the truth. She never would have wanted Aria to do something like that for her.

Nash shook the thought from his mind. He didn't want to dwell on it. That time in their lives was over.

This was their time now. Diego was nothing but a bad memory that would grow more and more distant as the years passed them by.

"I think you broke me," Aria mumbled against

Nash's neck.

Nash chuckled. "Me? I'm pretty sure this was your idea."

She leaned back and met his gaze, her eyes wide and her mouth even more so.

"My idea! I think it was yours."

They both burst out laughing and she snuggled against him.

That was when the doorbell sounded.

Aria gasped. "Who's that?" she asked.

Nash rolled his eyes. "I might be a shifter, but I can't see through walls. Wait a minute, let me listen."

He cocked his head to the side just as his brother's voice rang out.

"Nash! Mom sent me to make sure you're coming to the barbecue this afternoon. I suggest you get some clothes on and meet me out by the car. If you're not out there in fifteen minutes, I'm calling Mom and telling her to send Dad!"

Nash was sure his face mirrored the alarm that was present on his mate's face.

"Oh, crap," they said in unison.

One thing was for sure, life with his mate was always interesting and no matter what the coming months and years brought, he knew their love would only grow stronger and stronger. She was his mate, and she was perfect.

THE END