Bucking Fate: A Shifting Destinies Bear Shifter Romance (Black Claw Ranch Book 5) by Cecilia Lane

Author:Cecilia Lane [Lane, Cecilia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: A Shifting Destinies Novel
Published: 2019-07-10T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Elijah King was late.

Jesse paced in front of Pierre’s, tugging at the tie around his neck. He’d have been perfectly fine going to the diner down the street or even Hogshead Joint, if Nora wasn’t averse to visiting her place of employment on her off hours.

But no. Elijah wanted to do something fancy to mark reconnecting with his son. So Pierre’s it was, the only fine dining establishment inside enclave territory.

Lavender filled his nose right before Nora stepped in front of him and blocked his path.

She straightened his tie and smiled at him before ducking her eyes again. “It’s going to be fine.”

“Be better if I didn’t have this noose around my neck,” he grumbled.

She brushed his hands away from his collar and fixed his tie again. “I like it. You clean up nice, cowbear.”

His bear practically pranced through his head at the compliment.

Jesse dropped his eyes to her mouth. By the Broken, he wanted another taste.

Nora inhaled sharply and peeked at him through her lashes. Hints of gold swirled in the chocolate brown of her gorgeous eyes.

Judging from the slow flush working over her cheeks, she knew what he was thinking.

“Jesse!” his father’s voice boomed.

Nora stepped away, smoothing her dress over her hips and pasting on a pleasant, if nervous, smile. Jesse reached for her wrist to give her a quick squeeze for them both. His bear grumbled and sank back from ready to attack to merely wary, while Nora’s shoulders relaxed a fraction.

His father pulled to a stop and rested a hand on the one in the crook of his elbow. Elijah fixed him with a steady expression. “Son, I’d like you to meet Camille. She’s my mate.”

“It’s very nice to meet you,” she said quietly and held out her hand.

Mate.

His father hadn’t mentioned taking a new mate.

Jesse shook her hand in shock. He didn’t know what to feel.

His mother had died the night his father lost their clan. Camille was the exact opposite of what he remembered of her and the few pictures that existed. Bottle-blonde instead of raven-haired. Blue eyes instead of dark grey like his own.

Alive.

Elijah had raised him on a steady diet of knowing the future wouldn’t last and any happiness he possessed could be snatched away in an instant. But there he stood, with a new mate looking at him like all the shit from the past didn’t exist.

The man looked happy.

Maybe old dogs could learn new tricks.

“And this is...?” his father prompted.

“Sorry. This is Nora. She’s...” Jesse trailed off. Fuck, he wanted to use the same honorific. Couldn’t. Not yet. Not until she acknowledged what was between them.

Acquaintance seemed too distant when she bedded down on his couch. Girlfriend felt closer to the truth, but he didn’t want to seem like some overeager douche claiming her after a single kiss.

“A friend,” Nora jumped in. “Jesse has been helping me with a spot of trouble. A rather big spot, but nothing unmanageable. Totally under control, in fact. Nothing to worry about all because of him.

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