“
Ethan slumped on the bench in the change room, ignoring the ribald behavior around him after yet another foregone win.
A hard slap on the rear of his head roused him and he whirled, his lip curled back as he growled menacingly.
“Don’t you dare show me your teeth,” Javier warned with a dark look.
He ran his hand through hair, already tousled and sweaty from the match.
“What the fuck happened out there? I passed you the perfect shot, and instead of grabbing it and scoring, you crashed into the g**damn arena glass. What are you, a rookie? Been watching too many Bugs Bunny cartoons?”
Heat burned Ethan’s cheeks in remembrance of his mishap before dejection— along with a large dose of disbelief— quickly set back in.
“I missed. It happens and besides, it’s not like we needed the point to win.”
“Of course we didn’t,” Javier replied with a scoffing snort. “But it’s the point of it. What the hell distracted you so much? And, why do you look like your best friend died, which, I might add, is an impossibility given I’m standing right beside you.” Javier grinned.
“I think I found my mate,” Ethan muttered.
A true beauty with light skin, a perfect oval face framed by long, brown hair and the most perfect set of rosebud lips.
Javier’s face expressed shock, then glee. “Congrats, dude.” Javier slapped him hard on the back, and while the blow might have killed a human or a smaller species, it didn’t even budge Ethan.
“I know you’ve been pining to settle down with someone of the fairer sex. You must be ecstatic.”
“Not really.” Although he should have been.
Finding one’s mate was a one in a zillion chance given how shifters were scattered across the globe. Most never even came close to finding the one fate deemed their perfect match.
His friend’s jovial grin subsided. “What’s wrong? Was she, like, butt ugly? Humongous? Old? Surely she can’t be that bad?”
“No, she appears perfect. Or did.”
Ethan groaned as banged his head off the locker door. “I am so screwed.”
A frown creased Javier’s face. “I don’t get it. I thought you wanted to find the one, you sick bastard. Settle down and pop out cubs.”
Ethan looked up in time to see Javier’s mock shudder.
“Me, I prefer to share my love among as many women as possible.” Javier mimed slapping an ass then humping it with a leering grin.
Ethan didn’t smile at Javier’s attempt at humor even if it happened to be the truth. Javier certainly enjoyed variety where the other sex was concerned. Heck, on many an occasion he’d shared with Ethan. Tag team sessions where they both scored. Best friends who did just about everything together.
Blowing out a long sigh, Ethan answered him. “I do want to find my mate, actually, I’m pretty sure I already have, but I don’t think I made a great impression. She’s the one they took out on the stretcher after the ball I missed hit her in the face.”
Javier winced. “Ouch. Sucks to be you, my friend. Don’t worry, though. I’m sure she’ll forgive you in, like, fifty years.”
Ethan groaned and dropped his head back into his hands.
Now that I’ve found her, how do I discover who she is so I can beg her forgiveness? And even worse, how the hell do I act the part of suitor?
Raised in the Alaskan wilds by a father who wasn’t all there after the death of Ethan’s mother, his education in social niceties was sadly lacking.
He tended to speak with his fists more often than not.
Lucky for him, when it came to women, he didn’t usually have to do a thing. Females tended to approach him for sex so they could brag afterward that they’d ridden the Kodiak and survived.
Not that Ethan would ever hurt a female, even if his idea of flirty conversation usually consisted of “Suck me harder” and “Bend over.”
If I add “darling” on the end, will she count it as sweet talk?
”
”