Free Called by the Bear 1-3 by V. Vaughn

champagne, he sits on the couch and pats the leather seat next to him for Sierra. Giggling, she cuddles in, and I almost snort at the girl who wanted nothing to do with this less than an hour ago.
    Annie tells us dinner will be ready soon and leaves us to go putter in the kitchen. Keith asks, "Brady, have you explained our situation to them yet?"
    Brady's voice vibrates against me. "I did. Sierra here isn't so sure she wants to be bred though." He's grinning, and Sierra rolls her eyes.
    She says, "Well, I'm still not happy with the idea, but I'm warming up to it." She looks up into Keith's face. "This mate stuff rocks."
    Brady says, "It can, but it can also be a curse."
    Sierra turns her attention to Brady and me. "How so?"
    Brady looks over at Annie, who is whipping potatoes. He speaks quietly. "When you lose your mate, you feel like you've died too. You have a special connection and can feel their pain, and over time you become each other."
    I say, "That sounds like quite a commitment. Do people regret it?"
    Brady shakes his head. "No, I don't think they ever do. The need to be together is so great that being apart hurts more than any of the drawbacks of being that close to someone."
    Keith adds, "It’s not something to take lightly, though. You need to be absolutely sure before taking the next step. Once mated for life, if one commits suicide, the other dies too.”
    Sierra says, “Holy shit. That is serious.”
    “But that doesn't mean mates don't fight. My parents seem to thrive on it," Keith says.
    I say, "That's good, because Sierra's a feisty one."
    Keith's eyes light up, but he flushes. He's saved from further embarrassment when Annie calls us to dinner.
    After the men seat the three of us, I survey the food on the table. Roast chicken is sliced and steaming on a platter. Mashed potatoes, green beans, and acorn squash are set out too. The squash captures my interest. It’s halved, and the pieces are hollowed out a bit. They’re filled with a brown liquid I guess is maple syrup.
    Bowls are passed around as we fill up our plates. Savory smells surround me and make me salivate, but the sweet squash is what I want to try first. The forkful I put in my mouth makes me groan in appreciation. "Annie, this is amazing. I see what you mean about maple syrup being good on more than pancakes."
    Sierra spears a green bean. "So what happens now? You have jobs for us, right?"
    Brady answers, "There are a variety of jobs open to you. What are your interests?" He fills his wine glass with a Sauvignon Blanc and tilts his head toward me to ask if I want some too. I nod, and pale yellow liquid gurgles into the wine glass next to my empty champagne flute as Brady pours.
    On Brady's left, Sierra grabs the bottle to pour some for herself. "I'm good with people and running customer service for a business. Do you need help with something like that?" She pours for Keith without asking, and he smiles.
    Keith says, "How about I take you to the lumber office, and you can see our wholesale business. I'm sure we could use help dealing with the orders and retailers."
    Brady is sitting at the head of the table, and I'm at his right. His leg presses against mine. "What about you, Carly? I'd hate to see you give up your art. You're quite good at it."
    I'm flattered he knows what I do, and I wonder what he's seen. "You've seen my work?"
    He smiles. "The power of Google. You're rather famous." His lips twitch, and I realize he's talking about dick pics. I close my eyes as my face heats up.
    "Ah, yeah. About that. There are some things I would rather not do any longer. But yes, I don't want to stop tattooing."
    His hand is under the table, and it slides up my thigh as he says, "Good. We'll figure something out." The way my nerves are jumping at his touch, I don't care right now if I end up branding cows. But I'm glad he thinks I should still do what I love.
    Completely comfortable to eat my fill, I don't stop until I'm almost too full. Even so, it