Pursuing the Panther: BBW Shifter Mail Order Bride Romance (Mail-Order Mates Book 7) Read Online Free Page A

probing along her bottom teeth. As he kissed her, he pulled her closer with his free hand. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip and Zelda moaned. She dropped her purse on the grass and kissed him back.
    “Benjamin?” A voice made them both jump. Zelda backed away, confused.
    Ben’s eyes were bright yellow, and when he spoke his voice was more panther than human. “Mother!”

Four
    “I wanted to come and talk about the carnival,” the woman said. She was looking at Zelda with a deep frown on her face. “Who is this?”
    Zelda was rattled. Ben could smell it. He was having an effect on her and his mother had ruined it. Her smell was rapidly changing to one of anger. Ben’s panther was more than a little mad at the development.
    “Zelda, this is my mother, Maude.” Ben tried to sound civil. “Mother, this is my LK Bride, Zelda Simmons.”
    Maude came forward to shake Zelda’s hand but she frowned even harder. “Nice to meet you.”
    “You know you aren’t supposed to come over unannounced,” Ben told her.
    “That formality has never been an issue before.” Maude gave him an icy stare. “It isn’t like I barged into your home. You’re standing at the front of the house. Maybe you should have a little more decorum.”
    “This is my property.” Ben’s jaw ached, he was clenching his teeth so hard. “I will do whatever I please anywhere on my land. I’ve warned you many times, Mother. I’m going to start locking the gate.”
    “Now that I’m here, I can meet your match according to LK.” Maude looked Zelda up and down like she was garbage on the lawn.
    “I was just leaving, actually.” Zelda picked up her purse from the grass and marched away.
    “Hold on!” Ben walked with her to her car. “I understand how this looks, but I’m not my mother.”
    “Sure. It’s been really nice, Ben.”
    Zelda fumbled to find her car keys. Ben could hear the emotion in her voice. Her feelings were hurt. Not the best-case scenario, but at least she wasn’t enraged. He was good at apologizing. He could fix this.
    “Let me make it up to you.” He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Jackie Frush. She was the new front desk worker at the Lunar Motel. “I’m going to pay for your room. Just go in and they’ll have everything ready for you. Let me take you out tonight. We’ll have a fun time and you won’t even remember why you were mad.”
    She nodded curtly. “One more chance. Mess this up again and I’m gone for good.”
    “I’ll pick you up at nine.” Ben wanted to kiss her goodbye but the moment didn’t feel right. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on her again. It felt like she was his mate. The feeling of anguish when she drove away almost brought Ben to his knees. He hadn’t expected to be so attached to her so quickly. They’d only spoken for a short time, but the kiss had sealed it. She was his mate and he couldn’t let her go.
    His mother cleared her throat on the front steps. “Is that really the best LK can do?”
    Ben rounded on his mother and growled. “That’s my mate you’re talking about. I won’t have you disrespecting her in my presence.”
    Maude put her hands on her chest. “Benjamin! I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but that is no way to speak to your mother.”
    “The way you acted was humiliating.” Ben went to the front door and let his mother inside.
    “The way I acted? I was perfectly nice to the girl.” Maude followed him to the sitting room. “I can’t help if she’s intimidated by a lady.”
    Ben tried to calm down. He didn’t want to be nasty to his mother, but she had to understand. Zelda was his mate and would come first in his life. He couldn’t let his mother chase off the girl who could be the mother of his cubs.
    “Mom. The way you looked at her was repulsive. I had to apologize for you, and I’m going to have to work hard to make it up to her.”
    If she had been a little younger, Maude would have rolled her eyes at Ben. “LK found