Angel: Rochon Bears (9 page)

A
ngel stopped
himself from recalling the twenty minutes after those words where he held her still every time she said she was close. Taking her to the edge then denying her the pleasure of the fall. He wasn’t being cruel; he just wanted it to be that much better for her.

And it was. There was a moment when Angel knew that they were going to finish at the same time, and he was proud as hell that he’d gotten them both there.

That was so incredibly satisfying, that at the time neither he nor his bear could process it. Now thinking back, it wasn’t a fluke. It was both of them so in tune with each other that they waited, read the other person’s body, and came together like an explosion.

Angel’s bear was all for them doing that again. He didn’t know if Becca even wanted to see them. Leaving was not an option. So whether she was happy to see him or rejected him, he had to try and make contact with her.

His family had been on him for the last few months, hell, the last few years. They said he needed to make some decisions about his future. He was twenty-one; what kind of life choices did they expect him to make? True, he hadn’t gone to college like his best friends, Rainier and Finley.

Everyone expected him to go to school with them, hang with his best friends/cousins for four years at the University of Washington. They all had good grades; they were in varsity sports and active in all social aspects of school. Angel knew they would have a blast being at school together. The only problem was that there was no way that Angel was going to take school seriously when he had no reason to be there. His interests didn’t have a requirement for a degree to get a job.

Rain and Fin had careers they wanted to pursue. Rain was sure he wanted to become an environmental lawyer. He figured the family didn’t have one of those, and he was all about supporting the Rochon family endeavors. His bossy attitude and deep love of the forest made it a perfect career opportunity for him.

Fin wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, but he knew a degree was at least the first step in the process. His quiet cousin had blossomed in college. It was after his first semester that Fin came into his own. He went from kind and quiet, to outspoken and hysterical. The guy that was always worried about everyone and everything now grabbed life and squeezed every experience out of it he could. There were also a number of girls that Fin had spent time with that didn’t hate him for their brief liaisons, but instead had stayed friends with him after their time was over. He’d changed his major four times now. Currently he was pursuing linguistics for some reason. Rain and Angel always joked he should go to medical school so he could pursue his future as a gynecologist. Fin would be a dog if he wasn’t already a bear.

Angel, on the other hand, wanted to be a musician. Someone that made music for the joy of it. Not to teach, not to make it a job. There weren’t a lot of opportunities in the woods of the Pacific Northwest to start a music career. Even Angel knew that to play music meant you had to make money to allow you to do that. Making money while making music was the most logical choice. If he was honest with himself, it might be that he thought he wasn’t good enough to study music or teach it. His talent came naturally and half the time he couldn’t tell you what the name of the chord was he was playing, just that it sounded right.

Music was always Angel’s escape from life. Growing up a Rochon meant your life was not that tough in the typical sense. There were no major life struggles in their clan, just a huge family, with plenty of money to go around. There was always work to be had, always some minor dramas going on, and it didn’t hurt that his entire family minus a few stray humans, were all bear shifters.

Living with a bear soul attached to your own wasn’t as complicated as it sounded. From the moment Angel was aware of who he was, there was another part of him that was there too. His bear, a large black bear, was his constant companion. Even in human form, his bear had input into the way their lives were going and what decisions Angel made in the human world. His animal was like him, introspective and loved music.

But he also used to be a hell-raiser. Angel didn’t know why he felt the need to push every boundary given to him. It was just in his nature. He was constantly getting into scraps, usually dragging his big brother along for the ride, and then both of them taking the fall for whatever it was. That was easy because with their age gap no one would believe the little Angel had manipulated his grown brother into doing anything.

Angel always felt like he had to stake his place in the family. There were so many people, and it was easy to blend in. Being the little shit of family seemed to work for him and gave him the notoriety he craved; that was until he found music. All of a sudden, his need to make a splash was replaced with heavy metal and death bands. That was a short phase luckily, that bridged him to the music he loved.

After buying a used guitar and teaching himself to play by watching videos online, it turned out he had a natural talent for it. When he became decent at the guitar, he taught himself drums, then played around with piano and a few wind instruments. Anything he could get his hands on and figure out. All that time that used to be spent getting into trouble was replaced with learning to play. Now he could play anything, rock, country, classical. He loved all music, and it was all he wanted to do.

That didn’t mean it was something he could make a living at in Apex. Most of the family worked in the lumber business in some way. His older cousins ran the timber company that was passed down from their father and uncles. They grew and harvested timber all along the Olympic peninsula.

Part of the family ran the lumber mill, cutting and selling the wood from those trees. There was also a large trucking company that not only moved timber and trees, but pretty much anything that needed shipping across country.

Angel wasn’t just being a dick. He knew that being born into such a family where a job was just waiting for you made him one lucky son of a bitch. But what if that job made your soul shrivel up inside you and want to wither away?

Okay, that was a little dramatic; still, he found no joy in trees, office work, or anything like that. It was wearing on him. He did his job and never shirked when asked to do something. Still it wasn’t making him happy. His alpha knew that.

He also was old enough to realize that he wasn’t going to be starting a band anytime soon and become a rock star. He wouldn’t mind being a recording musician. Playing for singers or bands, hell, he’d even do commercials. That seemed like something he could do without a degree.

He’d have to move to Seattle to do that. So far, the overwhelming Rochon guilt kept him at home. The family had gone through a huge growth spurt the last few years. A lot of the older ones that had been running the businesses for decades were stepping down. They had found mates and were starting families. Their focus was on building their lives, not the Rochon empire. That meant the younger ones were expected to step up and take on the running of the livelihood that kept everyone in homes and honey.

Angel figured a big bonus of being a Rochon meant you didn’t miss out on watching your kids grow up. You could be there every day seeing their first steps and first words. That was what his brother and uncles were all doing. Enjoying the lives they had waited and worked for. Every shifter had this goal. To enjoy the family that surrounded them, build the unity of the clan, and be happy.

Even at an early age, Angel wanted a mate and family. That overwhelming desire to find someone that would understand and love him and his bear. The fates would match him with the perfect woman to bond and start a family with. One true partner for him and his bear. He wasn’t worried about finding his mate, though; so far, it looked like based on his brother and their cousins, he had decades to go before settling down.

That meant years of fun, partying, and women to ease the ache of not finding his mate. Not that he was a big womanizer. He’d had one girlfriend in high school that he had gotten to second base with. After he graduated, he wasn’t proud to say, he filled the gap of not having his friends nearby with women that were more than happy to have a chance to bag a Rochon.

Although he was a gentlemen when it came to his encounters with these women, his desires in the bedroom were not what most of the girls his age were into. Most of them had only been with inexperienced young bucks that were quick on the trigger and usually assholes after the fact.

His bear always made it clear that these girls weren’t their mate, and there was no reason to start a relationship with them. Some of his dominance in bed was because he wanted to distance himself from the feelings that he immediately associated with sex. It was a way to keep them at a distance, but also so that he was always in control. Letting his true animal nature out wasn’t possible with humans.

From the moment Angel let his dominant sexual side out, he found he needed to squeeze every last drop of pleasure out of a sexual experience as he could. Not only for himself but for his partner. That control meant he’d never go too far and always leave them happy.

Now that he had figured out what he needed in the bedroom, it was more important to have that with his mate, which he didn’t have yet. So he focused on being young and carefree, now that he had finally figured out how to stay out of trouble. That was a game changer when he realized his biggest complaint in life was people getting in his business. Don’t screw up, and people left you alone. Brilliant.

Now, he was on the hook to find a focus as his father and brother told him. His decision to not go to college made everyone assume he was joining the family business. True, he didn’t have any other hot job prospects. He didn’t want to live in the apartment above his parents’ garage for the rest of this life. So he was playing along and doing the job that kept everyone off his back.

Angel had gone out with some of his cousins and tried doing the actual logging of the trees. He was strong and could do the work, but it didn’t fit. The month he spent at the lumber mill had his Uncle Cash sending him away because he said even bear hands wouldn’t grow back if you cut them off.

Now he was back at the main logging offices doing whatever his cousins threw at him. Running parts for broken down machines, buying office supplies, and delivering bills and paperwork. When he asked why they didn’t just mail the invoices, his cousin Wyatt’s response was, “You can bring a bill with a smile.”

Angel wasn’t so sure he was smiling when he delivered someone a bill, but it did shave a few days off the delivery of it.

He was tired, though. Not physically, but mentally. His brain was not engaged in his work, his mind wandered, and it made him look like he wasn’t taking it seriously. The weight of everyone’s expectations were heavy on him. He knew they thought he was a screw-up, and he honestly wanted to change that opinion of him. There was no doubt in his mind that his family wanted him happy. That was why they were pushing so hard, even he could see that.

Now there was something, someone new that was pulling his attention. A woman that was making his bear want to hunt and track. It was the most interesting thing that had happened to him in years.

R
oom
10

“
D
amn baby
, your pussy is amazing.”

Before she had even finished her orgasm riding on top of Angel, he had her flipped onto her back without ever breaking contact.

Becca was panting through the fullness of his cock deep inside her. Angel’s hands roamed over her, squeezing her breasts. He would pull out and slide back into her in a slow glide. She kept expecting him to pound into her. She’d already had a number of orgasms, and he was probably about ready to blow.

Instead, he was slow and methodical, setting an agonizing pace that was frustrating and awesome. Becca would arch her back and push back against him, but only enough to complete their joining. Any harder and his hands would move back to her hips and hold her back.

As soon as she stopped trying to lead, his hands would move back off her hips. At one point, his hand reached up from her breast and wrapped around her neck. It startled her but didn’t scare her. It was a situation she wouldn’t ever have thought she would enjoy, but the strength of his hand around her throat made her feel taken, body and soul. Angel didn’t squeeze; it wasn’t about restricting her air, it was all about letting her know that she was literally in his hands.

Becca was relaxing, if that was possible, her body building a new orgasm that she wouldn’t have thought was left in her. The slow build allowed her tender pussy to recover, the numbness subsided and her clit started to tingle again.

“Angel, I can’t come again. You’ve wrung me dry.”

“Oh Becks, you just say that because you’ve never had this many in one night.”

That was totally true. Becca’s previous record was two in one night. Both of those were all thanks to her own self-pleasuring skills. Her brain wasn’t sure how many it was so far, but who cared? If anyone could get another one out of her, it was this man.

“Just let it build, baby. This one is going to top all the rest.”

Okie dokie, who was she to say it couldn’t happen? Although, she was pretty sure it couldn’t.

Becca wasn’t going to be able to contemplate that thought for long. Angel’s hands hadn’t stopped moving. He was everywhere, touching, tasting, and driving her mad. Her mind would start to wander, focusing on the minute touches. The feather like brushes over her skin were soft but purposeful. There wasn’t a way for her to anticipate where he was going or what was coming next.

It turned out she didn’t need to know. This man that she just met was taking care of her. At least in the sexual sense. She knew this wasn’t because of an emotional connection to her; he didn’t know her. So this was more about who he was as a person. He was a generous lover, not just taking, but giving way more than he was receiving.

As time passed, the impending climax built like a tidal wave that there was no hiding from; there wasn’t even a way to prepare for the smash of sweet, hot pleasure that slammed through her. She could hear through a muffled ear that Angel was coming. He roared, or at least, that’s what it sounded like. A loud sound, as his body bucked over hers.

Becca promised herself when she had more blood running to her brain that she would take the time to consider how such a man could exist.

* * *

“
I
did the right thing
, right? Not going out and talking to him?”

Becca was having serious doubts about choosing not to see Angel. Her brain was telling her she made the right call, but her pussy was telling her she was an idiot.

“No, I think you missed out on a hot after-nooner with the cutie patootie! Girl, he is stupid cute. He strolled in here all casual, a shirt that he probably found on the floor by his bed, ripped jeans and a seriously old baseball hat. Why do I find that attractive?” Alicia looked up like she was thinking about it.

“Because you still listen to boy bands,” Becca laughed.

“True, true,” Alicia admitted. “Still, I can’t make choices for you. He seemed nice…”

“He was. He was nice, attentive, and sweet. Argh! I don’t regret spending the night with him. I regret us running into each other so soon.”

“Technically, you didn’t see him, I did. Now that you have his number, just give him a call and talk to him. You don’t have to see him; just find out what he wants. Maybe he wants your address to send you a fruit basket or something?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what he wants. To send me a post-coital fruit basket. You’re insane, you know that?”

Alicia busted out laughing. “Post-coital fruit basket. And you think I’m nuts.”

“Fine. I’m heading home. I’m going to take a bath in my clawfoot tub with a large bottle of pinot. Granted, I probably shouldn’t be drinking, but you know, hair of the dog and all.” Becca’s morning hangover had moved into a dull headache. She had a history of debilitating migraines and getting drunk wasn’t normally a trigger, but she dreaded the thought of being laid low by one.

She figured relaxing was a better idea for avoiding a headache than detoxing from her bender all at once.

“Okay, but are we still on for tomorrow night? Junk food and dirty details?” Alicia stood up from the corner of Becca’s desk where she frequently perched herself.

“Yes, yes, although my memory might start to fade. You know at my age, it could happen,” Becca warned.

Alicia gave her a smirk. “I know the right questions to ask; don’t you worry.”

Becca grabbed her purse and coat and made sure her computer was off, and her drawers were locked. She called out goodbye to some coworkers as she made her way to the back exit. Stepping outside, she started walking in the direction of her car and opening her purse to dig around for her keys. She’d parked at the end of the row, so she stopped when she saw tires out of the corner of the eye. Finding her keys, she pulled them out and stuffed the keychain into her mouth to switch hands to open the car.

That was when she saw feet enter her line of sight. She let out a yelp, dropping the keys and throwing her arms up like she was going to attack the mugger that was clearly there for nefarious purposes.

“Becca?”

Muggers didn’t normally know your name, so Becca let her eyes move from the flat stomach covered in a gray t-shirt, to the hard pecs, up the neckline to a jawline that was still in need of a shave. To a pair of brown eyes that had a lighter yellow ring around them. Eyes that she never got to see in the dark the night before. Eyes she clearly missed out on, because they were breathtakingly amazing. Eyes that were now staring at her hard in an unflinching gaze.

The eyes of Angel Rochon.

* * *

S
he smelled right
; he knew it was her. The woman his bear was so insistent he find. Now he knew why. The smell and the desire to latch onto that neck in the dark made sense. His keen eyes could see the marks he’d left on her. His bear was fucking thrilled at the sight. His bear knew what he didn’t.

Becca was his mate.

He stared into blue eyes that looked like a summer day on the ocean. They looked back at him with shock and trepidation. Those beautiful eyes were framed by lashes that were darker than her hair. Her skin was smooth with a rosy glow coming off her cheeks. He took a second to glance down at her plump mouth that was slightly open in surprise. She was stunning.

Angel felt like his feet had sunk into the asphalt. He was grounded to the earth like he’d never been before. The pull to her was physical; he was sure if he reached out and touched her their heartbeats would start beating in rhythm together.

This couldn’t be happening. He was only twenty-one. Shifters didn’t find their mates this young. Sure, he knew that Connie and Edward Rochon had found themselves mates back when they used to do the runs.

But they only did those runs every ten years or so now. Sadly, they were more about a family reunion then looking for one’s mate. It was more of a chance to get a little action shifter to shifter than anything else.

Nobody ever found their mate that way anymore. Rain, Fin, and he had attended the one that had fallen after they had all turned eighteen. They’d gotten lucky but didn’t end up mated.

Somehow, in their tiny little town, he’d never run into Becca. His mate had been just miles away the entire time.

He had no idea what to say to her. His bear was telling him to grab her, kiss her, and carry her off into the woods. Not practical, sure, but right now it sounded like a solid plan.

“You!”

He could see that she was shocked to see him. But her shock was from being surprised at his nearness not the bigger truth that he was her mate and what that meant for her. She wouldn’t believe that, and she wouldn’t understand it. Not yet.

“Me?” she responded to him.

“You,” he repeated, swallowing past the lump in his throat. He felt like his bear was just under the surface of his skin, scratching and clawing to get out.

His bear wanted what was theirs. “Mine.” Over and over he kept repeating
mine
in Angel’s head. He agreed, but his bear’s plans of running off with his mate would probably get him arrested by his cousin Tanner, the town sheriff.

Figuring he was staring, probably with an aggressive look, he cleared his throat again before he said, “Hi.”

“Hi. You scared me. Were you waiting for me?” Becca didn’t know how to process seeing him in the daylight. Her memory of him was good, a bit fuzzy, but still good. It didn’t compare to the man standing in front of her. He was attractive, panty dropping, breast tingling, attractive. Suddenly, Becca was worried he was seeing her in the light of day and wondering what the hell he had been thinking.

“Yes. I was waiting for you. I needed to see you. You snuck out on me this morning. Didn’t even say goodbye.” His tone was accusatory, but he couldn’t hold it back. Now that he knew she was his mate, it hurt that she’d left him. It was silly to think that, but it was what he felt.

“Oh, yeah, well—” Becca didn’t know what to say to that. She had snuck out like a thief that had stolen a bunch of orgasms.

“Why did you leave?” Angel was asking questions so he wouldn’t grab her. His hands were fisted at his sides, and he didn’t want to seem angry, so he pulled them behind his legs.

“Well, we were done,” she offered.

“Done? You think we were done? We were far from it, Becks. I wanted you again this morning.”

Shit, that wasn’t really what he wanted to say. But, damn it, he was torn. Too many emotions and too much need were warring inside him.

“You’re mad that you didn’t get to fuck me this morning?” Becca scoffed. She couldn’t help but think that he sounded like a spoiled child that had his favorite toy taken away. He did say her pussy was his favorite thing now. So that made sense in a way.

“That’s not what I mean,” he growled. Fuck, he was screwing this up.

“What do you mean? Last night was about having a good time. No strings, remember?”

“Yeah, I know that, but now it’s different.”

“What’s different? You are still
way
too young for me. I’m too old for you, and this should just be a good time we both can remember fondly.” Becca thought this sounded like a very mature and decent plan, considering he was standing in front of her looking like he wanted to jump her. Damn, Alicia had been right.

“I’m not too young. Age is just a number,” he said, trying to stay calm.

“Only young people say that.”

“I’m sorry I surprised you. I just needed to make sure you were okay. To see if you were upset about last night,” he tried.

“I’m fine, thanks for checking.”

Yeah, she was being short with him, but he freaking ambushed her. She had no plans to see him again, and that was for a good reason. She had nothing to say to him. Last night had been fun and exciting. This afternoon, it was awkward and unnecessary.

“Seriously? You’re fine? That’s all I get?” Angel took a step closer to her. He filled his lungs with her scent. Soaking it in.

The gravitational pull he felt was coming from the middle of his chest, and it was tethered straight to her. His bear wanted him to memorize every detail of her. His Alpha had told him once that you never forget the moment you meet your mate.