Bear Assassin: Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (The Enforcers Book 3) (5 page)

“Who hired you, and why?” he asked.

“We don’t know his name,” the leader said. “He said he wanted to teach her a lesson, something about being strong and weak…I don’t know, I didn’t exactly understand it all. All we had to do was fuck her together, make it a bit rough, and we’d get paid. He even gave us five hundred dollars up front, and said we’d get the rest when the job was done.”

“What did he say when he found out you failed?” Tobias asked.

“Nothing, he hasn’t come to us again.”

“What do you mean?”

“He approached us in the parking lot, from a distance, and stayed in the shadows. We don’t even know what he looks like.”

“So it could be anyone.”

His statement was met with silence, and Tobias inwardly swore. They wouldn’t get anything useful out of these two idiots. He was a great judge of character, and for all they knew, he was the one who hired them.

Shit!

Layla took a step forward and got in the leaders face.

“You took money to try and force me to have sex with you? From a stranger?”

“Hey, you approached me, babe,” the leader reminded her. “I was just making some money while helping you scratch that itch.”

Layla balled her hand into a fist, and pulled her arm back level with her shoulder.

“And how the hell did that work out for you?” she asked.

The guy visibly flinched, and his buddy took a step as if he were going to run. Tobias looked him in the eye and shook his head.

“Layla,” Tobias warned. “We didn’t come here to beat the shit out of them. Besides, you already did an awesome job of that, sweetheart.”

The two men smiled as if they’d somehow bested her.

“However,” he added, “if either of you run before I dismiss you, then all bets are off.”

They both frowned, and he looked over to see Layla smiling. The look was feral, and she intimidated them with her body language, and dared them to run with her eyes.

His dick swelled again.

Fuck!

“If that man approaches you again,” Tobias said, “call Price Security and report it immediately. If you don’t, and I find out about it, you won’t have to worry about being beaten up by a girl…because I’ll kill you. Do you understand?”

They both nodded, but they didn’t make a sound. One of them held his breath, and the other swallowed erratically.

“You actually need to say the words,” he said. “Do you understand?”

“Yes,” they both said in unison.

“Good, now get out of here.”

The men ran back into the bar, and he turned toward Layla.

“I think that went pretty well, considering they don’t know anything.”

“I guess,” she said, turning away from him.

He hated the quiet of her voice, and realized it must have been difficult for her to approach her attackers. She seemed so strong, it hadn’t even occurred to him she might be uncomfortable going back to the scene of the crime.

Damn!

He’d been doing too much thinking with his cock, and he’d failed her again.

“Let’s get you home, sweetheart.”

She led the way to his truck, and he drove her home in silence.

Chapter Five

Layla took a deep breath and held up her hand in surrender.

“Again,” Tobias yelled.

“I need a minute,” she said, reaching for her water bottle and towel.

If Tobias hadn’t already rejected her, the past four days would have been enough to sever any mating. Though she looked cute in the coffee shop, in the ring she looked like nothing more than a hot mess. Unfortunately, he basically ignored her in the coffee shop, and he chased her around the ring as if she were one of his sparring partners.

Sweat soaked her hair and clothes, and she was pretty sure she smelled. When she stopped to take a drink of water, a puddle formed beneath her and she’d slipped on the mat twice while running drills. Tobias, of course, looked fantastic in comparison and she’d spent most of the sessions wanting to dig her own grave and climb in.

“Let’s go again,” he said. “After the first night, you’ve done nothing but slack off.”

“What if I just had an exceptional first night?” she snapped.

Damn!

She was seriously getting sick of him riding her ass, but he was right. She wasn’t giving it her all. Maybe she should, maybe it wouldn’t matter anyway, but after they confronted her attackers in the bar, she realized she was too aggressive. She’d wanted to beat the shit out of the men again, but Tobias, her mate, had been able to hold back.

The truth had rattled her confidence, but it had also given her an idea. If she acted more like a girl, and less like a man, maybe he would change his mind about her one day.

So far, her brilliant plan had turned out to be incredibly stupid and demoralizing, and Tobias seemed to dislike her even more.

“We both know that’s not true,” he said, his voice normal again. “What gives?”

“I…”

Want you. Need you. Can’t think around you.

“I’m tired,” she said finally.

“We’ll take a rest when you take me down,” he said. “Let’s do it again.”

“I doubt anyone can take you down,” she laughed, setting her water bottle back in the corner next to her towel. She was good, but she wasn’t that good, and he was insane if he thought she could ever take him down.

“For the right woman,” he said, smiling, “I’ll fall like a bag of bricks.”

For the right woman…

But not for her.

Tears filled her eyes, and suddenly she couldn’t breathe. He was killing her, and she had to get away from him as soon as possible. She tried to climb out of the ring, but her sweaty hands foiled her plan and she landed on the hardwood floor in a heap. She felt Tobias’ shadow above her, but she couldn’t look at him or stop to hear his condolences.

In that moment, nothing else mattered except getting as far away from him as possible.

She crawled on the floor until she could get up without slipping on her own sweat, and then she raced out of the building. Tobias followed her to the door of the gym and called after her, but she didn’t stop or slow down, and soon his voice became a mere whisper in the night.

With nothing more than the clothes on her back and sweat dripping from her skin, she had no choice but to run. It had been days since she’d shifted, and her bear welcomed the chance to change forms.

A mile down the street, she turned down another road, and then another. Each turn led her closer to her favorite spot, and twenty minutes later she’d run into the forest on the edge of town.

She leaned against a tree to regulate her breathing, and after determining the area safe, she called her bear and instantly shifted into her animal. Her grizzly wasn’t as big as Logan and Jacob’s, but no one would call her cute and cuddly either. She was a predator, one of the biggest in the forest, and she didn’t need a man who didn’t want her.

She roared into the night, long and loud, and released some of her pent up anguish. It would never fully dissolve, but it was a start, and she felt noticeably better. Instead of running, she lumbered toward her favorite hot spring, taking the time to appreciate the smells of her surroundings along the way.

Even though it was located deep in the forest, the spring was a popular make-out spot, and she had to make sure the area was free from humans before she could relax. A brief survey of the area revealed no humans, and she let out a loud groan when she waded into the warm water.

The water wasn’t deep, or wide, which made it the perfect place for couples, but she could still easily float on her back and enjoy the night sky. Eventually, her thoughts turned to her mate and she lost her balance and sank under the water. She only came up for air long enough to fill her lungs, and then she disappeared under the surface until she needed another breath.

The next time she came up, she came face to face with a huge dark brown wolf.

Tobias bared his teeth and growled at her, but she rolled her eyes, sank back under the water, and mentally cursed her stupidity. She’d left the gym angry and upset, and the idea of him coming after her had never even crossed her mind.

Idiot!

He’d had no choice but to follow her, it was his job to keep her safe. Now that he knew about the make-out spot, he’d probably bring the
right woman
here all the time.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

The wolf suddenly jumped in the water, and a million tiny bubbles surrounded her. He nudged her shoulder with the top of his head and pushed her off balance, forcing her to sputter to the surface. The wolf growled at her again, and then he started the change back into his human form.

Unlike her instant change, Tobias’ shift took close to a minute. She saw his hair recede, his claws and fangs detract, his muzzle reform into his nose and mouth, and everything was accompanied by the sound of his bones popping back into their human form.

It was the worst sound she’d ever heard, and she’d heard plenty of bones snap, crack and break. She knew some species had different magic ruling their animals, but the process seemed painful and she hoped he didn’t feel anything during the shift.

“I’m fine,” he said, as if reading her mind. “Change back.”

She changed back into her human form, and they stood toe to toe in the center of the spring. The warm water covered them from the waist down, and the cool evening air swirled around them.

God he was magnificent!

She’d never seen his bare chest before, and she desperately wanted to run her hands over his smooth taut skin. Muscles bulged in all the right places, and she’d been right about his abs. Eight bumps paved the way down to his…
whoa!

“How come you’re naked?” she squeaked.

Damn, he was huge!

“I have to take my clothes off, or they shred during the change,” he said.

“Does it hurt?” she asked.

“There’s minimal discomfort, but it only lasts a few seconds.”

She nodded, unsure what to do next.

Tobias placed his thumbs on her cheeks and slid his fingers into her hair. His hazel eyes looked more green than brown in the moonlight, and she was suddenly surrounded by the smell of crisp coffee and chocolate. He’d unmasked his scent, and her bear went wild.

“I was talking about you,” he said. “You’re the right woman. For you, when your life isn’t in danger, I’ll fall like a bag of bricks.”

Technically, her life was still in danger, but she wasn’t about to bring that tiny fact to his attention. She wanted him, and for the moment he wanted her back. Right now, nothing else mattered.

***

Layla slid her hands up his chest, and wrapped them around his neck.

“Kiss me, Tobias,” she whispered.

He didn’t hesitate.

His lips crashed down on hers in a hot, desperate kiss that took her breath away and sent an electric shock to every nerve ending in her body. He kissed her lips, her cheek, the side of her mouth, and then her lips again. His movements were chaste, but possessive, and every time his lips touched her skin she felt branded.

She gasped when he wrapped all of her hair in his fist, and he used the opportunity to slide his tongue inside her mouth. She accepted him eagerly, and they kissed, licked and explored each other in a sensual dance that sent a shockwave to her core. Her pussy tingled in the warm water, and when she stepped closer, he held her close with his free arm and shoved his thick thigh between her legs.

She spread her legs to accommodate the massive limb, and her clit pressed against the muscled flesh at the perfect angle. She moaned and ground against him, peppering his chest with kisses, and creating enough friction to send her over the edge.

She felt wild, out of control, and for the first time in her life she didn’t care.

“You have too many clothes on,” he said, pulling her shirt up her waist.

She raised her arms above her head and let him pull off the wet garment. Next came her shorts, and she moaned in protest when he severed their connection.

“It’s only for a minute, sweetheart,” he said, kissing her neck and collarbone.

He kissed a trail down her wet skin, between her fabric covered breasts, and stopped at her belly button. He rimmed the hole with his tongue, and then he took a deep breath and disappeared under the water.

He pulled down her shorts and panties, but he’d forgotten about her shoes. When he tried to lift her leg, she placed one hand on his shoulder to steady herself, and then lifted her foot so he could remove her shoe and clothes. Once she was free, he switched to the other side and completely removed the items.

A moment later, he came up for air and threw all of her clothing in the same direction he’d thrown her shirt.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the idea that you guys shift with your shoes on,” he said, unhooking her bra. “That’s crazy.”

“What’s crazy is we’re both naked and you’re talking about my shoes,” she said.

“Almost naked,” he corrected, removing her last piece of clothing.

He he pulled the lacy, nearly dry material down her arms, exposing her breasts, and groaned. Her nipples seemed to harden more once they were exposed to the cool evening air, and they pointed north, as if begging for his mouth. 

The scrap of material flew farther than the rest of her things, and she briefly wondered if she would ever see it again. When he sucked one of her pert nipples into his mouth, all thought vanished. 

She slid her hands into his hair and pulled when he scraped his teeth over the hard, sensitive flesh. He let it go with a pop, and she almost cursed until he moved to her other breast. The cool evening air danced around the wet bud, sending another blast of heat to her core, and her pussy contracted.

“Tobias, please.”

“What do you need, sweetheart?”

“I need you to fuck me.”

He turned her around, and she bent over and steadied her hands on the dirt edge of the spring. One of his hands held onto her shoulder, while the other smoothed down her back and over her ass. She widened her stance, and he moved his hand between her legs, slipping two fingers inside her pussy.

“So wet for me,” he said, placing a kiss on her lower back.

“Yes,” she admitted, even though it hadn’t been a question.

He moved the digits in and out twice, and then positioned his cock at her entrance. He gripped her hips and sank into her slowly, inch by delicious inch, and she moaned as her body stretched to adjust to his size. He was bigger than any man she’d ever been with, and she wanted all of him.

“Almost there,” he assured her, but she couldn’t take it anymore.

She pushed back into him and he sank into her balls deep.

“God, damn, you’re so fucking tight, sweetheart,” he said. “Are you okay?”

“I’m perfect,” she said, breathlessly.

“Yes, you are.”

He pulled almost all the way out, and then pushed back in slowly, touching every part of her of her soft, sensitive flesh, and sending her careening toward an explosive orgasm. Every time he pulled out, more of her honey gushed into the spring, dissolving into the warm water.

The warm spring water lapped around them, nearly undisturbed by their soft movements, and the only sounds that filled the air were their moans of pleasure.

Her pussy contracted around his cock, desperate to milk him dry, and when she felt his dick throb, she pushed back into him hard. Soon, she was meeting him half way on every thrust, and forcing him to go faster.

“Enough,” he said, tightening his grip on her hips.

She knew she’d have bruises from his fingertips later, but she didn’t care, she wanted him to fuck her hard and fast. She obeyed his command and braced herself against the ledge.

A second later, Tobias pounded in and out of her wildly.

The water in the spring bubbled around them and thrashed over the edge, soaking the surrounding forest floor and her pile of clothes. She’d pushed the wolf beyond the brink and the results were everything she’d hoped for. Pleasure ripped through her with every thrust, and the noises escaping her mouth were part human and part bear.

Tobias slid one hand down her stomach, and pressed two fingers against her clit. She exploded. She screamed his name as her orgasm ripped through her body, and vibrated around his cock. He roared her name seconds later, and came deep inside her core.