Bear in Mind (10 page)

Wyatt leaned over Cage’s desk and got closer to the speaker phone, his brothers standing around the desk, their attention on the phone.

“Dax, are you telling me that you know who’s endangered not only my mate but my brother’s mate?” Wyatt yelled down at the phone, his bear’s voice growling out over his.

Dax Hayes was the Alpha of his family’s cougar clan from Northern California. Cougars and bears usually didn’t get along, but the Rochon family and Dax’s family went back generations. Sharing the forests ensured they usually played nice. But Wyatt was in no mood to play nice.

“No, what I’m saying you grouchy bear, is that we’ve had our own set of troubles recently and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were related.”

Wyatt gripped the table edge and took deep breaths trying to keep his bear back. He was beyond pissed and his bear was homicidal. After he had gotten Jinger home, he’d walked out back to speak with Conner and saw that someone had spray painted the side of his cabin with red paint, ‘I know who you are’. This not only infuriated him, but it scared him that there was someone targeting his family because they are shifters.

His brothers, and himself included, had assumed the broken equipment, and inconveniences were from some environmental terrorist group. They had always dealt with them in a civil manner. He understood their deep feelings for the environment and normally they were just a nuisance. That was until they’d almost killed Sophie and now Jinger.

Now it was clear, that this was much more personal.

“We’ve had some issues on our farms. We had equipment breaking and then there was a fire that wiped out our newest vineyard.”

The Hayes family had huge wineries in the California, some of the best wine in the country.

“We had no idea who it could be until one of our farm hands went missing after the fire. His name was Tony. He’d worked for us for a number of years, he came with his older brother Marcus. There was an accident a few years back and his brother was killed. It was odd, his brother fell into a wine press. But after the accident Tony started watching us, always skulking around. My brother’s theory is Marcus might have seen something that scared him and he hid in the machine.”

“Seen what,” Conner asked over Wyatt’s shoulder.

“Us,” Dax replied.

“Shit, this just gets better and better,” Cage growled flopping down in his chair.

“Well it’s just a theory, but I’m willing to head up there and sniff around. See if I recognize the scent of anyone I know. It might help narrow down the field of possible suspects. We haven’t had any trouble since Tony disappeared. That has to mean something.”

“Hell, it’s not like I’d be able to recognize every one of our workers. It’d be too easy for a guy to blend in around here.” Conner said.

“Dax, we’d be grateful if you could make the trip up. We have to figure out who is going to so much effort to hurt us. Next time we might not be so lucky,” Cage said to the phone, but his eyes were on Wyatt.

“I’ll make arrangements and email you the info,” Dax said then hung up.

Wyatt walked over to the wall and threw a fist into the flimsy sheetrock. Not surprising his hand when through the wall to the outside.

“Nice, asshole, now I’m going to have a draft.” Cage said standing up to examine the hole.

Wyatt stomped away from the destruction he’d just caused and let his bear out to roar his frustration.

“I get it man, but you can’t let him out in here. You’ll tear the place apart,” Cage growled, letting some of his Alpha timber lace his voice. It was enough for Wyatt’s bear to respond and back down.

“Sorry,” Wyatt said, placing his hands on the back of a chair. He let his head drop down. He was so conflicted. He was furious, frustrated and mostly scared. His mate’s life hung in the balance and he was unable to protect her with his strength alone.

“No need to apologize. Best bet is for you to head home, be with your mate and keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Maybe when Dax gets here he’ll be able to recognize someone’s scent. That will give us somewhere to start,” Cage offered.

“You’re right, I know it. Thanks Cage, and you too, Conner,” he said slapping his little brother on the back.

Wyatt headed out the door and jumped into his truck to head home.

Wyatt pulled up to his cabin at the same time his mom was walking out.

“You leaving mom,” he asked as he walked up to her and wrapped her in a big hug. He loved his mom and the only way he was able to leave Jinger today was knowing his mom was with her.

“Yes darling, I think you and Jinger need some alone time to talk.”

“Talk about what,” Conner asked his suspicion rising.

“She asked me to tell her about the family so I did. She knows everything there is to know. So now, it’s up to you son,” she said patting him on the cheek and walking towards her house.

Knowing his mom and Jinger had talked and she was presumably still in his house, was hopefully a good sign.

He walked in and found Jinger sitting on the couch, a cup of what appeared to be hot cocoa in her hand.

She looked up at him and offered a smile. “Hi, I missed you,” she said reaching her hand out to him.

Wyatt took her hand and sat down on the couch and pulled her into his lap. She curled into him like it was the only place she wanted to be.

“How are you feeling,” he asked.

“Better, only called your mom a clown instead of her name once. And I might have referred to the cocoa as the cock. But your mom was really cool about it,” she said smiling.

“I would have loved to see that, what did you say exactly?”

“Well I took a sip right away and might have yelled, ‘damn this cock is hot’. Your mother apparently found it hysterical. She laughed for like five minutes,” she admitted.

Wyatt couldn’t help but laugh himself. His mom liked a dirty joke like the rest of them.

“But she was very informative about a few things you left out from our little talk last night,” she chastised.

“Like what,” he asked, not really listening to her. He was too busy finding bare spots on her neck to kiss.

“Well, it seems you left a part out about biting,” she said pushing his head away from her neck. He attempted to get back at her neck and got another shove.

“Wyatt, the biting?”

“Oh, that. I would have told you, eventually,” he teased, going back to kissing her neck.

“So you want to bite me?” She tried to keep the conversion on track.

“You have no idea how much, gingersnap. The minute I bite you and my saliva enters your bloodstream, we become more than one. We will be linked for eternity.”

“Wow, that’s deep,” she said sarcastically, which earned her a nip on her neck.

“So… your mom said something about me changing? So I could carry shifter babies?”

That got his attention and he pulled back to look at her. The expression on his face was one of a man not sure if he was about to get slapped or clawed. Pissed or annoyed was not always easy to discern on a woman he’d learned.

“Cubs, um, yeah, mom is kinda big on cubs right now,” he said looking embarrassed.

“That’s okay, I’m pretty sure my mom talked to her about grandchildren too. So if you aren’t in the market for babies, you might want to speak with them.”

Wyatt kissed her lips and sucked her bottom lip into his mouth. He gave it a tiny bite. “I’m all about the babies, or more accurately what you have to do to get the babies. I hear practice makes perfect,” adding another kiss to her lips.

“Do you mean that? You really want to have kids, with me, now?” She pushed at his chest. She expected him to pull what she thought was a normal male move and immediately reject the idea of fatherhood. She was still trying to wrap her head around his willingness for commitment.

“Of course I mean it. I know it’s harder for you. I have my bear and my genetics on my side. They assure me without a shadow of a doubt that my future lies in you. Every fiber of my being is devoted to you. You have to make up your mind first before we can convince your soul.”

“And how do we go about that,” she asked. Soul convincing, that didn’t sound daunting at all. No pressure there, she thought.

Resuming his kissing on her neck, Wyatt started moving his hands around her waist, careful of her stomach which was still tender. “That whole biting thing I mentioned? Well, not only will it help you carry my cubs, but it will also strengthen our bond. You won’t feel the undeniable pull that I do since you aren’t a shifter. But you will start to feel a little of what I do. You’ll see how much you love, adore, and are devoted to me and be able to times that by a thousand to start to grasp how I feel about you.”

“Love, adore and am devoted to you,” she asked laughing.

“Yup, exactly that,” he said dragging his teeth over her collar bone. “Is that what you want? You know the truth, you hold my very life in your hands. Are you willing to share your life with me? Join my crazy family and spend our days loving each other and having frequent wild, loud sex together?”

Shocks of electricity tickled down Jinger’s body as his breath tickled her throat as he spoke. Frequent, wild loud sex was not something she’d turn down. This man could turn her into putty, mold her any way he wanted. Convince her the sun was the moon and night was day. As long as he kept kissing her.

“That doesn’t sound bad,” she said kissing him back. The hard tendons of his neck fitting perfectly between her teeth. She heard and felt him growl. He liked it.

Wyatt shifted her so she had one leg on the outside of his, straddling his lap. Her sweet arousal claiming his senses, he breathed her in deeper. His bear growled loudly in his head that he wanted more of her scent.

He sunk his hands into her hair and pulled her mouth to his. He sealed her acceptance with a kiss, a claiming kiss that left her without any doubt that this man would always rock her world.

Jinger felt the thick length of him pressing up against her core. She couldn’t resist, tilting her hips to rub against the ridge, her pussy soaking through her panties at the contact.

“Sweetness, you are going to be the death of me. All I can think about is getting you under me again. Feeling your tight pussy squeezing my cock. I want you screaming my name as I make you come.”

Jinger liked that idea too and rolled her hips, grinding down on his lap. She gasped as her clit dragged over his rough jeans. Even through her own clothes it was enough to shoot pleasure through her.

“Wyatt, I’ve missed you so much. I need you, I need you inside me. I want to feel alive.”

She felt Wyatt’s hands slide down to her hips, but they grasped her firm and stopped her motion.

“What…” she started to say when Wyatt kissed her again.

“Believe me gingersnap, nothing I’d like better than to have you ride me hard right now. But I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to make love to you without completing our bond. I won’t be able to resist biting you. I came too close to losing you before, my bear won’t accept any less.”

Jinger didn’t hesitate when she replied, “I know, Wyatt. I love you and I want you. It’s okay.”

Picking her up and setting her next to him on the couch, Jinger was starting to doubt they were on the same page.

“Don’t give me that look,” Wyatt said turning to her.

“What look?” She hissed back. She was cranky, nothing worse than getting a girl’s motor revving then turning off the engine.

“The look that says you are about to take your sarcasm to sass level twelve. Let me explain, my bear needs to meet you. He adores you like I do, but he’s just as nervous that you won’t like him as you are about him. I wouldn’t feel right about moving forward until I’m sure you’re comfortable around him.”

Jinger knew she’d have to meet this mythical bear, she’d just hoped to do it in a few years. Ease into it.

“Please, baby. It’s important,” Wyatt said, brushing her hair back from her face.

Jinger knew that if this is the life she was choosing, she needed to accept all of it.

“Alright, but can we take it slow? And then after I meet your bear you promise to fuck me?” She threw that last part in to give herself a reward for being brave.

“Oh baby, I’ll fucking rock your world after this,” he promised pinning her to the couch with a heated kiss.

He took the words right out of her head.

Standing, Wyatt took her hand and led her to the door. She hesitated, “How about you go outside and do your thing and I start out in here?”

Smiling at her, he gave her nose a quick kiss, “Whatever you say, baby.” Then he strode down the porch. Lucky for them they lived so far out there were no neighbors to see this she thought as she watched Wyatt start removing his clothing. When he got to his pants, he pulled them down and stood revealing his straining erection. Jinger didn’t get to see it last time, but she was right about her assessment. Long thick and delectably perfect.

He caught her staring at his cock and gave her a wink. She smiled shyly back at him, then she watched as he closed his eyes and that air around him started to shimmer, then he was lost in the light and in his place was a massive grizzly bear. The bear was on all fours and let out a loud roar, his head tipping back up to the sky.

Jinger jumped at the sound, thankful she was still inside with her hand on the door. She was pretty sure she’d be able to shut the door and run if she needed to.

As this thought was running through her mind, and her heart rate was increasing, she watched the bear stand on its hind legs. It must have been nine-feet tall. Then right before her eyes it waved at her.

She laughed out loud and had to grab her stomach at the stitch in her incision it caused. The bear then sat down on its butt in the dirt and clapped its paws together and waved again.

Jinger shouldn’t have been surprised that Wyatt’s bear was shockingly like him. She knew they weren’t the same soul, they were different and alike at the same time. Perfectly matched.

Taking a tentative step out the door earned her a chuffing noise from the bear. She took that as an approval. Another step earned her another huff. Making it to the top step of the stairs, she saw the bear drop his front paws to the dirt between his hind legs. He looked like he was trying to make himself smaller. Fat chance at that.

Jinger walked slowly towards the bear and he sat still, like a fuzzy statue. When she got within arm’s reach she watched him take a long sniff of her. His eyes closing as he drew her in. When they opened, she saw his eyes were green and glowing yellow around the edges. Wyatt.

“Hi,” she whispered.

The bear rumbled, a sound so low and deep, she could feel it on her skin. It gave her goose bumps.

“Can I touch you,” she asked. She was feeling braver now that she was seeing Wyatt. Knowing he was there too and he would never let anything hurt her gave her courage.

The bear tipped his head down, his nose pointing to the ground. She raised a hand and gently traced two fingers over his fur. That rumbling sound started again, the one she’d heard Wyatt do in the hospital. It must be the bear equivalent of purring she figured.

Her bravery at an end, she dropped her hand and took two steps back. The bear raised his head and huffed at her then his image started to flare, when the light dimmed, Wyatt was crouching on the ground in front of her buck naked. Well, that is an added bonus she thought.

He wasn’t smiling, but his eyes were shining with the heat of a thousand suns. He stood and without a word scooped her into his arms.

“What the…” she started to say but Wyatt was already stalking towards the house, taking the steps on the porch two at a time. He walked through the door and kicked it closed with his foot.

“Can’t wait,” he said gruffly. He turned to the couch and sat down pulling her onto his lap like they were before.

“Wyatt, your eyes,” she said, noticing they were very bright, the yellow glowing from within.

“I’m in control, I just need you,” he admitted.

Jinger heard a ripping noise and looked down to see one long claw on Wyatt’s finger tearing through her leggings. Another tear on the other side and a quick tug had her pants off. Destroyed, but off. Wyatt’s sharp claw made quick work of her underwear while she tugged her shirt over her head. She also managed to unhook her bra before he could play Edward Scissorhands with that. It was one of her favorites.

Once she was naked, she realized it was broad daylight and she was sitting in Wyatt’s lap. There was no hiding, all of her softness, her tummy, her creases were on display. She almost had time to become self-conscious before Wyatt attacked.

His mouth and hands were all over her. She could barely keep up with him. She wrapped her hands around his neck and scored her nails over his shoulders.

“God, I love your tits,” he said leaning down and drawing one of her nipples into his mouth with a hard pull.

“Tits?” She laughed, she’d always thought that was a tacky word.

“On you alone they are beautiful luscious breasts. When they are in my mouth they are tits and they’re mine,” he growled moving to her other nipple.

She couldn’t argue with that logic and the pull on her tight nipples was shooting shocks straight to her clit. Her pussy was already wet and she knew Wyatt could feel it. Her slick lips surrounded his cock and she rubbed the length of him seeking friction.

Wyatt moved a hand down between them and ran a finger up through her seeking her opening. His finger nudged the area below her pussy and said, “Lift.”

She did and watched as Wyatt grabbed the length of his cock and gave it a long hard pull before fitting it against her.

“Eyes, Jinger,” he ordered and she locked with his gaze.

“I love you, you are my mate and I am yours,” he pledged.

Jinger watched him and was desperate to feel him inside her. She realized he was waiting for her to accept. She did as she slid down his thick cock, sinking it deep inside straight to her womb.

“Forever,” she promised him, sealing her vow with a kiss.

Wyatt wrapped his arms around her back bringing his hands up to her shoulders and used his strength to pull her hard onto his cock. He rocked his hips up and then moved his hands to her waist letting her set the pace, mindful of her injury.

Jinger was not in the mood for slow and soft. She needed Wyatt hard and fast, something inside her demanding they seal their bond in a fiery explosion. She knew this was how it was supposed to be. Giant and overwhelming and perfectly amazing.

Leaning over Wyatt’s body she grabbed the back of the couch to gain a better angle to work her pussy down his cock. Using her muscles to grab his rigid length and squeeze each time he arched into her.

Their bodies were slick with sweat and with this angle the constant rub on Jinger’s clit was building her orgasm fast. She warned Wyatt that she was close, “Baby, I’m gonna…”

Wyatt wrapped one arm around her waist and another came up to the back of her head. He tilted her head to the side and growled “Mine” before sinking his elongated canines into the soft spot where her neck met her shoulder.

Jinger’s body exploded in flames, they burned but didn’t hurt. Her mind was a sea of fireworks, her heart pounding in her chest. She felt Wyatt’s teeth, but the pain was brief. The pleasure was like nothing she’d ever experienced. She could swear she could hear his heart beating, matching her own. And her heart felt bigger, wider, like it was melding with his. The fire burned brighter as her pussy clamped down and pulsed over the hardness inside her. Her pussy gushed with the sweetness of her release.

She screamed out his name as he released her neck and her back arched against the contractions in her muscles. She felt like it wasn’t going to end, she was floating, but the pleasure wasn’t fading.

Wyatt felt the first shudder of his climax as her blood touched his tongue. It tasted like her, sweet and spicy, his Jinger. His bear was roaring in his head, his mate was his. Forever.

“Jinger!” He roared out, the first spurt of cum that rocketed out of his dick had his thigh muscles cramping. It was beautiful torture. He came jet after jet, his cum coating the walls of her tight pussy. He knew his sperm was on a mission and he was cheering them on.

As his reality slowly returned Jinger lay limp across his chest. Her pussy still contracting around his softening cock. Her legs were shaking or were those his? He wasn’t sure. He leaned over and licked the wound on her shoulder. A tiny bit of him was sorry he hurt her. The larger part of him wanted to hire a marching band to parade her down the street with a spotlight shining on his mark.

He knew her feelings were roiling and she was trying to figure them out so he gave her some time. She was his and there was no need to rush now.

Jinger was in fact trying to decipher her emotions. But she kept getting distracted by the continuing shocks of pleasure spinning through her body. If that’s the kind of orgasm she got when Wyatt bit her, she was going to end up covered in scars. It would be worth it.

What she wasn’t working to understand was how she felt about Wyatt. The minute he bit her, it all became clear. Like someone had taken off her blinders. They were mates, lovers, best friends, and partners. And they always would be. It was so simple.

Leaning up she looked at a very satisfied Wyatt. He smiled at her and brought his hands to cup her face. “My gingersnap.”

“My Wyatt. I get it now. I can’t imagine that you love me any more than I love you, but I get it,” she told him, bringing her hands up to his face.

“We are going to have an amazing life together, my love,” he said his heart in his voice.

“Without a doubt. One long happy life,” she said, expecting him to agree. A look of horror washed across his face.

“Wyatt, what’s wrong,” she urged, he was scaring her. What was wrong with what she said?

“Shit, Jinger, did my mom tell you about how old I am?”

Jinger really wanted to torture him, but she was feeling too happy to be mean. “Oh, you mean about how you are actually forty-nine, almost fifty years old and that you age slower than humans and now I’m going to age slower too? You mean that little bit of information?”

“Wow, you are going to have to work on your sarcasm,” he chided.

Standing up and letting him slip out of her, she put her hands on her hips and said, “And you are going to have to work on your communication skills.” She turned to walk away and he grabbed her hand and pulled her back to his lap with a tug.

“I promise to work on being a better communicator. I will tell you every little thought that comes into my head,” he swore.

“Hmmph, why don’t I believe you,” she asked, knowing that teasing Wyatt Rochon was going to become a new favorite past time of hers.

“I’ve told you everything! Me, bear, what else is there,” he said giving her a fake pout.

Taking the opportunity she jumped back off his lap and took a number of steps back out of his reach.

“You forget I talked to your mother. And I’m telling you right now, we are not naming our first son Forest. That’s a stupid name!” she shouted and turned to stomp towards the bedroom with a smile on her face. She continued muttering knowing full well he could hear her, “Kid’s going to get beat up in school. Family logs trees and they name him one, dumbest thing I ever heard.”

Wyatt smiled at the retreating rear end of his mate, life was going to be fun with Jinger McCann.

“My gingersnap,” he said before jumping up to chase her down the hallway. She heard him coming and let out a squeal.

“Yup, life is good,” he thought, then went after his girl.