Bear Mine for Christmas: BBW Holiday Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance (Christmas Bear Shifter Romance Book 2) (8 page)

Madison and Karen decided to have the Christmas celebrations at Madison’s place to make things easier for Elsbeth, so Elsbeth sat by the fire while the other four brought everything over and stuffed it all into Madison’s kitchen. Sophia was no worse for the previous day’s adventure and worked far harder at her chores than usual, as if to make up for the trouble she’d caused. Madison worked quickly and cheerfully, making pies, full of nerves and excitement at the thought of seeing Brock again.

They stopped for a sandwich at lunchtime, and as they were starting up again, Brock knocked on the door, asking for the keys to the garage. His cheeks were glowing from the cold, and he looked rugged and tousled.

“We’ve got some extra meat, and it’s all ready to cook, but we figured that we’d leave it in the garage as it’ll take up too much space in the fridge,” he explained. 

“Perfect. Are you guys going to come hang out with us now?” Madison asked.

“Soon. We’ve got a couple more errands to run in the town first though.” Madison’s eyes were drawn to his lips as he spoke, the memory of their snatched kiss still fresh in her mind. He gave her a smoldering look that made her nipples harden beneath her bra.

“We’ll be back soon,” he said, and he was gone again.

*

When the three guys came back a couple of hours later, laughing and joking, Karen decided it was time for more mulled wine.

“It’s to fortify us against the cold,” she explained. They all sat by the fire and sipped them, while Abbey waited impatiently.

“Are we going to play now?” Abbey demanded, the second Karen had finished hers.

“Yes, let’s go!” Karen yelled, running for her coat. Sophia rolled her eyes, but put her coat on too.

“Are you guys coming?” Madison asked.

“You betcha!” Brock said.

“I think I’ll stay and keep Elsbeth company,” Grayson said, and Elsbeth looked at him, eyes bright with delight.

“Where we going?” Brock said as they left the house at a run.

“Just to the edge of the park,” Madison yelled over her shoulder.

“And why are we running?”

“Family tradition!”

As soon as they reached the snow-covered grass, Abbey aimed a snowball at Brock, which hit him on the side of his head.

“Hey!”

“That means she likes you!” Madison called. He laughed and shook the snow off his hair, in an instinctive, animal movement.

“Hey, Abbey!” Brock threw one back at her very gently, which glanced off her shoulder. She shrieked in excitement, and bent down, scooping up more snow to attack him again. Snowballs started coming in all directions as Karen and Riley joined in, everyone laughing hysterically, throwing them so fast that some of them weren’t even properly formed and fell apart on the way.

At one point, Brock hurled one at Madison from long distance, and it hit her right in the chest, narrowly missing her boobs. She tumbled backwards into the snow dramatically. Brock clapped his hand over his mouth and ran over to her.

“Oh God, I’m so sorry,” he exclaimed, falling onto his knees. “I don’t know my strength sometimes. Have I hurt you?” Her eyes had been closed, but now she opened them to see that his face was only inches from hers, his own eyes full of concern and guilt. She couldn’t tease him any longer.

“Nope!” she said. She brought her hand up and pressed a ball of snow against the back of his neck.

“Ow!” he yelled. “First you trick me and now you’re trying to kill me!”

“That’s just so dramatic!” she said.

“Yeah? How about this then?” He grabbed some snow and tried to put it under her scarf, but it was done up too tight. Eventually he gave up, dropping it back down on the ground, and instead, his freezing cold hand brushed her cheek. She shivered. Time seemed to stand still. Keeping his eyes on hers, Brock lowered his head, bringing his mouth closer and closer to hers, until their lips met in a soft crush. She sighed as her entire body tingled with euphoria.
God, how are his lips so soft?
She felt like they were melting against her own, his breath so warm in the freezing air. His lips parted and the tip of his tongue flickered against her lips, tasting her. She relaxed for a full, blissful five seconds, savoring the sweetness of his mouth against hers. And then she remembered the kids. She broke off and turned her head.
Where are they?
She couldn’t see any of them. They must have gone on to the ornamental garden to play hide and seek as they usually did.

“No-one’s watching,” she said, turning back to him.

“Good,” he replied, his hazel eyes burning into hers. He put his arms around her and melded his mouth with hers again. But this kiss was different. He moved on top of her, drawing her into his arms, and his mouth was fierce, hungry. His lips met hers with a biting intensity, and his tongue slid into her mouth, seeking out hers, invading her mouth deliciously. Her body cried out for him. Of their own accord, her thighs parted, encouraging him to slide between them, to put more of his weight on her. She had to stop herself from wrapping them around his waist and pulling him closer. He felt so good pressing against her, so hard and masculine. His hands were in her hair, tangling his fingers into it, tugging at it as if he couldn’t get enough of her.

“Madison,” he breathed, in between kisses. “You’re the most beautiful, unbelievable woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. I’ve wanted you for so long, and I can’t believe you’ve come back into my life.”

“You have?” she said, stunned.

“Ever since high school. I had such a crush on you then, but you always seemed so unobtainable. And then I heard that you’d gone to law school and got married, and it cut me. I knew that I had to put you out of my mind and get on with my life, but I never forgot about you. I was so shocked to see you when you came into our store that I think I stopped breathing.”

“Wow,” she said, temporarily incapable of saying anything more, and stroked the light stubble covering his jaw. His brow furrowed.

“Was that too full on?”

“No, not at all. I really liked you in high school too, but you also seemed unobtainable. I didn’t know that bears would be interested in dating humans.”

“You liked me? I had no idea.” His eyes were full of wonder as he lowered his head and drew her into a tender kiss. She sighed, holding him tight, waves of bliss rolling through her body.

After what felt like hours, they drew apart. It was already getting dark, and the park was bathed in the purplish light of twilight.

“We should probably get up off the snow. You must be freezing,” he said, a flicker of guilt showing in his eyes.

“No, not at all. You’ve been keeping me warm,” she said, taking the collar of his coat in her hands. He climbed off her carefully, and extended a hand to help her up.

“Wait!” she exclaimed, trying to push him onto his back, without much success. “Snow angels!” He laughed.

“Are you serious?”

“Of course!” She started moving her arms up and down in the snow. He watched her, transfixed, then he shrugged, lay down next to her, and did the same.

At last, she leapt to her feet, reaching out her hand to him. They surveyed their work.

“Pretty good,” he said, and tenderly dusted the snow off her back.

“Yeah. Although my angel looks ridiculously small next to yours,” she said, looking up at him. He grinned and put his arm around her shoulder, then kissed her, just by the corner of her eye.

They walked out of the park together and Brock kept his arm around her. She felt like she was walking on air as they passed onto the high street and several people gave them curious glances. He was treating her like she was his, and she loved it.

As they neared her house, Madison wished for a fleeting moment that there was no-one else home. She wanted it to be just Brock and her, snuggling up in front of the fire, kissing for hours. She opened the door, expecting to be greeted by voices and bustle. But it was all quiet.

“Where is everybody? They can’t still be out, surely?”

They went through to the kitchen. There was a note on the table:

“We’ve all gone over to Karen’s for a couple of hours. We’ll let you know when dinner’s ready. Love, mom xxx”

“Oh bless them,” Madison said with a chuckle. “They must’ve seen us and decided that we’d appreciate some privacy.”

“I don’t know whether to be pleased or embarrassed,” Brock said, his voice deep and rumbling.

“Same. But since we have the fire to ourselves, we should probably make the most of it. How about I make us a hot chocolate each to warm us up?”

“That sounds wonderful.”

She expected him to go and sit by the fire while she put a pan on the stove, but instead, he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“You’re so beautiful, Madison,” he said, planting butterfly kisses on top of her head. She restrained a sigh, euphoria filling her veins again. She leaned back a little, allowing him to support her weight, savoring the feeling of being protected.

The chocolate was ready and she poured it into two mugs and sprinkled it with cinnamon. It was thick, aromatic and delicious smelling. They went through to the living room, Brock draping his arm around her waist, as if he didn’t want to be out of contact with her. She added some wood to the fire and he sat down on the sofa and folded her into his arms, like something precious that he needed to wrap up and keep safe. As the heat from the fire warmed their bodies, they kissed and kissed again, slowly at first, exploring each other’s mouths, their hands hesitant, resting on hips and waists. But soon they couldn’t restrain their hunger, and their tongues lashed at each other, their fingers snatching at each other’s clothes. Brock slid a hand beneath her sweater, and touched the bare skin of the small of her back and she shuddered. He kept going, as far as her bra strap, and she arched her back, feeling her nipples harden and push against her bra. She’d been touching him politely so far, constraining herself to feeling the incredible bulging muscles of his biceps beneath his shirt, but now her hand shot beneath his shirt and she felt his abs. His muscles rippled beneath her fingertips, like the undulations of a mountain range. Little by little, her hand moved higher, until it came into contact with his pecs.
Oh my God
. She’d never felt actual pecs before. Digby was slim, but he didn’t pump iron. And she knew that Brock’s muscle was all natural, honed from hunting in his bear form and physical labor in his human form, which was far, far sexier than being a gym bunny. As her fingertip brushed his nipple, he sucked air in through his teeth, and his hands bit into her hips, drawing her closer. She was now pretty much on his lap and she could tell that he was hard. The discovery increased her own arousal, and a tingle blossomed between her thighs, quickly becoming a deep ache. Brock’s mouth moved off hers and onto her throat, peppering her with light, butterfly kisses and licks, slowly driving her crazy. She yearned for him to take her clothes off and kiss her like that all over.

“Madison, I want you so badly,” he murmured, his voice a purr. She drew back and held his gaze. There was such passion in his eyes.

“Mmm, me too,” she said. She bit her lip. They’d only just met – again – but she felt like they’d shared so much in the past day. And it felt so right. “Shall we take this upstairs?” she whispered.

“Yes,” he said immediately. They took a sip of their hot chocolate and giggled. It had long gone cold. Then, Brock swept her into his arms.

“I’m too heavy –” she started to say, but then she remembered how easily he’d carried her as a bear, and how tall and powerful his body was.

He carried her up the stairs in quick, athletic strides, pausing to kiss her half way.

She was glad that her bedroom was so cozy and welcoming, with a soft cream comforter on the bed. He deposited her in the center of it and knelt in front of her. Taking hold of the bottom of her sweater, he lifted it, along with the t-shirt she was wearing as an extra layer underneath. She held her breath, suddenly nervous, but he gave a deep rumble of appreciation as her soft stomach and large breasts were revealed to his hungry gaze. He cast her clothes aside and she reached for his shirt, quickly unbuttoning it. Her eyes swept over his pecs, his taut abs and the band of muscle stretching down to his pants, and she bit back a gasp. He had a gorgeous body. Totally stunning, like a work of art. But it wasn’t art, it was real. She laid her hands on him and felt the heat of his skin, its fine, velvety texture. His chest was a little hairy, just the way she liked it, with a sexy treasure trail disappearing into the fastening of his pants. And when she caught sight of the bulge in his pants, the ache between her thighs intensified and she felt lightheaded, overwhelmed with desire. He bent his head to her breasts and kissed her cleavage, reverently at first, but then more hungrily, moving onto her nipples, and licking and teasing them through her bra. She sensed that two forces were struggling inside him – the man who wanted to take his time to caress and explore her body, and the animal who wanted to tear her clothes off and take her hard. It was exhilarating, and she loved every second of it. It was like having sex with two men at the same time. The animal seemed to be gaining control as he grasped the zipper on her jeans and unfastened it. She turned onto her back and lay down flat. They were tight jeans, and difficult to take off, but he unpeeled them expertly. As usual, she was wearing contrasting underwear – a deep purple lace bra and cherry-pink panties, and there was no mistaking the approval in his eyes.