Bearing the Whiteout (Ice Bear Shifters Book 2) (8 page)

The meeting officially adjourned, and Eric and Delaney headed out amidst congratulations from other clan members on their engagement. Delaney beamed as she climbed onto the snowmobile behind Eric for the short ride back to his cabin. Her place in the clan was secured.

A few minutes later, they arrived at Eric’s cabin, and he swept her off her feet up into his arms to carry her over the threshold.

“That was quite a show you put on back there during the meeting,” he said.

Delaney shrugged. “I wasn’t going to lose you just because your alpha has a big temper.”

Eric threw back his head and laughed. “I’m beginning to see that someone is used to getting her way.”

Delaney smirked. “Only when I’m right. Which is most of the time.”

Eric laughed again, and set Delaney down on his couch, then leaned down to kiss her lips. “Well, I’m definitely glad you got your way on this one, my beautiful life mate.”

“Oh, I’m not done getting my way,” Delaney said, lowering her voice to a sultry tone. “I have some plans for you tonight, mister.”

Eric laughed as Delaney pulled him down onto the couch. “Oh, is that so? And what if I resist?”

“It would be better for you if you don’t,” Delaney said, then covered Eric’s mouth with hers and pressed her body against his.

With urgency, she stripped down his jeans, and wriggled out of her own pants. She was already dripping wet. She had been waiting to have him alone again, to have a chance to bond with her life mate again.

“You’re not wasting any time, are you?” Eric said, his voice husky.

“I want you, and I want you now,” Delaney said, then straddled him and slid over his stiff erection. She moved up and down with urgency, relishing the feeling of growing, tingling pleasure. It didn’t take long for passionate heat to fill her body and overtake her. She cried out as the first waves of orgasm hit her, letting the release wash over her like a flood. She rode the swells of pleasure loudly, moaning with ecstasy. But she wasn’t satisfied with just one ride. As her first orgasm subsided, she pulled Eric over onto his side, and then on top of her.

“Take me again!” she pleaded.

He happily obliged.

They made love like their lives depended on it, all afternoon long. As the final rays of sunlight disappeared over the horizon, they lay in a tangled, sweaty mess in each other’s arms. Delaney sighed happily and snuggled into Eric’s arms—into her life mate’s arms. Her last thought as she drifted to dreamland was that it had been a long time since she’d felt so tired and happy all at once.

A few weeks later, Delaney stood with Eric in front of a small clearing of land that was nestled in a grove of pine trees. Snow and ice still covered the ground, but soon it would be melting, and Delaney and Eric would be building a new cabin on this plot. Best of all, Ryker and Kenzie’s cabin stood just a few hundred feet beyond the trees. Delaney could hardly wait to be neighbors with Kenzie. She had spent a lot of time with her new friend over the last several weeks, and the more she got to know Kenzie the more she loved her.

“Are you sure this is the spot you want? Neal purchased this whole stretch of land for the clan, so we have a lot of options.”

Delaney nodded. “This is the spot. It’s perfect. I love how it’s secluded in this pine grove. And it’s the closest lot to Ryker and Kenzie. I’m so excited to move next to them.”

Eric smiled and put his arm around Delaney. “Me too. I’ve enjoyed my place in town, but it will be nice to have the whole clan next to each other again.”

The pair were silent for a few moments, taking in the snowy ground where their future home would stand.

“So…” Delaney said, with a twinkle in her eye. “How many bedrooms should we build?”

“Hmm,” Eric said, playing along with Delaney. “Well, there’s just the two of us, so I guess we only need one bedroom. What do you think?”

“I guess one bedroom is good. Although, you never know when you might want to add a cub or two to the mix.”

“True. So maybe two bedrooms? One for us and one for the cub?”

“Maybe four bedrooms.”

“Four bedrooms? That would be three cubs!” Eric said.

Delaney shrugged. “Gotta rebuild the clan somehow.”

Eric chuckled, and kissed the top of Delaney’s head. “Nothing would make me happier than having a cub with you. Except maybe having three cubs with you. We’ll build four bedrooms, and we’ll fill them with beautiful little cubs. As many as you want.”

Delaney grinned, then sighed. “Too bad we have to wait on the weather to start building. It would have been so nice to have a cabin ready to move into right after our life mate ceremony.”

“We could push the life mate ceremony back, if you want? A few months from now the cabin should be done.”

Delaney shook her head. “No way. Don’t think you’re getting out of marrying me next week, Eric Caldwell!”

Eric laughed and hugged Delaney tighter. “I want nothing more than to be your life mate. But I want the ceremony to be everything you dreamed of.”

“It will be, because I’m getting
you
for a life mate. What more could I ask for?” Delaney said, then tilted her head up to give Eric a soft kiss on the lips.

“Well, there is one thing you haven’t asked for, but I know you want,” Eric said.

Delaney gave him a quizzical look.

“Come with me,” he said, and walked a few feet over to where their snowmobile was parked. He opened the storage compartment and pulled out a large paper bag, then handed it to her. When she peeked inside she saw a box wrapped in colorful gift wrap.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“Open it and see,” Eric said.

Delaney pulled off her gloves and set them on the seat of the snowmobile, then carefully tore away the wrapping paper. Underneath, she found a box for a brand new, top of the line professional camera.

“Eric! This is the best digital camera on the market right now. I’ve been drooling over this model since it came out two months ago. This is for me?”

“Of course it’s for you, silly. I’ve had it for the last week, and have been trying to decide on the perfect time to give it to you. This moment just felt right, with you standing there near our future home, your eyes sparkling as you make plans for our future family. I know you were really sad about losing your camera in the fire at the shelter. Obviously, this camera can’t replace the pictures you lost on your old camera’s memory card. But hopefully it can be the start of a brand new set of photographs and adventures.”

“Eric, this is amazing. Thank you! I don’t even know what to say, except thank you.” Delaney opened the box and pulled the camera out of its plastic wrapping. It was an exquisite piece of equipment. She had owned some very nice cameras before, but this one blew all of her other cameras out of the water.

“I got a memory card for you, too. It should be in the box there somewhere.”

Delaney peeked in the box again and saw the memory card resting against one of the corners. She pulled it out and put it in the camera. When she flipped the power switch to the “on” position, she was pleased to see that the battery came partially charged. She furrowed her brow and started making adjustments to the settings.

Eric smiled as he watched her. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to give up your photography just because you’ve decided to settle down in one spot with me. There are so many beautiful things to photograph around here. And we still need to get you some sunrise and sunset shots. I hope this camera helps you hone your photography skills, and brings you years of enjoyment.”

“It’s perfect,” Delaney said, holding the camera up and peeking through the viewfinder. “I’ll be able to get so many great shots with this. And once I get to know the area around here better, I’m going to really be able to work some magic behind this lens. Here, go stand over there.”

Delaney pointed to a spot a few feet away in front of the clearing that would one day hold their cabin. Eric obediently trudged over to the spot.

“Now, smile,” she said. Eric smiled and Delaney adjusted a few settings on the camera, then clicked the shutter. She pulled back and looked at the picture on the small display screen. There, captured for all time, was a portrait of her life mate, standing on the verge of their future. His smile lit up her heart, and melted away the loneliness she had felt for so long. The picture was perfect. He was perfect.

Delaney was finally home.

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There are bears walking among us. Sloane Meyers is devoted to telling their stories.

Sloane thinks we could all use a little escape in our lives. And what better way to shake up the ordinary than to transport yourself to the mysterious world of those who have an animal within them, roaring to be let out. Sloane promises hot shifter males, and spunky, spirited heroines—with NO cliffhangers! Each book can be read as a standalone.

When she’s not busy crafting bear tales, Sloane enjoys a good glass of wine, preferably shared with good friends. She loves reading, baking, and pretending that she’s actually a music buff. On weekends, she spends a lot of time in the great outdoors, hiking with her own sexy alpha and adorable little cub.