Big Strong Bear (11 page)

Sometimes, with a certain soft expression in his eyes, Cassie could still seen John, the man she’d known and loved when they were younger. Other times, the heat and passion and danger were much more a part of Hades, the man who’d come back to her.

She loved both sides of him equally. They made him who he was.

Her thoughts were interrupted as his hand left her face and reached down between her legs. With one small flick of his finger and a long, deep thrust that filled her with sensation, Cassie came apart again. This time, he was there with her, arms wrapped around her as she cried his name and dug her nails into his back. But even as the orgasm slowly ebbed, she could still feel him inside her, already prepping her body for the next one.

This time, Cassie moved her hips away from Hades, then pressed back into him. He let out a surprised gasp, then smiled with lust down at her.

He growled and kissed the base of her neck, then thrust into her again, this time fast and voracious and possessive all at once. The friction was so delicious, so wonderful, that she grasped onto his shoulders to try to hold off the quickly rushing orgasm building in her. Cassie could feel her body was all but spent, but it didn’t diminish even slightly how intensely good everything he did felt.

And as he moved more and more quickly, she could feel his body tensing and watched with anticipation as his breathing sped up, heralding what she’d been waiting for all night—no, ever since she’d first met him and felt he was destined to be her mate. The magical moment when two shifters came together and became one, mated and belonging solely to each other for the rest of time.

Cassie could still feel each amazing thrust, but her entire body was so alight with burning passion that she had to hold her breath. Every limb, every nerve, every inch of her skin was screaming Hades’s name, wanting to release, but not wanting what was happening to ever stop; it all felt so wonderful.

With one final thrust, Cassie felt her body at its absolute limit. Hades brought his hand and touched once over her center, and then everything inside her exploded. She felt Hades become harder than ever before. Then his body jerked as he went inside of her, the incredible sensation only stoking her now raging release to further heights. Everything swirled inside her, immeasurable pleasure and relentless release, the most powerful feeling she’d even experienced in her entire life as their bodies were joined together.

Through the haze of pleasure, Cassie watched as her mate rode out his release as well, muscles tightening and body tensed, gray eyes burning with passion
as they held each other, closer than they’d ever been before.

Slowly, second by second, the euphoria of the moment passed into a gentle, relaxed feeling that settled through Cassie’s entire body. He gave her one kiss on each cheek, then slipped out and curled his huge body protectively around her, making her feel safe and warm.

“I love you, Cassie,” John whispered into her ear as he pulled the covers up around them.

“I love you too, John,” she replied, nestling into his arms and the feel of his muscles surrounding her. “But you probably already knew that.”

“I’ve known it a long time, yes. But from here on out, it’s just you and me. Hopefully, along the way, you can see I’ve felt the same for you too, in spite of my mistakes,” he said, holding her close, his deep voice tickling the back of her neck slightly. “I won’t ever push you away again.”

“I won’t let you,” she murmured, holding him close. Wondering just how they’d gotten to this moment as she felt him relax in her arms.

She stroked his chest and listened to his breathing.

He’d come home from the war to his own personal hell, and she’d been in a hell of her own, built from the losses in her life and the loneliness.

But somehow, after the events of the past week, that had all been resolved. All the drama and the anger and the sadness was behind them, and what lay before them was the beautiful promise of forever with the man she loved and had always wanted to be with.

He’d once been king of the darkness, but she wouldn’t call him Hades anymore.

Because somehow, in finally coming together in the way they’d always been meant to, they’d transcended hell together and found something much more like heaven.

They were both finally home.

H
i
, thanks so much for reading Ares and Kat’s story. I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, I’d love for you to leave a review to help others find it! It really helps me as an author.

Click over for a deluxe sample of one of my other Bear books, Bearllionaire, which stars Ryder Hart, a billionaire bear shifter who owns the lodge Cassie and Hades stay at. If you haven’t read it, right now the whole series starring him and his brothers is in a brand new boxed set on Amazon, and if you have read it, it’s a great chance to get it through KU and read it again. It’s 2.99 for a limited time for all three books, when each book is usually 2.99 each. Or free through KU of course.

Here’s the link, and the sample is on the next page.

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J
anna sat
with her friends at the best table the gorgeous mountain lodge had to offer. It was on the upper floor overlooking the main hall and provided a great view of both the front door and the majestic, white-tipped mountains rising up around the isolated lodge.

In the small tourist town of Bearstone Park, there wasn’t a lot to do other than mingle with (or avoid) tourists. But the Bearstone lodge had become a fun place for the women to go once a week to catch up on their lives.

When Janna had first moved and found herself alone in a new place with no way to leave and nowhere to go, she’d found kindred spirits in Leslie and Kylie, and the three had been fast friends ever since.

“Oh my gosh,” Leslie murmured, setting down her mug and letting her jaw hang open as she stared at the front door. Janna turned to see what her friend was looking at.

“Wow,” Kylie said. “And doesn’t the one in the middle look familiar?”

“They
all
look vaguely familiar,” Janna said, narrowing her eyes on the three tall—no—enormous men entering the room and silencing it with their beauty.

The first was the most intimidating.

Dark hair curling around his face and collar in rough waves, a sharp face with dark eyes that were a clear, sparkling deep blue, even from a distance.

Janna felt her heart skip a beat when the man looked up into her eyes. A slow grin spread over his face. She blushed and pulled her chair back a bit, making herself less visible as she looked at the other men.

“Oh, the one on the end,” Kylie said, pointing at a tall man with golden-blond hair, ice-blue eyes, and a muscular, toned build. He wore a ski jacket and had his hands in his pockets, looking over the place like he was already bored.

“I recognize him. He was just in the X Games last year, wasn’t he? Didn’t he take gold in the half-pipe?”

“I think you’re right,” Leslie said. “Ryan… something?”

“Hart,” Kylie said, biting her lip and squirming a little in her chair.

Janna grinned at her friend’s overt attraction to the man below. Kylie was such a shy, bookish type but always tended to go for the athletes. Janna didn’t watch the X Games, so she couldn’t say she recognized the tall man, but she had to admit his only rival in beauty were the two other men standing with him.

Janna did, however, recognize the third man, who was standing between the other two.

His hair was a medium brown, slightly waved, with golden highlights strewn throughout, and he had tanned skin and hazel eyes. He was handsome, no doubt about it. But he also had a face that almost anyone in the world knew.

“Holy crap, that’s…”

“I know… Riley Hart.”

Kylie shook her head. “Do you think they’re all related?”

Janna didn’t answer. Her gaze had wandered, as if pulled by a magnet, back to the man who was leading the trio forward. Did she recognize him from anywhere? She must. What else would make it so hard to peel her eyes away? Her whole body felt melted into liquid want the longer she looked at him.

He and his brothers towered over everyone in the room, at around 6’7”, and he was clearly the leader, with his dark looks and sharp eyes. And when they reached the front of the room and talked to the front desk, she swallowed, trying to tear her gaze from his perfect, taut ass.

“I recognize
him
, too,” Leslie said, nudging Janna.

“What?”

“The one you’re slobbering over. That’s Ryder Hart. The tech mogul.”

Janna’s throat tensed and her heart stuttered. “I’ve heard of him. I didn’t know he looked like that.”

“Honestly, Janna, it’s like you’ve been living in a box.”

Janna shrugged, knowing they were right. Ever since she’d moved here and been so utterly disappointed, she’d not been very interested in men in general, preferring to simply work and keep her mind off the thought of any kind of future that involved males. And she had Leslie and Kylie to keep things interesting and to talk to if she got lonely.

Judging by the looks on her friends’ faces, however, neither of them suffered from any of the same hang-ups. “You want to go talk to them, don’t you?” Janna asked.

Leslie nodded. “Let’s go.”

Kylie fidgeted. “Are you sure? I mean, they could talk to anyone in the room.”

Leslie grinned, eyes sparkling, and tossed her soft, dark curls back over her shoulder. “That’s the thing, though. We’re women, and men like that will probably prefer our company to that of the hunters and hikers down there.”

“Oh,” Kylie said quietly, blushing as her eyes targeted in on Ryan’s ass again.

Janna set her mug down and looked at it drearily. When did she lose the ability to be excited when a beautiful man appeared? Maybe after she followed the last beautiful man who showed interest and it landed her here.

Her friends tittered about their plans to go approach while she sulked over her mug, but then she felt eyes on her. It was unmistakable. She was being watched. And just knowing it made her heat up inside, made her body forget the promises her mind was trying to keep to herself.

Just one night with a man like that…

No, she couldn’t think that way. She had a job now, a life, and friends. She didn’t need to be wrapped around a man’s finger. And Ryder Hart, with that devilish blue gaze, could definitely throw her life out of whack again.

R
yder Hart waited
for the front desk clerk with a rising sense of irritation. He couldn’t wait to make his move on the gorgeous brunette on the upper balcony. Her pretty dark skin and warm, sparkling brown eyes had caught his eyes the moment he walked in out of the cold.

Warmth at a time when he desperately needed it. He didn’t know exactly what it was that drew him to her, but he knew he wanted to get up there quickly and find out more about her.

The only trouble seemed to be she didn’t seem too eager to meet him, withdrawing from view when he had smiled at her. But he didn’t become a billionaire by not being able to close a deal and overcome objections.

What Ryder wanted, Ryder got.

And what Ryder wanted right now was to get his damn key and head up with his brothers to meet the luscious ladies and potential mates on the second floor.

“Which one do you like?” Riley asked, propping his sunglasses atop his head. With his tanned skin, killer smile, and pretty-boy features, Riley was braver with the women than either he or Ryan. Part of it might have to do with the fact that as the star of several breakout romantic films, there didn’t seem to be a woman in America or elsewhere that didn’t recognize him. Thus the sunglasses, even in the dead of winter.

“None,” Ryan said, folding his arms and leaning lazily against the counter. “I’m planning on you two being the ones to find mates while I kick back on the slopes.”

“Come on, bro, I promise there’s more to life than snowboarding,” Riley said, teasing.

Ryan shrugged. “If there is, I haven’t found it.”

“What about that little blonde checking you out up there?” Riley asked, nodding.

Ryan looked up to where Riley gestured and then shook his head, though Ryder thought he was more affected than he was trying to appear. “Pass. Not interested.”

“Ah, why not?” Riley asked. “Can I have her, then?”

Ryan sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. “See if I care.”

“What about you?” Riley asked Ryder.

Ryder kept his face carefully neutral. He didn’t want competition from his brothers on this. “The one in the middle.”

“Which one? Not the angry-looking one.”

Ryder frowned. “She doesn’t look angry.”

“Um, bro, yeah, she totally does,” Riley said, throwing his arm around Ryder’s shoulder. “Not good. I’d tell you to go for the one with the curls, but I thinks she’s going to warm
my
bed tonight.”

Ryder shook his head. “Don’t mess with the locals, Riley. We have a job here, remember? It won’t be good if you go getting on people’s bad sides in a small town.”

“Shit, I didn’t think of that,” Riley said, scratching his head. “Now what am I going to do?”

“Maybe keep it in your pants for once?” Ryan snapped.

“Yeah, because that’s what bears are known for,” Riley scoffed.

But then the clerk handed Ryder his key and his brothers’ banter faded into the distance. All he could see were warm, sparkling brown eyes watching him once again. And this time, he saw the quick bite of her lip that told him exactly what he needed to know.

She
was
affected by him; she just didn’t want to be. He started toward the stairs, not one to wait when he knew what he wanted.

“Wait, bro, hold up!” Riley jogged after him and Ryan followed. “Don’t you want to get our stuff to the room and unpack?”

“You can do it,” Ryder said. “I think I’ve found my mate.”

“Already?” Riley asked, eyes wide. “You’re kidding.”

“Who?” Ryan asked.

“None of your business,” Ryder retorted, scowling. “Now if you’ll excuse me…”

Riley scoffed. “Yeah, right. We’re coming.”

“We’re totally coming,” Ryan agreed.

Ryder heard and ignored them. He was a bear on a mission.

J
anna sighed
when the handsome man disappeared from view. Her friends were now trying to figure out what the men were doing in town and whether they should let them settle in before approaching.

Maybe it was time for her to call it a night and head out before the snow got worse.

“Guys?” she asked, interrupting them and pulling their attention her way. “I’m tired. I think I’m going to head home.”

Leslie sighed in disappointment. “Ah, you can’t go. We’ll stop the boy talk. It’s girls’ night after all. We haven’t even heard about Scott’s weekly shenanigans.”

Kylie nodded, also interested.

Janna’s stomach felt sour at the thought. She’d had fun regaling her friends with stories of her stupid ex and his exploits to get her back, but as he’d been getting more aggressive, it had become more unpleasant to talk about. And she didn’t want to admit it was honestly getting to the point that it was making her nervous.

“He hasn’t done anything of note this week,” Janna said quietly.

“Darn,” Leslie said, frowning. “He’s just so lame. It’s karmic justice to watch him failing all over the place with you.”

Janna nodded. When Scott had cheated, she’d felt the ground beneath her crack in half. Now he couldn’t have half that effect on her. He could still, however, make the ground shake a little. And she wished more than anything that he would just let her move on.

But when his woman on the side moved, he’d suddenly become interested in Janna again, which just affirmed what Janna already knew. That his relationship with her had been all about fulfilling needs and nothing else.

Still, Janna knew she was a smart, independent woman who had made a life for herself in this town even after tragedy, and that sustained her whenever he had the gall to come around.

Not that she’d complain if he stopped.

“You ladies mind if we join you?” A smooth, deep voice cut in. “We’re new in town.”

Leslie was the bravest and the first to look up. Janna knew it would be the men from below. The voice was so heart-meltingly sexy it could only match up with one of those gorgeous faces.

“Sure, join us,” Leslie said, and Janna groaned inwardly.

She tried to ignore the men, but she felt a chair pulled up right next to her, felt the heat of a large, male body beside her. Not touching, but close enough. She gritted her teeth and looked up into intent, deep blue eyes that made her breath catch in her throat.

Ryder Hart was even handsomer up close. Handsome wasn’t a strong enough word. With sharp features that could cut ice, long lashes, and unruly dark hair, he was movie-star gorgeous. Sort of like his movie star brother. But there was a keen intelligence in those dark blue eyes, and as he raked her from head to toe with his gaze, Janna got the feeling this was a man who was much more than his appearance.

Then he had the gall to reach out and touch her hair. And she had the gall to let him.

She drew in a short breath and felt warmth spread over her body as the rest of the table went quiet and watched them. He drew her hair behind her ears and leaned in closer, eyes still locked on hers, and then gazed down at her lips.

What was going on? It was like being caught in a spell. Maybe it was just because she hadn’t been with anyone in so long. Janna licked her lips and saw his eyes heat, and in the moment, she felt so beautiful, so utterly desirable because of that look, that she almost melted on the spot.

But then Scott’s face flashed in her mind and she sucked in a breath and pulled back, swatting away his hand. The spell was broken, and she heard awkward laughter from the others at the table. The man stood up abruptly, anger in his eyes. He folded his arms and appraised her as if he didn’t understand how or why she’d rejected him.

Janna ignored him and drank her coffee, avoiding Leslie’s wide-open eyes and Kylie’s dropped jaw. Of course they wouldn’t understand how she’d turned down such a good-looking, powerful man. But Janna had experience with good-looking, powerful men. And the faster and smoother the approach, the less she generally trusted them.

Janna pinned the man with a look (when she was calm enough to not appear openly aroused by him) and pushed his empty chair further away with one foot. “I don’t know where you’re from, but here it’s not polite to touch strangers before even introducing yourself,” she said.

His gaze on her was intense, and she inwardly cursed as she found herself being the one to break eye contact. Looking at him too long did something to her, something she didn’t like. Something that made her feel out of control, and Janna hated nothing so much as being out of control.

R
yder’s heart pounded
, and he told himself to calm down. Being rejected by the woman he was more and more sure was his mate had hurt him deep, but he knew she was a human. She didn’t know what he did, that it was something you could know in an instant. She affected him to his core just when he was touching her hair.