Grizzly Flying High (Air Bear Shifters 1) (14 page)

Sawyer picked absentmindedly at the grass growing next to the runway as he looked at the expanse of forests and mountains in front of him. God, he loved this place. It was in his blood, and it had been his everything for as long as he could remember.

But now, Amanda had crashed into his well-ordered world, and quickly become his everything. He had waited so long for the right woman. He had never imagined that, when he found her, she would ask him if he was willing to give up living in Frost Peak. Sawyer tried to close his eyes and imagine that he was sitting somewhere else, like a big city on the east coast, or a small town in Montana, or even in Seattle, where Amanda had lived just a short time before. But every time he tried to picture himself anywhere but here, it didn’t make sense.

Unfortunately, the only thing that made less sense than leaving Frost Peak was letting Amanda leave without him. He couldn’t believe that destiny had finally brought him his lifemate, only to have her ask him to leave behind the clan. Sawyer opened his eyes and looked around again at his home. He racked his brain, trying to think of a way to convince Amanda that things really were just in an unusual state of uproar right now. Normally, everyone wouldn’t be so goddamned sensitive about the fact that she was a human, but emotions were running too high for anyone to think rationally right now.

Just as Sawyer was about to lie down on his back on the grass and look at the clouds, he thought he heard someone calling his name from behind him. As he turned around again, looking for the source of the sound, he realized that the voice belonged to Amanda. Moments later, he saw her, running toward him on those long, beautiful legs of hers that seemed to go on for miles. Her hair, which had almost completely come loose from the ponytail it had been tied in, was flapping wildly around her face.

He smiled, forgetting for a moment the state of turmoil that his thoughts were in right now, and just enjoying for the moment the beauty of the woman that he loved as she raced toward him. She kept running until she was right in front of him, then skidded to a stop.

“Sawyer,” she said, panting for breath. “Hey.”

“Hey, you,” he said softly, then patted the ground next to him. “Want to join me?”

She nodded, and sat down, and neither one of them spoke for a few minutes. Finally, Sawyer broke the silence.

“I can’t count how many hours of my life I’ve spent out here,” he said, and looked wistfully out at the mountains. “This hangar and airstrip belonged to my dad long before I ever came along. When I was a little boy, I used to sit out here and watch my dad taking off and landing when he flew off to go pick up tourists for tours. He always yelled at me for getting too close to the runway. But I couldn’t help it. I loved his plane. I loved the roar of the engine and the big whoosh of wind that would hit me as it rushed past. I thought there was nothing in the world more incredible than flying. I still kind of think that, actually.”

“I take it your dad’s not around anymore?” Amanda asked.

“Naw, he died years ago. Peacefully, though, of old age. He’d had me really late in life. He was almost sixty when I was born, although you never would have known it by how much energy he had. The man was amazing.”

“What about your mom? Is she still around.”

“Nope. She was obviously much younger than my dad, but she died about six months after him. The doctors could never give me a reason. Honestly, I think she died of a broken heart. She was never the same after my dad passed away. They were each other’s soulmates. The truest of lifemates that I’ve ever seen.”

“Wow. That must have been really hard on you to lose your parents so close together,” Amanda said.

“Yeah, but I can’t complain too much. The time I did have with them was such a blessing. They were a great example to me of how to live life to the fullest, and of the value of waiting for true love and not just settling for the first decent option that comes along. Everyone thought my dad was never going to settle down. They worried that he wasn’t ever going to have a kid, and that there would be no alpha to succeed him when he died,” Sawyer said, then chuckled. “I think a lot of the clan members think I’m trying to be single for decades like my dad. But I was just waiting for the right person. My dad eventually found his one true love, and so did I. And thankfully I didn’t have to wait until I was almost sixty to find you.”

Amanda blushed and looked down at her hands, causing Sawyer to laugh again.

“You’re so adorable when you do that,” he said.

“Do what?” she asked, looking up at him in innocent confusion.

“Get all embarrassed and shy like that. When your cheeks turn pink it makes you look even more incredible than you already do. It’s all I can manage not to throw you down and take off your clothes right then and there.”

Sawyer’s words only made Amanda’s blush deepen, which only made his growing erection stiffer. He reached out and ran a finger gently across her cheeks, causing her to tremble and look up at him with earnest eyes.

“Look, Sawyer, about what I said earlier about leaving Frost Peak,” Amanda said, then trailed off.

“I meant what I said, Amanda,” Sawyer said, his voice earnest. “I’ll follow you anywhere. But I do think you should give Frost Peak a chance. The people here are really wonderful, once you get to know them. They’re going through a lot at the moment, but once things settle down and return to normal, you’re going to be blown away by how awesome they are. I know we’re not perfect, and I know I may be biased, but I really do think the Frost Peak Grizzlies are the best clan in Alaska.”

Sawyer felt his chest puffing up with pride as he spoke of his bears. Even though the rift among the bears had caused trouble lately, Sawyer knew that, deep down, all of his bears were wonderful people, full of talent and life.

Amanda let out a deep sigh, and looked at him with an almost sheepish expression on her face. “Actually, Sawyer, that’s what I came to talk to you about,” she said. “I realized after I stormed out on you that I’m truly happy out here in Alaska. I know things won’t be perfect, and I know it might take time for many of your clan members to learn to trust me. But I don’t really want to leave this place. I’m scared, but that’s not a good reason to make a decision.”

Sawyer held his breath, waiting for Amanda to continue. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, filled with hope that he was actually going to get to stay in Frost Peak
and
keep Amanda. He didn’t want to rush her, though. She was struggling with the right words to say, so he forced himself to keep his mouth shut and be patient with her.

Amanda bit her bottom lip and then smiled up at Sawyer, her face truly lighting up for the first time since she’d sat down next to him on the grass. “Besides, I’ve never been afraid to go against what people thought I should do. That’s why I left behind a successful career when I knew it wasn’t what I wanted, even though people told me I was a fool. As it turns out, a lot of those people who told me not to leave ended up being really jealous of me. They’ve emailed me and told me that they wish they’d had the guts to leave like I did. So, I figure, if some of your clan members think I’m a fool for being here as a human, well, that’s their right. But I think they’ll eventually come around, once they get to know me. I’m not letting other people’s opinions be my basis for making decisions any more. I have to follow my heart. And my heart says I should stay here with you.”

“You’re sure?” Sawyer said, wanting to know without a doubt that Amanda had made the decision she wanted to make.

Amanda nodded. “I’m sure. I’m here to stay.”

Sawyer let out a whoop, and then stood to his feet. “Come here, woman,” he said. He stood and held out his hand to her, pulling her up off the cool grass. He pulled her into his arms and planted a warm, meaningful kiss on her lips, and then let her go and started walking toward the hangar. He grabbed her arm and pulled her along with him.

“Where are we going?” she asked, giggling.

“You’ll see,” was all he said, letting out an impatient growl as he continued pulling her along. He was so excited that she had to run to keep up with him as he made his way to the cabinet behind the small desk in the corner of the hangar. He opened the cabinet, which was filled mostly with file boxes full of paperwork related to the tour business. But, at the very back of the bottom shelf, he found what he had been looking for. He pulled out a bottle of wine with a sleek, elegant label on it.

“You store wine in an airport?” Amanda asked. “That doesn’t seem like a very good idea.”

Sawyer laughed. “It’s the only bottle I have here. It’s a two hundred dollar bottle of wine. More expensive than anything I’ve ever drank before. I had some rich winery owner come up with his family one time. He bought the most expensive tour package, and, when he showed up, it turned out he was a bear shifter. Of course, he was excited to have a fellow shifter as a pilot, and we had a blast that weekend. When he got home, he mailed me this bottle as a bonus thank you for my piloting services. I’ve had it down here for a little over a year, saving it for a special occasion. I know this probably isn’t the best place to store a nice bottle of wine, but I kept it at the hangar because I thought maybe Chance and I would pop it open at the end of a particularly successful weekend or something like that. The timing has never seemed quite right, though. Until now.”

Amanda’s eyes widened. “You’re going to open that bottle for me? Sawyer, you don’t have to do that!”

“I want to,” Sawyer said. “What better to celebrate than finding my lifemate, and being lucky enough that she’s willing to stay in Frost Peak with me and take a chance on my clan?”

Sawyer reached into the top drawer of the desk and fished out a corkscrew, then removed the cork from the bottle. He reached down into the bottom drawer of the desk and pulled out two paper cups.

“I hope you don’t mind drinking expensive wine out of cheap, paper cups,” he said, looking at Amanda with a sheepish grin. “I know you’re probably supposed to have fancy glasses shaped the right way for this specific type of wine, but these cups are all I have here.”

“Hey, rules were made to be broken, right?” Amanda said, winking at Sawyer. If we wanted to drink this wine out of freaking sippy cups, then who’s to say we can’t? I think paper cups are perfect.”

Sawyer grinned at Amanda, and handed her a cup of wine.

“Cheers,” he said, his heart filling with joy as he held his own small cup of wine up to her.

“Cheers,” she said. “Here’s to our future.”

“Our future,” Sawyer agreed. Then he took a long sip of his wine. It was the best wine he had ever tasted, and he had a feeling that this had more to do with the company than with the wine itself.

Amanda laughed so hard that she nearly spilled her cup of wine. Was this her third glass? Fourth? She had been having so much fun sitting here laughing and talking with Sawyer that she’d lost track. It’s not like each refill could count as a full glass, anyway. The paper cups were small. Still, Sawyer and she were making quick work of that bottle of wine. And damn, it was good wine. Sawyer had spread a blanket out for them so that their little drink break felt almost like a real picnic, and Amanda was loving their impromptu date. They had both kicked off their shoes and socks and were wriggling their toes against each other’s feet. The moment felt intimate and perfect.

Amanda had all but forgotten the tension from earlier in the day. Now, as she sat on the floor of the hangar with him, leaning against the wall and laughing until tears filled her eyes, she couldn’t imagine leaving this place. She wanted to spend every day with him, feeling just as wonderful as she did right now.

As she wiped at her eyes, she looked up to realize that Sawyer had stopped laughing. Instead, he was staring at her with blazing heat in his eyes. He seemed to be almost looking through her, and into her soul. She met his gaze, trembling a bit under the intensity of it but not wanting to look away.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said. “So goddamned beautiful. Your eyes especially. They’re so full of life and sparkle. I could look into them forever.”

Amanda smiled, and then closed her eyes as Sawyer leaned in for a kiss. He reached his hands up to brush away wisps of hair from her face, and every time his skin made contact with hers, Amanda’s trembling increased. The way he made her feel was nothing short of incredible. He took her face in his hands, and she was on fire again. The familiar flame began burning from the very center of her core, spreading outward to every part of her body and demanding to be fed by his touch. Without breaking his kiss, she reached to set her wine cup behind them, and then followed his lead by taking his face in her hands.

She lost track of time as they continued kissing, his tongue slipping past her lips and running over her teeth, and then over the roof of her mouth. He pulled her down from a sitting position onto the floor, so they were lying side by side, drinking each other in as their tongues danced. Amanda draped one of her legs over Sawyer’s legs, pulling him closer and smiling as she felt his erection, large and stiff, pushing through his jeans. Every fiber of her being was on fire, consumed by the heat of the muscular man lying next to her. She began to feel like she would burn up from within, and when Sawyer reached down to pull her shirt off, she breathed a sigh of sweet relief as the cool air in the hangar hit her bare stomach.

Once her shirt was out of the way, Sawyer slid down so that his tongue could reach her bellybutton, and he drew a little, wet circle around it. Then he drew a long, wet line from the top of her bellybutton up to the valley between her breasts. The air hitting her damp skin left a cooling feeling, which mixed with the heat filling the rest of her body and left Amanda with an overload of sensations. She arched her back and moaned, trying to find relief from the intensity but craving more of it.

And more was definitely coming. Sawyer’s teasing was far from over. He slid his hands behind her back and unclasped her bra, pulling the back straps with him as he brought his hands back to her front. He slid the shoulder straps off, and then threw the bra aside, leaving Amanda’s full, round breasts exposed to the air as they rose and fell with the rapid rhythm of her breathing.

With a fierce, low growl, Sawyer moved his mouth over Amanda’s right breast and sucked as much of it into his mouth as he could manage. He used his thumb and forefinger to stroke the hard nipple of her other breast as he used his warm tongue to massage the breast in his mouth.

Fireworks shot through Amanda’s body. She was in heaven as tingling heat filled her to the point where she felt as though she would explode. She arched her back again, trying to find some relief from the intensity of Sawyer’s touch, but he offered no mercy. At some point, he switched his mouth to her other breast, but Amanda barely noticed the change. She was too caught up in the swirling pleasure that kept her right on the edge of totally losing control.

After taking his time with her breasts, Sawyer scooted down to unbutton Amanda’s jeans. He pulled down the zipper, and then pulled off her jeans and underwear in one quick motion. Amanda could tell his own impatience was growing. He wanted more of her, and he was getting tired of waiting. He quickly slid his face between her legs, and nuzzled her mound of curls. Amanda felt shivers running up and down her back. She tried to move, but all she could do was moan again. Her body was too full of tingling pressure right now to do much else.

That tingling pressure grew dangerously close to exploding as Sawyer slid his tongue into Amanda’s dripping wet folds. He lapped at her juices, sending fresh shockwaves of pleasure through Amanda’s body. He used his tongue to massage her clit, and Amanda gasped as she tried to hold on a little longer before completely giving in to his touch. But when he slipped his tongue deep inside her again, she could hold out no longer. With a long, satisfied scream of his name, she let go. The relief and pleasure that she felt was immense. Spasms of pure ecstasy rocked through her body, her core clenching and releasing over and over as the heat and tingling slowly gave way to a soft, warm buzz.

Amanda tried to focus—tried to speak to Sawyer and say something to tell him how good it felt—but she couldn’t manage to form words right now. She could only moan softly, her panting breath coming out in quick, happy gasps.

“Shhh,” Sawyer said, sliding up so his face was even with hers. “Just relax and enjoy the moment.”

Amanda sighed happily, and reached to brush a strand of sweaty hair from her face. She was sure she looked like a literal hot mess right now, but Sawyer didn’t seem to mind. He was still looking at her with the same blazing heat in his eyes that always made her stomach do somersaults.

After giving her a few moments to rest, Sawyer smiled as he bent his head to kiss her. “Ready for round two?” he asked. Amanda’s grin was all the confirmation he needed. He quickly jumped up and tore off his t-shirt, then moved his fingers to the button of his jeans. Amanda marveled again at his sculpted stomach, and marveled even more at his muscular thighs, which flexed deliciously as he stepped out of his jeans. She had never seen such a gorgeous man. It was hard to believe that he was all hers. She watched as he pulled his briefs off and allowed his erection to spring free. The sight of his long, thick shaft standing stiff and erect for her was more than she could take, and she let out another moan.

Sawyer slid back to the ground, and hovered over Amanda. He planted another kiss on her nose, and looked at her with so much love and passion that Amanda thought her heart might burst.

“Like what you see?” he asked, his voice low and husky.

Amanda nodded. “Very much so,” she said, her own voice low and full of heat.

“Good,” Sawyer said, and growled in approval. “Because I like what I see, too.”

And then slowly, gently, he slid into her. Amanda closed her eyes and focused completely on the sensation of him filling her. His large shaft slipped deeper and deeper into her, pushing against her inner walls and sending a fresh wave of heat radiating through her body. She closed her eyes and gave herself over completely to the moment, letting him fill her body and soul. He thrust into her with calculated, purposeful movements, and it didn’t take long for the waves of release to come crashing over her again with warm relief. Her inner muscles clenched around his dick, which throbbed as well as he stiffened and found his own release.

For several minutes, he lay there on top of her, careful not to crush her but not seeming to want to disconnect their bodies just yet. Amanda drank in the moment, realizing that this was the kind of happiness that had eluded her for so long, despite her success. This was the kind of happiness you only got from having your own soul truly intertwined with the soul of another.

When Sawyer finally rolled off of her, Amanda shivered as the cool air hit her sweaty body. Sawyer smiled tenderly at her and pushed her hair back from her face, although Amanda knew the pesky strands would fall in her eyes again after a few seconds. Her ponytail had come completely undone, and her long strands were a mess. But Sawyer seemed to only see beauty, as he bent and kissed her nose before standing up.

“You’re shivering,” he said. “Let me grab your clothes for you.”

He tossed Amanda her clothes and she quickly dressed, grateful for the warmth. The weather was mild during Alaska summers, but still cool enough that being sweaty and naked made her shiver, especially in the cooler hours of the late afternoon.

Sawyer dressed as well, and while he was pulling his t-shirt back on, Amanda noticed that her cup of wine had spilled on the blanket during their romp.

“Oh, no! My wine spilled,” she said, standing up and lifting the blanket to the light to inspect the stain.

“Don’t worry about it,” Sawyer said. “It’s an old blanket. No worries if the stain doesn’t come out.

“Still,” Amanda said. “That’s awfully expensive wine to waste.”

“It was just a little bit,” Sawyer said, and then winked at her. “Besides, I think that experience was worth a few spilled drops of wine.”

Amanda blushed, and was about to say something when the front door to the hangar opened and Chance walked in.

“Chance,” Sawyer said, sounding genuinely surprised. “What are you doing here? I thought you didn’t have any tours going on today.”

Chance looked uncomfortable, and clearly hadn’t been expecting to see Sawyer and Amanda there. He glanced at the blanket in Amanda’s hands and the empty bottle of wine on the floor, and then back at Sawyer and Amanda. Amanda blushed as she realized that it was pretty obvious what had been going on here. Chance probably would have known, anyway, since the shifters could smell “sex,” whatever that meant. Amanda was still kind of weirded out by that whole idea, and was actually glad in that moment that she wasn’t a shifter. The shifters all seemed to think this ability was perfectly normal, but she wasn’t really interested in always knowing when someone had just had sex. No, thank you.

“What are you doing here,” Chance countered, crossing his arms. “You didn’t have any tours today, either. Although it doesn’t take a genius to see that you haven’t been flying today.”

Sawyer shrugged and put his arm around Amanda’s shoulders. “What can I say, man? She’s irresistible.”

Amanda was pretty sure her face was beet red, but Chance didn’t seem to notice. In fact, he seemed really preoccupied and almost nervous.

“Look, Sawyer,” Chance said. “I came out here to get copies of some of my flight records. I wasn’t going to tell you until tomorrow, but, since you’re here, I guess I might as well drop the bombshell now.”

Amanda felt Sawyer’s body stiffen next to her. “Drop what bombshell?”

“I’m leaving Alaska.”

“
What?
”

“I’m leaving, Sawyer. That crew of smokejumping shifters we know down in California is looking for a permanent pilot, and I agreed to take the job. I know you’re not happy to hear that, but, the truth is, I need some space from this place. You’re one of my best friends, and I support you no matter what. But it’s hard for me to see the clan so divided. I think we’d all be better off if you had banished the dissenters. But you already know that.”

“I made the choice I thought was best, as alpha,” Sawyer said, his voice tight.

“I know,” Chance said. “And I respect that. I respect you. I just need some space. Anderson can take over for me as second in command while I’m gone.”

“So, because you don’t agree with me, you’re just going to run away?” Sawyer asked, his voice taking on a slightly incredulous tone.

Chance sighed. “It’s not running away, Sawyer. And it’s not anything I’m doing to try to question your authority or get back at you. I’ve just been really restless for a really long time, and this is the nail in the coffin. I don’t feel at home here, with all these different factions and this shifter taking sides against that shifter and so on and so forth. It’s too much. I need space. I need to walk down the street without feeling like I need to defend my choices or who I am. I need to breathe.”

“I see,” Sawyer said, his voice still tight. “Are you going for good?”

“I’m leaving indefinitely,” Chance said. “Meaning I plan to come back, but I’m not sure when.”

Sawyer was quiet for several long moments, but, finally, he looked up at Chance and gave a sad smile. “If that’s really what you feel you need to do, then I’ll give you my blessing,” he said. “But I’m gonna miss the hell out of you.”

The relief that washed over Chance’s face was unmistakable. “Really? You’re not going to fight me on this?”

“No, I’m not,” Sawyer said. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that when a bear needs to roam, you have to let him roam. So go. Get some space, if that’s what you need. But I hope you come home sooner rather than later.”

Chance was speechless. He reached over and pulled Sawyer into a big bear hug, clapping him heartily on the back a few times for emphasis. Then he turned to Amanda and gave her a hug as well. “You’re alright, Amanda,” he said. “I’m sorry for the trouble I made with Sawyer about your being human. I’m just trying to watch his back, but I can see he’s very happy with you, and that’s all that really matters. The rest of the clan will come around.”