Her Bear for Life (BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance) (Second Chance Shifters) (3 page)

Chapter Six – Drake

He could understand the heartbreak Mia had felt when he didn’t answer her letters. He’d felt

the same way when she vanished without a word. But he couldn’t help but be disappointed that she’d given up and chosen to travel the world instead of come back to him.

“I wanted to tear the country apart to try and find you, but I couldn’t,” Drake said, and he knew Mia understood his censure when her lips turned down.

“I know that, Drake, I do, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I trusted my mom to tell you where I’d gone. I should have known that you wouldn’t just ignore me… but it’s easy for the head, and the heart, to give in to the negative thoughts. My dad warned me that I was too young, and that a man like you wouldn’t suffer being alone for long. I believed him.”

Drake lifted his hand and caressed the soft apple of her cheek.

“I’ve never wanted anyone but you, I can promise you that. And, as much as I wish you’d come to me when you turned eighteen, I won’t lie and tell you that I didn’t feel angry and betrayed. That’s what kept me from contacting you once I joined the sheriff’s department and had the ability to locate you myself. I wanted you to come to me. I needed it to be your choice. And though it wasn’t your choice, I’m still happy that you’re home.”

Bringing her hand up to cup his on her cheek, Mia responded, “Me too. And, I swear, Drake, if I’d known what my parents were up to, I’d have come to you. But with the way things were, I just needed to get away from it all and prove that I could make it on my own.”

Drake dropped his hand and shut his eyes briefly, thinking of all they’d missed. Hell, they could have been married with a den full of cubs by now.

“Are you okay?” she asked softly.

“I will be,” he responded, offering her a small smile before amending his answer. “We will be.”

Satisfied that they’d resolved enough for now, they cleaned up the kitchen together.

“I have to go in to the station for a little while, do you want me to drop you at the hospital?”

“Yes, please, that would be great. Let me run up and get ready.”

Once there, Drake parked in front of the hospital to drop Mia off.

“I should only be an hour, two at the most, will that work for you?” he asked.

“Yeah, that should be good,” Mia said, looking at the clock. Though the nap had helped, she was still exhausted. A couple of hours with her mom, then bed, sounded perfect.

“Okay, give me your phone,” he ordered, taking it from her and typing in his number. “Text me so I have yours, then let me know if you need me earlier.”

“Okay,” Mia replied.

When she didn’t immediately open the door and get out, Drake asked, “You good?”

Mia turned to him, her long hair flipping over her shoulder and revealing the tip of his mark on her. At the sight of it, Drake felt his bear rumble possessively and his dick immediately harden.

Oblivious to Drake’s desire, she leaned in and kissed him softly on the mouth.

“Thanks,” she said, leaning back and looking in his eyes. “I’m happy I’m back too.”

Still smiling, she pushed open the door and climbed out, leaving Drake gripping the steering wheel.

He couldn’t wait to get her back in his bed.

Taking a deep breath, Drake pulled away from the curb and drove to the station, parking in his sheriff’s spot right out front.

He wasn’t surprised to see Tyson still there, but his dispatcher, Alice, was usually long gone by now.

“What’s going on?” he asked as he walked toward Alice’s desk. Ty was leaning over the back of her chair, and they both had their eyes locked on the computer, so Drake rounded the desk to see what had them so captivated.

“I got a call from Earl,” Alice began. Earl was a PI from a couple counties over who had a crush on Alice, who was sixty if she was a day, and had been happily married for forty years. Still, his infatuation sometimes worked in their favor, when he caught cases that intertwined with theirs. “Apparently, some hoighty toighty big shot up in Upstate New York hired a guy to find this really expensive artifact.”

He looked to the screen where she pointed and saw what looked to be an old clay bowl or vase or something, probably an artifact from one of the local Indian tribes.

“What does that have to do with us?” Drake asked.

“Well,” Ty answered, easing back to standing. “The thug that was hired fits the description of the robber from Mia’s mom’s.”

“You think he was looking for that?”

Ty shrugged one shoulder and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“Mia does have Sioux in her blood, on her mom’s side. Wouldn’t surprise me if something like this was in Ms. Carter’s hope chest or something.”

“It’s not like we can ask her,” Drake replied, running a hand over his hair. “I’ll talk to Mia, see if she’ll give us permission to search the place.”

“And maybe we should have Ricky keep an eye out, just in case this guy tries to come back and toss the house,” Ty said, referring to the retired sheriff who lived across the street from Mia’s mom.

“Yeah, call him. And have Mika drive by a couple times during his shift tonight,” Drake told Ty, speaking of his sergeant who preferred to work nights, as he moved over to his desk and slid in. “Tell Earl to send me everything he’s got on this Upstate character and on the thief. Mia’s at the hospital, she needs some time with her mom. I’ll try to get us into the house first thing tomorrow.”

“Sounds good,” Ty replied. “Just shoot me a text and let me know if you want me to meet you there.”

Drake grunted in response, already caught up in emails and searches. If this guy was still in town, they needed to find him and get him in for questioning before he hurt anyone else. If there was one thing Drake couldn’t abide, it was a man who harmed women and children, and he knew his clan felt the same way.

He needed to solve this case as the town’s Sheriff before his clan urged him to solve it as their Chief.

Chapter Seven – Mia

Mia realized she must have dozed off in the chair in her mother’s hospital room. One second she was reading to her mom from Little Women and the next she was being shaken awake by Drake.

She’d found the copy of her mom’s favorite book in the gift shop and figured it would be a great way to pass the time while letting her know she was with her. Mia didn’t get too far into the book before jet lag caught up with her. The March women hadn’t really even met Laurie yet…

Sitting up quickly, she blinked her eyes and tried to focus on Drake.

“How long have I been here?”

“I dropped you off about two and a half hours ago. I didn’t hear from you, so I worked a little longer than I’d planned.”

“Oh, okay,” she replied sleepily, her head turning toward the bed her mother was laying in. “Do you think she knows I’m here?”

“Yeah, babe, she knows,” he replied sweetly, helping her stand. “Let’s get you home and in bed.”

Mia wasn’t so tired that his suggestion didn’t light a fire in her belly. She smiled jauntily at him and said, “Can’t wait to get me back in there, huh?”

Drake’s eyes locked on hers, his pupils dilating as he growled deep from his chest. He lowered his head, stopping before his lips touched hers, barely a breath apart. “I’ve thought of nothing else.”

Mia’s eyes fluttered shut as the moment filled her. The spicy smell of him, the heat of his breath on her lips, and the effect his words had on her all threatened to consume her right where she stood.

She felt the tip of his tongue flick out and wet her plump lower lip, then he was gone.

“Let’s go,” he said, and she opened her eyes just as he tugged her hand and urged her toward the exit.

They were back at his beautiful cabin before long, and as Mia walked up the walkway, she thought how lovely it would be to come home to this every night.

This house.

This life.

Drake.

Mia realized that she wanted that, badly. She’d enjoyed her years traveling the world and rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous, but deep down she was still the same small town girl she’d been when she left at fifteen. She wondered what her agent would say if she told him she wanted to give it all up.

She didn’t even need to wonder what her father would do. He’d throttle her.

He’d always hated Drake, which was unfair, since he’d never met him. But her father had always been quick to say bad things about him. He said Drake was using her, that he only wanted her for one thing, that he’d never amount to anything.

Mia felt foolish for believing him all these years, for trusting that he knew what was best. It made her wonder what else he’d lied about.

“Are you hungry?” Drake asked when they entered the house. “I was thinking of making a sandwich.”

“Um, sure, that sounds great,” Mia replied, then added, “But just half of one for me.”

She was sitting in her same spot from earlier, nibbling on the last of her sandwich, when she noticed her sleeve fall down to expose her shoulder. Mia was about to fix it, when she noticed Drake’s eyes on her.

He was staring at her exposed flesh, at the mark he’d left on her skin just that morning. When Drake’s teeth had punctured her skin, Mia had been initially shocked, then an orgasm unlike anything she’d ever felt had rocked through her. She wasn’t sure if it was because he was a bear and she was human, or if there was some other significant reason for her body’s reaction to his bite, but Mia knew it was a sensation that she’d never forget for as long as she lived.

Seeing Drake’s eyes heavy on her, she knew he was thinking about the same thing she was, and need hit her like a ton of bricks.

Mia brushed the crumbs off her hands before standing and closing the distance between them. Drake kept his eyes on her, his breath already shallow from the knowledge of her intent. She opened his knees and stepped between his legs, whipping her shirt over her head so her heaving breasts were visible as they spilled over the cups of her bra.

Drake’s eyes moved lazily down, stopping at his mark again briefly, before traveling to her ample breasts. Mia unhooked her bra and slid the straps slowly down her arms, letting gravity take the lacy material to the ground. When they were naked before him, Mia ran her hands up her stomach, over her perfectly rounded tits, then to her hardened nipples, pinching them between her fingers.

Drake’s tongue darted out to wet his lower lip, and she knew he was imaging his mouth in place of her hands.

Getting lightheaded as desire coursed through her, Mia bit back a groan as her panties got wet.

Drake’s nostrils flared, and she knew he could scent her arousal, which only fueled her desire even further. His face was gorgeously aroused—eyes dark and heavy, cheeks flushed, and lips wet—and Mia wanted nothing more than to devour him, but decided to tease them both a little longer.

Still moving slowly, seductively, Mia removed her pants, but kept her lace panties on. She put her hands on Drake’s thigh as she stepped out of them, and smiled at his sharp intake of breath at her touch. Once she was free of them and was back on her feet, Mia moved her hands from his thighs to hers, and began sliding them up.

Drake’s attention was rapt, his gaze never moving from her hands as they glided up over her hips, before caressing her stomach and teasing the band of her panties. Her breathing became labored as she ran one hand over the top of her panties and down over her clit, just barely skimming the spot that was screaming for relief.

Her other hand dipped beneath the lace, causing Drake to growl deeply. Mia whimpered at his reaction, then moved her hand over her clit to shove her fingers inside.

“Ahhhh,” Mia moaned, unable to keep quiet as she threw her head back and pumped her fingers in and out.

“Take ‘em off,” Drake demanded.

Unable to stop, Mia ignored his plea and kept riding her hand, moving her thumb to flick her clit as she tried to reach her release.

Drake reached out and ripped the lace, causing Mia’s head to come up as she opened her eyes. He pulled the fabric off and tossed it, his gaze watching her hungrily as she fucked herself. The look on his face was all it took to push her over the edge. Mia bucked her hips as she rode out the orgasm, soft little moans coming out of her mouth as her body shook with pleasure.

As she came out of her fog, Mia brought her hands to Drake’s shirt and started pulling up. She got it halfway before he took over and whipped it over his head, his hand snaking out to grab hers and bring it to his mouth. He sucked the fingers that had just been inside her, one by one, then leaned down to capture her mouth with his.

Mia could taste her essence on his tongue, the combination heady, and moved her hands to the button of his jeans so that she could get to his cock. Drake kissed her thoroughly, taking breaks to nibble her lips, before sweeping his tongue back inside as she made quick work of freeing him.

Once she had his cock gripped firmly in her hand, she began stroking his length. Drake pushed his hips up to shimmy his jeans part way down, then gave up and sat back in his seat. Eager to please him, Mia hoisted herself up on to his lap, hovering for a few moments as his head fell back and they locked eyes.

Nothing had ever felt as right as being with Drake, and as Mia slid down until he was fully sheathed within her, she knew that she loved him just as much as she had as a teenager.

No one had ever compared to him.

No man had ever made her feel the way that he did.

Cherished. Revered. Whole.

Drake’s hands came to her hips, his fingers pushing into the flesh as he urged her to move. Mia began rocking back and forth, never pausing as she kissed his lips, jaw, then throat. He was so tall that when his head fell back, she could no longer reach his lips, so Mia began to kiss, lick, and suck on his beautifully sculpted chest.

She felt the pressure begin to build within her again as she took his nipple into her mouth, his grunts and groans of pleasure erotic to her ears. Sucking, then biting, Mia moved on to the other nipple, then feeling her imminent release, went with instinct and bit the top of his pec.

Mia knew he liked it as much as she had when he roared and began pumping furiously in her, his hands on her hips keeping her steady as he came.

“Drake,” she called as she came, her hands on his shoulders as she held on for dear life.

Once they both stilled, Mia kissed him softly on the mark she’d made, then leaned her head on his chest to try and catch her breath.