Laid Bear 2: The Kodiak Clan (11 page)

“What is it?” he murmured, nuzzling her ear. “I have protection, if that’s what you’re worried about. I wasn’t assuming, but a guy can hope, right?”

She ducked her face into the nook of his shoulder, but it was almost as if she was hiding rather than making out. He tried to pull back to look at her face but she held him tight to her.
 

Damn, she’s strong.
The thought didn’t help cool his jets at all. If anything, it only turned him on more. Strong emotionally
and
physically? This was his dream girl!

They stood there in the bowels of the alley, just holding each other. He thought maybe she just needed reassurance, and he was more than happy to comply, as long as it meant he could have her in his arms. Stroking her hair to soothe her, he shushed her anxiety, or at least tried to. But eventually she pulled back and peeked over his shoulder to the alley’s entrance.
 

“I’m sorry, Jess,” she started.

Cold pierced his heart. “No, don’t say it Veronica, please.”

Keeping half her attention on the alley’s entrance, she gave him a small smile and stroked his cheek, her face relaxing just a bit. Then, almost as fast as she’d gone cold and stiff in his arms, her mouth was on his again. Jess was as bewildered as he’d ever been but her lips were blowing the cobwebs of confusion from his addled brain.
 

With a deep sigh, Veronica pulled back, her tongue flicking his upper lip along the way. His head was spinning and his need for her stronger than ever, which was evident by the panting he couldn’t control, not to mention the bulge pressing into her.
 

“Ronnie…” he whispered.

She put a finger to his lips to shush him. “We need to get out of here. Fast. I’ll meet you at your place in an hour, okay?”

Jess could only nod as Veronica disentangled herself from him and hurried down the alley. His heart simultaneously ached at their separation and swelled with emotion at the thought of finally becoming one with the love of his life.

~ * ~ * ~

“Tell me everything!” Bethany was giddy, practically jumping up and down in the passenger seat when Veronica climbed in the 4Runner.
 

All Veronica could manage was a tight smile while her eyes darted around, every muscle in her body tense with worry and lust. “I scented a
were
. I don’t think we were spotted but if I could smell him — and it was definitely a him — he could smell me.”
 

“Oh…oh my,” breathed Bethany.

“Yeah. That would have been…bad. I looked around on my way to the truck but didn’t see anyone, and the scent had faded so I think we got very, very lucky.”

“So…what now?”

Veronica’s thoughts turned to her make-out session in the alley and her heart started beating fast again. She hadn’t expected to make out with him, but truth be told, she’d been ready to go so much further when she’d caught the scent. If they’d been caught by a member of her clan, there’s no telling how their little rendezvous would have turned out.
 

 
She glanced down the alley as she started the engine and roared out of her parking space. She could see Jess’ silhouette in the shadows leaning against the wall, and couldn’t wait to get to his cabin.

Bethany started giggling. “You’re blushing, girl. Spill!”

Veronica threw her a sideways smirk and winked. “Mind if I drop you off a bit early?”
 

Bethany hooted and clapped in response.

The rusty
 
gray Bronco that was following them went unnoticed.

J
ess raced home to make sure he hadn’t thrown any dirty underwear on the floor, which of course he hadn’t. He uncorked a bottle of Napa Valley merlot, worried that maybe she preferred pinot grigio and quickly cut up some fancy cheeses he’d bought for the occasion. He plopped a piece of smoked salmon on the plate as a final touch. Fred could sense his excitement and ran around the cottage like a maniac.

“Down, boy,” he laughed at the dog’s antics. “Now be good when she gets here. I want to make a good impression.”
 

He was just setting a plate of crackers on the table when he heard her rig pull up. Fred started barking like crazy. He wasn’t used to visitors.

Wiping his damp hands down his khakis, Jess took a deep breath and opened the cabin’s door. Veronica was a vision climbing down from her 4Runner. She looked exactly the same as when she’d left him in the alley but he lost his breath just the same.
 

He was about to walk out the door when Fred bolted past him toward Veronica, barking menacingly. She spotted the dog and hopped back in the cab, slamming the door just as he rounded the truck. He threw himself against the door, barking and growling.

“Fred! What the hell?!” Jess rushed out and tried to reign him in, tugging on his collar to little effect. “Down, Fred! Heel!”

He couldn’t figure out what had gotten into his normally cheerful and happy dog. He finally managed to pull him back from the truck and held him with both arms. He looked up to plead with Veronica to not leave because his dog went all Cujo on her, but she was smiling, if a bit nervously.
 

She cracked the window and said, “Sometimes dogs need a bit of time to get to know me.”

Fred bared his teeth at her voice and Jess hugged him tighter.

“Shh,” he shushed at the dog. “I’m sorry, Ronnie. He’s never acted this way before. I have no clue what happened.”

“Can you hold him tight enough that he won’t break free?”

“Yeah, I’ve got him now.”

“Okay, I’m going to slowly get out of the truck and sit down in front of him. Don’t let him go until I tell you, got it?”

Jess nodded, wondering if she was some kind of dog whisperer or just plain crazy.
 

Slowly, Veronica slid from the cab — Fred growling and straining against Jess’ arms — and sat cross-legged in front of them. She lowered her head and her gaze, looking up at the dog from beneath her eyelashes. She made some grunty-whiny noises and then laid her torso on the ground, head sideways on her folded arms, gazing up at Fred with adoration.

Jess felt the dog’s body relax little by little. He seemed to really be responding to the sounds she was making. It wasn’t long before he was tugging against Jess’ hold but his tail was wagging and he was panting.
 

“I think it’s okay now,” Veronica finally said, so he let loose of the collar.
 

Fred approached her cautiously, sniffing and keeping an eye on her. She stayed perfectly motionless, whining and panting a little. Fred sniffed along her entire body, jerking away if he heard a noise but always coming back to continue his investigation. Jess was embarrassed at his dog’s rude behavior but also impressed by Veronica’s patience and skill at calming him.

Fred skittered away when she rolled onto her back and twisted around to look at him. He approached her again, snuffling along her belly up to her face. He gave her a tentative lick and then the pooch he knew and loved was back. One friendly bark and he was tearing around the property, leaping and doing somersaults.
Crazy dog
, he thought.

“I’m so sorry,” he said as he reached a hand out to help her up. “Are you okay?”

She popped up and right into his arms. Taking a deep breath, she sighed and laid her cheek on his chest. “I am now.”

They held each other for a moment before Jess pulled back. “I have wine, cheese and smoked salmon in the cabin.”

Veronica’s lower lip disappeared between her teeth — a gesture that drove him wild — as she gazed into his eyes. He could easily lose himself in her hypnotizing eyes and he wanted to get her inside before things went any further. He tugged on her hand and led her up the steps, closing the door behind them.

“What about Fred,” she asked, her voice husky.
 

“Let him chase squirrels and deer for a while. Wine?”

She nodded as she looked around the small cabin. Jess had a moment of shame at how dinky and plain the place was, but Veronica seemed entranced. As he poured the wine, she peered out the small paned window and lingered at the modest fireplace, admiring the mementos he kept on the mantel. She picked up a small pink porcelain bunny and raised an eyebrow at him.
 

“Umm…”

“It was my mom’s,” he laughed. “She passed a few years ago and I take that with me on assignments to remember her.”

She replaced it carefully, her thin fingers brushing along the other keepsakes but not asking questions. There was time enough to get to know each other; not everything had to be learned at once.

He could barely take his eyes off her, amazed that she was actually here, with him. He imagined his hands raking along her form and felt the familiar pulse low in his groin.
 

Trying to maintain some self-control, he grabbed the glasses of wine and stepped close into her back as she gazed at a painting of a river scene on the wall. He nearly moaned when she leaned back into him.

“Did you paint this? The signature looks like it’s a stylized ‘Jess’.”

He nodded and reached around to place the glass in her hand. “Mmm hmm.”

“I didn’t know you were an artist, too.”

He heard a hint of accusation in her statement, as if she was really asking why he’d never revealed this part of himself to her. He shrugged and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her deeper into his body.
 

“Dunno. Never really thought about it. I’m sure there are lots of things we don’t know about each other. I for one am really looking forward to learning everything about you.”

He thought he felt her body tense for a split second but then she was turning in his arms to face him.
 

“Everything?” she whispered as she drapped her arms around his neck.

His mouth went dry. Why did she have to be so damn sexy? He’d planned out this long, sweet seduction but he couldn’t restrain himself any longer. Before his brain could so much as register what he was doing, he’d claimed her mouth.

She responded by pressing into him and running one hand through his hair, grabbing a fistful. The mild pain was exquisite but he was irritated that they each had one hand hampered by full glasses of wine. He pulled away long enough to take hers and set them on his makeshift desk, then he swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bed, which was tucked into a corner of the one-room cabin.

Laying her down on the bed, Jess eased himself down on top of her, pinning her body with his. He was hypnotized by her eyes, frozen, content to just gaze into them forever. She broke the spell by lifting her mouth to his, running her fingers into his hair. When her lids dropped in bliss, his body woke up and took over.

Never breaking the kiss, Jess managed to wriggle out of most of his clothes. He groaned in protest when she pulled back to yank her own top over her head, but he took the opportunity to kick off his pants and roll on a condom before helping her out of the rest of her clothes.
 

Kneeling over her naked form, he was breathless. There wasn’t enough time in the day to touch and kiss and explore every part of her. No sense in rushing it. He had a lifetime to discover everything about her…and he couldn’t wait. For now he’d start with her belly.

She gasped as his lips grazed across her navel and his tongue flicked the sensitive spot. His hands seemingly had minds of their own, gliding up and down her body, cupping her luscious breasts and slicking down along her hips and legs, resting in between them for a moment before slipping up to her face.
 

Her body writhed under him as he kissed and stroked his way up her body. She could do little more than hold his head in her hands, and that was just fine by him. He felt owned, possessed by her. He was her property and she was claiming him.
 

He was totally cool with that.

When his lips wrapped around the pink tip of her breast, she arched into him, crying out his name and clutching at his hair. Through his fog of lust, he heard Fred bark outside in response.
 

Sorry, buddy,
he thought,
she’s all mine for the moment.
 

His teeth grazed her sensitive skin and went searching for its mate. Another cry sounded out when he found it.

Veronica wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him toward her heat, guiding him into her. They both gasped and paused for a split second as they searched for the other’s gaze. Once their eyes locked, Jess thrust deeply into her, completing their union.

He’d been with his share of women in his life, but none had ever responded to his touch like Veronica. And none had ever set him on fire like her. He’d fallen in love with her over the internet but this was taking them to a different level completely. He’d never known this plane of pleasure even existed.
 

With loud cries that joined into one voice, they clutched each other as shudders roiled through them, toppling them over the edge of ecstasy and into bliss. Their pounding hearts and panting breath drowned out the world around them.

“I love you, Veronica,” Jess panted into her neck.

She pulled his face up to look into his eyes. “I love you, too, Jess.”

They were grinning at each other like fools in love when the sound of Fred’s frantic barking filtered through to their overloaded senses. “Guess he’s jealous,” Jess chuckled. “Can’t blame him.”

As he rolled over to see what was wrong with the dog, a tremendous rumbling roar sounded outside, Fred yelped loudly and Veronica was running toward the door.
 

Only she wasn’t Veronica anymore. She was a bear.

~ * ~ * ~

The endorphins coursing through her veins after making love with Jess were crowded out by adrenaline. Fred was being attacked by a bear — a
were
bear! Instinct took over and she morphed as she ran to save him, heedless of the clan’s mandate to never shift in front of humans.

Her hand changed into a paw a split second after opening the cabin door, and then she was on the other bear, tearing at the flesh of his back with her teeth and claws.