Ranger Bear (Rogue Bear Series 1) (6 page)

T
he picture
of Whitney’s eyes had burned in his mind. He fought it. He tried to lock her somewhere in the back of his head, but when he fell asleep she was always there. Haunting him. Reminding him that he had left his mate. He would reach forward, greedy to hold her soft breasts in his hands only to wake up with the cold desert wind on his face. He held his gun to his chest. He didn’t know if and when he could ever get back to her.

She would probably spit in his face. She’d never accept his bear now.

“Ready?” the pilot called over the headset. “We are two minutes out from the jump point.”

Kyle gave him a thumbs up and looked over his shoulder at his team. In two minutes they would be on the ground, heading for their target.

There was new information that he was hiding out in an abandoned hotel. There would be a lot of ground to cover. Operations had linked Kyle’s team with a Special Forces Delta team already in the area.

He waited while the helicopter hovered near the ground. When it was time he anchored his feet to the cord and jumped, rolling out of the way for the next guy.

Once they were all on the ground the chopper took off.

“Brake?”

Kyle turned as a heavily armed group moved toward them.

“Yeah.” He nodded.

“Jackson Landon.” He pulled down the bandana covering his face. “The guys call me Jax. My team is ready.”

Kyle took one whiff of the head of the Delta team and realized he was meeting up with another bear. They exchanged a knowing look that none of the other men would recognize.

This mission was dangerous, highly classified, and deadly. The only thing going for them was they had just added another bear to the team.

Kyle led his team forward with Jax and his men on their heels. They depended on him. He had to forget Whitney or no one was going to make it out of here alive.

T
here were still
a few boxes in the living room. She surveyed what she had accomplished in the house. The house would be on the market next week. There was only one more place to tackle. The damn barn.

She hadn’t been in there in weeks. She had avoided it. Sometimes she considered burning it down, but that would be rash and insane. Although understandable considering the shape her heart was in.

She lifted a handful of flattened boxes under her arm and trudged across the yard. Most of the things in the barn she could sell in an auction. She didn’t have any need for the table saws or the tractor. But there were things in the apartment that needed to be boxed up. And she knew one day she’d appreciate having a few of her father and brother’s tools.

She eyed the wall that Kyle had pinned her against as she closed the door behind her. It had been the best night of her life. She sighed and made her way to the workbench.

She had replayed it a hundred times. Would she have done things differently if she had known he was leaving? Would she have handed him her body the way she did? Would she let him devour her? She wondered if he had known and took her because it was the last night. He wouldn’t have to face her again.

She reached for a silver hammer and dropped it in a box. She made one box for trash. One to donate. One to sell, and the last for herself.

The morning passed quickly. She looked up when she heard the rain pelt the roof. The workbench was clear. She examined the tractor and decided to let the auctioneer give her a price.

Then out of the corner of her eye she saw something she hadn’t noticed in the barn before. She walked toward the sheet. She lifted it with one hand and her heart almost stopped when she pulled it away.

It was a bench. A beautiful, smooth bench made of teak. Her hands trailed over the back. Her initials were carved into the wood.

“He made this for me?” she whispered.

It didn’t seem possible. All those nights she had heard him in the barn, the saw going, the lights blaring. This was the project. Her fingers dug into the deep grooves where the W and C entwined.

She turned to sit on it. The anger had been there, pushing her to keep going. It was almost tangible. The rage made her feel alive. It made her stay focused. But sitting on the bench, this beautiful art he had made for her, something else broke free.

The anger ebbed and the tears started. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders. Behind the anger was something stronger. Fear. What if Kyle didn’t make it back? What if he ended up the same way Sam did?

Whitney let the tears fall, until she didn’t think there were any left.

H
is eyes were blurry
. His head pounded. Everything was dark, but he could hear screams in the distance. He tried to stand but his leg was pinned under a concrete block. The explosion. It started coming back to him.

The entire mission had been a trap. It was bad intel, served to them to lead them into an ambush. The building was on fire and if he didn’t get out, he would be a part of the next blast.

He shoved the beam off his leg, growling with the effort. He stood, looking for his team.

“Brake!” He heard the scream over the hiss of the flames. He leapt over the rubble searching for the voice.

He threw bricks and beams, until he uncovered the trapped Ranger. He stared at Shep, the team communication specialist. He carried the radio equipment in his pack, but Kyle knew it had been smashed into a million pieces. They wouldn’t be able to call for help.

He stared into the man’s eyes. They were wide with panic. The blood trickled along his temple. It started coming back to him. This was exactly how he found Sam. Trapped and surrounded by fire. Kyle felt the anger well up in him. He couldn’t let another man die like this. He wouldn’t let it happen. He grabbed the end of a concrete beam and lifted it until Shep could move out from under it.

“Let’s get out of here,” Kyle yelled, gripping Shep’s arm and dragging him from under the pile.

Kyle hiked him to his feet and pulled him out of the building.

“Where are the others?” he asked. He didn’t know how long he had been passed out under the beam.

“I think they got it before us. The Delta team was calling us back when the explosion went out,” Shep huffed as Kyle laid him against a wall.

“Do you think you can walk?”

Shep nodded. “If you could pull a building off of me, I think I can walk.” He looked at Kyle. “How’d you do that by the way?”

He shook his head. “I lift weights.”

Shep wasn’t buying it, but they didn’t have time to argue. Kyle could hear the gunfire. He had to find the rest of the team and get the hell out of here before they were captured.

“Any chance you can piece together your equipment to call in air cover?”

Shep winced as he tried to haul the pack over his shoulder. “I might have a radio in here that didn’t take a hit.”

“Good.” Kyle slapped him on the shoulder. “Call in our coordinates. I’m going back in for a sweep.”

“But the building is on fire. There are too many rooms to cover in the hotel.” Shep tried to urge him to stay. “There could be more explosives.”

“I’m not leaving until I know our team is out.” Kyle ran into the burning building. He wouldn’t leave anyone behind.

He ran into the side door, scanning through the smoke for any sign of the Ranger or Delta teams. He tuned into his bear’s instincts, knowing they would help him detect human presence.

He darted room to room, calling out for his men.

“Brake, over here!”

He peered through the smoke, his eyes landing on Jax.

Kyle jumped over a fallen door. “I have two men trapped under this wall,” Jax yelled.

Kyle nodded as he grabbed the other side of the wall. Together they lifted the wall high enough for the Delta team to roll out.

“Thanks,” Jax shouted. “I’ve already covered the second floor. Do you have all your men?”

“No. I only have the comm guy.”

“All right. My team is accounted for. I’ll take the rest of this level and I’ll meet you at the south exit.”

They ran in opposite directions, searching for the rest of the Ranger team. Kyle knew with Jax looking, the search would be thorough. If his men were here they would find them. Two Special Forces bears were worth at least five humans searching.

Part of the second floor had collapsed into the first level. There were places in the floor where the ground gave way, exposing a basement. It must have been how the target escaped. There were always tunnels and secret exits. No matter how accurate or timely the intelligence was they received, the target always seemed to be a step ahead.

Kyle kicked open a door, his anger growing. He pulled two more men out of the hotel, assembling everyone at the south entrance with Jax and the Delta team.

Shep was able to call in two helicopters with his radio. Fifteen minutes later they had enough air support to load the injured teams and get out of the city.

Kyle let his legs dangle over the side of the door, watching the desert blur past him as the helicopter flew them back to base camp. They had found everyone. The injuries may keep some of the men from staying on the team, but by some miracle no one had died. Kyle shook his head, knowing he was one of the ones who almost died today. Everything could have ended. Was that how he wanted to go out? Had he given his life everything he should have? He knew what the answers were.

He decided then. No matter what it took, he was going back to Oregon. Back to Whitney.

W
hitney leaned over the railing
. The ocean was calm today. Calmer than usual. She inhaled salt air, letting it fill her nose and lungs. Soon the house would be sold. Soon she’d have to move on. Find a job. Find an apartment. Maybe open another restaurant.

She peered at the horizon. It had been a month since Kyle left, but some days it felt like she had just spent the night in his bed. He had burned something inside her so hot she’d never forget it. It didn’t help that he was in all her dreams.

She pivoted on her heel, when she saw the Jeep.

It was flying down the driveway, kicking up dirt and rocks as the tires spun out of control.

She steadied herself against the railing. No. This couldn’t be happening.

Kyle jumped from the Jeep and walked up the stairs, his eyes locking on hers.

“You’re here?” she whispered.

He nodded, walking toward her. His eyes set in determination, his hands reached toward her. “I’m here.”

She didn’t know if she should punch him or hug him. Scream or cry. Run or throw herself on him, but he didn’t give her room to decide.

His mouth landed on her lips hot and heavy, forcing his tongue deep in her mouth. He kissed her, sucking and biting at her lips, wrapping her into his arms until she felt he would crush her with his embrace.

She tried to wiggle free, but he held her kissing her breathless. Her legs turned to jelly, and she grasped at him needing him to hold her upright. How was this happening? Where did he come from?

He looked in her eyes, but the only answer she saw was his desire for her.

She had questions and she needed answers, but the look he gave her spilled open the memories of the last night they had together. Her core began to melt and all she could think about was taking him inside.

He grasped her face between his palms. “I came back for you.”

She nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck as he lifted her to his chest. She kissed him wildly, sucking at the corners of his mouth, tasting the mint on his tongue, inhaling his male scent. He carried her up the stairs, shoving open her bedroom door.

Her room was packed. Boxes lined the walls, but she still had a bed. He lowered her feet to the floor and began stripping the clothes from her body. He wasn’t gentle or easy. There was nothing else to say, only to let the desire take hold and show them the way back together.

She matched his desperate tugs while she urgently piled his clothes on the floor next to his. His naked body was standing in front of her, but before she could do anything, Kyle lifted her in his arms and dropped her on the bed.

She took him in. The beautiful smoothness of his chest and the ridges of his hard muscles. His hardness eager to fill her. Her hands flattened against his chest, trailing over him until they landed between his legs.

She wrapped her fingers around his thick cock, watching as he jerked at the contact. She settled back on her knees, licking her lips. She had wanted this the last time they were together, only she didn’t know how to tell him. Everything in the barn happened so quickly, she let him take control. She wasn’t going to end this day with another regret.

Slowly she lowered her mouth against his shaft, letting her tongue lick at the bead of dew on the wide head.

“Fuck, Whit,” he groaned, grabbing the back of her head.

She’d dreamed about this. How he would taste. How soft and silky his skin would be against her mouth. She licked him up and down before sinking her mouth over him.

She smiled when she heard the guttural moan erupt from his chest. She wanted all of him in her mouth, but he was too big. She began to move over him, each time taking him deeper. Her tongue swirled around his shaft, relishing the taste of him. Her eyes darted up and she saw him staring at her. Hungry and primal for more.

There was a deep ache between her legs and she whimpered. She kissed the tip, eager to please him.

Kyle pushed her back on the bed. “My turn,” he growled. “Are you going to give me what I want?”

“Oh yes,” she moaned as he hiked her legs over his shoulders, gripping her ass in his palms.

There was nothing gentle and easy about the way his tongue plunged between her legs, but she immediately opened for him, needing it, desperate to feel the heat he could give her.

His tongue darted between her folds, licking and tasting before stopping to suck on the bud that was pulsing with want.

She whimpered. “Please, Kyle.” Although she didn’t know what she wanted. She wanted him inside of her. All of it, his hot tongue, his magic fingers, his thick cock.

“I came back to claim you, Whitney.” He kissed the inside of her thigh.

Oh yes. That sounded good. She wanted that. He settled her ass back on the mattress before his hands pushed her knees wide again as his tongue lashed against her entrance. She knew she was dripping wet, but she didn’t care. He was doing this to her. Making her lose control. Make her want everything.

“Tell me you want me to take you right now,” he growled kissing her stomach.

“I do.” She nodded her head.

She waited for him to grab a condom, but before he moved off the bed, he flipped her on her stomach, sending her ass high in the air.

“I wanted to make you mine before I left, but I couldn’t.” His hand flattened against her back.

The want and need for him hurt. She wiggled her bottom toward him, finding pleasure when she felt his tongue lick against her entrance.

“I wanted it too,” she moaned, knowing she couldn’t hold off her orgasm much longer. It was building at a frenzied pace, burning her from the inside out. One thrust and she knew she would spill into the rush of sensation.

She looked over her shoulder as he pushed the tip of his cock against her. He was gorgeous and sexy. His body dominated hers with power and control that was so incredible it made her feel feminine and delicate. As if she was made for this man to pleasure and fill. He was everything solid and strong, and she could give him everything soft and light. She wanted that feeling like nothing else.

Everything in her was pulsing for him, aching for him to fill her like he did a month ago. Only this time she wanted more. She wanted the heat of his seed. She wanted him to fuck her into oblivion. Erase the past month. Erase the hurt and the loneliness.

He reached forward grazing her nipples between his fingers. It shot a bolt of electricity straight to her bud. “Ohh, Kyle. I need you.”

“I need you,” he growled, thrusting deep and hard inside her.

She screamed and bucked as he gripped her hips and plunged farther. But she closed her eyes and felt the delicious hum take over her body. The pain turned to ecstasy as he pumped strong and urgent strokes against her.

The month apart made her need for him desperate and raw. His powerful thrusts took her to the peak of her orgasm in seconds. The heat flooded her as she convulsed and vibrated in his hands. His shaft sank into her once more before she heard him unleash a roar over her back. He pulsed, forcing his hot release to spread through her. She clenched around him, needing it deep inside her to soothe her. To bring them back together.

“Fuck,” he groaned, lowering her hips to the bed.

She rested her head on the pillow, feeling the exhaustion cover her body. Kyle’s damp and warm skin pressed against her as he pulled her into his arms.

“Are you ok?” he whispered.

She nodded. Everything was better than ok. She stroked his arm, draped over her waist.

“I wasn’t going to speak to you again,” she murmured.

He kissed the back of her head. “I know.” His fingers swirled over her stomach. “And I was going to show up with roses and an apology. But…” his words trailed off.

Her skin tingled and her body hummed. She felt the hot stickiness seep between her legs and felt an ache. Suddenly she needed him again. One time wasn’t enough.

She rolled toward him, her breasts rubbing against his chest.

“I love that you give me your body the way that you do.” His hand slid to her ass, squeezing it in his large hands. “You know exactly how I need you, don’t you, Whit?”

Her knee fell to the side when she felt his hand move over her hip and down her thigh. She looked in his eyes, biting down on her lip when she felt his finger trail around her bud.

“It’s because I need it the same way,” she moaned. Her eyes locked on his while he began to stir the want for him.

“I didn’t want to leave you.” He curled a finger deep inside her, bowing her off the bed.

“I know.”

His mouth came down on hers, this time tender and slow. His tongue twined along hers, taking time to taste and kiss. She felt the fire in his touch. Her hips rocked against him and she felt his hardness come to life against her thigh.

“Can we?” she breathed. “I need it again. I need you again.”

He kissed along her throat and behind her ear. “I need to fuck you all night.”

She whimpered not knowing if her body could take it, but she would try. She would let him lick and suck her. Kiss her. Put his hands where he wanted. Move her body so they could make each other feel alive. There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do with him now that he was in her bed.

He rolled her on her back, hovering over top of her. His broad shoulders blocking everything from her view. She was sore and her body ached and she knew the minute he pushed inside her it would sear from the inside out, but nothing else mattered.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, locking her ankles against his back. He slid his cock against her folds, covering himself in their wet heat before pushing deep inside her.

“Ohh,” she clutched at his back, her nails digging into his skin the deeper he hit her inner walls. It was like fire lighting through her.

He breathed into her ear, his rhythm slow and deep.

She looked into his eyes. The same ones that had broken her heart. The ones that had walked out of her life. But now she saw her future staring back at her.

He drove into her with a powerful thrust, grinning with achievement. “I’m going to make you come like this.”

She nodded. Please. As long as he was inside her the world was right again. He was alive. What they had was real. It wasn’t just a memory. She meant everything to him that he meant to her.

“Will you come for me, Whitney?”

But she knew she didn’t have a choice. Her body was already seized with the fever of her orgasm. She clenched around him, feeling the vibrations take hold of her. Kyle wrapped his arms around her, his mouth covering hers as he pumped again, releasing his essence inside her.

“Come, baby,” he whispered as she gasped and clung to him.

The waves crashed around her until she felt the soothing feeling stretch through her body. He was home. Finally she slept.