Shift Out of Luck (Bear Bites Book 1) (4 page)

H
e stands over me
, his face full of need and lust as he gazes down at my sprawled body. I can see the desire in his eyes as they gleam in the darkness, and I squirm with anticipation, my nipples aching.

He called me ‘baby’. He ripped my panties off me and tongued me. He fucked me with his fingers until I came.

God, it’s been worth waiting three years for this man. I don’t regret a bit of it.

My hands slide down my belly and then I rake my nails over my thighs. They’re still spread, and I absently wonder if I should close them. “Come down here, Cole. I want you to make love to me.”

I guess I should tell him at some point that I’m a virgin. That fingerbang probably did a lot to get rid of the situation, but I still feel like it’s something he should know. I’ll tell him.

Soon.

But he only stares down at me. Is he rethinking things? Please don’t let him rethink things.

To encourage him, I slide my hands up to my shirt. I tug my white undershirt up and reveal my bra. It’s not a sexy bra, but it does have the advantage of snapping in the middle. I undo it with a flick, and my breasts spill out.

The breath hisses from his throat.

That got his attention.

My hands stray to my breasts and I tease my nipples. They ache, and I picture his mouth on them, sucking and licking at them the way he did to my pussy. My breath hitches, and I squeeze my breasts, my thumbs gliding over the tips.

Cole gives a low groan, and his hand jerks at his belt. Excited, I arch on the air mattress. Now he’s going to lie down on top of me and fuck me silly. I watch with fascination as he rips his belt off and flings it aside, then shoves his jeans down. He’s not wearing underwear, and the jut of his cock as it’s released from its confines is staggering. Wow. He’s a big guy, in all ways.

His hand goes to his cock and he strokes it. A fascinated gasp escapes me, and I watch as his hand works it over, moving from the base of his shaft to the head. Slow at first, and then quick. I’ve never seen a man do this. Well, maybe a few minutes of a porno, but it’s different when one’s right in your face inside a shadowy tent.

As I watch, his hand moves faster, and then he groans, squeezing the head. A hot, wet spatter lands on my thighs and stomach.

And I gasp again, sitting up on my elbows. “Did you just jerk off on me?”

His breath rasps in his throat, all sexy and growly. “Fucking wanted you too much.” Cole drops to his knees. His hand goes to my stomach, and he starts rubbing his sperm into my skin.

I…don’t know how I feel about this. My virginal senses are a little shocked, a lot titillated, and I’m fighting disappointment. Is he not going to touch me again? Maybe there’s more coming. “So,” I say, and lick my lips. “What do we do now?”

Cole continues to rub his come onto my belly, and I can feel myself getting aroused again at his touch. Not that I stopped being aroused. “Now I should probably collect some firewood and see about starting a fire.”

What?

What?

The man gets to his feet and turns away. He’s leaving? I watch as he unzips the tent, but before he can turn and walk away, I grab his pants. Cole’s arms windmill for a moment, and then he falls backward onto the air mattress next to me.

There’s an audible
pop
and the entire thing deflates under me with a whoosh.

“Hi,” I say as Cole looks over at me. His face is inches from mine.

“Why did you do that?”

“Because I don’t want you to go,” I tell him softly. I reach out and brush a lock of inky dark hair off his forehead. He looks so much more menacing in the shadows than in the daylight. Strange how it arouses me. His skin is warm and my fingers trail down to his jaw, where there’s a growth of rough stubble. Oh God. I remember that stubble brushing against the insides of my thighs. A small moan escapes my throat.

Cole groans and he captures my hand in his. He leans in and sniffs at my wrist, which seems like an odd gesture to me. But then he takes my fingertip in his mouth and nips it. “I’m just…afraid to hurt you,” he admits in a gruff voice.

“Because I’m a virgin?”

He stills. “You what?”

Oh no. “I’m a virgin, Cole. I’ve been waiting for you. I’ve had plenty of offers from other guys who have let me know that they were interested, but I was waiting for the right guy.” My finger traces along the beard stubble to his full lower lip, and I stroke it with the pad of my forefinger. “When I saw you, I knew I wanted you. Don’t keep pushing me away. Please.”

I half-expect him to go running into the hills, pants around his legs, at the thought of me being a virgin. He’s already worried he’s going to somehow break me.

Instead, he moves over me and he pins my arm back against the flattened mattress. His breathing is a rough rasp in his throat, and his face is so close to mine that I can feel the warmth of his breath and smell the spicy, outdoorsy musk of his scent. “You saved yourself for me?”

His weight presses between my thighs, his hips cradling mine, and I have to fight the urge to wrap my legs around his hips and lock my feet. I nod.

“This body is all mine?” God, there’s such a throaty growl in his voice. It’s making me tingle in all kinds of places. Again, I nod.

Cole gives another harsh groan, and then his mouth swoops down on mine. I gasp under him, startled at the brutality of the kiss. I love it, though. When his lips mash against mine, I whimper and arch up against him again, rocking my hips. His tongue dips into my mouth, and I slide mine against his, encouraging him to give me more.

His hand cups my breast, and I cry out because it feels so good. He’s got calluses all over his fingertips and palms, and they rub against my nipple in a way that drives me wild.

“You like that?” His voice is husky and deep, and it makes me wet to hear. “You like my big, rough hands on you, Adelaide?”

I moan. “God, yes.”

He pinches my nipple between his fingers, and when I moan, he slides his hand lower, past my sticky stomach. His hips lift off mine and a moment later, I feel his hand pushing between my folds.

“You’re so fucking wet for me. I can’t believe I’m the only one to touch you like this, Adelaide. You’re the hottest fucking piece I’ve ever seen. And you saved this sweet pussy for me?”

I nod, my breath gasping. He’s so close to touching my clit that I can feel myself getting wetter and wetter as each second passes.

“Need to claim you,” he growls, and buries his face against my throat. His fingers press against my clit and rub, and I jump as if shocked.

My fingers dig into his shoulders. “Yes! Claim me. I’m all yours, Cole.” I slide one leg around his hips and rub the bubble of his ass with my foot. God, his butt is incredible.

He growls again, and it sends an electric thrill through my body as he nips at my throat. “You want me to take you, Adelaide?”

God, do I ever. I hold him tighter against me. “I’m yours.”

Cole grabs my thigh and pushes my legs open wide, and his hips settle between mine again. I cling to his neck, waiting for more kisses or for him to pull a condom out so we can take things to the next level.

But the head of his cock nudges at my entrance, and then I forget about everything.

“Gonna make you mine,” Cole breathes. He claims my mouth in a hard kiss and then pushes into me.

It feels like I’m being ripped open for all of a second. A small shriek escapes my throat, only to be swallowed up by his kiss.

“Shh,” he murmurs against me, holding me close as I quake. “My Adelaide.”

The throbbing inside me turns into a dull pain, and then slowly subsides. As it does, I become aware of his big body pressing down on mine, of how deep he is inside me, how very close we are to each other. And I start to like it.

I shift my weight, vaguely aware of the hard earth under my back but more aware of Cole and the way he covers me.

“Okay if I move?” he asks, and his hips push a little against mine.

I nod.

He nuzzles me and slowly pulls out, then pushes into me again. There’s a small twinge, but other than that, it doesn’t hurt. He kisses me again, and his tongue coaxes mine as he begins a languid rhythm, stroking into me. After the first few pushes, there’s no more discomfort, and I start to enjoy it.

I also start to worry I’m not doing enough. Should I lift my hips? Bounce against him? Play with his nipples? I hate being a virgin. I slide my hand along his side. “What do you want me to do? How should I touch you?”

“You touch me however you want to, baby,” he tells me. And then he thrusts again, harder this time.

A gasp escapes my throat, and I try to remember to move my hand over his skin, touching him everywhere. I love the feel of his strong back, and the soft skin of his buttocks over the hard steel of the muscle underneath. All the while, he keeps thrusting into me and murmuring possessive words. It feels good, but not like before, when he drove me crazy. Just…kind of pleasant. I enjoy the feel of his big body over mine more than anything else.

He nips at my ear. “How does it feel, Adelaide?”

“Good?” I tense. “Am I doing something wrong?”

“Nope. I am.” He kisses me again and sucks gently on my lower lip, until I’m moaning with need from his kisses. Gosh, I love kissing him. I could kiss him for weeks on end.

Then, Cole takes my thigh and tugs me up against him, changing the angle of my hips. He grabs one of the pillows from above my head and shoves it under my butt, and then pushes into me again.

This time, I gasp. “That felt…different.”

“Different good?” He rocks his hips, thrusting in again.

And holy cow, it is good. I feel something elusive building in my belly. “Oh…definitely good.” I bite my lip and concentrate, trying to raise my hips along with his to get more of that feeling. He pauses, and I tighten my grip on his shoulders. “Keep going.”

Cole chuckles and begins to pump into me harder, increasing his pace and the intensity of his thrusts. All the while, the delicious sensation continues to grow deep inside my belly. I close my eyes and concentrate on it, and my nails dig into his shoulders.

His next thrust is rough as hell, but it sends incredible sensations through me. “Oh,” I breathe. He does it again, and another “Oh” escapes me.

“My Adelaide,” he growls. “So fucking beautiful.” He gazes down at me, and I realize that he’s driving both of us across the tent with the force of his thrusts, and it feels incredible. But I’m still not there. So close, but not quite.

I strain, raising my hips against him with every thrust. “Oh. Cole! I need—”

“I know,” he says. I feel him shift against me, and then his hand pushes between my legs. His fingers brush against my clit as he thrusts into me again.

That does it. Everything inside me clenches, and a little sob escapes my throat as my body locks around him. The orgasm rips through me, harder and a thousand times more intense than anything I’ve ever given myself with my vibrator. I’m losing control—exploding into billions of itty bitty pieces—and sobbing with the utter intensity of it.

“I’ve got you,” he says, and then nips at my throat again. “Christ, you feel fucking amazing. You’re squeezing the hell out of my cock with that sweet cunt of yours, aren’t you?”

I can’t respond. I only sob again as he thrusts into me over and over, sending more shockwaves of orgasmic pleasure through me.

“Adelaide!”
He growls my name out, and I feel his entire body shudder against mine with the force of his own orgasm. And then he snarls.

And…oh God. It sounds just like the bear did.

A
t first
, I think the snarl came from Cole. But it really did sound just like the bear.

Which means the bear returned while we were making love…and is now right outside our tent.

“Cole!” I whisper, clinging to him. “The bear’s back!”

He groans loud enough to make me flinch, and buries his face against my breasts as he collapses against me, utterly spent from his orgasm.

“No, no, no no.” I nudge him, trying to encourage him to get up. “Cole, we can’t rest now. The bear—”

“There’s no bear,” he murmurs sleepily, and lazily tongues one of my nipples. “Damn, Adelaide. You have pretty tits.”

“Cole!” I smack his shoulder. “I heard the
bear
!”

“There’s no bear, I promise.”

“But—”

He lifts his head and looks at me. “Baby…I have a secret.”

I stare at him, eyes wide. We forgot condoms and now he’s going to tell me he has a STI. Which is awful, but not quite as awful as getting eaten by a bear. “Now is not the time, Cole. The bear—”

“Is me.” He nods slowly. “That was me you heard. I’m the bear.”

I stare at him. A snort escapes me. “Oh, please.”

His eyes narrow and he shoots me a wounded look. And I realize…he’s serious. He thinks he’s a bear.

Oh God. He’s a
furry
. That’s why such a hot, sexy man has been single for so long. He’s got a bear thing or he thinks he’s a bear in a man’s skin or some craziness like that. I thump his arm. “Can we please not talk about your fetishes when there’s a real bear about to eat us outside?”

“Adelaide!” He pins both of my wrists in his hands. “You’re not listening to me. I am the
bear
. That is my
secret
. I’m a shifter. That’s how I was able to chase off Samson. That’s how I knew he was gone. That’s why the bear never came back. The bear is me.”

I frown. “I…don’t understand. How can you be a bear?”

“You ever hear of werewolves?”

“Like the guy from
Twilight
?”

He visibly flinches. “Ugh. Kind of. I’m a bear shifter. I transform into a bear. Everyone in my family has the ability. It’s passed down generation to generation. In fact, most of the locals in town are shifters of one kind or another.”

I gaze at him for a long time, digesting this nugget.

“Well?” he asks, releasing my wrists. “What are you thinking?”

I smack his shoulder with a fist. “I think this is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of, Cole Braxton! Seriously! If you want to nail and bail, just freaking say so! Honestly, the nerve of you thinking I’d believe a stupid story like this—”

He sighs heavily and rolls off me. I immediately feel…lonely…the moment his body parts from mine. He gets to his feet and kicks his pants off his ankles, then rips off his shirt.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going to show you,” he says. “Come on.”

I watch in surprise as he storms out of the tent, buck naked. Where on earth is he going? That damn bear is still out there. I tug my shirt down over my loose breasts and try to stretch it over my ass since I no longer have panties. That’s a losing proposition, though, and I roll out of the tent a moment later with a pillow held in front of my girl bits. “Cole! Come back!”

He’s walking a few feet away, his gorgeous bubble butt flexing in the darkness. Then he pauses, glances over his shoulder at me, and crouches.

What is that crazy fool doing? I’m about to ask this aloud when I hear the bear snarl again…

…And it’s coming from him. As I watch, his skin ripples and I hear the crack of bones. Oh my God. I squeak and immediately press my face against the pillow because I can’t watch this. Hell, I can’t even watch
Grey’s Anatomy
without flinching. All I know is something is happening to Cole’s body.

I hear several disturbing bone cracks and the rustle of grass, and I peek over the pillow a moment later to see Cole’s hand change into a big, furry paw. Then, I slowly lower the pillow, utterly shocked by what I see.

It’s a bear. An enormous grizzly bear. Fear shoots through me, but then it sits on its hind legs and flops onto its back, waving a paw in greeting.

That’s Cole.

He wasn’t lying. My eyes feel as big as saucers.

He rolls in the grass, and then lumbers to his feet and approaches me. I clutch the pillow and take a step backward, until I run into the side of the tent. I shouldn’t be scared. It’s just Cole. Who’s a bear.

Totally normal.

He noses me and then licks my arm.

“Can you change back now?” I ask in a small voice. I really don’t know what to make of this. Most of the locals in town are shifters of one kind or another.

No wonder I’ve always felt like such an outsider. I’m completely, totally human. There’s no way I can do anything like that. I watch as Cole’s shoulders hunch and he starts to change back, and I cover my eyes once more. I don’t want to see that.

A few minutes later, big hands grab the pillow and toss it back into the tent, and Cole grins down at me, his hair slightly tousled and sweaty.

“You’re a bear,” I breathe.

“I am.”

“Not a furry.”

“Nope.”

I digest this for a moment as he gets back inside the tent and then tugs on my hand, indicating I should join him. I follow, and he lies back down on the now-flat air mattress and relaxes. I sit next to him, still stunned. He pulls me against him and begins to nibble on my shoulder.

“How…”

“Like I said, it’s in the bloodline. It’s just something that my family’s always done.” He brushes my hair aside to reveal my neck, and lightly sucks on a patch of skin. “Damn, you smell nice.”

“Is this why you never hit on me? No matter how many times I flirted with you? Because you’re a bear and I’m not?”

“Humans are off-limits,” he admits, and he doesn’t sound pleased about it. In the next moment, though, he squeezes me against him. “No one’s taking you from me, though. You’re my mate.”

“I am?” I squeak.

He nods and his hand goes to my belly. “I took you and I might have given you a baby.”

“So?”

“So, I want to be the father of your child. If you have one,” he adds. “We don’t have to start a family right away.”

“Gee, thanks,” I say sarcastically. I’m trying to be mad at him, but it’s so difficult when the man I’ve lusted after for three long years is kissing my skin and talking about starting a family together. “Cole?”

“Hmm?” He nuzzles the curve of my breast.

Shivers move through my body, and I feel my pulse picking up at his touch. “Are you going to be in trouble for sleeping with me?”

“I don’t care. As long as we keep the secret, I’ll manage things. I’ll talk to Eli.”

Eli is the owner of the vacation lodge. I frown at this bit of information, and then gasp when Cole licks my nipple. “Wait, you’re distracting me. Why do you need to talk to Eli? What’s the secret?”

“Bears,” he says, and licks my nipple again. “That’s the secret. And Eli’s the one in charge.”

“One in charge?” I echo. Man, it’s getting hard to think with all of the touching going on.

“Yup.” He buries his nose between my breasts and pulls me tighter against him.

“Everyone in town?” I ask in a faint voice. “Shifters?”

“Pretty much.”

“Except me?”

“You and a few others.”

“Leo?”

He hesitates a moment. “Shifter. You won’t say anything, will you?”

“Who would I tell? You think anyone would believe me if I called the local news and said ‘Hey, guess what, my boyfriend can turn into a bear’?”

He grins, his teeth gleaming white in the darkness. “So I’m your boyfriend?”

I feel a little flustered at that. What else would I call the man nose-deep in my cleavage? “Yes?”

He growls again, and the sound is pleased. “Good.”

“My assistant Jenna? The Millers?” I ask as he moves up to kiss me. “Are they bears?”

“They’re in the clan, yes.” He changes directions and kisses my chin instead, then moves to my neck.

“What about Pat?”

“Not Pat.” He snorts. “The man’s an idiot. And let’s not talk about him again.”

No Pat. Okay. “What about—”

“I’ll tell you more later, baby. But right now, all I can think about is your scent.”

“M-my scent?”

“Bears have an intense sense of smell…and you smell fucking amazing, Adelaide. Did I ever tell you that?” His hand slides between my legs, and I feel his fingers push into my sore pussy. “I love that this is mine, baby.”

I moan and my arms go around his neck. We’ll talk about things later. Right now, all I can think about is Cole’s mouth on my skin, and his fingers sunk deep inside me.

I wonder if bears have a lot of stamina.

•••

S
ome time
later I learn that yes, bears do indeed have a lot of stamina. Several rounds of enthusiastic sex later, Cole has me tucked under his arm and we’re drifting off to sleep. There’s a twig poking into my back from under the tarp, but I don’t care. I’m too boneless to care.

My mind won’t stop working, though.

“What about Francine at the coffee shop?”

He chuckles. “Adelaide.”

“Sorry. Right. The whole town.” I snuggle down closer against him. “And they won’t be mad that you told me?”

His arms tighten around me. “Baby, I don’t care if they’re mad or not. You’re mine and I’m never letting you go.”

For some reason, I love that. I sigh happily and drift off to sleep.