The Bear's Reluctant Bride: A Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance (4 page)

Through his pants, she caressed his manhood. His eyes widened at her boldness but she had no intentions of stopping. Even through his pants, she could feel his massive member swelling. Her fingers returned to the flap of his pants, but this time she did not hesitate. She freed his penis and looked down at the natural wonder in her hands.

Slowly and deliberately, she stroked it. She moved her hand up and down, taking in the amazing feeling of being in control of the powerful bear in front of her. He was lying docilely, allowing her to explore as she wished. With each stroke, it grew harder and heavier in her hand. The sight of it was mesmerizing to her.

It was then that she recalled how amazing it had felt when he had used his mouth and tongue to stimulate her nipples. She swooped down and licked his member, beginning at the base and moving towards the tip. The way his hips bucked confirmed to her that he enjoyed the sensation. Emboldened by his reaction, she took the entire length in her mouth. He gasped aloud and wove his fingers through her hair, guiding her mouth further down and then back up. She continued the motion, using her hands to cup his balls as she bobbed up and down.

He threw back his head and roared. He looked almost as though he was in pain and she froze, worried that she was causing him pain. Her hesitation was all the time he needed to take control once again. He grabbed her roughly by the hips and pulled her on to his lap. He moved her like a rag doll until her legs were draped around his waist. He'd reached under her skirt and tore her panties from her body.

He gripped her hips once again and lowered her down on to his engorged penis. She did as she thought he wanted, but she worried as she had never ridden a man before. Remembering how he had guided her head while she pressured him with her mouth, she began to move her body up and down. As they had the night before, their bodies merged as one, moving in sync. She moved quicker and quicker, savoring every cry of pleasure she pulled from him. In her current position, she set the pace and she was enjoying every lustful second of it.

Finally, he grabbed her hips again and began to pump up into her furiously. She gripped his shoulders in an effort to meet his pace. When her pleasure took her, it rocked her even harder than it had the night before. He did not loosen his grip on her hips, continuing to thrust in and out of her until he had spilled every ounce of his seed within her.

She collapsed onto his chest in exhaustion. The feeling of his sweaty body beneath hers was oddly comforting. Instead of leaving her as he had the night before, he grabbed the blanket that had fallen from the mattress and pulled it over them. His hand settled possessively on her backside as he drifted off to sleep. Her last thought before slipping into unconsciousness, was that, no matter what happened, she would never have to worry that her life would lack physical pleasure with Luke as her mate.

*

When Kalia awoke in the morning, she was disappointed Luke was no longer beneath her. She was even more disappointed when she reached out for him and found the other side of their bed cold. She stretched slowly, enjoying the sensual ache all over her body. Reluctantly, she rose from her cozy cocoon of blanket and pillows.

The last thing she wanted her mate to believe was that she was lazy. She knew from the glow around her that it was barely past sunrise but she had a lot of work to do and she needed him to respect her work ethic. Besides, she could not remember a time when her mother had risen late.

As she rose and the cool morning air hit her naked body, she relished the sensation. She only wished that Luke were there to help warm her up. Despite her relative inexperience, she was beginning to think she must be a lustful person. Since the night of their mating, most of her thoughts were centered on being with Luke physically. Though they did not have an emotional connection to speak of, the feeling when he was inside of her was the most natural thing in the world to her. She craved him and it was a bit unsettling to her.

She dressed quickly in a simple pair of buckskin pants and linen top. Though it was a practical outfit, it accented her figure nicely and she hoped her mate would take notice. She rushed outside and found the clearing surrounding their tent empty and from the look of it, Luke had been gone for quite a while. Her bear senses told her that his scent trail was over three hours old, meaning he had left well before dawn. Though she could not fathom why he had, she resigned herself to the facts and got to work.

She knew a large part of her role, as his mate, was to make sure he was well cared for, which meant making sure he was well fed. The fire cooking pit he had built outside the tent was large enough for only one pot, which meant she really couldn't cook more than the most basic meals. That, she knew from her mother, would never do for a warrior of Luke's caliber. Many males took mates primarily because they were sick of eating their own cooking.

She knew there was a pile of rocks that would do nicely for her purposes so she headed off. The physical labor of hauling and placing the stones helped to clear her mind and it seemed to take no time at all for her to finish the project. When she finished, there were three super-sized pits so that she could cook different foods at different heat levels. She felt so good about her work that she used more flat stones to give herself a solid work surface around the cooking pit. It was nearly noon when she had put the last stone in place.

She was sweaty and dusty when her bear senses told her that someone was approaching. Before the visitor entered the clearing, she knew it was another male and he was a werebear. She could tell by his strides he was strong and lean, though she knew instantly that it was not Luke. She knew his scent as well as her own and it definitely was not him approaching her.

When he did enter the clearing, she did not recognize him. He was tall, with jet black hair and deep green eyes. There was something about him that made her uneasy the second she laid eyes on him and the way that he approached her. She was used to the way warriors carried themselves, but this was somehow different. He was every inch a predator and he was looking at her as prey.

“Hello,” she said tentatively.

“Greetings. Who might you be, my lovely girl?” he asked, his eyes locked on hers in a way that made her even more uncomfortable.

“I'm Kalia of the house of Manard,” she said, holding her head high.

“My name is Bertram." He paused and looked her over. "I was familiar with your father. He was a brave warrior,” he said, still eying her as though she was a piece of meat. Though his words were kind, there was something in his tone that put her even more on edge.

“Thank you. I'm proud to be of his lineage,” she said, guardedly. She made no effort to extend her hand in greeting, but he still continued to inch closer to her.

“As you should be. Why are you here at Luke’s tent? Has he finally gotten himself a mate? I can’t believe he finally admitted to anyone, even his elders, that he needed another in his life. I have waited a very long time to see this day. Tell me, how long have you been mated?” he asked, clearly pleased with the situation for reasons that he was not about to share with her.

“It has only been a few days since our mating ceremony. I'm still working to make this place a home for us,” she said, feeling like she should not share any more details with him.

The first thing bears were taught as cubs, was to trust their most basic instincts. Nature has a way of warning when something is wrong or dangerous and it is the worst betrayal to ignore those warnings.

“He must have been thrilled to have you selected as his mate. I can see from the shape of this place that you are a good little worker. You are lovely, of course. You have a nice shape and I'm sure he enjoys your body immensely. Yes, I am sure that he was very glad to see you waiting for him in your mating ceremony lodge,” he said as he circled around her, taking in every detail of her form. She didn't answer him, but the expression on her face told him all that he needed to know.

“But he hasn't told you that, has he? I can tell by the look on your face you do not believe I speak the truth. I promise you I do. I've not said a word I do not believe to be the absolute truth. He hasn't told you though, that is plain as day. Don’t let it bother you, my dear. He's not the type to allow himself to care about another and even if he does, he surely wouldn't lower himself enough to tell you. He likely would never tell anyone. I think he lives in constant fear someone will take the person he loves away from him,” he said, with a leering smirk on his face.

“Who are you?” she asked, refusing to take a step away from him and show any sort of fear.

“My name is Bertram and I have quite a history with your mate. I'm sure he wouldn't have mentioned me to you or anyone else, though. No, I am sure he keeps our past from everyone. However, I do believe he will have to tell you something when he comes home because you're obviously going to have some questions after this little chat,” he said with a smirk.

“Why are you here?” she asked without blinking, not allowing him to intimidate her at all.

“Oh, I am not even sure of that myself. I did have a plan, you see. However, meeting you has changed that. Yes, you have changed my plans entirely,” he said, running his eyes up and down her.

“What exactly are you trying to say?” she asked.

“Oh, you'll see in time. Yes, you and I are going to get to know each other well before this is all said and done. You have my word on that. You might even come to thank me for what's to come. Your life will be much more interesting, you see, because of the plans that I have made for your mate,” he said, looking diabolical as he spoke.

“You're talking in circles,” she pointed out, unsure of what in the world he was getting at. He was rambling like a mad man and it was more alarming than if he had threatened her directly.

“Yes, I suppose I am. I wonder what he will say to you when he comes home and smells my scent here. It's been years since he and I have had any direct contact, but I'm sure he'll recognize it. A person doesn't forget a thing like that. No, he'll remember it and I'm sure he'll need to do a bit of thinking before he gives you some sort of answer. He isn’t the type to tell you exactly what he is thinking, of course. He'll give you some sort of calculated answer, but it will never be the whole truth. He'll never let anyone get close enough to know his thoughts. Any man who cannot let a glorious creature like you into his heart and mind is a waste of a werebear. He might use you for your body, but he will never give you more than that,” he said, looking deep in her eyes as he spoke to gauge her reaction.

If he was looking for her to cower or look suspicious of her mate, he was going to be very disappointed. She stood stoically and met his gaze but did not speak further. In her mind, there was no further point in speaking with him.

“I see you have made up your mind to speak no further with me. Don’t worry, my dear. I won’t hold it against you. One day, you'll have to tell me what happens when he comes and smells me here. I wonder if he'll be able to keep that temper of his in check. I'm sure he worked hard to make sure no one, especially you, knows just how dark his temper can be. It would bother him endlessly if he lost control in front of you. Still, I don’t think he'll be able to help it. Either way, I'm sure the story will be amusing. You and I may even laugh about it one day. Goodbye for now, my lovely little friend. I'll be seeing you soon.”

With that, he turned and walked away. Before he left the clearing, he looked back over his shoulder and winked at her. It sent a chill down her spine and she was not able to feel any sort of relief until she could no longer hear his footsteps as he left. Her mind raced with whom he might be and what his connection to Luke was. To keep her mind occupied until he returned home, she threw herself back in to her work. Using the same stones, she was able to fashion a wood burning oven, ideal for baking breads and other things that would be of great use to her in keeping her warrior fed. She was so consumed in her work that the sound of Luke approaching earlier than expected took her completely off guard.

She heard his steps before she noticed his scent, which should never have been the case. She mentally scolded herself for allowing herself to be caught unaware. As a werebear, one always needed to be on guard and she had allowed herself to let her guard down.

When Luke entered their clearing, she could tell right away he was bothered. His eyes darted around, as though he was trying to see the threat he sensed had been there. The fierce look on his face took her breath away. It was the first time she had really seen him as a warrior and it stirred something inside of her. All she really wanted to do in that moment was to throw herself into his arms, but she could tell by the guarded way he was moving towards her that now was not the time.

He was a warrior trying to assess the situation. He was trying to understand the threat he faced and she couldn't interfere with that. Her mother had always made it very clear that you were to stay out of the way of warriors when they were engaging their senses in such a way. They were more prone to react instinctively rather than thoughtfully.

“What am I smelling?” he growled, sniffing the air.

She could tell by the look on his face he recognized the scent of the man who had been there, but he was testing her to see if she would tell him the truth. She wasn’t sure what to make of that, but she knew that she needed to be honest with her mate.

“You mean dinner or the scent of the strange man who came by here earlier?” she asked bluntly.