The Christmas Tree Bear: A Bear Shifter Paranormal Holiday Romance (9 page)

“Oh my god,” she cackled.  

Willis kissed her neck and cheeks with sloppy bacon-flavored kisses as they both laughed.  “Woman after my own heart,” he told her with a laugh.

“Sex and bacon, got it,” she agreed.  Then she laughed harder as he tugged her sweatshirt over her head.

It was sweet, how much he spent time making sure she enjoyed herself.  Any other boyfriend or lover might go through the motions of making sure she orgasmed, but Willis committed.  He lovingly stroked and suckled each of her breasts before licking a path down her torso to her navel.  He flicked his tongue there and tickled her sides, making her laugh.  He smiled up at her, all honest and boyish, before slowly tugging down her sweatpants.

She wasn’t at her most sexy right now.  She was borrowing his clothes and her hair was a mess from all the snow and salt, and letting it air dry against her pillow last night.  But Willis, he made her feel sexy all the same.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered.  He kissed her thighs, her knees, then her belly button again.  

Charlie let her head fall back on the mattress.  Willis crawled on the bed after her and rested her thighs on his shoulders.  She let out a little sigh as he kissed her left, then her right inner thigh.  He looked up at her, over the valley of her breasts, and smiled, before he dipped his head down and licked her from slit to clit.

Charlie groaned and grabbed at her pillows.  He was still very good at this.  It hadn’t just been an early morning fluke when they were both still so tired and emotional.  He licked his way into her cunt and worried her clit with his tongue.  She was making little noises in the back of her throat that she couldn’t control, but she didn’t care.

“That, yes, there,” she whimpered.

Willis hummed at her and settled in, suckling at her pearl and applying his fingers to gently play with her entrance.  

“Do that again,” she hissed.

He laughed then hummed again, right over her clit.  Charlie threw her head back and groaned, rolling her hips forward to get more of herself in Willis’ mouth.  He moved his lips from side to side, then nosed at her clit as he moved down and tongued her entrance.  

“Ah!”  Charlie cried out.  She felt herself arch up.

Willis did it again and again, adding his fingers to flick her clit while he licked into her, faster and faster.  She had already had one orgasm early that morning, and second orgasms were always easier for her if she managed to get off the first time.  Her body went taut like a bow string as she came, then felt herself go entirely limp.  

“Oh,” she whimpered.  “That was good,” she slurred toward the ceiling.

“Yeah?” Willis teased.  He kissed her thighs.  “You’re incredible.”

Charlie watched him wipe his chin off on his forearm before he crawled the rest of the way up her body.  He was so big and so warm; she wanted to curl up in his warmth for the rest of her life.  He kissed her breasts, spending the time to lick each of her nipples until she whimpered, then kissed his way up her neck.  He kissed, her cheek then the corner of her mouth before diving in for a deep, soul touching kiss.  She honestly felt her toes curl up as they made out after her mind-blowing orgasm.

Charlie wrapped her legs around Willis’ hips and pulled him close. His erection, still trapped in his boxers, bumped against her stomach.  He tried to angle his hips away, but she pulled him close again.

“I want you,” she whispered.

Willis groaned.  He reared up and snatched open the box of condoms.  He shoved down his boxers and fought with the condom for a moment.  Charlie ran her hands up and down his thighs and hips.  He grunted as he finally got the condom on, then crawled back over her.  They kissed as they both guided his rock-hard dick to her entrance, and he slowly slid inside, making them both groan.  

Willis buried his face in her shoulder as he pulled back and thrust slowly back in.  “Charlie, Charlie,” he whispered over and over again.  “You feel so good.  So perfect.”  He grunted and slid further in.

Charlie held him close with her heels digging into the back of his thighs.  “You feel incredible,” she whispered.  “Keep-- ah.  Just like that.”

The fire built low in her belly all over again as he started to thrust in earnest.  She didn’t think she could come again, but there it was.   It was slow at first, but once he settled fully inside her, making them both groan in unison, everything sped up.  Willis settled with his hands on either side of her head and pressed their foreheads together.  Charlie twisted her fingers in his hair and held on to him with her legs.  She thrust up to meet him each time.  They were panting as they slammed together.  The couch frame smacked against the wall.  

“Oh, oh, god.  Please, just like that.  Keep--” she whimpered.

“One more time, baby,” Willis whispered back as he panted.  “I need to feel you.  Come one more time for me.”  He reached between their bodies and rolled her clit again and again with his thumb.

“Ah!” Charlie cried out.  This orgasm was overwhelming, almost painful in how good it felt.  

“Fuck,” Willis hissed.  

He froze above her, then buried his face in her hair.  His hips twitched against her again and again until his whole body was still.  He slumped down, but tried to hold most of his weight on his forearms so he didn’t crush her.

They kissed slowly, barely pressing their mouths together.  She was still shaking from such an intense orgasm.  Willis wrapped her up in his arms and rolled them onto their sides.  

“That was…”  Charlie let the sentence hang there between them.  She had no words to describe the sensation.  

“Yeah,” Willis agreed.  He held her face in his hands, taking her all in as he watched her, then kissed her again slowly.  “Again.”

“Hell yes.”

Chapter 8

They were sitting in the middle of the bed, eating a snack of crackers and honey, when they got the call the next morning.  Bill Poole thought he would be there in about two hours to dig them out.  He’d even give Charlie a lift back into town while his son towed her car to the shop for any fix ups.

Willis disconnected the phone and sat back down on the bed.  Charlie wanted to make another joke about all the honey he kept around the house, and that they could pay Bill back for the trouble of saving them in honey pots.  Instead, she scooted closer and pressed herself against his back, wrapping her arms around him.  They were going to have to give up their little bubble of happiness and go back to the real world. A world where he was a bear shifter that needed to take care of the family farm, and she was trying to move out of state to get her life started again.

Without a word, they were kissing again.  Willis lay back on the bed, and Charlie climbed over him.  They had made love multiple times that weekend, but she didn’t feel tired.  They were both ready again.

She helped slip the condom on, then straddled his hips.  Willis helped her balance as she took his length in hand and slowly guided him inside.  She sank down carefully, savoring the moment.  Willis was breathing in and out through his mouth.  His fingers flexed on her hips.  He watched her the whole time, never breaking eye contact.

She loved his eyes.  They were so honest.  It scared her, all the emotions she could see dancing behind their depths.  This big man cared about her.  They barely knew each other, but she knew it was true.  And right now, as she rode him slowly, he was thinking she wasn’t coming back to him once she left the cabin.  

“Willis--” she started.

He shook his head and pulled her down for a kiss.  

They made love one last time in front of the fire.  He whispered her name over and over again as he touched her in sweet places.  He made her come twice, making her lose her rhythm, before he rolled them over and thrust home to his own completion.  Charlie held on to him tight once he came, refusing to let him go.

“What is it?” she asked.  “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head and kissed her desperately.  

“Willis--” she started again.

“I’m afraid to tell you,” he admitted.

“Why?” She gave him a look.  “Honey, you told me you’re a bear, and I think I took that pretty well.  What more--”

“It’s another bear thing,” he told her.  He looked at her, his face all soft, and then ran his fingers through her hair before tracing the shape of her cheeks.  “I should have told you before.  It’s only fair.  But you’re just so beautiful, and I’m already crazy about you…”

“Willis.”  She grabbed his hand.  “Tell me. Please?”

He smiled and kissed her once before sitting up.  He rubbed at his handsome face, then turned around to face her.

“You know how I made a joke before, about my mom shooting at my dad while he was a bear.  And he just knew then and there that she was the one for him?”

“Yeah…” Charlie agreed, unsure why this was such a serious subject.

“That’s a thing that shifters do.  We can tell, just from a look or a scent, that when we meet that person, that one special person in all the world --” He took up her hand and placed it on his chest over his heart.  “We can tell they are the one person for us.  Our person.  Our life mate.”

Charlie wrinkled her brow.  She looked at her hand on Willis’ chest, then at his face.  He was so serious and honest.

“Wait,” She started.  “You mean...you mean you.  And me.  We’re like, fated?  For life?”  The last part came out as a squeak.  She quickly swallowed.  “How can you know that?  No one knows that.”

He shrugged.  “We just know.  Animal instinct.  I don’t know.”  He scooted closer.  “I know that the moment I looked at you, it was you, Charlie.  I never had a feeling like that before.  I never thought it would happen to me, and I was fine with it.  But you…”  He squeezed her hand.  “I knew it was you when I saw you.  But as soon as I talked to you, I wanted it to be you.  You made me feel so comfortable so quickly.  

He swallowed.  “I wanted to do this slowly, the right way.  Introduce you to things.  But I messed up.  So now, I want to be honest.  You’re my person, Charlie, but I don’t want you feel that you have to be with me.  I know you want a life that might be different from what I can offer.  I want you to think about it, once you leave with Bill.  And if you don’t want this, you don’t want this with me, that’s okay.  No pressure.”  He kissed her forehead quickly.  “What I want, more than anything, is for you to be happy. Charlie.”

They both heard the big diesel engine coming up the drive.  Bill Poole had managed to finally reach them.

“Willis--!”

He kissed her again, grabbing her face in his big hands and kissing her for all that he was worth.  He was so big, strong, and kind.  They sat that way, kissing slightly and holding each other for just a moment.  

“Go get dressed,” he whispered.  

Charlie nodded.  She struggled out of the blankets and made her way into the bathroom.  She scrubbed at her face and managed to get her jeans and sweater back on.  The denim was stiff from all the snow and salt, but she could wear them for the short ride home.  Her boots were ruined, but they were the only shoes she had.  

What was she doing?  This great guy was telling her that they were fated to be together!  Wasn’t that was girls always wanted in fairy stories?  But all she could feel was shock.  He was a bear that saved her from freezing to death in the snow, and now they were fated to be together.  What did that mean if she wanted to move away to get a museum job?  Besides the fact that he was a bear, of all things, he owned the family farm and ran most of it.  He loved the place.  

She shook her head.  She couldn’t think about this right now.  

When she came out of the bathroom, Willis was outside with Bill and his son, Caleb.  Caleb was telling Willis about how NC State, his own university, was going to kick Duke’s ass at the next tournament game.  Willis made a polite humming sound.

He glanced back in the cabin and waved shyly at her.  

“You survive with this beast, Charlie?” Bill shouted at her as she pulled on her coat.

“We managed!” she shouted back, hoping she sounded normal.

“Hey,” Willis muttered in protest.  “I made sure she ate and had a fire.”

“Mm hmm,” Bill hummed at them.  He eyed them both.  “Well, Caleb is going to hop in with us down to your car, Charlie, and then he’s going to tow it back.  We already got her hooked up.”

“I think she’s fine,” Caleb added.  “Looks like you just skidded off and got stuck grinding the tires on the ice.”

“But we’ll check her out.”  Bill turned to Willis.  “Sure you don’t want me to drop you by your mom’s?”

“Naw.”  Willis waved him off.  “I’ve got to watch out for the animals until we can get everything cleared up more.  I’ll be good for another day while you get the rest of the town cleaned up.”

“All right, all right.  Hop to, missy!  I’ve got to get main street done before tonight!”  Bill struggled through the snow to the driver’s side of the big diesel plow truck. “See you in a bit, Willis!”

Charlie tugged on Willis’ jacket.  “Look, why don’t I call you--”

He kissed her.  Tugged her up until her toes barely touched the ground and kissed the breath out of her.  Charlie saw stars.  Slowly, he set her down on her feet.

“Think about what I said,” he told her.  “And once you know how your answer, then talk to me.”  He kissed her forehead.  “Now, go on.”

Charlie struggled through the snow, angry and dazed, and climbed into the tall truck.  Caleb climbed in after her so he could get out once they reached her car.  She was angry at Willis, but, at the same time, happy to have time to think things through.  What had she gotten herself into?  She thought she was going to make out with a hot farm man for a few weeks.  Now, she pretty much had a marriage proposal on her hands.

She looked back as they pulled away from the cabin.  She watched Willis wave at them through the back window, then shove his hands in his coat pockets.  She raised her hands in a small wave goodbye and watched him disappear in the vast white snow.

The cab of the truck was quiet except for the diesel engine chugging them along.  

“So,” Caleb said after a long silence.  “You and Willis, huh?”

Bill Poole just cackled when Charlie buried her face in her hands with a groan.  There was no hiding this from her mother or his mother now.