What a Bear Needs (The Wild Side) (10 page)

His tongue pushed against her own and the low charge of arousal in his gut lit to a full flame. Her pushing against his shoulder turned into a hard grip, her nails digging into his skin. He was too focused on the fact that he had Cree kissing him and making noises that left his cock perking up with a, “
Good evening, madam. Table for one?”

When she nipped his bottom lip and tugged, his bear nudged him, demanding release and Maddox knew it was time to stop. He moved away and she attempted to follow but his gentle push sent her back into the couch.

Panting, he watched her through his grizzly’s eyes. “Bed. Go.”

“Right,” she breathed, nodding. Cree then reached for the hem of her sweatshirt.

“No!” Maddox barked, wincing. If he fucked her now, she’d only think that what she’d said was true. “You go to bed
alone.
I’m sleeping out here.”

She blinked. “Alone? Why?”

“Because giving into the urge to bend you over and steadily tap away all our frustration will end badly
.
So I’m telling you—go.”

Chewing her lip, she looked from him to the hallway that led to her bedroom. After a minute of staring, she finally got to her feet and walked away, muttering, “A year of clamoring for my vagina, I practically offer it lying on a bed of field greens, stuffed with an apple and he tells me to go to bed
alone.
I’ve obviously displeased God in some way.”

“If you’d offered it with a honey-balsamic vinaigrette perhaps my will power would be a bit weaker!” he called after her.

The slam of her bedroom door was all he received in response but somehow it only served to show that here was
exactly
where he belonged.

Seven

Sleep was an impossibility. Each time she closed her eyes all she saw was Maddox’s mouth, words tumbling from his lips; slapping around her insecurities before that same mouth covered her own. He loved her. He’d said it and for reasons she couldn’t understand, she believed every word. How could she not when he looked at her with an indulgent tenderness that she only saw when James and Helena were in town? His eyes gave him away; they’d
always
given him away. Cree had just been too intent on protecting herself to see it. Every lie she’d told herself centered around her supposed need to safe guard everyone else—safe guard Maddox—but it had always been about
her.
Ever fearful that she’d be seen a freak or worse, she’d distanced herself from something that tugged at her constantly. Now Cree wasn’t so sure she could do that anymore.

Maddox had poured kerosene on a flickering flame and the burn it left behind wasn’t a scarring one; scars she could’ve dealt with. Instead, Cree’s skin had been overheated for the last hour and no matter how long she’d stayed under the spray of a cold shower, the warmth wouldn’t pass. At the moment, she’d found herself on her back, watching the blades of her ceiling fan turn undeterred. Every so often she thought she could hear Maddox moving about her home, just as restless as she was, but then the silence—aside from the steady rhythm of her heartbeat—would resonate.

He’d sent her to her
room;
like a child. Maddox had kick-started an arousal that she’s previously managed to stem in his presence and then without a second thought, he’d sat her away from him. The question was
why?
Why’d he kiss her like he had every intention of fucking her incoherent if he had no plans to follow through? Why did she even
care?
Before Cree arrived home to find him hanging about like a squatter, she’d had the sole purpose of leaving and never looking back but now she found herself unable to do anything other than imagine the feel of his rough palms scraping against her nipples.

There was so much power in his physique; so much strength. As a grizzly, he was naturally large with wide shoulders and a build that carried well cut, well-proportioned muscle. Maddox also had tree trunk sized thighs, huge calves and feet that could find a natural resource of water just from stomping the ground hard enough. His hands were as darkly tanned as the rest of him but heavily scarred from the work he did for his and Ransom’s business and the active part he played in helping with regular construction on the lodge.

The easy roll of his shoulders and his unconscious habit of lifting the hem of his shirt to brush sweat from his face, revealing a hard bricked stomach that was nothing short of perfection, were things that regularly distracted Cree. When he’d given her his tee this morning, she found herself in awe of the raw, rough edged, masculine beauty he held. His chest was lightly dusted with hair that ran from his pecks down to his navel, leading into the waistband of his boxer briefs.

The way he’d looked in those sweatpants and nothing else earlier had momentarily stunned her. Even in her angst, his body made her
ache.
Whereas a good portion of pack males and Maddox’s older brother had tattoos, her hazel eyed grizzly had chosen to allow his form to display nothing aside from the delicious mars against his skin he’d garnered over the years. Somehow, that very thing made him so much more appealing in her eyes. She’d never known an attraction like this, a basic primal desire; not even with other lovers. What she felt for Maddox was different, it was
raw.
It was animalistic and loud and all consuming. It left her breathless and confused.

From the moment he’d leaned across the reception desk and leered at her, oozing every bit of charm he possessed, she’d known she would be in way over her head. Every day that had passed since then proved her right. It was easier to do him physical harm than to allow him intimacy. Once that happened, Cree understood that all bets were off and she’d be lost forever. That kiss had done nothing but solidify her point and the longer she lay here, eyes wide open, the longer she wondered why he hadn’t simply given into something she was willfully offering. What was the point of pretending anymore? What was the point of fighting it?

Cree was more than aware that running now would be most assuredly moot. He’d follow her and everything about the grizzly told her there’d be retribution if he had to track her down. The ever tightening spot she had between a rock, a hard place and her desire to be on Maddox’s cock at the moment was getting uncomfortable.

What did she do?
How was she supposed to sleep when she was physically and emotionally in turmoil? Granted, she was being melodramatic. The physical part was only so acute because the cause was literally a few feet away, his scent sharp and the need to feel his skin beneath her palms was biting.

Cree closed her eyes, a hard breath whistling between her clenched teeth. Kicking her comforter away caused a friction between her thighs that left her panting. Her fists clenched at her sides as hunger roared up her torso and settled on the beaded points of her nipples. She placed a palm against her belly, her heartbeat steadily picking up until it was a heavy base. Maddox was the cause and he should fucking fix it but what good would that do when they were already stumbling around one another like the blind?

“Rock, hard place, cock…” she mumbled.

What, exactly, were you supposed to say to a man after he destroyed every legitimate argument you had and felled your heart with ease? “I understand that you love me and if I were being honest, I’d tell you I love you too but there’s one issue…there may come a time where I decide your insides would  look better on your outside.”
 
Her laughter got caught in her throat. The reality of it was, loving him put them both at risk in ways that could damage everything around them. A small selfish voice whispered that she’d given up enough, she’d done
enough
to redeem parts of herself that left her feeling ashamed and wary. How did you redeem a soul that was already condemned to spend a lifetime walking through misery?

Quiet and still, Cree focused on her breathing—focused on
anything
other than Maddox’s presence—and tried to find some equilibrium. She failed;
miserably.
Rubbing her palms over her eyes didn’t help to stem the suddenly restless urge she had to run, hunt, push off the aggressive energy that had gathered inside and coiled like a cotton mouth, looking for the most vulnerable time to strike.

So determined
not
to notice the grizzly in the next room, she didn’t hear his footsteps until he stood just outside her door, silent. There were several options here but she bypassed them all and took the childish route, deciding to say nothing
.

“I know you’re not asleep, Cree,” he announced. The wood of her door shuddered and she guessed that he was leaning against it. “Which means you’re just as edgy as I am.”

She folded her arms across her chest and tucked in her lips.

There was a soft chuckle. “Ah, I see. Someone’s moody because I wouldn’t satisfy all of their dirty little urges.”

Her mouth dropped open.
Son of a bitch. 
“Go fuck yourself, Maddox.”

He snorted. “You’ll be more than delighted to know that one has already tried a bit of self-love, man to hand combat, ham smacking, roping the calf, and or romancing the stone but found it lacking and rather poor in performance.”

An image of Maddox with his member in hand, eyes glinting as he slowly stroked himself came to mind.
Stop it! Stop it right now! No I said STOP! I definitely didn’t say mentally put yourself on your knees between his legs!
What was
wrong
with her?!

Too many desires, too many emotions, too many compulsions,
a slight voice answered and Cree recognized it to be one of her beasts’.

No, no, no. You’re to remain silent and distant.

Why? The male is willing and rather sturdy.

So yeah, you. Quiet.
Now.
Please and thank you.

Blessed silence occurred and what disturbed Cree the most was the fact that it had actually listened
to her.

“I’m losing my fucking mind,” she whispered.

“Are you letting me in for cuddling or not?” Maddox demanded. “I’m tired, I’m sore from your Lilliputian couch and I really
want a chance to grope you unhindered.”

“How are any of those good reasons to allow you sanctuary within my quarters?”

“I’m a bear. I don’t have to be logical. I just have to breathe and everything in my life aligns. Now be a good little girl and open the door before I give into the urge to knock it down.”

“You kick down my door and I’ll—” She didn’t even get the chance to complete that particular sentence before the hardwood was crashing into the floor. Cree looked from the door to the carpeting and then towards the insane male standing in her bedroom’s threshold, arms folded, brow slightly rising in a challenge. “Have you lost your goddamned mind?” she questioned lowly.

“You set this ball in motion, darling. Take the consequences.” He sidestepped the ruin he’d caused and strolled toward her bed. “Move to the left, I like the right side.”

“I am
not—
you overgrown bastard!” Cree caught herself before he rolled her completely off of the edge of the bed. Suddenly she was being dragged backwards and covered in an unnatural amount of muscle and hair.

Maddox situated her until she lay on her side facing away from him and then he curled around her, one hand cupping her left breast and the other cupping her sex. A screech started in the back of her throat, working its way up to a full blown bellow but it got stuck and crushed when his thumb flicked over her nipple.

“Quiet yourself and enjoy the warmth of my unyielding masculinity,” he commanded. “We can be angsty and irritable in the morning.”

“Maddox—”

He growled low. “For fuck’s sake just have
one
moment where you aren’t thinking about the worst possible scenario. Have one
moment where your focus is on how good this feels, at this very second. You wanna debate the potential hazards of us in the morning? Great. Fine. Fucking wonderful. But not now, Cree. Not when I’ve spent my nights talking to the moon and wondering when this
would happen; wondering when I could get you to stop denying that this
is as natural as your next inhale. No rationalizing. No thinking. No contemplative moments. Lie here, shut up, let me hold you and go to sleep. That’s all. No more and no less.”

She swallowed and closed her eyes. Arguing would get her nowhere. Immoveable. That’s what Maddox was and she had no desire to bring a halt to something that momentarily stopped her inclination to run; so Cree did as he said. Relaxing back into him, she blew out a hard exhale and decided against the worry that was a led weight in her belly.

“Thank you,” he whispered against her temple before placing a kiss there.

Responding wasn’t an option with feelings that she’d never thought possible clogging her throat. She only nodded. Nodded and questioned how much longer he’d be here until he caught a true glimpse at what rested inside.

***

Cree’s gasps were what woke Maddox. The stilted, hard inhales jolted him upwards. Her sleek form twisted in the sheets, hands fisting the material of her too large shirt as she arched away from the mattress.

“Cree?”

She shook her head when he reached out, lashes fluttering. “Don’t. Don’t touch me.” Her shoulders left the bed and an animalistic sound burst from her lips. “No. No. No! Not now!”

He watched in horror as she suddenly cried out, rolling from the bed and onto the floor.

“Cree!” Maddox scrambled to the other side, reaching for her.

She wrapped her arms about herself, sweat beading just over her brow as her chest heaved. Her hands clutched at her shoulders and he could see it the moment they began to alter. Cree’s fingers contorted and a groan left her. Claws sprang from her nails as black fur sprouted and soon the pads of her hands hit the floor. Her head dipped low then jerked back up once more. 

When her eyes opened wide they were no longer human; no longer
hers
. Bright yellow with hard black pupils, they gazed up at him as she hunched over, her mouth dropping open to reveal distended canines. One word drifted from her in a low, rumbling growl that shook Maddox to his core, “
Run.”