What a Bear Wants (17 page)

***

          It wasn’t the howling that woke her per se—although she was getting really tired of that being the reason her sleep was interrupted—it was the fact that it was
bad
howling at three a.m., courtesy of a grizzly.

          “Jesus Christ.” Fallon stumbled from her bedroom towards her front door and swung it open to find two wolves and two bears standing side by side with their arms thrown over each other’s shoulders as they swayed and the one at the end threw his head back and howled.

          “Lord on high...”

          Ransom gave her a crooked grin as he broke apart from the men and wobbled towards her. “Anoki said...I should...I should serenade you.” His smile widened. “That’s how wolves do it right?”

          Her brows rose toward her pack mate. “Why did you break my bear?”

          “I’m not broken.” Ransom slurred. His eyes narrowed. “Or at least I don’t...
think
I am.” He swayed forward, then backward as he patted himself down. “Nope! Not broken!”

          “Shh!” Fallon slapped a hand over his mouth and glared at Makya. “What did you do?”

          The head beta of her pack grinned. “We gave him some man time!”

          “Yeah!” Anoki and Maddox cheered, fists in the air.

          “Before you lock him down...and...and...he’s not fun anymore.” Maddox added before sighing and mournfully saying, “He won’t be fun anymore.”

          She rolled her eyes. When she’d looked for Ransom after her hunt and found a note saying that he was going to have a plate of nirvana and a little male conversation she hadn’t really thought much of it. Exhausted from chasing down that buck and finally catching it she’d simply showered and fell into bed, leaving the door unlocked being that she knew her grizzly would be back later. Now she was wishing she’d dragged him back herself because
clearly
he couldn’t be trusted in the paws of her beloved pack.

          Anoki gave her a sad stare. “We all know what happens to a man...after he’s been mated.” He waved a hand and all four males said, “
Dickless.”
Even Ransom, whose mouth was still covered by her palm.

          “Who said anything about mating?” Fallon hissed. “We haven’t even discussed it.”

          “But we all know it’s bound to happen.” Makya wagged a finger at her and kept wagging it, seemingly unable to control his hand. “And once it does...”

          Even though his voice trailed off all four men once again chanted, “
Dickless.”

         
She prayed for patience. “All three of you need to go back to your cabins and sleep it off.”

          “See?” Maddox spun in a circle, his arms out. “It’s started already. Getting rid of,” he hiccupped, “your mate’s friends when he was just having a little man time.”

          And as a group, they shook their collective heads before all she heard was, “
Dickless.”

         
“Oh for fuck’s sake!” Fallon rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Go before you wake up the residents!” Although she kept her pack’s cabins separate from the main lodge, she still didn’t want them stumbling around and disturbing the guests.

          “Fine.” Anoki stated. “But we just want
you
to know—” He didn’t complete that sentence because he tipped over and face planted in the dirt.

          “I got him...I got him...” Maddox waved his arms and shuffled over to the wolf. The moment he bent over as if to reach down, he pitched forward also, hitting the ground with a
thump.

         
Fallon winced and looked to Makya who—to her annoyance and amusement—had passed out up against her porch.

          “Jesus be a fence...” She muttered before turning her gaze to Ransom who was humming a song that
distinctly
sounded like a Barry White tune while he rocked with his eyes closed.

          Sighing, she grabbed his hand. “Bedtime now, baby.”

          He blinked those gorgeous eyes at her. “Are we going to be naked?”

          Fallon could only smile.

***

          He would never drink again. Okay,
correction,
he would never drink with those goddamn pack mates of Fallon’s
again.

         
Ransom rolled to his side and tried to shield his eyes from the sunlight blaring through Fallon’s bedroom windows. He swallowed once then gagged. “God. The inside of my mouth tastes like sandpaper and ass sandwiches...”

          When he heard a snort from the doorway, he looked up to find his she-wolf there, a small smile in place as she stood in nothing but a basketball jersey that fell to the middle of her thighs. “There’s an extra toothbrush on the bathroom counter along with aspirin and a bottle of water.”

          “Adore. You.” Ransom murmured, stumbling out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, after a shower, what felt like a whole tube of toothpaste and an obscene amount of mouthwash, he lumbered back to bed and slid beneath the comforter.

          Fallon came in and slipped behind him, putting an arm around his waist and she cuddled up to his naked back. “What lesson did we learn from this, baby?”

          “Never drink with wolves because canines are evil?”

          She pressed a kiss to his shoulder but he sensed it was more so to keep from laughing at him. “That would be right.”

          He linked their fingers. “I knew it couldn’t go well when Anoki pulled out that bottle of 151 and screamed, ‘Tonight we drink like men!’”

          Fallon
did
laugh then, rolling around until he turned over to glare at her. “It’s not funny!”

          “It is!” She gasped.

          Ransom pouted. “But I feel bad.”

          Still chuckling, she ran a cool hand over his jaw. “My poor, snuggle bear.”

          “You’re gonna start calling me that now aren’t you?”

          Her grin was all mischief. “Mebbe...”

          Smiling back, he pulled her to his side of the bed. “You know technically my last day here is tomorrow.”

          Fallon’s eyes were focused on where her fingertips traced patterns on his chest. “Really?”

          He nodded. “Yes, but I was thinking...”

          “Mmm-hmm?”

          “That I could possibly work something out with the owner,” His hands ran up beneath the hem of her jersey, grabbing the round globes of her ass and squeezing until her breath left her in a gasp. “And maybe she’ll extend my stay for a few days...weeks...
months...”

         
Huge brown eyes focused on his as her lips tugged upwards into an indulgent expression. “Being that I know her
personally,
I may be able to put in a good word for you...talk you up a bit.”

          “Will you now?” Ransom sat up, allowing her to straddle him as he lifted the one thing covering her and tossed it across the room. “I feel like there’s a catch.” He pressed his lips to her shoulder and suckled there before lightly biting down.

          Fallon moaned in his ear. “Oh, there is.”

          “Which would be what?” He murmured, rocking her hips over his now hard cock and feeling her need wet his length as she moved against him.

          That smirk returned in all its wicked glory. “A half a dozen orgasms or so should do the trick.”

          The last vestiges of his control snapped and he ran a hand through her hair before pulling her head down so their lips could meet in a brutal kiss; teeth nipping, tongues dueling. He nibbled her bottom rim then sucked it into his mouth until she panted.

          Ransom ran his hands up her sides before cupping her breasts in his palms, purposely keeping away from her nipples until she growled and pulled back from their kiss. “Stop playing with me.”

          He firmly gripped her hand again and tugged her head back then worked his tongue up her throat. Reaching just below the lobe, he growled, “You dominate
outside
of this bed, baby. But
inside
is
my
domain.” He dragged her head down for another kiss and barely contained a groan when the evil she-devil reached between the two of them to take his cock in her hand, her grip unyielding as she stroked him from base to tip, moaning into his mouth.

          Ransom took both her wrists and pinned them with one hand behind her back as he put his dick between her soaked folds and rubbed across her clit. “Now exactly
whose
domain is this?” He asked in a rough whisper.

          Fallon gritted her elongated canines. “
Yours.”

         
He rubbed her nubbin harder. “I’m sorry, baby. I couldn’t hear you. One more time please?”

          “
Yours!”
She screamed as he pinched down on the bundle of nerves, causing her core to overflow with her essence; the sticky sweet substance running down his hand and cock.

          Ransom reached over to her nightstand where he’d stored a fresh pack of condoms yesterday before leaving her cabin to get
slightly
drunk with his brother and those sneaky wolves. In seconds he had it rolled down his length and Fallon impaled on it as she rode him into her second orgasm.

          By her third, he let go of her wrists and gripped her ass, spreading her further apart as he pounded upwards until she broke again with a small sob. “That’s only four, Fal.” He growled. “Give me two more.”

          She shook her head. “I can’t.”

          “You
can.”
He brought his palm down on one side of her buttocks and watched her stiffen above him before she let out a keening cry and exploded once more. “That’s five.” Leaning up, he wrapped his arms around her and controlled their pace as she bounced on him. When he felt the telltale clench of her deliciously wet pussy around him, Ransom bit the side of her neck, only breaking the skin a bit.

          “Fuck...fuck...fuck...fuck...” Fallon chanted as she came for the last time.

          He thrust upwards once, then twice and it was enough for his own orgasm to finally burst forth. They went lax, panting.

          “Okay,” The she-wolf resting on top of him breathed. “I am
definitely
putting in that good word.”

          Ransom kissed her temple. “It’s my God-like loving, isn't it, wee canine?”

          She chuckled, reaching upward to weakly slap at his head. “Shut. Up.”

          They were quiet for so long that he thought she’d fallen asleep until she whispered, “Ransom?”

          “Hmm?”

          “Should I be concerned that you’re drinking so early in our relationship?”

          He laughed. “No, baby. It was a celebration of sorts.”

          “Really?” She sounded skeptical.

          Ransom caressed her back. “Yes. I like Anoki and Makya—don’t tell Anoki I said that—so having a few drinks with them seemed like a good thing.”

          “It was.” Fallon yawned. “Because if they didn’t like
you
, your head would be on a spike outside the lodge as a warning to all your large, lumbering kind.”

          His chest rumbled with an amused chuckle. “Good thing they like me huh?”

          She nodded against his shoulder. “Yup.”

          “And it’s even better that
you
like me.” He commented.

          “Of course I like you.” Her voice seemed to fade off. “You and your magical bear cock lower my urge to kill all those who annoy me.”

          Even with her soft snores in his ear, he still knew he couldn’t have received a better compliment.

Chapter 16

         
Fallon was in love. Honest to God, deep, unshakable love. And it was scaring the living shit out of her. Ransom’s extended stay at the lodge went from days to weeks to a cool
month
and here they were, at the end of summer, dancing around one inevitable subject—mating.

          Since his drunken night of
man time
with her pack mates and his brother, her bear hadn’t mentioned marking her once and she didn’t know what that meant exactly. His behavior hadn’t changed in the slightest. He was still as adorably cranky when howling woke him, he’d take her at the slightest provocation and he got along with her pack just fine; even Cree liked him. Generally he worked from her office at the main part of the lodge, handling anything that needed to be done for McKenna Co. by phone, email or video chat. The few times he couldn’t do so and had to fly to California with Maddox, he’d taken Fallon along and gleefully admitted to anyone who’d listen that she was
his
wee little thing, cutsie wittle paws and all—which got him a lovely punch to the solar plexus and Maddox wheezing from laughter.

          Cohabitation had already started in her cabin and every day she found something new of his taking up space in her closet, bedroom, bathroom.
Clearly
he had no interest in getting her to move anywhere. He never grumbled about her spending time with her pack and she never heard a complaint on the days when her hours ran long in between conference calls with produce suppliers and advertising companies. If he wasn’t with her, then he was waiting up
for
her. He’d adjusted his life to fit hers and if that wasn’t a sure sign that he wanted to mark her, Fallon didn’t know what was.

          He played with the pups and gave his advice when they started an expansion plan. He’d even enlisted the help of contractors for their annual close in August; something they did at the beginning of fall in order to prepare the cabins for the upcoming seasons. Maddox had stuck around, obviously enjoying pack life as much as his older brother. They both remained involved as though it was the norm. The biggest question in Fallon’s mind was—what held her grizzly back from taking the final step?

          “You’re cute when you’re over-thinking,” said grizzly murmured near her ear as he wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her temple. “Tired of pack time already, baby?”