I haven’t been with a man in so long. And then, it has only ever been Matt. Matt who was timid and shy and predictable. Matt who only ever wanted missionary style sex. Matt who was a virgin when we met. We both were.
And now Weston. Weston the self-proclaimed player, who, by the sound of it, knows his way around a woman’s body.
He pauses between kisses. “I haven’t…” He closes his eyes, resting his forehead on mine.
“What is it?” I ask, fully expecting this hookup to end any second. Weston is ripped, head to toe, the sexiest man on this mountain, hands down, and he is winding his way into my heart at a speed that I know will leave me bruised.
“I haven’t been with anyone since before Fin was born.”
I lift my eyes in surprise. “Fin is six years old.”
Weston nods. I feel his thick cock against me, and already my pussy is aching for his touch.
“Yeah, it’s been awhile.”
I close my eyes, feeling free to say anything at all to Weston. “I’ve only ever been with Matt.”
“We don’t have to—”
“I want to.”
“Thank God,” he groans, his fingers starting to tug at my clothes, tossing them aside.
I feel his need and it matches my own.
I want him.
Need him.
His own clothes quickly join mine in a heap on the floor.
I’m not a virgin, but with him, I feel like one, like my body is opening up for the very first time.
I moan against his mouth when he kisses me, wrapping my legs around his hips, lassoing us closer. Not even the pain of my ankle hinders the pleasure that fills me at his touch. And I want more. Want all of him.
He rubs against me, and the bare contact between my pussy and his cock is searing.
I thrust my hips toward him, wanting to feel his length deep inside of me.
“Want to take my time, sweetheart,” he murmurs against my lips, but I can feel his control fraying. “Want to taste you, kiss you everywhere.”
“And I want you inside of me,” I say desperately, fingers digging into his hips. It’s been so long for both of us. And I’m already wet, my body ready for him. “Please, Weston.”
“Shit, Kate.” He doesn’t hesitate, his cock fills me with one good, long thrust.
“Oh God,” I cry out, my walls clenching around him. He’s bigger than I thought, and thick, and it takes my body a moment to adjust to his size.
“Did I hurt you?” He looks down at me, dark eyes filled with concern.
“No.” I pull his head back down to mine. “It feels...perfect.”
And it does. Everything about him is...right.
He begins moving inside of me, slow at first, building to a crescendo. My moans are frantic, and his own deep groans send adrenaline surging through my veins.
Our hips collide, his hands roam my body, and Weston kisses me hard.
My release is close, and I whimper, “I’m going to...”
“Come for me, sweetheart. Because I’m not sure how much longer I can last. You feel so damn good.”
The roughness of his voice rouses my desire to a new level, and my body explodes in ecstasy. And at the same time, I feel Weston’s own release, hear the roar of pleasure that vibrates through his body, straight into my soul like some type of claiming.
“Wow,” we say at the same time, foreheads pressed together, his full weight on top of me, making me feel...protected and safe.
Even though I know having sex with this incredibly hot mountain man is probably the most unsafe thing I’ve ever done - at least for my heart.
“Next time,” he says, tracing my bottom lip with his thumb. “I promise to take my time.”
Next time. I shiver at the promise in his words. But I don’t know if there’ll be a next time. There probably shouldn’t have even been a first time, because I don’t know how long I’ll be staying here. And getting my emotions all tied up in this man is just...dangerous.
And, I’m not in the kind of place to have a relationship, especially not with a man like Weston Koleman, a self-proclaimed player who is out of practice … but I can only imagine what will happen now that I’ve opened the dam. He could start hooking up with any woman in this valley.
Plus, there’s Finley to think about. I don’t want to confuse her, and...
He pushes up on his elbows, dark eyes studying me like he can read my thoughts and he looks worried.
“I...we should go. Piper will be worried about me.”
With a sigh, he rolls off me and starts to get dressed.
God, the man is beautiful. But this has to end today.
I take my shirt and pants when he hands them to me, but when I start to turn away, he takes my jaw in his palm and tilts my face so that I’m met with a pair of dark, primal eyes.
“I’ll take you home, sweetheart. But let’s get one thing straight. This isn’t ending here.”
Chapter 7
Weston
No one has ever made me unravel the way Kate does. I shouldn’t have read her thoughts, but it was like they were blasted into my head through a loudspeaker. And what I heard scared the shit out of me.
She’s planning on leaving.
Can’t. Won’t let that happen.
She’s my mate, and I won’t let her run away. I may not deserve a woman like her, but I’ll damn well fight like I do. And not just for me, but for Finley.
And for Kate.
Because despite all the excuses I heard her making in her mind about why we shouldn’t be together, I know the truth, she needs me as much as I need her. I felt it in the way her body responded. Saw it in her eyes. She thinks she wants a damn Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet, but she’s wrong, what she needs is a beast who will ravish her, push her body to the breaking point.
And I’m that beast.
But I have enough sense to know not to push her. So, instead of keeping her here in this cabin like I want to, showing her just how much she needs me, I pick her up, and place her in the old Jeep that’s parked out behind the cabin and drive her back to her shop.
Piper comes rushing out when she sees me lift Kate from the car. “What happened.”
“I’m fine,” Kate says. “I can probably walk on it now, but—”
“I won’t let her,” I say gruffly, moving past Piper, into the bookstore, and placing Kate down on the couch.
“It’s just a sprain.”
“And you’re a doctor now?” Piper says, crossing her arms, then she gives me a stern look. “Why didn’t you take her to the hospital.”
“Really, Piper, I’m okay.”
“No, she’s right. It looks like a sprain to me, but I’ll send Rex Callister over to take a look.”
I hate the thought of any man, especially another bear, going near my mate, but he’s the town doctor and a distant cousin.
Kate starts to protest, “You don’t have to—”
I give a low growl, and lean down, silencing her with a kiss.
Kate whimpers and Piper gasps behind us, and I can’t help but chuckle at the shock on both women’s faces when I turn to leave.
“Remember what I said, Kate,” I say over my shoulder. “This doesn’t end here.”
I shut the door behind me, feeling my mate’s confused emotions spiraling and mixing with my own.
There’s a part of me that wants to press my own thoughts into hers, but I know that she’s freaked out enough already.
Finley is playing a board game with Adelaide when I walk into her and Gunnar’s house.
My brother hands me a beer and smirks at me.
“What?”
He shrugs, still grinning like an idiot.
Adelaide stands, placing a hand on her rounding stomach, and approaches, giving me the look, and I know I’m in for a lecture.
“Piper just called,” she says.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. And she said you kissed Kate.”
I glance a
round her at Finley, who is now tuned into a cartoon on TV.
Adelaide follows the direction of my gaze, and lowers her voice when she says, “You know I’m going to have to sick your brother on you if you hurt her.”
I chuckle at the threat, knowing I’d beat Gunnar in a fight any day.
“Don’t have any intentions of hurting her.”
“Just sleeping with her.” Addie crosses her arms. “She’s been hurt before. Just be...be careful with her heart. I’ve heard about your...pursuits.”
“Not the same guy I used to be,” I mutter, hating that I have to justify myself, but also glad Kate has a friend who will fight for her. “And trust me, I want more than to just fuck—” I bite my tongue when Finley glances over, then say when her focus is back on the show. “She’s my mate.”
“Shit,” Gunnar says.
“Oh.” Addie looks shocked, then her face starts to light up. “That’s so amazing. Does she know? Did you tell her about...you know?”
“Finley did, but she didn't believe her.”
“I have to go see her.” She hugs me before turning and kissing Gunnar. “Isn’t this great news?”
He nods, but I see the worry in his eyes.
“Addie,” I stop her when she’s by the door.
“Don’t tell her, about the bear or mate thing. It needs to come from me.”
She nods, before walking out the door.
“Spit it out,” I say to my brother.
“Nothing to say. I’m happy for you.”
“That’s all?”
“That and you need to have a chat with your kid. She’s going to end up exposing us all.”
“I know.”
The next morning, I make a big breakfast, pancakes, bacon, and eggs. Finley isn’t an early riser, but the scent of the food has her pulling out a chair and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
“Why so much food, Daddy?” she asks.
“No reason,” I say, knowing it’s a lie. If I had cereal out for her, she’d be eating in front of the TV. And this morning, I need to have a talk with my little girl.
“Can you pour the syrup for me?” she asks, struggling to lift the jug of the freshly tapped amber liquid.
“Sure thing, sweetie.” We dish up and she starts shoveling food in her mouth as if she has places to be. “What’s the rush?”
“I just wanna get to Kate’s.”
“You’re not going there, Fin. I have the day off.”
She frowns, breaking a piece of bacon in half. “But what are we gonna do then?”
“I thought we could clean up around here. The cabin’s a mess, in case you didn’t notice.”
Fin laughs. “You’re gonna clean? Really?”
“Well, this place is a pigsty.”
Her face lights up with a smile. “No Daddy, it’s a bear cave.”
The comment makes me set down my fork. “Hey, uh, actually, I want to talk to you about that.”
“What?” She chomps on her bacon as if she doesn’t have a care in the world. I love that about her. Her free spirit, I never want to take that away. But at the same time, she needs to understand that she’s part of a special clan.
“We need to talk about yesterday. How you took Kate to the cave.”
She twists her lips. “You’re mad.”
“I’m...” I run my hands over my face. Raising a child is so damn hard as it is. Trying to explain the fact that there is a clan of bears who want to take her from me isn’t something I want her to know. But she needs to. “You know how your mom was a grizzly?”
She nods. “Yeah, I know. They’re the bad guys, aren’t they?”
“Not all of them.”
“But some?” She’s paying attention, and I’m glad to have captured that. I need her to hear me now, not run off again without a second thought.
“Some.” I exhale, leaning my elbows on the table. “And Finley, when you run off like that, something could happen to you. I know you’ve memorized the woods, but Grizzlies are encroaching on Kodiak territory. That means—”
“Someone might try and take me to my other family.”
I nod, realizing my little girl has probably heard way more than she ought to have over the last year. “It’s not that I don’t want you to know that side of the family, your mother’s side. It’s just I can’t trust them right now. You are my first priority, Finley. My only priority.”
“Kate though, she’s yours too, isn’t she?”
I frown, picking up my cup of coffee. “What do you mean?”
“She’s your mate, right?”
I’m at a loss for words. I can’t even begin to imagine how she knows that. And I’m not sure I want to answer her bold question. I lift my mug to my lips and try to think of how to respond.
Finley grabs a forkful of pancake. “So when will she move in with us?”
I almost spit out my coffee. “What? Fin, you can’t talk like that.”
“Why not?”
“Because Kate doesn’t know about mates or about bear shifters yet. It’s our family business. You need to promise you’ll keep it that way.”
She pouts. “But I love her, Daddy. Don’t you?”
I swallow back my emotions, looking at my little girl who so clearly wants a mother.
“She’s pretty special, Fin. But you can’t make someone love you.”
We work on our plates of food in silence for a few minutes, then she looks up. “I’ll be seven in a week.”
“I know, crazy how time flies, little one. What do you want for your birthday?”
She smiles as if baiting me for this question. “I want Kate to be my mom.”
“Fin, I can’t get you that.”
Her face falls. Tears fill her precious eyes.
“I bet you can think of something else.”
But Fin has already jumped off the chair and runs from the room. She pushes past the back door and gets inside her fort.
There I go, trying to make things work, and all I do is fuck them up.
Chapter 8
Kate
Harley and Addie enter Piper and my apartment the next morning carrying four to-go cups and an aluminum tray of cinnamon rolls.
“Where’d you get that?” I ask as they hand me a coffee.
“Well since you’re flat on your ass,” Harley says. “We knew there wouldn’t be any fresh pastries or hot coffee in the cafe downstairs. So we had to stop at the diner for some cinnamon rolls to go.”
“Thank you,” I say graciously as Addie begins plating the food.
Just then, Piper sticks her head out of her bedroom door. “Oh my God, that smells so freaking good.” She grabs the last of the four coffees and takes a sip. “Okay, that is definitely diner coffee.”
I laugh. “You’ve gotten such refined tastes since you moved to Alaska.”
“No,” Piper says. “I just have a roommate who happens to be a world class baker and fantastic maker of lattes.”
“Not world class,” I say.
“Whatever,” Addie says. “The Seattle Times did a piece on your cupcakes, Kate. There was a line around the block every day.”
“Oh, and remember that reality TV show that asked if you’d be a guest baker?” Piper adds. “What was it called?”
“The Great Bake Off,” I say, taking the proffered cinnamon roll.
“But that is ancient history,” Harley says. “You’re gonna be a writer now, right?”
“Um, actually.” I exhale. “I think I’m quitting my book.”
“What?” Addie’s jaw drops. “What are you talking about? It was your dream.”
I laugh. “I think fantasy might be the better word for it.”
Piper frowns. “But you were so excited.”
“I think I’m a reader, not a writer.”
“But now you probably have all sorts of juicy things to put in your romance novel,” Harley says. “You had a sexy kiss yesterday if I’ve heard correctly.”
I ignore her by taking a bit
e of the roll.
“You have to give us more than that, Kate,” Addie presses.
“You guys, it’s irrelevant.”
“Don’t do that,” Piper says.
“Do what?”
“Act like your life isn’t worth talking about? Making light of the amazing woman you are, the things you’ve accomplished. You are always here for us. Let us be here for you.”
Piper’s words catch me completely off guard. They’re so kind that I feel tears prick the corners of my eyes. Addie hands me a tissue, and everyone gathers around me on the couch. Harley is crossed legged on the floor, Piper is next to me on the couch, my ankle in her lap. Addie is in an armchair, leaning in. I am so lucky to have such invested friends. They deserve more than a half-told story.
“The truth is,” I begin. “That kiss with Weston was everything. All the things. But it was also a bad idea.”
“Why?” Addie asks.
“I have no business kissing a man like him.” Or doing any of the other things we did yesterday. “Even if he’s put his player-ways behind him, he’s a father. He needs a woman who is here for the long haul. Me? I’m thinking about getting a ticket home.”
“What?” Addie looks up at me with eyes brimming with tears. “You’re leaving?”
I sigh. “I don’t know. I want to bake again, but not just scones and muffins. I mean, I love scones and muffins, but—”
“But you’re talented enough to work at the most premier bakeries in the country,” Piper says, even though she’s frowning.
“You’re going to leave us forever, aren't you?” Harley asks as tears begin to fall down her cheeks. Gosh, what is with the waterworks? Addie, I understand. She’s pregnant and cries at the drop of a hat. But Harley?
Wait. Harley.
“Are you pregnant?” I ask her.
Her eyes go wide. “How did you figure that out?”
“You’re crying,” I say. “You never cry like that.”
She nods, happy tears filling her eyes. “We just found out yesterday.”
We manage an awkward group hug. I can’t get up because of the sprain, and Addie’s belly bump is getting bigger each day. But it’s a perfect hug nonetheless. We all exclaim over Harley’s news, congratulating her.
Untamed Daddy (Mountain Men of Bear Valley Book 3) Page 4
