Bear's Strength

by J. L. Madore

  I step back, take his hand, and grab the bottle of wine. “Come with me. I’m suggesting our next pastime and it involves a lot less clothing.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Jaxx

  “Swanky digs, avian,” I say, taking a wandering stroll through the main floor of the FCO team-building retreat. It’s a thirty-six-thousand square foot bungalow with a workout center, a private theater, and an indoor pool. “At least if we’re suffering, we’re suffering in style.”

  Hawk chuckles and eases himself down on one of the couches. “Glad you approve. If you don’t mind, I think I might lose consciousness now.”

  “You do you, mate. I’m house-trained. I know how to make myself at home and behave.” I leave Hawk to his goals of comatose and venture off to find the pool. I’ve just discovered the glassed-in room when Lukas tracks me down.

  “Headed for a swim?” he asks.

  “Yeah, after a few laps do you wanna scrounge up some grub? I’m getting hungry. Any good restaurants in the neighborhood that might deliver?”

  “I’ve called in the private chef for this location. Do you have any food allergies, preferences, or must-haves?”

  Private chef… schmancy. “Nope. I’m an easy houseguest. I like Mexican, American, Italian, Indian, Greek…”

  “In other words, food.”

  I grin. “Yep. That covers it. Food is good.”

  “And, where is he?”

  I throw my thumb over my shoulder the way I came. “Taking a time-out on the living room sofa.”

  “Good. He needs it. I have a couple of things to follow up on in the office suite. If you run into a black man that looks like a former pro boxer, that’s the chef. His name is Milo. Leave him to do his thing. He doesn’t like people in his kitchen while he’s cooking.”

  “Fair enough. I don’t want to piss off the man preparing my meals especially if he can kick my pussy ass.”

  Lukas chuckles. “I put your duffle in the first bedroom past the theater. When you’ve dried off and are dressed, find me and we’ll recap what we know over some chow. I promise to protect you from Milo.”

  “Sounds good. And thanks, Lukas. Hawk strives to take good care of us, but I know you’re his right-hand man working behind the scenes. We owe you.”

  Lukas dips his chin. “My pleasure. You four are good for him. When all is said and done, the universe knew what it was doing putting you five together. He may not say it in so many words, but he thinks so too.”

  I place my hand on my chest, comforted by the warmth of my soul shard beneath my palm. “I couldn’t agree more. Now it’s just a matter of putting theory into practice and getting him to engage… in a non-hostile way.”

  Lukas chuckles. “Good luck.”

  Kotah

  I run beneath the light of the moon, my claws tearing into the pastureland of Brant’s family home. The herd is grazing in the eastern fields and I promised Papa Bear I wouldn’t spook them. I stay on the west side of the farm, thankful for the open space and the smell of clean air.

  In truth, it’s clean air tainted with the pungency of bison manure, but at least it’s a natural scent.

  I launch over a gully and my heart stutters as a jackrabbit takes flight to my right. My belly is full, but the pull of the chase is too much to ignore. I seize the distraction, course-correct, and let my wolf loose to enjoy the chase.

  Unlike in my forested Northwood home, the trees here are sparse and too spread out to offer Bugs any real escape. We dodge the intermittent trunks, jumping the exposed roots, and barrel through the long, wild grass.

  I need this. Out here, the wind blows through my coat and I am one with my environment. There is no royal obligation or betrayal of parents or failure to save my beloved.

  Out here there is only the law of nature.

  That I understand.

  When all else fails, that makes sense to me.

  Another bouncing lunge and I snap my jaws close to Bugs’s tail. He kicks back at me and gives an extra boost. After another few minutes, I take pity on my racing partner and lunge wide, giving him the chance to dart away and hide.

  I don’t slow. I abandon the hunt and push my muscles. I need to be better prepared, better equipped, and better suited to stand as a Guardian of the Phoenix.

  I lift my muzzle, breath sawing in and out of my heaving lungs. My muscles burn but my mind is finally emptying. As much as I love my mates, when things hit too close to home, I need solitude to quiet my mind.

  I need to run.

  Brant

  “Is the view doing anything for you, Bear?”

  I bark a laugh and lean further into the molded seat at my back. Without apology, I take in Calli’s open-leg display as she sits on the top edge of the hot tub. “You blow my mind, beautiful. There’s nothing wrong with the appeal. I want you. You want me. It should be as simple as that.”

  “Then we take it as slow as you want until you believe in it. I don’t mind slow, as long as I know what page we’re on.”

  “I don’t even know what page I’m on. But it has nothing to do with not being ball-throbbing hot for you.”

  She smiles and slides into the water, the globes of her boobs glistening as they bob to the top of the surface. She takes the seat opposite me and reaches her arms flat on the back of the tub behind her. “Well, we had dinner, I met your folks, and now we have all night to be naked together and get comfortable with one another.”

  Her legs straighten under the water and she fondles my junk with her toes. “You get to say how much and when to stop. I’m hoping we can flirt a little… and maybe make out a lot. If that’s all you’re up for, I’m happy to take the journey with you.”

  I capture her feet and close my legs, bringing her heels into my lap to massage her feet. “I don’t want you pussy footing around me. There’s no conscious desire to put on the brakes. I’m as hungry for you as the others.”

  “I get that. My point stands. I’m not going to ambush you like I did to Hawk. He needed to get over himself and get out of his own way. I’m giving you the reins.”

  I bend down and lift her toes above the bubbling water to give them a nip. “Is that a carte blanche invitation?”

  She waggles her brows. “Hells yeah.”

  I lean back and settle in. This is going to be a good night. “Okay, then let’s get comfortable with one another.”

  “Where do you want to start?”

  “Sexual fantasies.”

  She shrugs. “I’ve been living those the past few weeks. Multiple guys. Male/male voyeurism. Being ravished anywhere and anytime the urge hits. What about you?”

  “I’ve been too long on the sidelines. I want to start being part of the game.”

  “Anything you want to share?”

  I chuckle and lick my lips. “How crude is too crude?”

  She giggles and her boobs bob. “Oh, I don’t get offended by crude. I’m not a fan of the ‘C’ word, but other than that, nothing makes me cringe.”

  “Alright. Honestly, I want you to ride my face and cream in my mouth. I want to fuck you on every surface I see, powering inside you until you can’t take anymore. I want Kotah in your ass and both of you on your backs while I crawl inside you. I want you to suck my cock until I cum hard in your mouth and fill your belly. I want to be on my knees while Jaxx fucks me while I’m fucking you. I want all of us naked and playing with no expectations. I’ve even pictured myself sucking off Hawk well enough that the guy misses a beat. He might be an asshole, but that motherfucker is hot. Those tats and piercings—fuck me.”

  Calli’s teeth capture her bottom lip. “That is a big list.”

  I chuckle and stroke my cock under the water. I’m harder than I’ve ever been, knowing where this is going. I may not be a hundy percent confident on one level, but I know where we’re ending up tonight. “Talking like this is making me really, fucking horny.”

  Heat flares in her gaze and a ring of fire ignites around the pupils of her eyes. Her phoeni
x burns stronger every day. The fact that she got air yesterday is incredible.

  She swallows and I watch her stiff nipples peek out of the water as the jets cycle off. The bubbles clear and the water falls still. Her gaze drops and she now sees the proof of exactly how horny I am. “So, when do you anticipate starting your sexy to-do wish list…”

  I growl and push forward, meeting her as she launches and collides with me in the middle. “Right now.”

  Calli

  Brant’s list does in my self-control. I initiated the hot tub experience to increase intimacy without expectation. That flies out the window when he makes me imagine all the things he wants to do to me—with me. I’m crushed against his solid chest as he lifts me into his arms and carries me out of the steamy water.

  The air is cold on my heated flesh and I shiver in his arms. “Give me two minutes, beautiful. I’ll warm you up with friction.”

  I snuggle into his massive frame and kiss his pec. The sharp muscled ridges of his powerful animal side cushion the softness of my own. Not that I’m as soft as I used to be. Daily workouts and the progression of my wildling side have sculpted my body over the past three weeks.

  “So, that whole speech I gave you on taking it slow… I want you to know I do mean it.”

  The grin that breaks his lips has my core pulsing for attention. “We’re not waiting. I’m beyond desperate right now.”

  “Thank gawd.”

  The vibration of his laughter against my chest is a sexy friction. Grabbing two fluffy towels off the pile, he flips them into my lap and heads out of the hot tub area. “The biggest problem I face now is where to begin my feast. I hunger for so much.”

  “Then consider me your smorgasbord.”

  “I appreciate your commitment to the cause,” he says, taking a left and stopping in the doorway to the kitchen. He studies the layout of the room, and then his grin widens.

  My pussy pulses with anticipation.

  He sets my feet on the floor and I lean against the kitchen island. I yip at the cold marble against my ass and he chuckles.

  “Thus, the towels.” After unfurling them onto the floor, he lays on his back and smacks his lips. “Sit on my face and hold onto the counter to keep steady.”

  Laid out like this, his physical perfection is too beautiful to believe. All this is mine? A rush of cream heats my core and I groan. “Make me, Bear.”

  His brow arches. “You wanna play that game?”

  “Who’s playing. You hold the reins remember. If you want it, you have to take it.”

  The growl that rumbles from deep in his chest nearly makes me come. He sits up and with a control of strength I’m sure only he could manage, he lifts me off my feet, splits my knees and lays back down with me straddled over his mouth. “Bon appetite.”

  My eyes roll back in my head as he grips my hips and angles my core to his best advantage. There are no sweet sweeps of lips and tongue and butterfly kisses. Brant devours my clit and grinds his mouth against me with a heated madness that vibrates across our bond.

  “Fuck yeah. Feed me, Calli. I’m thirsty.”

  I grip the cantilevered surface of the breakfast bar and steady myself. The towels are soft under my knees, but the stubble of his day’s growth brushes against my folds in a rough ecstasy. I close my eyes and focus on the sensation of his mouth. There’s no hesitation now. Maybe powering through his subconscious hesitation is the way to go.

  I’m up for trying. Yeah, this, for as long as it takes.

  Pleasure tingles over my skin and I drop my head back and focus on my breathing. I won’t pass out tonight. No matter how wild things get… no passing out.

  One of his hands releases my hips and I hear the wet snick-snick-snick of precum tossing behind me.

  “Are you stroking off.”

  He shifts position to speak and I instantly regret asking him a question. “I gotta take the edge off or I’m going to split you wide when I get inside you.”

  He gets back to it, and my world is happy once more.

  He’s very good at multi-tasking and I don’t want to think about how he got so adept at eating pussy.

  His tongue penetrates, his lips are sloppy and wet as he feeds his frenzy. His bear is growling now, the violent slap of his masturbating nearing completion.

  It’s so hot. I’ve seen him satisfy himself more than once. I can picture the tension in his abs and pecs, the way his whole body shudders with the violence of him coming hard.

  A hot keening lights up deep inside me and I call the feeling forward. I want to lose my mind. I want to come into his mouth like he wants. He groans and his arm tightens around my thigh, pinning me to his mouth and pressing the pads of two fingers on my clit.

  He barely makes contact and I’m convulsing, rocking against his tongue, gasping as my head falls back. My phoenix writhes inside me, eager to claim her last mate.

  “It’s so good,” I gasp, riding out the pulsing waves.

  Wildly engaged, my throaty cry is still in the air when the world spins. Brant’s on his feet and we’re chest to chest. His arms are around me and my legs wrap around his hips. The swollen tip of his cock presses hot against my entrance and I understand his concern from a moment earlier.

  Brant’s cock is big—like really big—without a doubt, the biggest I’ve ever had.

  Pressing my back against the wall, he starts a slow swivel of his hips, pressing and probing. I feel the silky sheath sliding over solid steel as I try to catch my breath.

  My pulse thunders hard in my veins. His care and concern in a moment when we’re both so incredibly turned on is touching but also maddening. I wriggle my hips, to hurry the process, and hide the wince the stretching causes.

  “No, baby. Let me take it slow. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “I’m a phoenix, Bear. If I tear a little, I’ll heal right back up… and honestly, I don’t mind a little pleasure-pain.”

  Either he’s not hearing me or he’s not listening.

  “Seriously, Brant. Stop playing the part of the gentleman. I need you inside me. Fuck your mate.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Brant

  I’m trying to maintain control here, but I’m losing my mind. The need to mark Calli inside and out is stronger now than it’s been for the past weeks—and that’s saying something. Even after taking the edge off, my wood is still more like a fucking sequoia. It’s carnal. It’s barbaric. It’s undeniable.

  Calli squirms in my hold. She’s a greedy and impatient little fireball. My cock probes the damp heat of her pussy, and I can’t breathe. Can’t think.

  “Bear, please.”

  Right. She’ll heal. I push inside her, and though I mean to only enter her a bit and wait for her to adjust, I can’t stop. I thrust fully and bury myself in the grip of her core.

  “Oh, fuck,” she screams in a throaty cry.

  “I’m sorry,” I say, hating myself for rushing this. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

  “You’re not,” she gasps, the lush curves of her breasts heaving, her fingers digging into my shoulders. She leans back and I watch those beautiful rounds rise and fall. She groans as I withdraw and fill her again. “You fill me, yes”—her eyes roll back—“but it’s wonderfully invasive. I bet mates are well-suited in more ways than habit and temperament because this is perfection.”

  Maybe she’s right. The fit is incredible.

  Gripping the back of my neck, she pulls my lips to hers and invades me too. Her tongue dances in my mouth and battles against mine. I growl, and the sound is more beast than man.

  Calli isn’t dainty or shy, I knew that. And now that we got my stalling jitters out in the open, there’s no reason to hold back. Calli likes bold and commanding. Wild.

  I can be wild for her. I am wild for her.

  I pump my hips and my body finally overtakes my mind. Her inner muscles grip me tight, greedy for more. I press my mouth against her neck and hammer inside her.

  “Yes, Bear. This
. Give me all of you.”

  Fuck. If this is mating sex, I never want it to end.

  I nip the skin of her throat and energy explodes between us. Something in our bond builds. It courses between us, swirling from my system to hers and back again.

  The connection we share intensifies like it used to be made of string but now is a steel cable. It’s like plugging into her has somehow merged us as one.

  Well, physically, yeah, it has, but it’s more than that.

  Calli’s skin heats and the charred scent of her phoenix fills my senses. Fire licks over my skin but it doesn’t burn or cause me pain. I thrust deeper, faster, my need to be inside her multiplying into crazy territory.

  It’s sweet succulence—the best kind of torture.

  My growl is loud and long and vibrates between us.

  “Oh, gawd, yes!” Calli arcs against my hold and bucks like she’s shattering in my arms. “Growl. Fuck me and growl.”

  The world explodes into nothing but instinct. My bear ascends and growls for her. She screams and comes unglued, her nails digging into the flesh of my shoulders.

  Sweat drips into my eyes and I close them tight, pumping into her with insane power. How am I not splitting her in two? It has to be the mating magic because Calli’s screaming in ecstasy and her inner muscles are greedily milking my cock.

  My muscled legs stiffen as my balls tighten and burn. I press forward, crushing our bodies together, and come harder than I thought possible. My breath catches and I spill into her.

  My bear roars with each hot pulse of cum, the animal in me relishing the marking. “Mine.”

  I’ve watched Kotah and Jaxx as they lose their load. I could see it was incredible but never imagined this. Breath heaving, thighs trembling, the smell of sweat and sex mingling in the air, I carry us, still joined, to the sofa in the living room.

  “Are you going to carry me naked and sex me in all the rooms?” she asks, her eyes crinkling at the sides with her smile.

  I sink onto the sofa with her straddled over my hips and riding my lap. It takes a minute for my breathing to steady and my heart to stop threatening to burst. When I can speak again, I run my thumb over the tight tip of her nipple.