by Thorne, Elle
Teague squeezed Kelsey. “I don’t think there are ever coincidences with you around, Mae.”
Mae turned pink, the color rising up through her olive complexion. “I’m not sure if that’s an accusation or not.”
Kelsey elbowed Teague. “It’s a thank you. Show your appreciation.”
His breath was warm on her cheek. The spot on her shoulder where they’d couplebonded was pleasantly warm, sending waves of sensations and desires throughout her body.
“Sure is. Thank you, Mae.” Teague leaned in and whispered in Kelsey’s ear. “Wait until I thank you later.”
Kelsey felt the heat and intensity of his promise flow through her body, ending up right below her navel, with a jolt and a buzzing current. “Promises, promises.”
Kane and Astra walked in, a large crock pot in Kane’s arms.
“How about a little soup? Beer cheese soup,” Astra said. “Made with the electricity I’ve become so attached to.”
Kelsey stole away from Teague to give her friend a hug.
“Things seem good,” Astra whispered.
“I heard that,” Kane offered.
“Hush.” Astra laughed and kissed Kane on the cheek, her hand caressing his massive arm. “You and your bear hearing.” Then she pulled on Kelsey’s hand, taking her into the hallway.
“Things are good,” Kelsey said. “I think.”
“You think?” Astra kept her voice low.
“Yeah, well... I mean, we haven’t made definite arrangements or talked long-term, but...”
“You’ve bonded,” Astra said.
“You can tell?” Kelsey gave her a quizzical look. “Really?”
“Really.” Astra nodded. “Are things different now? I mean, you know, your senses and stuff?”
“Yeah. Very! Yours were too?”
“Seeing, hearing, scenting. Yes, very much so. I wanted to be sure it wasn’t just because of my gift, but because of the couplebonding.”
“No, it’s not just your gift. It’s happened to me, too,” Kelsey confessed. “It’s taking a while to get used to.”
She had thought of talking to Mae about it, but she was hesitant. She was glad that Astra had brought it up, glad she wasn’t going crazy when she’d become aware of her heightened sense of smell, hearing, and vision.
“What are your plans, Teague?” Grant and Chelsea walked up, holding hands. “When do you leave town?”
Kelsey felt Teague stiffen behind her, his arms tightening around her. She stopped breathing for a second. They hadn’t made definite plans. She should have asked.
She cursed herself for letting her emotions run away with her and agreeing to the couplebond. He had promised her forever. How would he pull that off? She didn’t want to leave her new job and friends who were becoming a family for her.
“What’s on your mind, Grant?” Teague was clearly not answering. Was that because they hadn’t discussed it or was he avoiding the issue?
“I have some work that needs doing. I thought you could start on it and maybe wrap it up while we’re on our honeymoon.” Grant looked down at Chelsea, a secret-keeping smile creeping onto his face. “Maybe a nursery, too.”
“What!” Mae squealed and ran to hug them.
“Hey, now, relax.” Grant laughed. “I’m not making an announcement or anything.”
Kelsey held her breath, lungs burning as she waited for Teague to answer.
“I think I could stick around for a while.”
Kelsey let her breath out with a large, very audible whoosh.
“Nervous?” Teague whispered in her ear.
Kelsey turned around to face her man and his bear. “You’re a scoundrel. And you’ll pay later. I’ll have to torture you with my tongue and hands in a few choice places.”
The bear’s eyes flashed an amber color in the depths of Teague’s dark eyes, his love for her a glowing light.
She stood on tiptoes and whispered in his ear. “I was never nervous—much.”
Later that night, everyone left the B & B, leaving Kelsey and Teague alone.
“Your room or mine?” Teague asked as he cupped her ass, pulling her close.
Chapter Thirty-Two
The next morning, Teague woke up early and went to visit with Grant. After lunch, tired of waiting for him to return and take her down another tunnel, and bored out of her skull, Kelsey decided that she’d go check out a different tunnel.
This time she wasn’t going to be dumb about it. She brought a rifle Teague had left at the B & B. She didn’t think she could actually kill a bear, not when she loved one so much... but she wasn’t willing to risk her life.
The entrance she chose led out of the basement, hidden behind a cupboard shelving unit. As Teague had shown her, she released the latch, pushed on the second shelf from the top, and the door swung wide.
“Here we go again.” She turned the flashlight on, with new batteries in it—thank you very much!—shouldered her backpack, and took a step in.
Like the first tunnel, this one was full of alcoves, twists, and turns. It felt like it was going upward.
She walked forever, it seemed. Her phone said she’d been at it for an hour and a half.
Ah! Light!
Her legs were sore, her thighs burning from the climb. She hadn’t realized how steep the tunnel had gotten until her burning muscles protested.
She crested the top of the dark tunnel, and gasped at the view. She was on top of a beautiful hill that overlooked the valley.
“Wow,” she whispered at the majestic beauty of the vista in front of her.
“I guess you didn’t learn the first time around, did you?” a voice she knew only too well asked.
She whirled around. “Teague.”
“What are you doing here?” He wrapped his arms around her.
She inhaled deeply, his manliness filling her lungs.
“I missed you, woman.” The rumble in his voice identified that it was his bear communicating.
“I was exploring. I guess some things I don’t learn the first time around.”
“That’s just one of the many things I love about you.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Teague saw happiness in her eyes. She stood on a rock and put her arms around him. She kissed him, a gentle brush of her lips against his.
The touch sent him and his bear spiraling into desire and overwhelming love. A vise seized him from within as he studied her, rememorizing her features, as if he’d ever forgotten them—which he hadn’t.
“I can’t live without you. I won’t live without you. My bear won’t live without you. I know you feel the same way. Now that we’re bonded, I guess we have some things to iron out. Like where to live.”
“Do I have a say in that?”
“I’m hoping you’ll say right here in the valley,” Teague said.
She smiled, brightening her face, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled close to him, their bodies melding.
A low moan slipped from her lips.
A throbbing started in his cock, his erection pulsing and straining at the sounds she was making.
“Damn, baby.” He pulled on her shirt, tugging the fabric over her head, then dropped her pants and panties with a fierce yanking while she slipped her shoes off by standing on the heels.
She stood naked in front of him, a goddess in nature. Her curves, rosy peaks, and dark-trimmed triangle were like beacons calling to him. Her scent was rich, announcing her wetness and readiness.
He sat her down on the rock, using her clothing as a buffer against the chilly stone. Spreading her legs, he placed her on her back with tenderness, then knelt and put his face close to the heat that rose from her sex.
The glistening wetness verified what he had scented and made his mouth water with anticipation. She was hot, ripe, ready. He spread her lips with his fingers, then unhooded her clit with a quick swipe of his tongue. She was quivering. He dipped a finger in, and she arched her body upward, begging for more.
> Teague slipped a second finger in, fucking her with both fingers while he sucked on her tender button, pulling at her clit with deep suction, then releasing it and flicking it with his thumb. Her face was a picture of pleasure. She leaned forward, digging her hands into his hair, alternately pulling his hair and pushing his head, depending on his tactics.
He pushed his fingers upward, seeking her G-spot as he sucked and flicked her clit with his tongue.
She gasped and reared upward, rocking her pussy over his mouth. He went faster and faster.
“Oh. My. God. Yes. Yes!”
He added another finger, pushing her to new limits, stretching her, growling into her sex.
Less than a moment later, she grew stiff, then with a loud scream that echoed around them and made the forest silent of all animal life, she tightened her channel around his fingers, and sat up, her eyes wide.
“Oh. God. Teeeeague!” She bounced on his fingers, grinding on them, coming in a series of climaxes that made his cock hurt from the strain of not taking her. She shuddered and leaned forward against him, sweat beading on her forehead, her face flushed. She’d never looked more beautiful.
He cupped her breast and, leaning in, took a mouthful of her nipple in his mouth and teased it with his tongue, lavishing his attention on the rosy, pearlized bud.
Then he stood and unzipped his pants and reached for her, ready to drive his cock deep into her pussy, to attain the same heights with her again.
Kelsey sat him down on the rock and looked at his cock. Gripping it with both hands, she sat down, straddling him, his cock between them. She rose slightly, lined it up at her entrance, and thrust her body down onto it, impaling herself, taking him in fully.
Pleasure exploded in Teague’s mind and body. He jerked forward, the intensity of what he was feeling creating a tremor that rocked his essence.
Her pussy tightened around him, silky and steel-like in its grip. He grunted, a growl building deep within. Damn, he didn’t want to lose control. Not yet. Dammit. Not yet.
He grabbed her hips and squeezed her ass, pulling her onto him even further, pushing against her slick walls.
She rose and dropped again. And again. She rocked on his cock, wiggled in his lap, her tightness pulling his cock, coaxing it, milking it toward the apex of pleasure.
“Fuck! Fuck!”
Teague couldn’t have stopped himself if he’d wanted to, and he sure as hell couldn’t stop his bear. He pulled her closer, driving deep into her, pushing against her walls, loving the sleek tightness of her channel.
Kelsey screamed his name, her head thrown back, her muscles pulling a climax from deep within him. With a roar he leaned forward and sank his teeth into her shoulder at the juncture of her neck, covering their couplebond.
She moaned and pulled on his ass, bringing him in even deeper. He licked at her wound, healing it quickly, leaving behind the tiniest scar on top of a scar.
Kelsey pulled back and looked into his eyes, her own dark brown eyes glistening with tears.
“Don’t cry, baby.” He pulled her closer.
“They’re good tears,” she assured him.
Epilogue
Kelsey and Teague stood outside the private dining room. It was reserved for a special occasion: a planning dinner for Grant and Chelsea’s wedding.
Kelsey was starting to think that they had these planning dinners awfully often. What excuse would they come up with after the wedding to have their get-togethers?
Everyone else was already inside, and the sounds of merriment floated outside the door.
“Ready to go in?” Teague took her hand. “Are we ready to make an announcement of our own?”
“Let’s don’t steal anyone else’s thunder. There’s no reason to.” Kelsey brushed his lips with her fingertips.
His bear glowed in his eyes, responding to her touch.
They walked in.
Marti saw them first. She waved at Kelsey.
Chelsea beckoned them in. “Come on. It’s just getting good. We’re looking at who’s accompanying whom—or is that who?” She giggled. “Well, whatever. Who is coming with who... Oh, shoot, I did it again.” Her blush could probably be attributed to the almost empty wine glass in front of her. “We’re sorting out who has a plus-one for the wedding.” She looked at Grant. “There! I did it.”
Grant kissed the tip of her nose. “You sure did.”
“Yay!” Marti applauded.
“We’re way behind on the wine consumption,” Kelsey said with a laugh. “I guess you’re my plus-one for the wedding.” She looked at Teague.
That should be a no brainer.
“Did someone say plus-one?”
They all turned toward the door.
“Tanner,” Teague said. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
Tall, strikingly handsome, with good looks that rivaled Teague’s, his brother walked into the room, eclipsing the entrance with his broad shoulders.
Teague gave his brother a hug.
Tanner turned to Kelsey. He’d grown a beard since she’d seen him two years ago. “It’s about time Teague woke up and claimed what was his.” He wrapped her in a hug, then looked at Mae. “Told you I’d make it before the wedding.”
Keep reading for an excerpt from another Shifter Forever Worlds story!
Invitation
Oh, that Mae… here we go again!
Sexy bear shifter Tanner Navarro has an invitation to the wedding, he’s got an invitation to Bear Canyon Valley, but he doesn’t have an invitation to sexy, curvy Marti’s heart—or bed.
Marti’s secrets are life or death. Tanner and his bear know they’re up to the job. Now they have to convince Marti.
Chapter One
“Did someone say plus-one?” Tanner Navarro stood by the doorway, watching the celebration.
Mae had issued the invitation and Tanner headed on up. The way Mae spoke of Teague, Tanner had hoped Teague hadn’t gotten himself in any trouble.
When the hostess had led him to the private dining room, Tanner had seen his brother first.
Then Kelsey.
Then he saw the expression on their faces.
“Tanner,” Teague said. “I didn’t know you were coming.” Teague approached him and gave him a huge hug.
Tanner turned to Kelsey. “It’s about time Teague woke up and claimed what was his.” He wrapped his brother’s woman in a hug.
Kelsey touched his face. “Nice beard.”
“Glad you like it. Thinking of keeping it for a while.”
Tanner turned to Mae. “Told you I’d make it before the wedding.” He greeted Grant with a hug and noticed that Grant had a look of happiness. Then he saw the reason for Grant’s happiness, the glow she had from the couple bond.
“Nice to meet you,” he told the attractive woman at Grant’s side.
“Chelsea,” she said. Ignoring his outstretched hand, she pulled him into a hug.
He looked over her shoulder as he embraced her back.
That was when it hit him.
That was when he saw her.
He wasn’t sure which happened first. Those two things happened at practically the same time.
Electricity. That’s what it felt like the moment Tanner saw her. She was standing next to the other women in the room, but something about her grabbed him by the…
Throat.
No. More like the…
Heart.
And his…
Cock.
No.
Actually, the first thing that the curvy woman with the exaggerated hourglass figure captured was…
His bear.
Down, boy, Tanner joked with his bear, though it was a half-joke because there was no part of Tanner that wanted to stand down from this woman.
Tanner’s brother Teague might have been his best friend for all their lives, but Tanner’s bear was more than a best friend. The bear was like his twin and his alter ego, all wrapped up in one package that owned Tanner as much as Tanner o
wned his bear.
His bear rumbled deep within Tanner’s chest and head. There was no way the bear was backing down.
How do you know she’s the one? How do you know she’s our mate?
Why had his bear jumped to the conclusion that this woman was the one?
How can you know so soon? We haven’t even talked to her.
This woman, with her ebony hair and light blue eyes, and dark-rimmed glasses—she’d captured a lot more than his attention. Tanner wanted to explore the sensations, to figure out what was going on inside him and with his bear, but he caught another curvy beauty studying him.
Mae. Stunning with that olive complexion, her eyes were narrowed and she was assessing Tanner with a look that made him nervous. It was as if Mae was reading his mind. Her eyes had a knowing look in them.
In a flash, Mae’s knowing look had been replaced with a bright smile and a gleeful expression.
“Tanner!” She wrapped him in a hug.
“Mae.” He hugged her back, but now he was on his guard. Mae was up to something.
“Have you met Marti?” She indicated the raven-haired, full-figured beauty who had already caught his attention.
Marti. He liked her name already. Tanner’s bear snarled his interest.
For fuck’s sake.
This kind of approach would probably send her running. Tanner stepped back. He knew his size could be intimidating.
Marti looked him straight in the eye. No backing down, no fear in this woman. “Nice to meet you.” She nodded, but didn’t hold her hand out.
Her face was serious, but not unfriendly. High cheekbones, full lips. He liked the way the glasses gave her a librarian look, toning down her sexiness, but at the same time drawing attention to it.
Tanner held back the instinct to put his hand out. Clearly that wasn’t something she wanted to do, or she’d have instigated a handshake.
