McClintock Bears Box Set

by Charlotte Summers

“I trust you,” he said.

  “Why? You hardly know me.”

  “It’s difficult to explain and I don’t want to blow your mind with too much information. Let’s just say I trust you because of how my inner bear feels about you.”

  What did he mean by that? There was obviously more that he wasn’t telling her but Mia doubted she could force it out of him; he would tell her more when he was ready. Still, she pursued the topic. “Do you mean you have psychic powers?”

  He grinned. “No, I don’t have psychic powers.”

  “So what do you mean by your inner bear?”

  He finished his scotch and put the empty glass on the table. “It’s the part of me that runs on instinct and emotions that are untamed by human customs and rules. It can recognize traits in other people, no mater how much that person might try to hide those traits.

  “My inner bear knows that you can be trusted, Mia, and that knowledge isn’t biased by my overwhelming attraction to you.”

  She smiled and blushed. “Overwhelming?”

  He nodded. “When we met, I felt it immediately. I think you did too. Maybe now that you know I’m a shifter, your opinion of me has changed but I don’t think it has.”

  He had been honest with her, so she should be the same with him. “I feel an irresistible attraction to you. I don’t want to fight it.”

  “Then don’t,” he said, moving closer to her on the sofa.

  His closeness sent her body into overdrive. Every thought in her mind slid away to be replaced by an image of her and Carter naked and entwined on the rug in front of the fireplace. She wanted that mental image to become reality. She needed it to happen and she needed it to happen right now.

  He saw the desire in her eyes and moved forward to kiss her. Mia pulled him close and parted her lip. When they met Carter’s, the sensation of the kiss spread through her entire body like fire.

  Their tongues met and danced together while their hands roamed each other’s bodies. Mia pulled at the bottom of Carter’s t-shirt, her fingers tracing the muscles of his abdomen while his hands cupped her breasts through her blouse.

  His thumbs found her hardened nipples pressing against the fabric and stroked over them, making Mia gasp with pleasure.

  Carter’s lips went to her neck, trailing shivery kisses down to her shoulder blade while he pulled her blouse up. She helped him, sliding the blouse over her head.

  As his kisses moved to her breasts, Mia reached back and unfastened her bra, giving him access to her nipples. He sucked one into his mouth, his tongue working on the excited, distended bud before moving to the other and doing the same. He growled hungrily as he tasted her tender flesh.

  Mia was in heaven. Her senses were being assaulted by a million pleasurable sensations that made her body shiver and her breath quicken.

  Carter was working to unfasten her jeans while still sucking her nipples. Mia lifted her ass so he could slide the jeans and her panties down and off her legs.

  She missed the feel of his mouth on her tits as he shifted position to remove her jeans, but as soon as he had slid them off her legs and tossed them aside, he parted her thighs with his hands and moved forward to bury his face between her legs.

  Mia cried out as Carter licked her pussy. His tongue stroked wetly up her slit to the bud of her clitoris, where it moved in slow circles around the bundle of nerve endings, sending Mia crazy with desire.

  She pressed herself against his mouth and gripped his hair in her hands, pulling his face against her hot, slick sex.

  His tongue darted inside her over and over before returning to her clit and working her up into a frenzy. Then, just as Mia felt she couldn’t take any more, the exploring tongue returned to her entrance and fucked her again with quick flicks into her body.

  She felt her orgasm approach and moaned, “Don’t stop!”

  Sensing her impending climax, Carter continued doing exactly as he had been, working on her expertly with his mouth until all of the pleasurable sensations Mia felt suddenly exploded into an orgasm.

  She bucked her hips and screamed Carter’s name as she came. He kept his face close to her pussy and moved his hands up to her breasts, fondling her hard nipples to add to her already unbearable ecstasy.

  Mia’s world became one big wave of pleasure.

  Her pussy clenched and released, wanting and needing Carter’s cock inside its tight walls. “Fuck men” she moaned.

  He climbed off the sofa and undressed quickly. His cock was fully erect, thick and long. Mia reached out and stroked her hand along its length while Carter removed his t-shirt. “Put it in me,” she whispered.

  He got back on the sofa, positioning himself between her legs, nudging the head of his cock against Mia’s soft pussy lips. Then he pushed his hips forward an impaled her on his length, sliding inside her easily.

  He grunted with the sensation of being in her pussy and leaned forward onto his elbows so he was over Mia and looking down into her eyes while he fucked her.

  She put her hands on his hips, feeling the muscles move beneath his skin as he thrust back and forth into her pussy. He felt so good in there that Mia was sure she was going to be hit by a second orgasm just from the feeling of having that big dick thrusting into her sex.

  “You’re so tight,” Carter growled as he pushed as deep as he could into Mia. “You feel fucking amazing.”

  “So do you,” she whispered. “I love your cock.”

  Her words spurred him on. He increased the speed of his thrusts, sending Mia soaring to another orgasm. She cried out when it hit her and clenched her pussy around Carter’s thickness.

  He grunted with pleasure and groaned, “Fuck, I’m coming!”

  Then he twitched inside her and Mia felt hear flood her pussy. “Give it to me,” she moaned.

  He unloaded himself into her, growling and grunting as cock erupted in her tightness, flooding her with his hot seed.

  When he had finished, he kissed Mia softly.

  She returned his kiss, enjoying the feeling of having his still hard cock inside her body. Nothing felt as amazing as sex with Carter. Mia understood how a drug addict must feel because she was already craving more of her shifter lover.

  Was it possible that they were so good together because they were supposed to be life mates, as Carter seemed the believe?

  She supposed there were worse ways to live than to be with a gorgeously hot shifter who knew exactly how to please her and whose appreciative gaze made her feel as if she were the prettiest woman in the world.

  * * *

  Later, after they had both dressed, Mia stood looking at the photos on the wall and asked Carter about his brothers. “What are they like? Are all three of you drop dead gorgeous?”

  He laughed and raised an eyebrow. “So I’m drop dead gorgeous, huh?”

  Mia rolled her eyes in a mock expression of frustration. “Oh boy, now he’s going to be big-headed forever.”

  “I won’t be big-headed,” he said. “You deserve someone gorgeous because you’re beautiful. If you think I fit the bill, then that’s great.”

  She looked away, blushing. From the way he looked at her, she knew that Carter found her attractive but she had never been called beautiful by anyone before.

  He noticed her discomfort and put a finger on her heated cheek, gently turning her head so that she faced him. “You are beautiful, Mia,” he said. “I don’t think you realize how attractive and sexy you are. You take my breath away.”

  “Thank you.” She wasn’t sure she could handle another compliment, so she said, “You were going to tell me about your brothers, remember?”

  He nodded. “Yes, of course. Cole and Brad. They’re both younger than me. Cole is a photographer, as I told you. He lives in a small town called Silver Rock with his partner. Her name is Dani. She’s an artist.”

  “My other brother, Brad, is a professional tennis player. He lives with Simone, a psychological coach.”

  “And are these women…” she w
anted to say ‘normal’ but knew that wasn’t the right word. “Are they human?”

  “Yes, they’re human.”

  There was something about human women partnering with shifters that Mia found hot and romantic. She would love to meet Dani and Simone.

  “If you want to meet Cole and Dani, they’re coming here tomorrow,” Carter said, doing his mind-reading trick again.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, they’re coming to visit so that I can meet Dani and Simone.”

  “I’d like to meet them,” Mia said.

  Carter grinned. “Good. I’ll be cooking dinner for everyone, so you can assist me in the kitchen if you like.”

  “Oh, you’re good in the kitchen too, are you?” she asked.

  “I’m amazing in the kitchen. We bears like our home comforts and that includes good food.”

  “Amazing huh? And you said you weren’t big-headed.”

  “You haven’t tasted my cooking,” he said.

  She thought to herself that if he was half as good a cook as he was a lover, he would rival the best chefs in the world.

  “I look forward to it,” she said truthfully.

  “Well,” he said, “if you like, we don’t have to go out tonight for our date. We can stay here and I’ll make you a meal.”

  She smiled. “You really do like your home comforts, don’t you?”

  “If you’d rather go out…”

  “No, we can stay here. I’d like to taste your cooking.” She felt warm and sleepy with the afterglow of great sex, so staying in the house sounded perfect.

  “And as for home comforts,” he said, “we bears like our dens and good food.” Then he added, “And great sex.”

  Mia grinned. She couldn’t deny that the spark between them resulted in mind-blowing sex.

  “Do you like Italian?” Carter asked.

  “I love Italian.”

  “Okay, I’ll see what I can throw together. Before I do that, I need to call my deputy and tell him what happened in the alley. He’s probably got statements from witnesses by now but I need to tell him about Eli Provost.”

  “Sure,” Mia said. “Do you mind if I take a shower or something? I feel dirty after lying in that alley.” That hadn’t bothered her when she was making love with Carter but she didn’t want to sit down to a meal with him without a little preening first.

  “Sure,” he said. “The bathroom is at the top of the stairs. Take as much time as you need. I’ll be making a few phone calls, and then I’ll be in the kitchen, cooking. Come down when you’re ready.”

  She went out into the hallway and climbed the stairs. On the second floor, another long hallway ran the length of the house with dark wood doors on either side. One of the doors was open, a bathroom visible beyond. Mia pushed it all the way open and gasped.

  Carter wasn’t kidding when he said he liked home comforts. The bathroom was huge with a tub that was more like a small pool in one corner and a large glass and chrome shower stall in another. Next to the toilet was a marble counter with two sinks and a mirrored wall. The walls and floor were tiled with black and white tiles in a checkerboard pattern.

  Mia inspected the big bathtub. It had spa jets and a control panel with various settings. Forget the shower, she was going to soak in this tub and pamper herself.

  She turned on the water and added bubble bath from a plastic bottle on a shelf. The steam rising from the tub became scented with the fragrance of lavender.

  As she undressed, Mia took her phone out of her pocket and checked it. There was a text message from Jake.

  How’s it going in Nowhereville? Found anything?

  Mia grinned. She had just the thing to surprise and interest Jake. She found the picture she had taken of the rogue wolf in the alley and attached it to a message. The picture she had taken was surprisingly clear, showing the monster against the brick wall of the alley. She added the message: Get this to the photo lab and have them verify that it’s authentic. But don’t show it to anyone else.

  As she sent the message, she wondered how long it would be before Jake replied. She was willing to bet that he would call her before her bath was ready.

  Sure enough, the phone vibrated in her hand.

  “Hi, Jake,” she said.

  “You got a pic of it!” he said excitedly. “Is that the thing that attacked us?”

  “Yes,” she said. “Jake, I can’t really go into much detail right now. Just get that picture to the lab and have them verify that it isn’t hoaxed. When this goes to the media, we need to cover all of our bases. Everyone will think it’s a Photoshop job, so we need that lab verification.”

  “Oh my God, Mia, this is huge. How did you get the photo without being killed? That thing looks angry.”

  “That’s a long story. Just get the pic authenticated and for God’s sake make sure it isn’t leaked onto the internet.”

  “I will,” he said. “Do you want me to come back out there?”

  “No, I’ve got everything covered. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “Ok, cool. Wow, this is it, Mia. You’re going to be on Marilyn Hart’s sofa after all.”

  She hung up. Strangely, she didn’t feel as elated as she’d always thought she would feel when she finally got a career-making story. Even though she had told Jake not to show the photo to anyone, she felt as if she had betrayed Carter’s trust.

  He’d told her that he knew she was trustworthy but here she was going behind his back.

  That made her feel lousy.

  When the tub was full of lavender-scented bubbles and hot water, Mia slid into it and lay back, closing her eyes. She hadn’t actually done anything yet except get the picture verified as real.

  Of course, if she wasn’t planning to show the photo to anyone else, there was no need to get it verified at all, so why was she taking the first steps to breaking the story of Belladonna Falls? If its secret was revealed, the town would be torn apart.

  And, worse than that, Carter McClintock would hate her.

  She’d once told herself that she would do anything to get a big story, no matter whose toes she had to step on. Now, she wasn’t so sure about that. Carter was a special kind of man, and Mia couldn’t even contemplate hurting him.

  She reached over for her phone and sent a message to Jake.

  Remember; don’t show that photo to anyone but the lab. I mean it.

  The reply came back quickly.

  Yeah, no problem.

  She trusted Jake and she knew that if he said he would keep the photo secret, then that was exactly what he would do. But she also knew that getting the picture verified as real meant that the people working at the photo lab would see it. She didn’t even know all of the employees there, much less trust them.

  Sighing, she put down the phone and relaxed in the tub again. She had no choice; if the photo was going to be shown on TV then it had to be taken seriously, and an independent examination of the picture by experts was the only way that could be achieved.

  But she had just told herself that she wasn’t going to go to the media because of the effect that would have on Belladonna Falls and her relationship with Carter.

  So why have the picture examined at all?

  She groaned and slapped the bubbly water in frustration. She was stuck with a choice between her need to advance her career and the fact that she had just found the one man who was perfect for her.

  Why did everything have to be so complicated?

  The rational part of her mind told her that her career was the most important thing. After all, she barely knew Carter McClintock. Sure, they had a connection and had shared some intimate moments but they really didn’t know each other.

  If she was going to make a rational decision right now, she would go to the media as soon as the photo of the werewolf was verified as authentic.

  Her career as an investigative journalist would take off into the stratosphere and she would probably get over the loss of Carter’s friendship, or whatever the
ir relationship was.

  But deep down, she knew that she would probably never get over such a thing. Even though they hadn’t known each other for long, the connection between her and Carter was as important to Mia as the air she breathed.

  She felt as if he could see into her soul, to the real Mia King inside, not the tough journalist exterior she usually adopted. When she was around him, she felt like she could just be herself and didn’t have to pretend or try to be someone she wasn’t.

  That feeling, to be able to live her life honestly, was more valuable than breaking a big story on TV.

  She should have never sent the picture to Jake. She should have deleted it and told him that she had found nothing in Belladonna Falls.

  Reaching for the phone again, she sent Jake a quick message.

  Forget about the pic. Don’t send it to the lab.

  She waited with the phone on her hand until he replied. When his message came, it made Mia’s heart sink.

  Too late. Already sent it.

  Mia threw the phone down onto her pile of clothing and lay back in the bath. She couldn’t blame Jake; he was only doing what she had told him to do. She blamed herself for being so quick to send the pic without thinking it through.

  Okay, there was no need to worry. The lab would say the pic was real and not a hoax, and then Mia would simply not go to the media with it. She would have to tell Jake some story about why they couldn’t report it, but she would think of something.

  She couldn’t tell him that she had fallen for a bear shifter who also happened to be Belladonna Falls’ chief of police.

  There was a knock at the door, followed by Carter’s voice. “Mia, can I come in?”

  She checked herself to make sure her body was covered by bubbles but then realized how stupid that was; Carter had seen her naked and had seen her intimate areas up close.

  “Sure, come in.”

  He opened the door and entered the bathroom. The fact that he was fully clothed while Mia was naked made her feel vulnerable in a sexy way. Her nipples stiffened as he approached the tub.

  “I just got a call from my brother Cole,” he said. “He and Dani are going to be here this evening. So I thought we could wait until they get here before I make the food.”