“Sounds good to me,” she said, nodding.
She noticed his eyes roaming over her curvy form, trying to penetrate the bubbles covering her body. “Unless you have x-ray vision, you won’t see me like that,” she said. “Here, let me help.” She used a hand to wipe the bubbles away from her breasts, exposing her erect nipples to him.
He swallowed and Mia saw the bulge in his jeans.
“You want to see more?” she asked.
He nodded.
She reached down and swept away more bubbles, revealing her thighs and pussy.
Carter looked at her body with lust in his eyes. Then he removed his t-shirt and jeans.
Mia watched him undress with a tingly excitement in her belly. God, he was gorgeous. He stood before her, naked, muscular, and erect. She loved how turned on he got from looking at her.
“Mind if I join you?” he asked, His voice was low and thick with need.
“That’s a great idea,” she said.
He climbed into the tub and they embraced immediately, their wet bodies sliding against each other as they kissed. The bubble bath slicked their flesh and made them slippery.
Mia felt Carter’s erection hard as steel against her thigh. She reached down and slid her hand along its length, her fingers barely able to wrap around the thickness of the engorged cock.
Carter groaned and bit her neck and shoulders lightly. His hands slid over Mia’s breasts and he stroked her hard, excited nipples with his fingers.
Mia gasped and stroked his length faster, slicking it up with the lavender bubble bath.
“I want to ride you,” she whispered, turning her body so that she was on top of Carter.
He slid beneath her and put his hands on her hips, lifting her so that her pussy was positioned above his cock.
Mia reached down and took his manhood into her hand, guiding it inside her body. She sank down onto Carter’s hard length, rolling her hips to slide him in and out of her pussy. Her breasts stroked against his chest, her hard, sensitive nipples sliding against his solid pectoral muscles.
“Oh fuck you feel so good,” Carter groaned as he thrust up into Mia’s body.
“So do you,” she moaned. She loved being impaled on him, filled by him.
The movement of their bodies made the warm water splash and undulate in waves of lavender bubbles.
Carter moved his hands to Mia’s ass, stroking over the full, wet curves and squeezing the soft flesh. Mia rode him harder and faster, controlling how much of him she took into herself, slowing the build up of her orgasm to make it more intense.
Mia tried to keep the build up of her orgasm slow but the pleasurable sensations radiating through her body from her pussy and nipples made the approaching climax difficult to resist. She began slamming her hips up and down to take all of Carter inside her silky tightness, rushing toward the inevitable orgasm that was about to explode through her.
As she rode Carter faster and deeper, he grunted with pleasure beneath her, his cock stimulated by the hot snugness of Mia’s pussy moving around it.
Mia’s orgasm hit her like a bolt of lightning, making her shudder and cry out, “I’m coming!”
“So am I!” Carter groaned, driving himself deep inside Mia as he erupted.
The sensation of him releasing his pleasure inside her turned Mia’s climax up a notch. She gasped, rolling her hips wildly, milking Carter’s cock. He lay beneath her with his eyes closed and his hands on Mia’s hips, pushing himself up into her as he twitched and spurted.
They climaxed together, and when they were both coming down from the heights of ecstasy, the embraced and kissed, Carter’s cock still snug inside Mia’s pussy.
“That was incredible,” he said, stroking Mia’s arms tenderly.
She nodded, still trying to catch her breath. “Yes, it was.”
He rolled over so that he was above Mia and pulled out of her. “I should get ready for our guests. See you downstairs in a little while.” He kissed her and climbed out of the tub.
Mia watched his naked body as he walked to the door, picking up his clothes on the way.
She sighed contentedly and climbed out of the tub before taking a quick, hot shower to wash away the soapy lavender bubble bath from her skin. Then she found a towel and dried the ends of her hair before getting dressed.
Checking herself out in the mirror, she guessed she didn’t look too bad for someone who had been attacked by a rogue wolf shifter and passed out in an alley, not to mention having two bouts of energetic sex.
A noise outside caught her attention and she went to the window to see a battered, dark blue pickup truck parking by the front of the house. A man with dirty blonde hair got out of the driver’s side. He resembled Carter both in facial features and physique. He wore jeans, boots, and a black t-shirt beneath a flannel shirt.
The woman who got out of the passenger side of the truck was blonde like Mia. She was also curvy, which Mia hadn’t been expecting. Dani, for that’s who Mia assumed she was, wore jeans and a loose white blouse. She was pretty and carried her extra weight comfortably. She also had a baby bump beneath the blouse.
Mia checked herself in the mirror again and went downstairs to meet Carter’s brother and his partner.
By the time she got to the foot of the stairs, Carter was leading the guests in through the front door. He saw Mia, smiled, and said, “This is Mia. Mia, this is my brother Cole and his partner Dani.”
“Hi,” Mia said, smiling and moving across to the newcomers.
Cole and Dani returned her greeting. Carter led them to the living room and told them to make themselves at home while he fixed drinks.
Mia followed him into the kitchen.
“You sure you’re okay meeting my family?” Carter asked as he took a bottle of wine from the fridge. “If you think it’s too early in our relationship…”
“No, it’s fine,” Mia said. “I like meeting people. It’s part of my job, so I’m used to it.”
“Okay,” he said, grinning. “So you can take these glasses and the wine in to them. I’ll be along in a minute; I need to get the oven on.”
“Oh, you haven’t started making the food yet?” she asked with a wicked smile.
“No, I was distracted,” he said. “Somebody got me wet.”
She raised an eyebrow and said playfully, “Somebody got me wet too. Very wet.” Then she took the wine and glasses through to the living room before he had a chance to reply.
“So how long have you known Carter?” Cole asked as Mia placed the glasses on the coffee table.
“Oh, not too long.”
Dani smiled. “Really? I can see a bond between you two already.” She gestured to Cole. “It was like that with us too. That’s the way with…” She stopped herself and suddenly looked uncomfortable, as if worrying that she had said too much.
“It’s okay,” Mia said. “I know about shifters.”
Dani let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, that’s good. I wasn’t sure if I was about to say too much.”
Cole leaned forward and said, “Then you must know about The Call, Mia. As soon as I saw Carter, I knew he was experiencing it. I remember when I went through it; it’s a strange experience.”
Mia sat on the sofa where she and Carter had made love earlier. She wasn’t sure what to say to Cole. She had no idea what The Call was but now that he had mentioned it, she wanted to know. If she told him didn’t know anything about it, he might clam up like Dani had done a moment ago.
So she simply said, “Strange experience? In what way?”
He laughed. “It’s difficult to explain but when your inner bear is telling you that a woman is your intended life mate and you have to perform The Claim with her, things can get weird. I guess it’s like love at first sight but with the added complication that you need to claim the woman you love or risk going rogue.”
Mia tried to remain calm. What did he mean by intended life mate? She barely knew Carter. And what the hell was The Claim? Keeping her
voice steady, she said to Cole, “And you think Carter is hearing The Call right now?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I know it. My inner bear can recognize it easily, especially now that I’ve been through it myself.” He smiled at Dani and put a loving hand on her thigh. She placed her hand on top of his and smiled back at him.
Mia needed to know more about this. As if learning that Carter was a bear shifter hadn’t been enough of a shock, now she was trying to come to terms with the fact that he was under the effect of something that made him feel like he was in love with her.
She felt a strong connection with Carter, and it was one that might eventually lead to love, but if it went in that direction she wanted it to happen naturally, not because of some supernatural drug.
“Excuse me a moment,” she said. “I just need to go check on Carter. He might need my help in the kitchen.” She stalked into the kitchen where he was standing by the stove, boiling a pot of pasta. On the table lay chopped onions and tomatoes, and bowls of Parmesan cheese next to an array of herbs and spices. The smell was amazing.
He looked up from the boiling pot and grinned. “Hey, how’s it going in there?”
Mia stood in front of him, hands on her hips. “You said you were going to tell me the truth, Carter.”
He frowned in confusion. “I did tell you the truth.”
“No, you didn’t. You never mentioned The Call or The Claim, or whatever the hell it’s called.” She felt overwhelmed with all the new information her brain was receiving and trying to process.
Understanding came into his eyes. “Oh, you found out about that. I was going to tell you, Mia. I just thought you’d had enough new stuff thrown at you today. I didn’t want to stress you out by telling you about The Call. I didn’t want to scare you away.”
“Because you think I’m fated to be your mate for life, you mean? You didn’t think it was important to tell me that?”
“Yes, it is important but I was waiting for the right time.”
“That excuse again. You know what, Carter? There is no right time to tell someone you just met that you think they’re your soul mate. You know why there’s no right time? Because it’s crazy!” Her anger was making her anxious. She paced the length of the kitchen as she spoke to try and disperse the nervous energy she felt inside her.
“I know it sounds crazy,” he said. “But bear shifters are raised with the knowledge that one day they will meet their mate and feel The Call. I felt it the instant we met. I can’t make it go away.”
“Well you don’t need to make it go away,” she said, pointing at him, then turning her finger to point at her own chest. “Because I’m going away. I’m not going to be part of some supernatural mating ritual.” She headed for the door, anger boiling up inside her.
Carter cut her off. “Mia, please don’t go. We can talk about this.”
She shook her head and pushed him aside. He could have stood his ground if he had wanted to, but he moved out of her way.
Mia stepped into the living room and tried to keep calm while she said to Cole and Dani, “I’m sorry but I need to leave. It was nice meeting you.” She stormed past their bewildered faces to the front door and left the house.
When she got outside, she remembered that she was in the middle of nowhere and fished her phone out of her pocket. She called the taxi company that had taken her from her hotel into town and when the woman on the other end of the line asked Mia where she wanted to be picked up from, she had to say, “I’m on the road that leads to Carter McClintock’s house. He’s the chief of police. Do you know where that is?”
“Yes, ma’am, I’ll send a car for you right away. And where would you like the driver to take you?”
Mia wanted to say, “Home.” She wanted to be back in her apartment in Olympia, away from this small town, and the woods, and bear shifters. But instead of saying that, she gave the name of the hotel.
Once she was in her room, she could find a flight home and pack her things. Jake would have to come here and collect the van himself when it was repaired.
She had no intention of ever returning to Belladonna Falls.
8
Carter pushed away the plate of uneaten spaghetti and apologized to his brother and Dani for being a bad host. He had explained to them earlier that Mia knew nothing about The Call. Cole had said he was sorry for letting it slip, but Carter had refused to let his brother take the blame.
It was his own damn fault for not telling Mia everything. He had kept The Call secret because he had feared that she would be scared away and would leave. Now that she knew about The Call, she had done just that.
“Why don’t you go to the hotel and talk to Mia?” Dani asked.
“It won’t do any good,” Carter said. “She’s upset and probably still trying to wrap her mind around the situation. Until today, she didn’t even know shifters were real. Now she’s been attacked by a wolf, saved by a bear, and discovered that the bear thinks she is his fated mate. She needs time to process all of that information.”
“Speaking from my own experience,” Dani said, “I can tell you that The Call isn’t quite so one-sided as you seem to think it is. Mia will feel some of that irresistible attraction you feel for her too. It isn’t as strong, because she’s human but she’ll be feeling something, believe me.”
Carter wanted nothing more than to see Mia again but he wanted to give her some space. Even if she felt part of The Call herself, she was going to have to come to terms with it in her own time.
He couldn’t force her to accept the emotions of The Call, even if she was feeling them like Dani said. Just because Dani had felt the connection to Cole didn’t mean Mia felt the same toward him.
“I’m going to giver her some time,” he said. It was the last thing he actually wanted but he knew it was the right thing to do.
Dani nodded in understanding and said, “I’m sorry she’s gone, Carter. She’ll come back, I’m sure of it.”
Carter said, “Yeah, I’m sure you’re right,” but he didn’t really believe it. Even though Mia had left only a few hours ago, Carter felt as if a black hole of emptiness was growing inside his chest.
When that hole grew large enough to consume his entire body, would he go rogue?
* * *
Eli Provost stood in the clearing beneath the bright silvery moon. Standing with him were Frank Swain and John Loomis, the man they had rescued from the chief of police. All three men were naked because tonight they had a special mission to carry out and they would need to be in wolf form.
Loomis had no memory of what had happened in town. That was unusual, and Eli blamed the rogue state that Loomis was experiencing every time he shifted.
Eli pitied the man. It wasn’t his fault that wolf shifters were cursed on the night of the full moon and had to wear silver to protect themselves, it was just the way things were. Loomis had made an error in judgement and was now under the influence of the curse every time he shifted into wolf form.
Sometimes, Eli thought that the rogue wolf state wasn’t a curse at all, but how shifters were supposed to be; totally instinctual and savage, given over completely to their wolf nature.
He had even been tempted to take off his silver during the full moon a couple of time during his life. But so far, he hadn’t been able to summon the courage to go completely rogue. He wasn’t sure he wanted to go that far just yet.
But one thing he could be certain about was that the authorities here were treating the wolves in Belladonna Falls unfairly. If the chief of police, Carter McClintock, had been a wolf rather than a bear, he would have more sympathy for the poor people who went rogue during the full moon.
That was why McClintock had to be removed from his position of authority. As a wolf, Eli found it insulting to live under the watchful eye of a bear. If McClintock were removed, then Sam Harper would become chief. As a wolf, Harper would have more sympathy for his fellow shifters, and if he didn’t, then he could be removed too.
Eli an
d Frank had tried to muster support from other wolves in town but most seemed to think that McClintock was doing a good job. They were blind to the struggle of the wolf against the bear.
Eli hadn’t wanted to try and depose the chief of police with only Frank’s help because McClintock was powerful when in bear form and Eli wasn’t sure that they could beat him if it was just the two of them.
But now they had Loomis to help. It was three against one and McClintock was going down.
Eli looked at the other two and said, “Tonight, Carter McClintock will learn that it isn’t a good idea to cross the wolves of this town. Tomorrow, Belladonna Falls will have a new chief of police.”
He shifted, and the other two did the same.
When they were all in wolf form, they began running through the moonlit woods toward Carter McClintock’s house.
9
Mia sat on the bed in her hotel room feeling miserable. She had sat in the back of the taxi seething over the fact that Carter hadn’t told her about The Call, but by the time she had left the car and gotten to her room, she’d begun a spiral into depression.
That had been hours ago, and since then she had done nothing but sit on the bed and think of Carter. The TV was on and it was the only light in the room, throwing shadows across the walls as it displayed the news channel, but the voices of the presenters were no more than background noise to Mia.
Her thoughts were back at Carter’s house, replaying the conversation she’s had with Cole and Dani. They had talked about The Call and The Claim as if they were normal, everyday things like going on a date and liking someone. Thinking that someone was your lifelong mate as soon as you met them was crazy, not normal.
She had to admit to herself that she felt some of the strong bond that Cole and Dani had talked about, and that Carter had later admitted to, but she wasn’t the kind of girl who could commit herself to someone so easily.
Her past relationships had all ended miserably and she was too smart to throw herself into the arms of any man until she was sure about what she was doing.
McClintock Bears Box Set Page 25
