Stone Bear: Guardian (A BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (Stone Bears Book 3)

by Amelia Jade

  ***

  “Sssstop.”

  She jerked upright, twisting in her seat to look at Raphael. His eyes were open, though they weren’t focused on anything in particular.

  “What did you say?” she asked.

  “Stop,” he said again, his voice firmer now, without the tired slur at first.

  She paddled them over to the shore, beaching the kayak as best she could.

  Splash.

  “Raphael?” she asked, spinning to see what had happened.

  It was just in time to see his mostly naked form fall into the river.

  “Raphael!” she shouted, but her mad dash to his side stopped short as she realized he was moving under his own control.

  He surfaced with a smile on his face a good dozen feet farther out into the water. The look died as he focused on her. “Sorry,” he said meekly, running his hands over his face. Dried blood was washing off his body, and she noticed that most of the wounds he had sustained had closed themselves.

  “Be careful,” she cautioned, pointing at his side. “That one is still rather ugly-looking.”

  He followed her finger, looking at the nasty red gash there. “So it is,” he agreed. “It’s mostly closed though. I should be fine.” He shook his head to get rid of much of the water as he walked out of the river. “I’m starving though.”

  “Uh-huh,” she said, sticking her hand out sharply. In it was one of their remaining protein bars.

  This was the first time she had truly looked at Raphael. It was hard to miss him now, clad only in his underwear, which plastered itself quite tightly to his body, revealing…well, everything.

  Oh my.

  Her eyes traveled upward, past the rippling muscles of his stomach and chest to the angular face that was already coming back to life following the cleansing dip and the high-calorie food he was wolfing down. Several days’ worth of dark brown stubble graced his face. The light brown hair atop his head was cut short enough that it didn’t hang into his eyes, but it was slightly longer than many kept it.

  He breezed past her, bending over to grab the kayak and haul it from the water as effortlessly as if it were a twig. His arm muscles flexed and bulged as he did so, water still dripping from them, giving him an almost photo-like sheen.

  Nice butt.

  Karlie kept trying to focus her thoughts, but the mostly naked figure in front of her prevented that from happening. More accurately, it prevented her from focusing her thoughts on anything else.

  “Raphael,” she said softly, approaching him and laying a hand on his shoulder.

  He jerked as if stung, but he didn’t move away. Instead, he slowly turned to face her. She could see how taut his muscles had become at her touch. It was reflected in the stiff movement of his entire body.

  “I—” she began, raising her hand toward his face.

  He caught it in his own massive paw, holding it still for a moment as his eyes searched hers. Looking for…something, she wasn’t sure what. He paused for a long moment before pulling her hand to his face.

  The jolt of tension that rushed through her caused Karlie to inhale sharply.

  “Who are you?” she breathed, eyes wide as she stared at him, enamored by the intrigue and the unknown. She had met him just the other day, perhaps twenty-four hours ago. For much of that time she had been wrapped up in her own blind horror, focused on simply getting away from Vincent. How, in all of that, had she managed to miss Raphael?

  She hadn’t. Not completely at least, but until just then, he had been nothing more than a blank slate. A soldier sent by her grandfather to rescue her. But that was being completely unfair to him. There was so much more, so much that she had barely touched.

  There was no answer to her question, but she didn’t need one. Instinct was taking over, and Karlie didn’t try to fight it. Not after everything that had happened to her recently. She stepped closer, invading his personal space. Mere inches separated their bodies now, and she could practically feel electricity jumping back and forth between them, even as she continued to caress his jaw. Her fingertips ran across a bump of one of his many cuts. She tried to yank her hand back, but he held her tight, showing her that it didn’t hurt. Wordlessly she resumed her touch.

  The pressure of his hand on her back elicited a gasp as he pulled her even closer, their bodies pressing against each other. It was so different from the way she had fallen asleep the night before. Then she had wanted sleep, and warmth. Now she wanted warmth and…sex. Reaffirmation that they were alive and mostly unharmed. Her arm was healing nicely, and Raphael was mostly recovered as well.

  Tentatively at first, but with increasing confidence, she placed her other hand on his chest. Heat raced out from within him, instantly warming the extremities of her hand before reaching out and trickling down through her arm, as if seeking out her core with a life of its own.

  “Raphael,” she said softly, amazed at the sensation.

  “Karlie,” he replied, the blue of his eyes focused intently on her.

  She peered into his eyes, noting the hesitation and unsureness in them, despite the obvious desire. Something within him wasn’t fully at ease with what was going on.

  Well, you are still on the run. He’s probably not positive that having sex in the open like this is the best idea. In fact he probably—

  She cut her inner monologue off by wrapping both of her hands around his head and pulling his lips to hers. There was a very brief almost unnoticeable pause before he dipped his head in response to her movements.

  If Karlie had thought there was heat from his chest, she gasped in surprise as his arms wrapped around her, picking her up from the ground. The increased contact between their exposed skin resulted in a wave of fire that rushed through her system like an aphrodisiac, making her blood run fast before it stirred the furnace between her legs to life, giving voice to its desires. She wanted him now.

  It was a slight struggle to pull her shirt off while suspended midair, but she managed it anyway. Her sports bra came halfway off with the shirt, freeing her hard nipples to press firmly into the firm muscles of his chest. Without speaking, she yanked that off as well, letting it fall to the ground, more intent on tasting his lips again as soon as possible than silly things such as where her clothes ended up.

  “Wait,” he said as her hands slipped between them, searching for what she had seen through the wet outline of his underwear earlier.

  “What?” That wasn’t the response she had expected. Karlie suddenly felt silly and exposed. Had this not been what he wanted? Had she been too forthcoming by going after his cock right away? Heat rushed to her cheeks as she felt embarrassed. Unwrapping her legs from his waist she tried to stand again.

  Raphael didn’t let her. His strong grip kept her firmly pressed against him while he explained himself.

  “Not that,” he said, kissing her swiftly on the lips before she could pull away. “I was going to say that we should grab the tarp. It’s just sand underfoot,” he told her with a smile, glancing at the ground.

  “Oh,” she said sheepishly. “Good idea.”

  She expected him to put her down while they spread the tarp, but Raphael had other ideas. He buried himself in her neck, alternating kisses and soft bites of the tender flesh there as he made his way back to the kayak. Once there, he squatted down so she could grab the tarp.

  “Oh!” she exclaimed in surprise as his hand slipped under her rear and began to caress between her legs at the same time. “That,” she managed to get out through her clenched jaw, “is mightily distracting.” The last word trailed off into a moan as he pressed a little harder, dragging his finger right across her now-throbbing clit.

  He let her down when she began to unfold the tarp, but he didn’t let her go. Instead of helping, he stood behind her. Her eyes widened as she felt his hard cock press against her. His hands swept up her sides slowly until they cupped her breasts, sending a shiver down her spine and making her nipples harder, if that were even possible. />
  The tarp wasn’t opening well on its own, and she needed to get lower to help. Biting her lip with an idea, Karlie decided that instead of getting down on all fours, she would do something else. Grabbing Raphael’s hands, she placed them on her hips. Then with excruciating slowness, she bent forward at the waist, keeping her legs straight.

  Behind her Raphael hissed in what sounded like delight as she stuck her ass out at him, pressing it firmly against his hard cock. His hands didn’t remain idle either. He grabbed the elastic seam of her running pants, slowly peeling them off her body. She spread the tarp as best she could from her frozen position, struggling to stay focused as he worked behind her.

  She saw Raphael crouch behind her as he finished taking the last of her clothing to her ankles, leaving her completely exposed to his view.

  And his touch, she reminded herself as his lips and tongue made their way between her legs, wasting no time in searching out her clit. It was an awkward angle, but he made it work nonetheless. Her knees wobbled as he found her pleasure nub and began to softly drag his tongue across it. The warmth of his breath washed over her, and all of a sudden Karlie knew she couldn’t stay standing any longer.

  She leaned forward, moving onto the tarp. The ground was hard and uneven. Rocks and tree roots dug into her back as she settled down to look up at Raphael, but those were the least of her worries. The beating of her heart sounded like it should be breaking through her ribcage it was pounding so hard, but nothing happened even as Raphael joined her on the makeshift blanket.

  He went right back to work, this time with much easier access between her legs, and in moments he had her on the brink of an explosive climax. She shuddered at his every touch.

  “Don’t stop,” she whispered in despair when he pulled away, but her fears dissipated when she realized all he was doing was shifting positions so that he could slide a finger inside of her while his mouth continued its work. “Oh,” was all she could say as he curled his finger up inside of her, rubbing right along the perfect spot.

  That, combined with his continued attention to her clit, made Karlie shake as she felt the onrushing explosion of her orgasm seconds before it ripped through her body. Her back arched involuntarily and she gritted her teeth so as not to scream out, clapping one hand across her mouth to keep noise down, some part of her instinctually remembering that people were out searching for them despite the carnal act they were partaking in.

  Despite her attempts to get him to stop, Raphael continued what he was doing. The pleasure was almost too much, and she begged for him to stop. Then, just when she couldn’t take it any longer, a second orgasm washed over her. This time he stopped almost as soon as she began to curl up into a ball, the ecstasy rendering her inert for several minutes as she tried to gather her senses.

  The crinkling of the tarp as Raphael shuffled around got her attention. She unwound her body, looking over at him just as he finished pulling his boxers down to reveal the large and very obviously aroused cock that hung between his legs.

  Karlie couldn’t help herself. She licked her lips in anticipation. She didn’t fight him when he moved between her legs, but she did give him a questioning glance.

  “What?” he asked with a smile as he placed the head of his cock on her now-soaking opening. “Do you want me to stop?”

  She shook her head vigorously. “No, not at all. I was just curious if you wanted me to, you know, repay the favor.” She felt silly, but his eyes flashed at her words, the desire silencing any further discomfort she felt at vocalizing what they were doing.

  “I’d love it,” he said. “But I want this more.” His voice had almost become a growl by the time he finished speaking, the deep bass rumbling across her skin.

  “Okay,” she said, not putting up any more of a protest.

  He grinned, wrapping one hand around the base of his cock as he rubbed it up and down on her, getting it coated in her wetness to ensure it would slide in easily. Once he was sure of that, he pushed the tip of himself inside of her.

  Her hands clenched instinctively at the sudden intrusion within her body, but the pleasure it brought nullified any other feelings she might have had. It had been some time since the last man she had been with, and he hadn’t been anything compared to Raphael. He pushed in some more before slowly withdrawing.

  The process repeated itself over and over again, giving her time to get used to his cock, until he became fully encased within her, their hips pressed solidly together.

  “Hold on,” she said with a laugh, shifting her position slightly so that a rogue rock under the tarp stopped jabbing her in the back. “Okay, you may proceed,” she said with an imperial wave of her hand at their enjoined crotches.

  Raphael snickered, and she felt an answering look bloom on her face. She made to say “sorry,” but he didn’t give her the chance. His hips slid away from her, then came rushing back.

  Her fingers tightened, the tips digging into his back as he began to move faster. His arms were planted like immovable poles on either side of her head, and she felt her shoulders press against them as the force of his thrusts pushed her across the ground.

  The damn rock in her back was back, but she no longer cared while wrapped up in the unbelievable sensations blanketing her body. Eyes rolled back into their sockets as he continued his motions, never stopping nor changing speed, providing a nice, constant rhythm that she could call into.

  And fall into it she did, letting herself go as Raphael’s cock lifted all her worries away, bathing her in a glow of golden pleasure and ecstasy the likes of which she wondered if she’d ever feel again. It was so intense, like the flame of a blowtorch compared to that of a candle. The pressure of their coupling pressed down upon her chest, but in a way that made her beg for more, always more. She didn’t want it to end, even though she knew it had to.

  She half-expected Raphael to finish soon. After all, he had been involved in a rather vicious fight just several hours earlier. But he seemed to have the endurance of a machine. Karlie had no complaints, other than her legs were beginning to tire.

  At last he rolled her over onto her side and gathered her up in his arms, spooning her while he slipped his cock back inside of her.

  “I can’t hold on much longer,” he murmured into her ear, his voice tight with effort as he pushed himself all the way back inside.

  “Let go,” she urged, pushing her ass back into him, straining for that extra inch. “I want it,” she told him, moaning as his fingers tweaked her nipple. Everywhere he touched her felt like burning. It should have hurt, it should have made her tender, but all it did was make her want him more. She didn’t understand it, though she wanted to see if it was just the moment or a constant thing with him.

  That’s going to require trying this once, maybe twice more at least. She grinned at the idea. The thoughts were cut off as she felt him swell inside of her, his cock beginning to pulse a split second before he groaned loudly and began to explode inside of her. The warmth of his seed spilling sent a tingle throughout her body. She knew if he hadn’t brought her to climax twice already that she probably would have had a third just then. It was that invigorating.

  She wiggled her way back into a tighter embrace as Raphael came down from his high. The two of them lay still next to each other, trying to recover their breath. They hadn’t exerted themselves, but after the events of the previous day, neither of them had much in the way of energy reserves. His arm draped over her, pulling her in tight while he used his massive hand to gently fondle one of her breasts.

  A contented sigh slipped from her lips as she rested her head on his other arm, happy for the moment. Although it was early afternoon, she quickly found herself falling asleep.

  The last thing she remembered was the soft touch as Raphael gently kissed the top of her head.

  Chapter Seven

  Raphael

  She was fast asleep in his arms. He breathed slowly, doing his best not to disturb her while she rested. The need for
sleep was desperate within him as well, but he fought it. One of them needed to remain awake and watchful.

  Actually, if he was honest with himself, Raphael knew that they shouldn’t be pausing. That he should wake her so they could continue on. There was still a solid day’s worth of travel ahead of them before they reached his rental SUV. The shifters chasing them had already caught them once. It was only a matter of time before the others converged on their location.

  He’d looked around after waking, having lost his phone at some point, and had judged he’d been passed out for at least four or five hours, based both on how far they’d come and the position of the sun in the sky. Part of his long nap had been from his injuries, but he had also been in need of some rest after staying up the entire night while Karlie slept.

  Stop avoiding the issue.

  He cursed at his inner voice. It wasn’t that he was avoiding the issue per se, but more that he was lost. He had no idea what the hell to do.

  You slept with Ferro’s granddaughter. After he explicitly told you not to.

  Which wasn’t entirely true. Ferro had told him not to do anything stupid. It was likely that having sex with her was included in that list of things not to do, but it wasn’t a given. Ferro was old enough that he understood these things happen sometimes. Right? It wasn’t as if he’d forced himself upon her.

  Besides, it was impossible for him to avoid the fact that there was something going on between the two of them. It pained him to know that nothing would ever come of it, that he must push his feelings aside so that neither party was hurt in the end. That was what he needed to do. Whether he could bring himself to follow through with those instructions was another matter entirely. Raphael had doubts when it came to his own inner strength, on whether he could give up something so amazing.

  There had only been flickers of it while they had been intimate, but he felt the flashes of a connection between them, a bond of some sort. He’d written it off to simply being the intensity of their urge to reaffirm life. They had been through a lot together in a short period of time, and had come close to death. It was only natural that they find it within each other to prove that they were indeed alive, and that they preferred it that way. Raphael longed to open himself to her, to bare his soul for her to see, but he hadn’t. He’d clamped down hard in an effort to rein in the emotion that threatened to overwhelm them while they had sex. He’d succeeded, despite how miserable it made him.