She sighed, her breath puffing out like a great cloud in the freezing morning air. “I might need all the help I can get.”
“Well, if we don’t start climbing, we won’t ever know if he’s up in those caves. Right?”
“Right,” she said, determined to see this through.
Declan began the climb, stopping to help her up each stage of the way. The moonlight gave them just enough light to climb by, their moonlight shadows dark against the snow. This had to be one of the weirdest experiences of her life.
Slipping and sliding, she took it slowly until, thankfully, the path levelled out. They moved quicker, although she was acutely aware of the drop below her. Their position on the mountain was becoming clearer as the night slowly began to disappear. The sunlight climbed up behind the mountains and then finally crested them, sending its rays across the scene below.
Maria stopped, gasping at the beauty of it and then blinded by the glare off the snow. “It’s stunning.”
“In the spring we’ll come up here. The view is amazing; every shade of green you can imagine is set out before you.” He grinned at her and she grinned back, her heart lighter somehow. This man was her life now. She just had to try to embrace it and make it work, along with being Jason’s guardian.
If she could climb this mountain, she could do anything. That was the thought she held onto as they came to the end of the path and were faced with a rocky face. “Oh my! We have to go up there?”
“Only to that ledge,” he said, pointing up around fifty feet to the left of where they stood. “Want me to go first and see if he’s there?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I’ve come this far.”
He began to climb, slowly, taking his time and making sure she could follow his hand- and foot holds. The rope between them became more of a lifeline now. If she fell, she might go tumbling down and break something. At the same time, she marvelled that Jason had climbed up here alone. If he had. What would they do if they got to the cave and he wasn’t there?
She guessed they would search as many caves as they could until they ran out of food. The only alternative was to go back down. But she would never give up until she brought him home.
Despite the temperature, she was getting hotter by the minute, the layers of clothing now slowing her down. Removing anything was made impossible by the rope, and she knew that when she stopped, she would soon freeze if she took anything off, so she struggled on. One foot in front of the other, just as she had done yesterday in the blinding snow.
Only yesterday. It seemed weird that so little time had passed, but her life had changed forever: she now had Declan. As a what? A mate, he called it and she wondered what that entailed. Sex. Of course. But anything more meaningful? Marriage? Kids?
She nearly lost her footing at that thought. She had resigned herself to a solitary life before her sister died; then when she took on Jason, she figured that would be it. But Declan would likely want the whole package. Did she?
Chapter Fifteen – Declan
“Last part,” he said to Maria, noting the strain on her face. He sat at the top of the rock face, looking down on her. The rope in his hand was slowly being reeled in, and they were getting closer to their destination.
A sound behind him made him turn. The rope slipped through his hands. “Jason,” he called.
“He’s there?” Maria said, hoisting herself up the last part of the cliff.
“Yes,” Declan said, unable to let go of the rope in case Maria fell. All he could do was watch the boy run farther away.
“Go,” she said breathlessly, hooking her leg over the top of the ledge and shuffling forward to safety.
Untying the rope, he turned away from her and in one swift movement changed into his bear, running after Jason. But Jason didn’t go far; he dived into a cave, heading for the shadows. Declan followed and then waited at the entrance for a breathless Maria.
“He’s in there?” she asked. His bear nodded. “Will you come in with me?”
He walked by her side into the cave. Maria trembled beside him and he leaned against her to give her his strength. Curling her fingers around his fur, she held onto him. “Thank you,” she whispered, and he rubbed his head against her thigh.
“Jason,” she called softly.
From the back of the cave came movement. His bear could see the outline of the boy, but he didn’t know if Maria could, so he steered her that way.
“Jason,” she called again. “It’s OK. I only want to know you’re OK.”
“Aunt Maria. Why did you follow me?” he asked, his voice sounded rough with emotion. Declan knew he had been up here crying. Emotional pain resonated in his voice, and his bear felt the sadness as something visceral.
“Because I was worried. When I woke up and you were gone, I was scared.” She was trying not to place the blame at Jason’s feet. Good girl.
“You should be scared, and you shouldn’t have come. I should be here alone,” Jason sobbed.
“Why? I know you miss your mom and dad, but don’t you think I can at least try to help you deal with everything.”
“But you can’t. You don’t understand.” His voice broke.
“I didn’t, but I do now.” Her fingers dug deeper into his bear fur. “Declan has explained everything to me. I can’t possibly understand what you’re going through. But he can. He’s promised to help you.”
“He told you what I am?” Jason asked, his voice tinged with hope.
“Yes. Jason, please. Come home.” Now Maria was sobbing.
Jason’s voice insisted. “This is my home. I’m a bear, and this is where I feel closer to my dad.”
Declan knew it was time for a boy-to-bear talk. He shifted back to his human form and approached Jason. “Hey, buddy. I know this is tough. But a cave isn’t the place for you. I tried it once, but it soon gets old. You see, you are two halves. A bear and a boy. The boy in you needs friends and love and flushing toilets.”
Jason sniffed, but didn’t rise to Declan’s attempt at a joke.
“You’re aunt loves you very much, Jason. She wants to look after you,” he continued, moving closer.
“But what if I hurt her? What if she leaves because she doesn’t understand what I am?”
“I will help you control your bear, Jason. And I think I know Maria well enough to see she will never run away from you. She gave up her old life to come live with you. And now she’s climbed this mountain in freezing conditions. I think you’re stuck with her.”
“Even after I ran away?”
“Yes, Jason,” Maria said, coming towards them, unsure of how Jason would react. Declan wanted to reassure her, but they had to find the way themselves. “I’m sorry if I upset you. I know you wanted to go out with your friends, but it was too late.”
“That’s not why I ran. Not really,” Jason said.
“Then why?” she asked.
“Because I was angry. And my bear was so close. I was scared what you would do if you saw me. I was scared you wouldn’t love me. That you would leave too.” With that, Jason and Maria collapsed into each other’s arms, both sobbing.
Declan got up and left them alone. In this moment, he was the outsider. He only hoped that when they got back to Bear Bluff, they would let him in.
Chapter Sixteen – Maria
“He’s so tired,” Maria said, closing Jason’s bedroom door. She sure hoped that when she opened it again in the morning he would still be there. There was no way she could climb the mountain again.
“Good, he needs a good night’s sleep,” Declan said. “You both do.”
“It’s only early evening,” she said, but had to admit she could fall into bed right now and sleep for a week.
“But you know Santa only comes if you’re sleeping,” Declan said, brushing the hair back off her shoulder and kissing her neck, sending shivers down her spine.
“I think I’ve already had my Christmas gift,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Then you’ll stay?” she asked hopefully.
He looked at his watch. “There is nothing I would like more in the world, but I have to work tonight. My deputy has young kids.”
“But you’re exhausted too.”
“Then I will have to call on my bear reserves to make it through the night.” He kissed her nose. “To be honest, there is never much happening on Christmas Eve. I can sleep on one of the beds in the cells.”
“Can’t you go home? Or stay here—you’ll be close enough if anyone needs you.” Did she really sound that desperate? All she knew was that she wanted him to make love to her. It seemed so right now that things with Jason were settled.
On the way down from the cave, they had talked, and cried. Now she felt as if they were at least pulling in the same direction. They both intended to get through this together, with Declan’s help.
In fact, Jason had warmed to the idea of having the sheriff as a part of his life. Probably because Declan had told him of all the great adventures he and his brothers used to get up to. It had been sprinkled with the promise that he would show Jason all the best places bears liked to go on the mountain.
“No. I really should go,” Declan said, although his eyes told her just how much he wanted to stay.
“Are you sure?” She kissed his lips, her hand going around his waist and then lower to caress his toned butt.
“Damn it, woman, you make it hard to resist you.” He kissed her, his mouth claiming hers, filled with passion and a hunger she had never experienced in a man.
“Can’t you tell him to lock up and you’ll be there as soon as you’ve…” she paused. Was she really inviting him into her bed?
“As soon as I’ve what?” he asked, but his hands on her breasts and his tongue pushing into her mouth told her he had the exact same idea as she had. Now the drama with Jason was over, they both wanted to consummate their relationship. He, because he was a bear and she was his mate. And Maria, because no one had ever made her feel as though she was the most special person in the world.
Declan had proved he would go to the top of the world for her. Well, the top of Bear Bluff Mountain anyway. Not many men would have taken on the task and risked everything to take her to her nephew. He had done it off the record so that no questions were asked as to why Jason had run off.
Deep down, she knew it might have something to do with the awkward questions that might be asked about why Jason had run off. The last thing the young bear needed was to end up in a foster home with people who had no clue of his ability to change.
Wow, that was Maria only two days ago. Living in a town surrounded by people who could change into animals, and she had no clue. No clue whatsoever.
“That you’ve met your mate. I mean, surely that has to count for something,” she asked, her hands sliding over his chest, and working their way lower. Declan had to be the most incredible man she had ever had the pleasure of touching and kissing. Not that there had been many, but even in her fantasies they had never been this in shape. The chances of her getting a man like him under normal circumstances were pretty slim.
“True,” he said. “I guess I could stay, but not all night. And I would hate for you to think I was running out on you once we’d made love.”
“Aren’t you the one who keeps saying we have the rest of our lives?” She daringly reached between their bodies, her hand coming into contact with his hard cock. Trying not to make a fool of herself by freezing up at this first contact, she concentrated on moving her hand up and down his length. It soon became evident that he was enjoying what she was doing to him.
Declan’s hands began to remove the layers of clothing that were now a barrier between them. She had already removed her thick jacket, but the sweater, shirt, and base layers all had to go. With her hand still working its magic on his thick length, he soon reached the point where he was tearing the clothes from her body.
“Bedroom?” he asked, when she only had one thin layer over her bra. She pointed to a door along the hallway and he manoeuvred her that way, whilst his mouth claimed hers, kissing her with such passion she was left breathless and panting by the time they were in her room and the door was shut behind them.
For one brief second she worried about what would happen if Jason woke up and came in, and then she cast them aside. This was where she began to enjoy the here and now: no more worrying about the past or the future. Declan was all that mattered; he was her present.
Her Christmas present. She giggled and he looked at her, worried she was laughing at him. “A private joke.”
“Care to share?” he asked while his hands gripped the hem of her clothing and pulled it up over her head. “Wow.”
She blushed at the look on his face. “Don’t tease.”
“I am not teasing. Or at least, not yet.” His fingers set to work unclasping her bra, and another sigh filled him. “Now the teasing begins.”
His mouth kissed the swell of her breasts, while his hands cupped them together. Moving his head, he began to lick and indeed tease her nipples until they were taut buds, sending massages of arousal to every part of her body. Her sex ached, needing to feel him inside her, the heat pooling between her legs signifying the intensity of her need.
Maria tried to concentrate on taking off Declan’s clothes, but her fingers wouldn’t cooperate. They felt as if they had succumbed to frostbite.
“Struggling?” he asked, releasing her breasts. He took a step back and stripped, inhumanly fast, reminding her of his other side, and then stood naked in front of her, his cock long, thick, and erect. She swallowed her panic. Damn, he was big. “Now your turn.”
With her eyes fixed on his, difficult when they wanted to slide down and look at his magnificent erection, she undid her pants and let them fall to the floor. She hesitated over her panties, and Declan came to her.
“Want a hand?” he asked, his fingers hooking around the elastic and pushing them down over her thighs. Bending down, his face level with her clit, she gasped when he moved his mouth to kiss her there, his tongue flicking out to taste her. “If only we had more time. I want to savor the taste of you on my tongue.”
She nearly exploded at his words, her sex wet as he increased her arousal tenfold.
But he was right, there was no time. Instead, he guided her towards the bed, easing her down and then lying beside her. “You are sure?”
“More than anything in my whole life.”
He slipped his hands across her thigh, and then moved towards her aching need. Drawing one finger along the length of her sex, he encouraged her to open herself to him. Trying to relax, she let her knees fall to the sides, and when he repeated the same movement, only this time delving into her heated depths, she opened fully for him.
Another finger pressed inside her, working its way in and out, her breathing ragged as she felt her orgasm racing towards her. Declan leaned forward, and caught her nipple in his mouth, his tongue flicking over it, at the same time his fingers touched her clit for the first time.
“Oh, oh,” she cried, her hands gripping the sheets and balling them up.
Teeth grazed her nipples, his fingers working her into a frenzy, and then her orgasm hit her squarely. Declan pressed deeper into her, drawing his finger up over her clit, a steady rhythm he repeated until she thought the world had ended and she had gone to heaven.
As her orgasm passed, she realised she had left him all hard and aroused, and unsatisfied. Now she wanted him to feel the same pleasure. Her hand curled around his shaft. He put his hand on hers and stilled her.
“I won’t be able to hang on if you do that. And I really want to come inside you.” He moved his body, nestling between her thighs. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she said, her hand on his back, fingers digging into his flesh as she spurred him on.
Declan guided himself into her, pressing against her outer lips, and then he
entered her, Maria’s sex gripping him tightly. His hips flexed forward, driving deeper, groaning with pleasure at the tightness of his mate. Her inner walls yielded to him as he impaled her on his cock.
The sensations were almost too much. She cried out, feeling too full. As if he read her fear, he kissed her, his body still as he let her adjust to him, and slowly she relaxed.
“I should have waited. I’m sorry if I hurt you,” he said, stroking her skin, soothing her.
“No. You didn’t hurt me. It’s just so much more than I thought it would be. You are so much more.” She stroked his face, kissing him lightly as he began to move gently inside her.
The friction between them was intense; he slowly pulled out and then drove himself back into her, one deep thrust after another. Her orgasm hovered in front of her eyes, and she could tell by the tension in his body that Declan was close to coming.
With his body brushing hers, he inflamed every nerve ending as he took her. They rose higher together, reaching their orgasms simultaneously, plunging over the edge as one. Fated mates, bonded mates. It didn’t matter what they were, only that they were together.
Chapter Seventeen – Declan
Declan stretched out his legs. The bunk was not exactly uncomfortable, but he would much rather be with Maria on this Christmas morning. He had never expected to find his mate; if he had, he would not have volunteered for a three-day stint of duty.
But then, he couldn’t complain: he had spent a day going up the mountain with her. And then an hour in her bed on his return. Now he wished he had stayed there. Apart from a drunken disturbance by some young bucks over on the edge of town who swore they had seen Santa and his reindeer landing on the lower slopes of the mountain, and someone getting off the sleigh, the night had been quiet.
He had let them off with a warning. It was Christmas after all, although when they kept insisting it had been his brother on the sleigh, he had felt like telling them to stop wasting police time. Now he had a long day ahead of him. If he were lucky some other lonely people would pass by, have a cup of coffee with him, and pass the time of day.
Complete Christmas Bear Brothers Box Set: BBW Holiday Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance Page 19
