Noisy footsteps interrupted their blissful haven, but he seemed not to hear them.
“Sherman!” a male voice shouted. He definitely heard that, because his shoulders tensed beneath her hands, and he slowly pulled back, like he was being dragged. She smiled softly to know that he was as reluctant as she was to end this.
“Sherman, man, where the hell have you been?”
She held still, knowing she was hidden, sandwiched between the trunk of a spruce and the huge bear-man. She wasn’t ready to face whoever it was just yet. She wanted to stay here in this little bubble a moment longer.
He turned slightly, glancing over his shoulder. “I’ll be there in a second, Matt.”
“What are you doing, taking a leak?” the other voice called out. It sounded like the bear-man’s friend was about ten feet away, and his footsteps were coming closer.
She almost giggled at the absurdity of it all. Here she was having a passionate interlude in the woods with a shapeshifter she’d just met. What did it matter if his friend was about to discover them? But his eyes widened, imploring her to be quiet.
“Yeah, gimme a minute, will ya?” he called back to his friend. “Can’t even get some damn privacy out here in the woods.”
“All right, all right. I’ll meet you back at home, okay?” The other voice seemed to be retreating now, and the bear-man - Sherman, his friend had called him - visibly relaxed.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered, when the other man was out of earshot.
She shrugged, smiling up at him. He was several inches taller than her own five-eight. She loved that. So many of the men she knew were barely taller than herself. “It’s okay. You couldn’t have known he would show up right this second.”
He frowned. “No, I mean, I’m sorry about… this.” He gestured between the two of them. He let out a resigned sort of sigh. “This was a mistake. I can’t do this with you.”
She narrowed her eyes, annoyed by his abrupt change in demeanor. He’d just been devouring her mouth, and now it was a mistake? Okay, so she’d also just been thinking this was something that couldn’t last. But for some reason, the fact that he suggested it first made her want to dig in her heels a bit.
“You married?” she asked. He shook his head. “Engaged?” Another shake of his head. “In a serious relationship?” The barest movement, but a no nonetheless. “Casually dating?” No. “Friend with benefits?” Another beautiful smile as he shook his head no again. “One night stand?”
He laughed. “No. There’s no one in my life right now.”
She stepped into him, crooking a finger and sliding it in his belt loop. “Would you like there to be?” She looked up at him, raising one eyebrow. “Because for me, what we just did was about as far from a mistake as anything could be.”
Her heart was racing and her breathing was shallow and labored. She’d never felt so bold, so confident. She’d never been the one to pursue a man. But something was urging her not to let him get away so easily,
“Maybe not a mistake.” He closed his eyes, looking almost pained. “I just… can’t. I’m sorry. I just can’t do this right now.”
Before he could step away, she pulled him back down for a sweet, lingering kiss. “Well, I hope I’ll see you around, Bear Man.”
He looked bemused. “I just told you it can’t happen.”
She wiggled her fingers in a goodbye as she sauntered away. “I heard you. But I’m looking forward to another chance to convince you otherwise.”
CHAPTER THREE
Joanna leaned back against a bookshelf, settling in for a long, boring evening. God, she hated these kinds of things.
All the elders of her tribe, as well as other notable residents of Sitka, were gathered here in the Sitka Public Library to view an exhibit of traditional Tlingit art. Tonight was the opening of the exhibit, and there was a cocktail party atmosphere that typically made Joanna feel like puking. Her stomach was a little queasy now, in fact.
She absently fingered the wooden pendant at her neck as she watched her grandfather speaking with the mayor of Sitka. Across the room, her mother, the master mingler, spoke to the library’s director, a woman who’d always reminded Joanna of Miss Marple. Another woman with dark, curly hair pulled back by a headband stood next to them, looking as bored as Joanna felt.
She watched as a tall man with white-blond hair sidled up to the younger woman, putting an arm around her waist. The woman smiled up at him, and his eyes crinkled as he beamed at her. His honey-colored eyes.
Joanna raised her brows in surprise. Two weeks ago, she would have been certain there were no shifters in this area. Sitka was a small town, and she knew almost everyone, at least by sight. But now here were two shifters she’d never met before - this blond man who was obviously in love with the librarian, and Joanna’s mystery man from the woods.
She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about that man for the past twelve days. His tanned skin, his amber eyes, his smile, that deep bass, those full lips. The mere memory of his touch sent shivers up her spine and heat straight to her core. It had been, quite simply, the best kiss of her life.
She’d been looking for him all over town. She’d scanned every aisle in the grocery store, had walked the waterfront every evening, eyes scanning the docks for his hulking figure. She’d even taken that same hiking trail in the woods more than once, hoping to catch sight of either human or bear. But despite all her efforts, she had yet to see him again.
She sighed, pushing off from the bookshelf. She needed alcohol to get her through the mind-numbing evening of backslapping and ass-kissing. Her head was already pounding, and she hadn't even been here ten minutes. She turned, intending to make her way to the makeshift bar that had been set up by the circulation desk.
And ran smack dab into someone. A tall, muscular, cedar-scented someone.
She looked up into the very honey-gold eyes she’d been seeking for nearly two weeks. A grin slowly spread across her face. Her night just got a whole lot better.
He grabbed her elbows to steady her, opening his mouth to speak.
“I’m sor-” He stopped in the middle of his apology when he realized who she was. His mouth closed with an audible snap.
She grinned up at him. “Well, there you are,” she all but purred. Just the sight of him got her motor revving again. Her skin felt tight and hot, like she was bursting to get out of her own body.
Her words seemed to bring him up short. His mouth popped open again, and his eyebrows were knitted together in confusion. “Have you been looking for me?”
Her smile turned coy. “Maybe.”
He shook his head. His grip tightened slightly on her elbow, and he led her a few feet away, to a deserted aisle in the stacks of the library. They were out of earshot from the crowd, but he still lowered his voice. “Listen, uh.” He stuttered to a stop, and she could swear she saw a blush color his cheeks. “What is your name?”
She chuckled. “I guess we were a bit too busy last time to exchange names, huh?” He ducked his head, looking off through the massive plate glass windows. The view of the Sound was breathtaking from here, but he seemed to look right through it. She sighed. “It’s Joanna.”
His eyes snapped to hers, and his pupils darkened slightly. “Joanna.”
Oh, but she liked the way her name sounded in that deep, rumbly bass of his. “And you’re Sherman,” she ventured.
He nodded. “Joanna,” he whispered, stepping closer. He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, and she leaned into his hand, like a bird preening for its mate. “Beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”
Cliched though the compliment was, she had to lock her knees to keep from swooning. Joanna didn’t get many compliments on her looks. The most flattering word she’d ever heard was “striking.” More often, it was “unusual.” She had the flat cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes that were typical of her people, but she also had a severe mouth and a beak-like nose that was too big for her face.
But here was
Sherman, the handsomest man she’d ever seen, telling her she was beautiful. Not once, but twice. He’d said it that day in the woods, too, and it had only been the heady sensation of doing something so illicit, kissing a stranger in the woods, that had kept her from remarking on it then. But she remembered it now, and it filled her with a giddy feeling, warm and sweet, fizzing through her veins and making her head spin. He thought she was beautiful.
She looked up into those amber eyes, and she was once again swept away with the overwhelming urge to kiss him, to touch him, and more. So much more. She couldn’t say where this almost animalistic attraction had come from, or why it had to be to a man her family wouldn’t want for her, and who didn’t seem to want to be with her, either. But it was here, and it couldn’t be ignored.
And looking at him now, she could see that he was having trouble ignoring it, too. His head might be saying no, but his body was all but shouting yes. He was leaning into her, one hand cupping her face, the other reaching for her waist, his eyes hooded and dark. And his khakis were probably causing him a bit of pain at the moment, judging by the way his erection pressed against the seam of his fly.
His hand landed on her hip, and he pulled her flush against him, pressing his hips into her. She ground against him, and he inhaled sharply, his nostrils flaring.
“You’re playing a dangerous game,” he whispered.
She grinned, feeling like she had trapped her prey at last. “I’m just trying to arrive at a subjective truth.”
He raised an eyebrow, the slight smile playing at his lips encouraging her to continue.
“For instance,” she whispered. “I can see that you want me.” She brushed her knuckles across his hard-on, and he hissed. “And you can feel that I want you,” she continued, taking his hand and placing it on her upper thigh, under her skirt. His hand gently skated across the sensitive flesh, higher and higher, until it brushed against the damp scrap of cotton covering her pussy. “But it’s how we act on those facts that determine the truth of this situation.”
A slow smile spread across his face, stretching those plump lips wide. “And how will we act on those facts?”
She grabbed his hand where it was still buried under her skirt, lightly stroking her folds. “We’re getting out of here and going someplace more private.”
She turned, pulling him behind her. She headed away from the people gathered in the soaring atrium of the library, looking around carefully to make sure no one was watching them. He followed, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. “You remembered my little lesson,” he whispered, his warm breath washing over her neck. “I’m impressed.”
She chuckled, the sound much huskier than usual. “I’ve never had a man try to seduce me with philosophy. That’s the impressive thing.”
“Try?” he growled, nipping her earlobe lightly.
She stumbled. God, that felt good. She wanted his lips and tongue and teeth and hands and everything, everywhere.
His arms tightened around her waist, steadying her. She leaned into him for a moment, loving the way his hard chest felt against her back. At first glance, one would think he was stocky, almost fat. Like a bear. But like a bear, he was deceptively powerful, muscled and firm in all the right places. She wiggled her ass against him, and he grunted.
“We need to find that private place soon, or I’m going to give everybody a different kind of show than what they came for,” he rumbled.
She giggled. “I know a spot,” she said, thinking of her dad’s old cabin in the woods. It was cramped and probably messy, but it was private. “Did you drive here?”
He pulled back, and she stopped short. She turned to face him, watching as he pulled a cell phone from his pocket. “Yeah. Let me just text my buddy to let him know he needs to get another ride home.”
She smiled, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. She felt that nervous excitement that only comes once in a while - Christmas morning, her birthday, first day of summer vacation. She laughed, mentally adding “about to have mind-blowing sex” to the list. And she was sure it would be mind-blowing. Every touch from Sherman lit her nerves on fire, turning her inside out. She was certain that once she finally got him inside her, she’d explode.
She stepped into him, sneaking a finger in his belt loop to pull him closer. He looked up, sliding his phone back into his pocket and grinning.
But then she heard a familiar voice calling her name, and her happiness imploded, like someone had stuck a pin in the balloon of anticipation building inside her.
She turned her head, watching as her mother strode toward her. “Joanna, what are you doing?”
Her mother’s mouth, a long, severe line much like her own, was tipped down into a frown as she came toward them.
Joanna cleared her throat and stepped away from Sherman, but not before her mother saw how close they’d been standing, or the hand Joanna still had at his hip, finger bent in his belt loop. She pulled her hand away hastily, but it got tangled, and she struggled for a moment, growing increasingly frustrated. Why does this have to happen at the worst possible time? she thought bitterly.
Finally, she got her hand free, and she planted it on her hip, trying to look casual. “What’s up?” she asked, sounding a bit too breathless to be believable. “Did you need me for something?”
Her mother’s eyes narrowed as she looked from Sherman to Joanna, her lips pursing further and further with each pass. “I’ll need you to take your grandfather home.”
Joanna glanced at her watch, frowning. “But I thought we were staying until nine? Grandpa said-”
“Your grandfather is not feeling well, Joanna,” her mother said, cutting her off. Her brow furrowed in anger as she looked over at Sherman. “That’s enough slacking off. It’s time to do your duty to your family.”
Joanna closed her eyes, digging her nails into her palms. She was so tired of doing her duty, so tired of being the perfect little Tlingit princess, ambassador for the tribe to the world at large. Just once, she wanted to disobey, wanted to rebel, wanted to run away.
When she opened her eyes, her gaze landed on Sherman. She wanted nothing more than to grab him by the belt loop again and drag him away to her secluded spot. She’d have his clothes off before he could blink, and then she’d find out if his human side was as wild as the bear within.
Her mother cleared her throat, alerting her to the fact that she'd been staring at Sherman, her eyes no doubt telegraphing the lust coursing through her body. She'd never been very good at keeping her feelings to herself. Every thought, every emotion was always written in her eyes, for those who cared to read them.
She flushed, looking away. “I'll be there in a moment,” she told her mother.
Her mother huffed softly, but otherwise made no reply as she strode away, her ramrod straight posture befitting her chieftain ancestry. Joanna merely thought, as she always did, that her mother looked like she had a stick up her ass.
Sherman cleared his throat, and she turned to him, pasting on an apologetic look. “I'm sorry. She can be a bit… harsh.”
He shook his head. “It's okay. I shouldn't have let this happen again,” he said. “I really can't get into anything right now.”
She smiled, but it felt forced. She felt edgy and uncomfortable all of a sudden, and she wasn't sure why. “You sure about that?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I'm sorry. I wish I could. I can't seem to stop thinking about you.” His golden eyes were huge as he looked down at her. He almost looked like he was pleading with her to give him a reason to change his mind.
She chuffed. “I can't stop thinking about you, either.” Her eyes narrowed. “But I'm getting tired of this game.” She gestured with her hand to where her mother had just been. “You see what I'm up against. You see how hard it would be for me. But I'm willing to give it a shot anyway. Because I think we could be something special. Even if it’s just for now.”
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