“Tell me,” he breathed. He bit her breast gently through the lace of her bra. “Tell me what you dreamed.”
“I’ve... I’ve dreamed of you inside me.” She reached for him and he pressed her hands back above her head. He wanted her helpless beneath him so that every inch of pleasure he milked from her would be his doing only. He didn’t miss the flash of her eyes and the way the corner of her mouth turned up. She liked it and she arched up off the couch to press up against him. “I dreamed of you touching me everywhere, making me... ”
“Making you what?” he murmured.
Please finish that sentence, he thought.
“Making me beg,” Jessie said.
“Is that what you want?” Cody said. His cock grew and he reached down to palm himself. It ached but that could wait. This was all about Jessie. Jessie, who wanted to beg. The thought was impossibly arousing. He hadn’t thought of her as that type.
“Yes.” She nodded.
“So... ” He mouthed along her throat, his teeth raking the sensitive skin there. “Beg. Beg for what you want. Maybe I’ll give it to you... ”
“I want you... I want you to taste me,” Jessie said, her voice wavering. “Like you said... I want your tongue inside me... ”
“Ah... ” Cody’s cock throbbed almost painfully. He tugged down the thin lace cups of Jessie’s bra, unable to withstand anymore himself. He covered one breast with his mouth, his tongue laving the pinkish-brown nipple that pebbled up at his attentions, he kissed and sucked it.
Jessie gasped. She kept her arms over her head like he’d told her too. He reached down and massaged his erection through his pants but it was a poor substitute for the tight heat of Jessie’s core that he knew was just waiting for him; endlessly warm and engulfing.
Jessie was so responsive, letting out sweet little moans and whimpers that drove Cody wild. He took his time, waiting for her to beg him to go further, determined to hear her say “please” in that wavering voice that meant she might lose her mind if he didn’t make her come.
Still, she seemed to really love the attention he paid to her breasts. Her nipples were especially sensitive. He gave them equal time, gently biting just enough to make it sting so that she writhed and bucked her hips, gripping the pillow behind her head with white knuckles.
“Cody... ” Jessie whispered his name so softly, he nearly missed. He lifted his head, smirking.
“Did you want something?” Cody said. He pressed up into her and she arched back, moaning.
“I want... I want... ”
“What do you want? Tell me again.”
“Taste me,” Jessie whispered. “Finger me. Anything, Cody... ”
“Say please,” he murmured. He chastely kissed her nipple.
She batted her eyes at him and stuck her bottom lip out, pouting. It was dramatic and cute. “Please... ”
“If you insist.” He threw her wink and sat up. He yanked down her tiny little pair of panties all in one go. She lifted her legs off the couch and wantonly spread her thighs, her dress all ruched up around her hips. She kept biting her lips and they were swollen and red, her cheeks pink, and her dark hair splayed around her head. Her breasts were blushing from his kisses and bites.
She looked debauched already and Cody took a moment to take her in. The sight of her with her legs spread, just a little awkwardly on the ouch, the light dusting of dark at her center, pink and just waiting for him.
Cody groaned. He gave himself a little relief, scrambling to unzip his pants and pulling out his pulsing cock. Jessie watched him stroke himself with big eyes. It was just enough to bring him dangerously close to the edge. But he had promised himself he would focus on her pleasure first. He let his cock go and crouched down, gripping Jessie’s thighs before burying his tongue inside her with no warning.
Jessie cried out but, to her credit, she did not buck hard enough to throw him off or reflexively squeeze her thighs around his head. But her breathy sighs and groans and the quiver of her body as he plunged her tongue inside her for a while before moving to circle her clit, were all the response he needed. He usually started slow but she was so worked up already, he had taken pity.
His bear, meanwhile, was just about losing its mind. He found himself growling into her as his tongue worked at the little nub of pleasure that swelled and pulsed for him. He was clutching her thighs hard enough to bruise and she shook under him, but there was still more bliss to be had. She hadn’t come yet, he could tell.
“C-Cody... ”
He could hardly tell she’d said his name this time. It was more of a shriek than a word. She was close to the edge, right on the precipice of bliss. He could make her come over and over if he wanted. He felt a bit cocky at the thought of that.
But he wanted the first time to be with him inside her.
Cody was breathless, his eyes wild and his mouth hanging open as he shoved down his trousers and boxer briefs and knelt on the couch. He took off his shirt, tossing it over the back of the couch. Jessie’s legs were spread wide, one foot down on the floor.
“Please,” she whispered. “I’m... I’m saying please please, Cody... ” Her eyes strayed to his cock, hard and thick and jutting out as if on route to her pussy, rosy and hot and waiting for him to plunder.
“Okay... ” He chuckled under his breath, a little dazed but amused at how she almost seemed worried he might refuse.
No fear of that.
Cody crawled on top of Jessie and when he looked into her eyes as he guided himself inside her, he felt something deep within him bloom like a flower in the sun. Even as pleasure washed through him, keeping him dangerously close from ending things too soon, something else was happening between them. Their breath mingled as they stared into each other and Cody thrusted inside Jessie who met him in tandem, the two of them easily finding a rhythm together.
“Cody... Cody... ” She only said his name, over and over, as he picked up the pace and she held onto him with her thighs, as if to bring him in deeper and deeper, as if he would never be deep enough. “Yes... ”
“Jessie, I... ” He didn’t know what he was about to say. I love you, maybe. But he kept his mouth shut. He couldn’t say so now, even if his bear knew it to be true while his stupid human self insisted it was just the sex and feeling of everything. So instead he said her name as she whispered his and all at once as he plunged into her once, she screamed out, holding onto him and the sensation of feeling her against him as she came with him still inside her, sent him tumbling over the edge too. He spilled into her and damn the consequences.
They shook, clinging to each other, in a haze of bliss that he wished would never end.
I love you, his bear thought. It wanted to roar that into the heavens.
I love you, Jessie.
9
Tobin
He’d lost track of the cubs.
But the adult female with them was clear as day. He’d tracked her scent to the Black Bear Lake Lodge. It had taken longer than he wanted. All the better, he supposed. The sleuth that had hired him was a bit violent and also not too savvy. He’d be able to sucker them out of twice the fee they owed him. And anyway, he thought he deserved it. He’d been ready to give up countless times, but he had the bitch now.
It was nice actually, the ski lodge. He didn’t know such places were even open in summer but the grounds and lake were pretty and the place was buzzing with guests, many of them bear shifters.
Tobin was good at keeping a low profile and not being seen. He had plenty of his own cash on hand plus the stipend the sleuth had given him. He got himself a room and didn’t miss the wary look from the concierge at the front desk. His name tag said Eric and he looked at Tobin as if he knew there might be trouble. But Tobin only smiled sweetly and took his room key card.
He considered this to be a victory. He knew he had her when he’d found her car in the employee parking lot of the lodge. That meant he didn’t have to worry about her leaving and the job of tracking her down once
again.
He had her.
To celebrate, Tobin went up to his room. He had only his carry-on sized suitcase he’d been living out of for the last few weeks. He needed to do laundry and even better, there was a promenade of shops and boutiques at the lodge. He figured he’d buy himself something new when he got the chance. Treat himself.
For now, he took a bath and drank Grey Goose vodka until he was good and buzzed.
The girl’s smell was everywhere. It lingered even in his suite along with others.
He figured she must be one of the maids who cleaned the rooms.
He liked that idea. Maybe she wore one of those cute little maid outfits. In the bath he closed his eyes and thought about shifting, tearing her throat open and watching the blood gush all over her little uniform. She was a faceless woman at this point. But he hoped she was pretty. He’d rather rip out a pretty throat than an ugly one.
After some rest and relaxation time, Tobin got dressed and slicked back his hair. He’d been on the road, roughing it in the woods for what had seemed like forever. He considered this his due reward. He luxuriated in the scent of the girl. He followed his nose all over the place and finally poked around long enough to discover the employee locker room.
Perfect.
Tobin followed the scent to a locker at the very end of the line. He inhaled deeply, smiling to himself. He couldn’t kill her until the sleuth gave him the go-ahead and they’d want to come down here first to collect the cubs. He had to remember that. He had a tendency to get impulsive about a kill and go a little crazy. He also wanted to find the cubs before the sleuth arrived, but he knew they’d want this news first.
The locker room was deserted for the moment. Tobin leaned forward and inhaled again, catching a concentrated dose of the female shifter’s smell. She would taste so good in his mouth...
He sighed, telling himself to calm down, and took out his phone to dial the alpha of the sleuth whose children had been kidnapped by this bear who had no idea there was a price on her head.
“Hello, Joseph,” Tobin said when the other end picked up. “I’ve found them.”
10
Cody
We were supposed to eat dinner.
The post-coital haze had made Cody sleepy.
He didn’t like to think of himself as a cuddler per se. It had never seemed like a manly thing to be. But bears were cuddly by nature. If he was honest with himself, all he wanted was to lie in bed with Jessie. Except he wanted her to be naked, if that was alright with her. And he never wanted to stop touching her. He wanted to chat and drink wine and also she had not eaten the dinner he’d made for her and that seemed like a terrible oversight...
“I didn’t mean for this to happen.” Jessie sat up sighing, pushing her thick, dark hair back. She looked at Cody with wide brown eyes. He tensed up, waiting for her to say she regretted the whole thing. But she was smiling and only looking a little bashful. Cody sat, pulling his briefs and his pants. Jessie slumped over to lean on his shoulder and kissed him there. “But I’m glad it did. I hope you are.”
Phew.
“Of course, I am,” he said. He couldn’t help but chuckle. He cast her a sidelong glance, smirking. “Hey, all I wanted was a date. But then you went begging-”
He made sure to say it as teasingly as he could. He didn’t want her to think he was serious. The last thing he wanted to do was actually mock her. Sure enough, Jessie’s pretty brown eyes went comically wide and she punched his shoulder.
“Oh ho!” She said. “You wanted me to beg!”
“You wanted to beg,” he said wryly.
“Maybe.” Her lips twitched. She sat up, pulling her dress back on and kissed him softly. “Yeah, I like it. I don’t know why. But I got exactly what I asked for and more.” She pressed a hand to his bare chest, raking her nails through his chest hair. “You have a very nice um... tongue.”
“Oh yeah?” This was the stuff alright, Cody thought. Husky pillow talk and the scent of their lovemaking lingering between them. He just wished they were in bed and not awkwardly sitting on his couch. ”What else is nice about me?”
“Stop,” Jessie said. She ducked her head, blushing, and he kissed the tip of her nose. She whispered, “It’s all very nice. Better than nice.”
“Better than nice,” he said, laughing breathily. “I’ll take it. C’mon, you’ve got to be hungry now.”
“God, I am,” she muttered. She got to her feet and Cody stood with her to help her zip her uniform back up. It felt like a sweet domestic moment; the way she lifted her hair away as he pulled up the zipper. He leaned forward, inhaling her scent at the base of her neck and patted her shoulder when she was done. “Thank you.” She padded over to her purse where she’d dropped it next to a duffle bag she’d been carrying on her way in. She murmured to herself when she looked at her phone. “Just checking the time. I hate to leave Molly too long. But I can eat.”
Ostensibly, they had planned to meet in order to talk. So far, the only talk had been dirty.
“Good, I hope it didn’t get too cold.” The dinner was still sitting out on Cody’s dining room table.
Jessie and Cody went about cleaning themselves up and minutes later they finally sat down to eat. Or rather, Cody sat down to watch Jessie eat. He took pleasure in watching her enjoy her food, especially when he had cooked it.
“Will you please eat?” Jessie said, raising an eyebrow. “You’re freaking me out.”
He’d cooked up a pretty basic hearty meal, compared to the sometimes complicated stuff he made for the guests in the lodge’s dining hall. There was prime rib and shrimp scampi with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus. Cody dug into his food, smiling around his fork and feeling a little lovesick.
All day, he’d thought about Jessie and her problem. Or rather, her six little problems. It wasn’t the children’s fault in the least and he knew it. If anything, he felt only empathy for the mistreated bear cubs. They had been lucky to run into somebody like Jessie who had such a big heart, she’d been willing to upend her entire life to rescue them from the circumstances they couldn’t escape themselves. From what Jessie had told him, the kids had been raised by sleuth as sort of a group. None of them knew which bears were their parents in particular and the sleuth had not been overly interested in raising them except to add numbers to their collective.
Molly had told Jessie about the harsh punishments and treatment as a method of teaching them to be tough bears who would be strong and merciless, traits the sleuth valued. Cody had heard about that kind of behavior from sleuths before. His own parents had been a bit cold, his sleuth more interested in appearances and social hierarchies that came from assimilating into an upper class human world. But he had never been mistreated. He hated the idea that bears anywhere raised their cubs like that.
But the problem was, this set-up for the kids just wasn’t good enough and it couldn’t last forever. He knew Jessie knew that. But it seemed like she was putting off the inevitable. He ate his prime rib and his asparagus and thought about it.
The cubs needed schooling, whether it was at an actual school or at home. Jessie couldn’t do it all herself, and she’d mentioned to Cody already how guilty she felt that so much fell too poor Molly’s shoulders. Cody was perfectly willing to throw money at them. There were innocent children who needed help. He was happy to fund them so that Jessie could stay home with them during the day instead of working so hard.
But that wasn’t a real solution either. The kids couldn’t stay cooped up forever. It was a sensitive subject to broach and it needed to be said.
“I was thinking about something,” Cody said. He sat up straight and took a sip of his wine. He wasn’t sure how she would take any of this. “About the cubs and everything.”
“Yes?” Jessie sat up straight in her chair. She already looked a bit nervous.
“You need help,” Cody said slowly. “Real help. And the kids, they can’t stay in that cabin forever, right?”
“I
... I know.” She frowned, staring down at her plate of half-eaten food. “But I’m worried about their sleuth finding them somehow. Sometimes I think I should’ve taken them farther away, maybe out of state. A good tracker could eventually find them here. And then what?”
Cody only opened and closed his mouth. He didn’t know what would happen then, but it wouldn’t be good.
“But I’m glad you brought them here.” Cody reached over and covered her hand with his. “I’m glad I found out about them. Because I want to help. I want... ” He coughed, a little bashful at the strength of feeling he had for Jessie.
Her boldness and her innate kindness had made him sure of one thing. He wanted her as his mate. He wasn’t sure if she was his mate yet. Nathan and Eric had told him of an overpowering feeling of sureness when they’d realized they’d met their mates. But Cody had always been pretty good at second-guessing himself.
“You want what?” Jessie smiled softly.
“I just want to help,” he said again. I want you, was what he’d been thinking. “Anyway, I can.”
“You don’t have to do anything.” She waved a hand, seeming a little shy.
Cody narrowed his eyes. “Yes. I absolutely do. What about clothes or shoes or anything? Supplies? I think we pay our staff fairly but I know a maid can’t be able to properly cover the expense of six children.”
“Well.” She shrugged. “I’ll be honest. We invaded that cabin. It was abandoned and we took it over. So we don’t pay rent. That helps.” She poked at her potatoes, pursing her lips. “They do need new shoes though.”
“You need electricity!” Cody said fiercely. “You can’t get by on a little generator forever. I don’t know how you’re getting by now.”
“Cody-”
“I’ll find you somewhere else to live,” Cody said.
Cody (Strauss Bear Shifter Brothers 0f Colorado Book 3) Page 6
