Return to Bear Bluff Complete Series

by Harmony Raines

  “Some guys will do anything for some sympathy,” Dylan said with a wink. “I’ll leave you two alone. Call me on Monday about the job, if you still want it.”

  “Thank you, Dylan.”

  “Pleasure to lend a hand.”

  “And I do want the job,” Jordan called, and then dropped his voice. “Not as much as I want you, though, Skyla.”

  “Let’s go home, Jordan.” She got up and grabbed the wheelchair and brought it to him.

  “I am never getting in that thing again,” he said. “I don’t care if I have to crawl, but I am not sitting in another wheelchair.”

  “Come on, I’ll help you.”

  He got to his feet shakily, with Skyla supporting him. Then, one slow step at a time, they made their way to the car. As she helped him in, she leaned down and said, “I like your bear.”

  “Thank you. There’s a part of me that’s functioning properly now too, which I would very much like you to meet.” He adjusted his pants. “I think I have the biggest erection ever, as if all the hours I’ve wanted you have rolled into one.”

  “Then let’s get home. We don’t want it to go to waste.” She giggled and shut the door, then she ran around to the driver’s side and got in. “What is the speed limit in Bear Bluff?”

  “Whatever it is, I suggest you break it.”

  “I moved here to enjoy a quieter pace of life,” she said, pulling off slowly.

  “I thought you came here to meet the bear of your dreams.” He slid his hand up her thigh, and pushed it between her thighs. “And this bear wants to claim you, in every possible way.”

  “Maybe if I drive a little faster,” she said, speeding up as they reached the road.

  “Just keep us safe, Skyla. This black bear has been down once; he doesn’t intend for it to happen again.”

  “It won’t. But if it did, I’d be here to help you back up again.”

  Chapter Twenty-One – Skyla

  Skyla picked the train of her wedding dress up and looped it over her arm as Jordan bent down and lifted her up in his arms. “I never thought I would get to do this, Mrs. Williams.”

  “Neither did I, Mr. Williams. And I am trusting you not to drop me,” she said, wrapping her free arm around his neck.

  He lifted her higher, so that her dress didn’t drag along the ground as he walked up to the house. Reaching the front door, he held her close, her head resting on his chest, while he unlocked it and pushed it open.

  “I think this should be celebrated with a kiss,” he said.

  “Haven’t you had enough kisses for one day?” she asked with a resigned sigh.

  “Never.” His lips met hers, and the fierce passion in his kiss was a promise of what was to come when they finally made it to bed. “And don’t try to make out you are tired of them.”

  She stroked his cheek, her thumb brushing his lips, and then she pressed her lips lightly to his. “I’ll never tire of them. I’ll never tire of anything you do.”

  “There are so many things I’ve imagined doing to you tonight, my wife.” They crossed the threshold, and he walked into the hallway and kicked the door shut behind them. They were man and wife. After a whirlwind romance, their bond was finally complete, not that they needed a ceremony and a marriage certificate to tell them they were one.

  “Well, husband… I can’t believe I’m actually saying those words.” He set her down on the floor, but she kept her arms looped around his neck. “I plan on making you the happiest man alive tonight.”

  His hands caressed her body, sending shockwaves through it. Skyla had been waiting for this moment ever since they had both said the words I do. Standing on tiptoe, she kissed him, nipping his bottom lip playfully, hoping he wanted her as much as she wanted him.

  “I plan to make you the happiest woman. Not just tonight, but for always.”

  “And how do you plan to do that?” she asked.

  He took her hand and led her through the house to the stairs, hesitating at the bottom, looking up. “When we first came here, I was helpless. Now, life seems too perfect.”

  “Hey. It can never be too perfect; don’t you ever think you don’t deserve to be happy.” She took his hand and pulled him up the stairs to their bedroom. The room he had used as a downstairs bedroom before his legs began to work again had been turned into a second sitting room; it was the perfect place to sit at the end of a long day and look out of the huge window at the valley below. Tonight, she was going to tell him he would need to work on an extension. But not yet, first she wanted him to make love to her.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, when they had reached their bedroom and he held her in his arms, his face buried into her neck. He kissed her softly, butterfly kisses. “Today has been the most wonderful day. But seeing some of the family members of those who died in the crash, it brought it all back, how they won’t share these special occasions with their loved ones.”

  “And that is not your fault.” She lifted his face, one hand on either side of his cheek, and kissed his lips. “They came because they wanted to see you happy.”

  “And I am.” He pulled her close, his hands going to the small buttons running down the back of her dress. “How long is it going to take me to undo all of these?”

  “As long as it takes. There’s no rush, we have the rest of our lives.”

  “Tell that to my cock. It has been straining at the seam of my pants all day.”

  “That is more like it. My insatiable husband back to thinking about sex.”

  “I’m not just thinking about it.” He turned her around to make his job quicker. As each tiny button was opened, he kissed her back, until he could push the dress off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. “Oh, my.”

  He sighed, and she wasn’t sure if it was because he liked what he saw, or if he was contemplating how much longer he was going to have to spend undressing her. Her wedding dress had a fitted waist, before flaring out at the back, with a long train. It hugged her body, and to make sure it showed her figure off in the best possible way, she wore lacy lingerie that wouldn’t look out of place in a historical romance novel. But there was no way he was going to rip this bodice.

  “This is a lesson in patience,” she said, as he got to work removing the last barrier that stood between him and her body.

  “I think I should leave it on you, and fuck you like you’re a wanton woman, who’s been teasing her husband all day.”

  “You can fuck me any way you want.” She slid her hand behind her back, touching the front of his suit and then sliding lower to wrap around his extremely hard cock. Then she squeezed. And stroked. And squeezed some more.

  “At last,” he said jubilantly, as the lacy lingerie fell to the floor.

  “Now it’s your turn,” she said, turning around to face him.

  “I’d ask you to undress me, but I think I’m going to explode if I don’t take you right this minute.”

  She smiled at the pained look on his face, and then watched as he stripped down with inhuman speed. It was one of those subtle ways that reminded her he was not a normal guy. That and his toned biceps, and his jet-black hair, which reminded her of the color of his bear’s fur.

  “I approve,” she said, as he stood naked before her, his cock painfully erect.

  He chuckled. “All for you, Skyla, all for you.”

  He slid a hand between her thighs, and tugged her panties aside, she knew they were sopping wet, a tell-tale sign she was as aroused as he was.

  “I think these need to go.” He ripped her panties off, and threw them aside. Then, using his strength and speed he laid her down on the bed, and was hovering over her body before she knew what was happening.

  He guided himself into her with a sigh of satisfaction, while he cupped her right breast with his hand and sucked her nipple into his mouth, torturing the hard bud with his tongue. Skyla nearly exploded there and then. She had to try to put her mind elsewhere, while he thrust in and out of her, but it was too much and she came
, an orgasm shattering her world, while he moved to fill her completely, with each stroke.

  “I aim to please you all night, my love,” he said, kissing her, his tongue plundering her mouth and moving in the same rhythm as his cock. She sucked hard on his tongue, making him groan, while her hands stroked his back, moving lower until her nails dug into his toned butt, spurring him on.

  It was his turn to lose control, crying out her name as he filled her with his seed. The throb of his cock set off a chain reaction in her body, and she came again, this time harder, longer, the intensity almost too much, until they lay spent in each other’s arms.

  “I am so grateful you got the job as my nursemaid,” he said, his voice light with humor.

  “I am so grateful you knew I was your mate when we met,” Skyla said. This had become part of their nightly routine before they went to sleep.

  “I am so grateful my family came to our wedding.”

  “I am so grateful they like me.” He rubbed her shoulder with his hand, as if to say “of course they do.” He knew how worried she was they might think she was taking advantage of Jordan, but they accepted her as his mate, as long as she had promised to make Jordan bring her for a long visit. Jordan’s mom kept insisting Skyla was the reason her son could walk again, no matter how many times she insisted she couldn’t take the credit for, what appeared to everyone looking in, to be a miracle.

  “I am grateful you are my wife.”

  Skyla lifted herself up onto her elbows, and took his hand, placing it on her stomach. “I am grateful we are going to be a family.”

  He was silent, just staring at her, his mouth moving but nothing coming out. Then he asked. “Are you sure?”

  She nodded. “Absolutely sure.”

  “I don’t know what to say.” He kissed her. “Except I love you, and I will be the best husband and father you and our baby could ever hope for.”

  “You already are, Jordan. You already are.”

  “I never thought I’d ever say I was blessed again, but now I know I truly am.” He kissed her, and she knew in that kiss that he was finally ready to move on.

  That would be the fourth thing on her gratitude list tonight, and for every night, for the rest of her life.

  ***

  Who Bears Wins

  Return to Bear Bluff - Book Four

  When bear shifter, Caleb, meets Zoe, he realizes returning to Bear Bluff is not a choice, it’s a necessity. One look at his mate and he’s ready to settle down and start a family—with an emphasis on practicing baby making, of course. In fact, he’s willing to start making babies right now…

  But Zoe isn’t sure that’s what she wants. At all. Not when she has her teenage brother, Tony, to keep out of jail.

  Tony is the reason she gave up her old life and move to a town filled with big, broad, bear shifters. Not the ideal place to live when your side is … well … smaller. And fluffier, with a cute bobtail.

  Can Zoe dare to take a chance on Caleb?

  When Caleb takes Dylan’s offer and goes to work at Bear Bluff Construction, just so he can help Tony get himself straight, she begins to think that maybe she can.

  Settling down and starting a family though, that was never part of her plans, not when her own mom was never there for her and Tony. Afraid she might be a terrible mother too, only Caleb can persuade her to take a chance.

  How can she resist her bear? Find out in Who Bears Wins.

  Chapter One – Caleb

  “I’m the best there is when it comes to carpentry,” Caleb said, not wanting to sound obnoxious, but it was true. “That means my time comes at a premium.”

  “Of course it does,” Dylan agreed. “But there are perks to this job that you won’t find anywhere else.”

  “What kind of perks?” Caleb asked. He knew Dylan was a shrewd businessman, but he wasn’t about to be sweet-talked out of the wage he was worth.

  “I’ll show you.” Dylan walked out of his office and then out into the fresh morning air.

  Winter wasn’t far off, Caleb could smell it in the air; the first snows would be with them soon. He was looking forward to being back in Bear Bluff, living here, rather than the short visits he had squeezed in over the years.

  Of course, that was how Dylan was going to sell it. And he had a point.

  “You are a devious man,” Caleb said to Dylan. “Before you start the hard sell, I get it. If I work for you, I get to move back home.”

  Dylan grinned. “You’re a bright guy.” Then he shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at the yard, where the day’s activity was well underway. “This is a new venture. It has to be profitable—I’ve invested a lot of my personal fortune in it, and I need it to work. But I also want it to work. We’re taking on young offenders, or those who might not have any proper qualifications, but do have a will to work. It means the payroll is top-heavy. I already have a couple of people working under Jordan, but I need more men like you willing to help train them up, give them a fighting chance in this world.”

  Caleb considered what Dylan was saying. “It’s a good idea, a noble idea. But does it make good business sense? I don’t want to move back to Bear Bluff, and rely on this job, if it’s not going to exist in six months’ time.”

  “I’m an optimist,” Dylan said.

  “And I’m a realist,” Caleb countered.

  “Look, this works out well for all of us. We are training a new workforce, so the business will expand when the kids are fully trained. Right now, I only have four youngsters, three young men and a young lady, who can lay bricks faster than any of her peers. All shifters.” Dylan made a point of saying this, and Caleb understood why. Teenage years, once the onslaught of puberty hit, were difficult enough. Throw in the ability to shift, and things got on the wrong side of interesting.

  “I don’t know, Dylan. I admire you, but I’m not looking to become a babysitter.” Caleb watched two young men loading up a trailer, remembering what it was like to be that age. It was tough, getting that first job, getting someone to believe in you, especially when you had no qualifications. “I’ll give it some thought.”

  “That’s all I’m asking.” Dylan walked back toward the office. “How long are you in town for?”

  “Only five days. A quick visit, with a view to coming back here permanently, if I have the right job offer and can find a place to live.” He surveyed the yard again. It would be so much easier if in five days he was heading back to the city to hand in his notice. His goal was to come back to Bear Bluff, to help look after his mom who was unwell. They were waiting for test results, but whatever happened Caleb had decided to move back here as soon as he could. His dad could manage, but it would be easier all round if he was here too.

  Or maybe it was simply a way of giving himself a reason to come back, to come home. Not that he needed one, but he had a good job, with as much work as he could handle, making bespoke kitchens for the rich city folk who had more money than sense. He would be a fool to walk away from it on a whim.

  However, there was another burning reason he thought the move would be good for him. His need to find a mate. He’d got himself a sizable nest egg. But no nest. Or at least, no female to share his nest with.

  Enough with the bird analogies, he told himself. He should just take Dylan’s job. The money he’d earn would be more than enough to live on. If he sold his house in the city, he would be able to buy a house with some land, and still have a lump sum left over.

  “Let me know what you decide. I’ll keep the job open for you,” Dylan said, and then his attention was pulled away from Caleb and he looked across the yard. “Will you excuse me?”

  Dylan didn’t wait for an answer, walking straight past Caleb and across the yard. Not that Caleb noticed: he was too busy trying to figure out what had come over him. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up on end, and a swirling sensation in his stomach made him wonder if, when he stopped at the diner on the way over here, he had eaten something bad.


  But it had tasted fine, the eggs were cooked, the bacon crispy, and the coffee hot. No, this had to be something else.

  Turning to look around, his attention rested on the car that had driven into the yard. Dylan was going to meet whoever was in the car, and Caleb felt a stab of jealousy in his gut. He had to get over there now. However, the sensations inside him ramped up until he had to stop and lean against the wall of one of the warehouses.

  What was wrong?

  Then he saw her. And she saw him. Their eyes locked, and she stood staring up at Caleb, frozen halfway out of the car, completely ignoring Dylan, who was talking to her.

  His heart hammered in his chest as if he was about to have a seizure.

  She knew. He knew.

  They knew exactly what they were to each other. Only whereas he felt elated, she looked as pissed as hell.

  Chapter Two – Zoe

  “Not now,” she muttered, and then realized Dylan thought she was talking to him. “Sorry. Not you.”

  “Then who?” Dylan asked, his head turning to follow her gaze. “Oh. Oh, wow.”

  “That good?” she asked, her heart beating fast in her chest. If this was another of Dylan’s people who needed a break, walking toward her, she was going to scream. Loudly. It was bad enough she had spent the morning searching for her brother; she did not need someone else to keep in order. Zoe had nothing against second chances—what Dylan was trying to do was amazing, she just couldn’t handle anything else, not right now.

  “Oh, he’s very good.” Dylan hooked his hand under her elbow, and pulled her toward the man who was making her world tilt on its axis. “I’ll introduce you.”

  She should’ve pulled away, but she couldn’t. This man was her mate and there was no way she could run from him, even if she wanted to. However, good man or not, a relationship right now would only complicate her life when all she wanted to do was simplify it.