Bear in the Rough: Bear Shifter Romance (Broken Hill Bears Book 1)

by Ariana Hawkes

  “About half and half, I guess. It depends, really.”

  Freya was silent for a while, thinking just how freaky that would be. At last, they came to the edge of the forest, from where a rock face jutted right up, into the sky.

  This is the southernmost point of our territory, marked by the edge of the hill. In fact, that’s where our clan gets its name – Broken Hill.”

  “Why is that?” Freya asked, shading her eyes from the sun as she tried to look up to the top of the hill.

  “It’s an unusual rock formation. It may be that a meteorite hit this spot a long, long time ago, because it’s kind of bowl-shaped, and a ragged kind of rim rises above it on all sides, a little like a mountain that’s caved in in the center – hence, Broken Hill.”

  “It’s like a boiled egg with the middle scooped out,” Freya said, gazing at the faintly sinister-looking jagged edges of the hilltop, and she laughed along with him, taking herself by surprise.

  “I’ve never heard it described like that before,” he said. “Come on, I’ll show you more of the territory.”

  After another half hour of walking, they came to what from a distance looked like a seam in the rock face, but close up was revealed to be a narrow path, barely wide enough to get a truck though. It was guided by four clan members – large, unsmiling shifters. Xander introduced her to them.

  “This is the only road route in and out of the territory,” he said. She tried to remember whether she’d come that way yesterday. No, they’d been brought in through dense forest. There must be other non-road routes too, she decided. It was a dirt path, but she thought she could see the beginning of a sealed road winding away in the distance. She stored the image in her memory, along with everything else she’d seen.

  They kept walking, keeping the rock face on their right.

  “You must like nature?” he asked after a while.

  “Because I was hiking, you mean?” she said. He nodded.

  “I’ve never been a nature buff. I mean, I can’t name many of the plants and animals we came across.”

  “Where were you all hiking?” he asked, in a tone of great curiosity.

  “From Mexico to Canada,” she said. He couldn’t have looked more shocked.

  “All that way?”

  “Yup,” she replied with a ridiculous glow of pride in them all. Then she gave a bitter laugh. “Well, Marin and I were. You know what’s funny? Poor Eloise had already decided to quit the hike the morning before your friends abducted us. But we persuaded her to come with us till we got to the next town. And now I feel as guilty as all hell. If I hadn’t done that, she would be free now, instead of trapped here in the mountains.”

  He flinched at her words. He was silent for a while, and when he spoke again, his voice was laden with regret.

  “Looks like my boys ruined a few plans.”

  “They did.”

  “Why were you all doing the hike?” She looked at him sideways, wondering how much to share with him. What the hell, she decided at last. He might as well hear the details of how much he’d ruined.

  “Marin was doing it because her grandmother had done it years ago, so it was kind of a tribute to her. Eloise was doing it because she’s getting over a divorce and her life sucks and she wanted to do something she could be proud of. And we’re all proud of her for having got as far as she did. The hike was actually my idea though. I was doing it because I was born in Washington, but my mom moved us to Southern California after my dad disappeared one day when I was nine years old. I never really got over it. I always had this stupid idea that he’d come back one day. But I never went back to my hometown after we left. For some reason it felt like a bad omen. Then I found out about this trail that stretches the whole length of the USA, and I decided to walk home, on my own terms.”

  A stunned silence followed her words. She sensed that he wanted to apologize again, but he couldn’t bring himself to.

  “I lost my own father recently,” he said at last. “He was the Alpha of this clan. When he knew he was dying, he called me back from where I was working overseas, and told me that he wanted me to become the next Alpha. I’ve always suspected it would happen one day, but it was still a shock for me. And then he died, and since then, it has been difficult with my brother, and the rest of the clan. The honor of being Alpha usually falls to the eldest son, and there are many traditionalists in the clan, who think that’s how things should remain. It hasn’t been an easy few weeks at all.” Now it was her turn to be stunned into silence. There was such thoughtfulness in his voice that it touched her heart. Once again, she wished that things were very different.

  “I’m sorry about your father,” she said, thinking, I can give him that one thing. It’s not costing me anything.

  “Thanks,” he replied, a hint of gratitude in his voice. She began to appreciate what a complex character this huge hunk of a man was.

  “What were you doing overseas?” He paused, as if considering whether he should answer.

  “I was in the military.”

  “You don’t mean the regular, human military?” He nodded.

  “I’m a highly-trained engineer. When I’d finished my studies, I wanted to work, to exercise what I’d learned. My father supported me, and suggested the military, as it was so physical that it would be easier for me to hide my bear nature.”

  They’d come to what looked like a narrow path up into the rock face.

  “Where does that path go?” she asked.

  “To a spot where you can see the entire territory. I go there sometimes when I need some space away from the world.” She looked at him sideways, recognizing a character as self-reliant as her own.

  “Do you think we could go up there now?” she asked. He looked surprised but pleased.

  “Sure. It’s a bit of a scramble though.”

  “I don’t mind.”

  It was actually easier than she’d expected, and she congratulated herself on her fitness as she followed him up, her hiking boots gripping the slippery surface of the rocks. From time to time, he paused and offered his hand to help her over the difficult bits. She accepted it, conscious of its warmth and the way it enveloped her own. What would it be like to be the girlfriend of this huge man? she wondered again. To be protected and held by him?

  Twenty minutes later, they were at the summit.

  “Wow,” she breathed. The rim of the hill was too low to offer a view over the surrounding mountains, but the view into the territory was incredible. Now she understood how vast the territory actually was, how the land lay.

  “There’s a spot over here where I usually sit.” He pointed to a large, flat area, topped with gravelly sand and surrounded by small rocks and an overhanging tree.

  “It’s pretty.” She followed him over to it and they sat down side by side, admiring the view. It was now late afternoon, and the sun was like a caress, rather than a laser beam. They were maybe a meter apart, but she was acutely aware of him; of the warmth of his skin, his masculine, outdoorsy scent, and of the lips that had kissed her so recently.

  “Did you feel like you’d be more whole when you’d finished the hike?” he said, breaking through a silence.

  “Yes. I hoped it would help me to fix whatever was missing inside myself. I’ve always been very self-reliant and distrustful of people. I always think that as soon as I get close to somebody, they’re going to leave me. This was all about me taking control.”

  “You’re an incredibly strong woman, Freya. I had no idea humans could be so resilient.” She gave a bitter laugh.

  “For all the good it’s done me.” She needed to change the subject, fast. “Do you think the clan will one day be cool with you being the leader, even though you’re not the oldest son?” Xander gazed out at the view, and she saw his jaw tighten.

  “To start with, my brother, Maximus, is very unhappy, as he feels that the title is rightfully his. That’s why I told you to be careful around him. He’s spent all of his life working very har
d toward being the Alpha. I was away for five years, during which time he was forging relationships and working hard to make the clan proud. He has many supporters who were full of anger to see me take over. He’s now hurting and bitter and that has always made him likely to lash out.” He blew out a long breath. “Ironically, I think that’s part of the reason why my father didn’t want him to be Alpha. The clan also doesn’t trust me. They don’t see me as one of them. I proved at the fight you watched that I’m tough enough to be Alpha, but winning hearts and minds is a different matter.”

  “Sounds like you’ve had a lot to cope with?” she offered.

  “I have. Being a soldier was simple. I got up when I was told to get up, ate, washed, exercised and fought when I was told to. It was hard, but it was simple. Since I’ve been back, I’ve felt like anything could happen, at any time. The commotion in the clan is tiring, and it is also distracting me from spending more time thinking about the future of the clan, and looking for ways to develop it. And I’m still grieving for my father. Which makes every single thing so much harder to deal with.” He looked so stricken that she was moved to sympathy for him. She reached out and laid her hand lightly on his arm. He turned his head toward her, his eyes like glowing coals. She had no sense that either of them had moved, but suddenly, they were kissing. His mouth was more tender than before, his lips full and sensuous, and the sensation of them caressing hers shot a direct connection with her clit. She suppressed a moan as the tip of his tongue slid out and flickered between her lips.

  And then she pulled away. No. This was wrong. Very wrong. He might be suffering, and he might be the sexiest man alive, but he was still holding her against her will. Every moment she wasted was a lost opportunity.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, scrambling to her feet. “I need to pee.” His eyes were still soft.

  “Over there, behind the tree,” he said. She followed the direction he was pointing, picking her way among some jagged rocks.

  It was a perfect spot. She couldn’t see him at all from where she was standing, and the sun was still high enough in the sky. As she reached for the object in her pocket, a wave of regret hit her.

  There had been a strong connection between them just now. It was as if the reality of the situation didn’t matter in the moment, and they were just two people, becoming very close to each other. And when she’d done what she was planning to do, things would never be the same again. In fact, she had no idea what was going to happen. The possible consequences terrified her, but all she knew was that she couldn’t sit back and do nothing. She had more than herself to think about.

  She opened the clasp of the compact mirror in her hand and held it up to the sun. She opened it wide and snapped it shut again. “Dot,” she muttered. She did the same thing twice more. Then she opened it wide and left it open for a little longer, before snapping it shut. “Dash,” she muttered, and repeated twice. Finally, she opened and closed it fast again. “Dot –” she muttered, but the word was drowned out by a fearsome roar. She dropped the mirror and it clattered down the hill, and she screamed as two huge hands grabbed her roughly by the upper arms and spun her around.

  “What the hell were you doing?” Xander bellowed. His face was a picture of rage, his eyes shooting firebrands into her soul.

  “No-nothing!” she stammered.

  “It didn’t look like nothing. What were you doing with that mirror?” His face was changing, becoming broader and more feral looking. She realized in horror that he was close to shifting.

  “I was just getting something out of my eye.”

  “Don’t lie to me, Freya!” His grip on her arm was overpowering and she whimpered in pain. “You were signaling an SOS, weren’t you?” She sucked her lips in and met his furious stare with defiance.

  He pushed her, she lost her footing, and they crashed to the ground. He arched over her, wild and fierce, and she braced herself for his bear to burst out of him.

  “Don’t test me like this. There are some in the clan who wanted you dead, little girl. You have no idea how dangerous your actions were. Do you really think someone would come and rescue you before we’d dealt with you all?” She was on the point of tears, but desperation took over.

  “Yes, of course I was signaling! Because you’ve imprisoned me here and I need to escape from you!” she screamed, all her anger and fear spilling out of her. “I don’t know why you think you’ve got the right to be angry when I’m the one who’s trapped here!” Unexpectedly, he eased off her body and his eyes softened. A flash of understanding passed across his features.

  “You were tricking me just now, when we kissed, weren’t you? You were trying to lull me into trusting you?” his voice was full of anger. She nodded in spite.

  “Yes, that’s right. I don’t feel anything for you. You’re a monster!” she spat.

  His jaw tightened. But then he reached out and chafed her lip with his thumb. She turned her head, but it was too late. A slender flame of arousal darted through her body.

  “I don’t think that’s true,” he said. He unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, then another, then another. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from his incredible torso. His shirt was soon fully open, and he pulled it off and cast it aside. “I think you want me, Freya,” he said.

  “I don’t,” she replied, her words catching in the back of her throat.

  “I can smell your arousal. There’s no hiding from a bear. You want me as much as I want you.” Her face flushed and she tried to clap her knees together, but they were separated by his thighs as he knelt in front of her. She was lying helpless and far too turned on as this huge man beast stared down at her, his eyes lingering on her breasts and the apex of her thighs. “Tell me you want me to stop,” he said. His hands went to the top button of his jeans. He unfastened it. “Tell me,” he repeated. But she stayed silent. There was an ache deep inside her that cried out for his touch, cried out for him to take her in his arms and possess her completely. He slid his zipper down an inch and a patch of dark pubic hair emerged. She made a sound of hunger. It was out of her mouth before she could stop it. A slow grin spread across his face. He reached for the top button of her shirt and unfastened it deftly.

  “You can stop me any time you want, Freya.” His voice was a deep rumble, and his erection strained at the zipper of his jeans. She lay still, her chest rising and falling rapidly as he unbuttoned her shirt all the way and slid it off. Her bra followed. His thumbs chafed her nipples as he cupped her breasts and she cried out, her whole body turning to liquid. He rolled them into aching points with surprisingly light fingers. Then his attention moved to her shorts. Holding the waistband, he slipped them down, along with her panties, and she was suddenly naked to his gaze. She was so turned on that she didn’t feel self conscious. All she wanted was for this man to strip off his pants and take her. He gazed at her curiously, fire burning in his eyes, while his hands caressed her body, all over, apart from the part that needed him most. She couldn’t stand it any longer. Propping herself up on her elbow, she reached for his zipper, and his erection sprang out, huge and rock hard. He made a sound of appreciation and pulled his pants off completely.

  As he climbed back on top of her, she watched him, drinking in every incredible detail of his body, of that big cock, pulsing with his desire for her. His mouth met hers, his tongue snaking between her lips, and he drove straight into her. She let out a wild moan as her muscles clenched tight around him, and she gazed up at him, scarcely able to believe that this big sexy man was inside her. He held her in his arms, and she clung to him helplessly as he thrust in and out of her, slowly at first and then with gathering pace. Her breath came fast and hard and she was dimly aware of her nails raking his back, as he fucked her relentlessly. She wanted to fight him, but all she ended up doing was gripping him tight. The sky was salmon pink overhead, and the mountain air was sweet in her nostrils, as this sexy wild man possessed her again and again.

  She felt as
limp as a ragdoll as he lifted her up in his arms, into a sitting position. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he took hold of her hips, pulling her up and down on his cock. He looked into her eyes, his pupils dilated and his broad shoulders slick with perspiration, as he murmured her name. She was dizzy, lightheaded, and she’d lost all sense of time and place, totally surrendered to the moment. He began to move faster and faster, and she sensed that his orgasm was near as his speed perfectly matched her own rhythm. He gave a roar of release at the same moment that a climax hit her, detonating in waves deep inside her, as her pussy throbbed around his cock.

  “Oh, god,” she moaned as she hung onto him, feeling him shuddering all over. When the final waves of their orgasms subsided, she didn’t want to let go of him. Being in his arms like that felt so right, however weird the situation.

  “I’ve wanted to do that ever since I saw you at the wrestling match,” he said, his voice husky, and he brushed her damp hair out of her eyes. She cupped his jaw briefly, enjoying the feeling of his stubble on her fingers, then she pushed on his shoulders and got to her feet. Sleeping with the enemy. There’s even a movie about it, she thought to herself as she recovered her clothes and got dressed again. But, damn, that was incredible. Easily the best sex of my life.

  He watched her get dressed, lazily, and didn’t get up and dress himself until she was done. Should I feel angry now? she wondered. All she felt was a deep, blissful satisfaction.

  Night had fallen by the time they made their way down the mountain. Xander held her hand tight to stop her from slipping, and she clung to it and didn’t complain.

  At the bottom they parted quickly, both keen not to draw attention to themselves. Freya was relieved not to see any of the bears as she crept back to her cabin, her heart doing somersaults in her chest.

  “Where have you been?” Marin and Eloise asked in unison as she came back inside. Freya sighed and sat on the couch, her legs very tired from the hike down the mountain. Her thoughts were so conflicted that she could barely speak. She’d just had amazing sex with a super sexy man, who just happened to be her captor. And she’d failed to execute her escape plan.