The Bear's Mate

by Vanessa Devereaux

  “Okay. I have a pen and paper if you want to give me your address.”

  He wrote it down. He knew the area well, so it wouldn’t be too hard to find.

  “See you later then,” he said.

  “Looking forward to it.”

  He pressed the end call button and leaned back in the chair. He’d never made love to a human before. That was assuming he and the good doctor would be having sex tonight. Well, just in case it came down to that he’d need to start doing some research on what exactly turned them on.

  Chapter Six

  “Doctor, can I have this blood pressure cuff taken off my arm now?”

  “What?” The patient’s voice had startled Charlotte who had been staring out the window in a dream-like state since she’d taken the call from Aiden. She hadn’t realized the cuff was still wrapped around the arm of an elderly gentleman until he’d spoken up. Lucky for him she hadn’t continued to inflate it.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t sleep very well last night, and I was miles away.”

  Liar, liar, it’s all to do with a handsome man.

  “So how’s my blood pressure?” he asked rolling down his sleeve.

  “It’s much lower, so the medication is working. I’d like you to keep taking the tablets, and continue with the low sodium diet too.”

  “I hate that. Nothing tastes the same now.”

  “Better than having high blood pressure and another stroke.”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  “Do you want me to write a prescription for a refill while you’re here?”

  “Might as well. It saves me coming back.”

  Charlotte swung around on her stool and reached for her prescription pad, wrote it up, tore it off, and handed it to the man.

  He looked at it and squinted. “My first name’s John, not Aiden.”

  Floor open up and swallow me now. Mr. Renner had more of an effect on her than she’d initially thought, or would like to admit.

  “Guess it’s the bad night’s sleep,” said the man handing it back to her.

  She tore it up, threw it in the bin, and then wrote another one checking she’d gotten the name right this time. God, what must he think of an incompetent doctor like her?

  She stood and walked him through to the reception area.

  “Was Mr. May the last patient of the day?” Charlotte asked Ginny, the receptionist.

  “Sure was.”

  “Let’s lock the door and not tempt fate like I did last night,” said Charlotte hurrying toward the front entrance. She slid the bolt across and turned over the sign that said the clinic was closed and gave the directions to the nearest ER. Of course, last night had brought Aiden into the clinic…

  “So you have anything fun planned for tonight?” asked Ginny putting away the knitting she often did when things got slow at the front desk.

  “Actually I do. I’m going out on a, well, I’m not sure if it’s a date or what you’d call it. A guy who was in here late yesterday wants to take me out for a meal as a thank you for looking after his brother.”

  “Wow, but shouldn’t it be the brother doing that?” Ginny slipped on her raincoat and tied her scarf around her neck.

  Ginny had a valid point there. Maybe Aiden wanted to ask her out, didn’t have the nerve, and had used Christopher as the perfect excuse.

  “So is he cute?” asked Ginny.

  “Oh yeah.”

  “Your eyes glazed over when you said that, so I take it he’s very attractive.” She put on her gloves and picked up her purse. “Well, I’ll see you in the morning, and you can tell me all about your date or whatever it turns out to be.”

  Charlotte walked with Ginny to the employee’s entrance and reached for her own coat as she closed the door shut. Just one thing she needed to do before she left. Charlotte went to the supply cupboard and pulled out a box of condoms. Wishful thinking maybe? She put them into her bag. Hopefully they’d get some use sometime soon.

  ****

  Aiden had booked a table for two at Portofinos. It was the first place he’d thought of and wasn’t sure why. After all, it was a romantic hole in the wall type place that you took your lover, not someone you’d just met. And definitely not a woman who you’d only asked out because you had a motive in mind.

  Still the food and wine were both excellent, if a little on the pricey side for his salary, but maybe she’d relax, and hence let her guard down. Perhaps it would be his guard that would be lowered. He hoped she wasn’t planning on wearing something sexy. Just thinking about it was making him break out into a sweat. He opened up the drawer in his desk. He’d bought a whole bunch of magazines during his lunch break. He’d sat in his car perusing some of them and then decided to bring them inside to hide them just in case someone saw them on the car seat. Some were women’s magazines with articles about sex and dating. A few were girlie magazines so he could get a preview of what the view between her legs would look like should it reach that stage. One thing he’d already discovered that she definitely wouldn’t look like a female shifter. Humans had parts that they didn’t. What if he did something wrong and didn’t please her. He slammed the drawer shut when he heard someone approaching and pretended to be making some notes.

  Why was he so worried about pleasing and pleasuring her? All the wanted was the information, and then he’d never see her again. He opened up his notebook. He taken some key points from the online site he’d checked out too. Foreplay was big with humans, kissing, stroking, especially their clitoris before actual intercourse. None of the just fuck me and make it fast stuff that shifters loved so much. Would he find it, would he fumble and seem like a virgin? It might not get to this part, so it was pointless getting himself all worked up.

  Aiden glanced at the clock on the wall and realized he just had enough time to go home to change before he headed over to Charlotte’s house to pick her up.

  * * * *

  Charlotte wasn’t sure why she was taking so much time getting ready. She wasn’t usually this much of a perfectionist. She’d tried on five dresses and settled for the red strapless one. It was the sexiest of the bunch. Okay, she knew perfectly well why she’d picked it. If he wasn’t convinced it was a date at the beginning of the evening, he damn well would be by the time they’d finished their meal.

  She worked, she went to see her dad, she slept, rinse and repeat. Day in and day out, the same thing. She needed a social life to balance things out. And yes, she was in need of sex too. Charlotte had never gone through a dry spell like this, and she needed to get horizontal to take all the kinks and stress out of her body. She couldn’t think of a better person to do just that than a guy like Aiden.

  She checked her evening bag. Lipstick, comb, and just in case they went to his place and not back here, the package of condoms. She heard the doorbell ring as she snapped the purse shut. Her heartbeat picked up intensity making it sound in her head. Calm down, he’s just like any other man.

  The doorbell sounded again and she realized she’d been tardy in answering it.

  When she opened it back, Aiden stood there looking even more delectable than he had the first time she’d seen him. Last night he’d been dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans, tonight black slacks and jacket and a white shirt with two buttons open rounded out the outfit. Some dark chest hairs curled over the top of the collar, his hair was combed back, and his eyes bluer than she’d first thought. She really hoped this was a date, and while she never usually slept with a guy on a first date, tonight she’d make an exception because who knew when the opportunity would come around again.

  “I thought you’d forgotten about our dinner date…I mean when you didn’t answer the door.”

  “Sorry, I was on the phone about a patient.”

  Liar.

  “Looks like it’s going to rain, so if you’re ready let’s head out now before it starts,” he said.

  “Good idea. I’ll grab my purse and be right with you.”

  Charlotte took it from the table in t
he hallway, stepped outside, locked the door, and then followed him down the path. He stopped, opened the passenger door for her and she scooted in. The sides of her raincoat parted, and she suddenly remembered the dress she was wearing was on the tight side and rode up when she sat down. She never was one for pantyhose, but on cold evenings she felt like she needed something on her legs. This evening she’d opted for thigh highs, their lace trim tops sneaking just below the hem of the dress. Charlotte tried to pull the edge of the dress down, but it was too late, they’d been spotted because he wasn’t taking his eyes off the top of her legs. She scooted back in the seat hoping that would help. He closed the door and then headed around to the driver’s side.

  He slid in beside her. The mixture of his own masculine scent, and a spicy aftershave mingled and filled the air. She took a deep breath knowing she wanted to make love with him more with each passing minute.

  The first splash of rain hit the windshield as he pulled away from the curb.

  “You from Montana?” she asked him, hoping to keep the conversation neutral to begin their evening.

  “Uh, yes. How about you?”

  “Yes, fifth generation.”

  “And you’ve always been a doctor?” he asked glancing sideway at her.

  “Yep, knew I wanted to be one since I was five years old and performed my first examination on one of my dolls. How about you, you always want to be in wildlife management?”

  “Anything that can get me out and not sitting at a desk all day is perfect.”

  “Yeah. I bet you get plenty of fresh air.”

  “By the way, I hope you like Italian food.”

  “I love it.”

  “And we’re just about here. Afraid we’ll have to walk a block because there’s no street parking in front of the restaurant, and they don’t have a parking lot either.”

  He pulled into a side road close to the heart of the downtown area and parallel parked between two SUVs.

  Before she’d had a chance to open the door, he’d rushed around to her side of the car pulled it back and held her hand as she got out. Was it just to see the view when her coat parted, and he could get another glimpse of her legs, or was Aiden a perfect gentleman? She’d be happy with either one.

  “Here let me put my jacket over our heads.”

  He raised it above them, and she edged closer so she didn’t get her hair or coat wet. The warmth of his body made her forget she was wearing a short dress and thin raincoat on what was turning out to be a frigid night.

  As they approached the restaurant, a man exiting it held the door open for them. The smell of tomatoes, garlic, and other yummy things hit Charlotte’s nostrils and made her stomach rumble.

  “You sound as hungry as me,” said Aiden shaking the rain from his jacket.

  Had her belly been that loud or was his hearing that great?

  “I didn’t have time for lunch today,” she said.

  “Hi, reservations for two for Renner,” Aiden told the maître d.

  The man behind the desk crossed through the name and grabbed two menus. “If you’d like to follow me.”

  They were shown to a table for two by the window. The whole place was dimly lit with just candles flickering on the tables offering a dreamy romantic feel.

  Aiden pulled out a chair for her. She sat, this time holding onto the hem of her dress. She looked around. The place was packed with couples happily gazing into one another’s eyes. Some were even holding hands across the table. Charlotte wondered if he brought all his dates here. Well, she still didn’t know if she was classified as a date…yet.

  “Do you eat here often?” she asked.

  “A couple of times. The food is really good,” he said opening the menu.

  A basket of bread and garlic butter was placed on the table and water was poured into the tumblers on the table as they studied the menu.

  “So you missed lunch because you had a lot of patients or what?” he asked her.

  “No, I had to make up some time because I got to work late this morning. I got called to the clinic around 1:00 a.m. Someone broke in and stole some drugs.”

  “Yeah happens a lot these days. So, anything in particular that catches your eye?”

  Charlotte realized he was talking about the menu. She glanced down quickly. She’d been concentrating so much on him that she hadn’t really perused it yet.

  “Everything looks so good. I just can’t choose,” said Charlotte. Phew, yet one more lie.

  “I’m leaning toward the lobster linguine,” he said. “Although I’m partial to the blackened salmon.”

  “I didn’t even see that. Now you’ve made it even harder for me.”

  The waiter approached the table. Aiden ordered a bottle of wine and Charlotte finally settled for the butternut squash ravioli with a sage butter sauce.

  “Besides Christopher, do you have family around town?” she asked Aiden once the waiter had left.

  “No, my parents are both dead, but I have lots of friends I see all the time. In fact, I sort of oversee a group of special needs citizens. How about you?”

  “Mom’s gone but my dad’s alive. He’s in the rehab center right now because he fell off the roof and broke both his legs.”

  “Geez, what was he doing up there?”

  “His nickname is Mr. DIY and he thought he’d try replacing some shingles.”

  “Is he going to be okay?”

  “He might be in rehab for a month or so, and after that he’ll need someone around the house, so that’s the reason I came home.”

  “And you took the job at the free clinic?”

  She nodded. “I was working in Seattle in genetic counseling.”

  “That sounds interesting.”

  “It’s always been something that’s fascinated me.”

  “So will you stay around? I mean, even after your dad’s well again.”

  “You know, since I’ve been back in Montana I realized just how much I missed it, so yes, I think I’m ready to put down permanent roots here.”

  They chatted like old friends over the salad and got into current affairs over the main course. Maybe he really had just asked her out as a way of saying thank you. Yeah and maybe the kiss had been for real, and the missing blood-stained tissues—let’s not forget that—disappearance was merely a coincidence and had nothing to do with him

  Such wishful thinking.

  “Do you want to dance?”

  That question had taken her by surprise. Not that she didn’t think he danced, but she’d been miles away yet again. She’d been doing that a lot in just the twenty-four hours she’d known him. Charlotte hadn’t even noticed that a three piece band had started to play, and a few couples were already on the small dance floor at the back of the restaurant.

  However, here Aiden stood beside the table with his palm outstretched to her.

  Charlotte placed her hand in his and stood, letting him lead her to the tiny wood floor. When they got there, he surprised her yet again by putting his hands around her waist and pulling her in close. She slid her arms around his shoulders, and they’d danced like they’d had lots of practice. Charlotte desperately wanted to set her head on his shoulder as he maneuvered around the other couples, but decided it would be going too far at this point.

  “You take professional dance lessons?” he whispered in her ear.

  “You’re just being nice. You’re lucky I haven’t stepped on your toes several times already.”

  He pulled her in tighter allowing her to feel his erection on her lower tummy. Just feeling the tip of his cock pushing itself into her belly made her pussy hot and wet. He let his hands slip from her waist and rested them on both of her butt cheeks while pulling her in even closer. His erection was more pronounced now. This was turning him on as much as it was her. They looked into one another’s eyes without saying anything. Moisture collected in her panties, making them a tad uncomfortable. Her womb had that familiar tugging sensation that said she needed to have sex an
d soon.

  Neither of them had heard the band announce they were taking a fifteen minute break until they realized they were stuck together in the middle of the dance floor all by themselves with no music playing.

  “Oops,” said Aiden before leading her back to their table.

  “Can I get you some dessert?” asked the waiter.

  “How about sharing a tiramisu?” suggested Aiden.

  “Sure, I think I’ve got enough room to split one with you.”

  It was getting more like a real date, more like a fourth or fifth date with this man as he spoon fed the coffee soaked sponge into her mouth. She wanted to groan and moan because not only was the taste and texture heavenly, but having Aiden’s hand close to her mouth was almost orgasmic.

  She used the ladies room while he paid the bill, and then they walked back to the car and got inside.

  Aiden turned on the car heater as she shivered.

  “You should have worn a warmer dress…not that I’m complaining.”

  He started the car and headed back toward her house. The journey there seemed to take only a few minutes. It was now or never.

  “You want to come in for a coffee?” she suggested when he pulled up outside the house.

  “I’d love to.”

  He held the car door open for her again, and they headed up the path to the door. She opened it up and took off her coat as he flicked off some of the rain from his jacket.

  “Here, let me hang that up so it can dry.”

  He handed it to her, and she placed it on the coat rack by the door. The smell of his aftershave lingered on it, and she closed her eyes. So far, so good. He’d accepted her invitation.

  “Let me give you a quick tour of the place,” she said.

  “Lead the way.”

  Charlotte took him into the family room. “This is my dad’s house. I had a rented apartment when I worked in Seattle, so I haven’t had time to look for a place of my own. It does feel strange to be sleeping in my old room again.”

  He smiled and walked over to the shelf above the fire. He picked up a photo and studied it.