by Kelly Wacker
Melissa pushed Sula firmly, but gently, against the sofa pillows, straddling her. She kissed the length of her neck and unbuttoned her shirt so she could slide her hands under Sula’s bra. She cupped her breasts and teased her nipples with her thumbs. Kissing the soft skin in the dip between her breasts, Melissa felt the steady beat of Sula’s heart as she slid her hands around to undo her bra.
“Here, let me,” Sula said in a ragged voice. She arched her back, quickly removing her shirt and bra, then tossed them aside as Melissa unzipped Sula’s pants and slid them down her long legs. Sula laughed and tried to sit up when they became tangled around her ankles. “My boots.”
“Nope.” Melissa pushed Sula back against the pillows. “I got this. You don’t do anything but sit there.” Sula dropped her hands by her side and watched hungrily as Melissa untied her boots. Sula’s obedient response gave Melissa an unexpected rush that inflamed and emboldened her. She stood and removed her clothing, piece by piece, teasing Sula with a deliberately unhurried pace. Sula’s eyes, glinting amber in the firelight, roamed her body, and she bit her lower lip as if trying to restrain herself from action. By the time Melissa stepped out of her panties, she could hardly stand it herself.
Maintaining eye contact with Sula, she kneeled, put her hands on her knees, and slowly slid her hands up the inside of her thighs. Pushing her legs apart, she took Sula with her mouth. Sula, wet and welcoming, gasped and raised her hips, putting her arms out wide along the couch to steady herself. She might have climaxed as soon as Melissa’s tongue touched her, but drunk on sexual power, Melissa denied her immediate release. Slowly, she brought Sula to the edge of orgasm twice before guiding her over the cascade the third time. Melissa grasped her hips tightly as a roaring upswell erupted from deep within Sula, her body undulating beneath her.
Melissa had intended to give Sula a moment to recover before attending to her own intense arousal. Instead, panting and raspy-voiced, Sula pulled Melissa close, flipping her over onto her back. Aligning their bodies along the length of the sofa, Sula, feverish and slick with perspiration, kissed her lips, her neck, her breasts…and slipped her hand between Melissa’s legs. With abandon, Melissa opened herself to Sula’s stroking caresses. Desperate for release and unable to form coherent thoughts, she was carried away by an explosive wave of pleasure.
“Mmm…I’ve missed you these last few days,” Melissa murmured in Sula’s ear after she was able to think and breathe normally again.
“I missed you, too, Goldie,” Sula said quietly, in return. The soft buffalo-plaid blanket draped across the back of the couch had slid to the floor, but one corner of it was within Sula’s reach. She grabbed it and covered them with it. The fire had burned down to glowing embers.
Melissa smiled, brushing her lips against Sula’s cheek. “That nickname has really stuck, hasn’t it?”
“I’m afraid so.” Sula turned her head and raised an eyebrow. “Of course, if you hate it, I’ll stop calling you that.”
“Don’t stop. I rather like it. No one’s ever given me a nickname before. I mean, other than the obvious—Mel. Which I don’t like, by the way, so don’t start calling me that.”
“Why not?”
“It seems so masculine, like the name of some burly truck driver or something.”
“You mean a burly diesel-dyke truck driver.” Sula laughed.
“Yeah. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But it doesn’t really suit me.”
“No, it doesn’t. But it’s a sweet name.”
“How so?”
“Mel means ‘honey’ in Latin. Melissa is ‘honeybee’ in Greek. I read about it in one of Betty’s beekeeping magazines.”
“I never thought to look up my name. My mom always told me I was named for a character she liked in a book she was reading when she was pregnant. She thought the name was pretty.”
“She named you well.” Sula nuzzled her cheek. “Because you are sweet as honey and completely irresistible.”
“Especially to a honey bear like you.” Melissa laughed. Remembering one of things she wanted to talk about, she propped herself up on one arm and said, “Bears.”
“Bears?” Sula glanced around as if looking for one. Seeing none, she focused on Melissa with a questioning expression. “What about bears?”
“Why do you like them so much?”
“I’ve always liked them.”
“But why?” Melissa poked her gently in the ribs.
“Well…bears are easy to relate to because they’re almost human-like in many ways. They’re omnivores like us. Some of their gestures and expressions are like ours, especially when they stand on their back legs. They have a special place in the environment. As apex predators at the top of the food chain, they help to keep things in balance—”
Melissa placed a finger on Sula’s soft lips. “You’re talking like Sula the conservancy director. I want to know why Sula, the sexy, naked woman next to me under this blanket, likes bears.”
Sula puffed her cheeks. “That’s harder to explain.”
Melissa recalled Betty telling her that Sula might not be able to explain her love for bears. “Try,” she said, and when it seemed like Sula wasn’t going to expound further, she tried a technique she used with students reluctant to speak in class. She prompted her with a more specific question. “Do you think it’s because your family likes bears?”
“You mean my parents? Because of growing up around them and the conservancy?”
“Yes, and don’t forget your great-grandmother painted bears in some of her paintings.”
Sula became a little cagey. “But that’s to be expected, right? Ursula was making paintings of the Rocky Mountains…where bears live.”
Melissa didn’t press Sula further about her love of bears. Ursula’s name reminded her of the photograph she had replaced in the album, and she interrupted her own line of questioning. “I also wanted to tell you I found a photo of Ursula. It’s the one missing from the album, I’m almost positive.”
“Really? Did you bring it? Can I see it?” Sula was visibly excited.
“No, but I have an image of it on my laptop.” Melissa rolled off the couch and out from under the blanket to retrieve her laptop from her messenger bag. The cool air gave her goose bumps. When she returned, Sula was sitting upright, so she sat next to her, and Sula wrapped the blanket around them as they looked at the picture together.
“She looks happy, don’t you think?”
“She does. You know, I’ve only ever seen pictures of her when she was a girl. Never as an adult.”
“You look a lot like her.”
“You think?” Sula appeared skeptical.
“Oh, yeah…the shape of her face is bit more angular, but you really look alike.” Melissa leaned closer to Sula, enjoying her warmth, but also the feel of her skin. She brought up the next image, a detail of the note on the back of the photo. “This was written on the back. I assume Evelyn took the photo. This is certainly her handwriting. And look, she calls Ursula my ‘she-bear.’ Another bear.”
“Well, Ursula means ‘little she-bear.’”
“Oh! Of course. That makes sense, though, given that Ursa Major is the Big Bear, the Sky Bear.” Melissa considered the point for a moment. “And since you’re named after her, that makes you a little she-bear, too.” Melissa grinned, but Sula stiffened, meeting her gaze with a serious expression. “Don’t you find it a peculiar coincidence that I began calling you Bear without knowing what your name means?”
“By calling you Goldie first, I kind of started it, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, you did.” Melissa chuckled, thinking about the first time Sula called her Goldilocks. She put the laptop on the coffee table and ran her fingers across Sula’s stomach, wrapping her arm around her waist. She relaxed under her touch. “And somehow I keep finding myself in the bear’s house.”
“And on the bear’s couch.” Sula’s expression softened, and she kissed the tip of Melissa’s nose.
&n
bsp; “And if I’m a good girl, perhaps I’ll be invited to the bear’s bed.”
“Mmmmmrrrrr.” Sula uttered that soft, low growl that made Melissa feel woozy.
“You’re distracting me, again.”
“My apologies,” Sula said in a tone of mock seriousness. “What point were you trying to make?”
“I’m not really sure.” Melissa was joking, but she hadn’t forgotten. “At every turn I seem to find myself confronted by bears.”
Sula gave her a sideways glance. “And that’s a problem?”
“It doesn’t seem to be, Bear.”
“That’s good to hear, Goldie.” Sula yawned and glanced at the clock on the mantel. “Speaking of bed, would you like to come to bed with me? It is a work night for me, you know.”
“I was just waiting for you to ask,” Melissa said and abruptly sat up, taking the blanket with her and uncovering Sula.
“Hey! Bring that back.” Sula grabbed for the blanket unsuccessfully as Melissa walked toward the stairs.
“You’ll just have to come and get it,” Melissa said coquettishly. She held her arms and the blanket out in a welcoming gesture and then ran up the stairs. She couldn’t resist teasing Sula and hadn’t even considered the extra bonus of enjoying the view from the landing of Sula’s gloriously naked body as she darted around the room blowing out the candles. Sula took the stairs two steps at a time.
Melissa put on the T-shirt Sula lent her to sleep in and got into bed, the sheets smooth and cool against her legs. Sula turned out the lights, slid in next to her, and pulled the covers over them.
“Mmm…I like being under the covers of darkness with you.” Melissa draped her arm across Sula.
Sula laughed. “I like it, too.”
“And I could get really used to this.” Melissa nestled close.
“I already have.” Sula sighed softly.
“You know I’m leaving Friday,” Melissa said quietly.
“What? Really? I thought you had another week.”
“I have to go home sometime, you know.” Sula faced her, and although Melissa’s eyes were adjusting to the dark, she couldn’t discern her expression. “We need to talk about us, Sula. How do you feel about a long-distance relationship?”
Sula was quiet for a moment. “It could work.” She spoke as if she was speaking to herself more than to Melissa.
“The question is, do you want it to work?”
“I do…” Sula spoke quickly, sounding earnest, but her voice trailed off as if uncertain.
“But?” Melissa held her breath. The room felt very still, as if her heart might have paused its beating, too.
“I don’t want this to end.” Sula spoke haltingly. “But I don’t know how to do a long-distance relationship. God, I’ve never even managed a relationship.” There was an edge of frustration to Sula’s voice, or maybe it was fear.
“Well, aside from sex every night like we just had on your couch—which, by the way, I enjoyed very much—we’d just keep doing what we’ve been doing since we met. Except we’ll have to commune over the phone or by Skype until I’m on break. I’d love to spend more time here in Colorado. And you’d be welcome to visit me anytime, of course. I bet there are a lot of black bears in the South, as well as people who care about them who could use your expertise. Maybe you could teach some seminars.”
“The Georgia black bear population is healthy and growing, actually.” Sula sounded more confident. “There’s evidence that resident populations are expanding in Alabama, too.”
“See, there are possibilities, already.” Melissa felt brighter.
“You have a way of making the impossible seem possible.”
“Just keep thinking that, okay? So, what are you doing tomorrow? I’d like to spend as much time with you as I can before I go.”
“I intended to get up early, and I have a meeting, one I shouldn’t cancel.” Sula yawned.
“Okay, what about Thursday? Could you play hooky and we’ll spend the day together?”
Sula seemed hesitant to respond. “I had planned on doing some things on the land.”
“You can’t postpone that until I’m gone?” Melissa didn’t understand this sudden reluctance and why whatever she was planning on couldn’t wait. “What are you doing?”
“I really thought you weren’t leaving for another week,” Sula said with a tone of exasperation. She took a deep breath and let it out audibly. “I wanted to get up early for the next few days, at least, and…um…hike through the areas where I know Notch has been before going in to the office. On Thursday, I was going to do a longer route. I don’t want him feeling comfortable after all the pyrotechnics he experienced yesterday.”
“Sounds like you’re trying to behave like a bear, marking your territory, as it were.” Melissa spoke lightly, but Sula stiffened again, the tension under her skin palpable. She sensed this was a sensitive issue for her, and she thought she understood why. “It’s okay, Sula. You can trust me. I won’t tell anyone about Notch and what you’re doing. I won’t even mention it to Betty, if you don’t want me to. I could get most of my packing done tomorrow and then go with you on Thursday.”
“I’m going to do it fast. I want to cover a lot of territory.”
“Are you telling me I can’t keep up with you?” Melissa was starting to feel irritated. “I’m not a mountain woman like you, but I’m in pretty good shape.”
“It’s rugged. You have to cross a boulder field to get to the lake.”
“What lake?”
Sula hesitated, seeming reluctant to tell Melissa one of her points of destination. “Moose Lake,” she finally said.
“You’re sure I shouldn’t go with you?”
“Yes. It would be better if you didn’t,” Sula said flatly. “I’ll be back in the afternoon, though.” Her tone softened. “We can spend the rest of the day…and night…together. I’ll make it up to you.” Sula kissed Melissa tenderly, and her irritation melted away.
“Will it involve a couch?”
Sula laughed softly. “Maybe. It might be something better. You’ll just have to find out.”
“Oh, you are such a tease.” Melissa squeezed her, and Sula made a contented sound, a murmur of pleasure.
“Good night, Bear,” Melissa said.
“Mmm…good night, Goldie. I love you…” Sula nuzzled her neck and spoke tenderly, in that intimate voice reserved for lovers. “And I do want to make this work. Please don’t doubt that.”
“We will make it work,” Melissa whispered in reply. “And I love you, too.”
Sula fell asleep in Melissa’s arms, and by the time her body relaxed, when her breathing became slow and deep, she had concocted a plan to spend a little more time with Sula before Friday came. And she would demonstrate that she was indeed capable of keeping up with her bearish lover.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Sula stared at her reflection in the mirror, specifically at the stitches above her eyebrow. The wound was healing well and quickly, as she expected. Rarely sick with a cold or the flu, she healed rapidly, something she’d inherited with her bear-shifting genes. Although the clinic physician told her to return in two weeks to have the stitches removed, they’d need to come out in a week or less.
Sula had never needed stitches before, and they would probably tear out when she shifted into bear form, which she planned to do shortly. Informed by a quick internet search on her phone on how to remove them, she stood in the bathroom armed with tweezers in one hand and a pair of small, sharp scissors in the other. Using the tweezers, she gripped each knot, snipped the thread, and gave it a tug, yanking it out. She winced but didn’t feel much pain.
She turned out the light and walked into the dark bedroom, thankful Melissa was still asleep. Trying to move about silently, she grabbed fresh clothing and went downstairs to dress. She grinned seeing their clothing in piles by the couch. Reaching for her boots, flashes of Melissa, naked between her legs, made desire rise again. Sula put her boots on and
walked into the kitchen to get an ice cube from the freezer. Standing at the sink, she rubbed it back and forth across her brow to reduce the swelling and recalled delicious memories of last night. She hoped ice would reduce the fever growing inside her so she could focus on what she had planned for the day. She gazed out the window into darkness. Two sets of almond-shaped green eyes suddenly appeared in front of her as Tawny and Spotty perched on the windowsill staring at her.
“Good morning, girls. Breakfast is on the way.” Sula knew they wouldn’t understand waiting until later to eat and put food in their bowls. The soft tap-tap of the cat door opening and closing preceded the entrance of the two tabbies into the kitchen. They ran directly to the food, tails straight in the air. While they contentedly crunched their kibble, Sula set up the coffeemaker for Melissa. Even though she wanted a cup, she didn’t want to wait on it, and the smell of it wafting up the stairs might wake her. Sula wrote a quick note, in case Melissa got up before she returned, and propped it in front of the coffee pot. She left the house at a brisk pace, heading for the old ponderosa tree across the meadow, where she quickly disrobed.
With well-honed expertise she engaged the hamask smoothly, and within minutes, her bones, tendons, and muscles stretched, enlarged, shifted, and reformed. Her fur came in thick and luxuriant, and her nails curved into thick, long claws. The transformation complete, she felt a stinging sensation on her brow but wasn’t concerned. She lifted her head and pulled in a deep lungful of air through her nostrils, savoring it and sorting out the scents. With a grunt and a toss of her head she took off and…oh! It felt good to run on all fours.
After the initial burst of energy, she slowed her pace. She could cover a lot of ground quickly at a fast walk and not wear out. She reminded herself that she still had to go to work today and had a conference call with donors to attend. Avoiding open areas and staying under the safe cover of trees as much as possible, she traversed the land, crossing the pathways and traces where she had previously detected the scent of a mountain lion.
