by Liv Brywood
Chapter 14
Kim’s heart pounded as she snuggled against the huge grizzly bear. She brushed her cheek against his soft, warm fur and sighed. He wasn’t a monster. He wasn’t normal either, but who was?
When she pulled back to look into his eyes, a surprising level of intelligence flickered in them. She had no doubt that Zack was in there somewhere, fully aware of the pull she felt in her heart.
As he lifted one paw, she placed her hand against its rough pad. It dwarfed her hand, which wasn’t surprising considering he stood twice as tall as her. While she held his paw with one hand, she petted his head with the other. Although she could never really understand what it meant to be a shifter, she wanted to try.
He was right. There was something building between them. It was stronger than anything she’d ever felt before, and it scared her. She’d spent so much time taking care of her mom that she’d neglected her own relationships. Maybe she could find a way to make this work.
She shook her head. There she went again with her impossible fantasies. Of course they couldn’t be together. Not right now. Maybe never. Her mom was still her top priority and everything else had to wait until she was well again.
Suddenly, Zack shifted. She pushed her depressing thoughts aside and admired his naked, glistening body. In the sultry night air, her shirt clung to her chest. When his hungry gaze traced the curve of her breasts, she went damp with desire. As he stepped into his pants, her hands itched to tear them off.
Even though they couldn’t build a life together, she never once doubted their mutual attraction. Her body always reacted to his presence. Even now, in the musky heat of the bayou, she longed to push him to the ground and ride him like a wild animal.
As she followed him back to the cottage, she shivered with lust. They could have had another night of pure, no-strings-attached fun if he hadn’t brought feelings into the conversation. Now she wasn’t sure what to do. If she acted on impulse and took him to bed, would he want more from her in the morning? Would he want something that she wasn’t prepared to give him—commitment?
When they were settled back inside, she resumed her position at the table. He sat next to her.
“Well?” he asked. “What did you think?”
“What does it feel like when you change?” she asked.
“When I go from man to bear, it feels like I’m slipping into a state of total freedom. In my human form, it’s easier to suppress all of my desires. But when I’m a bear, I can just be myself without having to worry about what other people will think. I can do anything I want without worrying about the consequences.”
“That sounds dangerous,” she said. “What’s to stop you from running around and killing everything in sight?”
“I only kill when I’m hungry. I’m not feral,” he said in an indignant tone.
She didn’t want to offend him by laughing, so she suppressed a nervous chuckle.
“What kinds of animals do you eat?” she asked.
“I catch fish in the river, but I prefer wild berries. But I think I know what you really want to ask me and the answer is no. I don’t eat humans.”
“Whew,” she said with an exaggerated sigh of relief. “I’m feeling a little bit better now that I know you won’t eat me.”
“I’d eat you all day if you’d let me,” he said with a wicked grin.
Heat burned her cheeks. She knew exactly what his dirty, dirty mouth could do to her. And damn if she didn’t want him to do it right now.
“Do you have any more questions?” he asked in a low, sexy tone.
“Well…I do have one more… Have you ever had sex as a bear?” she asked.
A rumble of laughter rose up from his chest.
“I’m serious,” she said. “Have you?”
“Maybe…” He eased closer to her before pulling her into a passionate kiss. She didn’t resist as he lifted her out of the chair and dragged her into his lap. “But I prefer doing it this way.”
When his lips grazed the side of neck, her entire body lit up like a firefly. The first time they’d made love, she’d been trying to escape her life. This time, she wasn’t running from anything. She wanted him—no, she needed him in a way that scorched her soul.
She stood and pulled him up by the collar. As they walked backward toward the bed, she slid her hands down to unbutton his plaid shirt. When the backs of her knees hit the bed, she sat and began to unbuckle his belt. She was just about to yank down his zipper when he grabbed her wrists.
“No,” he said in a husky voice. “Tonight I want it to be all about you. Stand up.”
His deep, commanding tone ratcheted up her desire. She stood and let him lift her dress over her head. He tossed it across the back of a chair before turning to look at her. Clad in a lacy teal bra, matching panties, and tan cowboy boots, she was fully exposed to him, both in body and soul.
“You’re the most beautiful woman in the world,” he whispered.
He swept the backs of his fingertips across her skin, starting from the curve of her breasts and not stopping until he grazed the swell of her hips. When he reached her panties, he slipped his fingers inside. She trembled as the rough pads of his thumbs traced little circles across her soft thatch of hair. She arched against his hand, urging him to delve deeper. And he did.
As his fingers brushed her damp, moist folds, she clung to his huge shoulders. He knelt before her and pressed his lips against the fabric, kissing her in the most intimate, most sensual place on her body. When he slid her panties down, her knees buckled. She quickly regained her balance and stepped out of her panties.
“Don’t you want me to take my boots off?” she asked in a husky tone.
“Hell, no,” he said. “Let’s keep those on for now.”
She laughed. The man sure had an obsession with cowboy boots.
“I have to taste you,” he whispered.
Before she could say anything, he eased her back onto the bed. He knelt on the floor and grabbed her hips to pull her toward him. She draped her arm across her eyes. Even though she couldn’t wait to feel his lips on her body, embarrassment kept her from wanting to watch. She always felt so vulnerable and exposed in this position.
As he leaned forward to blow a soft breath against her quivering heat, she moaned and wriggled on the bed. He hadn’t even touched her and she already burned for him. She was soaking wet before his lips ever met her aching flesh.
The tip of his tongue traced the ultra-sensitive skin around her pussy. She groaned and reached down to lace her fingers into his hair. She clung to him as he sucked and licked a path of molten heat straight to her clit. The moment his tongue made contact, she arched her back and cried out in surprise.
She hadn’t expected the sudden rush of pure, unadulterated need. She writhed against his mouth, completely forgetting her self-consciousness. She didn’t give a damn if she looked like a flailing, lust-bound, wanton woman because dammit, she was.
As he buried his tongue between her folds, she wrapped her legs around his head. She gripped the sheets to stop the sensation of falling, but it was too late. The orgasm crashed into her. She shattered into a million pieces as pulsing, clenching waves of pure ecstasy held her in captivity.
While he licked and nibbled at her, he somehow managed to wriggle out of his clothes. When he crawled onto the bed, she couldn’t tear her gaze away from his rigid cock. An indescribable hunger brought her to her knees. She had to taste him.
“Lie down.” She pushed him back against the bed.
“But I need you right now,” he said.
“Not until I lick every inch of your body.”
A slow smile spread across his face as he leaned up on his forearms to watch. She began a series of slow, teasing licks from his neck to his chest. She caught one nipple between her lips and pressed until he moaned. Satisfied with his response, she trailed her tongue down the center of his rippling abs until she reached his bellybutton.
When she looked up, his hea
ted gaze locked with hers. She didn’t break eye contact as she kissed the inside edge of each hip. As she dipped lower, his earthy, masculine scent coiled into her like a potent aphrodisiac. By the time she wrapped her lips around his cock, she was aching with the need to ride him. But she held back.
As she swirled her tongue up and around the tip, he reached for her. “Come here.”
She didn’t protest as he dragged her up across his body. She straddled him and took him in her hand. The moment he pressed against her soft folds, she sighed. He filled her slowly. Each delicious inch of him reached up to claim her.
As she began to move over him, he grabbed her hips and guided her. She found an erotic, undulating pace that had her tossing her head back in ecstasy. He belonged to her, and she belonged to him. With each rock of her hips, he filled her so completely that she couldn’t imagine ever letting him go.
“Kim,” he murmured. “I feel like I’ve been waiting for you my whole life.”
“Don’t say that,” she whispered. “Don’t say anything.”
She couldn’t bear to think about the future. It would ruin the perfection of this moment.
The pace of their lovemaking increased in tempo. She gasped as he flipped her onto her back. When he covered her with his body, she whimpered and wrapped her legs around his waist. He pushed in deep, burying himself inside her again and again.
As the first, shocking wave of orgasmic bliss jolted through her, she went rigid.
“Come for me,” he urged.
She clawed his back as she pulsed around him. Lost in the throbbing waves of release, she almost missed the tell-tale hitch of his breath. With one final thrust, he came with a long groan of total surrender.
He held her in his arms for a minute before rolling onto his side. As he pulled her against him to spoon, she sighed. She could get used to this. Maybe one day she’d be in a position in her life where she could love a man like him. Things were just too complicated right now. Her mom was her number one priority, and she couldn’t afford to let him distract her.
In the middle of the night, Zack rolled onto his back. A light scratching at the window drew his attention. He sat up and carefully slid out of bed. After covering Kim with a blanket, he reluctantly pulled on his jeans and padded to the window. He pushed back the curtain and frowned. What was Harley doing out there in his bear form in the middle of the night?
He carefully opened the door and stepped out into the humid night. As more of his brothers arrived, he realized something major was happening. True to form, his brother Jameson showed up, apparently late, and still in his human form.
“What’s going on?” Zack asked.
“Remy was on patrol and spotted the Thompson brothers in the swamp. We’re all headed out there to end this for good. Are you coming?”
“Absolutely.” Zack glanced at the cottage door. Hopefully she wouldn’t wake up before they returned.
After shifting into his bear form, he walked beside Harley. It was time to go hunting. He could smell the Thompson brothers’ gator skins well before they reached the edge of the bayou. This time he’d be the one to lead a surprise attack.
The moon had already set, taking with it any hint of light. Even with his superior shifter eyesight, he struggled to decipher a rock from a gator head. As they moved deeper into the trees, hanging moss brushed against his head. He reached up and yanked it down with his paw so that his brothers would have a clear path.
Billy and Gunther would have to cross somewhere along the river. As his brothers spread out in both directions, Zack listened to the flowing water. It would sound different if something were blocking it. He and his brothers knew every inch of the bayou. The Thompson brothers didn’t. In that, he’d have an advantage.
His brothers would let him take first blood. Gunther would pay for trying to hit on Kim in the bar. Kim was his. He’d find a way to make her understand that they belonged together.
Across the river, bushes rustled. He froze as two alligators slithered into the water. As Gunther led his brother toward the opposite bank, Zack dropped low to the ground. He didn’t want them to spot him until the last possible second. He couldn’t call to his brothers, but as soon as he took the first bite out of Gunther, he’d roar for the others.
He didn’t intend to kill them, just scare them away—permanently. He wasn’t a murderer, but so far, nothing they’d done had kept the gators off of their property and away from their cows. They needed more than just a warning. He needed to leave a permanent reminder of his rage on their bodies, something they’d have to look at every day. Something that would keep them from ever stepping onto his ranch again.
He steadied his breathing so they wouldn’t hear him. Down river, he spotted his brother Harley moving into position. Poised and ready to unleash his fury, Zack waited.
When Gunther was within range, Zack barreled forward out of the brush. He sunk his teeth in the alligator’s side and held on while the reptile thrashed. The gator tried to drag him toward the water, but he refused to let go. Harley chased Billy. He jumped onto the gator’s back and pinned him down, shoving his snout in the mud. Harley roared when Billy tried to move.
Gunther tried to swat Zack with his tail. Zack dodged the attack and latched onto the gator’s tail. A high-pitched sound burst from Gunther’s mouth. The gator whipped his tail furiously, finally dislodging Zack. But instead of turning to fight the bear, Gunther turned tail and swam across the river. When Harley let Billy go, the gator scrambled to catch up to his brother.
Cowards.
Zack stood at the edge of the water and roared until the Thompson brothers scurried into the brush. As Zack listened to their retreat, he grinned. After that, there was no way they would be back to kill more cows. They’d finally have peace on the ranch.
After hearing the squeal of tires in the distance, he huffed with satisfaction. Good riddance. He turned toward his brothers and jerked his head toward home.
When they reached the main house, he and his brothers shifted. He couldn’t stop laughing.
“Did you see how fast they took off?” Diesel asked with a snicker.
“They won’t be back anytime soon,” Harley said.
“Nope,” Kody said. “That’ll keep them off our property for a long time.”
“If they don’t, we’ll have Zack bite both of their tails off,” Jameson said.
They all roared with laughter until Harley held a finger to his lips. “Shh. We don’t want to wake everyone.”
“Yeah, I don’t want to wake Kim,” Zack said.
“Is everything working out between you two?” Harley asked.
“She’s leaving tomorrow,” Zack said in a defeated tone. “I asked her to stay, but her mom’s been really sick and she needs to go home.”
“Just because she’s heading home doesn’t mean you have to let her go. Houston isn’t that far away,” Harley said.
“I know, but she seems to be convinced that she doesn’t have time to take care of her mom and date at the same time.”
“What does your bear think about this?” Remy asked.
“He’s pissed. He thinks she’s our mate.”
“Do you agree?” Jameson asked.
“Yeah,” Zack said softly.
“Well then, go back in there and convince her to keep things going between you,” Harley said.
“You got this,” Diesel said.
Zack’s cheeks warmed. Hopefully his brothers wouldn’t see his embarrassment. What did they know about love, anyway? They were all still single.
After they’d said their goodnights, he turned and headed toward Kim’s cabin. His bear was right. She was their mate. But how could he explain it to her in a way that would make sense? He couldn’t barrel in there and start ranting about soulmates and shifter bonds. She’d run screaming.
But maybe he could show her how much he cared about her. Maybe that would be enough to convince her that they deserved a chance at happiness.
Chapter 1
5
Kim woke to the scent of eggs, bacon, and coffee. She rolled onto her side and patted the bed where Zack should have been. When she didn’t find him, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. Across the cabin, Zack set two heaping plates of food on the table.
After waking up just before dawn to make love again, she’d developed one heck of an appetite. Her mouth watered as she tore her gaze away from the food and toward Zack. He wore a pair of boxers but nothing else. She couldn’t decide what she wanted more: food or Zack.
“It’s almost ready,” he said.
“That smells amazing. How long have you been up?” she asked.
“About twenty minutes. I was hungry. I hope you don’t mind that I didn’t wait for you,” he said.
“Not at all. I wouldn’t want to keep a hungry bear waiting.”
A grin spread across his face. When she stretched, the sheet slid down to reveal her naked body. As his gaze followed the sheet’s path, his eyes darkened with desire.
“Maybe we should have breakfast in bed,” he suggested in a seductive tone.
“As much as I’d love to roll around in a mattress full of crumbs, I’ll have to pass. I’m supposed to be at the fairgrounds by ten a.m.”
She stood and pulled on a robe before padding into the kitchen. Zack moved to stand behind her. He wrapped her in a hug and cuddled her against his chest. For a moment, she leaned into him, enjoying the feeling of strength that flowed through her. But she couldn’t rely on him to be by her side forever. The sooner she accepted it, the better.
When she tried to pull away, he held her tighter.
“I could get used to holding you like this,” he whispered against her earlobe. “You don’t have to leave. I meant what I said last night. I want you here. We can work this out.”
“We can’t, not right now. It’s just…”
“What?” he asked.
“It’s just bad timing,” she said.
“I’ve never been with anyone like you,” he said. “After last night, can you honestly say we’re not meant to be together?”
