Dimitri had recently graduated from university with a degree in finance. It sounded like a reasonable plan…except for one thing.
"Seattle?" Nika asked, confused. "I thought we were staying in Bearpaw Ridge?"
"You're leaving home?" Elle asked in a dismayed tone. Apparently, she hadn't heard about this, either.
Ash fixed Nika with a stern look. "Don't you have another semester of medical school to finish? And a three-year residency to complete after that?"
"I—I don't think the school is going to want me back after I just left without telling anyone," Nika confessed.
The reminder of her failure to complete her medical degree was enough to evaporate most of her effervescent feelings of joy from the rescue.
"Nonsense," Ash said briskly, as they reached the end of the driveway and turned onto the road that led to the airport. He continued, "I've already contacted the associate dean for student affairs to discuss your unscheduled leave of absence. She sounded very sympathetic when I explained that you'd been the victim of a criminal assault, which Sheriff Jacobsen would be happy to attest to. She told me that you've been an exemplary student so far, and she's looking forward to seeing you when you feel up to returning to your studies after the baby's born."
Tears rose in Nika's eyes and spilled down her cheeks.
"You did that for me?" she asked incredulously.
No one had ever been so thoughtful—or understood how important becoming a doctor was to her.
Ash's smile was warm when he turned to look at her.
"Of course," he said simply. "You're my mate. Until now, I haven't been able to do any of the traditional bear shifter protector stuff, but that doesn't mean that there wasn't anything I could do for you."
Damned pregnancy hormones! She thought, as tears of joy kept overflowing.
"I am the luckiest woman alive," she told Ash, grabbing for the box of Kleenex balanced on the center console.
"Funny. I feel the same way," he replied, and reached for her hand.
Dimitri groaned loudly from the back seat. "Are you two going to torture me with all that lovey-dovey stuff on the airplane?"
Elle just chuckled.
"All the way home," Ash assured him. "All the way home, bro."
* * *
The sky over the mountains announced dawn's arrival with a breathtaking display of reds, pinks, and tangerine tinting the high clouds and staining the snow on the peaks below.
Thanks to the road conditions, it had taken nearly as long to drive home from the airport as it had to fly cross-country. Ash had parked his own Lexus SUV at the airport, since it seated four more comfortably than any of the ranch's pickup trucks.
Both Nika and Dimitri had fallen asleep a short time into the drive. Mom had been absorbed in reading a paperback thriller, leaving Ash alone with his thoughts.
He had a lot of things to think about, and a lot of plans for his future together with Nika and their child.
"I did it," he murmured under his breath as he came to a stop in front of the big yellow Victorian ranch house and parked. "I actually shifted!"
"I always knew you could," Mom said, tucking her novel into her oversized purse. "I've been saying for years that you're just a late bloomer."
"You had more faith in my bear than I did." He turned to look at his mother as she opened the SUV's rear door. "Thanks for coming with me to New York. I couldn't have done it without you."
Mom smiled. "I finally got a bear shifter daughter-in-law. I couldn't just stand by and let those awful people take her away from you."
* * *
Nika woke up naked in Ash's arms, his goose down comforter covering them both. It felt wonderful and utterly right.
She had a vague recollection of Ash carrying her from his SUV into the house and undressing her before tucking her into his bed. But she couldn't remember when he'd joined her or what had become of Dimitri and Elle.
The adrenaline high that had kept her awake and buzzing for most of the flight back had finally worn off during the long drive down to Bearpaw Ridge from the Missoula airport.
By the time they arrived back at the ranch, she had felt unable to rouse herself from the terrible fatigue that had dragged her under as soon as they climbed into Ash's big, luxurious SUV. Two sleepless nights in a row while under her parents' roof, coupled with the physical rigor of her escape from the house, had finally caught up with her.
She felt warm now, and rested. And safe, with Ash curled around her.
"Good afternoon, love," he murmured in her ear as she stirred.
"What time is it?" she asked sleepily, as he gently caressed her belly, pressing his palm against the firm curve to feel the baby move.
Ash chuckled. "Somewhere around noon. I've only been awake for about ten minutes, myself."
She felt something hard and hot press against the small of her back, and smiled. "I can feel how awake you are."
She had almost lost him two days ago. She had spent two nights thinking he might be dead. And now he was here, with her, and she wasn't going to let another minute go by without feeling him inside her.
Nika pressed her hips eagerly back against him, rubbing herself against the hard, hot length of his cock. Sleeping naked certainly made things much more…convenient.
"I want you," she said, her desire suddenly overwhelmingly urgent and ravenous.
"Say please," he teased her, moving forward and lifting her leg so that the blunt head of his cock slid between her thighs and pressed tantalizingly against her wet, aching pussy.
His hand slid up and over her belly, then traveled higher. His fingers brushed the sensitive tips of her breasts, raising them to hard points.
She tried to wriggle back against him, but he moved away just far enough to avoid her maneuver.
"Don’t be such a tease," Nika complained.
"Who, me?" he said with false innocence.
Oh, you've done it now.
With a feral smile, she turned in his arms and let her bear out to play with her mate.
His hazel eyes widened as he saw her eyes go gold. She knew she was taking a risk by loosening her control over her bear, but she felt confident that she wouldn't shift all the way.
Ash didn't resist as she rolled him over, until he lay supine beneath her.
"Mine," her bear said huskily, straddling him and pinning his arms above his head.
As she lowered herself on his rigid shaft, she dipped her head and bit his throat. Then she licked the reddened mark she left.
Ash gasped with pleasure and his hips thrust up, filling her all the way.
Nika pushed herself up and rolled her hips, reveling in the sensation. He felt so good inside her.
Then, with her bear urging her on, she rode him hard and fast. His big, stiff cock caressed her clit and swollen folds with long, firm strokes, winding her up to a climax.
Her release sent pleasure rippling through her inner muscles, squeezing and caressing his shaft. With a pleased sigh, she lowered herself and relaxed against his chest.
Ash embraced her, obviously thinking it was time to cuddle a little before the next round. He was still inside her, still hard, and he hadn't climaxed yet.
"No," she growled, and pushed his arms down. "Now it's your turn."
She kissed him hard, with lots of tongue, and sensed how much he was enjoying her take-charge approach. He tried to embrace her again, and she caught his wrists firmly.
"Let the pregnant lady have her way," she said.
"Yes, ma'am." He grinned up at her, and she smiled wickedly down at him.
"I want you to just lie back and enjoy this."
"Oh, believe me, I am," he said, his eyes dilated with need as he gazed up at her.
She worked her way down his hard body, nipping and biting at him, watching his arousal mount higher and higher.
He was enjoying her bear's fierce lovemaking. She'd have to remember that for next time.
She was enjoying this, too, desire throbb
ing to renewed life between her legs, where he was still inside her.
He squirmed and gasped when she reached his sensitive nipples, so she lingered there for a while.
First, she licked them into stiff points, then she drew them into her mouth with fierce suction. Finally, she bared her teeth and hovered over them, teasing.
Ash groaned and arched upwards in a silent plea. She took one nipple delicately between her teeth, and bit down. He convulsed in pleasure beneath her.
Ooh, fun.
She crouched over him, playing with his nipples, alternating between biting and pinching them, until they were darkened and swollen and so sensitive that the lightest brush of her lips across them made him shudder and arch.
Reluctantly, she moved down further and let him slide out of her, his thick cock flushed and straining for its delayed satisfaction.
Ash's belly was flat and hard with muscle…and sensitive. His gasps and ragged breathing told her how much he liked it when she worked her way down in a series of bites that left red marks but didn't break the skin.
Finally, she reached his cock. She played with him for a little bit, running her fingers through the dark, wiry hair around his groin, stroking his balls and teasing the shaft and head with puffs of air and feather-light kisses as he panted and moved restlessly beneath her teasing touch.
"Nika, please," he begged, finally, his voice gone hoarse with need.
Nika grasped his shaft, burning-hot now with their play, and lowered her head.
Letting her lips brush the tip of his cock with each word, she said, "I want to see you come, Ash."
"Anything you say," he panted. "Just—"
She didn't let him finish his words, just swallowed him whole. He tasted of her, tangy and musky, with his own salt and musk underneath.
She caressed him with her tongue, letting it swirl around his swollen tip, and enjoyed his pleasure with what she was doing to him.
He was already close to the edge, so it didn't take long to coax him to release.
Ash stiffened with a loud growl, every muscle in his body tightening, and then thrust up into her mouth. She tasted salt as she swallowed his release, letting her mouth and tongue milk him through his climax.
He subsided, panting, and she grinned down at him, seeing the marks of her lovemaking in an uneven pattern over his throat, chest, and belly. Mine.
And now he carried the marks to prove it.
Her bear settled down, satisfied that they had served their mate well.
"Thank you," he said, his breath still uneven. "That was amazing."
"Good," she said, leaning over him to kiss him. "I enjoyed that, too."
"I know," he said, his voice suddenly deep again, sending a thrill through her. He caressed the taut bulge of her belly. "So…it's my turn now. And I feel like taking my time."
He was true to his word, drawing out his caresses until she was the one arching beneath him and begging him.
Turnabout might be fair play, but it was a lot of fun, too.
When he urged her onto her hands and knees and entered her at last, she cried out in satisfaction.
He took her hard and fast, driving her through more two climaxes before he finally came inside her.
Finally sated, Nika lay in Ash's arms.
"Happy?" he asked softly.
His smile dazzled her. "Good." he said. "In that case, I have one more thing to ask of you. Just a formality, but something I forgot to do earlier, while we were discussing all of the wedding logistics."
"Anything," she said, settling her head comfortably into the hollow of his shoulder.
"Nika Medved," said Ash softly. He kissed her with slow enjoyment. "Will you marry me?"
Epilogue
Bearpaw Ridge, four years later
"…and so, it's with pleasure that I hereby announce that the Bearpaw Ridge Medical Center is open for business!" Mayor Manny Ornelas announced, just before ceremonially cutting the wide blue ribbon looped between the handles of the double glass doors leading to the medical center's lobby.
It was a warm June day, and the air was filled with the scent of flowers and the pastries provided by Cinnamon + Sugar, which were arranged on a linen-covered table under a marquee just outside the medical center's doors.
It had been built in downtown Bearpaw Ridge, in the vacant lot that had once announced the prospective Schlumbacher Hotel and Conference Center.
The lot's owner, Andy Schlumbacher, had repeatedly tried and failed to get the city council to approve his project over a period of several years and had finally given up and left town in a huff.
Ash had swooped in and purchased the land when he and Nika had returned to Bearpaw Ridge last year after she completed her residency.
Right now, Nika was trying to locate four-year-old Mitya. He had vanished when her attention shifted away from him for just a moment, and now she worried about a young bear shifter on the loose with such a tantalizing display of pastries within easy reach.
She finally spotted her wayward son sitting on his Uncle Dimitri's shoulders, bouncing up and down and gleefully shouting, "Giddy-up, Uncle D! Giddy-up!" as he tugged on the brim of Dimitri's cowboy hat.
Dimitri was laughing and didn't look in immediate need of rescue, so Nika breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed.
"Afternoon, Ash, Dr. Swanson," she heard a voice call out, and turned to see Tyler Swanson approaching.
As the owner of the construction company that had built the medical center, Ash's cousin was actually wearing a suit and tie for the occasion.
He had been a frequent visitor to the house over the past few weeks, as the construction project drew to a close, and Nika had come to like Tyler a great deal. He might be a little rough around the edges, but like all the Swansons, his heart was in the right place.
Ash exchanged a handshake with his cousin, then turned back to continue his conversation with Steffi, who stood on his other side. They were deep in a discussion about how to handle a toy deal for Hunter's Blood, and whether they needed to hire someone to concentrate full-time on merchandising Hunter's Blood-branded items.
"Hi, Tyler," Nika said. "The center looks wonderful. Thank you so much for getting everything done on time."
Tyler looked abashed at the compliment. "Hey, having a shifter hospital is long overdue in these parts. Building a nice facility is the least I could do for the folks around here. Can't wait to see you and everyone else at work here."
When Nika had finished her residency at last, the shifters of Bearpaw Ridge had welcomed her back to their town with open arms, and not just because she was Ash's mate. Moving to Ash's house on the ranch had felt like coming home, though she had enjoyed the first few years of her married life in their beautiful Seattle house.
And best of all, her parents had behaved themselves impeccably…once they had finished serving out their sentences for assorted crimes of money laundering, tax evasion, wire fraud and a host of lesser charges. The judge had given them light prison sentences, all things considered, but had imposed heavy fines in addition to demanding restitution for the investors they had defrauded. Their arrest had helped to make Ash and Nika's wedding an event that people in Bearpaw Ridge still talked about.
Mama and Papa had been forced to sell their NYC townhouse and the big Hamptons beach cottage to pay the fines and restitution, and now lived quietly in upstate New York, though Nika suspected that her mother was still scheming to make her way back to the top somehow.
Their visits to Seattle had been infrequent, but Mama and Papa had doted on their grandson when they came, and little Mitya adored his dedulya and babulya. They were planning to visit Bearpaw Ridge later this month, and Papa was already asking whether Ash or someone else could teach him how to ride a horse.
While the medical center had still been under construction, Nika and Ash had recruited shifters working in the medical profession as staff.
As a newly minted doctor, Nika would be working alongside her partners, Dr. Der
ek Jacobsen and Raymond Chang, who had been successfully wooed away from Steele Memorial in Salmon with a position as the medical center's Nursing Director.
In turn, Derek and Raymond had found other shifter medical personnel to come here, drawn by the prospect of working at the country's first shifter-focused hospital.
Tyler grinned at Nika. "So, Dr. Swanson, are you ready to embark on your next adventure?"
Nika slipped her arm around Ash's waist and felt him kiss her hair. "More than ready," she said. "I've been waiting for this my whole life."
The End
Want to read about Nika and Ash's wedding? Receive a free Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters short story when you sign up for my email list at http://eepurl.com/b0ojU1
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Books by Ophelia Sexton
Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters:
Heat (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters Book 1)
Smolder (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters Book 2)
Ignite (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters Book 3)
Flame (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters Book 4)
Burn (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters Book 5)
Ash (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters Book 6)
Smoke (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters Book 7) – coming soon!
Beast Warriors (co-authored with Bliss Devlin)
Fugitive: A Werebear + BBW Paranormal Romance (Beast Warriors Book 1)
by Bliss Devlin and Ophelia Sexton
Hunter: A Werebear + BBW Paranormal Romance (Beast Warriors Book 2)
by Bliss Devlin and Ophelia Sexton
Leader: A Werebear + Dragon Shifter Paranormal Romance (Beast Warriors Book 3) – coming soon!
Ash (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters Book 6) Page 17
