by Amanda Jones
They were seated at the one restaurant in town, Bluffs Burgers, by the owner himself, a bear shifter named Gerard. He was the perfect mix of attentive but out-of-sight as he waited on them for the evening. There were other people there, but the other wait staff tended to them.
"This is delicious, absolutely delicious," he commented as the last bite of steak slid smoothly down his throat. It was sincerely some of the best food he had ever had.
"I know, I love coming here. Gerard only moved to town a year or so ago, but he took over the old place that was here and has transformed it beautifully." She smiled at him, a stunning look that always revved his heart, sending blood pumping to various parts of his body in response. He wanted her so badly it was becoming painful. He often walked around in a state of semi-hardness just at the thought of her. Calan desperately wanted to know why she had been so distant to him when he first arrived, despite the connection he knew they both felt.
"Harley, why have you kept me so far and been so cold to me? I know you feel this between us too, but you've kept me at arm's length or further ever since we met. What did I do?" He pleaded with her to open up to him, to reveal anything, even if it was what Sam had already told him. It needed to come from her though, or they would never be able to become mates.
She sighed.
"It's not your fault, Calan."
He started to speak, but she held up a hand, indicating she wasn't finished yet. Sitting back he closed his mouth, ready to listen and hear what she had to say.
"Back before I moved here, I lived in a city. Not a metropolis, but big enough. Ever since shifters were revealed, I had never lied about who I was, but I also hadn't gone around broadcasting it like some."
Calan knew exactly what she meant by that. When the word had first broke to the general public, some shifters had gone a little crazy with it. They would shift in parks, shopping malls, the middle of the streets and anywhere else they could, simply to show others that they existed. Many in the shifter community had been appalled by it, and some of the humans had become resentful and annoyed. There had been several incidents of violence against shifters. Generally the humans got the worst of that, and attacks against shifters had stopped abruptly after the first few maulings. It had not been a pleasant time for anyone, including the Winters.
"My last boyfriend hadn't seemed to mind that I was a shifter, which made me feel very comfortable and at home with him. Some of the people I knew through work and the like viewed me differently when they found out. But not Dale."
A tear glittered in her eye, but she blinked it back violently, unwilling to let it fall.
"Anyways, I fell in love with him, and he used me. For money, drugs, sex, you name it and I gave it to him. I was so naive it's embarrassing to talk about. Yet somehow I fell harder and harder for him, even after he started cheating on me. I felt like it was somehow my fault, that I wasn't giving him what he needed, so he had to go elsewhere for it."
Calan desperately wanted to reach out a hand, or wrap her within his arms, anything to help ease the pain. But, he knew that she needed this, needed to get the weight off her shoulders so she could move on with her life. He was going to be there to help with that.
Harley took a deep, steadying breath, but continued to talk.
"One day he came to me, said he had made a mistake and needed my help. I was ready to do anything for him, whatever he needed. Then," she choked out a little laugh, "then he asked me to help take care of another woman he had gotten pregnant. That was too much. I finally walked out of there. Packed up my life and drove out here looking for my father."
Harley opened up a bit more after that, telling him about how her mother had passed away several years before she had left her ex-boyfriend. As the evening wore on, he could tell that a large weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She seemed happier, more outgoing, and even began to laugh at a few of his terrible jokes.
"I had a lot of fun tonight Calan, thank you for pushing to do this. I needed it, and I appreciate it. Thank you."
They were standing at her door, where he had insisted he would escort her. Now that she was warming up to him, Calan had no intention of letting her do something silly and be caught alone. Jeb had told him more than once over the past week that Dusty had been looking for her, asking after her. His bear was telling him that they weren't done with him, not yet at least. Until he could find a way to deal with the moron alone, he would do his best to keep Harley in his sight at all times.
Now though, he may have inadvertently put himself in a bad position. By walking her to his door, he had trapped himself in the close confines of her front walkway. Plants closed in on all sides of them, and there was an abrupt turn of the pathway less than a foot behind him. All in all, it made the area where the two of them were standing very tight.
He could sense her warmth, fighting constantly with his bear to keep his rough hands off her silky skin. Every fiber of his being wanted to reach out and rip the dress off of her, to drink in the sight of her naked before him.
Her body language practically broadcast in large neon letters that she was feeling the heat as well. Despite his hormones' valiant effort, the practical side of Calan knew that after all she had revealed tonight, sex was not the way to end the evening. If he wanted nothing more from her, then he wouldn't have hesitated. But this was the woman he intended to marry and call his wife and mate. She deserved to make the decision to sleep with him after more than just a day of being on friendly terms.
With more control than he was positive he had ever exerted in his life, Calan held her by the shoulders and chastely kissed those soft, oh-so-kissable lips. She nearly melted under his touch, but he kept it short and as proper as possible.
"You haven't heard the last of me," he whispered conspiratorially, giving her a charming smile and wink before he turned and quickly put some distance between them. His willpower was almost gone, his bear growling at him loudly, demanding an answer as to why he was taking so long to claim his mate.
Even though he knew it was useless, Calan tried to convey the concepts of emotion and human thoughts to it one more time. Like before, his bear simply growled and made it clear that mating was the priority. It sounded like a broken record in his head to constantly be reminding himself that he needed to take things slower, but it was the only way to get the point across to his bear.
His truck rumbled up the road from her house after he made sure he saw the lights turn on inside. The trip to the apartment he was still renting from Jack took only a few minutes, and shortly he was inside trying to fall asleep.
After an hour of tossing and turning, trying to push images of Harley in her dress out of his mind, he sat up with a sigh. It seemed likely that he wasn't going to get much in the way of sleep tonight, so perhaps he should be productive with his time. Throwing off the covers he slipped into jeans and a t-shirt before beginning the trek up to his parents old house.
Calan worked up a sweat, tearing out brush by spotlight and hauling it over to his burn pile. Fifteen years of general neglect to the property had let a lot of foliage into the area. He tried to take out his excess energy on the manual labor, but soon found it so repetitive that his mind began to wander to thoughts of Harley. She dominated his brain, her smile with its perfect dimples or the way her hair bounced when she laughed. Then there was the way her curves looked in the stunning dress she had worn that evening. It was hard to believe that she could become even sexier than she already was, but he had been so, so wrong on that count.
Finally, almost an hour after midnight, he gave up his efforts. There was only so much he could do with a constant hard-on. Heading for the shower, he peeled off the sweat-soaked shirt, his muscles flexing and protesting after being overworked. The jeans followed shortly, until he stepped into the washroom in nothing but his boxers. The cold water did nothing to help his state, no matter how hard he tried to think of other things, she always came back. With a roar of frustration, he slammed a fist into the til
ed wall of the shower, pressing his head up against it.
His hand wrapped itself around his steel-rigid cock of its own accord. It was the only way he was going to be able to sleep he told himself. Stroking up and down the shaft he pictured himself pressed up against Harley, her smooth flesh unencumbered by clothing as she lay back beneath him. Legs spread she accepted him as he slid into her wet cunt, a moan escaping her lips. He could feel the release approaching rapidly, his hand now flying like a runaway train, desperate to reach it. With a roar he climaxed, yelling her name into the silence.
Gasping for breath he tried to calm himself down, hoping to be able to sleep shortly. His release was short lived, for even as he dried off he began to harden once more. It was going to be a long night.
***
Harley
Harley awoke with a start, her cheeks flushed. She looked around, but she was alone in her bed, with the olive green sheets in a pile at her feet. Blushing, she recalled the dream she had just been having, where Calan had invited her back to his place. He had taken her on the floor in the main room without any argument. She had wanted it so badly that he had convinced her to try things she had never been okay with before. Just as an orgasm overtook her in the dream, she had woken up.
The night before had ended the same way. With just the proper kiss from Calan to end that night, Harley had swiftly stripped out of her dress and hopped into the bath. There, surrounded by the warm water, her hand slipped between her thighs, massaging her clit until a real climax had raced through her body. Twice more she had lain there, touching herself while she cried out his name with pleasure, until sleep overtook her. She had so much tension built up within her from their first kiss, and then the tension of the night before had been piled on top of it. Calan had such an arousing effect on her that every time she was near him her canal leaked warm honey, begging to be stuffed with his hard cock.
The night before had been wonderful, but Harley couldn't shake the sense that both of them had wanted it to end differently, though neither of them had been willing to act on it. She felt rather silly having avoided him for so long, pretending as if she were uninterested when the truth was quite clearly the opposite. Now though, she could openly admit to herself and anyone who asked, that she cared deeply for Calan. The depth of that thought startled her, for she had almost used another word in her mind to describe her feelings.
Rolling her mental eyes at the voice in her brain, she decided not to argue with herself, just pushing the thought to the side for the time being. Right now she had other needs, urges that needed taking care of. After sleeping on it for the night, Harley knew that she was ready for what was about to happen.
Moving over to her closet, she opened up the far side of it, the side that she never looked at. Hanging there were two outfits she had only ever tried on, having bought them several months ago on a random whim. She eyed the pink lacey two-piece, complete with all-red garters and thigh highs, or the slightly riskier black corset and transparent underwear. Both of them left her mouth dry, and she swallowed hard, looking for the courage that had brought her over to here in the first place.
You know which one he'll like, so just put it on already.
A smile on her lips, she reached for an outfit.
A pair of sweatpants and a light jacket were the only things she wore over top of it, much more up her alley. Harley still couldn't believe what she was doing, nor did she know if Calan would like it. The body that was underneath all the clothing wasn't anything special. Even though he seemed to be horny around her, she never knew what would happen once he saw the real her. There was every possibility that he wouldn't like what he saw, for her soft belly and thick thighs weren't something every man was interested in.
Trying her best to shove the worry from her mind and replace it with confidence, she headed over to his apartment. It took her an extra few minutes, for she went the long way so that she didn't have to drive past the firehouse, instead approaching from the opposite direction. It wouldn't matter if anyone walked out front, for they would see her vehicle easily, but most of the time they stayed inside the station. This way they wouldn't know she was visiting him. It would be awkward enough explaining to Sam or one of the other guys that she had shown up to fuck Calan, but if her father came outside because he saw her jeep, Harley knew she would die from embarrassment.
The concrete walkway up to his apartment seemed to stretch on forever as she took her first step up it. Shaking her head, she pushed onwards, not willing to let something so little as nerves get the best of her. This wouldn't be the first time she ever had sex, hell, it wouldn't be the first time she had sought out a man just for sex either. Harley was a grown woman, who had needs. Those needs just happened to involve Calan, his bunching muscles and his hopefully large, hard cock. She stumbled slightly as a particularly strong image of him naked in front of her formed. She desperately wanted to see him in his full glory, to trace the outlines of his tattoos down his body as far as they went. Ever since the first time he had pressed against her, the outline of his hard cock poking against her soft stomach, Harley had wanted this.
Now their relationship had progressed to the point she felt comfortable with bearing herself to him. Although doubts still fluttered in her mind, the closer his door came, the more confident she became. Her stride became more sultry, with a definite sway to her steps. The wetness between her legs intensified as she rapped unsteadily on the door. The beating of her heart must have been audible to the entire block she thought, the noise so loud in her head.
After a few moments without answer, she knocked again, this time louder. There was no answer, so she tried the handle but it was locked. The lights were off as she peered through. Risking being spotted through a window she crept around to the back to see if his car was there. The single spot parking was empty, which could only mean he was up at his parents. The thought of driving up there before she could feel his hands around her waist nearly made her scream. She settled for a small sigh of frustration before putting the jeep back in gear again.
Her mouth went dry as she crested the last rise to his place. He was standing off to the side of the house, his back to the road, using a chainsaw to cut branches off of a tree that he had felled. Harley normally felt that the white t-shirt and jeans look was overplayed, but it was plastered to his skin oh so perfectly that she sat there in the car for a moment, her hand gently rubbing her clit through her clothing. He was so handsome, she couldn't wait to get her hands on him.
Calan never turned from his actions as she parked and closed the door. The chainsaw was loud, and he was sweating profusely. Instead of interrupting him, she went into the house and straight to the kitchen. She had to try a second time before she remembered which cupboard held the glasses, but she poured them both some water. She turned to head outside with the glasses in hand, before a thought came to her. Pausing, she tossed the sweatshirt and sweatpants she was wearing onto the ground. Taking a deep breath for courage, she went out the back door of the house, so that he would see her this time.
Her presence startled him, but she made sure to step around the corner when the saw was off, so that he didn't hurt himself, or her for that matter.
"I thought you might be thirsty," was the brilliant line she came up with after he set the saw down. His eyes seemed to drink in the view as she stood there clad only in a corset and completely see-through panties. She was about to close her arms across her body before she noticed the reaction in his pants. The jeans were bulging tightly right over his cock, as he hardened at the sight of her.
"Parched, actually," he managed to get out eventually, finally managing to stop staring at her body and meet her gaze.
His eyes never strayed from hers as he walked over, though, his steely eyes keeping her rooted to the spot. He stopped slightly before her, leaving some distance between them. His eyes searched hers, perhaps seeing the last of her guarded walls falling away beneath the onslaught of his attention. She wasn't sure what h
e finally saw that proved to him she truly wanted this, but whatever it was, the effect was instantaneous.
He took the glass from her hand and threw it on the ground, closing the distance between them in one single stride. He wrapped one arm around her tightly, the other hanging off to one side. She wasn't entirely sure what he planned to happen next.
Then he flexed his arm.
She practically popped off the ground, her legs swinging up until his other arm caught her, pulling her body tight against his chest as he carried her inside.
"You need a shower," she commented as his warmth enveloped her, the damp from his shirt practically sizzling against her it was so hot.
"I know, and you're going to join me."
The low voice combined with the commanding tone had her melting into his arms before he was even done speaking. She was both scared and excited about how easily he controlled her like that.
"Okay," was her only response. She felt somewhat silly, having gone through the effort of putting on her outfit for him for such a short period of time. Chiding herself, accepting the fact that she never had intended to wear it for long anyways, she sighed with content and desire as his dexterous fingers played across her body as he set her down, finding the clasps with ease.
Before he undid them though, he stepped back to admire her once more. Harley's cheeks flushed with embarrassment at the pure carnal look he was giving her body, for she didn't feel overly special, even all dolled up like she was. To her, she was just the plain old curvy fire-girl. The blaze burning within Calan's eyes spoke of other thoughts though, and his lips left burn marks as he kissed her shoulder, then collarbone before moving his way up her neck. She shivered under his touch, moaning softly as he nipped lightly at the vein in her neck.
Not one to simply stand idly by, her hand slipped between his legs, gently grasping the bulge of his cock and tugging on it. Air hissed out between his teeth and his hands tightened around her waist in response. She continued to trace the outline of it while Calan undressed her, the corset falling to the ground as she bared her breasts to him.
