“Wait, I want to taste you first,” she said, and she pushed up and slid forward so she was sitting on the edge of the bed and his cock was inches from her mouth. Having no idea what she was doing, she went with her instinct, placing her mouth on the tip and flicking with her tongue.
He let out a long shudder. “Jesus, Lauren,” he muttered.
She swirled her tongue around the head, enjoying the rumbling, gasping sounds that escaped his lips. The more turned on he got, the wetter she became.
When she was done teasing him, she laid her hands on his hips, opened her mouth, and started to take him in. The head slid right in, and she stretched her jaw wider, wanting to take more and more of him. He tasted so good on her tongue, musky and masculine, with a hint of saltiness. As he hit the back of her throat, his hips gave a little jerk and she was glad she was holding onto him, keeping control.
“Lauren, you’re driving me crazy. I need to be inside you. My bear—” he muttered from between clenched teeth.
He pulled out of her mouth and tipped her back on the bed, spreading her thighs wide apart. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, running his hands along her inner thighs, teasingly. She knew it was taking every ounce of his willpower to hold back when all he wanted was to mate her.
“Now, Connor. Make me your mate,” she whispered.
With a growl, he fell on top of her, and a second later, his cock was entering her. Her pussy muscles yielded, then clenched around him as he slipped inside, stretching her out. Every little movement was blissful, sending waves of pleasure lapping through her.
At last, he hit home, his pelvis pressing against her clit in a way that brought her close to the edge, and he began to thrust. Five, six delicious strokes, sending her into ecstasy. But then he stopped.
“A bear takes its mate from behind,” he said in a thick voice, and he pulled out of her.
“Ohh…” she said, and she turned over slowly, self-consciously, worried he wasn’t going to like her rear view. But the growl that came from his lips once she was on her hands and knees reassured her. He stroked the globes of her ass, spread her thighs a little wider, and then he entered her again, more slowly this time.
It was wild like this. She sensed his animal, felt the sharpness of his nails as they dug into her hips. She cried out as he went all the way in, his big, thick cock filling her, stretching her to her limit. And when he began to thrust, she saw stars. It was incredible. Too much, but she never wanted it to stop. She pressed her face into the pillow as he pumped into her, his hips slapping against her ass. Then she felt him lean forward, his upper body pressing against her back, and there was a burning sensation on the back of her neck. His teeth, she realized, but there was a lot of heat there, too. Suddenly the warmth flooded her body, her pussy spasming hard around him, and she exploded as bright as a firework.
He kept thrusting until the waves of her orgasm had died away, and then he held her more tightly than ever, his movements becoming quick and jerky before he let loose a wild roar and found his release deep inside her body.
“What is that, Connor?” Lauren said drowsily a few minutes later as they lay snuggled under his comforter. She was fingering the hot, tingling spot on the back of her neck where his teeth had been.
“It’s the mate mark. It means you’re never getting rid of me, like it or not.”
She turned so she could see his face and grinned at him. “Will it always be there?”
“Yes, if you look closely.”
“I like that. I like being mated to you.”
“That’s a good job,” he said, stroking her face affectionately. “Because you’re not leaving.”
Lauren looked around the room. “Are you planning to keep me locked up in here.”
“Maybe.” He turned her onto her back and climbed on top of her. “You’re coming to live here anyway.”
She bit her lip, hiding the fact that her heart was bounding with happiness. “Is that so?”
“Yup. Number one, I built this place with my own hands. And number two, your apartment is too small for the both of us.”
She laughed. “I’ve never been a big fan of it. And your place is pretty awesome.”
He sighed contentedly. “I can’t wait to tell the clan that we’re mated. They’re going to be so excited. They already love you.”
“And I can’t wait to get to know them better.”
“You say that now…”
“They seem like a lot of fun, and now you’re mated, I’m sure they’ll find their mates soon as well.”
“Who would’ve thought I’d be first? I was expecting to remain a celibate bear while they all went and had cubs.”
“Not a chance,” she said with a grin.
He returned her smile, but then his face grew serious. “I want to ask you something. But I don’t want you to feel any pressure.”
“What is it?”
“Tell me honestly—how would you feel about Frankie sticking around a little longer?”
Lauren nodded. “Sure. I’m cool with it, if that’s what you want?”
Connor gazed at her a moment longer. “Yeah. It’s been real good to reconnect with him, and he helped me a lot with your boss.”
She gasped. “I knew it was all your doing. Kristin said Errol caved to pressure, but I was sure you’d done something to persuade him.” Then her face tightened as a thought hit her. “So you also made him give me the promotion?”
Connor shook his head. “No. I told him he was going to move your position back to Hope Valley, but the promotion had nothing to do with me. It was all you. Someone higher up must have recognized your worth.”
She laughed. “That’s good to hear. But you know the funny thing? I don’t even think I want to keep working for the company.”
“No? What do you want to do?”
“Something that helps people. I’m not sure what it is yet.”
“Well,” he said slowly. “Turns out we’ve been getting a ton of requests for our carpentry skills in the last few days. Way more than we can begin to organize. What if you worked with us for a while, just until you figure out what you want to do?”
“I’d love to!” she said immediately. “As long as that means I get to spend a lot of time with my favorite bear?”
He kissed her affectionately. “We can be together all day long, baby.”
“I’d like that,” she said, pulling him down and snuggling into him again.
Epilogue
Three weeks later
Spring turned into summer as the bears worked on the remaining cabins. It was hot work, but at least the tall pines backing the plot provided some shade. Frankie was happy to stay a little longer and lend a hand, and he and Connor worked closely together, chatting and catching up on the lost years.
Lauren had left her job a week earlier, and she was now busier than she’d ever been, taking calls from potential customers who were eager for the bears to come and work for them, and creating the interiors of the cabins. She’d begun with her and Connor’s place, designing rustic wooden furniture for the living room and kitchen-diner, as well as a huge wooden bedframe to replace the packing crates that their mattress had been laying on for the past weeks. She and Connor spent their evenings hand-carving her designs, and under Connor’s guidance, she discovered that she was actually pretty good at it.
She worked on the other bears’ cabins in turn, figuring out what kind of interiors they preferred. Most of them had no idea, beyond “a place to sleep that isn’t the floor” and “something that keeps my beers cold”, so she had free rein to come up with her own ideas. She made each one different, to help the bears appreciate their individuality, and they were all so happy with her efforts and care. Her heart was overflowing with her love for Connor, and having the other guys around made her feel complete. They needed her, and they protected her, always trying to help her lift and carry heavy things. It was adorable how these big, gruff men were so gentle with her, and none more so than her
mate. Every time he looked at her, his eyes filled with such tenderness and love that it was overwhelming.
One morning Lauren was drinking coffee on Ryder’s porch, in a t-shirt and dungarees with a bandana tied around her hair, taking a break from her task of arranging his living room. She was leaning over the guard rail and daydreaming about the cozy evening she’d had with Connor yesterday, when she caught sight of a distinctive red car making its way along the dirt track that led to the cabins.
With a shout of excitement, she put her coffee down and ran down the porch steps. The car pulled up at the same moment and Tamika climbed out in a black, form-fitting dress and ankle boots. “Tamika!” she yelled, running over, and squeezed her close friend in a tight hug.
“There you are!” Tamika exclaimed. She drew back after a moment and laid her hands on Lauren’s shoulders while looking into her eyes. “Lauren dear, look at you—you’re glowing!”
“Well, it is kind of hot.” Lauren grinned and wiped the back of her hand across her forehead.
“It’s more than that, and you know it. I always dreamed of seeing you this happy. I’d see a spark of it sometimes, and it made me sad that you hadn’t yet found someone to share all that joy and energy with. You were my inspiration for Shiftr. You do realize that?”
Lauren blinked, then wrinkled her nose. “Nuh-uh?”
“Yup. I designed the whole app with you in mind, because I just knew you’d be perfect for a shifter, and they’d absolutely adore you.”
“Wait.” Lauren flashed Tamika a mock fierce look. “So, all that stuff about getting me to test the app was fake?”
Tamika laughed. “Not exactly. I did need to put it in beta mode. But I don’t think I would’ve gotten the spark for developing it in the first place if I hadn’t had you as my muse.”
“Tamika, you’re a lovely friend. Thank you, so, so much for what you’ve done for Connor and me.”
“Any time, honey. As soon as I met him, I had a feeling you’d be perfect for each other.”
Lauren crooked an eyebrow. “So that ninety-nine percent match thing was a fix?”
“Of course not, my dear. Algorithms don’t lie. But when a couple like you and Connor are destined to be together, I think it shines through so strongly that you can’t miss it. Shiftr just takes the hard work out of finding your fated mate.”
“Connor remembers me, you know? When we were real small.” She took her phone out of her dungarees pocket and showed Tamika the photo she’d taken of the old polaroid. Tamika’s eyes teared up as she gazed at it.
“I’m so happy for you, Lauren,” Tamika said. “You’re the best kind of success story. Now, the reason why I came over is that I think it’s time to roll out the app, and I’d like you to choose one friend to reveal the shifter secret to, so she can have the opportunity to find her own gorgeous shifter mate.”
Lauren gasped. “Are you serious?”
“Of course. This was my whole plan. But you can only tell one person, to ensure it stays a closely guarded secret.”
Lauren ran through her closest girlfriends. Kristin, Dina, Melissa. They were all amazing, curvy girls who hadn’t been lucky in love so far, and deserved to find a loyal, loving shifter mate. But which one should she tell?
“Remember, once your friend finds her mate, she can tell one friend as well,” Tamika continued. “So everyone will get a chance.”
“Okay.” Lauren nodded. “I think I know who I’m going to tell. But I’ll get back to you.”
Tamika grinned. “You do that, hun.”
Just then, Connor appeared, in a pair of battered combat pants, with a white T-shirt slung over his shoulder. As soon as he saw Tamika, he pulled the T-shirt over his head and coughed self-consciously. “Hey, Tamika,” he said, sticking his hand out.
“Hey, yourself!” Tamika ignored his outstretched hand and flung her arms around him instead. “C’mere! You’re practically family now, Connor.”
He grinned at her, scrubbed at his buzz cut, which was starting to grow out a little. “Are you here for a tour of the place?”
“Sure am,” she replied, eyes sparkling. “But first of all, I owe you some money.” She reached into her handbag and pulled out an envelope. “The remaining payment for testing out the app for me.” She tried to give it to him, but he snatched his hand away.
“There’s no way you’re paying me for getting matched with this beauty. It’s me who should be paying you.”
Tamika pouted. “I’m just paying you for testing the app, honey. That’s all. And you guys proved that it works very well indeed.”
“Thank you, Tamika, but no. I’ve got everything I need in life right now.”
She sighed, nodded, and slipped the envelope back into her purse. “Okay, okay. So give me the grand tour.”
Together, Connor and Lauren showed her around, starting with their fully completed cabin, and ending with Niall’s, which still needed a lot of work doing on the interior. Lauren watched as Connor pointed out all the features of the cabins with such pride and enthusiasm. These days she felt like she could just about burst from happiness.
“Good job, guys,” Tamika said. “You could win competitions with this lot.”
“Ha! No chance,” Lauren said. “We’re all done being in the papers.”
She wrapped her arm around Connor’s waist, and at the same moment, he laid his arm around her shoulders and inhaled the scent of her hair. It was something he did often, unconsciously, in the same way that he’d rarely pass her in the cabin without touching her or planting a kiss somewhere on her face. “My days of being a Hope Valley celebrity are behind me, that’s for sure,” he said, with a deep rumbling laugh.
“You guys are too cute together,” Tamika said. “You remind me so much of when Kyle and I first got mated.”
“I can’t get enough of her,” Connor said. “Every time I think I know everything about her, I discover another thing that makes me love her even more.”
Lauren gazed up at him, her heart fluttering. He was always telling her how much he loved her in private, but she was very touched that he was being so open with Tamika.
“I can totally understand that. She’s an amazing woman,” Tamika said, taking Connor’s hand in her left and Lauren’s in her right.
Connor looked at her curiously. “Actually, we wanted to ask you something.”
“What’s that?”
“Usually in bear clans, once a couple get mated, they have a ceremony led by the alpha of the clan.”
Tamika nodded. “Kyle and I had something similar a few years ago.”
“But since I’m kind of the alpha, and I don’t have a father or another elder who can do this for me, I was wondering—” he broke off, embarrassed.
“He was wondering if you’d be willing to lead the ceremony for us,” Lauren continued.
Tamika laid her hand on her chest, gasped, then burst into tears. “My dears, I’d be absolutely honoured to do this for you. Nothing could make me more happy or proud.”
“Really? Connor was so nervous to ask you.”
“Of course!” Tamika pulled them into a group hug. “Just let me know when, where and what I need to do.”
“I can’t wait for the ceremony, baby,” Connor said later that evening. He was stretched out on the new wooden recliner that they’d made together, holding Lauren tenderly in his arms, and they were gazing out at the stars, as a light, fragrant breeze cooled the air.
“Me too,” Lauren said, running a finger along the scruff of his jaw.
“I know you’re sad that your brother and sisters won’t be there, but this is just a shifter thing, and we can have a big human wedding after that.”
Lauren gasped. “First of all, how did you know I was sad? And secondly, yes! I’d love to!”
He gave a deep, rumbling chuckle. “Because I know you, baby,” he whispered in her ear, and, as usual, the vibrations of his voice sent shivers through her body. She turned her head and they kissed, long and sweet.
When they drew apart, she looked at him thoughtfully. “It would be great if your brother was at our ceremony though.”
“Yeah? Are you sure?” His deep brown eyes searched hers, trying to root out her true feelings.
“Yup. In fact, I’ve been wondering what’s been keeping you from asking him to join the clan.”
He broke into a grin. “You’d be okay with that?”
“Why wouldn’t I? He’s your brother. I know what he did all those years ago wasn’t his fault. He’s a sweetheart, and we get on great. You know that!” She slapped his thigh playfully.
“I do. I just didn’t want to force anything on you that might make you stressed. Your happiness is the most important thing to me in the world.”
Lauren lifted his hand and kissed his thumb. “And you’re the best guy in the world. So, that’s settled: Frankie’s going to join the clan, and we’re going to build him a cabin.”
Connor’s grin got wider. “Uh, actually, Leigh has been getting itchy feet and I’ve got a feeling that he doesn’t want to live in that shiny new cabin we’ve been creating for him. He wants to go back up to the mountain top and live in total solitude.” He rolled his eyes. “I don’t get it either, but he is who he is, and I know we can always rely on him in an emergency.”
“Aw, that’s a shame. But I guess if he’s happier up there, you can’t force him to stay in civilization,” Lauren agreed. “Sooo…you’re saying that Frankie could have his cabin?”
“Yup.”
“That’s great!”
Connor gave a long, contented sigh. “I feel like this is closing the circle. You know? Finally removing the last of the bad stuff that happened.”
“Me too. Your father’s bad intentions haven’t done us lasting damage.” She got to her feet, and he made a sound of disappointment.
“Where you off to?”
“To give Frankie the news, of course. Come on!” She grabbed his hand and hauled him to his feet as well.
The following Tuesday, Lauren, Connor, Tamika, Frankie, and the six other bears walked deep into the forest, until they came to a small clearing.
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