by Anya Nowlan
“Yeah?” she croaked, grabbing for her wine glass again to down another sip. “And what’s your current plan of attack then? If I am a problem to be solved I imagine you have it all figured out already.”
Royce broke the tension by grinning and shaking his head. He stood up and plucked both of their plates up, moving them to the sink.
“Tsk, tsk. Don’t you know that a bear never reveals his hand?”
“I think you’re mixing metaphors here,” she laughed.
“As long as they do the trick,” he said casually, grabbing a glass from the drying rack and finding a bottle of whiskey in the kitchen cupboard.
Watching him move was pure poetry. He had the easy gait of a predator, but the power of a tank. Picturing him on top of her, his rough hands grabbing at her sides while he bottomed out into her, was so easy that the lump she’d been fighting in her throat pretty much lodged itself in place and left her speechless.
God, Tiana, you’re in so much trouble, she thought, putting her cool hand on her cheeks to try and will herself to stop blushing all the time.
There was a hint of danger in the air. Unlike when the perps had broken into her bakery in Dallas, this time the threat seemed real. But it wasn’t to her health, or her livelihood. It was to her heart.
She hadn’t been in a relationship for years, by her own choice. There were only so many failed stories she could tell, and after the third man who ended up disappearing because she had her own thing to do—or something else to occasionally pay attention to other than him—she’d given up on the hope of finding a man strong enough to stand by her side. With Royce, she had to wonder if she was strong enough to stand next to him. She hadn’t expected the tables to turn on her quite like that.
“Come on,” he beckoned, appearing by her side with a glass of whiskey in his hand.
He’d also conjured up a fleece blanket from somewhere, and his hand was reached out for her. Instinctively, she took it and stood up, suppressing the yelp of surprise that raised to her lips when their skin touched. There was that electricity again that she’d convinced herself was all in her mind before. But it wasn’t, was it? Every time they touched, it was like a surge of energy went through her, making her toes curl and her heart beat twice as fast.
She followed him like an obedient puppy dog, trying to figure out whether she liked that or not. Opening the porch door, they were greeted to the most perfect view of the sunset Tiana could imagine. Royce set them up in two chairs, kicking back comfortably, and draped the blanket so it was over both of them. The day had been hellishly hot—for Idaho standards anyway—but as soon as the sun dropped it would get far colder.
Snuggling up to him like that, close but not too close, was nice. She cradled her wine glass and Royce chuckled, throwing his arm over her shoulders. Protesting was the furthest thing from her mind.
“Welcome to Idaho. I hope you enjoy your stay, Tiana,” he said.
I hope so too.
Six
Tiana
Tiana woke up the next morning having slept better than she had in years. She stretched lazily, enjoying the feeling of the crisp covers and the relatively cool air in comparison to mid-summer Dallas. The room she was in had one of those big, arching ceilings that seemed to be impossibly high, which made the room airy and lovely. The sun was shining through the open curtains and she could hear birds singing.
After a while of tossing and turning, attempting in vain to get Royce out of her head, she got up and dressed. Opting for a summer dress with big red posies on emerald green, which looked great against her skin, she hopped down the stairs barefooted. She was tying up her hair in a loose bun when she entered the kitchen and saw her flawless man cooking eggs and bacon and pancakes, all the while being completely shirtless.
Perfect, her treacherous mind whispered.
“Morning,” she quipped, scooting up to Royce and picking a crispy slice of bacon off the plate and taking a bite out of it.
“Morning, gorgeous,” he greeted her, giving her a quick once-over.
Tiana was happy to see that he apparently approved of what he saw. It made her feel giddy inside, and rationally speaking, that should have made her take a big step back. But there was something about that man that made her want to get closer to him, if he would let her, and so far it seemed to be going well. Half of her was sounding the sirens and telling her to run—like she always did—and the other half threatened that if she ran now, she’d never be able to stop. She wasn’t sure which part of herself she believed more.
But only one of those options let her spend some time with Royce, so she was sort of partial to that one.
“So what’s the plan today?” she asked, brushing aside the compliment, but storing it for later scrutiny.
“I figured we could grab some breakfast and then I need to get back to my chores. Lots to do around here,” he said, shrugging nonchalantly.
“Yeah? Can I help?”
“You sure you want to get your hands dirty, honey?” he asked, and that Boston accent came on so thick that Tiana couldn’t help but laugh.
She was used to cowboys starting to drawl all of a sudden when trying to get some sort of a point across, but it was so much more fun coming from a Bostonian. She had to wonder how he didn’t choke on that no-R lifestyle.
“Yes, sir,” she quipped, giving him a lazy salute. “Show me a hammer and I will nail something down.”
“Keep up that attitude and you’ll nail me down,” he laughed.
“Isn’t that the whole point?” she queried, tossing him a playful grin.
Great. Now you’re flirting. You’re getting yourself into five different kinds of trouble, missy, she told herself, but the smile was still perched on her lips.
They ate quickly. The coffee he had made was dark as tar and exactly as it was supposed to be. After that, Tiana got dressed in a hurry and accompanied Royce out to the barn, where she’d caught him working the day before. He showed her what he had been toiling away with, trying to secure some of the roof beams on the old building, and she took to the work easily. Having lived and worked through at least three location changes with her bakery, she was pretty adept with manual labor and didn’t shy back an inch.
The stress melted off of her with the work. Royce was a fun companion, not just to look at, but to talk to as well. He had an easy sort of humor about him, even if he tried to throw a jab here and there, and she usually fell right for them. But he wasn’t malicious and everything he fronted he could back up—a rare quality in a man, Tiana knew. When the afternoon finally rolled around, cutting through the suffocating heat of the morning, Tiana was finding herself well and truly smitten.
He’d never even bothered to put on a shirt and he’d gotten no objections from Tiana for that. She liked watching his strong, chiseled body move and flex as they lugged up supplies and pulled up the thick beams on a rigged-up pulley system. Sweat drenched him and honestly, she’d never seen a man look quite as sexy. He was such a damn distraction that she kept mentally checking out, trying to work through her frustration with the power of imagination.
“Hey, I think it’s time to take a break,” Royce said, hammering the last nail in on the panel he’d been fixing in the second story floor, one that Tiana had almost fallen through twice in her hazy state of daydreaming.
“Okay,” she said, not objecting.
When they both sat down in the old hay, they let out long groans. Tiana laughed and Royce grinned, reaching for a basket he’d put together.
“Tired?”
“Just getting started,” Tiana promised.
Breaking off a piece of bread, Royce handed it to Tiana and she bit into it eagerly. It was after one bite that her eagerness sort of dulled.
“Is this what passes for bread around here?” she asked, letting the processed white bread swish back and forth in her mouth.
She hadn’t eaten any baked goods other than her own or by other artisan shops for so long that she’d forgotten ho
w bad they could taste when they were made without love or reverence for the grains.
“Yup. We have to fly it in and there’s no point in getting something that only lasts a day or two, you know? There’s a girl in town who makes great pies, but I don’t think she’s ever been very interested in baking bread. It’s a shame, really,” Royce said, taking a big swig of water and then handing the bottle to Tiana.
“You can say that again,” she noted, her mind already racing.
She knew a business opportunity when she saw one.
So lost was she in her thoughts that when she realized she was sitting right next to Royce, so close their thighs touched and the curve of his shoulder smushed hers, she almost dropped her tasteless bread. She looked up at him, startled, and was met by Royce’s knowing smirk. She bet he could read her like a book, and for once she didn’t mind.
“I’m going to kiss you now,” he said simply.
“Why?” her big mouth managed to ask, before she could tell herself to shut up.
“Because I want to. And you want me to,” he said, grinning.
He wasn’t wrong. Royce dipped closer, putting his hand on the back of her neck and pulling her closer. She groaned softly as his calloused fingertips brushed over the nape of her neck so gently it was like being kissed by the wind. His deliciously curved lips sought out hers, and when they touched, she was gone.
First gently, but then with growing desire, she kissed him back, learning the shape of his lips, the taste of his mouth. Everything about him screamed masculinity, right down to the way he controlled the kiss, keeping her steadily in his beat, not letting her run with it like she was used to. In her world, everything was used to working on her clock, like she wanted it, and now being subjected to someone else’s schedule and rule was freeing in a way.
She gave in eagerly, her tongue dancing against his. A moment later, his hands were on her and she was pulled into Royce’s lap, her hands tying behind his neck and her hips pressing against his. There was no coyness there now. All the shock and awkwardness she’d felt the day before, walking in on him out of the blue, was wiped away easily and replaced by an all-encompassing knowledge that she wanted him. No, needed him.
Her nails raked down his chest, making his breath catch in his throat. She loved that sound, loved knowing that she could make him react like that. It was all her. Kissing him more aggressively now, she felt Royce’s hands slide down the curve of her back and then grab her big, voluptuous ass. He squeezed it hard and she giggled into his mouth, catching the tip of his tongue between her teeth gently.
“Is this how you treat all your brides, Mr. Hamilton?” she teased.
“I’ll only have one. You,” he growled, the bear inching into his voice easily.
She gasped, looking into his eyes and seeing the flash of chestnut brown there before it fizzled out. He tore off her shirt and she let him, helping to pull it over her head. Instead of wasting time on the clasp, Royce pulled down the straps of her bra and then the cups, revealing her heavy, bountiful breasts. He looked at them with reverence—all of her, really. Tiana would have never imagined that the place she’d felt like the most beautiful woman in the world would be a literal hay shed, slick with perspiration from a day’s hard work. But so it was and she wasn’t about to argue with what was true.
She missed his lips as soon as they left hers, but when he sucked her nipple into his mouth, she gave a deep, guttural groan that rocked her whole body. He lapped and laved at her nipples and breasts, his hands kneading the mounds and each touch stroking her fire to burn hotter. His body was hard and firm beneath her and when her hands went down to undo his belt and the front of his jeans, he grunted in approval.
In a flurry of hands and legs, they undressed. A second later, Tiana found herself back in his lap, without a stitch on her, and his thick, throbbing cock locked between their bodies. The impossibly smooth, rosy head was slick with precum, so white that it invited her to lick it. She caught her lower lip between her teeth as he maneuvered her up a bit, leaving her on her knees, towering above his monster cock.
It was so big, veiny, and hard that she wasn’t entirely convinced she could fit it. But after a lifetime of mediocrity, wasn’t it about time to have something really good? She thought so.
Without asking, without questioning or doubting, Royce slowly thrust upward. She was lost in his eyes; he was loving the way he kept her transfixed with his gaze. Her nails raked down his shoulders and gripped his biceps as the thick head parted her slit, pressing into her inch by excruciating inch. Shuddering wildly, she pushed her head back and gave herself to the moment, reveling in every second spent making him fit in her.
“Shit, honey, you’re so tight,” he growled, and it was like a badge of honor for her.
Making him feel good made her feel good. In her somewhat selfish world order, that was something new. Something to cherish. She wanted to be sure that he loved every moment of it as much as she did. She wanted to make him roar and buck and lose his mind like he was doing to her. By the time she had sunk down his length, making her feel like it was winding her up and making her tick like a time bomb, she had no doubt that she would make him feel every bit as good as he was her.
Pushing her palms down on his chest, she started to slowly rock back and forth on him, his hands firmly on her hips. Every movement was accompanied by a whimpered gasp, his size filling her up so fully that she was left gasping for air and struggling with the tight fit. But it was exactly right. She was slick as hell around him, drowning in her juices, and the first time she raised up higher and pounded down on him sent them both moaning heavily.
“Oh my God, you’re so big,” she whined, knowing full well that it sounded a bit silly and a bit contrived, but so true.
“This is what you wanted since you saw me, wasn’t it?” he teased, but he was gritting his teeth and his fingers were digging into her hips. “When you walked in on me, you knew what you were dealing with, honey. Is this what you needed?” he growled.
She nodded eagerly, breathing in big, haggard gulps as she rode him with abandon. Her core twisted and pulsed within her, just like his big cock was throbbing to the beat of his heart.
“Ohhh, Royce! Yes,” she whispered, running out of words and voice.
He flipped her over as she started shuddering on top of him, letting her fall into the soft hay as he got on top of her. Her knees were pressed against her chest as he opened her wide, spreading her legs around him so he could plunge in deeper and harder. The first thrust sent her screaming and the second saw her losing her mind completely. She hung on for dear life as Royce thrust into her, each movement long, hard, and fast.
Bottoming out every time, he drilled her like she would have never imagined herself enjoying. But she wanted it, needed it, lived on it. She was no good girl, having worked out her frustrations with on-again, off-again boyfriends plenty of times, but this was different. It was raw, hungry, a blazing fire that consumed them both. Her nails dug into his arms, looking for something, anything to hold onto as he made her melt around his massive cock.
She could feel her orgasm building. When he plunged down to bite and suck at her nipples at the same time as he was stroking into her, she lost her mind. Coiling her fingers into his hair, she let the tightness within her untangle and release in a massive wave of pleasure. Her wetness consumed her and hot jolts of heat and ice flashed through her faster and faster. Royce grinned as she gasped and wailed, her pussy clenching around him and milking him for his seed.
“Royce! Fuck,” she hissed, nearly unintelligible.
But as much as she was riding the high, he wasn’t far from it either. His bucking thrusts became faster and more erratic, pounding into her with reckless abandon, until he couldn’t hold back anymore and Tiana felt his hot, thick cum fill her pussy. They both groaned, holding onto each other for dear life, and Tiana loved the way his heart pounded in his chest.
She was shaking like a leaf and his skin was pimpled with go
ose bumps, his forehead dug into her shoulder. Her hands snaked around him and she held him there, the thought of letting him get any further from her absolutely impossible to bear. She’d had that cock once, but already it felt like it would be impossible to be without it.
“That was amazing,” he finally said, looking up and taking a deep breath.
Tiana’s legs slid lower around him, gripping him by the hips and pulling him in once more while a wicked grin played on her lips.
“What, done already?” she teased, thoroughly exhausted herself but more than willing to goad him into admitting defeat.
What she hadn’t been expecting was that one does not simply taunt a bear and get away with it. With a growl that shook her to the core and ignited that fire that had died down to a comfortable ember, he grabbed her and pulled her up along with him, standing up to his full height with Tiana clinging to him with her legs around him. He shoved her against the wall of the barn, the old wood rough against her skin, and his lips maddeningly close to hers again.
“Just getting started, honey,” he said.
And he wasn’t kidding.
Seven
Royce
Everything was exactly how it was supposed to be. And that worried the hell out of Royce Hamilton.
He sipped on that pitch black coffee he liked so much, leaning on the doorframe of Hamilton House, looking out over the grounds. The first rays of the sun were snaking their long tongues over Idaho, scorching and burning already at this hour. Their huge plot of land seemed so small and insignificant next to the vast majesty and space of the mountains, but Royce could see his future on those grassy plains and thick forests.
He could imagine heads of cattle grazing and the barns built up to keep every manner of animal, but probably plenty of sheep. The forests were lush and thick and his bear had been dragging him to run in them at least once a day now. Though “drag” was an understatement. Other than being with Tiana, he enjoyed nothing more than the feel of the forest floor underneath his big paws.
