“Those bastards!” he yelled. “What did I ever do to them? They’ve taken everything!” His hands bunched into fists and he looked about ready to pummel the door.
“Not everything,” Timo said quietly, at his elbow. “You have us.” Leigh stopped and turned to face his clan. He looked at each face in turn. These dozen bears, who hadn’t hesitated to come and save him when they knew he was in trouble.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. You’re the best clan a bear could have. Each one of you. I’ll never forget this – ” he broke off, frowned and scratched his head. “But – how did you know I needed your help in the first place?” Connor laughed.
“I was wondering when you were going to ask that,” he said. “It was Adaira. She said she couldn’t sleep, and she was looking out of the window at the mountain, when she saw the fire. She thought it was too big to be a campfire, and she was worried about you. She called us up, and we came up with the same conclusion, so Bruno flew us over here in the fire department’s chopper. She wanted to come with us too, but with her injured leg it wasn’t really possible. Besides, it was a pretty tight fit with all of us piled in there.”
“She was watching the mountain?” Leigh said in wonder. “I thought she wouldn’t want to have anything to do with me.”
“But why? You saved her life.”
“I know. And then I told her that I couldn’t move down to the village. I asked her to move up here with me, but she refused.”
“Leigh!” they all shouted. Connor shook his head, deeply disappointed.
“Dude, are you for real? You meet an amazing girl, and she likes you back, and you’re obviously mates. And you tell her you can’t be with her because you need to live at the top of your mountain? I hoped we’d got past all this.”
Leigh turned and looked at his burned out cabin again. He’d have to build it again from scratch, just like he had the first time. He thought about what would’ve happened if Adaira hadn’t been there to watch out for him. He gave a heavy sigh.
“You’re right. And so is Adaira,” he said. “I love my home, but this has made me realize that being here means that I lose out on so much that life has to offer – friendship, being part of the clan, and having a mate.” Connor laid a hand on his back.
“That’s right, dude,” he said gently.
“I’ve been a recluse long enough. It’s time I became part of the world.” The rest of the clan gave a cheer.
“That’s great news, bro!” Timo said.
“Hey, I don’t mean to rush you,” Bruno said, jogging back from the helicopter. “But the station’s going to start freaking out if we don’t get this baby back soon.”
“Ok, let’s go, boys,” Connor said. “Leigh – are you coming with us, or do you want to spend some time here going through your things?”
“I’m coming!” Leigh replied, running towards the helicopter with his backpack. “There’s someone that I need to speak to, as soon as possible!”
The clan all bundled in behind him, the noisy propeller started up again, and the machine became airborne, carrying them down the mountain and far, far away from Leigh’s ruined home.
Chapter Seventeen
Adaira hung over her balcony at Tamika’s place, her stomach in knots. The helicopter was visible again, flying away from the mountain and back towards Hope Valley. She prayed that Leigh was in it, and that he was ok. She’d watched it approach the mountain and become a speck in the distance, too small to see, and then the dawn had come up and the fire seemed to have gone out.
Was it a forest fire? She kept scanning the rest of the mountain for signs of flames or smoke, but saw nothing. It looked peaceful, serene as always. Maybe there’d been a fault with the gas tank that lit his stove? She shook her head. There was no point speculating, imagining all kinds of terrible things. The helicopter was now near enough for her to be able to make out its shape. It dipped down towards the valley then turned left, heading towards the fire station.
She kept watching, her attention flickering from the helicopter to the mountain. Her eyes were dry and scratchy. It was 7am and she hadn’t slept yet. Ever since Leigh had left her at the foot of the mountain, her emotions had been in turmoil. She’d been stricken with guilt about inciting him to mate with her, letting him get the wrong idea about her intentions. And then Tamika had greeted her with a million questions, bundling her up in blankets, making her soup and calling her personal doctor over to look at her leg. He’d pronounced it a sprain, which was healing nicely. She just needed to stay off her feet for another couple of days.
“Leigh will come around,” Tamika had assured her. “I’ve got a feeling that once he goes back up the mountain to his lonely cabin, he’ll realize what’s truly important in life.”
“I really don’t think so,” Adaira said. “I mean, we had the best time hanging out together. He took such good care of me, carrying me to the bathroom when I needed to go, and cooking for me. In the evening, he played his bouzouki and drew a picture of me. He even took me on a walk around his territory, and introduced me to the bear who took care of him after his parents abandoned him. It was so romantic. But I think he’s just been too hurt by his parents to consider living down in the valley.” Tamika’s eyes filled with sympathy.
“I guess if that’s the case then you can’t push him too much about it. You’ll have to let him make his decisions in his own time,” she said. Adaira groaned.
“I know.”
Adaira had gone to bed early, exhausted from the day, but she hadn’t been able to sleep. She’d tossed and turned, full of thoughts about Leigh, her body still buzzing with the aftershocks of the incredible sex they’d had. Her skin tingled as if it recalled his caresses, and that annoying ache between her thighs hadn’t gone away.
At around 5am, she’d got up to hobble to the bathroom, and she paused and looked out of the window. And then she saw it. A tiny tongue of flame, right at the top of the mountain. At the same moment, her body was filled with a fear so intense that she shivered and gasped for breath. And that’s how she knew that Leigh was in danger. She woke Tamika up and they called Bruno, one of the bears in the clan who was a firefighter in the Hope Valley Fire Department. He said he’d investigate it right away. Seeing the helicopter had taken the edge off her fear, but it was still coiled, tight inside her.
“Adaira!” Tamika shouted, opening her bedroom door and bursting in. “Someone to speak to you!” She thrust her phone at her.
“Hello?” Adaira said, pressing it against her ear.
“Adaira!” a deep, rumbly voice said, and she burst into tears.
“Leigh! Oh my god, are you ok?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks to you,” he said, with a little chuckle.
“But, are you hurt? What happened?”
“I’m not hurt. At least, not badly. And I’ll tell you what happened in a moment. But, I was wondering, could I come and see you?”
“Yes!” she shouted. “Come right now!”
Ten minutes later, a slightly battered pick-up truck crunched onto the gravel of Tamika’s driveway. Adaira held her breath as the passenger-side door opened and Leigh’s imposing figure emerged. She pressed her face against the glass, looking for injuries. Were those gashes on his arms? Her stomach turned over at the thought. He looked up, seeming to sense her eyes on him. She waved. He grinned, and then the front door opened and he bounded inside.
In another thirty seconds, he was opening her door and striding across her room. Forgetting about her ankle, Adaira leapt to her feet and threw herself into his arms. He wrapped his strong arms around her and she inhaled his intoxicating masculine scent.
“Leigh, you’re ok,” she murmured. He stroked her hair, gently squeezing the nape of her neck.
“Thanks to you,” he whispered, holding her as tightly as he could without hurting her. They hugged for a long time, neither of them wanting to relinquish their grip on the other. At last, she drew back and surveyed his injuries. He had nasty cuts o
n his face, a big purple bruise blossoming on his jaw, and gashes on both arms.
“What the hell happened to you?” she demanded. He sighed.
“It was the wolves. They set my place on fire. Partly to trash it, but I think also in the hope that I’d shift into my human form to put it out, which would have given them a better chance of ambushing me. I saw the flames when I got near to the top of the mountain, and I ran the rest of the way, but it was too late. The cabin was already engulfed. And then they jumped me. There were at least eight of them. I knew I was a goner. But then, out of nowhere, a helicopter appeared, filled with my clan. You saved me, Adaira,” he said, brushing her cheek with a callused finger. “You saved my life.”
“It’s just so, so lucky that I happened to look out of the window last night,” she said, blinking back tears. His face lit with a soft, radiant smile.
“I suspect luck didn’t have much to do with it. When your mate’s in trouble, you always know,” he replied. She looked into his eyes, her heart swelling with emotion.
“Can you go and ask Tamika for her first aid kit? I need to tend to your wounds.”
“Oh, I’m fine,” he said dismissively.
“Leigh!”
“Ok.” Obediently, he left the room and went to look for Tamika.
When he returned, Adaira got him to take his shirt and jeans off and she cleaned his many injuries, gasping at some of them in horror. When she went to put dressings on them, he stopped her.
“It’s not necessary,” he said. “Shifters heal a lot faster than humans. They’ll be much better in a day or two. You’ll see.” She looked at them dubiously. He claimed he didn’t need any painkillers either, but his injuries must have been causing him a lot of suffering.
“What happened to the other wolves?” she asked, not really wanting to ask, but needing to know that he’d be safe on the mountain in future.
“The clan dealt with them,” he said proudly. “They won’t be giving me any more trouble.”
“That’s good,” she whispered. “They got what was coming to them.”
“They certainly did.”
At last, she was done.
“Come here,” he said, and sat down on the bed, holding his arms out. She moved towards him and he drew her onto his lap. She was wearing only her short, black satin nightdress with spaghetti straps, and his hands ran all over her arms and legs, lovingly, possessively. She felt tiny snuggled into him like that, and like she belonged there. Leaning her head against his chest, she listened to the rhythmic rumble coming from deep inside him. It was a comforting sound, and she thought she’d happily listen to it forever. Suddenly, she felt very sleepy and relaxed. She yawned. Leigh gave a chuckle, which sounded more like a rumble.
“Sorry. I haven’t been to sleep yet,” she said.
“Me neither. Shall we go to bed?”
“Yes, let’s.” He pulled the covers down and they climbed in and fell asleep almost instantly, curled into each other’s arms.
When Adaira next woke up, the daylight was still bright in the room, and she and Leigh seemed to have barely moved. Her face was still nestled in his pecs. His breathing was deep and regular, and she kept herself still, not wanting to wake him. She was so relieved that he was ok, that she told herself it didn’t matter if they couldn’t be together. She’d been able to save him because they were mates, and that was the main thing. It would hurt so much though – not being able to wake up next to him like this every day, to touch his skin and smell his smell. But what if I lived with him part time? Maybe one week on and one week off? she thought, and a ray of hope blossomed in her mind and her pulse quickened. It wouldn’t be ideal, but it would be a lot easier than having to permanently tear herself away from this amazing, gorgeous man. She pressed her lips against his chest, and he stirred. She felt his muscles tense as he realized where he was, and then he relaxed again.
“Morning,” she whispered, tilting her head up to his face. He dipped his head and kissed her on the lips.
“Morning,” he replied with a sleepy smile.
“How did you sleep?”
“Very well, considering I usually have a hard time sleeping away from home. It must be the effect of having you here.”
“I’m happy to hear that,” she said. He ran his hands all over her body, lifting her nightdress high on her thigh.
“You feel so warm and soft. I want to wake up with you like this every single day,” he muttered, nuzzling his face into her hair.
“That’s funny. I was just thinking the same thing.” He dipped his head and they kissed, long and tender, their tongues softly sliding around each other’s. He slipped her strap off her shoulder and eased the top of her nightgown down, freeing her breast. She gave a little moan as he cupped it in his hand. His touch was incredible – sure and possessive. Her nipple hardened instantly and he rolled it between his fingers. She willed him to take it into his mouth, but, as he moved his mouth towards it, evidently having the same idea, she stopped him.
“Leigh, I just need to say something first,” she said. He looked up, startled.
“What is it?”
“I was just thinking – maybe I could come and live with you half the time at the cabin – maybe alternate weeks? Perhaps we could get electricity, and satellite wifi. I mean, it’s not ideal, but it would be better than us not being together?” Leigh broke into a smile.
“I thought you were going to say that you didn’t want to be with me at all,” he said.
“Are you kidding! It’s going to kill me to be apart from you two weeks per month, but I’m willing to deal with it, as long as I get to be with you.”
“You don’t need to do that,” Leigh said, his face a picture of delight.
“I don’t? Why not?”
“Because I’ve decided to move down from the mountain, so I can be with you all the time!” Adaira gasped.
“But – ” she stuttered. “What about your cabin? And what you said yesterday about not being able to leave the mountain?”
“My cabin is completely ruined. I’d have to build it again from scratch. Anyway, what yesterday taught me was that home is a state of mind. You’re my mate, so my home is here with you.” Adaira squeezed his hand tight.
“But won’t it be hard for you to live in civilization?”
“I’ll get used to it. I mean, I’ll definitely need to live in the national park. I couldn’t live right in the center of the town.”
“That’s fine,” she said quickly. “I’d love to live in the forest too. Are you sure you mean this though?”
“Absolutely,” he said, gazing at her with great tenderness. “Adaira, yesterday, when the wolves got me, and I was pinned down and knew the end was near, all I could think about was you, and how much I loved you. Adaira, my beautiful mate, I love you.”
“Oh Leigh, I love you too. I realized the same thing as I was watching the fire, so terrified for you.” Leigh’s eyes became very bright, as if he couldn’t quite believe it, and he pulled her into a long, sensual kiss.
Time seemed to stand still, and all she was aware of was the sensation of his mouth on hers, his arms around her waist, his muscular body tight against hers. His hand returned to her breast, kneading it softly, driving her crazy, before it slid down to her thigh, slowly pushing the flimsy fabric of the garment up. His breath caught as he realized she wasn’t wearing any underwear beneath it, and he raised it to her waist. By the time he touched her, she was already drenched, and ready for him. She gasped and arched her back as one of his impossibly long fingers slid inside her, her muscles rippling in pleasure. Another finger soon joined the first, and he began to move out of her slowly, teasingly slowly. She clenched around him, willing him to go faster, but he seemed determined to prolong things for as long as possible. Her nerve endings were so sensitized that she was aware of each of his knuckles, and when he curved his fingertips and touched a very sensitive spot, she cried out. Wow. He was touching her like a confident, skillful lover,
who instinctively knew exactly what she needed. At last he speeded up, and the faster motion made her buck her hips, craving the pressure of the heel of his hand against her clit. He kept his mouth on hers, probing deeply, but lightly with his agile tongue. She sucked it a little, following the rhythm of his fingers. Her hips began to make little jerks and her cheeks flushed, signifying that an orgasm was near. She broke off from their kiss.
“Leigh, wait,” she said.
“What is it?” he said in a voice husky with need.
“Nothing. Just that you’re going to make me come soon and I want to come with you inside me,” she said with a sly grin.
“Oh.” He broke into a grin too. “In that case, I want you completely naked,” he growled. She lifted her arms up and he stripped her nightdress off. His pupils dilated as he gazed at her breasts, and he paused to caress them, to turn her nipples into aching points. And then he gently spread her legs and climbed on astride her body. For a moment, she was overwhelmed by his size – he was so big, all over – from his huge biceps, to his corded forearms, to his cock. He seemed to be built on a different scale from her.
His cock brushed her clit and she jumped.
“Are you ready for me?” he whispered. She nodded, biting her lip, her whole body poised for the moment when he’d enter her. “I love you, Adaira. My mate, my beautiful mate,” he murmured. She shivered as powerful emotion made the tiny hairs on her body stand on end.
“I love you too, Leigh. You’re mine, really mine,” she said, almost too choked up to speak. As she finished her sentence, he entered her, in a slow, smooth motion. She gasped and cried out again. He arched over her, staring deeply into her eyes, while he began to fuck her, deliciously slowly. It was so intense that she wanted to close her eyes, but she fought to keep them open, to be fully present in this beautiful moment. Each thrust was a wave of pleasure, suffusing her body with euphoria. Her nerve endings were alive, all over, and she felt like her emotions had never been so heightened. She was completely vulnerable to this big man, both physically and emotionally, as she’d never let herself be before, and it felt incredible. She stared deep into his eyes, knowing that he’d never hurt her, that keeping her happy and fulfilled was his sole aim. His skin glowed, his muscles rippling all over. She clutched his back, loving the way that its broadness tapered into a tight waist, and then she moved down and held onto the taut muscles of his ass, inciting him to take her more deeply. His breathing was rough, half way between a growl and a purr, and she sensed his bear, just beneath his skin, pushing at him, fighting to be let out. It was hot and wild and unbelievable.
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love (Adaira) BBW Bear Shifter Romance (Hope Valley BBW online dating app romances Book 6) Page 14
