Bear Humbug!

by Harmony Raines

  These days they had to be more careful. With more and more ordinary humans coming out to the mountains for vacations, there were very strict rules, or guidelines, about going bear. It was particularly important to stay out of sight in the day. The occasional bear sighting was one thing; tourists loved it. But it was the hunters with guns that were becoming more of a danger. Especially those trophy hunters who wanted a nice bear hide to put on their suburban floors.

  “Do you think that’s why Jason resents me?” she asked, her voice growing quieter as though she were hypnotised by the flames. “Because I’m from the city, he’s from a small town. I guess that’s why he tells me I don’t understand him.”

  “No. Not at all. I would be surprised if he resents you at all, Maria.” He couldn’t see how even a child of thirteen could resent an aunt who had given up her whole way of life for him.

  “His family has lived here for what, centuries, and now he’s left with an outsider who doesn’t understand the way the town works. You must have customs and traditions that go back through the generations.”

  He kept his eyes on the spoon he was using to stir their dinner. “Every town has its own traditions,” he said simply. His bear clawed at the edges of his mind. But when he looked up at Maria’s tense face, he had to be firm. Now is not the time.

  Chapter Twelve – Maria

  She closed her eyes, savouring the taste of the food. It hadn’t got anything in the way of a pleasant consistency, but the taste was divine and it was hot. They had moved around to sit as far as they could from the entrance of the cave and the snow that continued to fall. The few flakes that made their meandering way inside soon melted in the heat from the fire.

  “What happens when we sleep? Can we keep the fire going?” she asked, not relishing the idea of ending up a frozen popsicle.

  “I’ll build it up so it will burn for a few hours, but we will be sleeping in the tent.” He took a last mouthful of food from his tin cup and licked his lips. Such full, sensual lips...

  She was getting drowsy from the warmth and the food, and her mind only just managed to stop staring at his mouth and cling onto the word, “Tent?”

  He jerked his head towards the pack. “Yes. Part of the kit. If we got stuck, it’s always best to have somewhere to escape to. It keeps out the worst of the weather. In here, with the warmth from the fire too, it will be downright cozy.” He grinned at the face she pulled. “Come on. The proof is in the sleeping. And that is what you need to do.”

  “I am not going to argue. I am exhausted. The thought of taking one more step is enough to make me cry,” she said, rubbing her tired legs.

  “Then you stay there while I prepare the bedroom.” He hoisted himself up, taking her cup from her hand and going to the cave entrance where he washed them in the snow. Her eyelids grew heavier as he then began to pull lightweight poles and then the outer shell of a small two-person tent from the pack she had carried most of the way.

  Only when he began to put it up did she realise just how cozy they were going to be in there. And she didn’t mean cozy-warm, she meant cozy as in a snug fit.

  “OK. You want to slide in here?” He held the flap open for her, and she really did have to slide, and wiggle, to get herself into the tent. She shuffled over to one side, and then he handed her a sleeping bag. “Here.”

  “You have the kitchen sink in there too?” she asked, sliding her boots off her feet.

  He chuckled, watching her ungainly wriggling. “Take your jacket off too. It’s going to get warm in there.”

  “Really?” she asked and then realized why he had said that. The sleeping bag was big enough for both of them. “Oh.”

  “Don’t worry. I don’t bite.”

  More’s the pity, she thought, and then cursed herself. Nothing was going to happen between them. Not up here on the side of a mountain in sub-zero temperatures. But when he slid in beside her, the temperature was close to boiling point.

  Her body was acutely aware of his, as though the layers of clothing covering her body had just melted away, leaving her naked against him. She turned so that her back was to him, but it made no difference. There was no way she would ever be able to relax enough to sleep. Not when her own heartbeat sounded so loud in her ears and his breathing was like a small earthquake to her body. She longed to reach out to him, or for him to wrap her in his arms and hold her close. The rise and fall of his chest brought him closer to her, before stealing him away inch by inch over and over.

  “Are you warm enough?” he asked.

  Should she say no, I need you to hold me? No. She couldn’t, she had no intention of giving him any ideas. He was out of bounds. She was out of bounds. Nothing good could come of this. “Yes. Thank you,” she answered.

  “Then try to close your eyes and sleep. A couple of hours is all we can spare.”

  “I understand,” she said and her thoughts turned to Jason. “Do you think he’s OK?

  “Jason?” he asked, and she felt him move, propping himself up on his hand. She could feel his eyes on the back of her head, and she was compelled to run and look at him.

  “I can’t help thinking of him out here alone,” she said, watching the glow from the fire cast shadows across the tent, illuminating his face.

  “If he’s in the cave, he will be OK.”

  “If? Does that mean you think he’ll be somewhere else? What if he climbs higher?” Out of our reach.

  “I think he went off because he felt misunderstood,” he said, lifting his hand to brush her hair back from her face, and then stroking her cheek. It was a comforting gesture, nothing more. He was trying to soothe her worries, and she liked that about him.

  She sighed, mostly content to be here with him. But also resigned to the battle she was going to have to get Jason to come back down the mountain if he wanted stay in the cave, to feel close to his dad at Christmas.

  “Do you think it’s possible that he’ll come back without a fight?”

  “Yes. I think no matter how lonely and misunderstood he felt when he left home to come up here, it is nothing compared to how he’ll be feeling now when the snow is coming down and it’s cold and dark. The only time a bear likes to be in a cave like this on his own is when he is hibernating.” His voice sounded drowsy as he spoke, but she still didn’t understand what he meant.

  “A bear?” she asked, her mind fuzzy as sleep took her into its warm arms.

  “Hmm. We might be solitary creatures, but we don’t like being isolated. He’ll be ready to come home when we find him tomorrow,” he said, his voice trailing off.

  Then Maria closed her eyes and slept. Her last thoughts were that bear must be what Bear Bluff people called themselves. And she wondered if she would ever be a bear.

  ***

  “Hey. It’s time we made a move.” He shook her lightly, and she turned to him, burying her cold face into his chest.

  “Morning already?” she asked, her brain a fog of fatigue. Slowly she came to, and realised she had not only buried her face in his chest, she had also wrapped her arms round him and was clinging to him like a limpet.

  She released him, and scooted back, but he reached for her and dragged her to him. “I like feeling you close to me. Give yourself a moment to wake up and then we’ll break camp. Coffee and another chocolate bar might be all we’ll have for breakfast. We’ve slept longer than I planned and the fire has died right down. I can rekindle it if you want something warm.”

  “No, that’s fine. I would rather get going and reach Jason as soon as possible.” Her senses were beginning to return. With them was the vague memory of his lips on her cheek, his hands stroking her hair. “Did I have a bad dream?”

  “Yes, you were calling for your sister.” His fingers felt so good against her skin, she turned her face, her lips skimming his skin. He moved his thumb to brush against her lips, and she parted them for him.

  “And you held me?”

  “It was the least I could do,” he said, lowering his fa
ce to within an inch of hers. “I wish I could make you understand how much I want you to be happy. It’s not your fault that Yvonne and Matthew are dead.”

  “I know. But I can’t help thinking it would have been fairer if I had been the one who died. No one would miss me, not in the same way that Jason misses his parents.”

  He growled, a heart-rending sound, like a wounded animal. “Don’t ever say that, Maria. Here lies one man who would miss you more than life itself.” Then his lips pressed against hers, the kiss she had been anticipating for so long here at last and so much more than she expected.

  Maria slipped her hands around his neck, pulling him to her, demanding more as his lips moved against hers. She pressed her body against his, the sensations from his lips filling her body, making her ache in desire.

  He slipped his hand down over her thigh, hooking it behind her knee and bringing her leg up, so that his body pressed against her clit. Now she could feel the hardness of him, feel his need for her mirroring her own. She slid her hands under his clothes, feeling the hard muscles of his chest, the smooth surface of his skin, and wanted to arouse the same feelings in him.

  As he groaned against her mouth, she knew she didn’t have to encourage him. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. It was impossible here in the tent: too cold to be naked against him, even with his hot blood, and they were delaying the search for Jason. Yet she could not pull away from him.

  Declan used his tongue to gain access to her mouth; at the same time, his hand moved over her bottom and slid forward so that he could run a finger along the length of her slit, from front to back. He pressed a little deeper with each movement, while his cock pressed against her clit, his hips moving in a rhythm that spoke to her of an act so ancient it would pre-date even Bear Bluff.

  Yes. This was the same rhythm men and women had used for all of the ages of the species to bring pleasure in each other. And that was what they were each doing now. Rising higher, until she wanted to experience a delicious release at his hands.

  She pressed harder against him, her hands stroking Declan’s chest, tweaking his nipples, while her mouth moved against his. His finger pressed inside her, straining against the fabric of her pants. Her voice cried out as her body reached fever pitch and then exploded. An aching deep in her sex changed to a pulsing throb as she went over the edge.

  With her voice echoing around the cave, she let herself go, her mouth finding his neck and nipping it as she tried to get control of herself. But it was impossible, he kept up the pressure on her clit, as he rose to claim his own release. A sound, deep and guttural came from his chest, and then he placed his hand on her bottom, holding her in place while he jerked out his orgasm.

  He strained against her, and she clung to him, pressing herself tight against him, helping him to crest the same wave of pleasure she had experienced. Breathless, they lay together in each other’s arms, while silence settled around them once more.

  Chapter Thirteen – Declan

  Damn it! What the hell was he thinking? Lying with Maria in his arms, he could not believe he had forced this on her. She had come up here to find her nephew, he was supposed to be the sheriff, and instead he had taken advantage of her.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me,” he said, easing himself away from her. “That was totally unprofessional.”

  “No. It was my fault. I pushed myself on you.” She sounded upset, and that wrenched at his heart. He had just made her come, his mate had climaxed in his arms, and now she was upset. His bear lifted its head and moaned.

  “It wasn’t your fault. Hell, Maria, it was no one’s fault. It happened because it was right. I know we’re here looking for Jason. But there’s more to this than you know.” This was it; he was going to have to tell her about the other side of him. The other side of Jason too. She had to know. Because until she did, she would be an outsider.

  “Then why don’t you explain it to me?” she asked. “I’m not stupid, Declan, you’ve dropped all these hints, but then you clam up. I need to know what’s going on here.”

  She sat up, the look in her eyes telling him she was ready, that if he didn’t tell her now she would slip away from him forever.

  “It’s a difficult thing to tell someone.”

  “Declan, please don’t shut me out. This is about Jason too. Isn’t it?”

  “Yes.” He unzipped the tent and went out, switching on the flashlight before holding out his hand to help her out. “It’s something that’s better shown.”

  “Now you’re scaring me.”

  “I don’t mean to. That’s the last thing I want to do.” He pulled her up gently, until she was standing by him; looking at him with a mixture of fear and apprehension. He hated that she was afraid of him. There was a chance that when he showed her his other side, she might be even more scared and disown him. How would he live without his mate?

  However, if he didn’t show her, then she would never understand the bond between them.

  “Sit right here,” he said, guiding her towards the log they had sat on only hours before, eating their meal. He then went to the fire and began to rekindle it. The cave was cold, and if she went into any kind of shock, he didn’t want hyperthermia to set in.

  “Declan. Please don’t string me along. Just tell me, or show me, whatever it is that’s so important, or else let’s just go and find Jason. Then you can go on your crazy way, and I’ll go on mine.” She rose from the log, going to fetch her boots and jacket.

  “No, wait. I’m ready. Just sit down there,” he said, his voice filled with nerves.

  She went back to the log, pulling on her boots and then putting her arm in her jacket and zipping it up, while he moved back towards the cave entrance.

  “Please don’t freak out. I won’t hurt you, and this is just another part of me. But it will explain what you are to me.”

  “What do you mean? I’m just a woman who walked into your office.”

  “No, Maria, you are so much more than that. You are the woman who I’m meant to spend the rest of my life with.”

  She stood up. “You know, I thought being the sheriff, I could trust you. Instead, I’m beginning to think you led me up here on false pretences. Do you even know where Jason is?” Anger filled her words, and that stung him. Did she honestly think he had dragged her half way up a mountain just to seduce her? The look on her face said yes, she did.

  “Sit. Please. If not for us, then for Jason. This is going to go a long way to explain what is going on with him.”

  She shook her head. “Don’t use him as an excuse for what’s happening here.”

  “Maria. Sit. Stay there. Give me five minutes and then whatever you want to do, we’ll do. But I have been nothing but honest with you.”

  Her breasts heaved as she tried to calm her anger. Had he done enough to convince her to give him a chance? And even if he had, would she be able to take in what was about to happen? Would she be able to accept him, and Jason, for who he was?

  “Five minutes,” she ground out, but refused to sit down; instead, she folded her arms over her chest and glared at him.

  Declan took a big, gulping breath and then several slow ones to try to calm himself down. This was not easy. His bear had been part of him all of his life, but to change in front of his mate was a pressure he had never had to deal with before.

  “OK. Please, don’t freak out.” Then he pictured his bear, letting it take him. For a second Maria, his mate, disappeared from view as he entered another reality, and then he returned, to see her eyes filled with wonder, her mouth open with shock.

  Declan stood, four massive paws on the ground, his fur all on end, waiting for his mate to run her fingers through it. How he longed to feel her touch him. But he had to be patient. This was not a thing you saw every day. He had no idea how Maria was going to react, but he hoped that something inside her would click and she would accept him for who he was.

  Chapter Fourteen – Maria

  What ha
ppened? One minute Declan stood in front of her, the next there was a bear. A massive tawny-colored bear with green eyes. Declan’s eyes. She might not be able to see the man, but she would know those eyes anywhere.

  Rooted to the spot, she stood and stared at the bear, and the bear stood and stared at her. The air around her grew chill and she could feel the walls of the cave begin to spin. She was going to faint. No, she wasn’t.

  Maria gathered her wits and her strength and took a step forward, concentrating on the bear in front of her, rather than the sickening feeling in her stomach. If she kept breathing, her stomach would settle. She knew because that’s what had happened when the police officer had told her about her sister. This was a similar kind of shock, when your whole world alters on its axis and something you never thought to be true became part of your reality.

  Holding out her trembling hand, she took several steps forward, wanting to touch the creature to make sure he was real. Her brain screamed not to. There was no way it was safe to touch a bear. But this was Declan. This was what he had been trying to tell her.

  Jason. Oh, now it made sense. Of course he would be scared if this was part of his world too. “Can Jason change too?” she asked the bear. The bear, Declan, lifted his head and lowered it. A nodding bear.

  Laughter bubbled up inside her. Hysteria was imminent. This couldn’t be real. Then she thought back over her conversations with Yvonne. She had told Maria about Matthew being different to any other man she had ever known, that marrying a man she had only known for three weeks was totally normal. She had convinced Maria that a whirlwind romance was not unusual in Bear Bluff. That she knew what she was doing and Matthew would never leave her or cheat on her.