Blair could hear the doubt in his voice, so she knew she had to be positive for both of them. “He’s in there. I’m sure of it.”
They took slow, deliberate steps into the small wooded area near the mountain trail, and followed the broken branches into a clearing. There, sitting in the middle of the grassy patch of earth, was Declan’s bear, looking full of rage and frustrated as he stared up at the rising moon. Kurt took hold of Blair’s arm and whispered.
“Listen to me, Blair. If he charges, if he attacks, I want you to run and not look back. Do you understand me? I want you to nod if you understand me.”
Blair nodded, though she really had no intention of running, regardless of what happened from that moment forward. It only took a second for Declan to become aware of their presence, and when he did, he reared back on his haunches and let out a roar that shook the very leaves on the trees. Kurt put his hand out to stop Blair from moving but she pushed past him, despite his protests.
“Blair! What are you doing? I just said…”
But Blair continued forward toward Declan, even as he snarled and bellowed, and she got as close to him as she possibly could without being in swatting distance of his large paws. Blair had to raise her voice to be heard over all the noise that Declan’s bear was making.
“Declan, I know you can hear me in there. I know there is part of you left, somewhere, hiding inside that bear. And I know that bear only has your best interest at heart. He’s trying to protect you. But I’m here to protect you too. And I want you to know that I’m sorry for leaving. I should have talked to you before I left. I should have explained. But I’m here now. And while I can’t make promises about the future, I can promise that I will never just leave like that again. I will talk to you when I get scared, or worried. I want to talk to you now. But I can’t do that unless you come back to me.”
The bear looked at Blair, really looked at her, and then looked back at Kurt. For a second, Blair thought that it was going to turn and bolt, but then… It seemed as if the bear was fighting an invisible force that Blair couldn’t see. It was roaring and rolling on the ground, and grabbing at the air at nothing. Blair took a few steps back, as she considered taking Kurt’s advice and running, but then she watched as something incredible happened.
Ever-so-slowly, the bear began to lose its shape, and giant furry legs turned into long, strong arms. A thick, intimidating neck and long snout drifted into the Declan that Blair knew and maybe, loved. And then, all at once, the man was sitting in the clearing, looking exhausted, and more than a little sad. While Kurt hung back, Blair rushed up to him and knelt in front of him, both anxious to hug him and afraid to touch him until he was ready.
“Declan? Are you… okay?”
Declan nodded, and let out a long, sad sigh. “Mostly. Whatever I did, Blair, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Blair threw her arms around him and held him tight, almost scared to let go. But she finally did, and when she pulled away, she started crying, which she definitely didn’t mean to do.
“You didn’t do anything, Declan. I just didn’t really understand all of this and then Lucy…”
Kurt growled behind them, and Declan’s lips curled into a snarl. “So, it was Lucy. What did she do? What did she say?”
“It doesn’t matter now. I was stupid to believe her, without talking to you. I was also stupid not to think it was suspicious that she just showed up at the lodge like that.”
Declan reached out and took Blair’s hand. “No, I should have explained things better. I should have made sure you understood that it wasn’t just about my need for a mate to stay in the clan, to live as a human. From the first moment I saw you, Blair, I knew. You’re it. You’re the only one for me. And I promise I’ll stop being such a cagey, grumpy bastard. My bear and I will find a way to make things right, and to be the partner that you deserve.”
Declan stood up, and Blair blushed at the sight of his splendid nakedness. He chuckled as he pulled her into his arms and gave her a long, slow kiss that made her knees weak.
“I missed you, Blair,” he said when he broke the kiss.
“Not as much as I missed you,” she answered with a fluttering heart.
“Hey, can you two cool it? And Declan, put some clothes on,” Kurt said as he tossed Declan a pair of sweats from his backpack. “You being naked as jaybird will get us all arrested faster than you being a damn bear.”
They all laughed as Declan slipped into the sweatpants, and as they made their way off of the hiking trails, for the first time in days…
Blair felt at peace with her bear of a man by her side.
Epilogue
Two Years Later
A roaring fire crackled in the fire pit in the backyard of the Colorado Clan’s lodge as Scarlett walked out of the back door carrying a massive pink layer cake, covered in purple flowers. Everyone clapped at the sight of the beautiful cake, except for Declan, whose arms were occupied holding Emily Adair O’Shea, his newborn baby daughter. Every time Blair looked at the bear of a man holding their tiny little girl, her heart swelled, and she couldn’t believe how happy she was.
After the mess near the mountain two years earlier, the whole clan had gotten together and worked out a plan not only to help Declan deal with his warring bear until Blair was comfortable committing herself fully to the shifter life, but to prevent anything like that happening to any other bears in the future. Their new system of early planning combined with herbal remedies for the internal struggle worked wonders on Declan, so it was implemented as a strategy should such a situation ever come up again.
And then, there was Lucy…
Once Declan was home and safe with Blair, Kurt had gone straight to Morrison Security Officers and informed Declan’s old boss, Lucy’s father, of the trouble she had caused. He had also made it clear that if Lucy so much as stepped foot in Boulder ever again, there would be hell to pay, and Morrison didn’t want beef with a bear clan. No one knew what happened to Lucy after that, but they never saw her again, and that suited Declan and Blair just fine.
Blair had thought she would need time to settle into the idea of being someone’s mate, and all that entailed, but it wasn’t long before she realized she didn’t just like the idea of being Declan’s mate… she loved it. Blair loved him. And she wanted to be with him all of the time. She wasn’t afraid of everything that came with being a bear shifter’s mate. In fact, she couldn’t wait to start their life together in earnest.
They were married in Cape Cod on the beach on a beautiful summer day, with all of their friends and family in attendance. It rained right as they took their vows, and Blair took it as a great sign. “Rain on your wedding day is good luck, right?” she’d said with a smile as she’d said, “I do.” They’d honeymooned in Ireland so she could see where Declan was born, and by the time they arrived back in Boulder, she was surer than ever that she’d made the best decision of her life.
It had been a huge decision, but after a lot of talking and agonizing and debating, Blair had decided to leave Marcus, Morgan, and Moran and open her own law firm that would focus exclusively on legal issues facing bear shifters. She was working constantly, and she wanted to spend more time with Declan, and maybe even start a family. With her own practice, she could get things set up, take cases when she wanted to, and hire other lawyers to work for her and do the heavy lifting. Once the firm was up and running smoothly, Blair and Declan thought maybe that would be the right time to start considering starting a family.
But destiny had different plans.
Exactly three weeks after Blair had hung the board outside of Wilson-O’Shea, Esq., she thought she had the flu. Two weeks later, Declan and Blair were at the doctor’s office, being told that they were having a baby. It was the first time in a year-and-a-half that Blair had seen Declan cry. Blair had worked right up until the week Emily was born, and then their whole lives had changed yet again.
And it was wonderful.
Blair had been home
from the hospital for a week when Scarlett decided to throw a party to introduce Emily to the rest of the shifter family. It was a perfect fall night as the bears and their mates gathered in the backyard, laughing and telling stories about Declan before Blair, and cooed over Emily. There were trays and trays of food, wine and beer, and sparkling grape juice for Blair, and wonderful music that echoed out into the starry night.
As Blair looked on her Declan, holding her daughter, and nuzzling her happily, she felt so lucky; she could hardly believe it. Tears began to form in her eyes as she sat down next to Declan, and he looked up at her, worried.
“Is everything okay, baby?”
Blair reached out and squeezed his hand, then leaned over and gave Emily a kiss on her tiny little head. Then she smiled at Declan with all of the love in her heart.
“Everything is amazing, Declan. Everything is amazing.”
And she knew it always would be…
THE END
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Chapter 1
Aria
2010, Morrisville, Indiana
Aria Smith sat nervously in her bedroom, and she looked at the clock on her bedside table for the hundredth time in the last ten minutes. She felt like she’d been waiting for her boyfriend Reid all night, but really, he was only about fifteen minutes late, which was average for him. But things had been so weird between them lately, that every little thing was being blown out of proportion. In the three years they’d been together, it had never been this complicated, but neither of them was willing to give up on the other.
How do you give up on your first love?
Since the start of their senior year of high school, Aria and Reid had planned to go to Indiana University together. They’d filled out their applications, submitted them, and looked at dorms that were close to each other. Everything was planned, and it was going to be perfect. And then Reid started talking about going into the military, which Aria was one-hundred-percent against. She didn’t want him to get hurt, and she didn’t want him to be that far away. But ever since he’d started talking about it, nothing had been the same.
That weekend, Aria’s parents had left for Indianapolis for a business trip, leaving Aria in charge of the house. She thought it was the perfect opportunity to have Reid over and spend some time talking about their plans, figuring out what they really wanted. And if something else were to happen… even better.
Aria heard the doorbell ring and she jumped out of her bed and ran to the front door. She opened it and her heart swelled when she saw Reid on the other side. Every time they were together, she couldn’t believe he was hers. Really hers. He was so beautiful. With his tan skin, sandy brown hair, and hazel eyes, he could have been a model, but he got super uncomfortable whenever someone told him how good-looking he was. It didn’t help that he was all muscle, with a smatter of stubble that accentuated his strong jaw. When he smiled, it was more of a sexy smirk, and he had deep-set dimples that made Aria’s stomach flutter.
“Hey, gorgeous. I’m not late, am I?”
“You can’t be late for forever.”
That was their standard “call-and-response” whenever they saw each other, and it made Aria indescribably happy. She loved nothing more than when he made her laugh, and he held her in his big strong arms, making the whole world disappear. They walked into the house and plopped down on the couch, and Reid stretched his long legs out on to the coffee table. He let out a long sigh. Silence permeated between them, and Aria felt as though Reid was a million miles away in his thoughts, rather than with her on her parent’s couch.
“What’s on your mind, mister?” Aria asked as she snuggled into Reid’s shoulder.
“The usual. World peace. Animal rights. Joining the military.”
Aria groaned. “Please. Can we not do this tonight? I just want to have one night where we don’t argue.”
Reid pulled Aria into his lap and gave her a deep, slow kiss. The kind that he knew would scramble her brain and make her forget anything they may have been arguing about.
“You’re right. Let’s not argue. Let’s do something more fun.”
He kissed her again, and she felt his warm, minty breath against her lips, then melted into his full, delicious mouth. His lips were so soft. His tongue slid a little into her mouth, licking at her, and pulling back. Reid went back to kissing her softly, barely moving past the seam of her lips, then at the last moment, he would lick into her mouth with the tip of his tongue.
The way he kissed her, alternating between soft kisses and quick, hard licks made her breathing quicken. Her heartbeat raced, her skin prickled, and she could feel a warmth settling at the core of her body. Reid’s hands roamed all over her. Slowly from her fingers, up the backs of her hands to her shoulders, then down her back, caressing and kneading her waist and hips. He moved his right hand up to the nape of her neck, his thumb smoothing over her pulse. He threaded his fingers through her silken hair before tightening his grip on the back of her head, angling her the way he wanted. As Aria gasped, he sunk his tongue back into her mouth. She moaned with pleasure; every time he kissed her, it was like the first time, and she wanted it to be like this forever.
All thoughts of college or the military were long gone. Aria was only focused on Reid and his hands roaming her body. Reid slowly lowered Aria back on to couch and straightened himself.
“You know how much I love you, don’t you, Aria?” Reid asked.
The question only registered in her bliss-filled brain after several seconds had passed. “I do, I know,” she whispered. Speaking a little louder, she responded, “I love you too. Forever and always.”
Reid sat, not beside her, but with his back against the arm of the couch. He turned his body to her and crooked his left leg against the pillows. Then he leaned forward and pulled her to him. Aria went willingly, kneeling between his muscled jean-clad thighs. He touched her hair reverently and brushed it back behind her ear. He held her by the waist and positioned her back on top of him with one easy lift.
Aria gasped; she was always amazed at how strong and powerful he was. She could feel him through her jeans, his rock-hard length pressed to her soft center. Griping her hips, he rubbed her back and forth along his hardness, guiding her into a slow grinding rhythm. His lips moved down her jaw, down her neck to suck on her sensitive skin. Reid pushed her t-shirt up and touched her bare skin, hot to the touch, smooth and soft. He raked his nails lightly along her back. Aria arched her back, waves of desire crashing over her. She lifted both arms as Reid pulled her shirt up and off.
He removed her bra and cupped her breasts. Aria hissed when she felt his warm mouth against her, sucking and nuzzling. She bit her lips and moaned. She couldn’t wait anymore to touch him. Grabbing his soft brown hair, she yanked his head back and crashed her mouth down on his. She was hungry for him, and he leaned back, allowing her to take the lead if she wanted to.
She nibbled at his mouth, sucking his plump lower lip, his chin, scraping her teeth down his neck. He hastily tugged his shirt off. Aria marveled at the muscles of his chest and shoulders, his biceps, his flat stomach; his body was perfection personified. Her eyes followed the trail of hair below his navel and travelled down below the waist of pants.
She reached out and unbuttoned his jeans.
Without a word, Reid lifted her from him, set her on her feet to stand before him. He looked in her beautiful blue eyes as he unbuttoned and unzipped her pants. Aria’s lips were swollen, her lids heavy with desire for him. As she stood before him, naked, he took the rest of his clothes off and sat back down on the couch, pulling her with him, sweeping her hair back over her shoulders. He bent her backwards, and his mouth found her nipple. His hand slid down Aria’s between her breasts, swirled lazily around her belly button, down over the soft hair covering her mound. Reid touched her
hot core, tenderly caressing her.
The sensations from him nibbling on her skin and touching her most intimate parts made her tremble. Not wanting to be out of all the action, she reached between their bodies and grasped his hard length. She wondered at the feel of him, he was velvet covered steel. She stroked him up and down, loving the way he moaned and gasped when she touched him. He brought her lips to his and kissed her, their tongues entangled, passions building higher and more urgent. Reid stopped kissing her to take his wallet out of his pocket. He removed the foil packet, tore it open and rolled the condom on over his length. When he was done, he leaned back, Aria held him in place and positioned herself above him.
She torturously, slowly lowered her tight body down his length. His head had fallen back onto the couch, eyes closed, mouth open, slack-jawed with pleasure. His reactions always made her feel confident, beautiful, strong. Fully seated, she moved up and down, taking her time to adjust to him. He held her hips and urged her to go faster; she could tell she was killing him with her languid movements, but she continued to roll her hips slowly on top of his. Reid quickly changed their positions, laying her on the couch without pulling away from her body. He covered her form with his and sunk deeper into her.
She inhaled swiftly, this new position almost too much for her. Returning her attention to his lips she kissed him, while he started thrusting in and out at a pace that sped up the more she moaned and sighed.
As they settled into a familiar pace, Reid sat up, one foot firmly on the floor, the other folded below her hips. He pushed back on her thighs, opening her up more to his gaze and his, now punishing, rhythm. Aria lost it. Her head thrashing back and forth. He felt so good. She reached for him blindly, her nails scraping and scratching down his thighs; she was going to mark him. She didn’t care. The sensations were building and building inside of her and she felt like screaming. She suddenly had a sensation that her body was exploding into a million pieces.
Furever Always (Furever Series) Page 34
