by Ruby Shae
“Yes. The Rosewood, room 214, at eight o’clock, and not a minute before.”
“Perfect. Happy Valentine’s Day. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going for a run.”
She walked down the porch steps, shifted into her bear form, and then ran down a hidden trail that led into the woods. It was only then that he noticed the driveway leading up to her house.
He shook his head and laughed as he shifted into his bear form. The woman led others to believe there was only one way to her home, effectively forcing bears to shift and run. She was crafty, and he liked her style.
He was sure everyone left her home feeling positive, encouraged and enlightened.
He sure did.
He walked down the hill, slower than when he’d arrived, and ignored the time. He had a couple hours before eight, and the fresh air would do him good.
***
Marianne visited the front desk, and then rode the elevator up to her suite. She’d been in the hotel restaurant before, but she’d never stayed in one of the rooms. When she opened the door, she marveled at the décor. The upholstery on the couch and chair was a deep, ruby red accented in gold, and matching throw pillows and curtains completed the ensemble.
The bedroom linen matched the deep reds in the sitting room, and the furniture was cream colored with gold accents. Overhead lighting was conveniently placed so the room didn’t look too dark, and the only thing missing was a bouquet of roses.
She decided to try and pick some up after her run, but first she called the salon. She knew it was probably a long shot, but if possible, a princess needed a glittering red manicure for Valentine’s Day.
Luckily, there’d been a cancellation a few minutes before and they were able to fit her in.
After the manicure, Marianne took a long walk, and then entered the woods and shifted into her bear form. All bears were big, and in her shifted form she was the same size as any other female bear shifter. As a bear, she wasn’t too curvy, or too tall. She was normal.
She ran through the trees, raced a rabbit to a burrow, and followed a squirrel up a tree just for fun. Most black bear shifters didn’t hunt to kill, and these tiny animals seemed to know they were safe. The squirrel chuckled at her and then jumped into a neighboring tree, and scurried down as if following the swirling pattern of a barber’s pole.
She climbed back down the tree, shifted back into her human form, and then walked down the closest trail out of the woods. She bought twelve single red roses from a street vendor, picked up a candle and a pint of ice cream from the drug store, and went back to her room.
She ordered room service and then lit the candle and took a long, relaxing bubble bath. The enormous basin could easily hold four people, but she was glad she didn’t have to share.
She stayed in until her fingers pruned and her stomach rumbled again, and then she dried off, donned one of the hotel robes and sat in front of the TV with her ice cream. She played one of her favorite movies and openly cried at all the sad and mushy parts.
Caleb had crept in and out of her mind all day, but this was the first time she had trouble getting rid of him. He was the only man she’d ever known who hadn’t laughed and made fun of her when she cried during commercials, and he’d encouraged her to cry openly during movies, too.
Would she ever find another man who accepted her overly sensitive side? She had a feeling she would never fully enjoy a movie again unless she was alone.
Don’t think about him!
A loud knocking sound echoed through the room, and she paused the movie and waited for the intruder to leave. They obviously had the wrong room, and she figured they would move on when she didn’t answer.
Suddenly, the loud knocking turned into pounding and yelling.
“Marianne, it’s me, Caleb. I know you’re in there. Open up!”
Caleb? How did he find her? Had something happened?
She rushed to the door and swung it open.
“Caleb,” she breathed. “What’s wrong?”
He held a dozen red roses, and he’d gotten a haircut since she’d seen him over coffee that morning. His shirt and pants were pressed, and he looked angry as hell.
“Where is he? I’ll fucking kill him,” he pushed the flowers into her hands, and stormed into the room. She closed the door behind him, and noticed his hands were balled into fists.
“Who are you looking for?” she asked.
“Your date,” he said, searching the bedroom. “Where is he hiding?”
“Caleb, there’s no one here but me.”
He came back into the sitting room.
“Then why are you crying,” he roared.
She grabbed the sleeve of the robe, wiped her eyes, and let out a nervous laugh.
“I was watching a movie,” she admitted.
He glanced at the TV screen and some of his anger dissipated.
“Aww, baby doll, you know you’re not supposed to watch those sad movies alone,” he said, and then he crossed the room and enveloped her in a hug.
His firm body felt like a cocoon around her, and she never wanted him to let her go. He smelled like soap, the woods, and something unique to only him. She closed her eyes and enjoyed his embrace, but she knew it had to end.
He kissed the top of her head and let her go.
“Caleb, what are you doing here?” she asked. “Did CeCe tell you where I was?”
“I told you this morning I had something to tell you, but when I got home from lunch with Fiona, all I found was this note,” he said, and pulled the crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket. He crossed the room and grunted at the roses she’d bought for herself, and then faced her again. “CeCe didn’t tell me, the Matchmaker did. Where’s your date?”
“What? The Matchmaker told you where I was?”
“Yeah. Where’s your date? Is he coming back here?”
“I…,” she stared at the flowers in her hand, searching for the right words. She decided on the truth. “I didn’t have a date tonight. I never even called her. I have no idea how she knew where to find me.”
She couldn’t face him, and the flowers became blurry as she waited for his censure.
It never came.
“Why did you lie, baby doll?” he moved closer to her. “Why are you moving out of our home?”
Our home.
If only those words were true. Suddenly, she saw no point in lying anymore.
“I love you,” she said, still staring at the flowers.
He moved in front of her and lifted her chin.
“I love you, too. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because men don’t want tall and curvy, they want short, petite, and preferably blond.”
“That’s what your ex wanted, not me. If you don’t know how much I want your curvy body, then I need to step up my game. Last night, the only reason I was awake when you got home is because I can’t sleep without you beside me. I don’t mean sex, although that’s a nice perk, I mean I need to feel you beside me all night long.”
“How come you never told me?” she asked.
“Because you said you wanted friendship and nothing more. I was afraid that if I told you how much I want you, you’d leave me. I decided to take what I could get in hopes you’d change your mind.”
“So, we both love each other? What do we do now?” she asked tentatively.
“Well…,” he said, and got down on one knee. He pulled a ring out of his pocket, and the tears she’d managed to hold onto up until now escaped. “I got this ring today, and I was hoping you might wear it for the rest of our lives? I want to mark you, marry you, have cubs, and live happily ever after. What do you say?”
She smiled at him through the tears streaming down her face, and nodded.
“Yes.”
Chapter Four
Caleb stood, lifted Marianne into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. The seconds between his proposal and her acceptance seemed to last forever, and he could barely breathe.
Th
e ring wasn’t planned, but he had no regrets.
After his visit with the Matchmaker, he walked to the barber shop to see if they had any openings, and was able to sit down immediately for a trim. His next stop was the coffee shop.
He needed caffeine if he planned on trying to track down another dozen roses before he showed up at the hotel. He hadn’t put the ones from earlier in water, and he could only imagine what they looked like hours later. Marianne deserved the best, even if he had to pay top dollar.
The window of the jewelry store next to the coffee shop had been decorated with pink and red hearts and silver streamers. Diamonds filled up the display, but the dark red rubies in the corner caught his eye.
The ring was square, princess cut, and set in a platinum band with a square diamond on each side. The post earrings next to the box matched. The rubies were smaller, but they had the same color and cut, and each one had a small diamond on the top.
The shop owner had just locked the door, but when he saw Caleb reach for the handle, he let him in. He bought both pieces and planned to give her the earrings later. Luckily, the ring didn’t have to be sized.
When he reached the flower shop, the fourth one he’d visited that day, it seemed as if it were an ordinary day, instead of the day of love. Roses in every color filled the buckets in the cool, refrigerated area and he decided not to question anything. He bought a dozen red, Marianne’s favorites, and had them wrapped in red and white tissue paper, and tied with red and white ribbons.
The time to meet Marianne was fast approaching, and so he went home to shower and change, and then rehearsed what he was going to say.
All of that had gone out the window when she’d opened the door with tears in her eyes.
He’d stormed into the room, ready to fight to the death if necessary, but it had all been a misunderstanding. She’d created an elaborate ruse because she loved him, and he hadn’t communicated his feelings well enough. He vowed to never make that mistake again.
He set her down in front of the bed and kissed her lips gently. She kissed him back, swiping her tongue against him, and then whimpered when he left her mouth. He rained kisses down her chin and neck, stopping at the juncture between her neck and shoulder.
He licked the tender flesh and she moaned.
“I’m going to mark you here,” he said, licking the flesh again and nibbling at the skin with his teeth. “Is that alright?”
The mate mark would strengthen their bond on a personal level, and keep other shifters away, but it served no other purpose. Their wedding bands also did those things, and some mates had opted to have the mark hidden someplace else on their bodies.
He would agree to whatever she wanted, but he really wanted her mark exposed.
“Yes,” she said breathlessly. “I want the world to know I belong to you.”
His cock hardened at the sound of her confession, and he couldn’t wait to fuck her.
“Good,” he said, and undid the sash of her robe.
The soft, fluffy fabric fell open and revealed her naked body.
“You are so beautiful,” he said, kissing her skin. “I’m going to kiss every inch of your curvy body, and then I’m going to fuck you until you scream my name.”
Her breasts heaved when she took a shaky breath, and his dick hardened even further. His pants had been loose, but he could feel the zipper pressing against the confined flesh. If she touched him, he’d probably embarrass himself.
Even though they’d made love hundreds of times over the last year, this was the first time he knew, without a doubt, she belonged to him. The realization only fueled his hunger.
He pushed the robe off her shoulders and let it fall to the ground, and then he kissed her shoulder, one of her hard nipples, her stomach and her inner thigh. He continued his random assault until he had touched every part of her body at least once.
She tried to reach for him, but he avoided her grasp as he moved around her curvy form. After the first initial kisses, she stopped trying and let her hands fall to her sides. She closed her eyes, and her breath hitched in anticipation of where his lips would land next, then she’d let out either a moan or a giggle. Both sounds propelled him forward.
Soon he’d touched every inch of her skin.
He kissed her lips again and she immediately started untucking his shirt. When the material was free, she pushed it up his chest and tugged until he pulled it over his head and threw it across the room. Her hands moved to his belt and loosened the buckle, and then she unfastened his pants.
She knelt in front of him, eased the fabric down to his thighs and let it fall to the ground. The metal from the buckle landed on his big toe, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t concentrate on anything else with Marianne on her knees in front of him.
She slowly lowered his boxers, and then licked his cock from the base to the tip. Liquid pooled from his slit and she used her tongue to swirl it around the head, and then she closed her mouth around him.
He fisted one hand in her hair and watched as she moved up and down his cock. Her cheeks hollowed as she swirled her tongue around him on the way down, and then she pulled back and let his dick glide out on her tongue. She licked his slit and then repeated the painfully slow, controlled movements.
He loved watching her suck his cock, but he didn’t want to come in her mouth.
“I don’t want to come in your mouth, baby doll,” he said, stepping away. When he saw her frown, he added, “Not this time.”
He pulled her off the floor and spanked her ass.
Smack!
“Get on your hands and knees.”
She eagerly jumped on the bed and lowered her weight to her forearms. He circled two fingers around her pussy and then pushed them in deep.
“You’re soaking wet,” he said as he easily slid the digits in and out.
She pushed back into him and rode his hand, coating his fingers with her essence. When she moaned and moved faster, he pulled his fingers out and spanked her ass again.
Smack!
“Caleb…please,” she begged.
“Please spank you again?” he asked, knowing how much she loved the playful swats.
“Yes, and then fuck me. Hard.”
Smack!
He spanked her again and then massaged the pain away as he held onto her ass and pushed his cock into her soaking wet pussy. He kissed her spine, pressed her chest further down, and held her in place as he gave her exactly what she’d asked for.
He pounded into her hard and fast, until he felt his orgasm approaching. Marianne moaned and mumbled incoherent words, signaling her release was also near.
His canines elongated and he leaned over and sank them into the juncture between her neck and shoulder. Marianne screamed his name at an octave he’d never heard come out of her before, and he was certain most of the hotel knew what they were doing.
Her moans and cries of pleasure pushed him to move faster, and he held on with his teeth until he couldn’t take it anymore. He released her shoulder and roared long and loud. The sound was almost completely from his animal form, which shocked him.
He leaned over and licked where he’d bitten her, and tried to catch his breath.
He’d heard how intense a mating could be, but he hadn’t expected something so strong, powerful, and life altering.
When he thought he could move, he pulled out and lay down next to her. She turned on her side and faced him.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “Was it painful?”
“Only for a second, but in a good way,” she smiled. “I’m absolutely perfect.”
“That was pretty amazing,” he said, moving a lock of hair from covering her eye to behind her ear, “and way more intense than I expected.”
“For me, too. Are you happy, Caleb?”
“I’m more than happy, baby doll. You are my everything, and I love you.” He kissed her on the forehead. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“I love you, too. Happy Valentine’s Day,” s
he whispered and closed her eyes.
He covered them both with a blanket and let Marianne’s gentle breathing lull him to sleep.
***
Marianne smelled roses and opened her eyes. The room was dark, but she could easily see Caleb and the rose he held in his hand. His eyes twinkled in the dimly lit room and she knew him well enough to know he was up to something.
“What are you doing, mate?” she asked.
“I like the sound of that word coming from your mouth, say it again.”
“Mate,” she said, and he kissed her.
His lips moved over hers hard and unyielding, and she kissed him back with the same rough desire. He shoved his tongue inside her mouth, and she met him stroke for stroke. He broke the kiss and handed her the rose. She sniffed it and watched as he pulled another from the vase on the nightstand.
“What are you going to do with that rose?” she asked, rolling onto her back.
He took the blanket off her, and she spread her legs open.
“I want to see where you like these petals the most.”
He pulled the rose between her breasts and down her stomach, and then he brushed it over the soft folds of her cunt. Her pussy contracted, and she felt her essence pool between her legs.
“Hmmm… I think I’ve found the place,” he said.
“Caleb, I want you.”
He tossed the rose onto the floor, crawled on top of her, and positioned his cock at her entrance. He eased into her slowly, and then pulled back in the same maddening pace. She figured it was payback for when she’d sucked his cock, but she didn’t care.
She liked going slow as much as she liked going fast, and her desire for him was endless. He could make love to her any way he wanted and she’d always be ready.
“There’s something I don’t understand,” she said, and laughed when he raised his eyebrow. She’d often spoken to him during sex, and though he acted like it annoyed him, she knew otherwise.
“What is that, baby doll?”
“How did the Matchmaker know where I was? I never called her to set up a date. I don’t know what she looks like, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never even spoken to her. How did she know which hotel, which room, and the exact time you needed to arrive to find me upset?”
