I nodded. "I know. But it's sure not a great feeling to have the man you love mad at you."
"Don't I know it. Calvin's not very pleased with me right now, either. I've been officially banned from being present at all future possible battles."
We talked for a little while longer, and presently I asked Emily if she knew where Aaron was. She said that somehow, one of the wolves had escaped the fray during the battle and had started running east toward Canada.
"Aaron and Lucas went to push him along a bit and make sure he stays gone. I guess they decided to let him live. And maybe this is a good thing for you, that Aaron went to do this task. Maybe when he returns tonight, he will have cooled off a bit."
I said I certainly hoped so.
We soon left Aaron's cabin, but before we did, Emily stopped in the doorway and gave me a hug.
"By shooting Alexander, you probably saved my life. Thank you. I think we're officially sisters now. And that makes me very happy."
Aaron returned late that night, showered, and climbed into his bed with me. I snuggled into him, testing him to see if he'd push me away. But to my surprise, he took me in his arms and held me tighter than he ever had before, planting kisses all over my face. When he finally finished, I pulled away a little, searching his features in dim light from a lamp on the nightstand.
"Does this mean you're not mad at me anymore?"
"No. I'm still very angry with you, actually. And I'll probably continue to be for a while. But that doesn't mean that I don't still love you with all my heart and soul, Kyla. And that doesn't mean that I still haven't been thanking God all day that you're unharmed and okay. And also, I have to admit, there's a part of me that admires and respects you for being a strong woman not afraid to make her own decisions, although I already admired and respected you even before." He paused, turning on his side, taking a deep breath. "But we have got to work on our trust issues. You could have been hurt very badly today, or even killed. I love you and I want to always protect you. But you have to help me do that by learning to trust me."
"I know. I promise I'll work on trusting you completely."
"Good." Aaron brushed a kiss against my lips. "A step in the right direction."
He kissed me again, this time, his mouth lingering. And before long, his kisses became a little hungrier and more insistent. I rolled onto my side and hooked a leg over his hips, moaning at the feel of his thick hardness pressed against the tingling space between my thighs. He slid a hand down the back of my underwear, caressing my bare bottom and pulling me closer to him.
Soon, his groans joined my moans, and a while later, his growl of completion seemed to shake the cabin walls.
Over the next week, I completed my picture of Aaron holding the purple coneflowers in his mouth in bear form, and I also painted two others. One, him lumbering through the deep woods, me on his back, clutching his fur, the side of my face pressed against his neck. And the other, him raised to full height, roaring, at the beginning of the battle with the wolves. Having a hint that the three paintings contained the passion my high school art teacher had sensed was missing from my previous work, I sent them off to a gallery owner in Detroit who'd sold a few pieces for me in the past. Within days of receiving the paintings, she called to tell me that they'd sold as a set at auction. For a hundred and ten thousand dollars.
That evening, Aaron and his family surprised me with an elaborate dinner in the family meeting cabin to congratulate me. Afterward, Aaron and I sat in one of the swings in the clearing out back, gliding through the warm, evergreen-scented spring air, fireflies dancing around us. His arm around my shoulders, looking thoughtful, he gazed into the trees, and I asked him what was on his mind.
After a long moment, he turned to me, taking my hand. "I'm so incredibly proud of your art success, and I know you might be wanting to get back to Detroit soon to enjoy your new standing in the art community. But I'm also just wondering if you might consider...." He took a deep breath, his dark brows angling upward to the center. "Maybe after a visit home, would you consider staying here in the wilds, with me, on a permanent basis? Would you consider making these wilds your home?"
Smiling, I squeezed his hand. "There's nothing to consider. I don't even need to think about it. These wilds are my permanent home now. My home is with you."
Grinning, Aaron pulled me closer and kissed me while crickets chirped a nighttime symphony around us.
BOOK 2
HER BEAR PROTECTOR 2
BONNIE BURROWS
CHAPTER ONE
I didn't scream for help right away. Even though the river's current was swift, and the water fairly deep, I was a decent swimmer. And I was also a little embarrassed. I figured if I could front-crawl my way to the riverbank and drag myself out of the river with no one being any the wiser, would have been just fine with me.
Situating my chair and easel on the very edge of the riverbank probably hadn't been the smartest move. But there was a beautiful cluster of silver birch trees on the opposite bank that I'd wanted to get as close as possible to. And the ground, although a little damp and springy from recent rains, seemed stable enough.
I'd painted for several hours, enjoying the warm July sunshine and the clean, mossy scent of the wilds of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, or the U.P, as most Michiganders called it. This was copper country, the peninsula's northwest corner, where miners had flocked in the eighteen-fifties, although all of them had long since left. Or, at least, most of them had left. My boyfriend and his six brothers, all former miners, had been turned into shape-shifting bears by a Native American mystic about a hundred-and-fifty years earlier. Their job was to protect the land from development, and in exchange for this, they would be immortal, as long as they remained within particular boundaries of the wilds. So, my boyfriend and his brothers were bound to the land forever. Not that any of them minded. And not that I minded. Ever since I'd left Detroit about two months ago, to live in the copper country wilds with Aaron, my bear-shifter boyfriend, my life had seemed like a fantasy.
I woke up in Aaron's arms every morning, whether we'd decided to stay at my cabin the night before, or his. Many mornings, he brought me breakfast in bed. I spent my afternoons painting while he hunted or made furniture for his family's woodworking business. I went into Houghton, a small town about four miles east, about once a week for groceries and to ship finished paintings to an art gallery in Detroit that displayed and sold my work. At least once a week, I'd enjoy a big family dinner with Aaron, his six brothers, and three sisters-in-law. Several times a week Aaron and I would have dinner together, just the two of us, and usually by candlelight. And nearly every night, we'd make love. And sometimes, even a few times a night. And sometimes, even a time or two during the day. Aaron had told me early in our relationship that bear shifters possessed increased appetite, and not just for food. This fact did not bother me one bit, to say the least.
I was in love, and life was good. Incredibly good. I actually couldn't remember ever being so happy. And I knew that happiness would continue and that even better days with Aaron were in store. I looked forward to spending the rest of my life with him. I wasn't going to let one little ol' river winding its way through the wilderness on its way to Lake Superior mess all that up for me.
After the earth beneath my painting chair had crumbled, sending me tumbling into the river, I'd worked my arms until they burned, trying to front-crawl my way to the shore. But the current didn't seem to want to let me get there.
I soon rested, floating, realizing I was in a bit of trouble, while the swift current carried me downstream. I wasn't sure where Aaron or any of his family members were. I wasn't even sure where I was anymore. I glanced up at trees, boulders, and shrubs along the banks, trying to figure out if I'd already passed the stretch of river that came within maybe a quarter-mile of Aaron's family's cabin settlement. Trying to figure out if I yelled, and there was anyone home, if my voice would carry far enough for them to hear me. With the dense forest muff
ling sound, I knew that was a long shot, but Aaron and the other shifter bears did have slightly increased hearing compared to regular humans. And I was tired, and I knew I couldn't float down the river forever. And I knew if I reached the lake, I'd be in serious trouble. Realizing I didn't have many options left, I began yelling for help.
But after maybe a solid minute, the only response I heard was the tapping of a woodpecker nearby. The current seemed to be getting swifter. The roots of a giant sycamore jutted out several feet into the river, and I grabbed at one, missing by inches.
"Help!"
I was beginning to have a hard time keeping my head above water. My arms burned. My lungs burned. My wet tennis shoes, jeans, and top seemed to be dragging me down.
"Aaron!"
Another giant sycamore loomed up ahead, its roots jutting into the river even farther than the roots of the previous tree had. I took a few deep breaths, floating nearer and nearer to it. I lunged, grabbing. But I missed.
"Aaron!"
I flailed my arms, fighting the pull of the water. I decided to make one last attempt to reach the bank. I relaxed for a few moments, sucking in big gulps of air. I took off, swimming parallel to the current. Within half a minute, I realized my efforts were futile. I stopped swimming and let myself be carried again, bright sunshine and cheery birdsong making a mockery of my desperate situation.
I took another lungful of air. "Help! Aaron! Anyone! Hel-"
Water splashed over my face, and I began sinking. My head became submerged. In the quiet underwater gurgle of the river, holding my breath, I pictured Aaron's face. I decided I wasn't about to stop fighting.
Using what little strength remained in my arms, I propelled myself upward. My head broke the surface of the water, and I gasped, choking.
"Aaron!"
A dark shape was moving parallel to the bank closest to me. Coughing, my eyes stinging and bleary, I tried to focus on it, but it was moving so fast. It was something inky black. It was running on four legs. I blinked a few times. It was Aaron.
Within seconds, he cut through the dense trees and dove into the river, changing from bear to human form in mid-air. With just a few powerful strokes of his long, muscled arms, he reached me and pulled me close.
I rested my head against his shoulder. "Not a moment too soon."
"Haven't I told you I'll buy you a bathing suit if you really want one? No need to go swimming in your clothes."
He knew darn well I had a bathing suit.
"Hilarious. But too tired to laugh."
He set off for the bank, pulling me along in one arm, the current not even seeming to slow or strain him in the least. Soon he lifted me up and onto the bank, and I sat back against a maple tree, panting.
He sat down next to me, pulled me close, and planted a few kisses all over my face. "Are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Shouldn't you have asked me that before the joke about my 'swimming' attire?"
His deep green eyes twinkled. "Ah, a saucy mouth. Maybe I'll just toss you back in for another swim. I'll be back after a trip into town to buy you a bathing suit."
I smiled. "I'm fine. Just tired. Not hurt. Except maybe just my pride a little, though. The ground beneath my painting chair crumbled or something, and I fell in. I was so embarrassed that I didn't even call for help until a few minutes later. Thought I could get out myself."
Aaron frowned. "I haven't been very far away from you all afternoon. If you'd called out when you fell in, I could have helped you right away."
"I just thought I could get out by myself, though."
"I know, but just think about what could have happened if you'd finally decided to yell, but found you didn't have the strength to. Think about what could have happened if the current had carried you out of earshot by then." He closed his eyes briefly. "I can hardly stand to think about what could have happened."
I nodded, realizing he was right. "I should have yelled sooner."
He took my hand. "Kyla, please. Promise me something. If you're ever in danger again...any kind of danger, no matter how big or small...no matter if you're embarrassed or you feel silly...you yell for me. Right away. And I'll come running. With my increased hearing, I'm rarely out of yelling distance, whether I'm hunting or back at the cabins. I want to always protect you. I don't think I'd make it if anything ever happened to you. And I couldn't be more serious about that. So, yell. Yell at the top of your lungs, even if you think that the dangerous situation is also an embarrassing one. Okay? Can you promise me that?"
I nodded. "I promise. I'll yell for you. Even if I'm embarrassed."
"Good."
I set my head on Aaron's shoulder, my breathing slowly returning to normal. "My first thought when I realized I was going in the river was, 'Gosh...this is such a 'big girl' problem. To actually have the ground underneath your chair collapse. Maybe I should take this as a sign to lose a few pounds."
Even though my doctor had always declared me in perfectly good health at my yearly physicals, I knew I was about forty or fifty pounds heavier than what was average for a five-foot-four-inch frame, and I knew it probably wouldn't kill me to lose a little weight. Even though Aaron seemed nearly driven to insanity by my curves sometimes, and even though he told me constantly how beautiful my body was.
He pulled away to look at my face, his dark brows drawing together. "Hey. What happened to you with the chair could have happened to anyone. After a few heavy rains, the ground near the banks will give way if even a small child steps on it."
"I know. I guess I'm just so used to feeling self-conscious about my weight. You're the first man who's ever not had a problem with it."
Aaron's dark-lashed eyes widened. "'The first man who's ever not had a problem with it'? Not only do I not have a 'problem' with it, I think your body is absolutely gorgeous. It's soft and feminine...curvy in all the right places. It's simply...." He sighed, his breath coming out as a faint growl. "Put it this way. If I live to be ten thousand years old, I could never tire of your body. Just trust me on this one. I find it almost excruciatingly tempting."
I smiled, lowing my eyes. "Well, thank you."
I suddenly realized Aaron was naked, since he'd shifted from bear form and of course, hadn't been wearing any clothes. And even in my thoroughly exhausted state, I couldn't help but appreciate his naked body, all six-foot-three of it. Droplets of river water glinted on his skin, all the way from his broad, strong shoulders and chiseled chest down to his washboard abs and long, muscular thighs. I suddenly began to feel not-quite-so-exhausted. Energized even.
I brought my gaze back up to his face. "Maybe I need you to show me again how much you appreciate my body. And these clothes I'm in are awfully wet. Maybe I should even...I don't know. Just have you help me out of them or something. That is, unless you're in a hurry to get back to whatever you were doing before you heard me yelling and rescued me from the river."
Aaron's eyes gleamed. "I was hunting, but believe you me, that can wait. An offer to help you out of your clothes is an offer I couldn't refuse, no matter what I was doing." He brushed a damp lock of my long blonde hair out of my face. "But, Kyla? Do know that if I'm going to show you how much I appreciate your body, I'm going to do a thorough job of it. I'm not just going to show you, I'm going to convince you. And a thorough convincing could take some time. Because I'll want to make sure to give each and every part of your body the careful appreciation it deserves."
I exhaled a fluttery little breath. "Okay."
"So are you willing to make the time commitment required for a thorough convincing?"
Butterflies danced in my stomach. "Yeah."
"And are you willing to allow me to carefully examine each and every inch of your naked body in order for me to fully appreciate every inch and then express that appreciation?"
The butterflies in my stomach erupted in a frenzy of flapping wings.
I nodded, realizing he'd be examining each and every inch of my body in full outdoor daylight.
"Mm-hmm."
Aaron's eyes twinkled.
"Good, then. Now, why don't I help you up, and we'll determine which article of your clothing is the wettest and needs to be removed first."
He pulled me to my feet and looked me up and down, a few droplets of water falling from his thick, dark hair onto the broad expanse of his hard chest. The sound of a woodpecker knocking on a tree nearby seemed to imitate the rapid beating of my heart.
"Hm. Your top does appear to be positively drenched. I think we'll remove that first."
He pulled it up and over my head and then hung it on a nearby tree branch. He feasted his eyes on my glistening cleavage, my skin still wet from the river. I was glad that I'd happened to put on one of my favorite push-up bras that morning, one that really showed my full breasts to their best advantage. Although, I had a feeling I wouldn't be wearing it much longer. As if reading my mind, Aaron reached around, undid the clasp, and removed it.
"So beautiful." He hung the bra on the same tree branch as my top without ever taking his gaze from my breasts. "Gorgeous."
He cupped my breasts, his thumbs on my hardened nipples, and began kissing me, his mouth firm and warm. Slightly dizzy, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pressed my lower body into his already-hardened manhood, eliciting a little groan. He circled my nipples with his thumbs, the sensation causing me to make a few little noises myself.
But abruptly, he pulled away, his breathing a little ragged. "Gotta take our time. Gotta examine every inch of you." His thumbs still circling my aching nipples, his gaze slowly swept the fullness of my breasts. "Curves to make a man insane."
His eyes glassy, he took my left breast in both hands, lightly squeezing it, stiffening my nipple even further. He bent his head and took my nipple into his mouth, his tongue soon flicking, stroking, teasing. I threw my head back, sighing. An ache began building low in my belly, one that somehow seemed connected to a tingling between my thighs. Presently he moved his mouth to my other breast, the feel of his firm tongue gliding over my hardened nipple making me moan.
Her Bear Protector Trilogy Page 7
