by Ruby Shae
“I need a condom,” he said, dashing into the bedroom.
He returned holding a box of protection before she could process his words. He tried to break the safety seal on the box three times before he gave up and ripped the box apart. Strips of condoms flew everywhere and she laughed.
“You’re wearing way too many clothes,” he said, pushing down his pants and boxers.
His cock bounced against his lower abs, and she noticed it had a slight curve. She watched as he rolled on the condom. The size of him should have been intimidating, but she’d always wanted to fuck a large man.
When he was fully covered, her laughter died and she stood to remove the rest of her clothing.
“Do you want to go into the bedroom?”
“No, sit down,” she ordered.
He did as she asked and she grabbed his cock and guided it to her entrance.
“Take it easy,” he warned, but she didn’t want to go slow.
She abruptly lowered herself, accepting him all in one stroke, and wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt his fingers grip her hips and her pussy tightened around his cock. Pleasure and pain mixed as her body stretched to accommodate his size, and she let out a long moan that almost didn’t sound human.
“Are you okay?” he asked, pushing her upper body away so he could see her face. “I’m a big guy, sweetheart. You shouldn’t have rushed it.”
“I’m absolutely perfect,” she said and kissed him on the lips.
Seth let her take the lead and she used her knees and thighs to help her inch up and down his hard rod. She felt his cock pulse and her pussy responded by contracting around him. Every stroke caused a flood of white hot liquid to ease his way.
Suddenly he gripped her hips again and thrust upward, taking control. She relinquished the power easily; satisfied she’d pushed him to the limit.
Three strokes later, she came. She screamed his name loud enough for the whole town to hear, but he didn’t relent. He pounded into her as if his life depended on pushing her to orgasm again. Several strokes later, he thrust one final time and they came together.
The raw animalistic growl that left his throat shouldn’t have turned her on, but it did. If she could have moved, she would have suggested they go again, thrilled by his uninhibited response.
Unfortunately, he’d worn her out. She lay in his arms, a tingling, shaking mass, unable to move. They were still connected when she drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Three
Seth laid his head on the back of the couch and tried to catch his breath. Ana’s steady breathing threatened to lure him to sleep, but he fought the urge. They were still connected, and as much as he wanted to stay in the position until morning, he needed to dispose of the condom.
When his breathing returned to normal, he supported her back and ass and stood. His dick popped out of her wet hole and he immediately felt the loss. Any doubt about whether or not she belonged to him left when her lips touched his. He’d never felt anything like the connection they had and he couldn’t even entertain the idea of holding another woman in his arms. The thought made his stomach roll.
Ana didn’t move when he carried her to the bedroom and he wondered how long it had been since she’d had a good night’s sleep. He knew she had run from something, but he had no idea how long she’d been on the road.
He went to the bathroom, took care of the condom and returned with a washcloth, wet with warm water. Carefully, he rolled her onto her back and let her knees fall open. The sight of her open pussy made him grow hard again. One day he would wake her up by shoving his tongue inside her, but he wouldn’t do it today. He knew she’d be sore in the morning.
Seth carefully wiped away the evidence of their love making, and then dropped the washcloth on the floor. He turned Ana to the side and plastered himself against her back. He secured her to him with his arm around her waist.
In that moment, he knew what he had to do next.
Fifty years ago he’d been convinced he’d found his mate. Gage had advised against the match. His brother explained how she couldn’t be the one, listing a slew of what Seth had considered insults. Later, after she left running, he’d realized they hadn’t been insults, they had been the truth.
Elsa, his ex, hadn’t been a nice person, but it was more than that. She had a mean streak that often times went against his morals. He couldn’t stand the way she treated strangers, let alone her friends and family. If she had agreed to be his mate, he would have been tied to the horrible woman for eternity. Luckily, she thought his ability to shift was an abomination, and embarrassment kept her from outing him. She didn’t want anyone to know she’d fucked an animal, even if he’d been in his human form at the time.
In the end, he’d realized she’d been a warm body and he’d been tired of being alone.
Pride had kept him away longer than necessary, but his brother had welcomed him back with open arms and he intended to stay close. He didn’t know how close that would be until he found Ana. With her by his side, he no longer felt the desire to roam and live in solidarity.
He wanted the comfort and support provided by a family and clan.
Unlike Elsa, Ana’s heart was pure. Though she hadn’t told him her secrets, he trusted her and he knew in time she would let down her barriers. It would be easier to protect her if he knew something about the enemy, but he wouldn’t push her. She might be a fragile human, but he was an immortal. He couldn’t die even if he wanted to.
A smile crossed his lips as he thought about the things he needed to accomplish over the next few days. With a plan in mind, he drifted to sleep with Ana safe in his arms.
***
The next morning, Seth woke to the sunlight streaming through the window. From the placement of the sun, he guessed it was around ten in the morning. He didn’t have to look at Ana’s side of the bed to know she’d left. He’d known it wouldn’t be easy to win her over, but her absence still hurt. He hadn’t planned on sleeping with her, but when she’d initiated sex, he thought they were making progress.
He sighed and got out of bed. Thirty minutes later, he sat at a table in the café and sipped his coffee.
“She’s not scheduled to come in for another hour,” Kate said, arranging his large breakfast plates on the table.
“I’ve already checked her apartment and she didn’t answer the door,” he said. He’d purposely chosen a table that faced the window and he’d been staring at the street looking for any sign of her.
“Give her some time. I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but I know she’s under a lot of stress right now. She might need some time to sort out her feelings.”
He grunted and Kate left him alone to tend to her other tables.
The smell of the food tempted him to break his search, but he didn’t give in until his stomach growled. He cleaned both plates, settled the bill and walked out onto the street.
He needed to speak to his brother, but he decided to try Ana’s apartment one more time.
She stepped off the stairs in front of him and turned in the opposite direction. She seemed distracted and jumped when he tapped her shoulder.
“Hey, it’s me.”
“Oh… Hi Seth.”
“Is everything okay? I called your name three times before I tapped you.”
“Yeah,” she looked around as if seeing the area for the first time. “I’m fine.”
“Where are you going?”
“To the café. My shift starts at noon.”
“The café is that way,” he pointed in the opposite direction. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing, I’m just a bit tired.”
“Me too,” he said, and then leaned closer and whispered, “I was disappointed that you were gone when I woke up. I wanted to do so many naughty things to you this morning.”
“About that,” she said. “Last night was fun, but I don’t think we should see each other anymore.”
“What?” he asked. He’d raised his voice
in a combination of shock and anger and the couple across the street turned and looked at them briefly. He lowered his voice and questioned her again.
“What are you talking about?”
“I like you, but what happened last night can’t happen again. I can’t be your booty call whenever you get lonely.”
“The last thing you are is a booty call. I don’t know why you’d think that, but I can assure you it’s not true.” He had no idea what he’d done to make her think that, but he needed to tell her the truth as soon as possible. “Look, we need to talk. I have to go into the city for a couple of days. Why don’t you come with me? We can drive down in the morning, spend the night in a hotel and return the following day.”
“I’m sick of hotels and I can’t afford to miss work. Besides, I don’t think we have anything more to discuss.” She brushed passed him and headed for the café.
“Ana—”
“I’m late, Seth. I can’t talk to you anymore right now.” She tried to steel her voice, but he’d heard the underlying tremble. It pained her to push him away.
“Okay, then we’ll talk when I get back. If you run into any problems, go see the sheriff immediately. Gage will protect you with his life until I return. I’ll see you in two days.”
“Seth, I—”
This time he cut her off.
“You have to go to work. I’ll see you later, Ana.”
He balled his fists, turned away from her stunned expression and stormed to the sheriff’s office. His bear begged him to go back and kiss her until she trusted him. The idea had merit, but he knew it wasn’t the way to win her trust. Or her love.
She needed time, and he could give it to her if he made his trip alone.
By the time he reached the sheriff’s office, he had calmed down, but he still looked out the tiny window to see if he could see her. The odd angle gave him no hint as to whether or not she went inside the café.
“Mate trouble?” Gage laughed.
“Where’s Dave?”
“He’s running an errand. I know that look. How’s it going?”
“We slept together and now she’s trying to push me away.”
“I though you said you were going to take it slow,” Gage reprimanded.
“I was. Did. She initiated it and I couldn’t stop.”
“Got what she wanted and now she’s done with you, huh? That sucks.”
Rage washed over him and he rounded the desk, pulled Gage out of his chair and slammed him against the wall. His forearm pushed into the other man’s throat, cutting off his air supply. He wouldn’t do any real damage, but it felt good to lash out and defend his woman.
“Don’t you dare talk about her like that. Ever again. Do you understand?” He pushed harder against Gage’s throat and the man wheezed out some words.
“Was joking. Sorry.”
Seth let go and backed away.
“I’m sorry,” Seth said, and crossed back to the other side of the small office. “She’s driving me crazy, but I know that’s no excuse.”
Gage bent over and rested his hands on his knees. Silence filled the room while he sucked in big gulps of air. Once recovered, he grabbed the rolling desk chair and pulled it back toward the desk.
“No, I’m sorry,” he paused to catch his breath again. “Teasing or not, I shouldn’t have said that. Damn. You’ve gotten stronger,” he said, rubbing his throat as he resumed his seat at the desk.
“Well, I am bigger than you.” They both laughed at the old family joke. Gage was big, but Seth beat his height by two inches and his chest put Gage’s to shame. The younger brother didn’t look so little anymore.
Gage motioned to the chair next to Dave’s desk.
“Sit down. What’s on your mind?”
“I want to build a house.”
“Great. Where?”
“Well, I found out the state is selling the piece of property at the edge of yours. I’d like to buy it, but I don’t want to rip up too many trees. If you don’t mind, I’d like to build on the property line. We’d be about a half mile away from you and Kate.”
“I don’t mind at all, but you don’t have to buy the land. You can build on my property.”
“I think we’re going to need all the land we can get. If I can close the deal, we’ll have plenty of room if other bears decide to stay.”
“Good idea, but that means a trip into the city.”
“Yeah. I’ll leave in the morning and be back the following day. I asked her to come with me, but she declined. I’m hoping the space will give her time to miss me.”
“It might work. In the meantime, Kate and I will keep an eye on her.”
“That’s what I hoped. I told her if she needed anything to come see you.”
“Good. I’ve put out some feelers and called in a few favors, but I haven’t found out anything about her situation yet.”
“Okay, keep me posted.”
Dave walked in the office a few minutes later and after a debate about the best way to cook a steak, Seth went home and prepared for his trip the following day.
He wanted to go to the café for dinner, but he forced himself to stay home. He hated giving Ana any space, but if she needed it, he would try. For now.
The next morning he woke before dawn and left town before the sun peeked over the mountain. He drove slowly down the deserted street and glanced up at Ana’s dark window before the turned onto the road that would take him to the main highway.
He wanted to go back and storm her apartment, wake her from slumber with the pleasure of his tongue, and then force her to tell him everything.
It was going to be a long two days.
***
Ana focused on her reflection in the mirror and grimaced. A drip of the black dye crawled down her face. If she didn’t wash it off soon, she’d have permanent evidence of her cover up.
Her stomach tensed again and she thought about the way Seth left her on the street two days ago. She’d known he wouldn’t keep her around, but somehow she’d still allowed herself to dream. She could have went on the trip into the city, but why prolong the pain.
They’d only been together once and her body yearned for him in a way she didn’t understand. She’d succumbed to using her vibrator twice a day, but unlike before, it didn’t leave her satisfied. If anything, she seemed to want him more.
He’d touched her as though she’d been made for him to pleasure, but it wasn’t only about sex or her strong attraction. She genuinely liked him.
He’d showed her nothing but kindness since she’d arrived in town, and while most of the residents had been kind, he was the only one she couldn’t stop thinking about. Their conversation over dinner had been comfortable and she remembered thinking, wishing, that she could be with him forever. His devotion to his family and the town’s people solidified her opinion of him.
She’d never met anyone to rival his perfection, and for the first time in her life, she wished she could change to be perfect for him. In the past, she’d wanted to be thin, but though she took care of herself, the weight didn’t come off easily. Somewhere along the way, she’d decided that being healthy was more important than impressing a man.
Now, more than ever, she wished she hadn’t given up. Seth deserved a woman who rivaled his perfection and it didn’t start with someone tall, overweight and on the run.
She shook her head and set down the color applicator. How many more months would she have to run? Would those who sought her out ever give up? Did she even stand a chance at a normal life, or were they playing another game to make her think she was safe before they pounced.
Suddenly, a loud bang sounded from the other room. She heard the wood crack and realized someone must have broken down her front door. She grabbed the applicator and silently cursed the almost empty container. She’d only have one shot to get it in her attacker’s eyes. A brief glance at the counter confirmed it would be her only weapon.
She backed up against the wall and prepared t
o charge when confronted. As much as she hated to leave behind her money and other personal belongings, there would be no time to collect her valuables. She didn’t trust the police, they hadn’t helped her the first time, but with nowhere else to go, she traced the path to the station in her mind. If she escaped, she would follow Seth’s orders and ask Gage for help.
Footsteps rushed down the hall toward the bathroom and he called out before she saw him.
“Ana! Ana, where are you?”
Tears threatened at the sound of his voice and though she wanted to blame them on relief of her safety, she knew they meant so much more. Suddenly he stood in the doorway, blurry, big, and wonderful. She ran into his arms, mindless of her wet, dye filled hair, and sobbed.
He held her as if she were the most precious gift, rubbed her back and whispered soothing words until she pulled back and took a step away from him.
She grabbed a tissue, wiped away the remnants of her tears, and tried not to feel embarrassed about her behavior. He’d forced his way into her apartment. That must mean something and she refused to hide the fact she was glad to see him.
When she saw the black smears on his now ruined shirt, however, her cheeks burned.
She reached out and touched one of the semi-wet spots.
“I ruined your shirt,” she said and pulled her hand away. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he warned. “It’s just a shirt.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked, still trying to process his behavior.
“Why are you dying your hair?” he asked.
She ignored his question with one of her own.
“Did you break down my door?” she tried to peer around him to look down the hallway, but he wouldn’t budge.
“Yes, I did. Gage hasn’t seen you in two days. I just got back into town about thirty minutes ago. I knocked, but you didn’t answer. When I smelled the chemicals, I came in to make sure you were safe. “
“You smelled the chemicals outside?” she asked, incredulous.
“I have a very good sense of smell,” he stated, as if the subject were closed. “Why are you dying your hair?” he asked again.
