Polar Opposites

by Ariana McGregor

  All too soon, he’d finished with his client, and had to start on Mrs Peterson.

  “Do you like my tan, Felix?” the woman asked, running her hands over the top of her chest. Her top was extremely low cut, giving him an eyeful he’d rather not have.

  “It’s lovely, Mrs Peterson,” he said, keeping his eyes firmly on her hair.

  “Now, Felix,” she chastised him. “I keep telling you to call me Lucy. There’s no need for such formality. If you continue to call me Mrs Peterson, I shall get most cross.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said, managing to keep his face straight at her indignation at being called ma’am. “Just the usual?” he asked, before she could complain again.

  “Yes, perhaps just a little shorter at the sides,” she said. “It always seems to grow faster there.”

  He nodded, snipping away at her hair, being careful as always. If anyone knew how important good hair was, it was Felix.

  He was trimming the hair at one side when he felt something brush against his thigh, perilously close to his crotch. He jumped with surprise, his hands closing around the scissors and snipping off a much larger chunk of hair than he’d intended. Stepping back, he continued to trim her hair, trying to stay out of her reach as he repaired the damage.

  The same thing happened at the other side, again resulting in another accidental cut. Gah, if the woman didn’t stop it soon, she’d end up bald. He thought for a minute. At least she’d stop coming to his salon to torment him. Still, he was a professional and had a reputation to protect, so he’d have to continue to do his best.

  He managed to sidestep her hand, continuing to work, trying to ignore the constant chatter as the woman pointed out various bits of herself, like cuts of meat at a supermarket. No part of this woman enticed him. Her conversation consisted of talking about how wonderful she was and trying to get Felix to agree. Not wishing to be rude to a paying customer, he settled for non-committal hmms, composing his expression to convey total focus on his task.

  He was trimming the front of her hair when it happened. Apparently tired of small incidental touches, Mrs Peterson boldly grabbed his crotch and rubbed. With a yelp, he flinched back, stumbling into the counter.

  “Oh my,” the woman said, pouting at him. “I don’t usually have to try so hard to get a response from men.” She stared pointedly at his jeans and the complete lack of bulge. Honestly, he’d never felt less aroused in his life. Her mouth rounded in shock. “Oh… Oh! I didn’t realise,” she said, looking at him with pity. “Is that why you’ve been so shy with me? Oh, darling. You know you can get something for that now? Those little blue pills from the doctor.”

  Felix looked over to see Paula leaning against the sinks. Her face was scarlet with the effort of holding in her amusement. A small snort escaped her, and she excused herself, fleeing to the back room. If only he could follow her.

  “I have a mate,” he spluttered.

  “Oh, the poor thing,” the woman exclaimed. “Then it’s even more important that you make that doctor’s appointment. Unless you want her to leave you.”

  “No!” he said quickly. “I like having a mate.”

  “So do I,” the woman said with a shrug. “I just don’t see why that should stop me having a bit of fun.” She flashed a glance at his crotch. Sighed. “Pity. You really need to get some of those pills and then we can talk.”

  He finished with Mrs Peterson’s hair as quickly as possible, her gaze following him as he used the hairdryer. Her expression remained one of sympathy, punctuated by the occasional small shake of her head.

  When the door finally closed behind her, he breathed a sigh of relief, tension draining from him. Looking up, he met Paula’s gaze, and the girl dissolved into a fit of the giggles.

  “Not. Funny,” he growled at her.

  She just laughed all the harder.

  Dammit.

  ***

  Felix sighed with relief as his last client left. Paula had been unable to make eye contact with him for hours and he was glad when she finished tidying up and went home. He flicked through his appointment book, checking what he had booked for tomorrow. He sighed when he spotted Mrs Sinclair’s name. She was every bit as bad as Mrs Peterson.

  The bell above the door jingled, and he silently cursed himself for not locking up after his last client. He looked up to tell whoever it was that the salon was closed and found himself grinning instead.

  “Hey,” Sara said, hovering in the doorway. “I’m not disturbing you, am I?”

  As though he could get any more disturbed that he’d already been today. Shaking his head, he waved her in.

  “Of course not,” he said, smiling at her. “I was just getting ready to leave.”

  “Cool. I was passing by and I thought I’d surprise you.” She hesitated. “Are we still on for dinner?”

  “Any reason we shouldn’t be?” he asked mildly.

  “No,” she agreed. “No reason.” She fidgeted a little, clearly uncomfortable.

  “Something wrong?” he asked, closing the book and walking around the desk.

  She shrugged. “No.” She sighed. “Yes. Maybe.”

  He cocked an eyebrow at her and waited for her to continue, unwilling to rush her. Her eyes travelled to the clock and then back to Felix.

  “He’s probably out by now,” she said. “I needed to go out for something, but then I started worrying about bumping into him.”

  “Ryan,” he stated.

  She nodded. “I did want to come in and see you,” she insisted. “It’s just that it would also make me feel better if I wasn’t walking home alone.”

  He opened his arms, and she stepped into him, leaning against his chest. It felt right having her there and his lion grumbled its agreement, proud that they made her feel safer.

  “Ready for dinner?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” she said, pulling back and looking at him. “Tara and Alex will be at his house tonight. His mother intends to interrogate them about their wedding plans.”

  “Cool,” he said, leading her to the door. One last look around the salon satisfied him that all was as it should be, and then he opened the door and ushered Sara outside. “How about we pick something up on the way home? I’m not really in the mood for cooking.”

  “Fine with me.” She leaned into him as he wrapped his arm around her. “Do you fancy fish and chips?”

  “Perfect,” he agreed. Honestly, he didn’t care if they ate tinned cat food, as long as she was there with him.

  They walked in companionable silence for a while, Felix watching the streets intently but keeping his expression casual. He didn’t want to alarm Sara, but she was right that the police had probably released Ryan by now. It didn’t hurt to stay alert.

  “I had a weird conversation today,” Sara told him. “It was a female client of yours.”

  Felix’s heart sank. It couldn’t be. Please don’t let it…

  “A wolf shifter,” she continued. “I don’t remember her name.”

  He had several wolf clients. It could be any of them.

  “It started with a ‘P’, I think.”

  “Mrs Peterson?” he asked, managing to keep his voice level, even though it wanted to climb into the higher registers and stay there.

  “Yes!” Sara agreed. “That was it. She was talking about you, and I got a little jealous.” She looked at him sheepishly and he grinned at her. “So, I told her that you were my mate.”

  She was publicly acknowledging him as her mate. He felt his smile grow wider. Perhaps that was the end of it, maybe that was all that had been said. There was no reason to think that…

  “Then she gave me this weird look,” Sara said. Felix’s heart sank even further. “She said, ‘Oh you poor dear’ and hugged me.” She looked up at Felix, her expression a little confused and questioning. Maybe that was all she said. He could probably shrug that off without explaining.

  “Oh,” he said. Maybe she’
d be satisfied with that.

  “Then she told me to remind you about the little blue pills.”

  Dammit.

  Chapter 11

  “Not funny.”

  Sara laughed harder. Tears escaped from her eyes, running down her cheeks, her stomach muscles protested, and she gasped in air. Felix sat there, arms crossed, glaring at her. A snort escaped from her.

  “It… really… is,” she gasped out.

  “The woman grabbed my crotch!”

  That made her stop. “Mine,” she growled. The thought of that woman groping Felix was definitely not amusing. Her polar bear snarled inside her head, demanding that they hunt the woman down and rip off her arms. That would stop her touching their mate.

  “Yours,” he agreed. Her bear settled back down.

  They lounged on the couch, a DVD playing away in the background although they’d stopped paying attention a while ago.

  He gently wiped away a tear from her face and pulled her in closer. A sneaky glance downward proved that her mate most definitely did not need those little blue pills. Not with her.

  Feeling smug, she snuggled into him, breathing in his scent. A soft kiss to the top of her head had her looking up into his beautiful amber eyes. He pressed another kiss to her forehead. Then one to the tip of her nose. She watched as he leaned down again, hoping that this time he would land on her lips. Her head tilted a little to give him access, and she wasn’t disappointed. His lips brushed hers, barely touching her at first and making her growl in frustration.

  The next kiss had a little more pressure but only just, teasing her and remaining just slightly out of reach. Another growl escaped and the corners of his mouth lifted up, his amusement clear. When the next kiss threatened to remain light and airy, she grabbed his face and took over. There was nothing gentle about her kiss, her impatience fuelling her passion, her mouth on him insistent and demanding. He responded immediately, kissing her back, opening his mouth to hers, taking everything she gave him and returning it back to her.

  Moving against him, she continued the kiss, relishing every single moment. Her body hummed with excitement and she faltered for a moment. Felix broke the kiss, but Sara kissed him again. No. She wasn’t going to miss out on this. She wanted Felix, needed him, and she was taking him. There was no room for thoughts of anything that came before, she wouldn’t let those intrude, wouldn’t let them keep her from her true mate. Her polar bear was totally on board, driving her higher and helping her to ignore her past and focus on the present. Her shifter side came forward a little, giving her human side courage, soothing the pain and keeping the fear at bay. She could do this, no, she was doing this.

  Without breaking the kiss, she sat up a little, turning to straddle him, her hands going to his shoulders. Her hands explored his body as her tongue explored his mouth. Felix’s hands were on her waist, holding her steady but not tightly. He remembered not to control her movements. She deepened the kiss, stroking her hands over his sculpted chest, the silk of his shirt smooth under her fingers. She unfastened the first button, then the next, then the third. Felix’s hands covered hers, stopping her. She broke their kiss, pulling back to pout at him.

  “Sara.” His voice was husky, much deeper than usual. His eyes seemed darker too. Her unflappable lion couldn’t keep his cool with her and she loved that she could get under his skin where most people couldn’t.

  She tugged at her hands and he let go immediately. Smiling, she moved onto the fourth button.

  “Sara,” he said again, his expression pained. “You don’t have to do this.”

  “I know,” she said, looking him right in the eye. “It’s time. I want this and my bear is driving me enough that I think I’ll be okay. She’s helping me, Felix. As long as you don’t restrain me, we can do this. I want to be your mate.”

  “You sure?” he asked. Sweat was beading on his forehead from the effort of controlling himself. Yet he still took the time to check on her, to put her needs ahead of his. Her heart melted further, a bone-deep certainty filling her at the rightness of this.

  “I’m sure,” she told him. “And I know that I’m safe with you. That you’ll stop if I need you to.”

  He nodded. “Always. At any time. No matter what we’re doing.”

  “Then stop talking and help me get this shirt off,” she said with a grin.

  Chuckling, he finished unbuttoning his shirt and pulled it off. She watched, drinking in the sight of his bare chest. Of course she’d seen him when they had shifted in the woods, but she’d been too focussed on her polar bear to pay as much attention as she’d have liked. There was nothing stopping her now.

  She traced the lines and ridges on his skin, enjoying the sensation of warm, soft skin covering hard muscle. Felix clearly kept himself fit. Probably more for posing than any real practical reason, but still, Sara appreciated it. He sat still, allowing her exploration, his hands once again on her waist. He shivered as she traced a nipple with one finger. Trailing her finger slowly down his chest, she pouted when she came to his waistband. Hooking her finger under it, she gave a little tug.

  “These need to come off,” she insisted. She popped the button and unzipped him, rubbing her knuckles against the bulge in his underwear, smirking at the sharp intake of his breath.

  She sat up a little, and he bucked his hips, allowing her to pull the jeans down to his knees. They’d have to just stay there as she wasn’t getting up anytime soon.

  “Those too,” she said, hooking his boxers and pulling them down to join his jeans around his knees. She rested her ass back on his thighs and looked at what she’d uncovered.

  Yeah, definitely no need for little blue pills. Felix was fully erect and huge. She swallowed, waiting for the fear to overwhelm her, to ruin the moment. She waited, kept waiting. It never arrived. Felix continued to sit still, allowing her to do what she wanted. He made no move to take over, to control her. He waited patiently, allowing her the time she needed. A little rush of power flowed through her. Shifter males tended to be dominant, it was in their nature. Even Felix, with his usual easy-going temperament, had a dominant nature underlying it. He was simply secure enough in his strength and his personality that he didn’t feel the need to enforce it or display it often. Still, it was there under the surface and she’d seen glimpses of it. Yet, for her, he controlled it, pushing his natural dominance aside to do what was best for his mate.

  Tentatively, she reached out to touch his erection. A light brush at first, and then she grasped him firmly, rubbing her hands up and down, learning the feel of him, exploring him. His breath quickened as she slid her thumb over the drop of moisture coming from his slit.

  “Careful, sweetheart.” His voice broke. “If you want this to go further, you might want to stop that.”

  She smiled at him, the sense of power making her bold. Still, she did want much more from this night, so she took mercy on him, relaxing her hold. Reaching up, she pulled off her own shirt, watching the way his eyes stayed trained on her chest, his pupils dilating. He liked what he saw. Reaching around, she unhooked her bra and let it slide from her arms, tossing it aside. Still Felix watched her, his hands remaining on her waist, waiting for permission to touch her.

  Taking his hands, she guided him, sliding over her to land on her breasts. He cupped her and she let her hands drop.

  “You can touch me Felix,” she said. “I won’t break. Touch me anywhere. Everywhere. As long as you don’t try to restrain me, it’s fine. I want you to touch me. I need you to touch me.”

  His thumbs stroked her breasts, thrumming over her nipples, gentle at first, the lack of pressure maddening. She growled a little, and he chuckled, but he obliged by pinching her nipples harder, making her writhe against him. It wasn’t enough.

  She undid the button on her jeans, the material suddenly too heavy and restrictive. Wriggling a little, she finally had to stand up to remove the jeans. She hesitated for a moment and then removed her underw
ear too, letting her panties slide down her legs and then stepping out of them. Standing in front of Felix, totally naked and vulnerable, was a little awkward, but then she looked at him, seeing the desire in his eyes, and all hesitation vanished. Wordlessly, he held out his hands to her, and she climbed back onto his lap, straddling him once more.

  “Okay?” he murmured, nuzzling at her neck with light little kisses that made her shiver in response.

  “Mmm,” she said, tilting her head a little to give him better access. “Yes.” He nipped her gently and she could feel her body get wet for him.

  “Condom,” Felix muttered against her neck.

  “I’m on the Pill,” she told him, her voice breathless. Shifters didn’t carry diseases, so with birth control taken care of, condoms weren’t necessary.

  “Awesome,” he said, nipping at her neck again.

  Still he kept his hands loosely on her waist, waiting for her to make the first move. She leaned back a little as his lips trailed down her neck, one of his hands sliding upward to support her back. He kissed down the valley between her breasts, nuzzling there for a moment, before latching on to one nipple and sucking at it. The sensations overwhelmed her, a curious pulling sensation spreading through her. Unable to stay still, her hips undulated, pressing against his hard cock, the friction driving her even higher. It felt so very good that she never wanted it to stop, but it had to, because she wanted so much more from him.

  “Felix,” she breathed, her hands on his shoulders, steadying herself as she writhed against him, coating him with her moisture. She was more than ready for him, her polar bear demanding that they get on with it.

  He released her breast with a little pop and leaned back to look at her. “I’m yours, sweetheart,” he told her. “You want me? Take me.”

  Smiling, she kissed him, their tongues stroking and thrusting, mimicking what was to come. She lifted herself up, one hand snaking down to grab his cock, holding it steady for her. Positioning herself, she could feel him at her entrance, sliding against her, slick from her own arousal. She sank down a little, taking the tip of him inside her. She looked down, watching as she let more of him slide into her, the pressure stretching her in just the right way. Taking more of him, she let her chest slide down him, her nipples hard little points and so sensitive that even such a small amount of contact sent waves of bliss through her.