“But we could just stay here for a couple more days,” she pleaded. She knew it was stupid, but this was the only place she had ever felt able to be herself. As he had said, even in Bear Bluff she would have to keep her panther a secret. What if she lost control again?
“I have a business to run.” He sat down on the bed and kissed her on the mouth, igniting her passion once more. “Look, I need to go and arrange another delivery for Tony. It worried me that they won’t be prepared, if this is just a small break in the storm.”
“I understand. It was kind of you to offer to let him pay you later.”
“They are good clients,” he said, retrieving his clothes.
“Don’t sell yourself short, it’s more than that.”
“OK, you’ve got me, I have a soft heart for the cougars. That has to stay between us, though. If it got out, I would be bankrupt. Everyone would want credit.”
“Why special treatment for Cougar Ridge, but not your home town?”
“Because I like it here. I like that they are open about who they are. But it means that their economy suffers. Many of the other towns have tourists to bring in seasonal money. They have businesses that operate globally. But here, it’s a very close, tight community. Which means not so much money.”
“I see. Well, I never knew a bear could be quite the businessman.”
“You would be surprised.”
“So does that mean you will hire me?” she asked.
“You don’t need a job, you are my woman.”
She burst out laughing. “Isn’t a woman allowed to have her own money and not be reliant completely on her husband?”
He stopped, his sweater half on and half off. “You’ll marry me, then?”
“Oh,” she said, trying to back-pedal. “I’m not trying to force myself on you. Perhaps you don’t get married when you’re … one of us?”
“Of course we do. It’s just I haven’t got you a ring. I never expected this.”
“That’s OK. I never expected you to carry one around in your pocket or something. But I would like that. I think.” She sat back and thought about it, not sure where that had come from. “I think I need to know that when we have children, and I know we didn’t take precautions last night, that they won’t grow up without parents.”
“Of course they won’t. We will both be there for them.”
Tears pricked her eyes and she wiped them away. “One day, do you think it would be possible to track mine down?”
He came and sat next to her. “I will do what I can when we get back to Bear Bluff to make enquiries as to where the panthers might be. I don’t know if they are scattered or if there is a panther town, but we’ll look, I promise you. And our kids will always know who they are and the gift they have.” He wiped her tears away and kissed her lips. “I’m sorry, I’m rushing you. If you want we can stay a while. Things won’t fall apart if I’m away for one more day.”
She smiled at him. “Thank you, Trent. I think I’m ready to leave now.” Perhaps it was time to face her fears; with Trent by her side, she could do anything. But she was going to insist on that job, or find something else to do.
“I will meet you out front. I have to talk to Tony and then check the truck before we go. Take your time.” He kissed her quickly and, with only a brief backward glance, left her alone.
Willow flopped back down onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. Her life had completely changed in the space of a day. Instead of being lonely and friendless, she was going to go and live with, and probably soon marry, a man who could change into a bear. She giggled, her laughter erupting and taking over her as if she had hysterics.
Maybe she had died out there in the snow and she was living in a make-believe world. But when she closed her eyes, she could feel the panther under her skin, wanting to run free. No, those feelings were real. This was her life, and for the first time since she had learned she was adopted, she actually felt as though she was going to belong to someone, and somewhere.
“Bear Bluff, here I come,” she said, as she jumped out of bed and headed for the shower.
Only twenty minutes later she was out in front of the bar, her pack filled with her belongings, ready to go back down the mountain. “You’re sure it’s safe?” she asked.
“Absolutely. Marv sent a couple of his men down to check the road. The sun did its job. There are a couple of slushy spots, but apart from that, it’s clear. We’ll take it slow and be back in Bear Bluff by lunchtime.”
“Let’s go then,” she said. “Thanks for everything.” She shook hands with Marv, who had come to see them off. Willow was surprised to see Trent had attracted no young women this morning.
“They all know he is spoken for,” Marv said, reading her thought as she looked around. “Heard the great old bear roaring yesterday evening. The women here know what that means.”
“I can’t say I’m disappointed,” she said, “I don’t know if Trent feels the same way, though.”
“I am relieved.” Trent came up behind them and joined in the conversation. “All I have to do now is let them know in Bear Bluff, and the sooner the better. I am looking forward to a quiet life.” He opened the passenger door for Willow, and helped her inside his truck. Nerves took hold of her; she was about to go and meet all of Trent’s friends. Would they be disappointed she wasn’t a bear?
As Trent got in and smiled at her, she realised it didn’t matter to him what she was. He loved her all the same and that was all that really mattered. Surely, his friends would be happy for him.
But she had to ask, “What will they think of me? Will they accept me?”
“A panther. You will be the one and only, so expect some questions and challenges.”
“Challenges?” she asked uneasily.
He laughed. “Yes, they will no doubt take bets on who can outrun the panther. But it’s all good natured.”
“I’m still going to be the freak, then?”
“Not at all. Many people like me marry ordinary humans, and Hal over in Bear Creek married a wolf. Now, that has to be worse than a panther.” He wrinkled his nose in mock jest. Then said seriously, “There’s no discrimination; you will fit in just fine.”
“Especially when I get a job and make friends.”
“I thought you were going to work for me?”
“You didn’t seem too happy about the idea.”
“I gave it some thought. Nothing would make me happier than having you at my beck and call 24/7.”
“So I’ll be your PA?”
“If that’s what you want to call it.”
“I’m serious, Trent. I don’t want a token job. I’m good at advertising.”
“Really?”
“Yes. What did you think? I was some airhead who just made coffee?”
“No. But it occurs to me I know nothing about you.”
“Tell me about it. In any normal world, when do two people move in with each other within days of meeting? The fact that you are going to take me home and no one is going to ask any questions is kind of bizarre.”
“That’s just how things work here. I look forward to sharing my home with you; goodness knows I’ve waited long enough.”
But what they didn’t know was that there were going to be questions asked, and answers to be given.
Chapter Seventeen – Trent
Trent had built his business with pride. Even outside of bear country, he was recognised as one of the best value and reliable haulers. It had given him all the material things he could need, but it had never provided him with the thing his heart desired. His mate.
Yet now all of his hard work and dedication was about to pay off. The house he had designed and built himself, with the prospect that one day he would bring his woman home, was the perfect place for a family. And when he saw the look on Willow’s face as they made their way up the drive, he knew he had been right.
“Like it?” he asked, opening the car door for her. They had gone back to his yard and drop
ped the truck off. After half an hour of answering calls and rescheduling work because of the snow, he had allowed himself the rest of the day off. He had been relieved to get back into his car and drive home. Wanting to savour every moment with Willow on her first day in Bear Bluff.
“It’s … awesome. This is all yours?”
“Yes. All of it. I bought the plot of land and built the house some years ago.”
“You started young.”
“Willow, one other thing I should tell you, is that you will start to age slower as the years go by. I can’t see it wouldn’t be the same for panthers as it is for bears. I am a couple of hundred years old.”
She stopped, her mouth open in shock. “What?”
“Yes. My first yard had a horse and cart.”
“How? I mean the town and stuff?”
“We blame it on the water.” He grinned. “Most humans don’t live here their whole lives; those that do, well, they get to the point where they know something is different, but they can’t ever put their finger on it. Those we trust know about us anyway. We muddle through, is what I’m saying. But you should know.”
She touched her face and he knew that this was one of the biggest shocks so far for her. “So my parents are how old?”
“No idea. You are young, but they could be hundreds of years old. Might make them hard to trace. But later I’ll run and talk to the sheriff. Declan is a good man, he will help as much as he can. I can always ask our clan leader, Stuart McCormac, too.”
“A clan leader. Is he like the mayor?”
“Something like that. But don’t worry; we will have little to do with him. Except the day we get married. He officiates over all Bear Bluff weddings.”
For a moment, she turned from him and looked up at the mountain, which stood silent and unmoving above the Bear Bluff skyline. “Do you know how preposterous this all sounds? That if I didn’t know this was real, I would think I was insane.”
He came and put his arms around her. “I don’t see it like that, because I have known what I am all my life. I know it will take some getting used to. But later, once we’ve had lunch, we’ll go up onto the Bluff and run in the snow.”
The snow had not melted up on the peaks; he wanted to introduce her to the thrill of running free. They could head out soon, safe in the knowledge that no one from Bear Bluff, apart from others like them, would be anywhere near the mountain. Declan would have put up warnings about how dangerous it was to venture up there in the cold weather. It kept all but the hardened explorers at bay. And those he could usually sense long before they came into view, and in that way avoid them.
“I’d like that. I want to practice changing as much as possible so that I can control it better.”
“Then I will show you around quickly, before we go and let off some steam.”
“I thought your idea of letting off steam would be sex.”
He held her close, pressing himself against her. “That comes afterwards. When your adrenaline is pumping and the blood is quick in your veins.” He couldn’t wait. In reality, he might prefer to go inside now and make love to her in his bed first. But he could see by the way she looked longingly at the mountain that she wanted to explore the wilderness around them. And he wanted her to be happy.
Chapter Eighteen – Willow
“So it’s definitely safe here?” she asked.
“Yes, there is no one around. And if there is, they can’t see us in here.”
They were standing in a small thicket of trees. It seemed a little close to town, to Willow, but Trent insisted it was fine. Maybe for him. What if she made a mess of things and ran the wrong way, back into town? Her nerves made it harder to imagine her panther. Which made her panther upset, it paced along the edges of her mind, desperately wanting to be free. She felt like telling it to behave, but if she spoke the words aloud, he might think she was crazy.
“Relax,” he said smiling and taking her hand. “Just let it all go.”
“I’m trying. But so much tries to come in. Thoughts of Ollie, my parents, you speaking to Declan—it seems to have set off my paranoia.”
“It’s all fine. Take a deep breath. Concentrate. See your panther and then go to meet her.”
With his soothing words in her ear, she managed to keep the image still long enough to be able to step into it. Instantly the world around her shimmered as if in a heat haze, and then there was nothingness for a split second before she came back to the world where Trent was waiting for her.
“Wow, so much better.” With that, he shimmered out of existence and then she sensed the bear appearing. When he was standing, whole and complete in front of her, she turned to take her first tentative steps up the mountain. She knew the tail would take a little to get used to, but she had anticipated having to learn how to walk again like a baby.
Behind her, she was sure that if bears could laugh, then Trent was laughing. It gave her the drive to conquer her panther in every way. Soon she was jogging along, so light on her feet. Then she managed to jump onto a boulder. Pouncing back down and batting him with her paws, just like a cat.
Soon they were running up the track, Trent loping along by the side of her. The ground disappeared so fast, although her breathing became a little laboured. She needed to get fit, but this body was so much lither than her human form, even in her present state she felt on top of the world. Especially when they stopped and looked down over Bear Bluff, which was now like a small toy town beneath them.
If only she could speak, tell him of her joy at this moment. They had travelled so far up the trail and the snow was under her paws, the cool wind in her fur and the late afternoon sun disappearing in the distance. This moment, standing with her mate here on top of the mountain, took away all the bad things that had happened to her. Maybe he was right; this was what fate had wanted for her. It was almost as if she had gone through a trial by fire just to get here. It made her enjoy the moment so much more.
Flicking her paw, she sent a spray of icy snow into Trent’s face. Giggling inside, she took off at top speed, the sound of him sneezing in her ears. Faster and faster she ran, her panther body now completely in her control. The thrill of it all was making her want to shout from the mountaintop that she was the happiest woman on the planet. Behind her, the bear was chasing her down, but she had another gear and kicked it up a notch to increase the distance between them. Not that she wanted to lose him; she simply wanted a head start. Willow wanted her bear to find her. Oh, yes, she most definitely did.
Ahead of her, she saw a rocky outcrop, behind it a straggly belt of pine trees. Not much cover for what she had in mind, but as he said, there was no one up here apart from them. So she leaped onto the rocks, happy to find a small cave behind it. Well, cave might be a little optimistic; it was more of a shallow indent in the rock face. But it would do.
Changing back to her human form took a little effort. Her body held an excitement that she could barely control, but on her second attempt, she was successful. Taking her courage in both hands, she then quickly stripped down to her bra and panties, instantly realising this was a mistake, because she was freezing. Yet just as she grabbed her clothes to put back on, Trent arrived and the look of pure lust on his face made her drop her clothes to the floor and stand up straight for him to see her.
In one leap, he was on the rocks and coming for her, changing mid-stride. “I have to figure out how to do that,” she said, and then her words were lost as he took her in his arms and kissed her.
She clung to him, feeling his fingers going straight to the little bundle of nerves between her thighs, which throbbed and pulsed. Sliding a finger a little deeper, he pressed against her entrance, frustrated when he couldn’t slip it inside her. Pulling back, he pulled the fabric of her panties aside and then, as they stood in the open air, he used his fingers to bring her to her first orgasm, while he kissed her with such passion her knees went weak.
His thumb rubbed her clit. His one finger was joined by another;
he stretched her inner walls, making her ready for his thick cock. He didn’t let up until she was completely spent, almost begging him to stop. But before she had a chance to recover, he urged her to kneel down. Her knees hurt, as the hard stone pressed against them, and when he pressed his hand against her back she wondered what he wanted. Then she knew.
With her on all fours, he pulled her panties down where they remained wrapped around her knees. Trent moved behind her, dropped his pants, knelt down and positioned himself in just the right place to push his cock against her outer lips. She braced herself, knowing he was going to take her hard, that the fierceness of his kisses were a prelude to this. He had taken her with his fingers to take the edge off her arousal. Trent intended to make this last a long time.
Thrusting forward, he penetrated her. Slipping inside her halfway, before pulling out. He repeated this, over and over, only thrusting into her half way, until her sex ached to be filled by him completely. “Please,” she begged.
“In time, my love. I want to linger over this. I never imagined I would mate with you here as the sun set over the mountain. Just a few minutes more.”
In and out, sliding a little deeper each time while all around them the dark took over from the sun, casting strange shadows about them. Her arousal built, yet he left her teetering on the edge of her climax. Trent moved his hands, placing them on her hips, he moved a few more times, rocking on his knees, and then he withdrew completely. She turned to see what he was doing, what he intended. She saw the hunger on his face but still was not prepared.
With one swift movement, he took her fully, his cock plunging into her up to the hilt. He grunted his satisfaction and she opened her mouth in a wordless moan as he withdrew again to ram himself into her.
Trent had incredible stamina. His took her again and again; his strong legs powering his thrusts, and slowly her orgasm hovered in front of her eyes. So close: but she couldn’t fly to the stars, she needed more. She took his hand, pulling it from her hips and pushing it between her thighs. There he stroked her clit while her cries filled the mountain air.
Stranded With Her Bear: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Bear Bluff Clan Book 3) Page 6
