by Anya Nowlan
Rose groaned softly.
I can’t seem to keep everyone out of my problems! Dammit, Rose, you shouldn’t have come here and gotten them mixed up in this too, she thought to herself, chewing on her lower lip.
“They are, aren’t they?” Tiana demanded, grabbing Rose’s hand over the table.
Rose nodded meekly as Royce and Redmond strolled in a split second after the raccoons left. Tiana jumped up immediately to greet her betrothed and Rose tried to put on a brave face for Redmond, but he could see right through her.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, pulling her up by her hand.
“Those bastards who messed with your truck were just here,” Tiana said, before Rose could spin a convincing excuse.
“Is that true?” he asked, giving her a firm look. “Did they hurt you? Are you okay?”
The questions shot off like a cannon firing at Rose. She nodded quickly, squeezing his hand reassuringly.
“I’m fine, I really am,” she said, her mind working frantically to try and figure out what to do next. “They didn’t do anything to me. Can we get back to the house? I don’t want to discuss this here, if that’s okay,” she said softly.
Redmond gave her a long look before agreeing with a sigh, and putting a hand around her waist.
“Sure, baby, we can go,” he said, keeping his voice lower while Tiana grilled Royce about what happened at the fire site. “But you have to promise me that you’ll tell me everything that happened when we get home. All right?”
“Okay,” she agreed with a smile.
How damn lucky had she gotten to run into a sweet, caring guy like Redmond? Even covered in black soot and almost unrecognizable, he was still the hottest and most lovable man she’d had the privilege of meeting. Just being around him made her stomach flutter with butterflies, which was especially surprising considering the sort of trouble she constantly found herself in.
I hope I don’t mess this up.
***
Rose pushed the door open softly, sneaking into the bathroom. Redmond was already lying in the bathtub, lounging back and enjoying the hot water. He’d obviously taken a shower beforehand, or otherwise the water would have been completely black and gray. She locked the door behind her and grinned, catching Redmond’s eye in time to let the robe she was wearing drop from her body.
“I thought you could use some company,” she said with a purr, sauntering over to the bathtub.
She was never the kind of girl to put herself out there like that. Though her whole job at Kenner’s club had been to look sexy and enticing, she’d never really felt like it. Not before being around Redmond, that is. The way he devoured her curves with his eyes and how he couldn’t keep his hands off of her made her head spin, and this time was no exception.
He gave her a look like she had just walked into the lion’s den and she loved it. Rose stepped daintily into the tub, sucking in a breath as she felt the heat of the water. She sunk in slowly, getting down on her knees to face Redmond. But he would have none of that. Smoothly, he spun her body around and pulled her against his chest, resting partially on top of him.
The water level in the tub was so high that it would slosh over the edge if they moved around too much, but it felt divine. His hands traced the contours of her body and his lips were on her neck, kissing a trail along her skin that was far hotter than the water could ever be.
“I’m glad you could join me,” he said, sighing.
“It was an invitation I couldn’t pass up,” she said with a grin, twisting around a bit to steal a kiss from Redmond.
It wasn’t so much stealing as simply taking, though. He wasn’t about to object. The hardness of his cock against her lower back was a sure enough sign of that.
“So, you’re going to tell me about what’s going on with your little friends now, or will I have to tickle it out of you?” Redmond asked, one hand trailing down the length of her side.
She leaned into the touch, reveling in it. While she was horribly ticklish, she would still take getting tickled by Redmond over… well, not!
“There’s nothing much to tell,” she said with a grumbling exhale, catching some of the suds floating on top of the water in the palm of her hand. “Cole and Conrad came to warn me today. They said that if I go home tomorrow, there won’t have to be any more trouble. But if I don’t then all bets are off.”
“And what are you going to do?” Redmond asked, kissing her neck again and drawing a smile from Rose.
“I don’t know,” she said honestly.
“Are you considering leaving?” Redmond asked, sounding a little bit hurt.
“I don’t want to get you guys into any more trouble than you already have! With the fires, the house, and everything else, I don’t want to be in the way. If you’re leaving anyway then I don’t want to prolong it if it means that someone might get hurt,” she explained, feeling her throat closing up.
The thought of leaving Redmond behind and going back to Philly made her heart constrict. It sounded simply awful, like something that would take the last bit of fight out of her and leave her as an empty shell. But at the same time, she realized that it was awfully silly of her—she’d known the man for just a few days! She couldn’t possibly be so head over heels for him already, could she?
“I’m not leaving,” he said stiffly.
“What? You’re not?” Rose asked, spinning around with his hands still on her arms.
Redmond grinned and his honey-blond hair fell on his forehead in the most maddening curl, slick and wet. The beads of water shining on his skin made her want to lick them all up and lose herself in trying to trace his tattoos, which were tribal motifs running up both sleeves. She kept her hands mostly to herself though, for the fear of missing whatever he was about to say next. It was hard enough staying focused around him without willingly looking for distractions.
“No,” he said calmly, keeping eye contact with Rose. “I sort of decided today. Or it got decided for me. In any case, I’m not fighting it. I’m staying here.”
“And what does that mean?” she asked, holding her breath with anticipation.
“What do you want it to mean? I don’t think you should go back, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“You don’t?” she smiled.
“No. I think you should stay right where you are. I know you have to be hesitant—hell, I would be—but I think about if you give us a chance. We could really figure things out, you know? I think we have a legitimate chance to be happy here, baby.”
The way he said it seemed to come from deep within him. Those blue eyes that kept sucking her in were shining with sincerity, and that bad boy swagger was swept out with the dirty water, leaving Redmond raw and bare and exposed to Rose. She stared at him in wonder, letting her hands rest on his chest and slowly slink along his shoulders and strong arms.
Hearing those words from him made her insides twist with excitement and her skin break out in goose bumps despite the hot water. She was hopeful to say nothing else. Still, doubt plagued her and hung over her head like an anvil waiting to fall.
What if I say yes and then something happens? What if Kenner puts Tiana, Royce, or Redmond in danger? Tiana’s pregnant, I couldn’t live with myself if something were to happen, she thought.
Obviously she wasn’t hiding it too well, because Redmond’s strong arms scooped her up and planted her firmly on his lap, making the water slosh over the sides. She yelped, but he hushed her with a finger on her lips.
“No, don’t tell me anything. You take some time to think about it, okay? I know Kenner wants some kind of an answer from you by tomorrow. But understand this—even if you don’t want to stay here with me, I won’t let that fucker do anything to you. That much I promise.”
She paused, but then nodded slowly. Her heart was beating out of her chest with the mix of emotions, but she kept her mouth shut. No matter what she said, she was sure it would come back to haunt her later and make her wonder if it was the right decisi
on. At least for now, she would have to mull it over and really look at both sides—the emotional side of her wanted nothing more than to stay with Redmond forever, and the logical side told her that this was insane and she couldn’t be so into a man she barely knew.
The truth had to be somewhere between those two, but she wasn’t exactly sure yet how she would make certain what the best option would be for everyone involved. Rose didn’t ask why Redmond had no doubts about them anymore, she didn’t dare to, but it weighed on her mind heavily.
It was only when he kissed her firmly on the lips, hushing her logical side completely, that she let go of the queries and focused on the moment like she should have from the beginning.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Rose
“Redmond,” she whispered as he reached behind her and grabbed her ass with two hands, squeezing and kneading.
“Shh, I said no words now,” Redmond teased, nipping at her lower lip.
That was hard to argue with. The water steamed around them, fogging up the surfaces in the small bathroom, but nothing felt as hot as being against his unyielding, carved body. She let her hands slink down his chest and to his abs, allowing her fingertips to trace the lines of the muscles there. He had an eight pack, which she thought was completely ridiculous. Who has that?!
A werebear firefighter, of course.
Her breath grew sharper as Redmond’s hand reached underneath her, the soft pads of his fingers parting her folds and taunting her with their closeness. She rubbed against them, grinding up his thighs, the sensation of getting to touch and experience him driving her out of her mind as quickly as she’d hoped it would. Biting her lip, she held back the begging and pleading that were growing in the back of her mind, and let Redmond take control.
With one hand on her long blond hair, he tugged her head back to expose her long neck. She whimpered as he roughly kissed the sensitive skin, almost biting his way down and leaving a few small love marks on the way. But he didn’t stop there. Raising her up by the hips, he went lower, and Rose refused to stifle the groan that came to her when his lips locked around her taut, pink nipples. His tongue swirled around them, tormenting her unrelentingly as she squirmed against him.
Her hands grabbed for his cock, and she started to stroke it with growing urgency. He had been half-hard since she got in the bathtub with him, but the first touches of her hands made his cock rigidly stand up like a pylon made of steel. Her fingertips fluttered over the head, catching the exact moment when a small dab of pre-cum bubbled up the slit. When she spread it with her thumb, the silky softness remaining only for a second before the water washed it away, a deep growl emanated in the back of Redmond’s throat.
It was the sexiest thing she’d ever heard.
He tugged her up by the hips, but she didn’t fight it for a second. Her hands released him and grabbed at his hair instead, coiling into the long blond locks and tugging on them desperately as he positioned her over his cock. She wanted nothing more than to just sink down on it, but Redmond wouldn’t let her call any of the shots. It was insanely frustrating and so good at the same time.
Rubbing her pussy along the length of his cock, she whined in his arms until he finally relented with a sly grin. When he pumped into her, he filled her almost completely up within the first thrust. Rose squealed, moaning into his shoulder as he pulled back and pumped up again, the water splashing on the tiled floor by the bucketful now.
“Oh my God, Redmond,” she mewled, unable to keep the words back any longer.
“That’s right, baby,” he said, chuckling through gritted teeth. “If you stay with me, this will be waiting for you every goddamn day,” he growled, dark and promising.
Rose clung to him, grinding against him in beat with his strokes. The steam and heat on their skin created dapples of water, and she loved watching them roll down his chest and disappear into the water below. The way he looked at her sent shivers down her spine... like she was the most beautiful woman on earth, and he couldn’t get his eyes off of her.
One thumb reached down between her legs and Rose spread them instinctively as soon as he touched her sensitive, swollen clit. Oh so slowly, he rolled his thumb along it until her core pulsed with need, sending heat and cold flashing through her body with maddening speed.
“I’m going to…” she whined, running out of words as well as air.
“Cum for me,” Redmond said, sucking her nipple into his mouth again and biting down gently as he added pressure on her clit.
Her nails raked down his sides as the orgasm claimed her, along with an ear-splitting scream that she was sure everyone in the house heard. She rode him desperately, holding on for dear life as he bucked and plowed into her, filling her to bursting with each thrust. When her pussy clenched down around him, wet and warm and all his, Redmond couldn’t fight it anymore. With a satisfying roar, he finished, filling her with his hot, sticky cum.
Rose didn’t want to get off of him. She clung to him, her hands encircled around his neck, sleepily kissing the length of his neck. His hands brushed through her wet hair gently, as he butterflied kisses in her hair and her forehead. It felt blissful, like nothing could disturb their moment together.
Finally, after a long silence and when Rose’s body was starting to feel the chill of being out of the water, she lifted her head a little and planted a kiss on his lips.
“Well, Mr. Hamilton, if I didn’t know better I’d guess you were trying to bribe me into staying.”
“Yeah? Must be that college education,” he chuckled, returning her kiss. “Because that’s exactly what I’m intending to do.”
Rose smiled to herself, shaking her head a little. This was the man she’d come to hide behind in the hopes that he would be a refuge from the storm raging in her life, even for just a little while. Instead of being a momentary reprieve from the drama in her life, he was quickly turning into her safe haven, her hiding place away from trouble even if it raged all around them.
She’d never felt quite so safe.
Rose should have known that it couldn’t last.
CHAPTER NINE
Redmond
Rose felt so good in his arms that it was getting harder and harder to focus on anything other than her, both literally and figuratively. Crushing her against his body, he gritted his teeth as they swayed to the beat of the music, trying his damndest to keep his erection in check.
The knowing smirk on her lips told him that Rose was entirely unapologetic about what she was doing to him.
“You’re a sly little minx, aren’t you,” he said, nipping at her lower lip with his.
“Only when I need to be,” Rose giggled.
With a grumble, Redmond spun her away and then back into his arms, admiring the way her dress plumed and fluttered around her thick pale hips. Whether she was wearing tights, or a skirt, or sweats, she was still the perfect incarnation of beauty for him. It felt crazy feeling that way about a woman he had met just days ago, but his bear knew. And even though his rational side may have tried to put up a fight in the beginning, he knew it too.
They were lost in a sea of bodies, all happily dancing and celebrating. The whole town seemed to have shown up for the party, and Redmond had been introduced to most of them. He hadn’t met a man or a woman yet he didn’t like, and that was so weird it was bordering on the supernatural. Every hand he shook and every eye he looked into left him feeling content with his choice of staying in Shifter Grove and trying to make a go of it. It was uncanny, really.
After his prolonged soak with Rose the previous night, he’d sat down with Royce and worked out a quick and dirty plan to get the fire department up and running. Until they could get a building, they could work out of one of the sheds and the engine shop on the Hamilton grounds. They’d need a fire engine or two pretty quickly and lots of gear, but the basics were easy to acquire for the most part.
The most troubling part came with putting out the large-scale wildfires. Though they weren’t very common
in the area then, Redmond had seen enough of what the smaller ones could do to have him seriously worried. He didn’t need to play witness to a whole mountainside of forest being burned down to understand the possible repercussions of soil erosion and other varied dangers. But he and Royce were both city bears, better equipped to deal with building fires.
There was a man who could help them with the wilderness part of it all, but he was a hurdle neither Redmond nor Royce was ready to try and cross yet. No, their little brother Rhodes would have to be a headache for another time. They could get the minimum viable solution going without relying on his expertise.
The music was pumping through the jukebox, and for a moment, Redmond wondered how a place like Shifter Grove didn’t have its own band yet. His musings were cut short when he dipped Rose to the beat of the tune and he saw the figure of a man standing at the entrance, looking very familiar.
“Holy shit!” Redmond mumbled, stopping mid-step.
“What?” Rose asked, spinning in the direction Redmond was staring.
There was a hint of worry on her expression, but it cleared when she saw that the man he was looking at wasn’t anyone she knew. Frowning, Rose glanced up at Redmond. “Anyone you know?”
“Can’t you see the family resemblance?” Redmond asked, chuckling.
The man at the door was tall, broad-shouldered, and decidedly fit, much like Redmond. But that was where the similarities ended.
“As I live and breathe, if it isn’t Ragnar Hamilton,” Royce bellowed, clutching Redmond by the shoulder as he blew past them.
Redmond gave an apologetic grin to Rose before he joined Royce’s enthusiasm. They struggled through the crowd and were on Ragnar like a pack of wolves, clamping the man between their massive hugs. While Redmond and Ragnar looked very little alike, Royce and Ragnar certainly looked like they were cut from the same tree. Same somber eyes, thick build, and stoic expression, they could have been twins if Ragnar hadn’t been just a tad taller and his expression stonier. Apparently he hadn’t quite drunk the Shifter Grove Kool-Aid yet, which would account for his somewhat sullen disposition.
