by Marie Mason
Ally studied her. “Just because he didn’t say anything, Mercy…”
Everyone knew that Ally was head over heels in love with Jagger Houston, the sheriff of Riverton. Everyone also knew the bear shifter was fighting the mating pull tooth and nail. Mercy had seen the way Jagger looked at Ally when he thought no one was looking. Mercy only knew what she’d heard from the gossips in town and what she’d read on the internet about shifters and mating, but she was pretty sure Ally was Jagger’s mate. She took everything she heard from both sources with more than a grain of salt. She figured the only ones who knew the entire story were shifters themselves and she had yet to work up the courage to ask about that intimate subject.
“Well, either way, you need to go out and have some fun. You’re only young once.”
Mercy laughed. “You’re only a few years older than me, Ally, maybe you should take your own advice.”
A shadow fell across the other woman’s face and Mercy could have kicked herself for her insensitivity. “I’m sorry.” She reached over and took the other woman’s hand in hers.
Ally shook her head and smiled. “Don’t worry about it. You can’t help that I fell in love with a stubborn bear. Now, I came in to get some books on Christmas. What have you got?”
That started a two-hour search of the library for the best books on Christmas traditions, fiction stories about Santa and his elves, and of course, science books about the wonder of a snowflake.
CHAPTER THREE
DIRK STOOD OUTSIDE the library waiting until it was almost closing time. A woman with dark brown hair lingered inside. She looked familiar and Dirk thought she’d been at the tree lot recently. Looking closer, he realized that he had not only delivered her tree, but that she was the mate of the sheriff. An unclaimed mate.
He scrubbed his hand over his face, feeling the rough covering on his jaw. The thought struck him that he should have shaved before he came to see Mercy. That her tender white skin would be reddened when he kissed her.
WTF! He knew exactly where those thoughts had sprung from. His damn bear. The animal had been a cursed son-of-a-bitch that past few days. Days when Dirk had deliberately retreated back into his solitary way of life. He went to the tree lot and came home every day directly after closing time. He did not come by the library every day at closing time, watching to make sure the woman inside made it safely inside her car and was driving away before he started his engine.
He most certainly did not jerk off in the shower every evening imagining her on her hands and knees before him, the warm wet water cascading over her skin as he pumped his dick into her willing mouth.
He watched as Mercy waited on the woman and placed a towering stack of books into a cheery Christmas tote. They laughed as the woman picked a candy cane from the jar on the counter. He continued to watch as Mercy walked her to the door, her soft voice floating across the way as they said goodbye. The woman was the last to leave. It was closing time.
For a moment, he lost his nerve and stood in the shadows as Mercy locked the door and turned away. Stepping forward, he knocked on the glass door.
She jumped, the sound startling her. When she turned around her eyes widened, showing him the beautiful green color. Damn, she was pretty, he thought. Today she was dressed in a dark blue sweater with dancing reindeers on the front. She’d paired it with a short black skirt, black tights and black ankle boots. The sweater and skirt hugged her curves and the boots and tights showed off her legs. Legs he wanted wrapped around his waist as he pounded inside her.
“Can I help you?” She’d opened the door and stood before him, snow whirling around them. They stood there for a moment, just staring at each other. When she shivered, he pushed forward, driving her back into the warmth of the building. She stepped away from him, as if she couldn’t stand being so close to him.
He understood her reticence. He had been less than cordial at her home, leaving abruptly even for a grumpy bear like himself. But he’d had to. Had to leave before he took her in his arms, kissed her senseless, and change both their lives forever.
“Well? What do you want.”
I want you.
What would she do if he said those words aloud? Turn and run screaming from the room? Or run into his arms?
Over the last couple of days as he’d cut and bundled over a thousand Christmas trees, trying to burn Mercy from his way. He’d come to the conclusion that the only way that was going to happen was if he took her. Fucked her. Fucked her hard and fast. Get rid of this attraction between them that was driving his bear mad.
Mate, his bear growled in his head.
No. Not mate, the man cursed back.
Not happy with that train of thought, his bear began to roar, deep inside him. He shut down his animal with a show of dominance he had rarely used. He would show the bear he was wrong. Show the bear that Mercy was not their mate. That they didn’t deserve a mate.
“I brought the tree Marcus promised you. Promised the library.”
Mercy debated the wisdom of allowing the bear to stay when no one else was around. Oh, she wasn’t afraid of him physically. She knew, however, that her heart would come away just a little more broken. It was obvious that she was not the shifter’s mate. A meeting between a shifter and his mate, however brief, should have revealed itself immediately if they were meant to be together. While Mercy would have sworn before a judge and jury that there had been something between them, she wasn’t experienced enough with men—let alone big, sexy bear shifters—to know if what she’d felt, sensed between them, was indeed the first flashes of desire. The animal inside him should have known, with just a look, a scent traveling upon the wind, something, that she was the one.
She found it difficult to believe that there were two stubborn bear shifters in the same town refusing to acknowledge their mates. Even in college, Mercy had rarely attracted attention from the opposite sex. There, she’d had the double whammy going for her. She was curvy and a nerd. Now, she was a librarian for heaven’s sake. Nothing screamed boring and inhibited more than that job occupation. Oh, if only the male population knew… Most days she felt like a powder keg ready to explode. But only for the right man. All she’d ever wanted was to find someone to love, someone to care for, someone to love her back. She knew that sounded old-fashioned to a many people in this modern time, but what could she say? She’d cut her teeth on fairy tales and had been raised in a shifter town during her formative years.
So yes, she wanted, deserved to be loved like that mate of shifter.
“I’ll go get the tree.” Dirk’s deep voice interpreted her thoughts.
She watched as he opened the door sending a swirl of snowflakes into the library. She watched as his long legs took him across the parking lot and lifted the tree from the truck bed. It was still bundled, but it was obvious it was taller and would be bigger than the one she’d bought for herself. She stepped back as he neared, pulling the door open.
“You can put it over there.” She pointed to a corner behind the desk. Tomorrow she’d find the tree stand in the storage room and have Timmy held her set it up. He was a senior in high school, a wolf shifter. He’d been caught joyriding around in a borrowed truck by Sheriff Houston. He certainly wasn’t the first young shifter who got into trouble but he didn’t get arrested. Instead, he found himself doing ‘community service’ at the library. Mercy admired the way the whole shifter community took care of their young.
“Where’s the stand?”
“That’s okay. I can take care of it later.” She didn’t look at him afraid her feelings would be showing in her eyes. Afraid he’d know she was thinking of the feel of his mouth, the taste of his kiss.
“Where, Mercy.” The deep, dark command of his voice made her shiver inside. Would he be so commanding in bed?
She opened the door to the storage area behind the check-in desk. It was only big enough to hold one person but that didn’t stop Dirk from coming in after her. “What are you doing?”
&nbs
p; “Just helping.” He reached above her, pressing her against a row of wooden shelves. His front pressed against her back briefly but it was enough for her panties to become soaking wet.
Grabbing the box with the Christmas tree stand in one large hand, he turned and went back out the door. Mercy gathered in a large lungful of air, straightening her sweater. By the time she left the small storage closet, he already had the tree in the stand and the netting cut away. He had placed it exactly where she’d wanted it. In the walkway in leading to the check-in desk, it would be the first thing a person saw when they walked into the library.
“Thank you, that looks great.”
A grunt was the only response she got. “Dirk—”
“Got any coffee?” He continued to work with the tree, trimming up branches with a pair of gardening shears he must have brought with him.
“Yes.” She hesitated before answering.
“I sure would appreciate some.” He turned around, meeting her look head on. “Please, Mercy.”
Well, how the heck was a woman suppose to say no to that? Turning around, she made her way to the small employee lounge also behind the check-in desk. As with the storage closet, space was at a premium in the small county library. Inside the lounge was a card table with two chairs, a dorm size refrigerator and a coffee maker that Mercy had picked up at a yard sale. In minutes, she had the water dripping through the bargain filters.
Not knowing how he took his coffee, she made an educated guess that he’d like it black and strong. She poured herself a cup, knowing she’d need something to do with her hands if he insisted on staying around much longer. She took hers with more sugar and milk than actual coffee.
While she had been getting the coffee, he’d retrieved more boxes from the storage room. The tree was now fitted with strands of multicolored lights. He took the cup from her, smiling in appreciation.
“You should do that more often.”
One dark brow rose. “What, put lights on Christmas trees?”
She bit her lip, upset that she’d spoken the words out loud. “No, smile.” She braced herself for what was sure to be a sarcastic response to her comment.
“Why do you say that?”
“You, umm, you don’t seem to like Christmas.”
“I don’t.” It was a flat statement of fact. No excuses, no apologies.
Mercy sighed. He had the same attitude and spirit about Christmas as her aunt. Was she fated to be drawn to people who failed to see the joy and happiness in something as simple as a strand of twinkling lights? “Bah Humbug,” she whispered.
“What?”
Mercy shook her head, sitting her coffee on the counter. “Nothing. Thank you for bringing the tree and putting it up. It helped a lot.”
Not surprisingly, she received a grunt for her thanks.
“There were no decorations.” She wasn’t surprised he had noticed that. Every box in the storage room was labeled.
“No, the children decorate the tree.”
“With what?”
She found it hard to believe that this big bear of a man wanted to know how the town library decorated its Christmas tree. “They make stars and stockings. Whatever their imagination leads them to make.” She pointed to a small table toward the back that still held flakes of silver glitter from today’s craft hour. There were silver bells and cotton ball snowmen drying on the ledge of the radiator cover. Tomorrow, once the glue had thoroughly dried, Mercy would hang them on the tree. In a couple of days, the tree would be completely covered with handmade decorations of its youngest patrons.
To her surprise he walked to the table, one calloused finger coming out to touch anything that snagged his interest.
“My sisters and mother liked to do this.”
“It’s a tradition most families like.”
He turned around, his brows gathered in a frown. “But not yours?”
“No,” Mercy shook her head sending the fall of her brown hair across her face, hiding her expression. “My aunt didn’t celebrate Christmas.” He continued to look at her and she said the first thing she could think of. “Do your sisters have children?”
A look of such sadness crossed his face that her heart actually started to ache. Heavens, what had happened to his family? She instinctively reached out a hand to offer him comfort. “I’m sorry, I had no right to ask.”
“No, you didn’t.” His sharp rejoinder had her gasping and dropping her hand away. He grabbed it, holding it in his palm. They were big and calloused. He had the hands of a working man, she thought, wanting nothing more than to lift it to her face or guide it so he was touching her breast.
Naughty thoughts, she reprimanded herself. Plus, totally inappropriate considering the topic of their tense conversation.
“I’m sorry, Mercy. It’s… it’s still difficult to talk about.”
She stepped closer, the need she heard in his voice taking away her fear of rejection. “I’m a good listener, Dirk. And I can provide references. Granted they are only about eight years old…”
Much to her surprise, he smiled. Well, kind of. It amounted to no more than a slight lift of the corners of his full mouth. “I know.”
He pulled her closer and his gaze dropped to her lips. She wondered if he was imaging how she tasted. She certainly was.. Right now he would taste of coffee, rich and strong. But beneath that she bet there would be an explosion of flavors. Flavors guaranteed to make her weak in the knees and slick with desire.
Dirk fought his demons as he reached for her. Already the air was sizzling between them, despite his repeated warning to himself—and his bear—against his fascination with her. He’d never wanted to kiss anyone so badly before.
But he wanted to keep his life as it was.
Solitary.
That didn’t stop his hands from cupping her face or his body from moving forward and pressing her back against the wall. He lowered his head and captured her lips with his. And it wasn’t just any kiss. It was scorching and demanding. Possessive.
Mercy’s body seemed to meld into Dirk’s as he held her. He tried to discipline himself, tried to keep an emotional distance. Fucking surprise, he couldn’t. Warmth like he’d never known flooded his body. Oh, yeah, it was sexual, his cock lengthened, hardened, and throbbed painfully. Before he could think of the wisdom of his next move, his hands were sliding beneath her Christmas sweater. The man and the bear both groaned as they touched their mate’s skin for the first time. She was so warm, so soft. A sound almost like a purr came from her throat as the rough strength of his fingers explored her.
This couldn’t be happening to her, Mercy thought. Men that looked like Dirk didn’t pay any attention to awkward, chubby women like Mercy. And they certainly didn’t kiss her like there was no tomorrow.
He wasn’t supposed to have such warm lips, she thought, the primitive part of her brain kicked in and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Mmmm, kisses, good.
Touching the hair that brushed against his neck, she thought touching was damn good too.
His kiss wasn’t supposed to scorch her toes. Wasn’t suppose to make her blood sing. Wasn’t supposed to make her feel so feminine, so desirable… and so needy.
Mercy jumped as Dirk’s hands roamed over the soft flesh of her stomach. Despite the unbelievable sensations she was feeling her ingrained fears rose, causing her to try and pull away. She knew it was silly. He knew she was a curvy girl, but she didn’t know if she was ready for the intimacy of skin to skin touching. His hands stilled and their lips parted as he raised his head. “What’s wrong, baby?”
Oh, the sound of that sexy voice sent shivers racing up and down her spine, making her shake in his arms. He immediately pulled her closer, his hands falling to her hips, but still touching the bare flesh of her back. “Sssh, it’s alright.”
He kissed the corner of her mouth in what she assumed he thought was a comforting kiss. Then his mouth moved along her jaw line, his lips open and hungry. Her ha
nd rose, grabbing a handful of his dark hair. He pulled her flush against his body, using his hands on her back to crush her against his muscled frame. She turned her head and he was kissing her again. This time she was the aggressor. Without any prompting, she lifted her leg, wrapping it around his hard thigh. Her skirt fell back, revealing her tight-clad leg. It was like being naked in his arms almost.
Every hormone in Mercy’s body jumped to attention. She absorbed every touch, lost in the magic of sensations that flowed between them. His hands glided up her back, slowly as if testing her reaction. When she didn’t flinch or pull away, his fingers traced the bottom of her bra. When he realized it fastened in the front he gave a growl, making her smile into his kiss.
His hands wrapped around her sides. Fire flamed in every part of her body, her pussy clenching at the emptiness inside her. Her sexual experience was almost none existence, but she knew she wanted this man. Inside her. Now.
“Dirk,” she whimpered into his mouth, begging him to ease the ache inside her. He responded by moving a hand to grip her leg before jamming his cock against her center. He pushed her back until she was trapped against the wall and him. He continued to roll his hips, the placket of his jeans, stretched to bursting open from the swollen flesh of his cock, mashed the lips of her core, stimulating her clit, but not giving her the relief she craved.
The air around them seemed to fill with the energy of their desire, making her lightheaded as if drawing away the very oxygen in the air. Dirk must have felt it to for he slowed his movements, his hold loosing as he drew away from her. As they pulled apart completely, she wondered if he could hear the wild beating of her heart.
Dirk gazed at her a moment longer, the desire faded from his eyes, leaving them cold and hard as flint. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Why not?”
“I’m not a good man.”
“That’s not true.”
The emotion in Mercy’s eyes almost—almost—made Dirk stay. Instead, he stepped away, his bear giving him hell. “I need to go.”
