by Sennah Tate
Monica still looked skeptical, her mouth pulled into a tight frown.
“We’re going to meet with José, get his side of the story and try to figure out our plan of action from there,” Callan said on the other end of the phone.
Reed unmuted the call and said “Sound good,” having already lost interest in the conversation.
How could anything else hold his interest with Monica standing there, face flushed, eyes flashing and angry, her mane of unruly copper curls shimmering with magic? She looked good enough to eat… again. He never stood a chance.
Reed ended the call and gave Monica a long-suffering look. “Get in,” he said.
“Not until you tell me what’s going on,” she said, her arms still crossed.
“You already know,” Reed growled. “The bears are looking for me. Right out there if you didn’t notice.”
She paled a little, her eyes shooting to the door they’d come in through.
“They’re not going to expect me in this thing. Mr. Dobbs, my ninety-three year old neighbor can’t drive. He likes when I take him out for a spin in his old car. He’s not gonna mind if I borrow Caroline for a little while.”
Monica frowned, her arms falling to her sides. “Caroline?”
He knew he’d won her over then. Reed shrugged and sent her his winningest smile.
Monica sighed, rolled her eyes and reached for the door. “Okay, fine.”
Chapter 9
MONICA
As she closed the door to the hatchback and Reed pulled out of the garage, Monica felt her hands go clammy again.
What was she doing here, still? She had the perfect opportunity to leave or remove herself from this situation when she found out the bears were coming for him. And what did she do? She invited him back to her place.
What kind of crazy person did something like that?
And what was all of that back at his house? She couldn’t keep her hands off of him.
Magic. She told herself. It was just her magic egging her on. Magic and the stress of almost dying.
Besides, it wasn’t like her magic was giving her a choice about any of this. When Reed said he needed somewhere to go, she’d offered without even thinking. Something came over her and she just couldn’t deny it.
As much as it freaked Monica out, she needed Reed around. Just like she needed air in her lungs and blood in her veins, she needed this man. There was no question about it — it was just a fact of life she needed to accept. And she wondered — marveled really — at how she made it so long without him.
He’s a bear, though.
And shifters couldn’t be trusted. She’d always known that. The one time she let her guard down before with a shifter, he broke her heart and showed her where his true loyalties were. She wasn’t really eager to repeat the experience.
But this felt different. Realer, somehow.
Monica felt like she could trust Reed, even if the thought scared her and made her question her sanity.
After all, he stepped in the line of fire for her. He threw himself in front of her when she surely would have died and now his entire clan thought he was a traitor. How could she doubt him after that kind of sacrifice?
While she pondered her feelings and their consequences, Monica gave Reed quiet directions to her place and soon they were at her front door. Without a word, they both got out of the car and Monica led the way to the door, unlocking it with shaking hands.
“I should check to make sure the coast is clear,” he said, stopping her from crossing the threshold.
Monica thought about saying something smart or snappy back, but she held her tongue, too exhausted and too conflicted to start another argument.
“Okay,” he said, reappearing at the door with a wave of his hand.
Monica followed Reed in and wandered toward her kitchen, not knowing why.
What else was she supposed to do? This big sexy stranger was in her house and there was pandemonium raging outside and she was just supposed to sit here and do what?
The awkward silence stretched on between them, like taffy, stretching impossibly longer and longer.
She reached in the cabinets for two glasses and poured them each a cup of water, sliding his glass across the counter.
Why was everything suddenly so awkward? When they were in his house, they couldn’t keep their hands off of each other.
Maybe it really was just the stress of almost dying.
No matter what she tried to tell herself, Monica’s magic made a liar out of her. Just being near Reed made her powers ping and ricochet inside of her, crackling on the surface of her skin, making her feel like she was being lifted on a cloud of electricity, drawn to him.
Just when she knew she couldn’t stand the silence anymore, she spoke, not sure what she was going to say.
“Reed—”
“Monica—” He said at the same time.
Her eyes shot to his, soaking in the green-gold shimmer and then she found herself smiling. Then laughing. They were both laughing, but as quickly as it bubbled up, it fizzled out.
“You first,” he said.
Monica sighed, staring down into the glass of water like the answers she searched for were going to spontaneously surface there. The answers never appeared in her water, so Monica turned her face up at him, still not quite able to meet his eyes.
“Why did you save me from that other bear?”
Reed’s eyes darkened, shadowed by his heavy brow pushing down in a frown and he looked down at the floor.
“I wish I could tell you,” he said, his voice sounding far-off. What was he thinking about? Was he as disturbed by all of this as she was? As excited?
“My bear just kind of… took over.”
Monica looked up from her glass, trying to make him meet her gaze. Her heart sank a little — it wasn’t quite the answer she was looking for, but what did she want to hear?
“And back at your place?” She pushed, her heart hammering now, her magic swirling in a whirlpool in her stomach, making her feel nauseous and anxious all at once. “What was that?”
Reed looked up at her then, his expression lightening, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
God, that smile drove her wild. She couldn’t explain what that simple expression did to her insides. It made them hot and wobbly like microwaved jelly, but somehow it wasn’t unpleasant at all and Monica found she was growing rather fond of the sensation.
“That was another part of me taking over,” he said with a full-blown grin, his right cheek dimpling in the most sinfully sexy way Monica had ever seen. He set his glass down and circled the kitchen island to come nearer to her, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
“You didn’t seem to mind,” he said.
Monica rolled her eyes on instinct, but she felt a twin smile tugging at her lips in spite of herself. He was certainly charming, she had to give him that much.
Then Reed’s hand was on her hip, pulling her a little closer so the distance between them was negligible. Monica’s skin was on fire with the need for his touch. Her heart hammered away at her ribcage and the lights in her kitchen flickered at the rush of power washing off of her.
“We could always pick up where we left off,” he suggested, his voice turning deep and husky.
Monica’s magic responded instantly and a drawer to her right shot open, sending a spatula flying. She scowled at the drawer and closed it, pausing a beat to take a deep breath before she answered him.
“You’re kidding, right?” Her voice was skeptical, accusing even, but her body already responded to the idea, growing warmer in an instant.
Reed’s other hand came up to settle on her unattended hip and he pulled her closer still.
“Why would I be?”
Monica swallowed thickly, a buzzing excitement in her making her forget all of her arguments for a moment. She licked her lips, searching his eyes for… something.
“Because,” she said, remembering her resolve, “we just found out y
our clan wants to kill you and the rest of the town is in chaos.”
His handsome face pulled into a frown and Monica wanted to make it go away. She liked his smile so much more. That hungry look in his eyes made her burn with need.
“Yeah, and Callan’s going to let us know when they’ve figured out the next step. Until then, we’re stuck here. So,” he murmured, low, close to her lips, “why not?” And there was that damn dimple again.
Before Monica had a chance to answer him, Reed dipped down to trail soft kisses along the side of her neck and she couldn’t stop the moan from escaping her throat.
“But we should—” She felt her resolve failing even as she tried to come up with some reason they shouldn’t do this.
“Should what?” He asked, crossing to the other side of her neck. Monica shivered as his fingers lifted the hem of her shirt — his shirt, really — teasing the bare skin at the small of her back.
Monica shuddered, a thrill of pure pleasure shooting through her veins as warmth circled and pooled in her center.
“Should we stare at the phone until it rings? Just sit here and play tic-tac-toe?”
His hand trailed up her spine drawing exes and ohs. Monica groaned, leaning into him, her magic causing mishaps all around them. A magazine on her coffee table fluttered, her ficus rustled in its pot and another drawer flew open.
“Besides,” Reed husked, his breath tickling her lips, his mouth hovering only millimeters away from hers. “Isn’t there some connection with your magic and sex?”
As if to answer his question, electricity arced between them, a jolt of pure hot need.
Monica found herself nodding and whispering. “Sex recharges it.”
Why did she say that? She was giving him all the ammo he could ever need to get her into bed.
But why shouldn’t she fall into bed with him? He was hot as Hell itself and her magic desperately craved him. They’d had this pull from the first time she laid eyes on him, so what was she still doing denying it?
Reed’s lips curved into a wicked smile and he nipped playfully at her bottom lip before pulling her into a heart-stopping, blood-boiling, soul-shattering kiss. A kiss hot enough to make the Sun seek out shade.
When he broke the kiss, there was no mistaking the gleam of his bear just beneath the surface and Monica trembled with the excitement and forbiddenness of it all.
“Need a recharge?” He asked.
Her body answered for her, nodding before she could even think about it.
Then he swept his arm under her knees, scooped her off of her feet and carried her off towards the bedroom like he was a damned caveman.
And God help her, Monica thought it was the sexiest thing ever.
They only made it to the hallway before Reed pressed her against the wall, covering her in kisses. He worked to get her clothes off with the same frenzied urgency that she felt.
Monica clung to him as if her life depended on it, desperate for him, desperate for release, desperate to be filled in every way. She’d never felt so combustible before. She’d gotten around plenty in her day, but dear Lord, nothing compared to the raw animalistic sex appeal that Reed possessed.
His skin felt feverish under her touch and she couldn’t get enough skin-to-skin contact to satisfy her or her magic.
Reed pulled the over-sized t-shirt over her head and Monica sucked in a breath as the cool air hit her overheated flesh. His lips closed around one of her nipples and she groaned, arching toward him as he slid a hand up her thigh, under the baggy shorts of his that she wore.
“God damn, you’re soaking wet,” he growled, awed. His fingers teased her, not going anywhere near the place she so badly needed them to.
Monica couldn’t answer. She tried, but all that came out was a whimper as his lips crashed into hers yet again.
Completely consumed by the kiss, Monica didn’t notice Reed fumbling for the door handle, but she knew where that door led.
Cursing at the bathroom, Reed carried her down the hallway a little further, her legs wrapped around his waist, his erection straining against the flimsy fabric that separated them. Monica rolled her hips against him, desperate to be filled.
“Please,” she muttered as his lips trailed down her neck and his teeth found her nipple. “Oh god, please.”
He threw open another door, this one the linen closet, and practically roared in frustration. They’d never make it to the bedroom at this rate. Monica felt like she was going to explode if she didn’t have him now.
“Just do it here, please,” she heard herself panting, breathless and plaintive. “I need you now.” She rolled her hips against him again, the head of his bulging erection rubbing against her clit through their clothes, the friction only making the wildfire of her desire burn brighter still.
That breathy plea seemed to be enough for Reed. Monica’s feet touched the ground long enough for him to completely strip her bare, and then he had her pressed against the wall again, the cool surface sending shivers up her spine.
He teased her entrance with the stiff tip of his dick, making her gasp out loud. She thought he was going to keep teasing her and driving her crazy, but there was no mistaking the raw unbridled hunger in his eyes. He pushed into her and they sighed in unison at the perfect fit. Nothing had ever felt so right, so incredibly fulfilling and wonderful. She couldn’t think, couldn’t form words in her mind, all she could think was: more.
As if he heard her silent plea, Reed plowed into her, filling her to the hilt and Monica screamed and arched against him. How could he do this to her? How could he create this hurricane inside of her and make her insane with wanting him?
Their eyes locked and she saw the same questions in his eyes. He pulled out slowly and she leaned forward for a kiss, grabbing his bottom lip between her teeth to pull him closer. His tongue and his cock entered her at the same time, making her dizzy. Her eyes rolled back in her head, but she kept kissing him. The only thing keeping her tethered to Earth was his masterful kisses.
He drove into her relentlessly. Each stroke driving her higher toward a summit she thought she would never reach. Her release began to build, coiling deep within her, growing denser and stronger with each thrust. She clawed at him and magic shot through her fingertips without direction.
“God damn, you’re so damn tight. You feel fucking incredible,” he groaned, his rough hands kneading the tender flesh of her ass.
She wanted to tell him how good he felt. How he made her feel like she was floating through space, spiraling out of control in the most wonderful way. She wanted to tell him, but she couldn’t find the words. All she could manage was a strangled cry of ecstasy as his name ripped from her lips.
Her muscles contracted around him, milking his cock, making his quick thrusts all the more desperate. He wasn’t done with her yet. He was going to drive her to insanity. It was too much, her magic spiraled out of control, pictures fell from the walls and doors flew open, and still, she needed more.
“Oh Reed,” she panted, her lips finding his in a sloppy kiss.
“Fuck,” he growled, unable to contain himself. She tightened her grip around his waist and he drove into her again and again until words and time lost all meaning.
He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his fingers moving between them to circle her clit in maddeningly quick strokes. She tensed, clenching all around him, her body trembling with the tide building and building.
“Come for me, Monica,” he demanded, his deep voice rumbling through his chest and into hers.
Then he bit down on her neck and everything shattered into oblivion.
Stars, sparks, flashes of light, it all happened at once, all while the wave of overwhelming pleasure lifted her and carried her into the atmosphere.
When she finally came back down, Monica’s eyes fluttered open and she realized Reed had stilled, just holding her there against the wall. She lurched forward to give him another kiss and the movement revealed he was still hard inside of he
r, his cock throbbing.
“Now,” he said, his voice tight and strained with the effort of keeping control, “where’s that damned bedroom?”
Chapter 10
REED
Having Monica in his arms was enough to keep Reed’s bear happy for the moment, but his cock still throbbed inside of her and he needed more of her.
He’d never have enough of her. Like the first hit of a drug that would form a life-long habit, Reed knew he was starting something that there’d be no turning back from.
Hell, he was already past the point of no return. There’s no way he could walk away from her now — maybe ever.
“On the right,” she said, her muscles still clenching around him, her face still flushed with the aftermath of her incredible orgasm.
He could watch that look of rapture cross her face every day and never tire of it.
And he intended to see it again, as soon as he possibly could.
He carried her to the bedroom, still buried deep within her. Every step made him move inside of her and Monica kept making these soft gasping sounds that drove him absolutely fucking insane.
Reed wasted no time in throwing her on the bed, grabbing her ankle and holding it over his shoulder to push impossibly deep inside of her.
“Oh Gooooood,” she moaned, her eyes rolling back in her head as her spine arched up toward him.
He withdrew slowly, until just the very tip was nestled in her. She squirmed and writhed, trying to force him back inside of her, but Reed held firm. Then he re-entered her at the same glacial pace he’d withdrawn with.
Monica whimpered and Reed silently agreed with her. It took every last ounce of his willpower to not fuck her like the world was ending. Instead, he pulled out slowly and slid back in, savoring every millimeter.
He just wanted it to last forever. With Monica splayed out before him, her curls a radiant copper halo, her body moving in sensuous undulations. He never wanted it to be over. She fit him so perfectly, their bodies molded as if they were made for each other.
Monica wrapped her legs around his back and pulled him in closer, refusing to let him pull back this time. When she reached out and her hand closed around his forearm, the connection sizzled and spurred him to new heights.
