That was it, a piece of him connected to a piece of her. It was what she had witnessed so many times with the women of Bear Creek and their husbands; she just hadn’t been able to understand it. Not until now, with Kian here with her. Whatever it was, love at first sight, a mating bond, it didn’t matter. She wanted it and she needed him.
“Kian,” she breathed as his lips left hers to trail kisses along the swell of her breasts.
“Hmmm,” he murmured, as he took in a long breath, tasting her scent. “Where’s the bedroom?”
Her fingers curled around his long hair as she kissed his neck. Her breasts ached to be bared to him; her sex ached to be filled by him. Yet it was so quick. She had only met him this morning. Was it sensible to let him take her to bed?
“Upstairs and to the left,” she heard her mouth say. Without hesitation, he picked her up, kicking the door to behind them and carried her effortlessly upstairs. Before she had chance to think what they were doing he lay her on the bed, his fingers fumbling with her buttons, as he peeled her shirt from her body and unclasped her bra to let her breasts fill his hands. She realised this was further than she had allowed Graham to get in the whole of the three months they had dated.
As his mouth claimed their prize, she knew that Graham would never have made her feel like this. That she hadn’t been saving herself for marriage, she had been saving herself for Kian; she just hadn’t known it.
Letting her brain switch off and just allow it to experience all the new sensations he flung at her, she sighed in contentment as he licked her nipples each in turn. His hands squeezed her round globes together, his thumbs rubbing over her nipples while his mouth kissed and teased them too. There were no words for the effect he had on her. All her nerve endings seemed to ignite, leaving her skin sensitive to the slightest touch of his fingers on her flesh. The fire spread, until her sex was wet and needy, aching for his mouth to kiss her there.
Oh, would he? Would he touch her there, kiss her there with his mouth? The more she thought about it the more turned on she felt. Writhing underneath his touch now, she spread her thighs wider, and, grasping hold of her courage, took one of his hands and guided him to where she needed him the most. His fingers gathered the fabric of her skirt, pulling it up until he could slide his hand under it and press his finger inside her. Her panties blocked him going deeper, but the friction of his fingers on her sensitive bundle of nerves was enough to push her desire higher and her reservations further away.
“I want you naked, Alli. I want to be inside you. I have waited so long.”
“But we only just met.”
“I know, but I’ve been looking for you my whole life.” If any other man had said that to her, she would have kicked him out of bed for being so corny, but when her eyes met Kian’s she knew he meant every word of it.
He pulled back and quickly stripped his clothes off, his hands moving frighteningly fast to reveal his body in all its glory. Every inch of him was toned and tanned a honey gold. His cock erect and proud in front of him looked as huge as the rest of him and she wondered how he was ever going to fit inside her. Yet the message from her sex said not to worry, she would accommodate him, stretch for him, and take all that he had.
Kneeling next to her, his hands working to remove her skirt and panties. She tried to take her mind off her embarrassment by touching his thick cock. His breath hissed through his teeth and he stopped, closing his eyes to gain control, as his hips rose to push himself harder into her hand. Then he placed his hand on hers and stilled her.
“I want to come inside you, Alli. I want to fill you with my seed.”
All thoughts of protection left her. Even with no intention of sleeping with Graham, she had still carried condoms around with her, knowing she had to be careful, had to keep herself safe. She didn’t want to end up alone and pregnant, estranged from the baby’s father.
Now, it didn’t matter, she believed Kian; she knew they were going to be together forever and it didn’t take a big diamond ring to make that fact. He covered her with his body, resting his weight on one elbow while he used his free hand to run his finger along the entire length of her sex. She opened her legs wider, wanting him to push inside her, to go deeper. He repeated his action; she could hear the slick noises as he pressed the tip of his finger inside her.
Then he lifted his wet finger and slipped it into his mouth, tasting her. “I wanted to lick you, to eat your sex, but I can’t wait. But you taste delicious,” he said and she had to squeeze her thighs together to try to ease the ache she felt down there.
Leaning forward he kissed her, while his finger returned to plunge inside her, in and out, making her cry out as he took her to the edge of the abyss and then left her there. “Soon,” he whispered as she panted with need. “But I want you to come around me. I want those sweet cries of yours to be in my ear while I fuck you senseless.”
His words reminded her of Graham’s, those he had used earlier; she remembered the look on Graham’s face and knew this was how it was meant to be. Kian would have burst into Graham’s house if he had to, to stop Graham from taking what was rightfully his. In ways she could not yet fully comprehend, she had learned the secret of Bear Creek and Bear Bluff, a secret that Kian knew before her, although he had only lived here a short time.
Kian shifted his weight, and he pressed the head of his cock against the entrance to her sex. Easing himself forward, he pushed himself into her, inch by slow inch. She felt him breach her sex, felt herself full, and then her inner walls gripped him, held him tight. He stopped, letting her adjust to him, kissing her neck, her lips, and then the tips of her breasts. When her breathing steadied, he pushed into her further, harder, her sex sheathing him.
Once more, he stopped. Pulling back, she felt him flex his hips, and then he lunged forward, pushing into her completely, filling her, breaking her virginity. Kian had claimed her as his own; she lay gasping under him, feeling the fullness of him inside her as he buried himself to the hilt. This time, when he pulled back out of her, a feeling of loss covered her. She placed her hands on his butt, urging him to fill her again. He did, pushing deep, his hand going under her bottom. Holding her tight, he withdrew, pushing back into her again and again, until her orgasm peaked.
He didn’t let up, his mouth covering her breast and sucking hard to send her crashing over the edge. She cried out, but he continued ploughing into her; this was no polite lovemaking, he truly intended to fuck her senseless. Her nails dug into his back, he ground into her, his cock jerking out his seed as he reached his orgasm. Kian thrust hard and fast into her, his teeth gazing her nipples each in turn. She closed her eyes, her mouth open as her breath struggled to come to her. Overwhelmed by the myriad of sensations he elicited in her body, tears sprang to her eyes. Tears of joy, tears of submission to the man whom she belonged to. And in her ears was the cry of her man as he let himself go, as much hers as she was his.
Chapter Twelve – Kian
He lay with his cock still buried inside her, still in shock. When he had tracked her to Graham’s house, he had expected to have to fight for her. Instead, she had practically fallen into his arms. He knew then that he had to tell her everything, that fate had intervened and it was up to him to make the most of it. However, he had expected to have to do the whole “look, I turn into a bear” thing to convince her of their bond, but she had already known.
Well, about the bond anyway—the turning into a bear bit, now, that he would still have to show her. And maybe now would be a good time. He moved to pull out of her, hating losing the heat of her wrapped around him, but his bear was now scratching at his mind. It was his turn to impress. But not here. Not in town.
“Alli,” he said, pushing her hair back from her face and kissing her gently. “That was the most amazing thing in my whole life.”
She smiled nervously, “Aren’t I supposed to say that?”
He kissed her again. “I have dreamed of this moment, of making love with my true mate. It
was better than any of my dreams.”
She reached up and stroked his bare chest. “You don’t have to flatter me, you’ve already had me.”
He kissed her fingers. “I would have you every night for the rest of my life, Alli. You know this is the start of a long life together?”
“I think so.”
“I want to show you everything. I need for you to understand what the mating bond is, and why it means I will never leave your side.”
“You don’t have to. It’s enough that you are here. I dreamed my whole life of having a man who would marry me, and never leave me. But the right man ever came along. I thought it was Graham, but I was fooling myself.” She began to cry and turned away from him.
“Hey, shhh, don’t hide from me, Alli,” he said, turning her towards him and lifting her chin up so he could look into her eyes. Tears spilled down her cheeks, and he kissed them away. “It’s all right now.”
“Because of some supernatural bond?”
“I know it sounds fanciful. But it’s true.”
“I know. I’ve seen it enough times. I just never believed it could happen, not really. But the way I feel about you, now I know it’s true.” She pulled away from him again.
“What’s wrong, then, honey?”
“I’ve made such a fool of myself with Graham. He was only after this building when I thought he really loved me. And now I have you … but only because you have no choice.”
“Don’t look at it like that. You are everything I could ever want.”
“I’m fat and ugly and a poor judge of character.”
He pulled her roughly to him, hating that she felt this way about herself. “That is not true. Look at how many people you have looked after and helped so that they could have their perfect day.”
She sobbed against him. “Anybody could do what I do.”
“No, they couldn’t. As I was leaving the bar to track you and Graham, you should have seen the people that came up to me, couples who knew you, who you had helped. Bonded couples who knew what you were to me. They told me how happy they were for us both and that you deserved the best.”
She sobbed again in his arms. He kissed her and held her, not knowing what else to say. Then he thought of Melanie. “When we moved here, I was afraid for Melanie, she has so much to cope with. But as soon as she met you she felt safe with you. She’s been practically a hermit, but you offered her something she needed, hope, a job, a purpose.”
He continued, “You see the beauty in people, you see their gift and you draw it out of them. Be it a bride or a lonely teenager.”
“I needed a seamstress.”
“And you took a chance on a young woman you had just met.”
“It doesn’t change the fact that you are only drawn to me because of this bond.”
He sighed, deciding he had to be honest with her. “Do you know how hard it is for me?”
She shook her head, her hair tickling his chest, exciting him once more. Now was not the time for making love. He didn’t want her to think that was all their relationship was, him wanting sex.
“I have nothing, Alli. I have a broken farmhouse and no money. I have a sister who depends on me, and I certainly can’t afford to buy you a diamond ring. In fact, I couldn’t afford a suit to marry you in. Do you know how unworthy I feel at having you as my mate when you are so successful?”
She looked up at him, seeing the honesty in his face. Cupping her hand to his cheek, she smoothed the frown away and kissed his lips. “None of that matters.”
“Exactly. The fates decided we were meant to be together, and as far as I know they do not make a mistake.” He took her hand and kissed the inside of her palm, making her squirm as he circled his tongue around and around. “Come with me to the woods.”
Chapter Thirteen – Alli
He made sure she was dressed warmly, despite the fact that the nights were not yet cold. As they left her apartment and went to his truck, she did think he was overreacting. She felt warm, stifling warm.
Peeling off her jacket she said, “I think I’ll leave this in your truck.”
“No. Take it; I don’t want you to catch a chill.”
“I’m more likely to do that wrapped up in all of these clothes.”
“You might be warm now, but on the mountain it’s colder. And shock can make you feel strange.”
“Shock? What is going to shock me?”
“Me. Maybe,” he said cryptically and then gripped the steering wheel tightly and put his foot on the gas to go faster now they were leaving the houses of Bear Creek behind.
A thrill of excitement coursed through her, maybe because it felt somehow wrong to be driving about in the middle of the night with a man she had only just met. A man she had just slept with. Her cheeks burned at that thought. Kian took her out of her comfort zone and beyond. What would her clients say about the woman who always preached less is more, the woman who always steered them safely through their weddings? There was nothing safe about this night. Nothing safe at all. And she found it exhilarating.
As the mountain closed in on them, she found her voice was left in the valley below, her throat constricted with nerves. Yet still he took them higher, until the woods thinned and he pulled off the road onto a small dirt track. There he stopped the truck and turned off the engine. The silence drummed in her ears to the same beat as her heart.
“Please don’t freak out,” he said as he helped her out of the truck, grabbing her coat and thrusting it into her hand. “You will need this.”
She took it from him. “Thank you,” she said, shrugging it on. He was right; the mountain air was cold and she shivered despite herself. The night was thick around them under the cover of the trees, and she was glad when he took her hand and led her through the woods, so sure-footedly.
As they came through the other side, the moon shone down on the rocky ground, illuminating his face. He looked nervous, and that worried her.
“OK. Now, you stand there. Please don’t freak out,” he repeated. “This is what all the other couples who share the bond know. It might shock you, but please don’t freak out.”
“I won’t,” she said, knowing she couldn’t promise him more, because she had no idea what he was about to show her. But she knew it had to be bad, otherwise he wouldn’t keep telling her not to freak out.
He let her hand go and she missed his warmth, missed the feeling of being connected to another human being. As he moved away, he turned to look back at her, smiling reassuringly. Alli wanted to run to him, to tell him he didn’t have to show her anything, that it didn’t matter, this thing he needed to share. With him, for the first time, she had felt as if she belonged. She hated the idea anything would change that.
When he stopped, she had to make herself stay still too. Forcing herself to look at him, to watch what he wanted to show her, when her brain told her to close her eyes and cover her ears. Nothing good could come of this; she was supposed to take the easy option, the safe option. Again, she had the awareness that this was anything but safe.
A sensation, which started as a prickling along the hairs of her neck, spread along her shoulders and down her arms, leaving goose bumps in its wake. While a sliver of ice threaded its way down her spine until her teeth chattered; he had certainly been right about needing warm clothes. Then a gut-wrenching judder started at the soles of her feet and reached the top of her head, consuming her whole body.
Alli fixed her eyes on Kian, concentrating on him and only him, as she fought to contain her growing panic. It would be all right; he wouldn’t hurt her. Whatever this was, she could deal with it. At this point her imagination had overtaken reason, leaving her worried he was some kind of axe murderer or something. These thoughts soon vanished from her head as the air around Kian began to shimmer.
“Wh … at’s hap … pen … ing?” she asked through chattering teeth, making it almost impossible to speak.
There was no answer, only the sound of electricity crackling
through the air. The man she had come here with, the man she knew as Kian, her lover, was disappearing. His body going out of focus, to be replaced by something closer to the ground, but bigger, much bigger. The air swirled, a mass of browns and golds, all of different hues and shades, spiralling around and around themselves like a dust storm. Then the colours coalesced, becoming denser, until a solid form stood before her once more.
Only it was no longer human. No longer Kian.
The bear stood still, sniffing the air, sniffing her. He was scenting her in a way she found incredibly sexy, he was tasting her. She wavered, thinking she should run, because bears were not sexy, bears were killer animals high up on the food chain. But where had he come from? And where was Kian?
Alli needed to know. She took a step forward, ready to run if the bear charged. Although she knew she could not outrun it, she had to be sure this bear hadn’t eaten Kian. In a small part of her brain, a voice was screaming at her, telling her what had happened, Kian had changed into the bear, but that was impossible. She couldn’t accept it. However, when she was five feet away from the bear, it turned to look at her and she saw those eyes. The eyes so full of passion, deep pools of desire. Kian.
The bear shook its head and then took a step towards her. She held her breath, forcing herself not to run away. She knew this, she knew about the bears, she just hadn’t realised it. All the couples, the snippets of conversations scattered here and there throughout her years at Bear Brides. Damn it, even the name of her shop. It was all there in front of her, if she had wanted to see, wanted to believe. However, before Kian she had not wanted to believe.
But now. He was her link to it all. Her reason for believing.
“Kian,” she said softly, reaching out and running her fingers through his fur. His body shuddered, vibrating under her touch. She could feel the excitement contained in this big bear body, the intense satisfaction of having his mate accept him for who he was, what he was. He took another step and rubbed his body against the side of her thighs. Was it wrong for his fur to caress her skin like a lover’s touch?
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