Complete Bear Creek and Bear Bluff Box Sets: Including brand new exclusive book Best Man Bear

by Harmony Raines

  “Oh, I don’t know. I wouldn’t mind being stranded with you,” she said, smiling at him. When he looked at her and returned the smile, she felt her insides turn to liquid fire. It didn’t matter where they were or what they did, as long as they were together. “Fancy restaurants are so overrated.”

  “Now I know why you’re my mate. Do you make the best of every situation?”

  “I try. If my childhood and then moving to Bear Creek taught me one thing, it’s that family and friends are what matter. All the material things in the world don’t make up for what other people can give you.”

  “Very wise words.”

  “Thank you.” She sat up in her seat as they approached the farmhouse. “They’re home. And we have visitors.”

  Taylor parked his truck and they got out and walked into the house hand in hand. She could feel Taylor was slightly tense beside her. “Don’t worry, it’s only Vic and probably Marjorie, come to see the baby.”

  “I still worry they’ll see me as an outsider.”

  “Nonsense. And this is nothing compared to me meeting your family.”

  “That reminds me. Tomorrow night…”

  She groaned. “So soon?”

  “Yes. My mom is cooking. I expect everyone to be there.”

  “OK,” she said, feeling her nerves ratchet up.

  “As you said, family and friends are the most important thing.” He held her hand as they entered the house; in his own way, he was making sure everyone knew she was his. His woman, his mate.

  “Hi, everyone,” Melanie said as they entered the warm living room. Alli sat next to the fire, Kian was next to her, and Marjorie was holding the baby.

  “Hi, Melanie.” Marjorie looked up, her eyes going instantly to Taylor.

  “This is Taylor.” Melanie introduced everyone and they all spoke politely, but curiosity laced the air. However, Melanie didn’t want to stay and answer questions, not tonight, and so she said, “If you’ll excuse us, I need to change.”

  “How was the store?” Alli called.

  “Quiet. But it’s still standing,” Melanie joked as she took Taylor by the hand and led him upstairs.

  “I feel awkward coming up here, when your brother is downstairs,” Taylor said.

  “Why? It’s not as if you don’t have every right to be here with me.” She looked at his face, reading his concern. “You are my mate.”

  “But it’s Kian’s house.”

  “Don’t worry about Kian,” she said, growing concerned at the hostility she sensed from Taylor. It wasn’t as if they were two men fighting over their mate. She belonged to Taylor, but she was also Kian’s sister. Neither of which would ever change.

  “I don’t think we’ll make that restaurant. Do you want to go to the bar in Bear Creek?”

  “Nope,” she said, pulling out a warm sweater and another pair of socks. “I have my own idea for a perfect date.”

  “So do I.” As she stood, he pulled her into his arms. “I can’t help looking at your bed and remembering last night.”

  She leaned into him, their lips meeting. As their kiss deepened, he let his hands roam her body. How she wished it were just the two of them in the house, and that they could make love all night and then sleep in each other’s arms. Instead, she understood the awkwardness of the situation. And it made her sad—she knew she would have to move in with Taylor soon to satisfy their craving for each other.

  “Shall we go?” She pulled back from him and took his hand, a wonderful warmth spreading through her at the touch and the closeness of him. “We’ll just have to say goodbye to everyone.”

  “Sure. You know, we could always drive over to Bear Bluff. You could stay the night. ”

  Melanie felt that familiar pang of loss. That was where her life would be soon; she would have to travel to come and see her brother and the new baby. It would also make it harder to keep Alli up to speed with Bear Brides. She knew she should tell him, voice her concerns, but despite everything, they were still strangers. Mated strangers, held together by the force of fate, but strangers all the same. Melanie felt a familiar shyness creeping up on her, a feeling she hadn’t experienced for some time. Not since the people of Bear Creek had accepted her and Kian as part of their community.

  “Are you OK?” he asked, sensing her unease.

  “Yes. It’s just… Nothing. Let’s go.” She opened her bedroom door and went back down the stairs to say goodbye. Marjorie had handed baby Callum back to Alli, and they were all relaxed, drinking coffee and talking about the next project Kian and Vic, his business partner, were working on. Again, that pang of loss hit her; she loved these evenings, when they would sit and ponder the future. Now her future was in someone else’s hands, not just her own.

  “You off out?” Alli asked. “The snow is coming down hard.”

  “I know. But we wanted to get some fresh air,” Melanie said, trying to be tactful.

  “Fresh! It’s freezing out there,” Marjorie said.

  “They both have bear blood, Marjorie,” Vic said. “They won’t feel the cold. Especially when they have each other.”

  “I always forget I’m not the same as you,” Marjorie said.

  “Don’t feel bad, that makes two of us,” said Alli. “That’s why this little one will need his Auntie Melanie to show him all her bear tricks.”

  Melanie couldn’t answer, but her eyes met Alli’s, and the look they exchanged told her Alli wasn’t looking forward to the changes in their lives either. It was a look that didn’t go unnoticed by the other people in the room. But Melanie was so caught up in her worries, mixed up with the pull to be alone with Taylor, that she missed it.

  “We will keep warm, don’t worry Marjorie. I won’t be too late.” Melanie looked round at the happy faces in front of her and smiled. “Come on, Taylor.”

  “Bye,” he said, trying to make an effort. She knew he must feel like an outsider here. In the same way she would feel like an outsider when she moved to Bear bluff.

  With the people in the living room chorusing goodbye, they headed out into the snow. Marjorie was right; it was freezing, the snow coming down hard now, big, soft flakes settling on the ground. They trudged through it to the barn. She opened the door and they went inside.

  The barn was old, traditionally built with big oak beams. She loved it in here, it reminded her of how old the house was, and how many changes it must have seen. Some things do remain the same, she thought, looking up at the roof above her head.

  “I think we have a choice,” Melanie said. “We can either go up the mountain in the snow, or we can stay in here.”

  “That depends on what you are suggesting we do if we stay in here,” Taylor said, coming toward her.

  “Well,” she said, placing her hands in his shoulders. “There is all that hay to be moved. And I guess we could knock all the cobwebs down from the roof beams.” She looked up, feigning interest in the roof, when all she wanted was for him to take her in his arms and make love to her.

  Chapter Sixteen – Taylor

  “Not exactly what I had planned for our perfect first date.” He kissed her neck, pulling her into his arms, his hands stroking her back, going lower to cup her bottom and draw her to him. “But I think this will be perfect all the same.”

  “I don’t care what we do as long as we’re together,” she said, her lips parting, inviting him in.

  “My thoughts exactly.” He kissed her, his lips firm against hers. She opened her mouth, allowing him to push his tongue between her teeth to entwine with hers. They stood in the barn; the snow was coming down outside, but the cold didn’t penetrate them. Their bear blood and their intense need for each other was keeping them warm.

  As their kiss deepened, she sighed against him, and he held her tighter, wanting their bodies to become one, for them to be always this close. If not bodily, then with their souls, which were tethered together for eternity. His lips moved against her, his tongue pushing in and out of her mouth, stroking the roof of
her mouth, sending shivers through her body.

  Pulling away, he asked, “So where is this hay you told me about?”

  She took his hand and led him to a corner of the barn. The hay made a natural mattress, where he was quite determined to lay her down and make love to her. He kissed the back of her hand, and then eased her down, the hay soft and sweet as he joined her.

  “Are you sure? We could go back to my place.”

  “No. I don’t want to wait, I love it in here. Make love to me, Taylor. Right here, right now.”

  “I don’t need to be asked twice,” he said, sweeping her long hair back from her face and pulling her sweater down off her shoulder to kiss her bare skin. “How many layers of clothes did you put on?”

  “Why don’t you take them off? We can count if you want.”

  He chuckled. “I just want to get you naked as quickly as possible. My bear just wants to tear every shred of clothing from you, but I’ll try to keep him restrained.”

  She slipped her hand down to stroke his cock. He jumped at her unexpected touch. “How much would it take for you to lose control, Taylor?”

  “Not much if you keep that up,” he said.

  She unzipped his jeans and pushed them off his thighs. Then she scooted down, her lips kissing the tip of his cock. “How about now?”

  “Ohh, ohh. My … control has already … gone.”

  She closed her mouth around him, sucking his cock until he thought he would explode. She lifted her head, and licked him from root to tip. He fisted her hair, holding her head in place while he lifted his hips of the hay to push into her mouth. She was incredible, licking and sucking him into submission.

  Just before he came in her mouth, he stopped her. “I want to be inside you, Melanie. Deep inside you when I come.”

  She pulled back, sitting up and lifting her arms for him to remove her sweater, then a shirt, followed by a thermal vest. Only then did he reveal her wonderful full breasts, swelling over the top of her bra. He sighed. “Damn, I feel so spoiled to have you as my woman, Melanie. I want to make you the happiest woman in the world.”

  “Show me,” she said.

  And he had every intention of doing just that.

  Chapter Seventeen – Melanie

  She wasn’t sure where she had found the confidence to take him in her mouth. But she’d had this incredible urge to taste him, to know what his essence felt like on her tongue. And she was so happy he enjoyed what she did. Her confidence grew; she was a woman now, not a girl. Alli was right, she could do what she needed to do, no matter what she was faced with. Not that being faced with Taylor’s cock was bad. In fact, as he guided himself into her sex, she knew it was good. Real good.

  Taylor moved between her thighs, thrusting forward into her. Her lips parted, his cock sliding into her, causing a wonderful friction against her sensitive skin. As he pressed forward, filling her, her sex yielded to him, her slick heat coating his skin so he slid in easily. Incredibly slowly, he filled her, stopping often to allow himself to regain control. She knew if she touched him, or aroused him any more, this would be what was called a quickie. He was so close to coming after she had used her mouth on him. So she allowed him to take control.

  However, her sex ached to be filled completely by him, for him to thrust in nice and deep and make her come. But she was a patient woman, for now anyway. Deeper, his cock pushed into her, and then he surprised her with one hard thrust, impaling her completely. He lay still, his lips kissing her neck, her cheek, and then her mouth as he lay so still inside her.

  “I need to let go a little or else I am going to come instantly. And I want you to come at the same time as me, Melanie. I love feeling your tightness around me when I climax.”

  She lay still, only their mouths moving, although her sex now ached and throbbed, her muscles straining to stay still while he was inside her like this. It increased her own arousal; she could feel the blood pulsing through her inner muscles, making her clit throb. And then he began to move, his body brushing her sensitive bundle of nerves.

  If he was worried he was going to come too quick, now that fear had transferred to Melanie. She stroked his back, nipping his neck as she tried to put her mind elsewhere, but it was too late. In an instant she came, her inner muscles going into spasms around him. She cried out, burying her face into his neck so that no one would hear her.

  Her breath came in short gasps, hot on his neck. And then he came, his seed spurting deep inside her. He thrust hard, deeper and deeper, spilling his seed into her womb. He reached behind her head, grabbed hold of a rail that was attached to the barn wall, and then leveraged himself deeper, his cries filling her ear. He was claiming his mate and had no notion of not letting the whole world know about it.

  Taylor jerked hard and fast into her, his hand sliding beneath her to hold her firmly so he could impale her completely. She nipped his neck, her nails digging into his back as her orgasm crested and then seemed to begin again, an endless wave of pleasure thrilling her body. Her mate was here, deep inside her, possibly even making a new life at this moment with her. One day soon their child would be running and playing with his cousin Callum. But not if they moved to Bear Bluff, and as her orgasm ended she knew she had to find a way of making this work.

  Taylor stayed inside her, his cock softening, but he didn’t want them to part. And she wouldn’t complain. His body heat warmed her, the chill air resting on her cool skin. They kissed and caressed, exploring each other’s bodies. Finding where they were ticklish and where a simple touch could ignite arousal.

  At last, he moved off her. “I should go. I don’t know how long it’s going to take me to get back to Bear Bluff, and I daren’t be late for work again. Trent will forgive me once, but not twice.”

  He passed her clothes to her and retrieved his own. Dressing, however, took some time, because they had to stop and touch each other, caress each other, needing to feel that connection, that closeness. She loved that he enjoyed her curves. That her round, voluptuous body turned him on. He spent endless minutes kissing her nipples when she was trying, unsuccessfully, to put her bra on.

  He cupped them together, licking her taut buds with the flat of his tongue, and then circling them until her nipples were swollen and sore. “I thought you wanted to go home,” she said, feeling the heat pool between her thighs.

  “I don’t want to, but I have to.” With a groan, he dragged himself away. “I can’t wait until you move in with me, then I can fuck you whenever I want. Which I think will be every spare minute. My cock seems to have a mind of its own.”

  She knew what he meant; her body craved his like a drug. However, she remembered how Kian and Alli were at the beginning of their relationship, until the first glow of their new loved had blossomed into something else. Something deeper, not so caught up in the physical pleasures of their bodies, more in their emotions. Melanie’s mind conjured up all the ways they could please each other, until their love deepened and her arousal grew. He was right, they needed to live together as soon as possible, or else she would go quietly insane. The need to mate with him was so strong. She became resigned to leaving here, leaving this life.

  “I will pick you up at seven. If I have a chance earlier, I will come by and pull your car out of the ditch.”

  “Thank you,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and breathing in the scent of him one last time. Pine woods and earth, just how a bear should smell, she thought. “I will see you tomorrow.”

  “I can’t wait. And please, don’t worry if my brothers tease me. It’s all in good fun. Word has already got round I have found my mate.”

  “I can’t wait to meet them,” she said, hoping that when she met his family they might make the thought of moving to Bear Bluff easier. She only wished more of his brothers had mates so that she would have other women around her. One thing she would miss was the closeness between her and Alli. Yet she knew that even if she did make friends, it could never be the same as her relationship
with Alli.

  Her sister-in-law had been the first person to take a chance on her, by giving her a job at Bear Brides.

  Feeling melancholy, she stood and watched Taylor’s truck disappear into the snow, noting that Vic and Marjorie had already left. Thinking Kian and Alli had probably headed to bed for an early night, she went into the house quietly. She was surprised to find Kian waiting for her.

  “Hi,” she said, going to him and kissing his cheek. “I thought you would be in bed, Kian.”

  “I wanted to make sure you got in safely,” he said, wrapping his arm around her as they sat together and watched the fire die down.

  “How are you?” she asked. “You know, with the baby and everything.”

  He smiled. “It’s amazing. Better than I ever thought. But all of a sudden, there is this huge responsibility on my shoulders. I mean, having a mate is one thing, you know that’s going to happen. But a little bear cub, well, all of a sudden you want to be the best person you can possibly be.”

  She laid her head on his shoulder. “You already were the best person you could be. Look how you turned our lives around.”

  “I wouldn’t have done it without you and Alli. You two are the best support system I could ever wish for.”

  “And now I’m going to move away,” she said, her voice filled with sadness. “At least that’s one less responsibility for you.”

  “Melanie, I never saw it that way. And if there was a way to make it right, I would. But Taylor is your mate. I want to plead with you to stay here, but I know you have to do what is right for the two of you.”

  “What if I don’t know what that is? I mean, yes, we are bonded, and I want to be with him. But my life is here in Bear Creek.”

  “Have you told him that?”

  “No. How can I? His family, his work, and his home is in Bear Bluff.”

  “Melanie. You are a partnership. You should speak to him, work it out with him.”

  She stood up, offering him her hand and pulling him off the sofa. “Come on, we both need some sleep.”