Woodcutter Werebear (Saw Bears Book 2)

by T. S. Joyce

  “You smell aroused,” he said in a gruff voice. He settled on the side of the bathtub, his injured leg stretched out in front of him.

  “You could’ve kept that little gem to yourself,” she muttered.

  “Why? It’s sexy, and I like it. Why shouldn’t I observe and compliment.”

  “Oh. I didn’t know it was a compliment.”

  “You smell good, and I bet you taste good, too.”

  God, she hoped he was talking about her lips or skin, but from the hungry way his eyes traveled down her thighs, he meant exactly what he said. His forward way of speaking was jarring.

  “My bear always wants sex after a fight. It isn’t your place to satisfy that need, though, so I can stop talking about it. You look uncomfortable.”

  “No.” She unbuttoned the snap on his jeans and sighed. “It’s all right. I like that you are blatantly honest. You’re a bit of an over-sharer, but it’s better than hiding your feelings all the time. Just say what you want, and if you cross a line, I’ll tell you. I don’t want you to change for me.”

  Kellen tilted his chin, and the fire in his eyes dimmed. Uncertainly, he said, “You don’t want to change me?”

  “No. Why would I? You’re…” She smiled at the memory of his first compliment to her today. She repeated it in a soft whisper. “You’re perfect.”

  Kellen snorted, then hissed air through his teeth as she tugged the waist of his jeans downward.

  “Help me, man. I can’t clean the injury from behind your pants.”

  “Oh.” He frowned, as if he’d just remembered the growing blood puddle across his quad. Standing, he pulled the denim material away from his skin and slowly pressed his pants down, exposing the extent of the wound.

  Skyler bit her lip and thanked her lucky stars she wasn’t afraid of blood. Four long gashes ran across the top of his leg, and the bottom one was a bit of a gusher. Kellen rearranged his face to a stoic expression and gripped the edges of the bathtub as he sat down. “If you hand me a towel, I’ll get the bleeding stopped.”

  She turned to a pair of faded, white cabinets above a washer and dryer against the bathroom wall and found an old, threadbare black towel. But when Kellen reached for it, she swatted his hand away and pressed it on the injury herself. “How long does it take you to heal?”

  “With an injury like this, two days until it’s a scar.”

  This rocked her back on her heels. She was a fast healer, but not like that. “Hold that there, and I’ll find something to clean it.”

  His hand pressed against hers, strong and steady, as he held her transfixed with his gaze. “Thank you.”

  “It’s no problem,” she said, shrugging it off. “I’ve dealt with battle wounds before.”

  “No, not for that. For saying you didn’t want me to change. I’m… I know I’m different. Most people outside of the Ashe crew write me off—think there is something wrong with me. Thanks for not doing that.”

  She thought of how hurt he’d looked in the grocery store parking lot when she’d called him strange, and shame burned her cheeks. “I’m sorry about what I said when I first met you.”

  “Don’t. You don’t have to apologize for that. Everyone thinks that. It’s okay.” He dipped his attention to his bare feet and seemed unable to lift his gaze.

  A blush crept into his cheeks, and she brushed the color there with her fingertips. She knew how it felt to be different all her life. To not fit in. “You are good, Kellen. I like that you say what you mean and how you feel. I like that you let me in.”

  His hair was mussed from his fight, so she ran her fingers through until it was smooth and in place again. Kellen dropped his chin to his chest and gripped her wrist so fast, she gasped. He ran a gentle thumb across the tender skin of her arm.

  “I like when you touch me,” he rumbled.

  “I like it, too.”

  She liked it more than she ever thought possible. His reaction to her was empowering. He didn’t bully her or manipulate her into doing what he wanted. He made her feel beautiful and in control. He complimented her and was vocal when she did something he appreciated.

  The silky skin around his shaft grew thin and hard as his erection jutted out between his legs. He was impossibly thick, and she had no idea how a man of his size would physically match her smaller body, but that didn’t stop her sex from responding instantly to his arousal.

  “What are you thinking?” he whispered, cupping her face.

  She smiled as she thought about being as utterly honest as he was.

  “Say it,” he goaded.

  “My panties are wet.”

  The small smile fell from his face and his eyes went serious. “How wet?”

  “Soaking.”

  She’d never wanted to be with Roger. Never even wanted to kiss him, but with Kellen, it was different. She wanted him, and even better, her body already had tuned to his needs. There was no doubt they’d be compatible in the bedroom if they could get over the mismatched size issue. Kellen was too sweet to hurt her.

  Kellen’s gaze fell slowly to the apex between her thighs. She was already on her knees, padded by the bathmat, and she spread them a little wider for him. “You want to feel?”

  Kellen’s nostrils flared, and he nodded. “I don’t think I should, though. You’ve been hurt. You need more time.”

  She shook her head and let him see the honesty in her eyes. “It would be nice not to think about all of that for a little while.”

  A small, knowing grin crooked one corner of his sensual lips. “I can make you forget.”

  When she ran her fingertip from the base of his shaft to tip, it twitched under her touch. Kellen leaned his head back, thick cords of muscle in his neck stretching. Damn, he was sexy, allowing her to see how much she affected him like this. She traced a long vein under his tight skin, and he gripped the edge of the bathtub harder. She toyed with him until the head of his cock was red and swollen, ready. A bead of creamy moisture formed from the tiny slit at the tip, and she tasted it.

  Kellen’s arms shook, and he released a shuddering breath. “Beautiful, you’re going to kill me.”

  “You want me to stop?” she asked innocently, trying to hide her smile.

  “No. I want you to do whatever you want to.”

  Well, that sounded fun. When she cupped his balls, the muscles in his legs twitched. The mounds of his abs flexed and softened with each ragged breath he drew. She leaned forward and kissed each one, starting with the top of his eight-pack and moving to the bottom two. Slowly, she pushed on his knees, gentle with his injured leg, and nestled closer to him. Stretching up, she nibbled his bottom lip.

  With a groan, he cupped the back of her head and plunged his tongue into her mouth. God, he tasted so good. She opened her lips wider for him and lost all track of time. He could’ve kissed her for minutes, or hours perhaps. All she knew was that she was lost and falling and happy for the first time in a long time. Kellen liked her. And not just because she was a breeder or because her last name meant something. He liked her for her, the good and the bad.

  His fingers combed through her hair, as if he couldn’t help touching her silken locks, and when he’d had his fill of her lips, he tasted her jawline, then her neck. And when the inferno inside of her grew too hot to bear, she pulled her tank top over her head and unsnapped the front clasp of her black, lacey bra.

  Kellen eased back as she shrugged out of her clothes. He devoured every inch of her vulnerable skin with his gaze. “Beautiful,” he whispered, though she couldn’t tell if he was reverently murmuring the nickname he’d gifted her or if he was complimenting what he saw.

  Either way, it brought a smile of relief to her face. She hadn’t ever asked a man to appreciate her body like this.

  Gently, he cupped her breasts, pushing them inward against each other. She surged forward, pressing her cleavage against his stony shaft. His shaky breath said he liked the feel of her against him like this, so she moved her chest down so that h
er full breasts stroked the length of him.

  His eyes rolled back in his head as she did it again, which gave her an idea. A naughty idea. She was drunk on the way she felt with him and bolder than she’d ever been with a man before. Pulling his hands away from her breasts to free them, she edged closer until he was nestled in her cleavage, then put his palms back in place once her breasts surrounded his impossibly hard cock.

  Chest heaving, he pressed her tits around him and rolled his hips. “Fff—” he said, biting back a curse.

  Skyler was nearly gleeful. She bit her lip hard to hide a triumphant giggle. Kellen was relinquishing control. He moved his hips against her, totally enraptured. She was doing this, causing that expression of pure ecstasy on his face. She reached around him and pressed her fingertips on his thrusting hips just to feel the power there. In one smooth move, he reached over and took a pump of lotion from the bottle near the shower, then took himself in hand and pressed between her breasts again. This time, it was slick and made a wet sound that just about buckled her. Holy cow, could she come without him touching her?

  His hips bucked faster, and his breath came ragged. He was trying to be gentle so she pushed his hands, squeezing her breasts around him more tightly, and he yelled out and bucked faster. The wet sound was constant now, and the taut buds of her sensitive nipples brushed his belly as it flexed against her.

  She cupped her sex. She’d soaked her panties, and her leggings were warm with her arousal. Kellen took his eyes from her bobbing chest and his dick forcing its way through her cleavage and frowned at her hand that touched between her thighs. So fast he blurred, he scooped her up and strode into the bedroom, any hint of a limp gone. He should’ve been in great pain, and bleeding like a stuck pig, but when she looked over his shoulder at the fallen towel on the bathroom floor, it wasn’t even soaked through.

  “Had to stop,” he murmured against her neck as he lay her down.

  “You didn’t want to finish?” She was confused. He’d seemed ready to climax.

  “Oh, I want to come, but not before you do.”

  Her belly quivered with those muttered words against her ear. He slid down her, removed her boots and socks, then pulled her leggings and panties until they cleared her ankles. She should’ve felt vulnerable, laid out on top of the sheets like this, the setting sun still lighting the room enough for him to see all of her. But the look in Kellen’s eyes stifled any embarrassment she could’ve harbored about her body.

  Without a word, Kellen flipped her over until he lay back down on the mattress and she was straddling his face, holding her just above him with his powerful arms.

  She started to protest, but he plunged his tongue into her sex and she melted against him. He sucked on her sensitive nub as he retracted his tongue. Her hips bucked forward. Splaying her hands against the mattress above his head, she locked her elbows and rolled her hips the next time his tongue thrust into her. She would’ve been more embarrassed if he didn’t seem to be thoroughly enjoying himself. And when she looked behind her, he was stroking himself in rhythm to the pace he set with his mouth. Three more thrusts and the pressure was too much. She called out and froze above him, pulsing around his lapping tongue.

  Holy shit. This was easily the hottest thing she’d ever done. Probably the hottest thing she’d ever do again. Kellen rolled her over and pulled a pillow toward them, then lifted her neck gently. When he was satisfied that she was nice and comfortable, he kissed her slowly from her navel to her collarbone, until the head of his cock pressed an inch inside of her.

  With a moan, she spread her knees wider and cradled his hips against hers. He was slow in taking her, as if he knew his size would be too much if he wasn’t careful. She dug her fingers into his back as he pressed inside of her another inch and stretched her. Tiny aftershocks still trilled through her. Kellen’s arms were flexed from trying to keep the bulk of his weight off her, and she scratched her fingernails down his triceps. His hips jerked, and he plunged into her. She gasped and arched against him. He seemed to like when she had her claws out, so she dug them into his back as he bucked into her, faster and harder. She cried out with every stroke as the tingling pressure built inside her. And as she breathed his name, she fell apart, detonating around him as he gritted his teeth and shot into her. Warm jets released into her as his cock flexed and swelled, pulsing to match her own release. She raked her nails down his back, and he pursed his lips and thrust into her again and again until she lay spent and boneless under him.

  He kissed her neck and moved slowly inside of her, as if he couldn’t get enough of the feel of her around him. He hugged her tightly and eventually eased out, only to tuck her against him and run a light touch from the top of her shoulder blades to the iliac crests of her lower back. Over and over, he stroked and kissed her, nibbled her collar bone until she felt completely adored.

  This was the moment she’d remember for all time. For the rest of her short life, she’d know this was the time that had changed her from the inside out. This moment, right here, in the arms of the man who’d altered everything, was when she chose banishment.

  Because a life without love, without this, wasn’t really a life at all.

  Chapter Six

  Kellen crossed his arms and sipped his beer, staring at the steaks on the grill. Today had been a roller coaster, and he wasn’t sure how he felt. Enraptured by Skyler, absolutely, but this wasn’t a simple relationship. Even if she hadn’t been hurt and half-broken when he found her, he was full to the gills with his own inner monsters, none of which he could ever let her see. If she knew what he really was, she’d leave and never come back. And that was a thought that was no longer tolerable. Not after he’d bedded her. Not after his bear had chosen her once and for all. He wasn’t mate material, but that didn’t seem to stop his inner animal from craving a partner.

  And damn his instincts, he couldn’t avoid the bond that was forming between them. If he cut her off now and distanced himself, he’d still always pine. It was the way he was built. Loyal to a fault, and when he felt, he felt. Fuck, he was in it now, and she deserved so much better.

  “You trying to burn the steaks, man?” Denison asked. “Cause you know no bear here likes their meat hard as a hockey puck.”

  Rushing, Kellen flipped the meat as the heat below sizzled and hissed. “Sorry. I’m just…”

  “In Skylerland?” Denison asked. He tinked his bottle against Kellen’s beer. “Looks like you got it bad.”

  Kellen inhaled deeply and shook his head in shame. “What am I going to do?”

  “About what? From the way you were rocking that trailer earlier, it’s pretty obvious you chose her.”

  “Yeah, and what good does that do either of us? She’s better than this place. Better than me.”

  Denison cocked his head and frowned. “Is this because of the time before Meredith found you?”

  Kellen clacked his mouth closed and stared at the steaming steaks. No way in hell was he talking about his past. Thinking about it was bad enough.

  Denison gripped his shoulder and squeezed. “You ain’t him.”

  Kellen snorted and shook his head as his friend sauntered off. What did Denison know? He’d grown up with a loving family. Him and Brighton both. They were made for mates. They’d seen a good example of love. Kellen wouldn’t even know where to begin. He knew one thing, and one thing alone. If he allowed himself to claim a mate, any mate, he’d burn her up until she was a husk of the person she was supposed to be.

  He hadn’t brought Skyler here to claim her.

  He’d brought her here to heal her.

  Anything more would break her the rest of the way, and it wasn’t something he or his bear could live with.

  Haydan whistled a catcall, and Kellen turned. Brooke and Skyler were making their way down the porch stairs of 1010 a few trailers up. Skyler was wearing a pair of skin-tight, sexy-as-all-get-out jeans and a black tank top.

  “Your mouth is hangin’ open,” Denison call
ed with a smirk on his face.

  Kellen clacked his teeth closed and cleared his throat. Skyler had pulled her dark hair back in a ponytail, exposing her long, fair neck, and she’d covered her bruises with some paint shit women wore to enhance whatever they thought needed enhancing. He wasn’t usually a fan of heavy make-up, but Skyler had dolled up her eyes with dark stuff and the green in her irises looked downright exotic. Or erotic. His cock swelled and hammered against his jeans. Her arms were toned, and she walked straighter, chin up, like the day had done wonders for her confidence. And when those gorgeous eyes fell on him—well, she just about buckled his knees.

  “Mouth is hanging open again,” Denison observed helpfully.

  “Shut up,” Kellen said. “Take the steaks off the grill. I’m gonna…yeah.” He handed Denison the tongs and weaved a path through the strewn plastic lawn chairs and around the fire pit Tagan was tossing logs into.

  His alpha was staring at Skyler, too, but his eyes looked troubled. Kellen had already paid for her to be here in blood, though, so like it or not, Tagan had to accept her presence for tonight.

  Kellen stopped short in front of Skyler. Brooke squeezed her hand, then made her way toward the fire pit.

  “You look,” he said, voice cracking on the last word. He cleared his throat and stood taller. “You look healthy.”

  “Healthy?” Skyler asked, then giggled. “Thank you, I think.”

  She stood on tiptoes, sliding her hand over his shoulder, and kissed the two day scruff on his face. Her lips were soft and warm against his jaw. Surprised, he placed his hands on her hips to steady her on the way back down.

  “You look handsome.”

  He frowned down at his black cotton T-shirt and worn, holey jeans over his scuffed work boots. He hadn’t exactly dressed up for Brooke’s welcome home celebration, but if this was what Skyler liked, he’d dress down more often for her.

  The sleeves of his shirt were tight, and Skyler ran her hand down his arm, over the curve of his bicep, and settled it in the inner crook of his elbow. Good grief, the woman could bend his animal to her will with a touch.