Bear-ly A Hero (Bear Claw Security 2)

by Terry Bolryder

  He laid her on her back and then got on top of her, straddling her. His hand stroked lightly over her silky panties and then dipped inside.

  His gaze was heated, his jaw tense as he watched her react to the stroke of his fingertip over her bare, sensitive, damp skin. He dipped lower, touching inside her, where he’d been earlier. She was still a little raw, but it only enhanced the sensation, only aroused her more as she thought of what had happened between them, how hot it had been, how bare.

  As his finger dipped in again, feeling and testing, she pushed against him, wanting more of him, remembering how he felt, but he simply removed his finger and slid it over her clit again, gliding easily over it in a circular motion that made it impossible to think, impossible to do anything but gasp out his name.

  His mouth claimed her lips, harder this time, and his tongue swept into her mouth, thrusting inside and tasting every bit of her in a way that was heady and overwhelming and just so intensely right.

  Everything she let him do was so intimate, so vulnerable, yet she found herself helpless to resist. Her whole body wanted him so badly it felt like withdrawals when she imagined herself denying him.

  She loved everything about him, the look of him as he pulled back from the kiss, his lips wet from hers, his eyes intent as his finger worked faster, as his other hand dug into her hair and cupped her face, like she was precious to him and he wanted her to know that.

  She loved the heat of his body just above her, the safety she felt with his arms surrounding her, his attention all on her, his thighs straddling her.

  Even if they went no further than this, it was perfect.

  But she wanted to go further. As he kissed her lips and then lowered his head to kiss his way down her neck, she reached for the button of his jeans. He moved her hand away, but she came back.

  She knew what she wanted.

  She was probably too raw to take him inside again this soon, but she wanted to see him go, wanted to see it happen when she wasn’t too overwhelmed by her own pleasure to see every minute movement of his face and body.

  She got his button open and his fly down, gasping as she tried to concentrate against the tingling sensation of his kisses down her sensitive neck and the building pressure between her legs threatening to send her sky high.

  She had him in her hands but only was able to take one stroke up him before she went, his finger taking her over the edge in a screaming orgasm that had lights bursting behind her eyes like fireworks.

  She could barely breathe, barely see as she released his dick to hold on to his back, letting her nails dig in as he let out a growl of pleasure so intense it had to match the feelings inside her.

  This was the best thing in the world.

  When she came down, gasping, she looked up at him. He was smug, happy with what he’d done, while she was wet and helpless with how good he’d made her feel. She wanted to go again and again, but she wanted something else, too.

  She put her hand on him, and he groaned, letting out a little shiver. She loved the effect she could have on his big body. She stroked her hand up and then down and noticed he gave off a little twitch. She saw a little bead of moisture on the tip of his huge member and suddenly had the urge to lick it off. She sat up, pushing him back into the arm of the couch and off of her so she could lower her head to kiss him, just on his tip, swirling her tongue over the salty wetness there.

  He felt like velvet, tasted like heaven.

  She growled and sank her hands into his hips, preparing to take more of him in her mouth, when she found herself flipped around, lying under him as he lay over her but with their heads facing different directions.

  Was this…?

  “Sixty-nine,” Limes said, and she could hear the grin in his voice. “If you want a piece of me, you’re going to have to take it while I’m pleasing you.” He put his mouth over her, and she gasped in shock, noting his member was right above her, though he was careful to keep it high enough she didn’t have to take it unless she wanted.

  She did.

  She reached up and took him in her mouth. She’d written things like this in her novels, but never thought she’d get to do them in real life, and not with someone as hot as Limes.

  His tongue stroked over her with unbearable heat, and she writhed, keeping her lips to him, adjusting to just how little of his size she could take in her mouth. She put a hand up to help, stroking his base while she took his head.

  It was delightfully difficult, trying to focus on his hard, velvety strength while he was driving her insane with his tongue. She arched with a particularly strong stroke, moving her tongue all the way up the length of him as she held him in her hands.

  She loved the feel of him, loved the thickness, loved remembering how it felt inside her. She loved his groans as she sucked him, taking him fully into her mouth as far as she could as her hands stroked over his base.

  She loved when she was completely overwhelmed by how close he was taking her to the edge, his tongue laving with intense passion that only seemed to be escalating as she kissed him right back.

  It was the most intimate thing she’d ever done, but she never once questioned it.

  They just seemed to know each other’s bodies with so little effort. They might not have gotten along right away, but they definitely got along in bed. The wolf in her had picked up on his sensuality, and now that she’d experienced even more of it, she didn’t know how she’d ever be able to let it stop.

  “You feel so good,” Limes said. “You taste amazing.”

  “You, too,” she said, swiping over his slit. “So amazing.”

  “Stop that,” he said. “I can’t—I can’t focus.”

  “I can’t either. We’ll just have to see who can go first.”

  “This is ridiculous,” he said, swirling over her and then sucking with a wet kiss. “Yet I have absolutely no compunctions.”

  “Me either,” she said, stroking his base.

  “I’m close.”

  “Me, too.” She squeezed her legs against the sensation that was threatening to explode.

  Somehow, all the things she’d fought against with anyone else felt just perfect when it was him. When she felt her own orgasm take over, she had a moment’s disappointment, just before the most incredible release of her life exploded inside her.

  Then a second later, she felt him jerk and held him as he spurted inside her mouth. She swallowed him, still lost in the feel of his tongue against her, taking all of her release.

  She loved the flex of his body, his groans, the harshness of his breathing, and then the way he finally pulled away and came back to her, holding her against him so close it was like they were one.

  He cradled her in his lap, making her feel utterly safe as she rode out the rest of her pleasure. His huge body trembled against hers.

  “What the hell just happened?” he asked, looking down at her with eyes that were as astonished as her own. “That was…”

  “I don’t know,” she said, wrapping her arms around him. “All I know is I want to do it again.”

  “Holy hell,” Limes said, sounding exhausted as he ran a hand through her hair. “What have we gotten ourselves into?”

  She snuggled against him, loving the feel of his warm chest, the strength of his body. They’d only known each other a few days, yet it felt like forever to Jamie.

  She knew then, whether she wanted to or not, she was getting involved with this man. Her heart was his if he wanted it. And she’d never wanted to give it to anyone before.

  “I don’t know,” she said, looking up into his face. “Do you regret it?”

  “Never,” he said. “I get the feeling I’ll never regret having more with you, no matter what happens after.”

  “What do you want to happen after?” she asked.

  He opened his mouth and then closed it. “I don’t know.”

  She was slightly disappointed in that answer but knew it was fair. After all, they barely knew one another. />
  “I just know I’ve never felt this way about anyone,” Limes said. “That much I can tell you.”

  She cuddled in close, and he wrapped his arms tighter. Right now, she felt treasured. That had to be enough.

  He carried her to her bed and slept beside her that night. And maybe it was because of the security system, or maybe it was the amazing sex, but for the first time, Jamie was able to fall asleep completely peacefully and not wake up from any bad dreams.

  * * *

  The next morning, Jamie was humming to herself and making breakfast while Limes got ready and went out to get the mail.

  Last night had been amazing. The things that happened between them were spontaneous, but they were awakening a side of her she hadn’t known existed, or at least had kept very deeply suppressed.

  It felt surprisingly good to discover those parts of herself, and she’d be grateful for that no matter what happened. She would know how to take what she wanted. Know that some men could give pleasure and only want to do what a woman wanted, rather than shoving themselves on everyone.

  When Limes set the mail on the counter, she served him some eggs in a heaping pile, and he gave her a smile that probably would have frightened her off before but now just gave her chills of anticipation down her spine.

  Clearly, he’d enjoyed last night as well.

  He hadn’t shaved, and she liked the dark stubble shading his face. It enhanced his intense jaw, made him look even more masculine. Anyone else should be scared of him, but he was on her side now.

  He was hers, at least temporarily.

  She was extraordinarily glad she’d insisted on hiring the tech guy from Bear Claw Security. It had worked out better than anyone could have expected, at least so far.

  She absentmindedly opened a letter and gasped when she saw photos fall out of it.

  Limes looked down at the Polaroids as well. They were pictures of her.

  There was no note, and she didn’t see any fingerprints.

  She dropped the envelope in shock. Limes had made her feel so safe, so happy, that she’d forgotten just how real all of this was. It had been nice to think of something other than the constant stress of her pack catching up to her.

  She let out a shaky breath, and Limes put a hand over hers, comforting her. But the look in his eyes was dark, full of rage.

  “We’ll get them, Jamie. I promise.”

  “What if there’s nothing you can do?” She pushed through the pictures as tears bit at her eyes. Oh gosh, one of them was her in her robe. Through her window. She put a hand over her mouth and tried to keep her composure.

  Why had she been so stupid? Why had she let her guard down, ever?

  But these couldn’t be recent. She saw pictures of her in the parking garage. Her leaving work. Her driving.

  They’d been following her everywhere. Why hadn’t they just taken her?

  Panic rose inside her. Suddenly, even though Limes was there and the security system was in place, she felt completely unsafe, completely alone. As if she were walking in the dark with footsteps behind her and no one to hear her scream for miles.

  She felt Limes’s hands on her shoulders. He’d walked around the counter and was pulling her to face him, making her look up into his eyes.

  “Jamie, listen to me,” he said. “I’m not going to let them near you.”

  She nodded but was still panicked by the situation. Limes was here now, but he hadn’t been there when the pictures were taken. What about when this was over, when Limes wasn’t around anymore?

  How could she ever feel safe, even if they got the pack to give up on her now?

  “Look at me, Jamie,” Limes said, shaking her gently. “What can I do to help you? What would make you feel safe?”

  “I don’t know,” she said blankly. “I don’t know anymore. I’ve been running so long, and it’s clear they’ve always been behind me. I’ve never really been safe.”

  “You’re safe with me,” he said.

  That’s what she was afraid of. That she would feel this safe, this good, and then when he left, she would realize just how much worse her world was without him, when it had only been empty before.

  “I’m not going until you’re safe.”

  She put her arms around him and leaned in, unable to speak. “I know.”

  “Let’s call in to work, okay?” he asked. “Let’s take a day off together. You need to relax.”

  She nodded, and he took her face in his hands, stroking her hair back.

  “I love what we do together because I love seeing the stress leave your face. I love seeing you completely caught up in something other than fear, something overwhelmingly good rather than something bad.”

  She nodded. “I like that, too. But we can’t just do that all the time.”

  “That’s true,” he said, nodding. Then he straightened, looking impossibly tall. Impossibly big. “I have an idea of something we can do, though. Can you call in to work?”

  She shrugged. “Sure. I have a lot of sick days saved up.”

  “Do that, then,” Limes said, nodding at the phone. “I have something to show you. Something I think might help you feel safer.”

  She nodded numbly and picked up her phone. As she dialed her boss, she watched Limes gather his things to leave.

  Where did he want to take her?

  12

  As they drove together to Bear Claw Security, Limes kept looking over at the woman who was coming to mean everything to him.

  He’d do anything to take away the desperate look on her face. The intense fear that seemed to go bone deep.

  Anything.

  And that scared him.

  When they’d been together last night, in a way he’d never expected—and it had been so wonderful, so precious, so powerful—he’d felt his very foundation quake.

  Like something was breaking inside him.

  He’d been alone for so long. Sure, he’d had friends. But no one to watch out for. Not like this.

  Not someone who threatened to get completely into his heart.

  As a result, it destroyed him when he saw her look afraid.

  She kept asking him what he saw for the future. Was he just a coward for not saying what he felt?

  Every time she asked him, the words ran through his mind.

  You’re my mate. You’re mine forever. I’m never letting you go.

  But he held himself back. It was all happening so fast. Even if he felt it and didn’t think it would ever change, he wasn’t ready to tell her and hear her answer. Would she scoff at him getting attached so fast? How did mating work for wolves? Was it even possible between a bear and a wolf? Well, it was possible to have sex and even get married, obviously, but would he be able to stake a mate claim on her?

  Would she want him to?

  Or was he just sexual entertainment, a good distraction until they caught whoever was after her?

  Although, even if it wasn’t the pack that had hurt her before, he was going to find them after this and have a “talk” with them.

  No one would ever hurt her again.

  But if she doesn’t let you stay with her, is that really your call? a little voice inside him said. But he brushed it away.

  He’d just have to win her over. No one in his life had really wanted him around. Bronson and Cage tolerated him better than most. Maybe even cared for him. But that still didn’t mean they could spend lots of time together.

  If he continued to spend time with Jamie, would she come to hate him? He was abrasive; he knew this. But he liked to think she was teaching him how to be softer. Kinder.

  His face heated at the memory of how “kind” they’d been to each other the night before.

  It had been such a perfect metaphor for what was happening between them. Completely complicated, totally upside down, and more pleasurable than anything on Earth should be allowed to be.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “Bear Claw,” he said. “But a part of th
e building you haven’t been to before?”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, suspicious.

  “You’ll see.”

  He pulled into the side parking lot. Then he got out and walked around to get her door. As he helped her out, he felt small sparks just at the touch of her hand.

  There was something magic about this woman.

  He took her around to a side door, and when he opened it up, she looked inside and gasped.

  “A gym?” she asked as he led the way inside.

  “Yeah,” he said. “But also where we can teach clients self-defense.”

  She walked inside as he closed the door and started turning lights on, and as it seemed to dawn on her why they were there, a grin spread over her face. “Awesome.”

  “I’m glad you think so. I want to be around when you’re in trouble, but I want you to feel like you have at least some ways to defend yourself.”

  She balled her hands into round little fists and bounced on her feet. He liked the way her body moved when she did that, and he hid a smile.

  “I’m ready to beat ass,” she said, probably still thinking about the pictures.

  He cracked his knuckles. The whole thing made him want to punch something. Hard. Luckily, he was in just the right place for it.

  But first, he needed to show her how to do it as well.

  * * *

  Jamie stared at the fully equipped gym surrounding her. On the back wall was an assortment of weight racks and machines, to her right was a lineup of punching bags of varying shapes and sizes, and in the center where Limes was standing was a black-padded floor.

  “What do you think?” Limes asked.

  “Impressive,” Jamie responded, though all she could see was a huge, muscled man walking around as he gathered things together. When he turned to look at her, she tried to suppress a blush and hurriedly walked toward him in the hopes of avoiding further commentary.

  Thankfully, for at least this once, Limes spared her.

  Once she joined him in the center of the padded arena, Limes picked up a pair of boxing gloves and handed them to her.