The Bear's Reluctant Wolf

by Jenika Snow

  Candace was used to her jeans and cardigan sets, but there was no dissuading Melissa, or talking her out of anything. They were both wolf shifters, but Melissa was far tougher than she was. Melissa didn’t back down, and didn’t take shit from anyone. And that was one of the reasons Candace loved her like a sister.

  They made their way toward the front, and there was no mistaking the looks some of the scary looking bikers gave them. Melissa was wearing some scandalizing short dress, one that showed off her killer curves. Candace just felt like a frumpy potato.

  “Damn, ladies, looking fucking fine.”

  Without missing a stride Melissa lifted her hand and flipped the guy off. Candace grinned just as they pushed the door open and stepped inside. If Candace was by herself she felt more reserved, but Melissa brought out a different side of her, and Candace loved it and felt free. The sound of heavy rock music slammed into Candace’s ears, and it took her a moment for her vision to adjust to the dimly lit interior. Once she did she suddenly felt very overdressed.

  She lowered her voice and leaned in close to Melissa’s ear. “Melissa, we should have just worn jeans and holey t-shirts. These outfits make us look way out of place.”

  “You can’t catch dick wearing jeans and holey shirts.” Melissa smoothed her hands down her dress, right over her breasts, and puffed her chest out. Candace just shook her head, because she honestly had no clue how to even respond to that. “Oh God, look at that guy over there, the bartender with the huge muscled arms covered in tattoo sleeves.”

  Candace looked over at the bar, but what she saw was a massive back seeing as the bartender was busy pouring drinks. He had to be easily six and a half feet tall, with massive biceps that were covered in colorful ink. He turned around and gave a guy sitting at the bar his bear. His short black hair was almost military style, and the scowl on his face made him look like he’d break someone’s arm off if they glanced at him the wrong way.

  “I bet he’d eat you alive.” Candace was teasing, but then again she wasn’t. The guy was a freaking machine.

  “I know, isn’t it great?” There was almost a wistful note on Melissa’s voice. Melissa led the way to the bar, and once they were both seated on the barstools Candace looked over her shoulder and people-watched. The pool tables off to the side were surrounded by guys in jeans and dirty t-shirts. Maybe they did construction? Although the majority of the patrons were of the biker variety, there were ones who didn’t look like they could beat some ass with just a look.

  “What can I get for you ladies?” The dark voice that addressed them had Candace turning back around and staring into turbulent dark eyes. She sensed his disinterest in everything around him, but even if she hadn’t been a shifter, any person would have been able to tell that this was not a lion shifter to be messed with.

  “Two margaritas, please. Oh, and some hot wings.” He smirked, but it wasn’t one of amusement. That seemed to annoy Melissa. “What, never made margaritas before?” She was teasing, but there was also a sultry hint in her voice. Leave it to her friend to try to flirt with a guy that she clearly should have been staying away from.

  “Actually, no. People that come here at night don’t tend to want anything other than shots or beer.” His voice held no emotion as he eyed them apathetically.

  “Well, sugar, looks like I’ll pop your margarita cherry tonight.” He didn’t crack a smile, just grunted and turned around so his back was facing them again. Melissa looked over at Candace and puckered out her lips. “Doesn’t his attitude just make you tingle down there?” Candace shook her head but didn’t bother responding. Melissa hadn’t exactly said that statement quietly, and by the way the lion looked over his shoulder at them with a cocked eyebrow, it was clear he had heard.

  No, Candace wasn’t all about the too alpha males who thought a woman should roll over and present herself just because they told her to. Although Candace had tended to stick with safer guys, ones who acted conservative, she was perfectly okay with that. It was comfortable, and they matched well. Up until Chad she hadn’t been screwed over. Her life had been easygoing, contented, and everything had just kind of fallen into place. After graduating Sweet Water High she had gone to Clayton University and gotten her bachelor’s in accounting. She had even been lucky enough to do the books from home for a larger advertising firm based in the city. Those kinds of jobs were far and few between, but she had lucked out. Her house was in order, her clothes in their rightful place, and her life exactly how she wanted it to be. Maybe she was uptight with a dash of OCD thrown in there, but it had worked out for her this long, and that’s exactly how she wanted it to stay. But then Chad had come along, and he had been the first fuck-up in her life. And it had sucked.

  The lion placed the margaritas in front of them, with sugar around the rim even. He grunted again when Melissa made some kind of joke about how good he had made it, sexual innuendos and all, and turned to help another customer.

  “I bet he is an animal in the sack.” Candace didn’t have time to respond because Melissa was tugging on her arm to follow her to one of the empty booths thick in biker territory. To her surprise many of them were very respectful, excusing themselves so they could make their way to the table, but she wasn’t naive enough to think all of them were like that. Hell, the one they met outside was a good example of that. Candace supposed bikers got a bad rap, what with their longer hair, beefy leather wearing frames, and tattoos galore.

  They slid into the booth, and she settled back. A small dance floor was erected closer to the pool tables, and a few couples moved to the Aerosmith song playing overhead. This wasn’t really Candace’s scene, but it was definitely a place she saw Melissa going to.

  “So, what do you think?” The waitress came by and set a big basket of wings in front of them. The sauce that covered them looked neon, and the word “hot” seemed like an understatement.

  “Honestly?” Melissa took one of the small plates and grabbed a few wings. She gave Candace a look that meant “duh”. “It really isn’t my thing.”

  “What, because it isn’t Applebee’s?” Melissa grinned at her right before she brought a wing to her mouth and took a bite.

  “Bitch.”

  Melissa grinned again through a mouthful. “Kidding, but really, you need to get out of that little bubble you live in. How long have I been trying to make you more outgoing?”

  Too long. “What can I say? I live a comfortable, safe, and boring life.” Melissa snorted, but it was one part amusement and two parts seriousness because the hot wing was too damn hot. That was evident by the redness that suddenly covered Melissa’s face, and the fact her eyes started to water. “Too hot?” Candace smiled and watched Melissa reach for her drink and suck half of it down.

  “Shit, those need to come with a warning.”

  “What do you expect when you order hot wings?” Candace was laughing out loud now, but that laughter died when Melissa pushed the wings in her direction.

  “Go on, try one.”

  “Hell no.” She shook her head.

  “What, scared? They’re really good, just hot as a bitch.” Melissa had that wolfish grin in place, one that she wore really well.

  “I’m not scared. I just like my taste buds, thank you.” They had a stare off, and Candace knew Melissa would keep pestering her until she gave in. “Why am I so damn weak around you? I should have more of a backbone.” She blew out a breath and picked up one of the wings. “I feel like we are having a pissing contest, or like, measuring our dicks to see whose is bigger.”

  Melissa threw her head back and laughed. “You’re freaking hilarious. Now quit stalling.”

  Damn, the sauce even felt hot against her fingers, and that had nothing to do with the temperature, but the spiciness. Without thinking she shoved the thing in her mouth, at least thankful they were boneless. At first Candace didn’t see what the big deal was, but as the seconds passed and the hotness of the sauce coated every square inch of her mouth, she realized she had
just shoved the seventh level of hell into her body. Eyes watering and mouth feeling on fire, Candace grabbed for her drink and guzzled the majority of it. She sucked in a deep gasp, and went back for more of the cold liquid ambrosia. Melissa lifted her hand to get the attention of the waitress, and gestured for two more drinks.

  “Good, huh?” Candace glared at her friend, wanting to smack that damn grin from her face. The waitress was back with fresh, frigid margaritas only minutes later. Candace grabbed for the one closest to her and guzzled more than half of it. The alcohol in this one was even more potent than the last, and that one had been pretty strong. She leaned back, sucked in a lungful of air, and shook her head.

  “Never again.” Melissa was leisurely sipping on her new drink. “I mean it. I need to stop listening to you.” They sat there for another ten minutes, and the sound of both of them reaching the end of their drinks filled the air. “Those were good, and the second was even better.”

  “Yeah, because you’re getting your buzz on.” Melissa lifted her eyebrows up and down. “Lonely Boy” by The Black Keys started playing, and Melissa squealed. Of course they would play the one song Melissa just had to dance to. She was out of her seat, and snatched up Candace mid-drink, dragging her to the dance floor. Everyone else had wandered back to their tables, so of course they were the center of attention.

  “You said you wouldn’t do this.” Candace gritted out through her teeth, but it didn’t really have any strength behind it. Those two margaritas were already starting to make her loose. Melissa was already dancing very suggestively, and it wasn’t lost on Candace that several guys stopped what they were doing to watch. Melissa had her hands in hers and started grinding herself against Candace. The alcohol was moving through her veins at a quick pace, making her limbs feel like pudding, and having an intense heat fill every part of her. It felt nice, and the normally rigidity that Candace always felt slowly started to dissipate.

  “That’s it, girl. Let’s have fun.”

  Fun, something Candace had also kept away from because of what? Because she was afraid her perfectly aligned life would somehow get disrupted? She had taken a chance and gone after Chad, and that had gone down the drain. But she couldn’t blame Chad for what happened. Failed relationships because of infidelity happened all the time. But the one time she had gone outside of the straight lines she had drawn around her life, she had gotten burned. If she hadn’t always been so careful, so determined to make her life that square peg that would fit into the square hole, she wouldn’t have been shell-shocked over everything that was presented to her. As she looked at Melissa, saw her dancing in a way that had the majority of the male population in the bar looking at her like she was a goddess, Candace realized she wanted to be that free. So, why not just push her hesitancy away and go with the flow?

  Closing her eyes and letting the liquid courage help her relax, she started to sway to the music. Melissa had a hold of her hands and squeezed them in encouragement. Candace didn’t need to open her eyes to know her friend was smiling. They danced until a light sheen of sweat covered her back, but it felt exhilarating and freeing. One song flowed to the next, and still they swayed and moved like no one was watching. It felt good to not let anything worry her. She had taken her ponytail down during the second song, and her long hair now swung back and forth along her hips. A few guys had come up and started dancing with them, and when she felt a human man wrap an arm around her middle and pull her closer, she just went with it. A few minutes passed, and she didn’t let the restrictions of how she had lived her life and how she had closed herself in because she was afraid of getting hurt again, dominate her actions tonight. Suddenly the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, but she wouldn’t let her need for total control over her life drag her down. Surely that was the prickling sensation that suddenly took over her entire body as soon as this human slid his hands lower on her back. Her blood rushed through her veins, and her pulse pounded in her ears. No, something else was happening to her, and it was suddenly very apparent something was about to happen.

  Chapter Three

  Trace came out of his office with a case of liquor. He set the crate behind the bar and scanned the main floor. The house was packed tonight and keeping Maverick busy behind the bar. Good, Trace liked when he was too busy to let his thoughts wander, or to let his anger fester inside of him like some kind of flesh eating disease.

  “Tawny will be here in an hour. You good?”

  Maverick, the lion shifter bartender and a damn good friend, lifted his chin to let him know he was. The lion turned and poured a draft for a customer. Trace turned to leave, but with all of the chaos in the bar, amidst the scent of sweat and alcohol, was the most intoxicating aroma he had ever smelled. It was a mixture between peaches and cream, and his cock was instantly hard. His polar bear rose up, snarled and clawed at him, trying to break free. It didn’t take him long to know why he was having this kind of reaction, and that had everything inside of him accelerating to a dangerous level. Fuck, he had just found his mate.

  His fucking mate.

  He curled his fingers into his palms, grappled for supremacy with the fucking animal inside of him, and scanned the dimly lit room. The scent of her took away all of his human control, and right now he felt wild and untamed. Everything in him stilled when he spotted her. It was like she had a damn chain attached to his dick, and every time she swayed her hips she tightened the slack and had the fucking thing getting even harder. Shit, her skirt was too fucking short, and he knew every asshole in here was staring at her body. He couldn’t even see her face, but there was no fucking doubt in his mind that she was his. The scent of her was so powerfully strong that he growled low in his throat. He looked at her ass, one that was big, round, and apple shaped. If she bent over he’d be able to see the luscious mounds of her bottom. Fuck, he was hard. The sight of her swaying her hips was mesmerizing, and for the life of him he couldn’t draw away from the juicy plumpness of her rear.

  Just the fucking way I like them.

  Another low growl left him, and he sensed Maverick glance at him curiously. Trace also didn’t miss the few customers that looked his way, too. He didn’t fucking care about any of them, not right now, and not when his mate was a few feet from him giving every fucking asshole in here a show. Head bent low and eyes trained right on his mate, he took a step closer. The bar was in his fucking way, but he’d scale the thing if he had to.

  “Shit, Trace, you okay, man?” Maverick’s voice was close, too close, because if the lion tried to stop him he wouldn’t be responsible for his actions. He was running on instincts right now, and those were roaring at him to go to his mate, rip away that fucking human that was all over her, and claim the shit out of her. He turned and looked at the lion, and fuck him for his unreadable expression. At least he was smart enough to not say anything else or try to stop him. The realization of what was happening with Trace was clear on Maverick’s face, and when the lion looked onto the dance floor Trace couldn’t stop his growl of warning.

  “Don’t fucking look at her.” This was a shifter he considered a good friend, yet Trace wanted no male looking at what was his. He turned and stared at his mate, and his dick jerked behind his zipper. Fuck, he was uncomfortable hard, and growing thicker by the second. She was his. There was no mistaking it. Finding a mate was a heady and powerful experience, and one he never thought he’d live to see, or even want to have in his life. But shit, he wanted this unknown female, and he hadn’t even seen her face, but he couldn’t think of not possessing her.

  With determination and animal prowess running through his veins, he walked around the bar and made his way toward her. The closer he came to his strawberry blonde mate, the stronger the scent of peaches and vanilla intensified in his nose. Shit, she smelled good, like really fucking good. He could have come from the aroma alone. Trace didn’t stop the low rumble that left him as he saw the human’s hands all over what was his. The weak looking man glanced up at him, and his eyes w
idened a fraction. Good, at least he knew when he was no match. He stepped back quickly, held his hands in the hair, and moved away from her. Trace allowed himself the luxury of watching her. She was a wolf shifter, yet he also smelled the liquor she had consumed, which was probably why she seemed oblivious to his presence. Her long, wavy reddish blonde hair hung loosely down her back, nearly touching the top of her ass, and sending his head reeling. He loved a female with long hair. The image of gripping those strands and wrapping them around his hand, tugging on them hard until her neck was bared, and then sinking his canines into her to mark his territory, ran through him deep and hard.

  He took a step closer until he felt her body heat spear right into his bones. He wrapped a hand around her waist, and a guttural groan left him when he touched his mate for the first time. She was soft and curvy, and all fucking his. He spun her around at the same time a startled noise left her. It was just a tiny mewling sound, but it was one that had his cock jerking in his pants. Her hair was a fan of strawberry strands, whipping around and intensifying the scent of peaches. I bet her fucking pussy tastes as sweet as she smells. Her chest was now flush with his, and his throat tightened at the feel of her large breasts pressed against him. The moment their eyes locked he swore the ground tilted beneath him. Her blue eyes slowly widened, and he sensed the very moment she realized what he was to her. Mouth parted, all Trace could do was stare at those succulent pouty, red lips. She licked her bottom lip, just fucking dragged her tongue along the swell of it so slowly, so innocently that need slammed into him. For several seconds all they did was stand in that position: his hardness to her softness. He fucking knew she could feel his cock, because he wasn’t making it a secret what she did to him.