by J. K Harper
“I can.” He grinned.
“Do you normally take risks like this?” she asked.
“Sometimes. I like to keep things spicy.”
“I really wish you weren’t leaving at the end of the week,” she blurted.
“I have to.” His gaze softened as he traced a line down her arm.
“Bali.”
“Yeah.” He pulled her into his arms. She rested her head on his chest. “I have to admit something.”
“What?”
“I almost wish I didn’t already have the tickets.”
“Why?” she asked.
“I like Montana,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve been back in years. The people who live here are the kind of people I could see myself spending a lot of time with. Have you ever been to Yellowstone?”
“Many times.”
“I’d like to go there someday.”
“I’d love to show you around the park,” she said.
“Maybe I’ll come back after Bali,” he mused.
“I’d like that,” she said.
She didn’t want to get her hopes up, but a flicker of hope blossomed in her heart. Even if she couldn’t date him, at least she’d get to see him again. He wouldn’t be gone from her life forever. But was she just settling for crumbs?
The unsettling thought dampened her mood. He probably had a different woman stashed at every port. Could she actually be content knowing that he was traveling the world without her, spending time with other women?
A single tear formed in the corner of her eye. She didn’t move to wipe it away even as it trailed down her cheek to mingle with the dampness on his chest.
Chapter 6
Jack kicked a pebble into the lake. As the sun set, a blood-red sky signaled the impending darkness and the end of another day at Curvy Bear Ranch. He bent to pick up another pebble.
In the last few days, he’d spent more and more time with Sasha. The longer he stayed with her, the more he hated leaving. She’d fallen asleep in his arms the last few nights, giving him time to study every curve of her beautiful face. He wanted to memorize every inch of her before he left.
When he’d first arrived at the ranch, he’d expected to spend a week working on his art. But instead, he’d put himself in a huge predicament. He never wanted to be tied down to any woman. But he’d never met anyone like Sasha. The thought of walking away from her pulled at his heart. His bear was livid, insisting that she was their mate.
As he skipped another rock across the still lake, footsteps crunched through the pebbled shore. He turned to find Drew strolling toward him. Over the course of the last few days, he’d met all of the Grant brothers. He liked Drew. He didn’t seem to feel the need to fill silence with incessant talking.
“Howdy,” Drew said.
“Hey.”
“Did you see the sunset?”
“Yep.”
“How’s everything going? Are you having a good time here?” Drew asked.
“Yeah.”
“If I’m interrupting…”
“No. I’m just thinking,” Jack said.
“You got a lot on your mind?”
“Yeah.”
“Sasha?” Drew asked.
“Yeah.” Jack turned to face him. “How’d you know?”
“Nobody mopes like that unless it’s about a woman.”
“Yep.” Jack laughed. “She got me good.”
“So what’s the problem?” Drew asked.
“I’m flying to LA on Saturday, and from there to Bali.”
“Sounds fun.”
“That’s the thing. It doesn’t feel fun right now,” Jack said.
“Because?”
“Because I don’t want to leave Sasha behind.”
“So take her with you,” Drew said.
“It’s not that simple,” Jack said. “I never wanted to be tied down to one woman.”
“Spoken like a real Casanova.”
“Nah, nothing like that,” Jack said. “I just don’t think I’m the family type. I can’t see myself living in a house with a white picket fence and a bunch of kids. I want to be able to leave at a moment’s notice to travel to some far-off place. I want to be able to see the world without dragging a bunch of baggage with me.”
“So she’s baggage?” Drew asked.
“No. I mean yes. But … God, that sounded bad.”
“Don’t let her hear you say it,” Drew said. “I know what you mean though. I never wanted to be saddled to one woman. I used to be a bit of a loner. I tried to push Cindy away, but I couldn’t. She was my mate.”
“My bear thinks Sasha’s our mate,” Jack said.
“And you don’t agree?”
“I don’t know what to think,” Jack said. “I never thought I’d find a mate. I never thought of myself as a family man.”
“Who says you have to have a family right away? Maybe she’d be okay with the jet-setting lifestyle,” Drew said. “Besides, there’s something to be said for having a big family. I can’t imagine life without mine.”
“I’m not close to my family. Not anymore.”
“Why not?” Drew asked.
“They blame me for something that happened a long time ago. It wasn’t really even my fault, but they can’t seem to let it go.”
“Have you tried talking to them?” Drew asked.
“A few times, but they don’t want to listen.”
“That’s a shame.”
“Yeah.” Jack rubbed his chest to keep his bear calm. The beast had been clawing at him for days, demanding that he take Sasha as his mate.
“Bear acting up?” Drew asked.
“Yeah. He’s stubborn.”
“They all are. A piece of advice?”
“Shoot,” Jack said.
“Don’t ignore your bear unless you want to invest in a lifetime supply of antacids.”
Jack laughed.
“Anyway, dinner bell should be ringing soon. I’m heading back,” Drew said.
“I’ll be there soon.”
Jack gazed out over the peaceful lake. He hadn’t told Drew everything. It was more than just an unwillingness to settle down. He wasn’t sure he deserved a mate. Maybe his parents were right. Maybe his selfishness really had killed his brother. Sure, it wasn’t his fault the plane had malfunctioned, but they wouldn’t have been on that flight if it weren’t for him. Did he even deserve to live a life filled with love when his brother had never had the chance?
He shook his head. No. If he’d been the one to die, he wouldn’t have blamed his brother. He would have wanted his brother to keep living, to find love, and to have a family. He wouldn’t have wanted his brother to put his life on hold out of a misplaced sense of guilt.
Still, he wasn’t sure he was ready to settle down. There was still so much more he wanted to do. So much he wanted to explore and experience. He couldn’t ask her to uproot her life to travel with him. She had a business to run. She had a life to live and maybe it didn’t include him.
He sighed. The more he tried to approach the problem logically, the more confused he became. His heart ached from the struggle. Maybe now wasn’t the time to be thinking about making a drastic choice that would affect the rest of his life.
As he turned back toward the B&B, his bear sniffed the air. The scent of Sasha’s bear drifted on the wind. His bear snarled until he relented and shifted. In bear form, tracking her would be easy. Their bears hadn’t met yet, so maybe they wouldn’t get along after all. Maybe all of his frustration was for nothing. There was only one way to find out.
* * *
Sasha bounded through the forest. Her paws dug deeper into the thin layer of snow with each leap. She shook her head and chuffed as she scampered over a log. After shifting into bear form, she’d spent the last hour racing through the woods in an effort to calm her frustration. Although she’d made a lot of progress on her sculpture, she hadn’t been able to enjoy it.
Instead of being happy, she struggled to
make it through five minutes without thinking about Jack. It was just her luck to fall for an emotionally unavailable man. They’d spent the last few days laughing, talking, and playing both in and out of bed. She’d never met anyone who could speak to her soul the way he did. And she was going to lose him.
Her bear didn’t seem to grasp the concept. She’d insisted that they’d found their mate and that he’d realize it sooner or later. Sasha wasn’t convinced. But her bear didn’t care. Obsessed with his rippling abs, taut thighs, and perfect cock, the creature couldn’t wait to pounce on him again.
As she rounded a large Rocky Mountain juniper, she spotted a bear across a small meadow. She skidded to a halt and sniffed the air. Jack!
In an attempt to appear nonchalant, she pranced over to him. He closed the distance between them and rubbed his furry cheek against hers. She purred and returned his affection. No matter how much she touched him, she craved more. She couldn’t get enough. Which was a huge problem considering he was leaving in two days.
She backed away and sat. He jerked his head to one side, as if to ask her to go with him. She dropped to all fours and followed him through the woods. As he picked up the pace, she matched it. They’d never been in bear form together, so she didn’t know what to expect from him.
Apparently his bear was just as playful as hers. He raced over logs and through a grove of Douglas firs. She chuffed and hurried after him. After crashing through a small huckleberry bush, she pulled up short and turned to nibble on the sweet fruit. Jack strolled up beside her and nudged her nose out of the way. She retaliated by pushing him to the side with her shoulder. When he chuffed and grinned, her heart melted.
After stripping the bush of most of its berries, she turned to find him on his hind legs. She matched his pose and walked forward until her front paws rested on his shoulders. She playfully opened her mouth as if to bite him. He chuffed and swatted her butt with one frisky paw.
As she pushed him over and pinned him to the ground, his back paws flailed. He could have gotten up had he wanted to, but he seemed to enjoy roughhousing. She grunted and rubbed her nose against his. In response, he bit her softly. She pulled back and opened her jaw. The more they mock fought, the more she fell in love with his bear. The creature had a playful side that made her realize how much she missed having fun.
The last few months had been filled with worry and fear, but in the last few days, he’d helped to replace the perpetual sense of foreboding with sheer joy. For that alone she’d never forget him.
After several more minutes of play, her stomach grumbled audibly. She froze mid-bite and sat back. Jack took the opportunity to pin her, after which he flashed a self-satisfied grin. She huffed and pushed him off before scrambling to her feet. She inclined her head toward the B&B. Dinner had probably been served an hour or more ago, but Madison kept insisting they could eat at any time.
Jack nodded. Shoulder to shoulder, they walked back toward the B&B. When they reached the back steps, she shifted. As he transformed back into his human shape, she raked her gaze across his body. A potent, feral quality accentuated his shift. If only she could somehow capture that in her art, she’d be satisfied with the piece. But so far, she hadn’t found a way to imbue the statue with the untamed quality she’d struggled to achieve.
Although she wasn’t sculpting an exact replica of him, he served as her inspiration. Maybe seeing him next to the statue would spark a fresh idea.
“Before we go to dinner,” she said. “I was wondering if I could show you what I’ve created so far.”
“Sure. Is it up in your room?” he asked.
“No. I moved the statue to the work area behind barn this afternoon.”
“Oh.” He grinned. “I see what you’re doing.”
“What?”
“You just want me back in that hay loft.” He slid his hands around her waist. “Sweetie, I’m still picking hay out of my ass from last time. Why don’t we wait until after dinner and then we can roll around in a nice, soft bed.”
“No, silly,” she said. “My sculpture really is in the barn. I want you to see it.”
“Okay.” He reached for her hand and gently clasped it.
As they strolled toward the barn, her belly fluttered. A sudden rush of nervous energy swirled in her gut. Maybe he wouldn’t like it. Or worse, what if he hated it? She frowned as they turned the corner. Oh well, at least he’d be able to give her an unbiased opinion.
* * *
Jack’s jaw dropped as he spotted a four-foot-tall clay statue sitting on a cart near the barn door. The sculpture depicted a half-man, half-bear standing in a rushing river with a fish in its mouth. The illusion of movement took his breath away.
“It’s so realistic,” he said.
“I wanted it to feel wild, untamed.”
“You definitely achieve it.”
As he circled the piece, he moved closer to study the intricate details. Light and shadow gave the illusion of animation. On the bear half, each strand of fur melded into the next until they lay naturally, as if it really was a bear’s soft coat. In contrast, the man’s smooth muscles tensed with innate power as if he were ready to spring from the pedestal. Only a truly gifted artist could take a solid lump of clay and turn it into a masterpiece.
“It’s stunning,” he said. “The woman who’s paying you for this is getting her money’s worth. That’s for sure.”
“I didn’t like the transition from man to bear. I think it’s too abrupt. It should be a seamless progression,” she said.
“I disagree,” he said. “The way you’ve captured the jagged break between domestication and wildness is compelling. It speaks to the feral, animalistic side of humans which lies just beneath the surface of civilized society. We like to think we’re not animals, but we are. You can see glimpses of it in the news when people snap and do horrific things to each other.”
“When I see things like mass murders, I think it comes from the evil in the human heart. Animals aren’t capable of that,” she said.
“You may want to read about warfare amongst chimpanzees,” he said. “When I was in Tanzania, I volunteered for a research organization that tracks the social interaction of chimps. They discovered that animals do separate themselves into factions and they’ll wage war against those who are not part of their group.”
“Really?” she asked.
“Yeah. I talked to one of the researchers who’d been studying them since the 1970s. She told me that she was initially horrified by the discovery, but over the years, she gradually accepted her observation. I think she was heartbroken by it.”
“I would be too,” she said.
“Anyway, I think you’ve really nailed the essence of what you’re trying to achieve. You should be proud of yourself.” He leaned in to brush his lips across hers. She returned the kiss briefly before breaking away.
“I was afraid I’d never get my creativity back,” she said.
“You did.”
“Thanks to you,” she whispered.
“What?”
“You inspired me.”
“As much as I want to take credit for being your muse,” he said, “it wasn’t me. I think you just needed time away from your life to de-stress. Once you calmed down, you were able to get to work.”
“It was more than that,” she said. “Being with you the last few days has … it’s changed me. It’s changed who I am. When I’m with you, I’m not afraid of anything.”
“I’d hope not,” he joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.
“You know what I mean,” she said.
“What you made came from a well of creativity you can tap into whenever you want,” he said. “You just have to take a breath and let your mind wander. I bet you have a ton of great ideas up there.”
He stroked the top of her head before trailing his fingers down her neck. The need to touch her consumed him. He cradled her face in his hands and kissed her until she leaned into him. Much better. She spent way too
much time in her head. He loved being able to kiss her tension away.
As he slid his tongue between her lips, a deep longing stirred inside him. It was more than just simple lust. He wanted to be around to kiss her fears away, to hold her when she doubted herself, to help her get past her tendency to overanalyze everything. But to stay with her, he’d have to sacrifice his freedom.
His bear scoffed at the need to be free. The creature just wanted a mate and he was completely convinced she was the one. He couldn’t argue with the beast. After spending time with other women, he knew Sasha was different. Special.
He leaned his forehead against her and murmured, “What am I going to do with you?”
“I think we should celebrate,” she whispered.
“With dinner?” he asked.
“No, with dessert,” she said coyly.
“Your room or mine?”
“You decide.”
As she sauntered off toward the B&B, he couldn’t tear his gaze away from her swaying hips. If he did decide to stay and try to build a life with her, he’d be able to watch her sexy walk every day. He’d wake up to her gorgeous face and be able to spend every day with her for the rest of his life. Maybe giving up his freedom was a fair trade after all.
Chapter 7
Sasha lifted her shirt overhead as Jack kicked her bedroom door closed. He wasn’t wasting a second either. By the time she’d shimmied out of her panties, he’d already stripped. He pulled her into his arms and captured her mouth with his. The slow, sensual exploration of his lips weakened her knees. She backed toward the bed.
When the backs of her thighs touched the sheets, she fell back onto the bed. He didn’t miss a beat as he crashed onto the mattress with her. But instead of ravishing her with his lips and tongue, he began a slow, deliberate assault with his magical hands.
After half-covering her with his chest, he cupped one full breast in his hand before moving to the other. Her breath hitched. Her nipples tightened in response. And she looked up to find him gazing at her with sensual eyes the color of dark chocolate. She was drowning, being pulled under by a current completely out of her control. She surrendered to it. To him.
