Clint [Grizzly Ridge 1] (The Lynn Hagen ManLove Collection)

by Lynn Hagen

  Low-hanging branches slapped him in the face as he stumbled a few times. Dane’s heart beat so fast that it should’ve given out. A loud roar came behind him, but he didn’t look back.

  Don’t you dare look back!

  Dane’s leg muscles cramped. He stumbled again, but this time he went down. Terrified beyond words, he flipped to his back and saw a humongous bear bearing down on him. He curled into the fetal position, waiting to be torn to shreds.

  The bear sniffed Dane’s head, licked his arms, and pawed his legs. He made a snuffling sound as he butted his head against Dane’s head.

  “Go away,” Dane whimpered.

  “I’m sorry, cub.” Dane glanced past his arms and saw a very naked Clint hunched down next to him. “I told you my bear took over. I’m not trying to scare you.”

  “Then you’re failing miserably.” Dane lowered his arms and pushed himself into sitting position. “Why the hell are you naked?”

  “Clothes shred when I shift.”

  “Th-that bear was you?” No way would Dane believe that. It was impossible.

  “I’m not trying to scare or hurt you, Cub. My bear went nuts when he realized what you were to him.” Clint held out a hand and Dane got to his feet and backed away.

  “I just wanna go home.” He touched where Clint had bitten him and sensations whiplashed through him. His cock hardened again as he sizzled with need. “What did you do to me?”

  Clint stood and brushed his knuckles over Dane’s cheek. “I’ll explain everything once I get you home.”

  “No, no, no.” Dane shook his head and backed up until he ran into a tree. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  Clint blew out a frustrated breath. “Don’t make me do this the hard way again, Cub.”

  “My name is Dane, not Cub.”

  Clint approached, his muscled body flexing. “Either walk back to my truck or be carried. You don’t have a third option, Cub.”

  Chapter Two

  Clint knew he’d handled things all wrong, but when Dane’s scent had wafted toward him, he’d nearly lost it on that back road. He hadn’t been lying to Dane when he’d said his bear had taken over. Clint had fought with everything in him to rein his beast in.

  As he stood smelling the noxious odor of fear emanating from Dane, he had no idea how to handle this. Clint didn’t have a nurturing bone in his body. His bear demanded that he haul Dane back to his home and impregnate the human as soon as possible, to mark Dane with his scent.

  What the hell was he supposed to say to Dane to calm him? Clint had grown up with five brothers and a cantankerous father. They showed their love for one another by either fighting in their bear forms to try to best each other, or just plain not killing one another.

  He highly doubted Dane wanted to fight, and Clint really didn’t want to fight his cub, either. So what was he supposed to do?

  “Please?” The word had just popped into his head.

  Dane studied him. Damn if the human wasn’t a looker. He had blond hair, perfect lips, gorgeous blue eyes, and a body Clint could rock all night.

  “It’s hard to have a conversation when you’re naked.” Dane’s gaze dropped to Clint’s cock before he quickly looked away. His cheeks turned the darkest red as he stared at the ground. Aw, the human was shy.

  “Then we should get going.” Clint surveyed his surroundings. A wolf pack was to the east, a snow leopard leap to the north, and a lion den to the west. He didn’t want to get caught out here with his mate.

  “What’s wrong?” Dane glanced around. “Is someone else out here?”

  “Might be.” Clint scented the air, but all he smelled was his mate. “We should get going.”

  “So you can take me home, right?” Dane skirted past him and hurried ahead.

  If he was referring to Clint’s home, then sure. No way in hell was Clint taking him back to town. He remembered the stories handed down through generations about how humans had hunted his kind to the brink of extinction.

  He held no love for the folks of Grizzly Ridge but was glad he’d decided to take a shortcut coming back from Howling Cavern. Clint didn’t often venture into wolf territory, but sometimes he had to barter for things he needed.

  He was a bit surprised when Dane didn’t argue with him and instead hauled ass back to the truck and climbed inside.

  With a grin, Clint got into the driver’s side and put the truck in gear. When he continued to drive up the mountain, Dane turned in his seat and glared at Clint. “This isn’t the way back to town.”

  “You wanted me to take you home,” Clint reminded him. “I am.”

  “Not your home.” Dane’s hand landed on the door handle once more. Clint was getting real tired of chasing him down.

  “Try to get out again and I’ll put you over my fucking knee,” he warned.

  “I’ll keep trying to get away, you caveman.”

  Clint growled.

  Dane looked out his window and his eyes widened. Clint smirked. They were now on the side of the mountain. If Dane tried to jump, he’d have a two hundred foot drop under him.

  “Oh my God!” Dane whipped his head around. “How are we not falling over the side? It’s too dark out. How can you see the road?”

  “Just relax, Cub. I know what I’m doing.”

  Dane glanced at Clint again before turning away. Soon the human would be consumed with mating heat, begging Clint to fuck him. Now that Clint was looking forward to. Maybe he should’ve explained everything to Dane before he’d bitten him, but Clint’s bear didn’t give two shits about explanations.

  It ran on pure instinct.

  Clint grunted when he pulled into the clearing. Trigger had a big bonfire going while Bobby Ray and Wade fought in their bear forms. His father sat on a lawn chair with a cigar in his mouth, cheering the bears on. Walker and Duane sat in front of the lake at a makeshift table playing cards.

  Dane sat forward. “This is your home?”

  “Part of it,” Clint said as he pulled his truck in beside the rest of the vehicles. “Houses are back behind the trees.”

  “Houses as in more than one?” Dane stared out his window. Once again the noxious odor of his fear filled Clint’s lungs.

  “Yep, more than one.” Clint cut the motor and got out. He made sure to tuck his keys in his pocket instead of leaving them in the ignition like he normally did. He didn’t need his mate trying to steal his truck.

  “’Bout fuckin’ time ya got back,” Clarence hollered. “Did you get what I needed?”

  Clint grunted as he reached back into the truck and pulled the small paper bag from the middle console. “Stay in the truck ’til I tell you otherwise,” he said to Dane.

  His mate simply nodded as he stared out the window.

  Clint shut the door and sauntered over to his father. He dropped the sack in his old man’s lap. “Last time I make that kind of run for you.”

  “We’ll see ’bout that.” Clarence took the sack and got up, then headed into the woods.

  Trigger approached, staring at Clint’s truck. “When did you start bringing your sex toys home?”

  Clint slammed his palm into Trigger’s chest, baring his canines as he snarled. “He isn’t a sex toy and you’d be doing yourself a favor by keeping your distance from him.”

  His outburst drew everyone’s attention. Bobby Ray and Wade shifted into their human forms.

  “Whatcha got in your truck?” Bobby Ray asked. “Someone we can share?”

  “I’m surrounded by fucking idiots,” Clint groused. “He’s my mate, and if you step a foot near him, I’ll cut your dick off.”

  Bobby Ray’s gray-green eyes widened. “No shit.”

  Wade glanced toward the woods. “Better not let Clarence know who he is to you.”

  Walker and Duane got up from their card game to get a closer look. Clint felt on edge. Bobby Ray was right. Their father had killed the last man to enter their territory. Clarence Rising was one mean son of a bitch with a side of orner
y. He’d tried to have sex with the male, and when the human had turned him down, Clarence had gotten rough. He’d ended up killing the male.

  To this day Clint hated his father for what he’d done. But since family didn’t turn on each other, he hadn’t handed him over to the cops. Still, Clint was bidding his time. Clarence was getting more and more out of control, and Clint knew he’d have to put him in the ground.

  “Stop scaring him,” Clint snapped at his brothers. “He’s already skittish.”

  “Ran from you, didn’t he?” Bobby Ray grinned. “I’d run from your big, scary ass, too.”

  “Boy, you’re almost as big as me,” Clint said. “All of you find something to do while I take Dane to my house.”

  Grumbling in protest, his brothers disappeared. Clint returned to his truck and looked over his shoulder to make sure Clarence hadn’t come back before he opened the door. “Let’s go.”

  Dane slid out and looked around. When Clint started moving, Dane hurried behind him.

  His house wasn’t that far, but Clarence could reappear at any moment. Sometimes Clint really hated their way of life.

  * * * *

  Dane wasn’t sure what to think. He was still trying to figure out how to get away from Clint, but after seeing two grizzly bears fighting, then changing into humans, he felt like he was ready for the loony bin.

  All five men had been mountainous and handsome as all get-out, and they scared the living daylights out of Dane. Now he was following Clint to what he supposed was some shack.

  Only…wow, had Dane been wrong. The log cabin wasn’t that big, but damn it was beautiful. It had a front porch with rockers, and a chimney on the side. Flowers grew along the edges of the house, and plants hung from the eves of the porch. From what Dane could see, it also had a large backyard.

  When he stepped inside, he was again blown away. He’d expected makeshift furniture—if Clint owned any at all—but was shocked by how modern and luxurious the furnishings were. The room held a leather sofa, soft-looking rugs, a beamed ceiling, and even a loft with large windows. Dane had started forward, ready to explore when his stomach cramped. That’s what he got for not eating today.

  Or it could be the stress. He was definitely betting it was stress.

  “Go on upstairs,” Clint said as he walked into what Dane assumed was the kitchen. From where he stood, he saw a large fridge but couldn’t see into the room.

  Hungry, scared, and just plain tired, Dane climbed the steps, past the large windows with its magnificent view of the mountainside. It must be nice to wake up every morning to that, Dane thought.

  In the center of the room was a bed big enough to fit three Clints with room to spare. Dane kicked off his shoes and took a seat on the edge, wondering how he would escape when he was in the middle of nowhere surrounded by miles and miles of trees. If he got lost, he’d starve to death before he found his way back to town. The access road they’d taken branched off in many directions. Dane wasn’t sure he’d remember the way they came. Besides, he wouldn’t be able to maneuver along the side of the mountain without driving that behemoth of a truck over the edge.

  He was stuck.

  He stiffened as footsteps approached. Dane turned his head and watched as Clint came up the steps with a plate of food in his hand. He set it on a small table on the opposite side of the room. “Eat.”

  “You know,” Dane said as he stood, fisting his hands at his sides. “Your manners leave something to be desired.”

  Clint took a pair of pajama bottoms from a drawer, pulled them on, then dropped into a recliner by the railing that overlooked the living room. “I’m an animal that can change into a human, Dane. My heart is bear. Excuse me if my manners are lacking.”

  “Just because you aren’t human doesn’t mean you have to act like an animal.” Dane was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that all those stories had been true, that men could really change into animals—or from what Clint had just told him, that animals could change into humans.

  That was a lot to swallow. Dane thought he’d wake up at any second to find that he’d fallen and bumped his head. He pinched himself and yelped. No, this was definitely real.

  “I didn’t poison your food,” Clint said. “You’re too skinny. You need to eat.”

  Dane didn’t think he was skinny. In fact, he carried an extra twenty pounds he’d been trying to get rid of for the longest time. He had slight love handles and was starting to develop man boobs—tiny ones, but they were still there.

  He took a seat and picked up a piece of fried chicken. Dane sniffed at it before taking a tentative bite. The flavors exploded in his mouth. It was the best chicken he’d ever tasted.

  Before he knew it, he’d finished all three pieces, plus the two biscuits and the macaroni and cheese. Clint sat there grinning, as if pleased Dane had eaten every morsel.

  His stomach cramped again and Dane dropped the bare chicken bone and placed a hand over his middle. “I think I ate too much.”

  Clint sat forward, his brows knitted. “It isn’t the food.”

  “They why does my stomach feel like I’m being slugged in it?” Dane placed his other hand on his belly, wincing at the pain. “I feel like I’m gonna be sick.”

  “Your body is changing because of my bite,” Clint said.

  “Come again?” Changing into what? Was Dane gonna become a bear now? Was he gonna die? He was seven kinds of confused by Clint’s statement. He slowly lowered his hand, ready to bolt, but knew he wouldn’t get away before Clint caught him.

  Clint sat back, studying Dane. “My bear jumped the gun. I should’ve explained things to you before biting you.”

  “And?” Dane got the feeling he wasn’t going to like Clint’s answer.

  “The saliva in my bite is making your body change, readying you to carry my cub.”

  Dane’s jaw dropped as he leaped from his chair and hurried toward the steps. “I knew you were batshit crazy!”

  “Dane,” Clint said in a deep and commanding voice. “Get your ass back up here.”

  When Dane reached the bottom of the steps, he screamed as Clint leaped over the railing and landed on his feet in front of Dane. He advanced on Dane, who scurried backward.

  Dane cringed as Clint brushed his fingers over the spot where he’d bitten Dane, then his fear turned to lust. His body relaxed, and Dane wanted Clint with a desperation bordering on madness.

  “I don’t want you to be afraid of me, cub.” Clint’s fingers traced Dane’s neck, then across his jaw.

  “I. Don’t. Know. You.” Dane fought against lunging into Clint’s arms and grinding against the gorgeous male like a slut. “What did you do to me?” He felt as if his skin would peel right off. His stomach was no longer hurting, but he was so horny that a stiff wind would probably get him off.

  “I already told you.” Clint pulled Dane into his muscled arms, and embarrassed, Dane rubbed himself against Clint’s body. Deep down, Dane wasn’t so averse to being with Clint. The guy was a bad boy, and Dane wanted to throw caution to the wind for once in his freaking life. His father had always ruled over him with a heavy hand, then Dane’s dickhead ex-boyfriend had done the same. Dane wouldn’t mind letting someone guide him, but damn, did the men who tried to do it have to be complete assholes?

  For once he wanted a man who treated him like he was a king, like he really mattered. But…but…Clint wasn’t even human.

  Figures you had to turn to an animal to find someone.

  Dane would’ve rolled his eyes at his thoughts if his body hadn’t been on fire. Clint lifted him and carried him back upstairs. Dane licked Clint’s neck, teased the man’s beard with his teeth, and pinched his nipples.

  “God,” Dane whimpered into Clint’s neck, “I want you to fuck me so badly.” He thought about Clint’s earlier vow that Dane would be begging for sex in a few hours. As horny as he was, Dane narrowed his eyes. “You set me up.”

  “No, I swear I didn’t.” Clint took him into the
bathroom and set him on the closed toilet seat, then turned around and turned on the faucet in the bath tub. “But I need to cool your body down. You’re burning up.”

  “Like you didn’t know this would happen,” Dane snapped. He bit his lower lip as he looked at Clint’s bare back. He couldn’t stop himself from sliding his fingers over the muscular flesh and shivering.

  “I didn’t know for sure.” Clint moved back to Dane and pulled Dane’s shirt off. “I’ve never bitten anyone before. I’ve been told what might happen, but I’ve never seen it firsthand. Every mating heat is different.”

  “What are you doing?” Dane swatted at Clint’s hand, although he wanted to pull his clothes off and offer himself for Clint to use in any way he pleased.

  “I told you,” Clint said. “I have to cool you down.”

  Unable to take the feel of clothes against his sensitive skin, Dane stood and yanked them off. Clint knelt before him, his gaze sweeping over Dane’s naked body. “Damn, you’re gorgeous.”

  “Yeah, right.” Dane moved past him and slipped into the bath. The cool water felt wonderful on his skin, but his cock was still hard and he still wanted Clint to fuck him until his eyes crossed.

  “You don’t believe me?” Clint asked. “Why?”

  “I’m not skinny.” Dane sank down until only his head was above water.

  Clint turned the water off. “You humans stump me. I don’t want a man who’s skin and bones. Bones are for dogs.” Clint grabbed a cloth and dipped it into the tub, then dripped the water over Dane’s hair.

  Clint was definitely saying all the right things. Well, except for the impregnating part. “Do you serious think you can get me pregnant?”

  The thought was utterly ridiculous, yet…if everything people had said about the Rising men was true, could this be true as well? Dane stared down at his stomach, crinkling his nose at the thought of it swelling with a baby. “You’re truly nuts, Clint.”

  “Ya know,” Clint said as he set the washcloth aside, “I’m really trying here. I’m not used to being so gentle and caring. I was raised in a clan of bears by a mean son of a bitch of a father. Soft emotions are foreign to me, so cut me some slack.”