The ache between her thighs grew in intensity, and she knew her panties would be sopping wet. Would he notice, would he care? Her naivety seemed silly and childish, when she wanted to be a confident woman for her mate.
Jay’s free hand moved down to the button of her jeans and undid it. She wriggled to help him push them down over her thighs, while his mouth still nursed on her breasts, robbing her of almost all coherent thought. She managed to kick them off, then his hand slipped inside her panties and rubbed her throbbing clit.
“Oh, fuck,” she said. Mae never swore, but this was something else. This was everything in her world right now, the feel of his finger grazing the sensitive bud, and then slipping lower to enter her wet sex.
He hooked his finger, grazing her inner walls, his thumb sliding across her clit, making her hips buck. As she lay there, enjoying the sensations, she felt the press of his hard cock against her thigh, and moved her hand to stroke him, mimicking the rhythm of his fingers inside her, until he pulled away and said, “I want to come inside you.”
Jay moved swiftly, his body between her thighs, the head of his cock pressing against her outer lips, and then he flexed his hips forward and entered her. Her hands clawed at the bed sheets, balling them up as the sensation of being stretched filled her body. She tried to remember to breathe, and relax. Yet the tension he created in her body was too much, and she felt her orgasm coming towards her rapidly.
Jay eased further forward. “Open your eyes, Mae.”
Only when he spoke did she realize she had screwed them tightly shut. Forcing one and then the other open, she stared up at his face, seeing a smile of pleasure on his lips. In and out he moved, deeper and deeper, until she felt a slight stinging sensation. She tensed, but he kept moving, chasing the discomfort away, until it might never have happened.
Mae held on, not wanting to come too soon, but when he lowered his head to her breasts again, she could not control herself. Her orgasm slammed into her, her sex contracting around him, and then he cried out, too, and his hot seed spurted deep inside her, filling her womb with the potential of new life.
She gasped, trying to take in air, while her body was completely swept away on a tide of emotion. When at last they drifted to the shore, he moved to lie beside her and gathered her to him.
“That was everything and more,” he whispered, his fingertips trailing over her too-sensitive skin.
She kissed his arm and inhaled his scent. It was as if her whole life had been leading up to this moment, and he had made it perfect.
Chapter Sixteen – Jay
“Food,” he said, getting out of bed and fetching a shirt for her to wear while he pulled on his jeans. “Not that I’d complain if you stayed naked.”
“Thanks, but I think a shirt would be much better.” She took the shirt and put it on, buttoning it up over her wonderful breasts, making him sigh in disappointment.
“Want some tea?” he asked.
“Yes, please.” They headed to the kitchen, and she leaned against the counter while he boiled the kettle. She seemed to like watching him move about the small kitchen, and he didn’t mind her staring appreciatively at him. He didn’t mind one bit.
“Like what you see?” he asked with a cheeky smile.
“Yes, I do. I think I sure got lucky in the mate department.”
“Back at you,” he said, coming over to her and kissing her mouth, while his hands slid around her waist and then over her bottom, pulling her in tight to his hard, toned body.
“You are charming too. Everything Gran would ask for in a man for me.”
“I aim to please.” He winked as he went to make the tea.
“Oh, you know how to please a woman too.”
“You’ll make me blush,” he said.
“Really? I never took you for the bashful type.”
“I know my place in this world, Mae. I’m strong because I need to be. I try to be friendly, because I want people to be happy and relaxed around me. Not because I want to charm them, because if I was false, well, that’s a hard act to keep up. This is the all-natural me.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” She took her cup from him. “Thank you.”
“Now, let’s get the fire going and then we can eat.”
They went to the sitting room, and Mae emptied the pack, setting out the food like a picnic on the rug, while he coaxed the fire into life. As he worked, he thought how it reminded him of how Mae, his mate, had coaxed him back out of the shell he had wanted to go into after the accident on the mountain.
He wasn’t sure why it had affected him so badly. They had lost people on the mountain before. Maybe he was becoming soft in his old age.
“Penny for them,” she said, and he realized she had been watching him. “Want to talk about it?”
“Not really. I want to let it go.”
“I used to think that. When I had bad dreams about losing my parents and losing my gran. As I got older, I hit this phase where I used to have panic attacks about losing her. But Katie taught me to embrace it, to understand it, I guess. Not to fight it.”
“And how does that work for me?” he asked.
“I think it already has. You embraced those fears today, didn’t you? You took your fears and still went out there and did your job; you saved Henry. You saved Toby from growing up without a dad.”
He poked the fire some more. “That was just my training kicking in.”
“The same training that kicked in the night the guy died on the mountain?”
He thought for a moment. “Maybe that’s what has been bothering me. We searched for Tad’s mate first, no thought for anything else, because she was so important to him.”
“If you hadn’t have found her first, what would you have done?” she asked. He looked at her sharply. “That’s what’s bothering you. The choice you might have made.”
“I never thought of it like that. But yes. That’s what bothered me. When we found the first body, I prayed it was Viv, so that we didn’t have to choose to leave Rhys to die while we looked for her.”
“Do you know how many times I’ve wondered why my dad never chose me?” Mae asked, and now she was lost to the flames, as they flickered across her face.
“Hey, he didn’t choose.” He slid over to her, and held her close.
“Didn’t he? Do you know how inadequate I used to feel? My dad could have chosen to live with me, his daughter; instead, he chose to die. Slip away. Pining for his mate.”
“Mae, don’t.”
“It’s OK. Now I’ve met you, I understand. I understand that this bond is unbreakable.” She took a shuddering breath and he felt it rattle through her body. “We all make choices. Good or bad. And I don’t think you can ever guess what those choices are unless they are there in front of you. I would hope that if I died, you would go on for our children, and if the worst ever happened, then I would, too.” She took his hand in hers and held it tight. “But we don’t know, do we? So we shouldn’t beat ourselves up about choices we might never have to make, but we should trust in ourselves that we will always choose wisely.”
“I never knew my mate was such a wise woman.”
“Neither did I.” She pulled away from him. “Now let’s eat. Enough melancholy thoughts for one night.”
Chapter Seventeen – Mae
“I can’t believe you are leaving,” he said the next morning as he walked her back to the hotel. He had offered to drive her, but they had decided that they wanted to prolong this goodbye as long as possible.
“I have things I have to deal with.”
“Like what?” he asked, and she heard the hope in his voice.
He hadn’t asked her, hadn’t pushed her to decide what she was going to do. Although he had once again offered to move to her hometown if that was what she wanted.
“Saying goodbye,” she smiled weakly. “It may take some time for me to arrange things for Gran.”
“Does that mean you are moving here?”
�
�I couldn’t rob the mountain of one of its rangers.”
He put his arm around her and pulled her tight. “I would have gone anywhere with you.”
“I know. But this way is best. My bear is itching to get out, and I think I’ve come to realize that both sides of me needs their freedom.”
“Take as much time as you need.” They were outside the door of the pub, and he stood looking at her, as if he was etching her face into his memory.
“Just kiss me,” she said, and he did, sending small shocks of desire through her body. When at last she pulled away, she sighed. “I am going to miss those lips.”
“I’d ask you to stay and promise you I will kiss you all day long, but I know you have to speak to your gran.”
“Yes, I do,” she said sadly.
“Then don’t lose my number,” he said. “I’m going to call you every day. But if ever you need me, you just call and I’ll get to you as fast as I can.”
“Every day.” She took a step away from him, taking one last look at the man who was her mate, trying to fight the urge not to throw herself into his arms again. “I’ll see you soon. I promise.”
“I’ll hold you to that promise. Now I’m going to go and see my mom and cry on her shoulder.” He winked at her, and she wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth. But she did know that she would be crying on Gran’s shoulder tonight when they were home and the distance between her and Jay would seem infinite.
Not bearing to watch him walk away, she turned and went up the steps hurriedly, opened the door of the pub, and walked in. There, sitting and eating a late breakfast, were the three most important ladies in her life.
“Ahh, there she is at last.” Joan was looking a lot better this morning, and was eating toast, with a steaming pot of coffee in front of her. “It seems I missed all the fun yesterday.”
“You certainly did. How are you feeling?” Mae asked, sitting down at the table and giving Gran a kiss on the cheek.
“We are all feeling invigorated.”
Mae burst out laughing, and reached for a piece of toast. “So the mountain air agrees with you?”
“Oh yes, very much so.”
“Does that mean you’re coming to visit me often, when I move here?” Mae placed her toast down on the plate, suddenly losing her appetite; she waited for the ladies to answer.
“Oh, no,” Gran said. “I don’t think we will be coming to visit.”
Mae looked at her gran, appalled. She expected her to be upset that she was going to move to Grizzly Hollows, but she didn’t think she would be disowned.
“Then I’ll just come and visit you often.”
“No, you won’t, dear.” It was Katie’s turn to speak. “We’ve been having a bit of a chat. You’re not the only ones making plans.”
“What do you mean?” Mae asked, looking around the table at the three faces staring at her. “What have you three been scheming about?”
“We decided that now our last little chick has flown the nest, that we ought to just sell our houses and buy a place together.”
“What?” Mae asked stunned.
“We’ve talked about it. We’re going to sell our houses and live together. It means there won’t be much of an inheritance for you. We’re going on a world cruise, for a start,” Gran said.
“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Mae said, happy that they were moving on without her, but also a little disappointed, which was just selfish of her. “I’m really pleased.”
“Don’t look like that, we’re not abandoning you,” Gran said.
“Of course we aren’t,” said Katie. “We’ve decided to buy a place here in Grizzly Hollows, and when the snow comes and the weather gets too cold for our poor old bones, we’re going on vacation.”
“We might find new husbands,” Joan said.
“Or any husband,” Katie said wistfully.
“That’s for the young ones,” Isabelle said.
“Then we might just fool around.” Katie winked.
Mae looked appalled, but then she burst out laughing. “As long as we are all happy, that’s all that matters. I came here thinking I was going to have to say goodbye to you all, that I would be going home and then returning on my own.”
“I know, dear, but we’ve already seen the house we want to buy.”
“And I thought I moved fast.” She looked at Gran, and then asked, “Are you absolutely sure?”
“Yes. We all know that you belong here with Jay. And we belong where you are. We always have,” Isabelle answered.
“This is a new chapter in your life, Mae, and we wouldn’t want to miss a thing. When you have children, we want to all be there to lead them astray. And we can’t do that if we live a hundred miles away,” Joan said seriously.
Mae got up and clumsily put her arms round all three of them and hugged them, kissing each of their heads in turn. “I think this really is the happiest day of my life.”
“Why don’t you run along and find that big old bear of yours, and tell him the good news?” Joan said.
Mae sat down heavily in the chair, looking at Joan with her mouth open. When she glanced at Gran she saw a similar expression on her face, too.
“What? Do you think we didn’t know?” Joan asked surprised.
Katie looked smug. “We’ve kept it a secret all these years. There’s a reason I was put in charge of your case, Mae. I always made sure that any special girls or boys, like you, were put with families who would understand them.”
“Why did you never say?” Mae asked.
“Because it never mattered. You were happy, and Joan and I always worried that you might be afraid we would tell on you. Especially after a few vodkas.” She looked at Joan accusingly. “It was easier to let you think you had a secret.”
Mae sat shaking her head. “You are all full of surprises.”
“Now. Go on, go find your man.”
“Mate, Joan. Mate,” Katie said and they all laughed.
Chapter Eighteen – Jay
Jay walked over to his parents’ house, just as he had a million times before. This time he felt different; this time he was different. He only wished there had been time to introduce Mae to his mom and dad before she left. Of course, she would be back, he knew that without a doubt. However, even after being apart from her for a few minutes, part of him that was wondering if any of it had ever happened, if she really existed or if he had dreamt her.
Walking up the steps to the familiar front door, he knocked and then put his hand on the doorknob, turning it and then opening the door. “Are you there, Mom?”
“In the kitchen.” His mom’s voice came from the back of the house, and he walked through the familiar rooms, feeling like a stranger. He was changed, different, and he wondered if his mom would notice.
“Hi, Dad not in?” His dad was retired from being a ranger, although he still helped out when he was needed.
“He’s just popped to the store.” She put down the spatula that was in her hand and came towards him. “So?”
“So…”
“So, where is she?” His mom asked hopefully.
“She’s gone back home. She has some stuff to sort out with her gran before she comes back.”
“Oh.” His mom looked sad. “And how are you coping with that?”
“She’s not even left town yet,” he said, trying to keep his voice upbeat.
“Don’t put that brave face on. Come give me a hug,” his mom said, holding out her arms, and just as he had all of his life, he went to her. “You’re never too old.”
“I know.”
“She’ll come back. There’s no way she could resist a man like you. And yes, I know I’m biased, but I think the women who get my boys are lucky.”
“I hope she thinks that. I know we have the mating bond between us, but what if it fades? What if she goes back to her own life and forgets me?”
His mom laughed. “Do you think you will forget her?”
“No. Never.” Mae would be fore
ver in his heart, no matter where she was in the world, and he realized how stupid he was being. “Damn it, I want her here.”
“Then why don’t you go get her?” his mom said.
“How? I can’t leave Grizzly Hollows right now,” he stated firmly.
His mom put her hands on her hips, and her brow creased; he knew this look, she was trying to puzzle it out for him. “There must be a way.”
“Not with Tad spending so much time with Viv, and I know she needs him, so I don’t begrudge him. And I wouldn’t want to put this on Dad.”
“No, he’s not as fit as he used to be. Although don’t let him hear me say that.”
“Say what?” Neither of them had realized Jay’s dad had come back and was standing in the doorway.
“Hey, Dad,” Jay said, a strange sensation creeping over him.
“We were just trying to figure out how Jay could go get his girl.”
“He doesn’t need to.”
“Hal, everyone needs their mate.”
“I know that. But Jay doesn’t need to go get her, because she’s here.”
“We know, but she’s leaving today,” his mom said.
“Not anymore,” Mae’s voice said from behind his dad.
“Mae?”
“I found Mae outside; well, down the street, someone had given her the name of the road, but not the house number. I guess it was fate that I found her.” His dad grinned at his own joke.
“Hi Mae, it’s good to finally meet you.” His mom went and gave her a hug.
“Hi,” Mae said nervously. “It’s good to meet you. I’m really sorry to just turn up like this.”
“Nonsense.” She looked from Jay to Mae and then said, “Hal, I think there was something else I needed from the store. I’ll come with you.”
“But... Oh, sure.”
His mom grasped his hand and smiled up at him, and then went for her coat, saying, “We’ll be back in an hour.”
Her Choice To Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Dating Agency Romance (Fated and Mated Book 2) Page 7
