Bash looked a little hurt and shocked. “Are you kidding me?” he asked. “Do you think that because I was whooping a few times that I was flying like that on purpose? I was just trying keep myself pumped up with adrenaline because I was worried we were gonna die.”
“We almost did,” Lily said, crossing her arms. “I’m beginning to think that I’m not cut out for this kind of adventure. You guys are all brave and strong, and I’m just a boring human who prefers to not risk her life on a daily basis, thank you very much.”
Lily covered her face in her hands and willed herself not to cry, but she couldn’t help it. The tears pushed their way out of her eyelids and down her face. She kept her face covered so Bash couldn’t see, even though it was obvious that she was crying.
“Lily, stop it,” Bash said. His tone was sharp, and Lily looked up in surprise. Where did he get off, telling her to stop it? If she wanted to be upset that she almost died then she had every right to be, goddammit. Why was he angry at her? He had no right. She was the one who should be angry at him—and she was.
“You almost killed me!” she said.
“No, I didn’t,” Bash said, standing up to his full height. “And I won’t stand here and be told that. I didn’t almost kill you. I saved your life. And Juno saved it with the bear flu cure before that. Look, if you don’t want to be part of this mission, then say so. Nobody’s forcing you. But don’t stand there and accuse me of almost killing you. You have a chance to do something, Lily. You have a chance to save a lot of people, and to be part of something big. If you want to do that, then stick with us and we’ll protect you. If you don’t then leave, and we’ll find someone else to cure and to be our ambassador.”
Lily felt a sharp pain in the pit of her stomach, and she immediately regretted accusing him of anything. He was right. He had saved her life, and Juno had saved it before that. Still, why did everything have to be so goddamn hard and dangerous?
“I’m just not cut out for this,” Lily said, her voice tired. “I’m not used to it like you guys are. I don’t enjoy riding in through the air in a damaged hover at a hundred miles an hour like you do.”
Bash laughed. “I don’t necessarily enjoy it. Like I said, my adrenaline was running high. Listen, I can’t promise you that there won’t be more of that if you stay on this mission. It’s dangerous, and who knows what other challenges we’ll encounter. So if you want to go, then go. But listen to me, and listen damn close. If you leave right now, I will be the most disappointed I have ever been in a human being. And you know why?”
Lily’s eyes widened at his words. “Why?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“Because you’re so much fucking stronger than you think you are, Lily. You sit there all timid and shy, and tell me that you’ve never done anything exciting in your life. Well, guess what? This is exciting, and you’ve done it for the last two days. You’ve gone to D.C. by yourself to confront the soldiers, you told your story to a reporter, and you escaped a burning house being attacked by god only knows who. Then you survived a hover crash. Look at yourself, Lily. You’re doing it. You’re brave. You’re strong. You’re proving to yourself that you can handle it. If you leave now you’re giving up all the progress you’ve made, and that would be a damn shame because I think there’s still a lot of progress you can make. There’s a lot of good you can do, and it would be one of the greatest pleasures of my life to watch you stand up and actually be the courageous woman I know you can be. I know that deep inside of you, there’s a capable, courageous woman. She’s been peeking out over the last few days, and damn it all to hell if I don’t want to see more of that.”
Lily felt a flood of emotions rushing through her. Was he serious? He actually believed in her?
“I…I don’t know what to say,” she said. “I thought you didn’t like me. I thought you thought I was pretty much useless. I thought you thought that I was the most nervous, timid person ever. I thought…”
Bash cut her off. “Stop thinking so damn much.”
He crossed the space between them in two giant steps, then knelt down beside her and put his palms on her cheeks. A rush of heat flooded from his hands to her face, and the look in his eyes was the most intense thing she’d ever seen.
“Bash?” she asked.
“Lily,” he said. “You can do this. You can fucking do this. I believe in you.”
Lily opened her mouth to try to reply, but in the next moment his lips were on hers, kissing her hard and fast. All of a sudden, the only thing in the world that mattered was how amazing the electricity felt between his lips and hers.
Chapter Eight
If Lily was honest with herself, she had been wanting this for a long, long time. And if the intensity that Bash was kissing her with was any indication, he had too. He pushed her onto the ground on her back, his body lying half on top of hers as he slipped his tongue past her lips and into her mouth. The heat shooting from his body to hers was intense, and the chemistry between them was so strong in that moment that Lily felt like she could see literal sparks flying through the air. She reached her arms out and put her hands on the back of his shoulders, pulling him closer. She moaned as he kissed her deeper. Everything else in the world seemed to disappear.
She felt like she was on a roller coaster of emotions. Moments earlier she’d been angry at her him, and he’d been angry at her. But his anger came from a place of believing in her, and she was overcome by that realization: he believed in her. This strong daredevil of a man believed she was more than a weak, timid human. She was someone who had the potential to be a hero. Lily had always wanted to do something big, and after Bash’s rough pep talk, she believed for the first time in her life that she could. And, perhaps, her first bold move would be to show Bash just how much she wanted him. She reached down and found the hem of his shirt, then started pulling it up struggling to get over his head and off his arms. He let her, even though it was cold outside. The early morning air in March was brisk, but Bash was so hot. His body felt like it was being heated from some sort of fire within him. Bash let out a low growl, and Lily moaned as she saw his bare chest. His rib cage was broad and strong, and his abdomen was sculpted into a perfect six-pack. He truly was a beast of a man. He let out another growl, then pulled back and stood to his feet, pulling her up with him. He wrapped her in his arms, and continued to kiss her as he pushed her toward a large tree until her back was against the trunk.
“Lily,” he said, his voice husky and intense. “I want this. I want you.”
Lily shivered, more from delight than from the cold, but Bash still noticed.
“It’s too cold out here,” he said, stepping back. “You’ll freeze.”
“No,” Lily said, grabbing his arm and pulling him to her. “I want this. I’ve been dreaming of you since I met you. I tried to convince myself that I could live without you, but now that you’ve kissed me I know I never could. It’s true, you’re exactly what I’ve always wanted in a man.”
“This is a big decision,” Bash said, tilting his face so he was looking directly into Lily’s eyes. “Don’t take it lightly. We can take things slowly.”
Lily groaned. From the intensity in his voice, she could tell that the last thing he wanted to do right now was to take things slowly.
“We could take things slowly,” she said quietly. “Or we could just do what we both want to do and stop dancing around it. After all, it’s time I act a little more courageous, isn’t it?”
Lily winked at him, and that was enough.
“Come here, you,” he said, his voice deep and commanding. He reached down to unbutton and unzip her jeans, pushing them down her legs along with her underwear. Then he unbuttoned and unzipped his own jeans, pushing them down with his boxers and allowing his erection to spring free. Lily’s breath caught in her throat. He was huge, and his dick pointed toward her like a steel rod. Her eyes widened at the thought of something so magnificent being inside of her.
“Bash,” she said, her v
oice shaking with emotion as she said his name.
“I’ve wanted someone like you for so long,” he said. “Someone sweet and kind, but with just a little bit of spice.”
“I don’t always feel very spicy,” Lily said.
“I know,” Bash said. “But I can see that deep within you there’s a spark. I hope you bring it out. You’re capable of so much more than you know.”
Lily trembled and looked up at him with hungry eyes. “It’s an incredible feeling when someone believes in you,” she said. “Especially someone as amazing as you.”
Bash let out a roar in response—long loud and primal. Then he slammed into her. Even through her hoodie, she could feel the bark of the tree against her back, and her bare ass was getting scratched. But she wasn’t paying attention to the tree. Her whole focus was centered on the spot between her legs where Bash’s giant dick had just filled her. He pushed against the deepest parts of her inner walls, filling her with a heat so intense that she could’ve taken off her clothes even in the middle of the cold forest, and she still would have been warm.
Lily trembled as the moisture between her legs grew, spilling over the giant of a man who was thrusting in and out of her. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, drinking in the moment. This was insanity. Just five minutes before, she wouldn’t have thought she’d be here now, with a bear shifter making mad, passionate love to her. But she wouldn’t have it any other way. What more could she want than this feeling of closeness and intimacy? When Bash looked at her, it was like he really saw her. Like he didn’t just see the mask she had put up for the world. He saw deep within her, to who she really was and to everything she really had to offer.
Lily’s whole body started tingling with a warm electric heat. She whimpered as the pressure grew too great to bear. Each thrust Bash made into her was more intense than the one before, and finally she could take it no longer. With a long, loud shriek, she came. Her body spasmed and clenched around him. She clung to him as her body responded to his, and the waves of ecstasy washed over her. Bash let out a low growl, an animal sound that seemed to come from somewhere deep within him. Then he stiffened and made one last, long thrust into her, completely consummating the moment. He came, his dick hard and throbbing, and finding its home in her soft, warm entrance. For several long moments, they stood there, connected. Lily had never had an intimate moment with anyone quite so intense, and certainly not with such a feeling of urgency. It hadn’t mattered that there was no warm bed nearby, or that they were in the middle of the forest. They had realized that they needed each other, and their bodies and hearts had both responded. Lily felt a warmth at her very core. Her soul was connected to Bash’s, and she knew that no matter what the future brought, she would always be his.
Chapter Nine
Bash woke with a start, sitting up rapidly. His heart pounded in his chest and he looked around with a wild expression in his eyes, ready to defend Lily to the death. But there was no one there. The only sound was the chirping of birds and the rustle of leaves above his head. It must’ve been just about mid day, because the sun was directly above his head, filtering down through the trees to leave beautiful patterns of light on the forest floor. Lily stirred and looked over at him. His sudden movement had woken her.
“Bash?” she said sleepily. “Everything okay?”
Bash smiled down at her. “Yeah, I just was having a weird dream. Everything’s fine.”
Lily nodded and closed her eyes again, stretching her arms high above her head and smiling. She looked so peaceful and happy, and Bash felt his heart twist. He wanted her to always feel that way—happy safe and secure. He could hardly believe what had happened between them hours earlier. He hadn’t intended to mate with her. He’d just been frustrated with her and her timid attitude, when he knew she had so much more within her. But then, after he’d gone off on her, he’d expected her to either crumple into tears like most women would have, or to be more angry at him. But she had seemed to actually respond to his words. One thing led to another, and the sparks that flew between them had been electrifying. Bash had never felt anything like it before, and as soon as they mated he had felt that telltale warmth within the very core of his being. He knew she was his lifemate. Destiny had brought them together in such a weird twist of events and circumstances, and he knew that, no matter what happened with humanity, or the bear flu, or even his own clan, he would never let her go. Speaking of his clan, he needed to find a way to communicate with them. He needed to figure out exactly where he was and get back in touch with the others. He wouldn’t even entertain the possibility that something had happened to them. Honestly, he wasn’t that worried. He would love to see hear from them just to verify that they were okay, but he knew they were experienced, savvy fighters. They’d also had a good escape vehicle. As long as they hadn’t taken too bad of a hit, they should be fine. In fact, they might’ve made it to the second hideout.
Bash looked over at his crashed hover. The thing was a piece of junk now. Thankfully, it’s safety system had worked well and kept him and Lily mostly okay during the crash landing. They both had a couple bruises, and she had been knocked out. But other than that, there was really no harm done. Lily stretched again, then opened her eyes and looked over at Bash.
“Hey you,” she said, smiling sultrily.
Bash smiled back. “Hey, yourself,” he said. He would’ve loved to kiss her and make love to her again right then, but they had to get moving. They had to find a way to communicate with the others, and it made him uncomfortable to sit out here in the open with a hover that may or may not still be sending off computer signals.
“How are you feeling?” Bash asked.
Lily sat up. “Mostly okay,” she said, rubbing her forehead. “There’s a big bump there, but it doesn’t hurt or anything.”
“I think we should get going,” Bash said.
Lily raised an eyebrow. “Okay. Where we going to go?”
“I’m not sure,” Bash said. “But we can’t stay here anymore. We need to find shelter, and we need to find a way to get in touch with the others. We’ll just pick a direction and walk in it until we come to something. It’s not like we’re in the middle of the wilderness in Alaska, where you can go for weeks and weeks without coming across anything. We should be able to find some sort of shelter soon enough.”
Lily shrugged. “Okay, just let me know what to do.”
“I pulled everything out of the hover that might be useful,” Bash said. “Which wasn’t much. We have your supply bag, which thankfully has a gun in it along with a few water purification tablets and a little bit of food. I tried to get the communication radio from the hover, but it doesn’t seem to be working. And I don’t really want to drag it along with us in case somebody is trying to track us.”
A shadow crossed Lily’s eyes, but she didn’t freak out like she might have a few days ago.
“Okay,” she said. “Let’s just take the bag of supplies then.”
“Bash nodded. “I’ll carry the bag. Just follow me and stick close.”
Bash, who thankfully had a compass, took off walking toward the south. He didn’t want to head back north, in case the first thing they came to was D.C. He wasn’t exactly interested in being in that military hotbed right now. For the next several hours, Bash and Lily walked through the forest, enjoying the peace and quiet as much as they could. The weather was cool, but not too cold. Spring was starting to arrive, and Bash couldn’t complain about his walking buddy. Every now and then he reached over and held Lily’s hand. She would look back at him and smile, and they’d walk hand-in-hand for a while until her palms got sweaty enough to need a break. Just as the sun began to set, Bash suddenly caught the smell of stale coffee with his bear nose. He breathed in deeply as he looked around.
“What is it?” Lily asked.
“I smell coffee,” he said. “Stale coffee, but still. There must be a house or something around here.
Lily sniffed deeply. “I don’t
smell anything,” she said.
Bash laughed. “Well, I have a bear nose, remember?”
Lily’s eyes widened. “I didn’t realize you actually had bear senses.
Bash grinned and nodded. “Yeah, it’s a little crazy, I know. But it does come in handy. Let’s see if we can find the source of the coffee smell. If we’re lucky, it will be something abandoned so that we can set up a shelter.”
Bash made his way through the forest, following the smell. As the stale coffee smell got stronger, Bash started picking up the scent of other food: moldy bread, old crackers, and rotting fruit. Whatever the source of the food, the place hadn’t been cleaned up in a while. A few minutes later, Bash and Lily came to a small clearing in the woods. There was an old cabin with an old white pickup truck out front. The truck was a gasoline vehicle, and Bash was surprised to see it. There weren’t too many of those around anymore, and you usually didn’t see one just sitting out in the open.
Bash perked his ears up and listened but he couldn’t hear anything. He breathed in deeply, but didn’t smell any humans.
“I think the place is abandoned,” he said. “But let me double check. You wait here.”
“Okay,” Lily nodded. She stayed behind a tree while Bash went to peek in the cabin’s windows. He didn’t see anything, so he cracked the door open.
“Hello?” he called loudly. If there was someone here, he didn’t want to sneak up on them, that’s for sure.
“Hello? Anyone home?” Bash asked.
It was clear that no one was. Dust was everywhere, rotten fruit sat in the fruit bowl on the counter, and a few rats scurried across the floor to get out of Bash’s way. There were stairs leading up to a loft. Bash went up to find a small bed, and a few small cardboard boxes. There was one tiny window in the wall of the loft, along with a large skylight window on the roof. The floor beside the bed was littered with several orange prescription bottles. A quick look at the labels told Bash all he needed to know—several of the bottles contained medicines that were commonly used to attempt to slow down the spread of the bear flu. Whoever had lived here was likely dead, a victim of the flu. The prescription bottles were dated from over a month ago.
Courage in a Fur Coat (The Fur Coat Society Book 5) Page 5
