Bound to the Bear (Denali Den Book 3)

by Rebecca Thomas

  When she stood there unmoving, he crawled off the bed. His palms slid to her waist and he pulled her hips against his. She looked up into his face, at his eyes staring down into hers. “You think I look like a goddess?” she asked, even though with his pelvis against hers, she had to know exactly what he thought.

  “Tell me what to do.” He lowered his face and pressed his forehead into hers. “Am I taking a shower or am I throwing you on that bed?”

  Heat warmed the pit of Tess’s stomach and spread to her thighs. She pressed her body against his, skin to skin. “I’ve had a rough week.” She slid her hands to the warm skin of his hard belly. “I didn’t want to admit that to anyone, but with you, Stefan, I feel safe to be me.”

  “I’m glad,” he said against her cheek, a whisper of breath, and she breathed him in. His breath smelled as hot and fiery as her own. He kissed her lips, surprisingly soft and almost sweet, while at the same time he pressed his rigid erection against her. Lust pooled at the apex of her thighs. She parted her lips against his and kissed him back, full-mouthed and hungry. In fact, she didn’t realize how hungry she was for Stefan Vane. Hungry for him to fill her body with every inch of him.

  He stepped between her thighs, lifted her up by her butt cheeks and plopped her on the bed. He placed his knees between her legs, and his hands and mouth moved to her breasts. He coaxed and stroked. His hands slipped along her skin, pinching and teasing, until finally his hot mouth covered her nipple. He sucked hard. Shards of pleasure erupted in her chest. She moaned and arched her back.

  His wet tongue traveled to her belly, then her thighs, then her folds. His fingers parted and caressed her. His warm breath radiated across her skin, singeing the flesh and driving her insane. She melted deeper into the mattress. Nothing but Stefan existed. She reached for his head and dug her fingers into his scalp, then thrust her hips upward.

  Her heart raced and only seconds passed before Stefan grabbed her knees and his fingers dug into her skin. She looked up into his golden eyes.

  “Don’t move,” he said before scooting away from the bed.

  She couldn’t move if a tornado hit their cabin. She watched him pull a condom from a drawer and slid it on. In seconds, he was back between her legs and grabbed two handfuls of her behind. As if she weighed nothing, he lifted, and she coiled her legs around his waist. Hot, liquid lust pooled between her thighs.

  His erection brushed where she needed it most. A shiver raced over her skin and set every cell of her body on fire. He placed a hand on the side of her face and he looked into her eyes as her penetrated her. After two thrusts, his voice sounded in her ear, low and scratchy. “Perfect fit.”

  She clung to his shoulders and her head fell back. “Mmm.”

  Heat spun through her like an electric current filling every juncture and intimate place he touched.

  “You feel so good.” Stefan slid his hands from her breasts down to her thighs.

  She rocked her hips creating a fiery friction. He groaned as he filled her. He was powerful and so big, plunging deep in and out.

  He roared. The sound scrambled her brain, then her body pulsed in a torrid orgasm. Just as her spasms subsided, he pushed down on her thighs with his big large hands and thrust into her again. She didn’t think she could come again, but she did.

  He groaned a deep guttural rumble of sound. She was consumed, inside and out, the heat and warmth, the powerful presence of him. She couldn’t imagine ever being without him.

  The sun’s light created a dusky glow across the cabin’s interior as the giant orange ball slipped to the horizon. Another month and it would set completely, but not yet. Stefan’s hand slid across her belly and pulled her back against his chest.

  “Are you asleep?” she asked as her fingers fanned across his thigh.

  “No.” He yawned, then kissed the back of her neck. “You’re not one of those she-bears who likes to talk after sex, are you?”

  Her belly rumbled with a chuckle. “I guess I am.”

  “What do you want to talk about? Did I move too fast or did I go too slow? I’m perfectly fine with you offering critiques on my lovemaking.”

  “Wow.” She turned in his arms to face him. “You are comfortable in your own bear skin if you’re willing to take some pointers, but no—what you did works perfectly for me.”

  He gave her a squeeze. “I’m glad.”

  “But I do want to talk to you about that wolf.”

  “The wolf that held you at gunpoint? Or the one that took a shot at you a few days later—that wolf?” His body tensed.

  “The one that tried to rob the club.” She rolled around to her side, so she could look into his eyes. “I’ve been thinking about it, and you know, he was never going to hurt me. Then, whoever took a shot at me a few days later, I think he missed on purpose. He didn’t want to shoot me either, he just wanted to scare me.”

  “Why would you give the benefit of the doubt to a wolf? Shooting a gun in a populated area for any reason is cause to be arrested—not to mention the armed robbery part.”

  “I know,” she said, “but he was very young.”

  “It’s no excuse.”

  “But, I’ve been thinking about Denali Crossings. You’ve said it’s for werebear teens and humans alike, teens who are having issues, whether it be with shifting or with life. Or maybe it’s for parents who want a break from their kid for a few weeks.”

  “Yes, all that’s true,” Stefan said.

  “What if that wolf is headed for a life of crime because he’s hurting or because it’s all he knows?”

  Anger vibrated from Stefan’s body. “He’s not headed for a life of crime—he’s already there.”

  “I know that, but what if he just needs help?”

  “Tess.” Stefan adjusted his pillow against the headboard and sat up. “He tried to kill you.”

  Tess gazed at him with earnestness. “I don’t think so. If he wanted to kill me, I’d be dead. I truly believe that.”

  Stefan’s big chest expanded as he pulled air into his lungs. “Okay, let’s consider this theory of yours for a moment. Why didn’t you tell me this when we first met?”

  “I honestly didn’t think of it until I saw all the young people here at your camp. It made me think back to how young that wolf looked. And if I really let myself relive those moments when he said, ‘hand over the money or I’ll shoot… I know he was scared.”

  Stefan’s eyes narrowed. He listened. It warmed her heart to know he didn’t automatically dismiss her theory, that he was thinking it over instead.

  She continued. “Then when I pulled out the bigger gun, he shot his gun up into the ceiling, then ran.”

  “And Harry, who was upstairs, could have been shot,” Stefan reiterated.

  “I know that. Why do you think I agreed to come with you? I didn’t want to put any of my friends or co-workers in danger. There was no point in risking that even if I don’t believe I’m in any real danger.” She snuggled up against his fiery heat. “And then there’s the hunky detective who was assigned to protect me. How could I refuse?”

  His eyes widened. “You think I’m hunky?”

  Did the guy seriously not know how hot he was? “I do.”

  “I’m glad.”

  She quirked a brow. “You say that a lot.”

  He pushed a strand of hair away from her face. “Only when I’m around you.”

  “That makes me feel good.” Her eyelids felt heavy. Exhaustion nearly overtook her, but she had to make her point. “What if we gave that wolf a chance—the one that’s in custody. Like make a deal with him. Instead of sending him to jail, what if we put the word out to his pack, that if the other wolf—who shot at me later—turns himself in, we would negotiate with both of them. We could do something like send that kid to a camp—like Denali Crossings—then he won’t have to do time.”

  “I don’t think there is a camp like Denali Crossings for wolf shifters.”

  She yawned. “What if you made Denal
i Crossings available to all shifters, not just werebears?”

  Stefan grunted. “I don’t know if my brothers would go for that. We don’t like wolves.”

  Tess closed her eyes. Her body melted against Stefan and the cool sheets. “It’s just an idea.”

  9

  Stefan rose early, found a pair of boxers and some shorts, then made coffee, as was his routine. However, this morning’s routine was far from normal. He opened the refrigerator and chugged down an entire bottle of water, thankful that his brothers kept this cabin well stocked.

  Last night he’d made love to Tess three more times over the course of the night. He replayed their argument over in his head and how he’d make a snap judgment about her employment. He’d assumed she was a stripper, without even asking. He was a better detective than that. Or at least he should be.

  He also recalled how good he felt knowing that other men and werebears hadn’t been watching her dance naked. He wanted to be the only bear to see her naked. A feeling of possessiveness engulfed him, but he pushed it away.

  He remembered the flirting they’d done and the conversation they’d had about the lap dance she was supposed to perform. His heart swelled. Tess was special.

  Somehow, she’d tapped into the secret spot in his soul. Watching her sleep, he realized he’d been keeping his heart locked up safe. He hadn’t let any she-bear close to him since losing Misha. But Tess had reached the entrance of that place where only Misha had been.

  He poured himself a cup of coffee, then sat at the two-person oak table. The empty chair on the opposite side of the table represented so many things. He’d kept that place vacant. He hadn’t invited anyone to join him. Until last night.

  Last night didn’t feel like sex; it felt like mating. Their joining was deeper and more powerful than sex. There was a bond between them now, and no matter how hard he tried to put their evening in a different frame of reference, he knew otherwise.

  What if he let himself fall for her…and she died too? He wasn’t sure he could recover from a second hit like that. She stood there waiting at the threshold of his heart; hopeful, and eager, willing and open…and yet, he was afraid.

  The risk was too great.

  He would keep their relationship professional. He took a sip of his coffee and almost choked. Who was he kidding? That line had already been crossed. What was he supposed to do now?

  Tess stirred, then rolled over. Her long dark hair splayed across the pillow. She moved again and the cover fell from her shoulders, revealing her stunning breasts. His gaze slid to her pert pink nipples and he remembered their taste.

  He looked away. Seeing her sprawled out in a bed ripe and inviting did things to his brain—bad things. His concentration was off kilter and his erection was hard. He chugged down more coffee, determined to keep these possessive stirrings at a distance.

  He heard a rumbling sound. He stood and looked through the window positioned above the sink. A four-wheeler approached. Stefan cracked open the front door and sniffed. It was Stryker. He grabbed his coffee cup and stepped onto the front porch.

  Stryker put the four-wheeler in park and turned off the ignition. “I brought your clothes and phones. Also, your gun. I didn’t see anything for Tess, only some bags with clothes in them with the tags still on.” He climbed off the seat. “Is there something more going on here that I should know about?” He raised his brows. “That might explain why you reacted so quickly to the smell of wolves?”

  His gaze pensive, Stefan weighed the merits of telling Stryker the truth. “Tess is an assignment. The less you know, the better.”

  “I think you can trust me.”

  “I know I can, I just need to keep Tess’s best interests in mind. I’m assigned to protect her.”

  “Well, you two certainly did a good job of fooling us. After you left, we all talked about it and we assumed she really is your girlfriend.”

  Stefan shrugged. “I’m not sure what she is to me. I am, but I’m not.”

  Stryker gestured toward the cabin. “You got more coffee in there?”

  “Sure. I’d invite you in, but Tess is still sleeping.”

  Stryker took a seat on the porch’s bottom step. “That’s fine. It’s too nice out to be inside anyway.”

  Stefan slipped back into the cabin and poured another cup of coffee. He turned to go back outside. “Is that cup of coffee for me?” Tess’s voice sounded.

  Stefan swung around, unprepared for the ravishing sight of her. She sat in bed, breasts bare, white sheets straddled around her waist, her hair in a tangled mess, and she smelled like sex. His heart thumped with extra vigor. He swallowed hard. He’d never seen anyone so devastatingly beautiful.

  “Yes.” He set the cup of coffee he’d poured for Stryker on the end table beside Tess. “But my brother is here, so you need to cover up.”

  She reached for the ceramic mug. “I don’t have any clothes, remember?”

  “Stryker has brought the clothes I got for you.” He returned to the miniature kitchen and poured another cup of coffee. “I’ll be right back.” Stefan hightailed it outside before he did something stupid.

  He handed Stryker the mug, then gathered the bags of clothes, along with his duffle bag from the back of the four-wheeler. After shoving his cell phone in his pocket, he took them all inside and set them on the foot of the bed. “Here you go. I hope what I got you is okay.”

  “I’m sure whatever clothes you chose will be fine.” Her voice sounded sleepy and sexy.

  He should leave. The gorgeous sight of her did crazy things to his insides. “I’m going to speak with Stryker for a bit. You’re welcome to join us.”

  She pulled the sheet to her chin, then took a sip of coffee. “I might. Thank you.”

  Stefan returned to his brother and sat beside him on the front steps of the cabin. They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Stryker said, “So I think, if I heard you right, you were saying she’s an assignment, but possibly something more?”

  Stefan looked across the gravel driveway to a marshy pond in the distance. Hundreds of birds, geese, and ducks came and went. “I’m going to stick with the assignment option for now.”

  “All right,” Stryker replied. “She’s an assignment.”

  Stefan knew Stryker wanted to ask more questions, but he respectfully kept quiet.

  Stefan would rather talk about anything other than Tess. “I’m curious to know if you’ve ever considered letting werewolf teens be admitted into Denali Crossings?”

  Stryker looked thoughtful. “I’ve considered it, but when I spoke to Silas about it, he struck down the idea. Which is really ironic considering he’s the one marrying outside of our kind. He’s not so grumpy anymore, so maybe he’d be more open to the idea now, but our camp is already filled to capacity with werebears and humans. What would be the reason for admitting wolves? You are part-owner in Denali Crossings, even if you don’t work here. You have a voice because you’re a shareholder. What are your thoughts?”

  “There’s a wolf pack north of Wasilla that’s been stirring up trouble. Tess mentioned that they were young, and since she’s seen a small part of what we do here, she asked about admitting wolves.”

  “Tess has seen these troubled wolf teens?”

  “Yes. She lives in the area.”

  Stryker set down his coffee mug. “I think we could discuss it at our shareholders meeting next month. I’ll ask Scarlett to add it to the agenda. Expanding Denali Crossings to include werewolf teens presents a new set of problems, but I think it has merit. As bears, we need to deal with wolves, even when we don’t want to. Teens should learn to deal with them too, and in a controlled environment, it could be a positive thing. It’s all about being able to control the animal inside us.”

  “It sure is.” If Stryker only knew how hard those words hit him. He nodded. “It sure is.”

  He thought about Tess and how much his bear wanted her, not as a temporary lover, but as something more. He’d already had
a True Mate once. Misha and he had been so young, but that was over eight years ago. He should be ready to bond with a new mate.

  “Are you sure there isn’t anything else you want to talk about?” Stryker asked.

  Stefan watched a flock of gray jays hop from one spruce tree to the next, chirping at each other, foraging for food together. He’d been alone a long time. Maybe it was time for him to consider a change in his life. “Yes, I’m sure.”

  Stefan pulled out his cell phone. “Guess I should look to see if I have any messages.” He had a text from Adam that said check your voice mail. “Duty calls.”

  He dialed in to his voice mail and listened to Adam’s message. “Damn.”

  “What is it?” Stryker asked. “Or are you not supposed to tell me?”

  A sense of relief settled over Stefan. “They arrested the other werewolf who took a shot at Tess.”

  “She was shot at? By a wolf?”

  Stefan nodded.

  “No wonder you acted so quickly when you smelled wolves.”

  “Apparently, this kid, like the first, is only nineteen.”

  “There’s a first?” Stryker asked.

  “Yes, I need to tell Tess,” Stefan said.

  “Tell Tess what?” Tess pushed open the cabin’s screen door. She wore orange shorts and a gray tee shirt with the words “I’d rather be in Alaska” scrawled across the front. “I told you cool colors.” She scrunched up her shoulders. “And really? An Alaskan tee shirt is the best you could do?”

  Stefan gave her a lopsided grin. He wanted nothing more than to get Tess back into bed. She looked sexy no matter what she wore. “I was in a hurry and yeah, they had the most selection in the tourist section, but regardless, you sure make that tee shirt look good.”

  Stryker shook his head. “I’m sure Ava has some clothes you can borrow.”

  Tess smiled at Stryker and said, “Thanks, when we go back to camp, I just might do that.”

  “That’s going to be sooner, rather than later. They have the second werewolf in custody.” Stefan stood up and approached Tess. “You were right. They are young. Both boys are only nineteen.”