Bear With Me (Woodland Creek)

by Nicole Blanchard

  He curls around my back and the warmth emanating from his chest combined with the crash from the adrenaline makes me yawn. His arms wrap around my middle and pull me close. I sigh in contentment.

  “You still owe me that fishing trip,” he mumbles in my hair. “Don’t think I forgot.”

  I fall asleep with a smile on my face.

  Sullivan

  The next morning, I wake up in Declan’s bed with his arms wrapped around me.

  Declan starts nuzzling the back of my neck. “Good morning,” he murmurs.

  I can’t help my responding smile. “Good morning.”

  His hand rides low on my hip. I’d lost my mud-slicked pants and shirt in favor of one of his T-shirts. He’s so tall that it comes to mid-thigh on me. I feel the heat of his hand burning through the material.

  He rolls me to my back and props himself up on one arm. At first I think he’s going to say something, then I realize that the air around us has grown incredibly thick with tension. My breath shallows in my chest and I grip the material of the sheet by my side. Slowly, so slowly that it drives me out of my mind, he leans down to press his lips to mine.

  My eyes slide closed and I unclench the sheet to slide my fingers into his hair. With my other hand I urge him to move until his weight is completely on top of me. The sensation feels so incredible that I groan into his mouth, my lips parting to accept his tongue in one commanding thrust.

  He breaks the kiss to breathe heavily into my neck. “You need to tell me to stop,” he says into my throat.

  “I don’t want you to stop,” I whisper-groan.

  I can’t think about anything aside from the feeling of him nibbling at my earlobe and how goddamn good it feels to have his weight press me into the bed. I spread my legs to bring him closer. The shirt rides up my hips leaving only the thin material of my panties and the cloth of his briefs between us.

  “Damn, baby, I can smell you already.” Declan traces the line of my throat with his tongue. His mouth charts a path down my collar bone to the rigid point of my nipple underneath his shirt. “You smell like the best sex, and it’s even better because you’ve already got me all over you.” He growls, his teeth nipping through the material of his shirt to take my nipple into his mouth.

  I throw my head back against the pillow as he dampens the shirt with swirls of his tongue and nips of his teeth. His mouth trails along my chest until he reaches my other breast and pays his undivided attention there as well.

  He noses his way down the shirt, the two damp spots tweaking my already sensitive nipples with cool air. I’ve never moved so fast with a guy before. I’ve never felt comfortable enough in bed to let a man take control like this. But like I told him the day before, I trust him and it’s incredibly freeing.

  His teeth nip at the line of my panties and my body flashes white-hot. He licks a path down the center seam, throwing my legs over his broad shoulders and arching me wide. He slides the material of my panties over so that I’m bared to his gaze. His free hand delves into my swollen, slippery folds and I cry out, arching my back against him.

  I can’t control the movement of my hips as his fingers explore everywhere but the center of my need. My head writhes back and forth as he teases me and my hands drag the material of the shirt up and over. I hiss out a breath as cool air greets my heated flesh.

  His head comes up and he whispers his approval, his eyes glowing bright gold again. My hands go to my breasts as he kneels between my legs, his fingers finally stroking deep, though not as fast as I need to quell the rising heat.

  When a slick, wet heat flicks across my clit the muscles in my legs turn to water and my hips fall open, my legs thrusting them closer to the source of pleasure. “Declan, I need…”

  He presses a kiss to my thigh. “I know what you need.”

  “Please. I need you inside.”

  “I know you do, but first I want to watch you come for me again. I want to feel you come under my hands. I want to taste you on my tongue.”

  He adds another finger, this time picking up the pace and stroking even more deeply. He brings his mouth back, his tongue doing wicked things to wring high-pitched cries from my throat. But I can’t seem to get quite where I need to, can’t seem to open my legs wide enough or take him as deep as I need him.

  Declan pauses his devastating assault to wrench my panties down and off of my legs. He settles back down with one hand lifting my hips to his mouth. He adds a third finger, hooking them in such a way that something sparks inside of me. Then, I can’t breathe, can’t think, can’t even see as his tongue flicks me over the breaking point. I can feel myself growing wetter, the slickness causing a sweet friction that devastates me as much as his tongue and fingers.

  He climbs up my body, hooking my legs over his hips as he reaches in his nightstand for a condom. I take it from his hands, ripping it open and sliding it down his long, firm length. My eyes squeeze shut in anticipation of having him inside of me. If he’s that talented with his tongue, sex with him is probably going to kill me.

  He fits himself between my legs again and leans down to kiss me. The taste of us mingles and I can feel myself clenching, needy, in anticipation. When he breaks the kiss, I arch against him, swiveling my hips in invitation. One of his hands holds me steady, the other grips his thick length as he brings himself to my entrance. He pushes in with one, firm glide and my mouth drops open in shock, a soundless cry of undeniable pleasure. Already sensitive from his earlier attention it doesn’t take much for him to stoke the fire back to life.

  His forehead drops to the pillow beside me and he whispers, “God, you feel amazing. Perfect.”

  Unable to put into words what I’m feeling, I bring his lips back to mine for another kiss. I groan into his mouth as my muscles start fluttering around him. He deepens his thrusts, grinding against me, pinning my legs under his arms to hit just the right spot to take me there again. I whimper into his mouth with each thrust as my body tenses.

  When I come to, he’s smiling above me as he moves slowly, letting me recover from the second best orgasm of my life.

  “Don’t worry,” he says, “I’ve been waiting a long time to find a woman like you, Sullivan Thomas. I’ve got you all to myself today and I’m going to make it last.”

  “I knew you were the one for me the day I saw you in the forest,” Declan says a couple hours later after we’ve both recovered, then started all over again, then recovered for the last time. “I wouldn’t have taken you to Antonio’s if you weren’t important to me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He kisses my knuckles, then holds them to his chest above the beat of his heart. “That was where they went on their first date.”

  Confusion, exhaustion and adrenaline have made my thought processes slow to a sluggish pace. I shake my head to try and clear it. “Who went on their first date?”

  “My parents.”

  I press a hand to my nervous stomach. “It was?”

  Declan rolls us so that I’m back in the crook of his arm. “The restaurant was new back then, it had just opened. Dad wanted to impress her so he paid Antonio a shit load of money to serenade Mom, even though Antonio had never done that before. Ever since I was a kid I’ve wanted to take a woman there. I knew I would, but I never met the right one.” He stops and turns back to me, his eyes are now an amber color that I can see even in the dim light. “Until you.”

  “Sully,” he says and I suck in a breath at how much I like it when he says that name, “when I met you, before I knew who you were, the only thing I could think was that I wanted to know what made you look so sad. I’ve never felt that way about a woman before. When I found out who you were it damn near killed me to walk away from you.”

  “Me, too,” I whisper. Tension coils inside me.

  “I don’t know if you can forgive me for what happened.”

  I shake my head, interrupting him. “It wasn’t your fault, Declan. You were just a boy.”

  “I was fourt
een, Sully. Old enough to know better. I should have been able to do something.”

  I roll over onto his chest so that I can look him in the eyes. “There was nothing you could do. I know my grandfather would never hold you responsible. You need to forgive yourself. I know I already have.”

  “But your family…” The scent of fresh soap wafts around me and I have to resist the urge to bury my nose in his shoulder to drink it up.

  “It was my grandmother’s idea for me to fight for you. She forgives you, too. You’re the one that needs to accept it and forgive yourself,” I whisper.

  “I don’t know if I can.”

  I place my hand over his heart. “After my parents died, I was lost for a long time. It wasn’t until I met you that I remembered what it was like to truly live again. I know you, I’ve been inside your head, remember? You’re a good man, a good son. Your family would want you to be happy.”

  He takes my lips in another kiss and I let myself get lost in it. For now, that will have to be enough.

  Declan

  Having Sully in my bed, her scent on my sheets, her sweet body wrapped around me is better than any of my dreams. Hell, it beats all of my fantasies, too. When a knock comes at the door a few hours later all I want to do is throw the covers over our heads and stay wrapped up in her forever.

  Then the knocks turn into someone pounding on the door and they shout, “I know she’s here, Cain. Open up.”

  Sully sits straight up in bed holding the sheet at her breasts. Her tawny hair is mussed, her lips are swollen and there’s a bit of beard burn on the underside of her jaw. I’ve never seen anyone look more beautiful.

  “Oh my God, is that my brother?” she screeches, struggling with the sheets to get out of bed.

  I thwart her efforts by tugging her back on top of me. She squawks out a noise that makes me smile. Once I have her attention, I say, “Don’t freak out about it. You get dressed while I answer the door. Your clothes should be dry by now.”

  Her head swivels around. “Where in the hell are my panties?”

  I chuckle, feeling strangely at ease, and hold her still long enough for another drugging kiss. “I tossed them somewhere in that direction.” I point towards the dresser as I roll out of bed. I pull on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. I had a feeling Sullivan’s brother wouldn’t like seeing me au natural.

  He pounds on the door again just as I open it. He looks me over, dropping his raised arm. “Sullivan here?” he asks.

  I jerk my head inside and say, “She’ll be right out. You want some coffee?”

  “No, I don’t want any coffee. I want to make sure my sister is okay.”

  I’m surprised by how much he looks like Sullivan, even though she’d mentioned that they were twins. They have the same eyes, same nose, and the same flinty look that says they won’t take any shit. I let him size me up as I get a cup ready for him anyway, knowing that I would do the same if I had a sister. Hell even more so, considering the way our first date went.

  Sullivan comes out as I’m handing him his cup. “Ohh, coffee,” she says, stealing it from me for a sip and burning her tongue in the process. “Shit, that’s disgusting. I don’t know how you drink it black.”

  “You scared me. You just disappeared. I thought something had happened to you,” Sam says, pulling her into a hug.

  “I’m fine, I’m sorry. I should have called.”

  He breathes out a sigh and gives her one last squeeze. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

  He lets her go and she comes to my side, taking my mug. I steal a kiss as payment for the coffee and slouch onto one of the chairs in my dining room.

  Sam watches with careful eyes as Sully sits next to me, mug in hand. “Look, you seem like a nice guy,” he starts, “so I wanted to be the first person to tell you.”

  Sully’s shoulders stiffen. “Tell us what?”

  Her brother leans against the kitchen counter and sighs. “They found another body while they were cleaning up the tornado. It was in the woods, near where the found the last one.” Sam angles a meaningful look at me.

  “That’s impossible,” Sully says. “We were there yesterday, Sam. There wasn’t—”

  When Sully breaks off and glances at me sharply, I say, “What’s wrong?”

  “I—well I thought I was going crazy. I just, it couldn’t have been…I mean I was terrified, for fuck’s sake there was a tornado behind me.”

  I take her hand in mine. I can feel my chest going tight with the urge to turn, to protect what’s mine, but I breathe deeply until it passes. “You’re okay. You’re not going crazy. Just take a deep breath and tell me what happened.”

  Her lips quiver and I notice she’s lost the pink glow a morning of sex had given her. “Before you showed up, um, in the woods, I thought I heard someone screaming. I thought I heard someone—something—following me.”

  My insides turn to a block of ice. “Are you sure you didn’t just hear me?”

  “No, I’m sure. This happened before you got there. And this was different. It almost sounded like it was circling around me. Like an animal.” She pauses, glances at both of us before continuing, “It felt like it was hunting me. I brushed it off at the time, because, well I thought I was just hearing things with the weather and all. I just thought I was scared out of my mind. I didn’t know—”

  Could the thing targeting people in Woodland Creek be another shifter? I know there are others in town, I’ve seen some of them on my trolls in the woods, but I’ve never gotten chummy with any of them, considering my past. Most of them like to keep their distance. If a rogue shifter is stalking the woods, it’s a goddamn miracle I didn’t find her dead body like the others.

  My muscles quiver, the urge to shift renewed. I placate that desire by lifting Sully to my lap and draping her arms over my shoulders. Just having her hands on me calms me down. “Of course you didn’t, baby. This wasn’t your fault, either.”

  “Something is going on out there, right?” Sam says. “It has to be some kind of animal. A bear maybe?”

  Sully and I share a look and I send her a wink. “It could be, maybe.” Though I know based on the markings that it wasn’t. It has to be something else. Even though I knew it wasn’t me attacking those girls, seeing their autopsy reports during the interrogation did help alleviate some of the guilt I felt. “Either way, I’m going to have to go talk to Red, cancel all the trail tours until the cops can get something figured out. In the meantime, why don’t you and Sam stay here?”

  “I’d like to go with you, if that’s okay. Maybe pick up some of my stuff and let Nonna know that I’m okay. Would that be okay with you, Sam?”

  “Yeah, sure. I’ll just sit on the big guy’s couch in case this thing gets a taste for good-looking freshman, like some horror movie serial killer stereotype.”

  Nearly all the streets are empty as we drive through Woodland Creek on the way to my shop. The tornado had stayed on the side of the forest, thank God, so the majority of the city had been spared its destruction. When I get to the shop the windows are dark and the sign on the door says closed.

  Sully and I jump out after I park the truck on the street in front. I unlock the door and call, “Hey, Red. You in the back?”

  “Yeah, son, in the office.”

  Relief spears through me. Red likes to roam through the forest at all hours. A part of me thought he may have gotten caught unawares and not made it back.

  “Good to see you, you old sonuvabitch. Thought that tornado might have eaten you up and spit you back out.”

  Red grins. “That silly old side-winder? Not a match for me, boy.” He peers around me at Sully standing by my side. “Is this the girl you’ve been chasing after? My, isn’t she sweet?”

  They shake hands and Sully freezes, her eyes wide and I curse under my breath. I forgot about her gift. She excuses herself to peek around while I talk shop with Red. “Have you heard?” I ask him.

  “About the other one?” When I nod, he frowns, his sa
lt and pepper mustache twitching. “Yeah, the police were by earlier to let us know we should probably close up until they know more about whatever’s getting those girls. He’s a sneaky bastard, that’s for sure. They didn’t have any leads and couldn’t even decide if it was a human or an animal that was attacking them.”

  “This is so fucked.”

  “You got that right.” I hesitate before asking what I really came here wanting to know. Red was the only other one to make it out alive that day. When both of my parents died, he was there for me. He’ll have answers to calm my fear. Plus, he’s the only one close to me that knows about my ability to shift. “Sully and I were talking and think that it might be another shifter attacking these people. Have you heard anything?”

  Red’s eyes shutter closed, like the do any time that I’ve brought up my connection to that night. “I haven’t heard anything, but I’ll keep an eye out.” He wipes the sour look off his face and slaps a hand on my back. “You take that girl back home and I’ll finish closing up here, okay?”

  “Thanks again. Give me a call if you hear of anything.”

  “Oh, I will do that, Dec,” he says cheerfully. He smiles at Sully as we leave, but I can feel his heated, accusing stare on my back.

  Sullivan

  By the time we make it back to Declan’s cabin, we’re both sick with worry. Just a few weeks ago, we had our life-changing date in the forest. It was a safe place, his haven. Even looking at it feels like a threat, now that I know what lurks in its shadows.

  Nonna was fine, thank God. And she even managed a few sentences with Declan. There may be a beast or man stalking Woodland Creek, but at least I have a future with him, a future with my family, to look forward to.