“I’ll see if the doctor can prescribe something for him. He’s obviously becoming delusional,” she said.
“Might just be a phrase he’s going through,” said Brady.
“Fingers crossed that’s it. I’ll just go get you a bandage for your hand.”
Jenna walked down the hall to the bathroom. She saw the door to the guest room where David was staying, was ajar.
“I can smell him,” shouted David. “He smells like the bear that attacked me. Get him out of here.” He slammed the door shut.
Jenna turned around to see Brady standing there.
“I think I should be going. We can do this some other time.”
“Let me get that bandage.”
Jenna pulled out the box, sorted through it until she found one the right size and then placed it on the cut.
“Good as new,” said Brady.
She knew he was just being nice about the whole thing.
He slipped on his coat and wedged his gift under his arm.
“I’m so sorry,” said Jenna.
“Don’t keep apologizing. These things happen.”
Yeah, but not to normal people they don’t.
“Thanks for the cute gift, and I’ll pick you up about four on New Year’s Eve for the wedding.”
“Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas to you, too.”
He leaned over and simply pecked her on the cheek. Most informal thing they’d done, apart from shake hands during their first meeting.
She opened the door. He stepped outside. She waved, but he didn’t turn back. Jenna closed the door and rested her back on it, hoping it would hold her up because she felt like collapsing. Her world was falling apart.
Even if there was a chance that Brady might want a true relationship with her, tonight’s fiasco had probably brought it to a roaring halt.
****
Brady watched as the skin from the injury joined together. He threw away the bandage. He felt somewhat guilty. Poor David wasn’t lying about him being a bear. Bear shifter if he wanted to be picky. The closeness of the smell of the bear during the attack had probably left the scent etched in his brain forever. He could only imagine what the poor guy must have gone through. He knew the fierceness that resided in a bear. Even some shifters got into scraps with one another, and if someone didn’t stop them they could rip each other to bits. A rift over mates or some other argument that escalated and caused them both to shift into bear or wolf, or cougar form at the same time and there was trouble.
But bear versus human? A human was always going to come off worse. Poor Jenna had seemed mortified by what had happened. Her brother was telling the truth, but he couldn’t put her mind at ease by telling her that. What if she thought the poor guy was going crazy and had him locked up? How could he explain to her what he was, what they all were, without giving away their secret?
The anti-human shifters were right. Being around humans was foolish and dangerous. But he was somewhat addicted now. He’d had a taste of Jenna and he liked it. Every time he looked at her, something strange happened in his body. And no, it was no longer only in his cock.
There was no future for them. She hated bears. Her brother would go crazy every time Brady was around. He couldn’t, and wouldn’t, make her choose. That would be wrong. Therefore, their relationship would never work. He sat and pulled the gift she’d given him onto his lap. He smiled. He liked her sense of humor. Liked it a lot. He put the frame on the table in his bedroom and walked to the window where he’d placed the telescope. A Christmas gift he’d brought for himself.
Brady looked through it. One of the other reasons he loved this house. There was an opening in the fir trees where he could see the night sky. Being this far out of town and away from any lights, the stars twinkled and put on a wonderful show. He didn’t have to wait for their star gazing get-togethers. He could glance up there and figure out where his home once was.
He was sure his home was straight ahead. Maybe to the left just a tad. The gap in a host of stars where their planet had been.
He bit his lip. He hadn’t cried for years. Not since he was a young boy. A sudden orphan on planet Earth. None of the surviving adult shifters had taken him in. Some of the orphans had been lucky to find new families. Maybe they’d seen his independence even before they arrived here. They had realized this bear could make it on his own. It was that attitude that had driven him to be Mr. Perfect. The guy who was going to take the human business world by storm.
A loner, he’d moved to Vancouver, and then Vancouver Island. He’d met only a handful of shifters there, and in his heart he’d always wanted to return to the place where they’d landed. Kalispell. Most of them thought of it as a second home, a temporary home should they ever find a way to go back to their planet. He really did like it here. He’d made up his mind to stay.
He looked into the sky again. Nope, no chance of them ever going back to their true home. It was gone and gone for good.
Maybe it was the time of the year. Maybe that’s why bears on earth hibernated. They were introspective creatures, and the holidays made them sad. Humans thought of bears as loners but that was all a show, a front. They loved company.
He’d never felt so all alone in all his life. Perhaps he should find his mate, settle down and make some babies.
****
Jenna made an appointment for her and David to meet with a therapist. She’d filled him in on her brother’s crazy notion that Brady was a bear, and told him about the biting incident. There wasn’t an opening until after the New Year and she hoped David would get back to his normal self. Well, normal for David at least, and maybe the incident would be forgotten.
Brady would be arriving shortly. She’d purchased a new dress and shoes for the wedding. It had begun snowing a few hours ago and she’d thought about carrying them and wearing her snow boots until she got inside The Lodge.
The doorbell rang. If it was Brady, he was early.
Jenna quickly zipped up her dress, grabbed her shoes and headed to the front door. When she opened it, wow, she fell for him big time. Black coat, open with a neat business suit, white shirt, and blue tie with a pin in it. She almost wanted to lick him.
“I know I’m early but I figure the roads are going to be pretty bad and we’ll have to drive slowly.”
“No problem, come in. I’ll just get my coat and I’m all set.”
Brady held her coat for her while she put her arms into the sleeves. “I’m going to take my dress shoes in this bag and put them on once we get there.”
“Smart idea, but I could always carry you.”
“You’d probably break your back.”
“A big tough guy like me?” He flexed his arm and even through his coat and suit jacket, his bicep was unmistakable.
Yes, she definitely wanted to lick him.
“Okay, let’s hit the road. I hope you’ve been practicing your dance steps.”
They stepped outside and she looked at him. Was he joking?
“Don’t worry, I’ll show you and you can just take my lead.”
They hurried to his car. Brady opened the door for her. She entered while he put the bag containing her shoes and the wedding gift, into the trunk. He slipped into the driver’s seat and shook the flecks of snow from his hair.
“That’s going to be deep by the New Year. I hope we can make it home.”
He set off down the road, the windshield wipers working extra hard to clear the snow.
“Warm enough?” he asked.
“I am cozy warm and I might not want to get out. How’s your hand?”
“All healed up and forgotten, so let’s not ruin the evening by talking about the incident, okay?”
Jenna nodded. “I have booked an appointment with a therapist for David.”
“That sounds good, but like I said, let’s not talk about what happened or about your brother.”
She settled back in the seat. He’d turned its heater on and she suddenly
felt warm and safe. She could feltthe heat coming from his body too. She became starry-eyed and dreamy at the thought of sitting close to him and dancing with him all night.
****
Jenna was the most beautiful female there. Her shapely calves were pronounced in the shoes she’d changed into, and the red and black dress with the flared lower half, suited her body.
He’d vowed this would be the last time they’d socialize, other than business. He had a shifter mate to find, but when he was with Jenna, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He ran his finger down her back, right along her spine as they headed to the ballroom where the ceremony was to be held.
They were shown to two seats in the middle of the row. Jenna sat and crossed her legs. He placed his hand on her knee. She hadn’t worn the fishnets, but who could blame her on a night like this? Instead she’d opted for sheer black pantyhose. He squeezed her knee while he grew hard. She put her hand on top of his and gripped it. Nick and Ava sat beside them and broke the spell.
“Geez, what a night?” said Nick. “We’re going to be digging our cars out for hours to get home.”
Ava pulled her wrap over her growing belly and Nick put a protective hand on it.
“Doesn’t everything look so beautiful? We should have gotten married here instead of Vegas,” she said.
Brady had to admit it was like a fairy tale wedding with the canopy at the front. Lights twinkled. Maisey King’s parents playing cello and violin, while Dane serenaded them as more guests arrived.
Brady waved to Aiden and Charlotte who was carrying their baby girl who wasn’t such a baby any more. They sat two rows away, and Aiden took the baby onto his lap.
Next, Trent and Emily arrived by themselves and he guessed the triplets weren’t quite ready for partying.
Christopher waved to him as Lilly and her daughter Kaitlin walked behind. Lilly’s belly, just like Ava’s, was growing big and round.
He wondered what it would be like to mate with a human. What sort of baby he and Jenna would produce.
Ash and Bear arrived at the front of the room and Masiey’s parents began to play the Wedding March.
Brady turned to see Hannah entering, carrying Sophie who wore her pink bridesmaid dress.
She looked adorable and he’d have to remember to get a photo of her for his desk. Maybe one day he’d have a photo of his own child to put next to it.
Shortly after, Chloe’s father led her down the aisle.
Brady wasn’t going to cry because that was for the female shifters to do. He bit his lip and tried to think of anything but of how alone he’d felt the other night.
Shit, a tear slipped down his face as Ash began to say the vows he’d written for Chloe.
Maybe Jenna had seen it. He glanced at her and she was crying, too.
****
It was the most beautiful ceremony she’d ever witnessed. She was glad she’d been able to help them out so they could adopt Sophie. She knew they were going to have a long and happy life together.
“You ready to do some dancing?” Brady stood and held out his hand to her.
She was going to look an idiot, but the thought of being close to his body excited her.
Her period was due in three days. She’d been moody and craving chocolate, and she guessed it was going to happen. She’d had a long hard think about the whole Brady fathering her child thing, and she knew it wasn’t fair to do it the way she had. Before she tried again, she’d ask his permission.
He moved his hands down on her butt. Maybe she wouldn’t need to ask him about the donor thing. Perhaps in the New Year they’d get into a relationship.
They moved cheek to cheek. He was a great partner, leading her around like it was the easiest thing in the world. His erection stabbed at her belly.
“Okay, we’ll stop the music for just a second to count down to the New Year. Get ready to kiss your partner,” shouted Bear, who stood on the stage. She could tell he’d had a little too much to drink but hey, it was New Year’s Eve, and he was best man at his cousin’s wedding.
“Five, four, three, two, one…Happy New Year.”
Before Jenna realized it, Brady’s lips were on hers. She wrapped her arms around him, quickly realizing this wasn’t the usual New Year’s Eve kiss. This was a tongue sliding over lips into mouth sort of smooch.
“Attention everyone,” shouted Bear once again. “Our bride and groom are about to leave by sleigh to travel over to the honeymoon suite in the annex down the road, so I think it would be great if we all gathered outside and waved them on their way.”
Brady grabbed her hand and led her to the entrance where everyone was putting on their coats and gloves and heading outside.
The snow was about a foot deep and still falling.
“I think we need to start heading home soon,” said Trent.
“I don’t think everyone’s going to get home,” said Christopher. “In fact, we should see if they have rooms some of us can use for the night.”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Brady whispered in her ear.
Hannah stood with Bear and Sam held Sophie in his arms as bells sounded and a sleigh covered in ribbons and satin pulled up outside.
“Make way for the bride and groom,” shouted Dane.
Everyone stepped aside as Ash and Chloe, walked through the crowd, stopping to kiss everyone and shake their hands.
“It was a beautiful wedding. All the best for the future,” said Nick.
“All the very best,” said Liam, slapping Ash on the back.
“Have a happy life,” said Brady, hugging Ash, and then kissing Chloe on the cheek.
“Sophie, our little girl, you be good for Bear and Hannah,” said Chloe, kissing her on the nose.
“And me, too,” said Sam.
“And you, too,” said Ash, ruffling up his hair.
As they got into the sleigh and the driver placed a blanket over their laps, Jenna thought it was like something from a fairy tale. When she got married—if she got married—she wanted the very same thing.
Brady wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her before they waved as the sleigh headed off down the driveway.
“Okay, let’s see how many rooms they have for us,” said Aiden.
****
Brady wasn’t usually selfish, but when the group suggested doubling up so everyone who didn’t want to risk the drive home would have somewhere to sleep for the night, he’d opted out.
He knew it meant some people would have to sleep on couches in the reception area, but he wanted to be all alone with Jenna. What he had planned, well, others would blush if they witnessed it.
He put his nose in the air. It was strange, but Jenna had a tinge of bear odor about her tonight. He’d thought it was because she’d been around so many tonight, but he’d detected it first thing when he’d picked her up at her townhouse.
It was still driving him crazy with desire. So much so he hoped she didn’t mind him being so animalistic in his approach to get down and dirty. She rested one hand on the bed to balance herself as she took off her pantyhose. He crept up behind her and before she probably even realized it, he had her panties down on her feet.
“Wow, someone’s in a hurry,” she said.
He slid his fingers inside her, pumping her until her juices seeped out of her channel and over his hand.
“Feels like you’re ready for me, too,” he whispered into her ear.
He loved the fact that since she was now the one responsible for birth control, he didn’t have to stop and go hunt down a stupid condom. He unzipped his pants pulled out his dick and slid it inside her channel.
As usual, she was hot, but her pussy walls grabbed onto him, like he was going to run away any second. He hitched up her dress, held her hips and began a steady thrust. He closed his eyes, getting lost in the moment, in the passion. His nose twitched. That bear scent again. He thrust harder, thinking maybe he wanted her to be his mate so badly that he was giving her bear qualities, includi
ng their odor.
It wasn’t going to take him long before he came. He’d been thinking about this all night, playing it out in his mind. He’d thought it would be happening at his house, but Mother Nature had changed their plans.
He thrust harder, his heart beat pounding in his ears. He would have liked to give her the vibration treat she liked so much, but he didn’t think he’d be able to last long. And the night was young, even if it was one in the morning. Plenty time left to thrill her.
Brady’s breath came in short pants as Jenna’s pussy teased him, grabbed him, and then oh yes, sweet release.
He kissed her back.
“Now it’s your turn for a treat. Take off your clothes, get on the bed and spread those legs,” he said.
Chapter Twelve
Brady kissed each of the very tips of her toes. It tickled and she wanted to laugh. He nibbled on her ankle and kissed his way up her calf. She loved the softness of the quilt and pillows in The Lodge. Both of which added to the delight of Brady making his way up her thigh, and then licking her clit.
He flicked his tongue against it, sending her body into convulsions. He held her thighs still while he devoured more of her. Lapping at her entrance and then flicking his tongue inside. She came not once, but twice and groaned, hoping that the walls in The Lodge were thick and soundproof. Brady spread her legs wider and climbed on the bed to get between them.
“Be prepared for a New Year’s treat,” he said as he held his cock and rammed it into her.
She gasped, not because it had hurt, but it felt so damn good. He filled every inch of her, touched every inch of her pussy as he rocked back and forth. The tip of his dick sliding against her back walls. Had he found the G-spot?
Jenna held his arms as he moved faster than she thought humanly possible. She took a deep breath and released the air in her mouth along with a groan when he gave her the first of what she hoped would be many climaxes during this current pairing.
“You’re driving me crazy, Jenna Paxton,” he said.
He moved faster, making her gasp, making her groan, and then he stopped moving and flicked his cock around inside her.
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