Doctor Daddy Bear (Return to Bear Creek Book 8)

by Harmony Raines

  Suzie laughed. “You and my mom should get along well. She always says that having me was the best thing she’s ever done. I know she would have loved to have more children, but she never met the right man.” Suzie’s expression changed to sadness. “I think, deep down, it was because she could never allow herself to trust another man.”

  “That’s sad.” Kit gazed into her eyes. “What will she do when you come and live with me?”

  “I’m trying not to think about it,” Suzie said. “It’s going to break her heart. And mine.”

  “Why not ask her to move to Bear Creek too?” Kit asked.

  “She won’t.” Suzie was certain her mom would never move away from her comfort zone.

  “She might for you. And you never know, she might meet the shifter of her dreams.” Kit put his hand on Suzie’s waist, sending thrills through her body. “Just like her daughter.”

  Suzie laughed, wanting to shake off the melancholy mood that had descended on her. “Have I met the shifter of my dreams?”

  “You called me perfect,” Kit replied, humor dancing his in his eyes.

  “On the outside. But I don’t know what is underneath that perfect exterior.”

  “Is that a challenge?” Kit asked, his voice thick with emotion.

  Suzie’s breath caught in her throat as she tried to fathom the meaning in Kit’s words. On the surface, they were innocent enough, but if you scratched deeper, and she wanted to scratch a lot deeper, they meant so much more.

  “What if it was?” Suzie asked, her face flushed, her eyes dilated. She was lost. Lost to this man beside her. Suzie curled her fingers around the sheets and tried to force air into her lungs. Kit was a stranger to her, and yet lying in his bed was the most natural thing in the world. They were connected on a deeper level, a level that was out of time and space.

  “Then it would be my solemn duty to rise to that challenge, just as I have risen to every challenge throughout my life.”

  Suzie giggled again, which was unusual; she’d never been a giggler before. But at least she was breathing. Oh yes, she was breathing, chest heaving, as she stared at Kit’s lips, wishing he would kiss her.

  “I’d like to see you rise to this challenge,” Suzie admitted, her cheeks reddening. Placing her hand on her heated skin, she added, “This isn’t who I am. I don’t know what’s happening to me.”

  “Don’t you?” Kit asked, taking her hand and pulling it away from her cheek. Lowering his head, he pressed his lips into the palm of her hand. Heat flooded her body, along with a desperate need to be with this man for always.

  He made her feel safe, he made her feel loved, and he made her feel as if she had a new home, a place where she would always belong. Not a physical location, an emotional location. Kit’s arms were the place she wanted to call home.

  Pressing her body forward, she went home, into his arms, telling him with her lips that she accepted the challenge too.

  Kit groaned, a deep need emanating from him, and he pulled her closer, his arms wrapped around her body, holding her tight. Her breath left her once more, but she didn’t need air, she didn’t need food, she simply needed Kit.

  Like a lovelorn fool, she gave herself to him, because it was right. Because it was meant to be.

  All thought of fate and the meaning of life left her as his lips claimed hers.

  Kit’s hands roamed her body, his touch awakening her arousal, despite the barrier of her clothes. Each stroke of his hand, each kiss of his lips, left her wanting more. Much more.

  “I’ve never been a first-date kind of a girl,” Suzie whispered into his ear.

  “Well, technically, you aren’t, since we still haven’t been on a first date.” He pulled back from her, brushing her hair off her face. “If you want to wait, take it slow, I understand.”

  “Do you?” Suzie asked.

  Kit chuckled and shook his head. “I’ve been waiting for this moment since I knew about the birds and the bees.” Then his face sobered. “That doesn’t mean I am going to pressure you into anything. I want this to be special, for both of us.”

  “Birds and the bees, huh?” she asked, kissing his lips.

  “A medical term.”

  “What about bears?” Suzie slid her hand down between their bodies, slipped it inside his boxers, and curled her hand around his hardened shaft.

  “Oh, bears, they are…a special case.” He kissed her, words no longer needed as she stroked his cock up and down. He groaned, his hands tugging at the shirt she had borrowed to sleep in and lifting it up above her head. She let go of his cock and lifted her arms up. Kit dragged it off her, and threw it to one side.

  Pausing, he stared at her breasts while he ran his hands over them, his touch light, but it drew an incredibly strong reaction from her body. Her nipples hardened, her clit throbbed and an ache in her core grew to a point it could not be ignored. She wanted him. Now.

  Tearing at his T-shirt, which along with a pair of shorts was all he wore to bed, she stripped it off his body. Her hands pressed against his smooth chest, and followed the trail of fine hair down to his hardened cock. Suzie wrapped her hand around it and stroked him, watching his face for his reaction.

  “You know how much I want you, Suzie,” Kit said, struggling to keep his voice even.

  “I think I’m getting a good idea,” Suzie answered.

  He stroked her skin, the palm of his hand rubbing her hardened nipple, before he lowered his head and sucked her other nipple into his mouth. Suzie gasped, her hand tightening involuntarily around his cock, making him suck harder. Her knees went weak, and the ache between her thighs was so intense it impossible to ignore.

  “Touch me,” she whispered in his ear.

  Kit slipped a hand between her thighs, and drew his fingers upwards, until they brushed against her clit. Suzie opened her legs wider, and his fingers explored deeper, while his thumb tortured her clit. He moved his thumb around and around in small circles that caused a tremor in her body. Feverish with desire, she moved to lie down, and urged him to slide between her thighs.

  With her hand still wrapped around his cock, she guided him inside her sex. Kit moved where she asked him to: he let her guide him, allowing her to be in control. Until he could stand it no longer.

  As if a dam had burst, he slipped his hand under her bottom, and held her to him as he inched inside her, impossibly slowly, impossibly deep. There was no doubt in Suzie’s mind that she had handed control over to him, and he was going to make sure she was completely satisfied.

  Moving deeper, he pulled back before thrusting into her again. As he built up a steady rhythm, he lowered his mouth and reclaimed her breasts. The onslaught of sensations sweeping over her made her senses reel. He was everywhere, his hands, his mouth, exploring her body, touching her where no man had touched her before.

  “Dr. Malvern, you certainly know your way around a woman’s body,” Suzie gasped, as he stroked the sensitive flesh on the inside of her arm, while his teeth grazed her earlobe.

  “I excelled at anatomy,” he teased, and slipped his hand under her back, and then stroking her thigh, then lower, his fingertips working their magic on her inner knee.

  “You have a magic touch, that is for sure.” Suzie bit her lower lip as she tried to keep control of her body, which was fighting to reach the heights of pleasure and throw itself off into oblivion.

  “Only for you.” Kit kissed her neck, his hips keeping a steady rhythm as he made love to her.

  Suzie cried out, there was no way she could hold on. Kit’s body tensed too, and his cock erupted, his seed filling her as he came. With a bone-shaking shudder, she let her body go, let her senses fly and rode the wave of pleasure that swept over her.

  Kit flexed his hips, burying himself deep inside her, and in that moment they were one. Bodies, souls, and minds.

  “I think you got it wrong,” Kit whispered in her ear.

  “Got what wrong?” she murmured sleepily, her spent body needing to fall under the
spell of sleep.

  “You are the perfect one.” He kissed her shoulder and pulled her into his arms.

  “We are all perfect in our own way.” She snuggled back against him. “That’s what my mom taught me.”

  “She is a wise woman,” Kit replied.

  “She is, she just needs the confidence to believe her own words.” Then sleep took her and if Kit spoke again, she did not hear him. But she felt his presence all through the night.

  Chapter Sixteen – Kit

  “I spoke to Harlan, he said the road is clear. They went out again this morning before first light and cleared the road as much as they could.” Kit set a cup of coffee down in front of Suzie and kissed her cheek. The dragons had arrived early this morning, and Sapphi had brought some spare clothes for Louise to wear. Which, after a moment of hesitation, Louise accepted.

  “That’s so kind of them,” Suzie said. “Both for checking the road again, and for the clothes. I’m hoping Sapphi and Louise might become friends.”

  “I think the girls enjoyed it.” He smiled to himself. “It seems they liked the idea of getting out of the house. And from what Harlan said, Sapphi has struggled to make new friends herself since moving to Bear Creek. So perhaps she might find a friend in Louise.”

  “It’s a difficult age,” Suzie agreed. “They both left their friends behind when they moved here after their parents died.”

  “They are happy though, aren’t they?” Kit asked.

  “Yes, very. They care a great deal for Fiona and Harlan. But the new baby will upset the order of thing for a while,” Suzie predicted. “On the other hand, they might fall in love with their baby brother and spoil him rotten.”

  “Who doesn’t love a baby?” Kit asked absently as he drained his coffee cup.

  “I just hope everything goes OK for them all,” Suzie said. “Surely Fiona should go into labor soon.”

  “The hospital will induce her if she doesn’t,” Kit told Suzie. “Harlan said her doctor has been reluctant to, since it’s the first dragon birth he’s ever witnessed.”

  “Isn’t a dragon shifter being born the same as any other shifter? Or any other person?” Suzie asked.

  “That he’s not sure about. Which is why they let things run their course.” Kit sipped his coffee and gazed out of the window. “If Ruby and Sapphi’s parents were alive, they might be able to shed some light on it.”

  “It’s sad that their parents passed away,” Suzie said. “But so exciting that a new dragon is about to be born. At least Ruby and Sapphi will have the information they need when they meet their mates and have children.”

  “Fiona might be a mother and a grandmother within a few years,” Kit remarked.

  “I think both Sapphi and Ruby intend to have careers,” Suzie told him.

  “What if they meet their mates?” Kit asked.

  “They wouldn’t be expected to drop everything and stay home with babies,” Suzie insisted. “Is that what you expect me to do?”

  Kit hesitated. “No, not unless you want to.”

  “So are you going to give up your job?” Suzie shook her head. “Because I don’t think that is a good idea, really. It would be a waste of your skills as a doctor.”

  “I don’t know, I love kids so much.” Kit leaned back against the counter. “Maybe we should get to know each other first. You are right, we’ve gone from strangers to discussing children when we haven’t even been on a date.”

  “True.” Suzie came to him and hugged him tightly. “All we need to agree on is that families should be together. Our family will be together forever.”

  Kit kissed the top of her head, and squeezed her tight. “We will. And if you want more family, I have more than enough to go around.”

  “Can I meet them?” Suzie asked.

  “As soon as the snow clears.”

  “Have you told them?” Suzie asked.

  “No!” Kit laughed.

  “Are you ashamed of me?” Suzie asked, pulling away from him.

  “No.” Kit dragged her back into his arms and kissed her lips. “But once my mom knows, she is going to be over here as fast as four legs can carry her. And I figured it would be better to wait until the house is a little emptier.”

  “Good point,” Suzie said. “Speaking of which, I’ll go and help Louise get ready to leave.”

  Kit looked at his watch. “Good idea. I am going to be late for work if we don’t leave soon. Even with the snow melted off the mountain roads, getting through to Bear Bluff is going to be tricky.”

  “I’ll go and check if Storm has finished her bottle. Louise was dressed when I took it in, so they should be ready to go.” Suzie left the kitchen, and Kit could not help watching her go. He loved the way she moved, the sway of her hips, the swish of her hair.

  “OK, let’s start thinking of something more mundane or I will be dragging my mate back to bed,” he murmured as he washed up their plates and cups. Sharing breakfast with Suzie after a night of making love was one of the most pleasurable experiences he’d enjoyed for a long time. His house felt like a home again, something that usually only happened when he had a foster child staying.

  “We are ready,” Suzie said, coming back into the kitchen with the empty plate and coffee cup she had taken in to Louise along with the bottle of formula.

  “How are they?” Kit asked.

  “Good.” Suzie's eyes lit up as she answered. “Really good.”

  “Great, so I’ll take us all to the hospital, and are you going to be OK to drive to your office?” Kit asked.

  “I don’t have to,” Suzie said. “I spoke to my boss, and she arranged for me to use a computer at the hospital. I can get my work done, and contact Dean Capel. If he says yes to taking in Louise and Storm, then once Louise has received the all-clear by the doctor, I will drive them over there.”

  Kit dried the last of the dishes and then moved across the kitchen to Suzie. Bending down, he whispered in her ear, “Does that mean I get to take you out tonight. On a date?”

  “I think that would be wonderful.” Suzie looked down at her clothes; they were the same ones she had been wearing when they first met. “I am going to hit a clothes store in Bear Creek first, though.”

  “I don’t mind what you wear, as long as you are with me,” Kit kissed her neck, inhaling her scent. “Or naked. I don’t mind if you are naked.”

  “I do,” Suzie said, her face flushed. She placed her hands on his upper arms. “Damn it, Kit, you do things to me that ought to be illegal.”

  “I haven’t touched you,” He sighed against her skin.

  “You don’t have to,” she replied, and placed one hand on either side of his face and kissed his lips. “You are like a drug, Dr. Malvern. And I am addicted.”

  Kit wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. He was so tempted to pick her up and rest her bottom on the countertop. Then he would drop to his knees and pull her panties off, and…

  Storm’s cries broke through his daydream, and he had to adjust his pants to make them more comfortable. He wasn’t the only one who thought he’d been drugged. Meeting Suzie was similar to being given a love potion; he was head over heels. Not sure which way was up.

  “Dr. Malvern?” Suzie’s voice was sultry as she said his name. She was teasing him, she knew it, he knew it, but there was nothing he could do about it: they had to leave.

  “The doctor will see you later, Ms. McLeish,” Kit said. He tipped his head forward and whispered in her ear as he passed, “For a very private examination.”

  “I can’t wait.” Suzie reached out and took his hand, squeezing it.

  “Come on, let’s get our professional heads back on.” He tugged her hand and she followed him out of the kitchen and into the sitting room, where Louise was waiting for them. “Hey, you look so much better, Louise.”

  “Thanks, I feel it.” She looked down at herself. “Fresh start for me.”

  “You look great.” Sapphi’s clothes fit Louise perfectly. I
n fact, Louise looked like a different person than the poor bedraggled woman they plucked from the snow yesterday. Kit only hoped Louise would find the stability she needed with Dean Capel.

  “So Fiona hasn’t called Dean Capel for you?” Kit asked Suzie as they left the house. He was carrying Storm in the car seat as they tried not to slip on the packed snow.

  “No. That’s my job,” Suzie insisted. “I don’t need her to hold my hand.” Although it had crossed Suzie’s mind that any request for Dean to take in a young mother and baby might have gone better coming from a familiar face. Plus, Suzie was certain there were not many people who said no to the dragon shifter. “Anyway, I hated the idea of calling Fiona again.”

  “She wouldn’t have minded,” Kit assured her.

  “I know, but since I took over her job with shifter children, I have had to call her so much it feels as if she is my supervisor, instead of it being the other way around.

  “She’s a dragon shifter, she’s always going to seem like the boss.” Kit laughed at Suzie’s horrified face. “I’m sorry, but she breathes fire and could eat me alive.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Suzie said haughtily.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you,” Kit said sincerely. “Maybe it’s a form of shifter self-preservation.”

  Suzie yanked the car door open; it had frozen shut overnight. “No, you are probably right. I think it was easier before I knew she was a dragon. And definitely easier before I saw her flying. Big wings, big teeth, and she can breathe fire.”

  “I can’t believe I was unconscious when Harlan carried me here,” Louise said, climbing in beside Storm, whom Kit had secured safely in the car.

  “It was quite a sight,” Suzie said. “Maybe one day Sapphi might let you ride her. She’s your age, she would make a good friend.”

  “I don’t think a dragon shifter would want to be friends with a nobody like me,” Louise said as she buckled up her seatbelt.

  “Don’t speak like that,” Suzie said gently. “You are as good as anyone else.”

  “I have a family that doesn’t want to know me, the father of my baby is AWOL, and I have no job and no money.” Louise shrugged sadly and looked down at Storm. “What’s to like?”