by Anna Lowe
Hailey laughed. “Boring old me. And you.”
“Mommy, what’s a hot tub?” Joey asked, coming out of nowhere to appear at his mother’s side.
Cynthia turned pink. “Never mind that, sweetie. What do you have here?” She clapped and held up his drawing. “Wow. Look at that!”
“Wow,” Hailey said, and not just to compliment Joey. For kid art, it was really good. “You’ve got the waterfall, the mountains, everything. Did you draw it all from memory?”
Joey beamed, nodding a thousand miles an hour.
“Let’s see,” Dell said, and Joey skipped over, sliding into his lap. “Whoa, Cynth!”
She sighed. “Cynthia.”
“You got a hell of an artist here,” Dell said, ignoring her.
“Language, please,” Cynthia murmured.
Dell looked at Joey. “Does she want me to say it in Spanish?”
Joey giggled. “She already speaks Spanish. And French. And Latin. And Welch.”
Cynthia hid a wince. “Welsh, sweetie.”
Dell waved a hand. “Whatever. Check this out, guys.” He held up the drawing again. “It’s amazing. So amazing, I think the brilliant artist has just earned his next Star Wars ride.”
“Star Wars?” Cynthia looked aghast.
Tim laughed and whispered to Hailey, “She’s trying to keep Joey civilized, and Dell is hell-bent on letting him be a kid.”
Dell stood and hunched, motioning to his back. “Get on your X-wing, young Jedi, and prepare for takeoff.”
Joey whooped and jumped onto Dell’s back while Cynthia clutched her pearls. “Takeoff?”
Dell started running for the stairs at full tilt, calling, “Don’t worry. The force is with us. At least, most of the time.”
The last word was nearly cut off as Dell launched off the top stair, and even Hailey grabbed the table at the sight of them hurtling through the air. But Dell landed as smoothly as a cat and sprinted on with Joey whooping in glee from his back. “The Force is with us.”
Cynthia slumped back in her chair. “I’m not sure the Force is with me.”
Hailey made a mental note never to ask Dell to babysit if she and Tim ever had kids. Then she caught herself and choked down a laugh. Maybe it wouldn’t take her long to get used to the shifter world, after all.
“Aw, relax, Cynth,” Connor joked, doing his best imitation of Dell’s drawl. “Lions are cats, and cats always land on their feet.”
“Cynthia,” she sniffed, reaching for the drawing. Slowly, her smile reappeared. “It is good, isn’t it?” she murmured.
“Deserves a spot on the fridge, for sure,” Jenna agreed.
Cynthia stood, and slowly, Hailey sensed the official part of the meeting wind down. She slipped on her necklace, and Connor helped Jenna put hers on. Chase wandered off to the kitchen, and Dawn started clearing away the plates.
Hailey stood to help her, but Dawn shooed her away. “We got this.”
“But—”
Jenna stood to help Dawn. “Yep. We got this.”
Tim took Hailey’s hand and tugged her toward the stairs. “See? They said they’ve got it. And I’m sure Connor is dying to help.”
“I am?” Connor asked.
“Yep,” Tim insisted, sliding his arm around Hailey as they walked.
The moment their sides touched, heat rushed through her veins, and a whole different kind of hunger washed over her. When Hailey touched the pearl, it was warm, and she swore she heard a naughty giggle in the depths of her mind. Was that the ghost of Nanalani, happy to see her pearls in action again?
“You two off so soon?” Connor asked as he stood to help Jenna.
“Yep,” Tim said without turning back. “See you later.” Then he whispered to Hailey, “I think we have some research to do.”
She worked her hand into his back pocket, cupping his firm ass as they walked. “Research? What kind?”
“You know. All the different types of desire.”
Hailey grinned and walked on, tucked comfortably at his side. So comfortably, she could tip her head back to soak in the sun. And with every step she took, she shed another layer of fear, worry, and sorrow that had settled over her during the course of the meeting. She inhaled deeply and concentrated on Tim’s reassuring warmth.
Yes, the world had its problems, and God knew she’d had plenty lately. But Koakea was a world apart — a blissful corner of the world where evil was hard to picture. Joey whooped in the distance, and a myna bird flitted by, chattering. Tim’s leather-and-pine scent filled her nose, and it was all too easy to picture what he’d treat her to next. How he’d lay her out on the bed and slowly strip her of clothing, one piece at a time. How he’d kneel down and worship her — thoroughly — before bringing her to their next shared high. She’d get her chance to play, too, and her mind already spun with options on what to try next.
“And what is it you desire, Mr. Hoving?” she whispered when they got to the front door of his place.
He picked her up and backed her slowly against the wall, giving her a taste of the ecstasy ahead. “You, Hailey. You.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Six weeks later…
Hailey walked along, smiling up at the midnight moon, staying in a straight line by keeping one hand on Tim’s furry back. Well, close to a straight line, because bears tended to ramble, sniffing the faintest trails and sweetest flowers with their sensitive noses.
She flexed her fingers in his thick pelt, marveling as she always did. The outer edges were coarse, but the inner part was soft — especially up by his ears. She rubbed them absently, and he responded with a low, happy chuff.
“You like that, huh?” She giggled.
The first few times she’d faced him in bear form, she’d been as tense as a spring. But that felt like a lifetime ago, and she’d grown to love their moonlit walks. Tim went in bear form, and she walked along beside him, exploring the huge property. Even the sight of Tim dragging his claws down huge tree trunks didn’t faze her any more. Lately, she was even starting to wish she could do the same. It all looked so…so…satisfying. Shaking out a thick coat of fur. Stretching and then padding along with her nose to the breeze. Nuzzling her mate…
Tim circled around and rubbed his side along her legs then stopped to nuzzle her hip. Really nuzzling, nearly pushing her back with his weight.
She laughed and stuck a foot out to brace herself. “Watch it, mister. You’re too big.”
Tim looked up at her with shining hazel eyes that said, And you’re just right. You’re perfect.
It was amazing how quickly she’d learned to understand his bear expressions. But lately, she’d found herself wanting more. To be able to talk to Tim — and to the others — without speaking, as all shifters could. To be able to let go of the stresses of civilization and tune in to the natural world. Maybe even get in touch with her wild side and run her claws down the trunk of a tree from time to time.
Not that she had a lot to complain about. Other than a crazy week after the shifter fight, it had been incredibly smooth sailing. Yes, she’d had to meet the press, but Dell was right — the quarterback hot tub scandal was the big story, and hers quickly faded away. She’d had to face her mother too, and as hellish as that had been, she’d stood firm. Within a week, she’d let go of her agent, signed the lease on the condo over to her mother along with half the money in her accounts, and transferred the rest of her earnings to a new account — one in her name only. A few modeling offers still came in, and she referred them all to Joelle Parks, the model whose career her mother and Jonathan had sabotaged. Joelle was on the rise again, and Hailey was more than happy to leave the modeling world to her.
As expected, Hailey’s mother and agent had both flipped out, but even that had a happy end. Hailey’s “childish” and “regrettable” actions — their words, not hers — had pitted her mother and agent together against a common cause, and they’d ended up having a torrid affair. Within two weeks of Hailey’s departure f
rom the modeling scene, her mother kicked off her own career as a mature model, represented by her new lover. She was doing jewelry, fashion, and had just announced plans for a nude shoot. Which ought to have made Hailey sick, but considering how happy her mother was — and how off her back — it was great.
As for Jonathan — she grieved for his family, but that was all. It didn’t take his father long to announce a foundation in Jonathan’s name — one Hailey hoped would truly do the good deeds it claimed rather than being a tax shelter of some kind. Tim had looked doubtful, and Connor had offered to investigate, but she’d shaken her head. The Owen-Clarke family was out of her life for good.
Her land in Montana, meanwhile, was all hers — and safe from greedy oil interests. She was letting the property lie untouched for the time being, but someday, she and Tim planned to fix up the cabin as their own little getaway.
“Lots of space for a couple of bears to roam out there,” Tim had murmured dreamily when they had talked about it.
Bears. As in, her and him. The more Hailey thought about it, the more she liked the idea.
When everything had gradually quieted down, she found a new bounce to her step, a readier smile — plus a few more pounds of padding around her ribs, which wasn’t a bad thing. She and Tim had thrown themselves into renovating his house — when they weren’t screwing like bunnies, that was. They’d finished off the patio with huge, earth-toned tiles and shored up the roof supports. She’d registered for an online course in architectural design and had started weeding out the nearest coffee grove. Her mind was already spinning with dreams of cultivating it on a bigger scale, though she hadn’t told anyone yet.
Tim had nearly turned down his first contracting job to help her design an addition for the house, but they’d decided to put that off for a while. He was still busy with his security job, and she’d insisted that his business come first, so he’d taken the offer of installing skylights on a nearby estate.
“Practice for our place someday,” he’d half joked.
It hadn’t taken them long to settle into a new rhythm, and their nighttime walks became her favorite. At those times more than ever, she had the feeling of controlling her life. A life she loved every part of, though one little detail still niggled at the back of her mind.
Tim was hers, and she was his, but they hadn’t actually mated yet. She’d needed time to get over the last vestiges of her fears, and Tim hadn’t pushed her. But lately…
She slid her hand over his back and tilted her head in the direction of his house. “Ready to head home?”
His eyes sparkled at the way she said home, and she could relate. Tim’s little cabin was the first place she’d truly felt at home for years. And tonight…
She hid a naughty smile. Tonight could well be the night they mated for good. She closed her eyes, imagining what it would be like. Would it truly be all the pleasure of sex times ten?
Times twenty, Jenna had assured her in a giggly, girls-only conversation they’d had not too long ago. The bite hurts — hurts so good, if you know what I mean.
Oh, Hailey knew all about that. Tim had been treating her to all kinds of good loving over the past few weeks, and the urge for more was starting to build in her.
So she put a little swing in her hips and led the way home, grinning at the appreciative bear rumble that sounded from behind. Within a few steps, the soft pad of his bear paws turned to the quicker rhythm of a man’s feet, and Tim took her hand in his.
“Oh,” she squeaked, not so much surprised as amazed at how smoothly he could shift.
She peeked back. His hair was spiky, as it always was after a shift, and a slightly musky scent still clung to his shoulders. But the leather-and-pine mix she loved so much was there too, along with every hard muscle she’d memorized over the past few weeks. Her eyes drifted down, and she couldn’t hide a grin at the other — ahem — hard muscle lower down.
“Men.” She faked exasperation. “Always thinking about sex.”
He grinned and pulled her close — close enough for her to feel his hard length.
“I was wandering along, innocently thinking of honey and flowers, when somebody started putting bad ideas in my head,” he teased.
“I can’t imagine how you got that idea,” she said, sliding her hands over his ass. She arched her shoulders back, letting her breasts push against his hard chest.
“So, I’m wrong?” He sniffed her ear. “You really just want to go back to bed?”
She laughed. “Oh, I want to go to bed, all right. But not to sleep.”
“I think I can help you with that.”
She crooked her fingers, coaxing him toward the house. “I bet you can. And I wasn’t just thinking of sex, you know. I might be in need of a bite too,” she whispered, watching for his reaction.
But Tim just looked perplexed. “You’re hungry?”
She nearly doubled over laughing. He thought she meant a bite to eat? The poor man. He must have truly settled in for a long wait if he didn’t catch on to her hint.
“Not that kind of hungry,” she chuckled.
They were nearly at the front door before Tim figured it out. She could tell by the catch in his breath and the careful way he reeled her back into his arms.
“You mean…?”
It was a whisper with a hint of a growl, which meant both sides of him were talking — the man and the bear.
She grinned and tilted her head, running her fingers along her neck. “I was thinking somewhere along here.”
Tim’s eyes brightened, and his nostrils flared. And, damn. His arousal jumped right over to her, and her skin prickled. It felt good just touching herself. How amazing would it feel to have him touch her there?
She didn’t have to wait long for an answer, because Tim laid his big, callused hand on her neck and slid it slowly around as if searching for a particular spot.
His voice dropped an octave when he finally spoke. “More like around here.”
She closed her eyes and leaned right, craving more of his touch. Her body swayed in a silent dance, and when Tim’s lips touched down on her neck, she arched in need.
“Right…about…here,” he whispered, homing in on the spot.
With his free hand, he cupped her breast, making her moan for more.
“No fair,” she whispered.
“No fair?”
“You’re already naked, and I’m still dressed.”
He grinned; she could tell from the curl of his lips around her skin. “Easily fixed.”
She caught his hands before he did something rash like scissoring her clothes off with one extended claw. “Wait! This is my favorite shirt.”
He pulled back to look at it with one raised eyebrow. “This one?”
She touched the middle section. “Sure. Recognize it?”
It was the T-shirt he’d bought her that first day in Waikiki, before she had an inkling of destiny, shifters, or mates. A pitiful existence, in retrospect, because her life was so much richer now. Every morning brought a promising new dawn, and every sunset crowned another satisfying day.
He grinned. “Now I remember it. But it still needs to come off.”
He helped her pull it off while pushing the front door open with his foot. A moment later, they were inside, where he tossed the shirt to a chair.
“These need to come off too,” he breathed, tucking his fingers inside the hem of her shorts.
She shimmied out of them, not too fast, not too slow. Anticipation might not be as good as the real thing, but damn, was it close.
“Now about these…” He cupped her ass with his two huge hands, one covering each cheek. For a minute, he toyed with her, dragging her panties around just enough to work the fabric against her most sensitive spot. Then he tucked his fingers inside the waistband and slid them off, kneeling as he went. When she stepped out of the panties, he caught her foot and made sure it was placed good and wide. A beam of moonlight sliced through the open door behind him, and when he
looked up at her, she felt like a statue on the altar of a goddess.
A low, rumbling sound rose from his throat, and he leaned forward to kiss her stomach. Then he dipped lower, keeping firm hold of her ass. The wall wasn’t far behind, and she leaned against it, burning with anticipation.
“So beautiful,” he murmured, coming closer.
His breath puffed against her core, and his tongue followed. Gently at first, then harder. His fingers were next, and it wasn’t long before she was writhing and clutching blindly at the wall. Her hips moved in languid circles, heightening the pressure.
“Up here,” he whispered, hooking her leg over his shoulder.
Her eyes went wide first, but the second his tongue touched down, her head rolled back. It was one of those times she was glad they had no immediate neighbors, because it was impossible not to make noise. A lot of noise, and the more she made, the harder Tim drove her. Higher and higher until it felt like she was floating off the floor. Floating and crying his name, then clutching at his shoulders when she came with a desperate shudder.
“Yes…” she panted, slowly melting against the wall.
Only part of her mind noticed Tim inch his way up her body, discarding her bra as he went. The rest of her mind spun in a whirlwind of blurry pleasure until his lips covered hers. Her eyes flew open, because that taste was hers and his, all mixed together.
“You sure you’re ready for this?” he rumbled.
His chest heaved up and down like he was seconds from coming, and his iron-hard shaft jabbed at her side. She wrapped a hand around it and lifted her knee high.
“Does this answer your question?” she breathed.
He grinned and followed her unspoken command, lifting her clear off the ground. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he pressed forward, sliding smoothly into her.
She gasped at the stretch, burning for more. When he started thrusting inside her, she sang out in raw pleasure. And when he hitched her higher, pushing deeper at the same time, she tilted her head back helplessly and moaned.
“So good…”
He held her up effortlessly, one arm under her ass, the other massaging her breasts. His faint murmurs resembled the sounds his bear made when rooting around a particularly fragrant flower bed, and Hailey grinned. Well, she did inside. On the outside, her face must have been drawn in tight lines as she fought the urge to howl.
