Roped By The Bear (Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance)

by Meredith Clarke

  He looked at me, dumbfounded. “When did I ever say I didn’t want anything to do with your heart? Didn’t I just come in here and apologize? Tell you how wrong I was?”

  I threw my hands up in the air. “Then, why did you leave?” I knew that my eyes were pleading for answers. I had gone over the situation a thousand times in my head. My tears had ruined the note, but I still kept it. We had a plan, and it fell apart the second he walked out the door.

  He ran his fingers through his dark hair, and when he looked back up at me, I realized that there were a few new wrinkles near his eyes that hadn’t been there last winter. Maybe he had felt some of the pain that I had endured during our time apart. He sighed. “I don’t know, Allie. I didn’t feel like I was good enough. Like maybe your father was right. I didn’t know if it would ever work out between us. It didn’t seem possible, to find love like this. It’s for movies! Not real life. And a shifter and a human? I mean… it doesn’t work.”

  “Then, why the hell are you back?”

  “Because I missed you, dammit! Because every night I went to sleep and wondered what you were dreaming of. Because every day when I woke up, I was desperate to see you lying in the bed next to me. Because I want to share my life with you, and because I was an idiot!”

  He moved towards me, wrapped his hands around my face, and laid a passionate kiss on my lips. It was intense. It said everything I needed to know about us.

  “Don’t be an idiot again.”

  “Never.”

  He moved his hands down the curves of my body until he reached the bottom of my pencil skirt. His hand lingered on my leg for a moment, and while I hoped my nerves would settle, my heart beat only increased. His fingers subtly searched up my skirt, and found my black lace underwear. He slowly pulled them down, dangerously teasing me, which only made me want him more. I looked over his shoulder, and noticed that the door was open to my office, but I didn’t care. Lacey wouldn’t disturb us. It was just me and Finn, like I had wanted for so many months. He pulled my underwear down my legs, caressing the soft skin with his fingertips. When he reached my heeled feet, I expected him to take off my shoes, but instead he left them on. He stared at me for a moment, his hungry gray eyes making my pussy tingle, and setting my skin on fire. I was so ready; I could feel the juices flowing from between my legs. I wanted him, all of him. I stood up and unbuckled his belt, pulling the leather from his pants. I put it behind me on the windowsill, while unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans. Once his jeans fell to the ground, I knew how much he had missed me. His cock was bulging from beneath his boxers, and I drove my finger along the top of them, so that he could feel his own torture. I waited on the edge with him for a moment. I was living completely in the moment with him. Dying a little from the pain, while reveling in the pleasure.

  When I yanked down his boxers, and wrapped my hands around his pulsating cock, he threw his head back in ecstasy, but only for a moment. Then he was on me again, like fire. He lifted me up under the arms, and pulled my skirt up as fast as he could. He took the belt from behind me, and latched my hands together above my head over the curtain rod left by the previous owners. It only took him seconds, but suddenly he had complete control over me. My ass landed on the hardwood, but just an inch or so away from the edge, so that he would have clear entry. I was trapped, and loving it. He pulled my hips and waist to the very end of the windowsill, and looked at me again with a devilish grin on his face. “Did you miss me?”

  “You know I did.”

  He leaned forward, whispering onto my lips. “Then show me.”

  Suddenly, he angled his hips up, and allowed his cock to enter me. He used his hands to lift my ass up just a little bit from the windowsill, so that he remained completely in control. I held onto the leather of the belt, feeling like it would brand my skin with our sin, and knowing that I wouldn’t want it any other way. He rocked my hips back and forth, his hands being able to move me so magnificently, and with such ease. My resilient cowboy. He had come back after all this time. He had saved me in the bar. He was everything to me again.

  He rocked our bodies back and forth, carrying all my weight in his arms.

  “Tell me you wanted me… that you thought of me.”

  “I thought of you every day! Dammit, Finn. Fuck me.”

  It was all he needed to hear. He pushed into my core, filling me with his juices. I cried out as he hit my g-spot again and again. Finn released me from my hold, and I crumpled down on top of him. He held me close, while all the emotions that had been building up inside of me came crashing out. His fingers gently moved through my hair, and his other arm supported my back. I cradled into him, never wanting to let go.

  After a few minutes, he stepped back and pulled up his pants.

  He shook his head. “You make me crazy. I can’t focus when I’m with you. And even when I’m not with you.”

  I was speechless. Sex with Finn did that to me. All those moments I had wondered what he had done with his life to make mine so miserable, when I had done the same to him. He genuinely missed me. For a moment, I thought that our realization that we loved each other would be enough to survive.

  I spoke softly. “So, what do you want to do, Finn? How do we go from here?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I think we try. You have a nice place here, but it’s a little big. Maybe you should get a roommate.”

  I laughed. “A roommate, eh? I already have one, you know. Lacey is pretty great.”

  He frowned. “You two need a man around the house. Someone who can take care of you, protect you.”

  “Oh really? Well, I mean, I can only think of a couple guys that I know. There is one that bought me a bunch of drinks at the bar the other night…” I tried to finish my joke, but Finn’s lips were already on mine, stunning me into silence.

  “I don’t want to hear about your other guys,” he growled.

  “Done. And I don’t want to know anything about your escapades while you were away. Agreed?”

  He nodded. “I missed everything about you.” He tangled his fingers in my hair, wrapping a strand around his pointer finger.

  “That makes two of us.”

  We stood for a moment in silence, with our foreheads touching, just enjoying the happiness of being together again. We pulled apart at the same time, and he started walking out the door. My misery returned in an instant. “Where are you going?”

  He turned around with his hand on the doorframe. “Well, if I’m going to live here, I better get my stuff. It’s a quick run back to the hotel I was staying at, and I need to blow off some steam.”

  “Don’t scare the horses when you shift!”

  “I’ll try not to, they’ll get used to my bear though.”

  I smiled, allowing my fears to fall away. “Still have that old knapsack?”

  He laughed. “Of course. Every time I look at it, I think about our time in the cabin, and how it changed my life.” He paused. “How you changed my life.”

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  Chapter One

  “Come on, Jade, maybe they aren't even going to call tonight. We’ve been waiting forever.” I heard her whining voice behind me.

  I turned around to find my best friend and roommate, Harper, standing behind me. She had been waiting to go out for the evening, but I was praying I would get a phone call for a new job. I was a recent graduate and determined to find my place in the music industry as a producer. It was the only thing I had ever dreamed of. Since I was a kid making music and other people’s dreams come true had been the only goal. The phone call was for an internship with a band that would take me touring for a year. The very thought of it made me almost nauseous with excitement. I wanted the job so badly that I hadn't slept very much the entire week. I needed that job. It would help
my career so much, plus, I needed the money.

  “Just hold on, will you? I'm sure he's going to call, I can feel it. I don't want to miss it. It's a little more important than the club right now.” I knew I was being snippy but I didn’t care. This was important, the moment I had been waiting for.

  “Last time I checked, you have a cell phone, so let’s just go and you can take the call later if it comes in.”

  She had a point there, but I just had a feeling that I should stay and take the call in the comfort of my home. What if I got drunk and had to answer? The last thing I wanted was to make a fool of myself and lose the opportunity. But maybe I wasn't getting the call at all that evening. People got busy and it was getting pretty late. “True, but I don't exactly want the club atmosphere booming in the background when I'm trying to take a professional call.” Jesus I sounded old.

  “Pllleaaase Jade! It's torture just waiting here. What if he doesn't call? Then we ruined our whole evening. Not to mention, he’s in the biz. If you’re not out, he might wonder what’s wrong with you.”

  I thought about it momentarily. “Okay, let’s go. I'm in.”

  I grabbed my purse off the counter and headed towards the door. My phone started ringing and I fumbled frantically through my purse to find it. I looked at the number on the screen and squealed.

  “It's him! Harper, oh my god! It's him!” Jumping up and down, I almost forgot to answer it. I clicked the answer button and calmly said, “Hello.” I was so smooth.

  “Jade?”

  “Yes.”

  “It's Jason, the manager for Howlers. We talked earlier this week?”

  “Oh yes, of course. How are you?” I could barely breathe.

  “I'm stressed, Jade. The reason I'm calling is I would like to offer you the intern position. The other girl we liked didn’t even make it a day. I hope you can last longer than that.”

  My breath caught in my throat and I thought my heart would explode. I slowly released the air that I was holding in my lungs and said, “That's incredible. I mean not that she quit, but that you want me! Thank you very much. I promise, I can make it more than a day.”

  He continued, “Well that's good to hear. As you well know, we are due to go on tour again so I know this is extremely short notice, but I'm going to need you to pack your stuff up tonight and get over here. Jack will need his stuff packed as well before we head out. That will be your job.”

  “Oh my God.” I could hardly breathe, one I was now leaving immediately and two, he just said I’d be packing for Jack Greyson, the lead guitarist for the band. “Umm...sure that is no problem. I will get started and be there as soon as I can. Thank you so much.”

  “Jade, just so we’re clear you know these guys are all shifters right?”

  Everyone knew that. There were hardly any shifter celebrities, but the Howlers were one of the most popular bands in the US. “Of course, why?”

  “The other girl was confused, I don’t see how though.”

  I couldn’t either, shifters had been ‘out’ for nearly five years. While some remained in hiding for fear of inequality, many were pretty clear about their animal nature. Especially the Howlers, everyone knew about them. Their drummer had been a major head in the shifter movement.

  “Weird, no I’m prepared to deal with anything that they can throw at me.”

  “Good, you’ll need to be. See you soon.”

  And then he hung up.

  I clicked off the call and stared at Harper, unable to find words, and then I broke into a grin. I was on cloud nine and I doubted that I would be coming down from it anytime soon. Could this be the start of all my dreams coming true?

  “Oh my god, you got it, didn't you. You lucky girl, I can't believe it.”

  I began twirling around the room, slowly taking it all in. “Oh yeah baby, you know it. You are officially looking at the new intern for Howlers. Hello!”

  We both started jumping up and down screaming with excitement. Pure joy entirely filled my body and mind. Finally! Finally, I was on my way! So much hard work, sweat, and plenty of tears finally got me to the place that I had been dreaming about.

  “I have to go pack,” I said, startled, and headed towards my bedroom.

  “What? Wait!” Harper stammered. “You're leaving already? I thought we would have time to say goodbye.”

  I turned and looked at my friend, my very best friend. She had been my rock through some pretty hard times in my life. I didn't know how I would ever have gotten to where I was without her. I would miss her, but this internship was an opportunity of a lifetime. I needed to do it. I needed to be someone; to show the world I wasn't that poor big girl anymore. I wasn’t someone to pick on or mess with. I was going to be somebody.

  I hugged her tightly. “I love you, Harper, and I'm going to miss you, but it's not forever. It's just a tour and, hey, we can Skype.”

  “You better believe we are going to Skype, girl. You need to show me all those rock stars you're going to be touring with. Do you think you could Skype in the dressing room sometimes?”

  I burst out laughing. “Yes! Yes, I will.”

  Harper followed me into my bedroom. “Actually, I'm going to get those last two beers out of the fridge and then I'm going to help you pack. One more beer before you hit the road.”

  I smiled. “Sounds awesome.”

  When she left the room, I sighed deeply and took a look around. I was going to miss this place. It was home to me. But in other ways, I wasn't, because I hoped I was coming back as a different person and to a better life.

  Everything furniture-wise in my room was shabby and worn. My dresser had initials on the top of it of all the boys I had crushed on growing up. There was a small thirteen inch TV on the top with a DVD player made from a company I had never heard of. I used a step stool as my bedside table, and my bed was on the floor because I didn't buy the frame when I got the mattress. I didn't have nice things. I had been raised by a single mom who tried hard, but wasn’t really the parenting type. She didn’t send me out into the world with much, except the drive to work my ass off to have it better than I did growing up. We talked occasionally. I would definitely call her to tell her I finally got my big break, but then we wouldn’t speak until the holidays again.

  I grabbed my suitcase and began filling it with clothes as I was saying goodbye to the low income apartment that Harper and I shared. One day I would have my own studio apartment and then I would know that I had truly made it. Harper had mentioned my possible leaving to a few friends and had gotten some interest in sublet while I would be away. She was out of a job herself and would not be able to take on the apartment alone. I worried about her and hoped that she would be okay without me. We had always been a team.

  She returned with the two beers and handed me one. “Let's cheers,” she said.

  “To what?”

  “To you making it big. It might just be an intern job now, but it's one more step towards making your dreams come true.”

  Tears welled up in my eyes. “I'll cheers to that.” We clinked bottles and I took a swig.

  “Speaking of which, Harper, what are you doing to make your own dreams come true?”

  “Dreaming is your thing, Jade. I'll just be happy to find a job. I have two interviews next week though, so cross your fingers.”

  I smiled. “Will do, I'm sure you will do great. You’ll keep me posted, right?”

  “Yeah, of course, you're not getting rid of me that easily.”

  “I wouldn't even think of it.”

  We drank our last beer together for a while as she helped me pack my things. I wasn't entirely sure how much I should bring, or for that matter, how much I was allowed to bring. But I could always pick up things along the way. Thankfully, it was a paid internship and doing a little shopping along the way should be doable.

  I laid out all the clothes on my bed that I was sure I needed to bring. Harper was in the bathroom, clearing off my shelf. I would need everything in there for sure
. A girl needed to look her best.

  “What do you think of this stuff?” I called out to her. She came back in from the bathroom and looked at the items on the bed.

  “Looks good. What should I do with the clothes you left behind?”

  “I may get you to ship them out to me at some point, or I'll get them when I come back, but in the meantime just toss them in a garbage bag and leave them in the closet. Is that okay?”

  “Yep. We’ll just pull them back out when you come back. You are coming back, right?”

  I smiled, “I hope so. I will just have to see where I'm at by then. Maybe we’ll be moving into a nicer place with our fancy jobs.”

  I packed the items in the suitcase that I had. It was faded and had a few tears, but the zippers were still solid.

  “I better get going. I have to pack up Mr. Greyson's clothing tonight apparently.”

  Harper snorted. “Are you serious?”

  “I couldn't be more serious. Did you really think that famous rock stars packed their own clothing?” I paused and sighed. “I better get going.”

  I wrapped my arms around her tightly. “I love you.”

  She hugged me back. “I love you too. Be safe.”

  “I will.”

  We let go and I grabbed my suitcase. I headed out of the apartment with tears in my eyes. I felt like they were a mix of sadness and of joy.

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  About the Author – Meredith Clarke

  Meredith Clarke likes long walks in the trees and drinking sangria. Yeah for real. Like Edward Sparkly Cullen style. She writes alpha male yet cuddly characters and the hot women that love them. Open a book or two, eat a s’more, and cuddle up with the men of Meredith Clarke.

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