BEAR-LY NEW YEAR

by M. L. Briers

  “You kissed me right back.” Nick growled out – trying to make himself feel less guilty about Jackson, about her, and yet, wanting her in some small way to acknowledge that she’d felt that attraction – that pull – the call of the mating pull too.

  “You really are a grade A asshole!” Kristy stomped off towards the bedroom and slammed the door hard behind her.

  He was right, she wasn’t getting out of there anytime soon, but that didn’t mean she had to spend her time in his company either.

  ~

  ~

  ~

  Zoe snapped awake and tried to lift her head, but the constant thumping of little men with hammers inside of her skull made her reconsider that, and she eased it back down to the face plant the pillow as she groaned… quietly, gently – so as not to make those damn little workmen work even harder…

  “Good morning!” Zav bellowed from the doorway and her whole body snapped upwards… those workmen pounded harder, faster, inside of her mind – like they’d just been caught napping by the boss…

  Zoe groaned at the sight of him. She had no idea why he was in her cabin. Why he was at the entrance to her room, but one more step and she was going to zap him a good one and make herself feel a whole lot better in the process.

  “Go away!” She hissed.

  “Bad head?” His voice got louder and the workmen rewarded her with more thudding.

  “G-o a-w-a-y…” She craned her head forward on her neck and regretted it. Too much wine, and other drinks, and not enough time sleeping it off was not conducive to dealing with a vampire at stupid o’clock in the morning… or at least it felt early.

  “Can’t.” He shrugged with the kind of smirk that she’d love to wipe right off his face.

  “Why?” She whispered back on another hiss of annoyance.

  “Because you’re in my cabin.” He whispered back, and that really opened her eyes to the morning.

  Her eyes darted about the room… and even that movement hurt, and then she groaned and tossed her body back against the bed, regretting doing that as her head throbbed…

  “Please tell me that we didn’t…” Zoe bit out the words, but she was now well aware of the fact that under the sheet – she was naked…

  “Oh, but we did, and you loved it, best night of your life – or so you said.” He teased and heard her squeak…

  “I should have known you’d take advantage… damn vampires… no honour.” She muttered, knowing full well that he could hear every word.

  “I take exception to that.” Zav frowned. He did too. Truth be known, and at some point he might just tell her – he hadn’t touched her.

  Yes, he’d stripped her naked to put her to bed, but that damn outfit that she’d been wearing wasn’t exactly pyjamas. He’d looked, of course he had, but touched…? No.

  He had more honour than she’d ever know, but that didn’t mean he was going to put her out of her misery anytime soon. The witch had been falling down drunk and he wanted to teach her a lesson of what could happen had he not been there to protect her from herself…

  He never expected to care what she thought – now he did.

  “Go ahead.” She muttered, flipping over under the covers and burying her face in the pillow once more.

  “I’m thinking you’re not a morning person.”

  “If that makes you feel better, go ahead, think it. Truth is, I’m not a vampire person.” She grumbled into the pillow.

  “Too bad. You can’t take it back.” Zav teased again – doing what he originally set out to do and show her the error of her ways.

  “But thankfully I can forget it ever happened. In fact, already have.” She muttered, and she had – she didn’t remember a damn thing.

  “Well, the next time I take you to my bed, you won’t be drunk and you’ll be sure to remember everything.” He grinned at the thought – she snatched her head up and winced as at pain that shot through her brain…

  “Never going to happen.” Zoe hissed, but the look in his eyes made her hesitate and question that statement.

  ~

  ~

  ~

  Chloe felt the warmth all around her and snuggled into it. She slowly came awake to the realisation that there was arms and legs all around her, and that warmth was him… Dolph…

  Her heart hit her ribcage as excitement shot through her. Adrenalin dumped into her system at the thought of what they’d done, and then she suddenly realised that… now she was his mate…

  “Holy crap!” She tried to sit up, but with one, big, strong, muscled arm locked around her upper body holding her in place, she wasn’t going anywhere, and that heavy leg over hers meant that she couldn’t even move far at all…

  “Those weren’t the first words I expected out of your mouth this morning.” Dolph gave a low, gravelly chuckle that made her skin tingle and her womb dance… and she knew that she had it bad…

  “Did you bite me?” She rushed out, lifting her hand to her neck and shoulder and rushing her fingertips over the skin to try to find a wound… “Did you? You did, didn’t you…?” She panicked at the thought, not quite sure what to expect from him now.

  Dolph slowly pushed up onto one elbow and stared down at her. His lips were grinning and his eyes sparkled with amusement.

  “I didn’t bite. We didn’t mate. We certainly didn’t bond…” He watched her visibly relax, melting back to near normality. “In fact – I didn’t even touch you aside from keeping you safe in my arms all night.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

  ~

  Safe in his arms – wow – why do I like the sound of that so much…?

  Chloe wasn’t sure, but she didn’t want to question it too much, not with so much more going on around her now.

  With his sleep tousled hair sticking out in all directions, and those bright sparkling eyes, Dolph looked so damn sexy that her body couldn’t help but fire to life as her mind took off in every X-rated scenario that she’d ever read about, and she read a lot – she had a feeling that this man – her mate – could make all of those scenes look like a teenager’s first time…

  “Why?” She gave him a suspicious look that made him grin harder.

  “Because you were in no fit state to say if I could or couldn’t. Even if you’d agreed, you might not have remembered this morning, and then I’d be bonded to a reluctant mate, and that would be very bad.”

  “Wow, I found a guy with a moral compass… this really is a different world up here.” She looked a little sheepish as she stared up at him.

  “I take it that’s a good thing.” He chuckled and her womb danced to that tune.

  “It’s a very good thing.” She nodded, and for one second she noted that maybe she should have tried to move away from him – it should have felt a little awkward, but it didn’t. It was kind of weird just how right it did feel.

  “So… I take it I’m not in the doghouse for bringing you back here and into my bed?” He noted how her eyes flicked around the room. The sudden realisation that she wasn’t in her own cabin clicking in.

  Her cheeks pinked up and she giggled, just a little, just enough to make his hard length dance against her thigh. That she did notice…

  “Someone’s… perky this morning.” She gave him something of a wicked look and he was certain that he saw fire spark in her eyes. “And… naked.” She realised… then she realised that she was naked too… Her cheeks flushed pure red.

  “Skin on skin – it’s our way.” He informed her before she blew a casket at him or something else… maybe screamed…?

  “I…” She swallowed down hard and nodded a little as she considered it. “Like your ways.” She beamed him a damn wicked smile that made him growl…

  “If you like that, you’ll love some of the other stuff I have in mind.” He teased her and didn’t expect her to respond the way that she did.

  Chloe lifted her head and pressed her lips to his. She wanted the feel of his lips on hers again, she wanted more, a lo
t more – and she was damned if she as going to be shy about getting it.

  ~

  ~

  ~

  “Be careful…” Nick knew that the area that they were walking through could be prone to mishaps if she didn’t watch her footing.

  “I’m being damn careful…” She sneered back with the kind of frown that could toast marshmallows if she had the magic to put behind it the way that her friend, Zoe did.

  A heartbeat later and she gave a small yelp as she fell up to her knees into a hole in the snow. Nick shot a look back over his shoulder at her, but she was already lifting her leg and climbing on out, almost without missing a beat.

  It didn’t take a genius to work out that she was still mad at him. He’d heard her tossing and turning in his bed all night long, and he’d debated a million times going in to her, telling her that she was his mate, demanding that she choose between him and Jackson, and then every damn time he’d chicken out…

  Now the woman had the attitude of a shrew and the face to match as she glared at him for bothering to care enough to see if she was hurt.

  “Don’t say a damn word.” She stalked on by him as he stood there – she heard him sigh, but disregarded it.

  She wasn’t in the best of moods and in some way that was his fault – kissing her the way that he had and then somehow turning it around on her like she was the bad person… and then making her think about that damn kiss all night long until she wanted to scream with frustration at not being able to find relief inside sleep…

  She’d dozed at one point… and there he was in her half dreams, looking as sexy as hell and kissing her like a sex God.

  How she loathed him right then…

  “Wouldn’t dream of it. I wouldn’t want to be blamed for you not listening to me.” He muttered and she shot a sideways glare at him… immediately finding another hole to fall into and feeling the urge to scream at the indignity of it all.

  “I really, really don’t like you right now.” She bit out, climbing back out of the hole and storming on without a backwards glance.

  Nick grimaced at her words. If she didn’t like him right then there was a good chance that she was going to damn well hate him later…

  Lying on the sofa listening to her breathe, sigh, toss about within his sheets – he’d come to one very glaringly obvious conclusion – she was his, and he was willing to fight for her.

  Not to the death. Not a challenge. Jackson was human and a friend. But he wasn’t going to let her go without a fight either.

  He was going to lay it all out there for her and Jackson and take his chances.

  She’d kissed him like she’d meant it, and he couldn’t turn his back on what they could have, would have together should she choose him.

  He just prayed to the spirits that she would choose him.

  ~

  ~

  ~

  Dwight’s head was pounding, although, he knew that it kind of went with the territory. There probably hadn’t been a morning in the last decade when his head didn’t feel like the inside of a big bass drum that someone was drumming on.

  His eyes were barely open as he yanked his body upright on the sofa that he found himself on, not to any real surprise to him there either, he tended to crash wherever his body hit first, and slowly eased up to his feet.

  One step and his foot hit something hard and soft at the same time that let out a pained murmur and he ended up face first down on the floor – his legs draped over the body of his friend who was now spitting out curses…

  “The floor?” Dwight berated Jackson and the man spit out another couple of choice words for good luck. “You couldn’t at least make it to a damn sofa? Where’s your self-respect man?” Dwight chuckled.

  He noted the pain from the collision with Jackson, from the floor, and added the sensations to his pounding head. As long as he was in pain he knew he was still alive.

  They’d really tied one on the night before, and it had been a classic… A fitting end to Jackson’s bachelor days.

  “Are you just gonna lay there like a beached whale all day?” Dwight berated him and Jackson grunted.

  “Pretty much, yeah.” Jackson groaned as he tried to turn over. His body protested in no uncertain terms.

  “Great, well I’ll call off the wedding and send the bride…” Jackson’s upper body shot up from the floor. His eyes were wide, panic and pain were both evident on his face…

  “Wedding… that’s today?” Jackson lifted his hands and held onto his head as the world spun and his body protested being upright.

  “No, but I got your eyes open and your blood pumping, right?” Dwight chuckled and Jackson took to spitting out dark curses once more. He dropped back down to the floor and groaned in misery.

  “Asshole.” He bit out.

  “You say the sweetest things.” Dwight chuckled as he pushed back up to his feet and headed for the bathroom.

  “I can’t believe I got that damn drunk.”

  “I can’t believe I didn’t wake up to find that little hottie lying right next to you…” Dwight padded on across the room.

  “What little hottie?” Jackson’s head came up off the floor.

  “The one that was following you around and practically draped herself over you at one point.” And then he was gone inside the bathroom as Jackson dropped his head back down to the floor and tried his damnedest to remember, and there she was, all big eyes and sexy wicked grins…

  Damn, he just hoped nobody mentioned it to Kristy.

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

  ~

  “Which way?” Kristy demanded as she scowled at Nick. He lifted up his hand and pointed the way, and without another word, she took off in the direction of Jackson’s cabin.

  “I’m guessing if he was that worried then there would have been search parties out for you. I’ve heard and seen nothing…” Nick knew it was a cheap shot, but all was fair in love and war, and he planned to win this battle.

  Kristy didn’t answer, but she did take Nick’s words in and they bounced around her mind as she stalked towards Jackson’s cabin. She wanted to see a friendly face… she wanted to see Jackson.

  Her mind was spinning from one thing to another, but the main theme seemed to be him – her fiancé – the love of her life, or not as the case may be. She’d certainly developed an attraction towards Nick, maybe more than just attraction – it felt like more, but she was trying to hold back those feelings because she didn’t want the dam to burst…

  Could she really write off her relationship with Jackson for a one night stand with Nick? Maybe two nights? Maybe none at all if she did what she felt like doing and taking off for home.

  It was overwhelming. She felt as if she was all at sea and being battered on all sides by the cruel waves and vicious winds that surrounded her, hemmed her in, and made her tread water right in the middle of a thundering storm. She wanted it to stop and yet she knew that until she dealt with everything that ailed her then she would never find peace.

  She wanted to leave the mountain never to return. She was happy with her life until she’d stepped foot in that damned place…

  No, that wasn’t true. She’d already been having doubts about her marriage to Jackson.

  She had feelings for the man, of course she did, but had she mistaken those feelings for something deeper? Had circumstance just swept her off of her feet?

  Jackson was a good man. He was kind, and attentive, and… safe.

  Safe… oh God. Nobody could accuse Nick of being safe.

  Every inch of Nick felt dangerous, was filled with excitement. The way he looks, the way he moves, the way he feels… the way he kisses...

  No, nobody could accuse Nick of being boring or safe.

  Boring? Safe is… boring?

  Is that what it is? Is Jackson boring and Nick is exciting? Because excitement always wears off…

  I guess I should thank Nick for opening my eyes to my shallowness.

  I guess
Jackson had a lucky escape…

  Oh my God… I can’t believe I just decided that right here and now… Jackson had a lucky escape? I’m not going to marry Jackson…

  That’s…

  Kristy ground to a halt in the middle of her determined stride and Nick followed suit. He stood there, watching and waiting.

  She looked devastated… then relieved… then she whirled around to face Nick and those eyes questioned him.

  “How do I tell Jackson that I don’t want to marry him?” Her voice was a harsh whisper on the wind, but it made Nick’s heart batter his ribs as relief washed through him.

  Nick didn’t have a damn clue what to say. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, but he’d never dealt with anything like what she was going through before, either as a man or as an alpha.

  “Nice talk.” Kristy bit out, turning on her heels and starting off for Jackson’s cabin once more.

  “Gently. You tell him gently and with kindness. You let him know that it’s not his fault. That we’re together and we couldn’t help…”

  “We’re what now?” She spun back on her boots in the snow and questioned him with her eyes once more while the look on her face said she thought him insane…

  Nick grimaced. That hadn’t meant to come out…

  “Kristy…” Nick started with a low growl that attracted a meaner, longer one from the left of Jackson’s cabin…

  Nick’s head snapped towards that sound and his eyes took in the sight of the big old she-bear slowly padding towards them. He heard Kristy draw a quick breath and it seemed to get lodged in her throat as her eyes widened at the sight of the bear…

  “One of yours, right?” Kristy bit out with the sound of fear in her voice.

  Nick reached out a hand, wrapped his fingers around her arm, and yanked her behind him.

  “Mia…” Nick’s voice held a warning that couldn’t be ignored. Not by Kristy, and not by the bear – it faltered in step…