“Thanks.” Mila stepped past him. “I think I’m going to change shirts.” She held up the flannel.
“All right. I’ll get the drinks.”
The door slid shut behind her.
Crawford unzipped the backpack and pulled out two beers. If he had brought another bottle of red it might look like he was trying to seduce her. This looked casual, and as much as loved a good wine, he loved a cold beer.
The pack of condoms fell on to the table. He quietly shoved them back in the bag. He didn’t know what he wanted, only the longer he was around her he knew he couldn’t think of anything else. He couldn’t remember another woman he had been with. He forgot he was looking for a she-bear. Hell, he had dreamed about her last night.
He flicked the tops off the beer and sat on the sofa.
He had never brought a woman to the hunting cabin. It wasn’t as if he and his brothers had any rules, but he was fairly certain Mila was the only woman to walk over the threshold. He stared in the flames as the fire roared to life.
In his heart he knew what all this meant. There was a reason Mila showed up on his doorstep. There was a reason his bear awakened when she kissed him. There was a reason he dreamed about her last night. He looked at the bathroom door.
His bear was getting restless.
10
Mila
Mila fumbled with the buttons on the flannel shirt. The bathroom was barely wide enough to spin around. There was a standup shower, pedestal sink, and toilet. She should just be grateful the Highland men had installed a bathroom all the way out here. She wondered how they had it plumbed.
She tied the tips of the shirt together in a knot. She had given up on the pajama pants. They were going to hang on her hips, no matter what she did. She would wash everything and return it to Crawford later in the week.
She slid the door back. He was sitting on the couch, holding a beer in her direction.
“Aren’t you a red wine man?” she asked, taking a seat next to him.
“I like cold beer too.” He grinned.
Her stomach did a somersault. His lips were edible and delicious. The way he smiled at her made her forget all the reasons she was supposed to be annoyed with him for rejecting her. Instead, she felt all the emotions of her crush come sweeping back in.
She closed her eyes, sighing. She was never going to get over this man.
“Something wrong?” He leaned toward her.
“No. I’m fine.” She took a sip of the beer, concentrating on the flavor. She needed to focus on something other than his lips.
“It warmed up in here pretty fast.” She noticed how toasty the cottage was from the fire. Crawford had stocked the hearth with plenty of logs.
“Yeah, it’s nice to get out of the chill for a bit.” He stretched an arm around the back of the sofa, grazing her shoulder. “It’s nice we have this place to take a break from the hike.”
“It is.” She knew better, but she looked into the dark pools of her eyes and felt her knees go weak.
“I thought we could talk.”
Her eyes widened. “Talk?” Her head raced.
“Yes. Talk. I think it’s long overdue.”
She wanted to drink the entire beer, but she forced herself to stop after another sip. She might need to be clearheaded for this.
“Ok. What is it?”
His gaze softened, as he turned his body toward her. “I think I’ve been an idiot.”
“What are you talking about?” she whispered.
He traced the side of her face with the back of his hand. The stroke sent a warm shiver through her.
“You, Mila. You’ve been in front of me all this time.” He inched closer.
“Mmmhmm.” She didn’t know where this was headed. Her pulse raced.
“And last night opened my eyes to something I should have seen all along.” His hands cupped her face, drawing her toward his lips.
She could feel the warmth of his breath graze her cheek.
As his mouth crashed against hers she felt sudden heat and fire blaze over her lips and tongue. She groped at his neck, sucking and kissing.
His lips trailed over her throat, nipping behind her ear. His hands were already working the buttons on her shirt, shoving the flannel off her shoulders. Heat blazed between her legs as his lips pressed against her collarbone. Her head reeled back at the sensations.
This was unreal. Crawford was kissing her again. Everything came rushing back. The feel of his arms. The strength in his hands. Her heart was defenseless to his touch.
She opened her eyes when she felt him pull back. He rose from the sofa, and within seconds scooped her in his arms, carrying her with ease. He crossed the room and laid her on the bed. He looked into her eyes, hungry for her.
He kissed her again, twining his tongue deep in her mouth.
His hands canvassed her body, until they landed on her bra. He unfastened it with one click, and peeled the straps from her arms. She looked at him, but he was already licking his lips. He descended to her breast, pulling her nipple with his teeth. She bucked at the sensation, but wanting it, needing it.
“Ohh,” she purred when he squeezed the flesh in his rough hands.
His tongue flicked across her nipple, making it harden to a point he sucked relentlessly. She squirmed under the pressure, loving the sensations searing through her breasts.
“These are magnificent,” he growled. “Fucking amazing.” His teeth clamped on the second nipple and began the delicious torture of the other breast.
She gripped his head, pressing him harder against her chest.
His eyes shot toward her. “What does the rest of you taste like?” His eyebrows waggled.
Before she could protest, he had yanked the loose pajama pants from her hips, revealing her naked flesh.
“No panties again?” he asked.
She nodded, filled with raw want and need. Crawford had undressed her completely. She was lying naked on the cabin bed, the fire roaring near by, and the man she had fallen for begging to be between her legs. Her daydreams didn’t compare to what was happening.
She sighed as he pushed her knees wide.
“You’ve done so much for me,” he whispered. “Let me do this.”
The touch was light at first. His breath blew across her skin warming her, then she felt his fingers massage her opening. She wiggled under the contact, but groaned when his fingers pulled her wider. He ran his tongue between her legs, licking the bud that was pulsing with heated vibrations. Her head thrashed to the side.
“Oh, God,” Crawford growled. “I didn’t know you’d taste so fucking sweet.” His tongue, hot and wet, licked at her entrance before circling over the nub again. He sucked and nipped at it while his fingers moved in and out of her body.
She bucked wildly, the sensations building at her core. The pressure tightening as she felt her orgasm building. He ran his tongue over the nub once more before plunging it deep inside her. Her body arched from the bed, pressing against his face. She clawed at his hair, grinding her hips, widening her knees, desperate to open herself to him.
She felt the vibrations of his growl between her legs. Her eyes widened and she looked down. He was lost in her. Lapping at her juices. Thirsting to taste her. His tongue on a mission to make her feel pleasure, and holy shit it was working.
She gripped the sheets in her fists.
“I’m going to come, Crawford. Please don’t stop. Don’t fucking stop.”
She screamed as he pressed her knees wide to the mattress and forced his tongue as far as it could go into her. The shaking started from the inside as it started to spill through her body, taking the control away from her and handing Crawford the reins.
He sucked hard against her, then rose from the spot between her legs. His hands were on his belt buckle. He worked the jeans over his legs and tossed them on the floor. Mila sat forward to shed the shirt from his chest. Her fingers raked over the ridges of his chest, landing on the waistband on his boxers
.
“I need you, Mila.” He pressed her hand against the hard steel between his legs, and he let a groan slip into the air.
She nodded. “I-I’ve wanted you so long. I can’t believe this is happening.” She wanted to hit pause. She wanted to suspend this moment in time. The moment when Crawford Highland took her to his bed and worshipped her body with his hands and mouth.
She lay on the bed, anxious for him.
He stepped out of his boxers and her jaw almost dropped. His cock pulsed with want for her. It was long and hard, rigid and thick. She’d never wanted anything so desperately in her life.
He leaned toward her lips, kissing her slowly. His tongue sliding over her mouth as he settled between her legs. She could feel his shaft pressed against her. She wanted to open for him, pull him deep inside her and keep him there, but Crawford was in control. They were moving at his pace.
She realized he had always been in control. It didn’t matter that she was a smart and independent woman, she had given her heart to him the minute they met. Now she was about to give him her body. She wanted him to know all of it. He had to know before he sank himself deep inside her.
He propped himself on his elbows, staring into her eyes. “I better get a condom.”
She grabbed his wrist. “No.” She stopped him from rolling off her.
“No?” he asked. She saw the lust fill his eyes.
“I need to feel you. All of you,” she whispered. The ache for him was so powerful it had started humming in her veins. “I’m on birth control. You don’t have to worry.”
“But…” he hung his head, keeping his body balanced over her. “It has a completely different meaning.” He kissed her shoulder.
“I know it does.” She had waited to say these words. “I’m in love with you, Crawford. I’ve always been in love with you.”
His lips moved to hers, kissing her deeply. “I should have seen you. I was too focused on the wrong things.”
Her heart fluttered in her chest. The words invaded all her senses. For an entire year she had waited for him to notice her. See her. Laugh with her. Strategize with her. Ask her to dinner. Ask her to stay over. Make love to her.
“That’s why I need all of you like this. Nothing between us,” she explained.
His head dipped toward her breast. His tongue running over her nipple. She perked at the sensation.
“Ohh,” she moaned.
She loved how he sucked her into his mouth. She felt the building in her core tightening again.
“I always thought my mate would be someone like me.” He kissed between her breasts. “But now I see how stupid I was.” His hands ran between her legs, and she opened for him. He grinned. “You’re so wet and ready.”
Her hips rocked forward, and she gasped when he slipped a finger inside her entrance. She wanted his hard cock, but his fingers moved and she couldn’t resist coiling around them.
“Crawford,” she moaned. “I’ve waited so long.” Her head rolled to the side.
He widened her entrance and she wondered if he was helping her prepare for his width. It wouldn’t be easy to take all of him at once, but she wanted to try.
“I know you have. I’m a fucking idiot.” He worked his fingers back and forth, and brought them to his lips. His tongue ran over the tips. “You’re so sweet.” His eyes closed, and Mila groaned when his fingers slid inside her again.
“I want you.” She panted. “I need you. I don’t want to come without you.” She tried to hold off her orgasm. It was beautiful and delicate—constructed from his touches, from his words. Built from the heat of their bodies.
“I want you too, baby.” He kissed her collarbone. “I want to bury myself inside you.” He kissed her throat. “I want to fuck you until sunrise tomorrow.” She moaned at his words. “I want to fill you. I want to know every part of you.”
“What’s stopping you?” she grinned. “I’m yours.”
11
Crawford
He looked in her eyes. The woman he finally realized was his mate. Only, she had no fucking clue what that meant. He had never worried about this scenario. He had always planned on finding a she-bear. But Mila was anything but a bear.
She was a gorgeous sexy woman, begging him to fuck her until the sun came up. And there was nothing he wanted to do more. His bear was hungry for her now.
He groaned. He wanted to claim her, but he didn’t know how she would feel when she found out about his other life. The one that brought him to the cabin. He wanted to be inside her. He wanted to fill her with his cubs. He wanted to tell her she was his mate. But he had to do this the right way.
He sat forward. He saw the look of panic flash across her face.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing’s wrong.” He picked her up in his arms and brought her against his chest. He heard the raw thump of her heart. “I need to tell you something too. Before we…before you’re mine.”
The worried look on her face immediately transformed into a shy smile. “I’ll be yours?”
He nodded. “But I think we need to take a breath.”
“It’s too fast, isn’t it?” She searched his eyes for an answer, but he knew there was no way she was going to guess this. “But it’s not fast. We know each other. We’ve known each other for a year.”
He squared her shoulders to face him. Her skin was soft and warm in his hands. He almost abandoned his idea, but he wanted his mate to know from the beginning. He felt happy and excited. He was getting ready to tell Mila she was the woman he was going to spend forever with.
His heart was about to jump out of his chest.
“It’s not too fast. It’s perfect.” He tucked her hair behind her ear. God, she was beautiful. Why hadn’t he seen the emerald glimmer in her eyes before?
“If it’s the condom thing…” she blushed. “I’ve been tested and I haven’t slept with anyone in a year. Not since I met you. I just couldn’t.”
He groaned. Damn. He hadn’t thought about her being with another man, but his heart beat faster knowing she had been saving herself for him all this time.
“It’s not the condom thing. But that plays into it.” He placed his hand over her heart, feeling the certain rhythm beat against his palm.
“What is it?”
“You and me. This is something you want, right?”
She nodded. “It’s all I’ve wanted.”
He smiled. She was the perfect woman. The woman who would give him cubs. The woman he would share everything with. He had heard that he would know when he found his mate. Crawford always thought it would be an instant flash of realization when he met the she-bear destined for him. Maybe it would have been like that with Mila if he had slowed down for a second and given her a chance. None of that mattered now. After kissing her and holding her in his arms his knew. She was the one.
“I want it too. But I want you to know everything about me.”
She giggled. “I think I might already know everything. The hunting cabin was new information, but I know you, Crawford. I’ve spent every day next to you.”
“I know you have. And all that time we could have been together. We could have been us. I could have claimed you every day.”
He felt her heart quicken under his touch. “Don’t worry,” he whispered. “I will.”
She brushed her lips over his. “Then what are you waiting for?”
It was incredible. Freeing. He was going to claim the woman meant for him. And if he were lucky, his shifter magic would be stronger than her birth control. He would fill her with his cubs, and claim her all over again. His bear growled with want.
“I’m not like other men, Mila.” He sucked her bottom lip between his teeth. “Once you’re with me, it’s forever. I’ve been looking for you my whole life. I can finally be with you the way we were always meant to be together.”
She moaned as he pulled her onto his lap. She straddled his hips. “I want that.”
He took her
face between his hands, pressing his mouth hard to her lips. “You’re the woman who loves me. You’re the woman meant to love my bear.”
“I do love you, Crawford,” she whispered between breaths.
“And my bear? Do you love him?” He pulled her face in front of his so he could read her eyes.
“I love all of you. I always have.” She didn’t get it.
“Mila, I’m trying to tell you something.” He kissed her once more. “I’m a bear shifter.”
12
Mila
She looked at him. The man she was in love with. The man she was ready to give her body. The man whose kisses turned her blood to liquid cinnamon.
“Bear? What do you mean? Like your spirit animal?” she asked.
He laughed, his broad shoulders shaking. “No. I’m talking me. I’m a bear. Always have been.” He released her face from his palms.
She shook her head. “What? No.”
“And there has never been a woman I wanted to tell. There was never any woman I thought was my mate.”
She sat back on her heels. She didn’t care they were both naked and she was about to give herself to him. Her world was suddenly tilting off its axis.
“No sense. This is…no.” She looked at him, praying she had misunderstood.
“It might be a little confusing at first, but—”
“Confusing? What in the hell are you talking about?” She didn’t mean to get mad. “This has bypassed confusing.”
“Maybe I should start over?”
She nodded. “Yes. Please.”
“I’m still the person you see. I’m still the person you’ve worked with all year. Still the architect. Still the man. But there’s another side of me. I’m a bear shifter.”
“You turn into a bear?” She couldn’t believe she had asked the question.
He nodded. “I can turn whenever I want. It’s taken me most of my life to get it completely under control, but I have it mastered. I only change when I want to. It’s not a spontaneous thing.”
The Steel Bear: A BBW Bear Shifter Romance (Highland Brothers) Page 5
