She kept rationalizing until she felt the car stop, lurching forward slightly.
But when she opened her eyes, she wasn’t at the airport. She was at the house where they’d made love. And Scott was coming around to open her door.
* * *
Mara stuttered, completely taken aback as he opened her door and pulled her out. He set her down by the SUV and started unloading her things.
“Scott, we aren’t at the airport.”
He ignored her and started carrying her things into the house. Her eyes watered, and she didn’t even know why.
“You’re my mate,” he said simply, coming back after he’d dropped off the bags. He bent and slung her easily over his shoulder. “Did you think I’d let you get away that easy?” She looked at the car in shock as he carried her bodily up to the front steps and through the door.
The house was beautiful inside.
“Didn’t you think it was odd I would bring you here? Make love to you here? Accidentally mate you here?” he asked. “This is my house. And you will stay here, as my mate.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but he brought her into the living room and dumped her unceremoniously on the couch. Then he pointed to the mantle, where her painting was hanging, looking perfect.
“I didn’t kill your stalker,” he said. “Nor did I let him near your painting.”
Her heart throbbed. “Then he’s still out there?” She was relieved, because she didn’t want him to be a murderer, but at the same time, didn’t that mean he could still eventually come after her?
“Yes,” he said, taking off his jacket and rolling up his shirt cuffs as he sat next to her. “But he won’t be back.”
“How do you know?” she asked, not meeting his eyes. She couldn’t help feeling disappointment, and she didn’t know why he had brought her here.
“Because, I told him I was always going to be here. From now until forever. And if he wanted to get to you, he was going to have to go through me.” He gave her a wry grin that showed her the animal inside him. “And I don’t think he wants to try to go through me ever again.”
She blinked. “So he’s not… Wait, forever?”
He put his arms around her and pulled her against him. “I’m sorry for what I’ve put you through. My whole life I’ve been the one who had to push things below the surface, ignore my emotions so I could get things done.”
She stayed still, listening to his rapidly beating heart.
“When my mom left, I didn’t have time to feel sad. I needed to take care of my little brothers, Sky and Sebastien. And help my dad. And deal with the move. I couldn’t have done any of that if I listened to my feelings, so I pushed them away. And I’ve been working to push them away ever since.
“But one thing I’m realizing is you can push them away and be unaware of them, but they’re still there, motivating everything we do. Like my love for my brothers made me push away my grief. And like my love for you made me hunt down the man scaring you. I told myself I didn’t love you, that I was just doing the right thing, but the love I felt for your paintings, for you as a person, motivated each email, each second of planning. By the time I’d caught him, I knew for certain my dad was right.”
“Your dad?”
“I went to talk to him. Right after we mated. I blamed him for making me the way I am. Because he wasn’t capable of taking care of things and he forced me to step into an adult role too early. But he saved me by pointing out maybe a part of me wanted to mate you and that’s why I brought you out here and let myself lose control.”
“A part of you?”
“Yes, the part of me that runs beneath everything I do, caring for people even though I try not to, making me a protector. Making me strong.”
She rested on his chest, just trying to take it all in.
“So I can’t let you leave. I’m sorry. I know you want to go, that you only gave me that painting so I could let you go back to New York, but I can’t. I want you to stay here with me. I want you to be happy, and I want to keep you safe. I know I’m not ready to give you everything, I’ll never be that romantic and mushy, but I need you to give me a chance to give you everything I can and see if it can’t be worth it.”
She swallowed. “You’re crazy.”
He pulled back to look at her, stunned and angry. “I am?”
She laughed and put her arms around him. “You may be the most emotionally unintelligent person I’ve ever met. But of course I can give you a chance. I just needed to know you wanted one.”
He grunted. “Of course I wanted one. Why do you think I was trying to catch your stalker?”
“I thought you wanted to be able to send me home without worrying.”
“I would never stop worrying about you.”
“I just… You never said anything. And when I said you didn’t want me…”
“I know you needed more words then. I know you needed me to say things I couldn’t say. I’m sorry. And I’m sorry you had to wait the past few days.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “Lucky for you, I’m a very patient woman.”
He rested his head on her shoulder. He was heavy, but it was a welcome weight.
“I love you,” he said in a deep, quiet voice into her shoulder. “Tell me you aren’t leaving.”
“Of course I won’t leave you,” she said. “I never wanted to.”
“But you said…”
“I said I wanted you to care. And I wouldn’t force us both into something neither of us wanted. But you’re my mate. My body acknowledged that or I wouldn’t have let you mate me. My bear wanted you the moment she saw you.”
He laughed. “My bear too. He’s smarter than me. He knew we should take you back to our cave the minute we saw you. It just took me a while to catch up.”
She laughed and brushed a hand through his hair. “Thank heaven for bears. So you’ve carried me off to your cave. Now what are you going to do with me?”
He grinned and swept her up in his arms. “I guess the next step is to ravish you until you know you’re mine.”
“I was yours from the moment you bought me that swimsuit. I was just slow in realizing it,” she said, laughing as he took the steps two at a time.
It all felt sudden, yet it felt so right that she couldn’t complain about it all rushing forward at once. It was a like a rubber band that had been pulled back was finally being let go.
When he tossed her on the bed and jumped on with her with a growl, she giggled and scooted back. He grabbed her against him and pulled her into his lap, and then turned to look out at the sunset with her.
“What do you think of the view?” he asked.
She looked up at his handsome face, lit perfectly by the light from the window. “It’s perfect.”
He saw her looking at him and laughed. “Not what I meant.”
She could see her opinion of this place was important to him. “Fine, I’ll tell you what I really think about this place if you promise afterward you’ll ravish me to my heart’s content.”
He nodded stoically.
She rested back on the covers and looked out the window. “It feels like home.”
He turned to her with soft eyes, and she could nearly feel him radiating happiness. She reached out to touch his hand. “Thank you for saving me.”
“No, thank you for saving me,” he said. “I didn’t know what I was missing until you showed me.”
She couldn’t believe it was all coming together. She had the same peaceful feeling she’d had the morning she was painting. Her stalker was gone and could never come back. She’d be with Scott. Painting. Loving him. Giving him cubs.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, tilting his head to look at her.
“I’m thinking that you promised you’d ravish me,” she joked, chucking him lightly under the chin.
“I do like to keep my promises,” he said, studying her with narrowed eyes before pouncing on her with a growl and pinning her hands above her head.
She wriggled slightly. “Show me what you got.”
A slow grin spread over his face.
* * *
His mate was so unbelievably beautiful, writhing beneath him with that gorgeous, curvaceous body that had driven him crazy from the moment he’d met her.
He stripped her slowly, enjoying each glimpse of her soft skin as he peeled away layers of clothing until she was resting there only in her soft, light-blue panties. He hooked a finger in the waistband and slowly drew them down, enjoying the view that was revealed as he did it.
When they’d mated before, he’d been heated, caught up in the utter passion of the moment, the intensity of the mating. This time he could enjoy and savor her, notice every little sigh and tremor, and reassure himself she really was his.
He ran his hands over her, loving the look of pleasure on her face. He trailed a finger down between her breasts and then gently pinched her nipple, loving how it grew to a point. He did the same to the other and sat back to look at her, gorgeous and aroused for him.
“Come back,” she said, pouting. He grinned. His woman wanted him.
He’d never let her down. He kissed her everywhere, from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet, letting all the emotions he’d been pressing down flow within him. He loved her. Now that he was thinking it, he couldn’t seem to stop. It was everywhere. She was everywhere.
Being with her now, seeing how much a mate could mean, he could forgive his father somewhat. If Mara was to leave him…
But Mara wasn’t his mother. She wanted to be with him, and he’d been the only thing in the way.
She’d be happy here. He knew it. They’d have long sexy nights in the Jacuzzi, swim together in his pool. Run in his garden as bears. He couldn’t believe so much happiness was going to be his.
He kissed and kissed her, reveling in her writhing and sighs as he worshipped her body, and when she could barely take anymore, was begging him to take her, he did, parting her legs and coming inside her in one smooth motion.
When they came together, he felt total peace. This was how it should have felt the first time.
“I love you. I love you so much, sweetheart,” he said, surprised by how easy it was to say it. He’d just needed some time, but now he wondered if he would turn into a mush pot. No, he knew it would come in waves. Sometimes he would be okay to tell her exactly how he felt, and sometimes he would need something to do so he could just distract himself for a moment.
But that was what made her so special. She was okay waiting for him.
“I love you too,” she gasped out as he began moving inside her. “But then I think you already knew that.”
“I guessed,” he said with a wry smile, trying to keep it together as an incredible pleasure began to build. He wanted to savor this with her. Not rush it.
“Silly,” she said. But she dug her nails into his back and thrust with him. “Every time. Every time, you feel so good.”
“I was made to feel good for you.”
“Mush,” she said.
“Maybe sometimes,” he said. “I hope you can cope.”
“You’re hot, rich, and you helped me paint again. I think I’ll manage.”
He laughed and continued to stroke, paying careful attention to her rising movements, the little hitches in her breath. He could tell she was like him, just trying to revel in the warm peace of it all, but passion was beginning to swell between them, heating the room to a feverish degree.
He stroked faster, and she held on to him and met him with every movement, gasping at the intensity. She was so tight, so slick, so fitted to him that it felt she was made for him.
He was made to make her happy, so it made sense.
When she came, he was ready to go with her. Pleasure surged through him, unimpeded by shock or guilt. All he felt was her body next to his. His bear, roaring with pleasure. Her nails digging in, letting him know how much she was feeling it. And pure, sheer joy rocketing through him, making him nearly shake with the force of it.
She was amazing. She was incredible. She looked into his eyes as he came and, for once, he didn’t look away. He let her see everything inside him. For a moment he felt vulnerable, weak. In love.
But then, when it was over and she pulled him to rest against her, he realized after so much time alone, so much time guarded, he’d finally found somewhere safe.
It wasn’t so much that he’d been able to change what he was capable of; it was just with her, he was capable of things he couldn’t do with anyone else.
But she was his mate, after all, and that made sense. He pushed up on one hand to look down at her.
“I wanted it to be better this time,” he said, stroking her hair off her face. She was glowing and content, and he didn’t think he’d ever seen a more beautiful sight in his life. “I wanted to make you forget the other time.”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t want to forget. I want to remember every moment with you. The good and the bad. I came alive with you,” she said. “I don’t want to forget any of it.”
He let out a breath of relief and held her tight. He wasn’t an easy person to love, but he’d found someone to love him. He’d still mess up at times. He’d still hold things back. He’d still probably get crazy and controlling and overprotective. But that was totally justified, because his mate was one in a billion.
And he’d never let her go.
Epilogue
Scott grinned as his very pregnant wife made her way to him through the crowd of people in his living room. She looked so right there, so glowing, so round.
“I’m going to go out on the patio with the other girls,” she said, leaning up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek. He turned her face gently and gave her a long, slow kiss on the mouth before releasing her. She gave him a grin before walking back across the room to meet up with Kim and Leah, his brother’s mates, both heavily pregnant.
He was staring after her with a contented expression when Sky sauntered up beside him and handed him a glass of something cool and refreshing. Scott drank it while thinking about what it would be like once the cubs came in a couple of months. There would be so much joy around.
He couldn’t wait to see what his and Mara’s cub looked like. Would it be more like him or more like her? It didn’t matter, as long as he got here safely. Yes, he’d found out that their cub would be a boy.
“Damn, looks like the old man really passed on his gift for virility,” Sky said, looking at the room.
“It would appear so,” Sebastien said, joining them with a cool look on his face. It was always hard to tell what Sebastien was thinking. He’d grown up working on boats with a rather salty boat captain and as a result, he wasn’t that great at communicating his feelings.
He’d gotten much better since Kim came around though. She seemed to bring out the best in him. Much like Mara did for Scott or Leah did for Sky.
“We should have known,” Scott said. “After all, it was pretty odd that he was able to have three cubs after only a few years with our mother.”
“Ever wonder what happened to her?” Sebastien asked.
Scott narrowed his eyes and looked across the room at his dad, who was following the women out onto the patio to get them situated. He was over the moon about the upcoming births, and Scott knew he couldn’t wait to see all of the cubs in person. Sky and Mara were having a boy and Sebastien and Kim were having a girl.
But as long as they all came healthy, he would be happy and content. The past few months with Mara had gone by in a moment, it seemed. Time had flown too fast as she’d grown with his child. He’d handed off some of his duties at the hotel so that he could spend more time with her, and it had paid off in relaxation for both of them.
He supposed he would take even more time off when the cub came.
“What are you thinking?” Sebastien asked, nudging him. “You’re looking intense.”
“Just thinking about how things will change when the cubs come
,” he said.
“It’ll be a little chaotic, with three of them running around. That’s for sure.”
Scott nodded. “They’ll have good friends in each other. I worry a little for your Sarah,” he said, eyeing Sebastien. “The lone girl with the boys.”
Sebastien raised an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t worry too much about that. If she’s at all like her mother, she’ll scare the pants off your boys.”
Sky laughed out loud, leaning over and slapping his leg. Sky was the easy-going one in the family, who liked outdoor activities and his mate Leah and basically most things in life. He would probably be a very good, but very laid back father.
Scott’s eyes went to his own father again, and he tilted his head and looked at him thoughtfully. “You know, we need to do something about that,” he said, nodding to direct his brothers’ attention.
Sebastien’s eyes flashed as he caught Scott’s meaning, but Sky just looked confused.
“About what?” Sky asked.
“Dad,” Sebastien said. “He’s been lonely too long.”
Scott laughed and rubbed his hands together, feeling a little too gleeful. “Plus, I think we owe him a little bit of payback.”
Sebastien raised an eyebrow. “I for one think we owe him a lot. If he hadn’t brought Kim out, I wouldn’t be happy like I am right now.”
Sky agreed. “I don’t know what I’d do without Leah.”
Scott sighed. “Don’t you see? That’s exactly why we need to do something. Why do you think he hooked us all up? Because he sees having a mate as happiness, and he wanted us to be happy, even when we couldn’t figure it out ourselves.”
Sky’s eyes widened as he finally understood. “Oh. Right. So do we try to hook him up, like he did us?”
Sebastien nodded, a thoughtful look on his face. “I think our mates would probably be up to the challenge.”
One in a Bear-llion (Polar Heat Book 3) Page 9
