“No, nor spare bedrooms. I can't stand it, Russ.” She yanked his shirt over his head.
“I know what you mean.” Russell dropped to his knees. The scent of Riley's overwhelming arousal teased his senses. Leaving the wall to support her weight, he hooked one of her legs over his shoulder and leaned forward.
“Russell?” she whimpered.
He spread her folds and indulged in a long perusal of her swollen, glistening womanhood. With his middle and ring fingers, he spread her honey over every inch. The tiny opening of her body tempted him even as the desire to claim her overwhelmed him. He slipped his middle finger into her. A quiet whine escaped and she clamped down on his fingers. The tightness teased him. He couldn't wait to stretch that tiny vessel open with his aching heat. Unable to resist, he added his ring finger. Riley's whimper turned to a yelp.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked.
“Noooo.” Her answer blended into a pleasured cry. Reassured, he gently began to ease his fingers in and out, preparing her for intercourse while he leaned forward. Her clitoris stood dark and swollen, begging for his attention. He tongued the eager nub. Riley cried out. Russell wanted to taste her orgasm before he filled her. Riley arched her hips, pressing herself closer to him. He grinned. She wanted his touch. Her salty-sweet honey tingled on his tongue, electrifying his arousal. He lapped at her, enjoying her eager, uninhibited response, driving her recklessly into pleasure.
“Russ… oh God!” Riley rocked her hips, one moment pressing close, the next drawing away. He followed her lead, knowing how intense this kind of loving could be. Rolling his eyes upward, he was able to see her, her fingers digging into the fabric of the sweater she hadn't managed to pull off in their rush. Her whole sex was clenching and fluttering as ecstasy neared.
“Russell…” She drew his name out long.
“I've got you,” he said. “Fly, Riley.”
Her head thumped against the wall as wails of pleasure seemed to be ripped from her throat.
“That's my girl.” He eased her gently through her moment of bliss, then slowly lowered her down, supporting her limp, pleasure-drained body until her two feet rested on the floor and drawing off what was left of her clothing until she stood bare before him.
He kept his eyes on Riley's lovely face and naked, ready body as he stripped off his own boots, jeans, boxers and socks. She watched through half-lidded eyes.
“Ready, love?”
“Oh yes.” A new spark flared in her languid eyes and she straightened, grasping his offered hand and allowing him to lead her to her bed. This time it had been folded up into a sofa. Russell sat and urged Riley onto his lap, but she resisted.
“What is it?”
Her cheeks pinkened, but she dropped to her knees before him. “My turn.”
“Riley, you don't need to do that!” But even as he spoke, Russ' erection jumped in eager anticipation.
“I want to.” This time she leaned into him and kissed the tip of his penis. He groaned and pushed his fingers into her hair.
She kissed him again, this time letting the tip of her tongue slip between her lips so she could taste the drop of pre-ejaculate that had gathered at his opening.
“Hmmm.” She looked up at him and smiled.
“Good?” he asked.
“I like it.” Parting her lips, Riley took the head of Russell's sex in her mouth, teasing all the way around with curious licks.
Russell had had many blow jobs in his life, but nothing could compare with the sweet innocence of Riley's mouth. She was pure passion, giving generously because it was what she wanted. Because his pleasure meant that much to her. Her desire to please him felt so strong, Russ could almost smell it. So this is love. I thought I knew, but I had no idea. Give and take. Try to give more. Then thought shattered as Riley's mouth slipped further down on his erection. She knew enough to imitate what he would soon be doing to her, sliding up and down on his sex as she held him in place with one hand. Her tongue lashed sweetly over his heated flesh until he ached for release. But not like this. I need to be inside my girl. “Riley…”
She released him with a pop and lifted her head.
“Come here, sweet girl. I need you.”
Biting her lip, she took his hand and straddled his lap. Her eyes skated away from his, even as his fingers delved between her folds, seeking her most sensitive spot and stroking it.
“Shy, Riley? Why? We've had sex before.”
She swallowed hard. “I don't know. It feels… more momentous. Like we're sealing some kind of vow.” She wrapped her fingers around his shaft.
“Maybe we are.” His free hand went to her hip, urging her closer to him. “Is that a problem?”
Riley moved into position over Russell's waiting penis. She held him as he pressed down on her flank, and he sank slowly into wet, silken depths that gripped him with delicious tightness.
“Did you really mean it?” she asked breathlessly as she began to rise and fall on him. He never broke rhythm with his stimulation of her clitoris. “Do you really love me? I mean… it's so soon.”
“Riley…” Russell had to grit out the words between clenched teeth. “Riley, you know it works differently for me.” He groaned. God, that's good. “Or does it? Do you really not feel it too?”
“I feel something.” She panted. “I don't know…”
“You do,” he replied. “I know you do. Don't be afraid, Riley. Trust me.”
“I… Oooooh!” Ecstasy overwhelmed her and she shuddered. The luscious clenching of her sweet sex brought Russell right to the brink of his own orgasm. Holding her tight in both hands, he began to thrust hard into her yielding body. This intense stimulation, it seemed, kept her locked in her peak until he could join her there. Russell roared as pleasure slammed him with an almost painful force.
He emerged slowly to find Riley's fingertips over his mouth. Setting her back a bit, he stared at her.
“You were making bear noises. I didn't want the neighbors to call animal control,” she explained.
“We can't do this here,” he replied. Good Lord.
“It's okay, Russell. We don't have to. I decided yesterday I wanted to move in with you.”
“You didn't say anything on the phone,” he pointed out.
“It seemed better to say it in person.”
Unable to argue with her logic, he settled her bare body back against his. She rested her head on his shoulder. He traced one thumb up and down her spine.
Long moments passed as they cuddled in languid contentment, her body soft and warm against his. Outside the window, twilight shadows grew and lengthened. At last, Riley sighed and rose from his lap.
He helped her to her feet. Riley grimaced and hurried to the bathroom. Oops. Spontaneous sex and no towel. Then he realized what they'd done – what they'd been doing – and grimaced. Snowbound together, aroused and trapped, nature had taken its course, but it had not been planned, and he hadn't had what he needed.
Riley emerged from the bathroom a moment later, wearing blue and white boy shorts. With her breasts bare, she cut quite a compelling figure. Russell couldn't stop himself from taking a taste of each perky nipple.
“Cut that out,” Riley protested. “If you start that again, we'll never get home. You'll end up stuck here in this little apartment until tomorrow.”
Russell looked down at his muscular body. “I don't think I'll fit,” he commented. “So get dressed.”
She gave him a questioning look.
“What, honey?”
“How do we do this?”
“I have a suggestion,” he replied. “What do you say about this…? Call Lakeville. Let them know I'll bring you in the morning.”
She bit her lip. “That's a good idea. Okay.”
“And in the meanwhile, get dressed. My place is bigger. Let's go.”
As she started tugging on her clothes, he added, “You know, I just realized something.”
“What's that?” Riley clipped her bra behind her ba
ck and reached for her jeans.
“We… um we haven't been using protection.”
“Oh.” Riley paused, her turtleneck over her head, but her arms not in the sleeves. “Is that a bad thing, Russ? Do you have a dangerous disease I should know about? I mean, my sexual history – or lack thereof – was pretty obvious. But you, being skilled and older, must have some experience.”
Russ sighed. “Yeah. It's tradition among the bears that when a male reaches sexual maturity, about at age 25, one of the older women initiates him. I had an experience like that. And… well it's been a lot of years since then. I've had a few partners. Mostly bear shifters, and they don't get diseases. I won't get you sick, Riley. But what about pregnancy? Shifters are less prolific than humans, but it's still a possibility.”
Finally dressed, Riley stepped close to Russ and looped her arms around his neck, captivating him with her intoxicating eyes. “Russell, what do I do for a living?”
“You teach,” he replied, wondering where this was headed.
“I teach kindergarten,” she reminded him. “I teach little, tiny kids. Guess why?”
“You like kids?” he suggested.
“Bingo. I like kids. I want kids. The way you talk about us, about fate and mates and commitments, if I should happen to conceive, you'll still be there, right?”
“Of course!” The image of Riley, her belly heavily pushed out with his child, tightened his breath.
“Do you want children?” she asked, her face twisting in a wistful expression.
“I do,” he replied. “I do very much. Not to mention, there aren't so many shifters around. We'd be on the endangered species list, if anyone knew we existed. Reproducing is expected of all mated couples.”
“There,” she said. “I think we're okay then.”
“Riley, you blow me away,” he said.
Her mouth quirked in a half smile. “Um, I would have a baby, and not a cub, right? I mean, that's not much to ask.”
“I have no control over the form our children would take, honey,” he informed her. “It seems likely we'd have human babies, though probably with extra abilities. But I'm half human and you're fully human, so the odds are in your favor.”
“Russell,” she mumbled into his skin.
“Hmmmm?”
“I… I do love you.”
A slow smile curved his lips upward. “I'm glad. I think everything will be okay now.”
“I know it will.”
Not expecting such a definite statement, Russell touched his lips to Riley's temple. “How do you know?”
“Because I do trust you.”
He hugged her. Is it really going to be this easy? He hoped so because right in that moment, life seemed damned near perfect.
Chapter 8
That night, she lay beside him in the bed they now shared, studying the wood grain of the exposed beams in the ceiling, and pondering it. I didn't come to Alaska to find love, but to find safety and a new beginning. Russell let out a rumbling snore, his warm breath moistening the back of her neck. One big hand cupped her breast and his sex, now relaxed from recent loving and sleep, pressed against her bottom. From the bed, she could see the window. The blinds stood open because after all, they only had one neighbor, and her house was on the other side. Only moose and deer might peek in at them. Even bears hesitated to tangle with the strange-smelling near-bear they knew lived inside. Riley snuggled back against Russell. His warmth made her feel amazing. Safe in a way she hadn't known existed. He's so nothing like I imagined. Even with her back to him, she could see the shiny white of his hair, his deeply bronzed skin. The sexy creases around his eyes and mouth. Mature men were hot in a way words couldn't even describe, and she'd never realized it. Not until I set eyes on Russell that first time. It was like… learning to breathe. I wonder if he's right about fate and complimentary DNA. It would explain why I feel… so perfectly matched with him. Why everything he suggests is something I already want. I like this, but it's confusing. Or at least, Riley felt confused when she stopped to analyze their relationship rationally. When she just let it be, she felt perfectly at peace.
Even his snores are soothing. She laughed to herself. What a radical change to go from shy, frightened mouse to confident, sexually active woman in just a few short months. I didn't expect to like sex quite so much either. Now, it appeared, Riley was complete addicted not only to Russell's company, but also to those special moments when their bodies merged. He knows what he's doing. All those decades of experience, and he plays my body like a musical instrument. She tingled with the memory. I love this. The sun may not rise for the next month, but being able to wake up in Russell's arms, and spend my first wakeful moments face down in the mattress while he… Even the image of him 'mating' her, as he liked to call it when he took her from behind, heated her face and body. Though already drenched from their just-completed sex, fresh moisture surged between her thighs. Russell rumbled in his sleep, his hand releasing her breast and sliding down her belly to tease her mound. She drew in an unsteady breath. Greedy girl. You just had sex. Do you really need more? her conscience scolded, even as she drew one knee up to allow Russell's sleepy questing. She wanted to purr. Even this light touch stimulated her overwrought nerve endings and drew a quiet whimper from her throat. Then Russell sighed in his sleep and rolled over. His soft snoring resumed. Riley couldn't help laughing at herself. Tomorrow, Riley. Go to sleep. You'll have plenty of opportunities tomorrow.
* * *
A cozy night, in the annoying way all perfect moments have, passed far too quickly. Before she knew it, Russell was flying her over hills and forests back to Lakeville for her Wednesday with the eight local munchkins. Though she felt more than a fleeting pang over being separated from Russell, who had become something dangerously close to her reason for breathing, she felt energized from her decision to move in with him, relaxed and ready to tackle the day. Story books and letter charts awaited her in the classroom, ready to be put to use, and she had on sturdy winter outwear – and underwear – for her turn as playground monitor. But best of all, two hours after the students went home, Russ would be collecting her and taking her back to his place… our place… for the night. A slow smile spread across Riley's lips as the little plane bumped to a stop on the makeshift runway. She'd be having early mornings on Wednesdays and Thursdays, because Russ refused to let her sleep another night with Carrolls. She didn't mind.
“What's got you so smiley, sweet girl?” he asked in that sexy, low-pitched rumble of his as the plane shuddered and the engine stilled.
“Oh, nothing,” she replied, flirtatiously twining her hair around one finger. “I'm just really happy is all.”
It seemed he heard the message she hadn't voiced, because he grasped her hand in his and kissed her fingertips, his face lighting up. It amazes me I can have such an effect on him. I've been practically invisible most of my life, and now I have this sexy older man acting like I'm his sunshine. Russell slid his fingers up her arm and laced them into the back of her hair. Riley knew what that meant and leaned forward at his urging, accepting his kiss. I love you, Russell, she thought as hard as she could. I can't explain or even understand how this happened so quickly, but I can't deny the reality. I love you.
He heard the thought and responded by coiling his tongue around hers. She broke away with a gasp. “Don't be evil. If I have to spend the day all wet and achy, the kids are going to suffer.”
Russell pouted, poking out his lower lip in a silly parody of disappointment. “I'll miss you all day.”
She softened her mock outrage. “I know. I'll miss you too. But, honey, I live with you now. We can make love all night and weekend, every night and weekend until we're sick of it.”
“Riley.” Russell's rumble had lowered to nearly a growl. “Do you honestly think I'll ever get sick of you? Because that won't happen.”
Tears sprang to her eyes and her throat clogged, but she fought down her emotions. Don't start the day off crying. It's to
o draining.
“Say it,” he urged.
“I love you.”
The chiseled planes of his left cheek lifted into a half-smile and he nodded.
“I love you too, Riley. Now go teach the munchkins. I'll be back at five to take you home.”
She tugged him over for one more kiss and then jumped down from the plane, hurrying through the biting early-morning cold to set up her classroom for the day.
In truth, Riley did struggle to pay attention to her job throughout the day. It took all her willpower to push Russell out of her mind and focus on the eight small people she was supposed to be teaching, but in the end, the kindergartners won. The moment her mind wandered, pandemonium broke out, in the form of a paint fight. Sighing, she cleaned up the messy kids, thankful as always that she'd paid extra for the washable paints, and set the perpetrator in the 'thinking chair' for ten minutes. After that, she'd forced herself to stay fully present with the class.
At last they marched down the hall to the music room and Riley took the opportunity to walk the twenty steps down the street to the Carrolls' house.
Mrs. Carroll, a middle-aged woman with silver wings in her dark hair and high cheekbones that contrasted strikingly with bright blue eyes, ushered her into a familiar family room whose cheerfully clashing décor spoke of a multi-generational family home. Sleek leather sectionals paired with glass end tables made little sense placed alongside a rustic wooden hutch cluttered with far too many tchotchkes. Riley couldn't help smiling at the sight. It reminded her of her father's home, though he collected books, books and more books, not carved wooden animals and teacups in fussy patterns.
“What can I do for you today, Riley?” Mrs. Carroll asked. “Can I get you anything?”
“I can only stay a minute,” Riley replied. “The kids will be done in music before you know it, but I needed to let you know…” Her face heated and she had to take a deep breath before she could continue. “I met someone and… and he asked me to move in with him, so I won't need to sleep here anymore. I really appreciate your hospitality though.”
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