by Anna Lowe
“Special treat.” She nodded, running her hands over the layers of muscle of his arms.
Most days, all they managed was a fleeting kiss and a baby handoff as Sarah came off her morning shift in the café while Soren prepared to open the saloon. Their working hours were almost exactly opposite, which had its pluses and minuses. Childcare was never an issue — Teddy always had either her or Soren around, not to mention a pack of loving aunts and uncles happy to step in and help. But one-on-one time with each other was harder to find, though she and Soren did their best. Whenever things were slow in the saloon, Soren would sneak upstairs to find her. Other times, he’d drop in to visit her in the cramped office where she kept the accounts for both businesses up to date.
I’ll keep you up to date, my love, he’d murmur in her ear while pushing the door shut with his foot.
But a whole afternoon together — and an entire baby nap time — that was a real treat.
“Just think,” she said as he kissed his way down her chest. “We have the next four days off. Four days to spend every minute together.”
She knew Soren would devote every hour to Teddy, but as long as the little guy was asleep, the grown-ups could have their fun, right?
“Every minute,” he mumbled. He blew a puff of air over her breast, then caught a nipple between his lips.
She arched, already high on the sensations rushing around her body. The heat of her mate. The sweet scent of arousal. The bright daylight that flooded the room, giving her the chance to enjoy Soren’s every move and touch.
“So good,” she mumbled as he moved to her left nipple, giving it its fair due.
Having Soren worship her body had always been one of her greatest pleasures. But mommy boobs had introduced both of them to a whole new world of pleasure, and they made the most of it while they could. Those boobs were bigger, rounder, more sensitive. Gloriously sensitive, in fact, as Soren had been proving to her for the past few months.
His lips smacked, and he nipped the flesh of her breast, then smoothed the area with his tongue.
“Oh, Soren…”
Bears didn’t tend to multitask, but damn, did Soren make an exception in bed. Gotta keep my mate happy, he’d once rumbled when she commented on it.
That, he did. Over and over again. His lips suckled, while one massive hand pushed her legs apart, gentle and demanding at the same time. Not that she was playing hard to get. She dropped her knees wide, opening fully to him while her pulse skipped and jumped.
This is going to be so good, her inner bear sighed.
But Soren paused, and she cried out. “No! Don’t go!”
“Just a second,” Soren murmured, reaching for a pillow.
He slid his pillow under hers and dragged both lower, making her arch even more.
Oh, yes, her bear murmured in sweet anticipation.
They’d happened upon the position a month ago, and the thrill still hadn’t worn off. With her shoulders thrust back, her chest up, and her knees wide, she was entirely open to his touch, his view.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured, whispering kisses over her skin.
You make me feel beautiful, she almost said, but she was too busy wiggling under his skilled touch.
Making love in broad daylight somehow felt naughtier, more sensual. The streaming sunlight glinted off Soren’s bare back and cast a pale, golden light over her skin.
“So beautiful,” he said again, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe his luck.
Well, she was the one who couldn’t believe her luck. A year earlier, she’d despaired over her very survival and that of her baby. Now, she had it all — the man she’d loved for years, a healthy baby, and a wonderful home. A safe, cozy home.
“You ready?” Soren’s eyes glowed as he crawled down her body.
Ready to explode with need, yes. Ready to submit to whatever carnal pleasure he was about to treat her to — hell, yeah. She wound her fingers in the sheets as his fingers brushed her skin, moving lower. Lower…
“Oh…” she squeaked as he followed the curve of her hips to her thighs then reached between her legs.
“Soren…” she cried, thrusting her hips up.
He didn’t say a word, but his eyes had that hungry bear glow. The shine they only showed when Soren shed all his layers of mental armor and let himself go. As an alpha bear, he’d been born and bred to be responsible and selfless, and she loved him for it. But she loved this side of him just as much. A side he unveiled only to her and Teddy.
“Watch,” he murmured. “I want you to watch.”
God, she loved that tone that managed to beg and demand at the same time. She tipped her chin and let out a slow breath. It was hard to feel sexy as an overworked mother, but damn, did Soren’s eyes turn her into a goddess. An erotic goddess with her chest stuck out and her nipples peaked, ready to be served. Her Adonis of a mate sat poised over her body, his lips an inch from her skin.
Watch me please you, his eyes said. Watch me bring you higher than any other man ever could.
She nodded once and gulped. Oh, she’d watch, all right.
He rubbed the flat of his hand between her legs, teasing her.
“Soren,” she moaned, caught between the urge for instant gratification and the desire for a slow build.
His eyes danced. Patience, my mate.
He rubbed harder, spreading her slickness, toying with her body’s reactions to his. His cock was steel-hard against her thigh, and she longed to touch him. But she couldn’t even touch his chest, not with her hands firmly knotted in the sheets. She didn’t dare let go either, because she needed something to hang on to, and his shoulders were far too bulky to grip.
“Is that good?” Soren asked, tracing the line of her folds with two fingers.
“Great,” she panted, desperate for him to reach in.
About to get even better, her bear whispered, recognizing the signal in his eyes. Soren was plotting some new pleasure, for sure.
“Good,” he said in a husky voice, driving his fingers in ever deeper furrows.
“Good,” she panted. “Great…”
He touched her clit, then dragged his fingers toward her core. But just when she thought Soren would penetrate at last, he stopped and sat up, slowly repositioning his hands.
“Watch.” His voice was scratchy now, his eyes fierce.
His tone was demanding, but he waited for her nod before going on. Typical Soren — pushing her to her limits, but always leaving the final go-ahead to her.
She gave a curt, quick nod as her inner bear called to his.
Yes, it cried. Yes.
She wanted anything — everything — he had in store for her, and fast.
He laid both hands over her breasts, kneaded briefly, then drew his thumbs down her center line. Down and down until he reached her core, where he ran his thumbs along her folds, opening her to his view.
“So beautiful…”
Her hips pumped on instinct as he circled gently, then probed. Deeper. Harder. Testing her. Could she take one finger? Two?
His eyes sparkled when both slipped in.
If Sarah hadn’t been panting, she would have chuckled. I can take a lot more, my bear. I need a lot more. She was that ready, that slick with desire.
He worked her in ever-bigger circles, and she gyrated in the opposite direction, moving in a sensual dance. When Soren ducked his head to capture her nipples again, she gasped.
“So good…”
Shh, he reminded her.
Right, the baby. If they woke Teddy now, she’d scream. So she swallowed her moans and put everything into timing her movements with his. When his fingers circled right, widening her, she tipped her hips left, stretching the pleasure. When his lips picked at the tip of her nipple, she thrust up, heightening the sweet burn.
Look what I do to you, he whispered into her mind.
Love what you do to me, she replied.
She placed her feet on the mattress and pushed eve
r more insistently against his hand.
Hang on, he said a second later, pulling back.
Hang on? her bear grumbled.
But her frustration was short-lived. Soren rocked back on his heels, lifted her hips high, and opened his mouth.
Oh, yes, her whole body moaned as he went down on her.
Watch, he whispered.
Her eyes glazed with pleasure, but she forced them open, soaking in the view.
Soren’s shoulders were so wide, they forced her legs even farther apart, and his head bobbed up and down with the first exploratory flicks of his tongue. Sweat gleamed in his sandy hair, and every line of muscle along his back stood out in sharp relief.
Watch me taste you. Love you. Make you feel better than you ever have before.
Soren didn’t say things he didn’t mean, and whew, keeping her moans muffled became harder and harder. He licked deeper, pushed harder, consuming her with desperate need. His cock slid along her leg, leaving a moist trail wherever the tip strayed.
“Soren!” she cried, exploding on the next flick of his tongue.
The room was already bright, but her vision flooded with light. Her body shuddered as he lapped greedily at her core. Soren had her half off the mattress already, and now she felt as if she was floating on a cushiony cloud.
“Soren,” she panted as the room slowly came back into focus.
The window frames took shape again, and light streamed in through the row of stained-glass panels that marched across the top of each one. Red, like the blood pumping through her veins. Yellow, like the summer sun. Blue, like the sky in Montana, where she’d grown up. Green, like a mountain meadow, full of new life. The colors faded and mixed as they reached into the room, and the light cascading off Soren’s shoulders was clear and bright.
So beautiful, Sarah wanted to murmur. So perfect.
Soren lowered her slowly. His lips glistened, and his eyes blazed with pure lust.
“Need you,” he rasped. “Need more.”
She was still coming down from her high, but his words made her heart race all over again.
“More,” she agreed, knowing just what he wanted.
She rolled, casting the pillows aside, and kneeled on all fours. Behind her, Soren growled and shuffled closer, running his hands along her sides. He combed her long hair over her right shoulder so she could look back over her left.
Ready? His cock pushed against the back of her thigh.
She nodded. Hell, yes.
His knees bracketed hers, and his hands held her tight as he pushed in with one hard thrust.
She moaned out loud at the stretch, the inner burn.
“So good,” she whispered as he pulled back and drove in again.
He rocked into her, barely leashing his raw power. The sheets bunched under her knees, and she braced her arms to push back and meet each hammering thrust.
“Yes… Yes…” she cried into the mattress, building to another climax.
Pain blurred with pleasure. Her bear roared for more. Her breasts swayed under her, but Soren kept his hands wrapped around her hips. He huffed with each hammering push.
“Mate…”
Her thoughts blurred, blending the past with the present. Even as a teen, she’d felt a bond to Soren. A pull. A need. She hadn’t known about shifters back then, but fate knew. And damn, had fate picked well.
More… More… she begged, already veering over the edge of another orgasm.
Memories flooded her. Memories of hurrying off with him to a remote Montana cabin to be alone. She remembered the first time they’d tried doggie style and how deliciously raw and rough it had felt then. And that was back when they were both gangly teens. The thrill had only intensified as Soren had bulked up and as she’d grown more and more in touch with her body. And ever since they’d exchanged mating bites—
“So good,” she moaned desperately, sensing his pleasure as well as her own.
Soren’s steady rock quickened, pushing her up the mattress.
“Sarah,” he rasped, clamping her body tightly against his.
Like two kids at the top of a roller coaster, they sucked in a gulp of air then flew over the edge.
“Yes!” she cried, clenching down around him.
Soren made a hoarse sound and thrust twice more, then plunged deep and held on through his release.
His bear crowed in her mind, and hers cooed back. Mate! Mate!
Her heart pounded in her chest as she floated in sheer bliss. Then time lurched slowly into gear again when Soren folded over her back and rolled both of them to a spooned position on their sides. He pulled a sheet up to wipe her off then kicked it aside, stroking her neck the whole time.
His lips moved against her skin, forming silent praises. When he let out a huge sigh, she felt his muscles loosen, one after another down the length of his body. His heart thumped, echoing in her chest.
Look what you do to me, the steady rhythm said.
She reached her thoughts toward his and found peace. Bone-deep peace — the trickiest state for an alpha to reach, and only through the help of his mate.
His mate and his son, her bear corrected, glowing with pride.
She grinned at the image of her huge mate holding their tiny baby on his shoulder, rocking him to sleep. Soren had so many pressures and responsibilities, she sometimes wondered how he could ever unwind. But a quiet hour with Teddy — or a sweaty, sensual hour with her — gave him peace.
She sighed, relishing her own inner calm. Nowhere to rush off to, no chores today. She had hours and hours to enjoy with her mate and her son.
“Four days,” she said, patting his thick forearm. “Four whole days.”
He stroked her shoulder, then nuzzled her with his chin. “Heaven.”
It seemed nothing could pierce their bubble of calm, but then the phone out in the hallway rang, and Soren scowled.
“Don’t even think about getting that,” she said, running her foot up his leg.
“Everyone else is out,” Soren protested.
She pulled her foot higher along his side, opening to him again. “We’re on vacation,” she whispered, turning in his arms to come face-to-face. “And I plan to use every minute well.”
He’d tensed at the sound of the phone, but with every stroke of her foot, he loosened up again.
“Oh, yeah?” he rumbled, arching an eyebrow.
She slid a hand between them and brushed his cock with her finger. It twitched and hardened immediately, and the rumble in his chest was something between a purr and a growl.
“Yes,” she said, kissing away the sound of the next ring of the phone. And the next, and the next, until miracle of miracles, peace reigned again.
“Is Teddy still asleep?” she whispered when Soren glanced toward the crib.
He nodded and sank back into the mattress.
“Looks like we get a little more playtime,” he murmured, letting her continue to touch. His eyes closed, showing just how much he enjoyed what she was doing.
She hummed and slid downward, reaching for his cock with her lips. “Mmm. Playtime. Sounds good.”
Chapter Four
3:06 p.m. Christmas Day
Anna clicked off the phone and set it down. “I guess Sarah and Soren are out.”
“Yeah?” Todd replied absently. “Or maybe just busy.”
She grinned down at her mate, who was sprawled on the thick carpet with the kids, surrounded by torn wrapping paper and toys. “The kind of busy we were this morning when we missed their call?”
He shot a wry look at her, holding his hands over Ben’s ears. “Shh. Not in front of the kids.”
She laughed and feigned innocence. “Who, me?”
“Yes, you, bear.” His eyes danced over her, bursting with pride.
Goose bumps rose on her arms. The idea that she was a bear shifter still gave her a thrill. Todd had made the transition a smooth one, as had her cousin, Sarah, who’d gone through the process herself just months earlier. T
he two women phoned almost every day, sharing news about the kids, their lives, and progress as shifters — like the day Anna finally figured out how to scratch her ear with her hind foot, or the first time she’d sniffed her way to wild honey.
“Me, the bear,” Anna said to herself, marveling at the idea.
She’d gone thirty years as a human, but the last few weeks had felt like a rebirth — and not just for her ability to turn into a bear. Her whole life had changed for the better. She had a man — er, mate — she adored. A man who loved, respected, and adored her. They’d adopted the world’s most lovable kids and moved to Montana, her favorite place on earth. The only hard part had been saying good-bye to Sarah and the others at the Blue Moon Saloon, but they’d get to visit soon.
The past six weeks had been a blur because everything had happened so fast. Meeting and falling in love with Todd. Surviving a brutal rogue attack. Discovering that shifters existed. Adopting the kids. All that ought to have thrown her head into a spin, but it didn’t. In fact, she’d never felt as content. Destiny had steered her to a life that surpassed her wildest dreams.
Sure, the kids kept her busy, but God, what a gift she’d been granted. And yes, she’d never faced such a mountain of work in her life, considering everything she and Todd still had to do to establish their new shifter clan. But she’d never been as happy or felt more at home.
Home, Todd agreed, reading her mind.
Anna looked around. The log cabin was small but cozy. There was enough space for a couch, two cribs, and a thick rug in front of the stone fireplace — the first thing her mate had baby-proofed. Other than the living room, they had a tiny kitchenette, a bathroom, and a loft just big enough for a queen-size mattress for her and Todd. That was it. Almost a micro-home, considering their family of four, but it suited her perfectly for the time being. Todd already had plans to build an addition that would double its size, but that was a project for next summer, not the dead of winter.
“I think it’s time to test the new sled Santa brought the kids,” Todd said. “Right, Ben? Right, Fay?”
The kids looked up immediately, absolutely focused on their dad.
