by V. Vaughn
A yellow glow from the parking-lot lights illuminate Keith’s face as we walk to his Jeep, and I say, “Technically, the minor is serving you.”
“I knew you were trouble the day we met.” He places my bag on the backseat with a thud.
I wonder how to take that. His smile is gone. Is he rethinking our relationship? I recall how I approached him and made a fool of myself when he acted like he had no idea who I was. My seat belt clicks in place, and I ask, “When you saw me that first day, you knew who I was, didn’t you?”
Keith nods as he leans close to me. “The whole time, all I could think about was what this would be like.” He kisses me, and my body tingles. When he stops, he says, “But I wasn’t ready for you. It was too soon.”
I gaze into his eyes as pain flashes through them. My lust makes way to sadness for Keith and the loss of a true mate. A loss I’m not sure I could live through when I imagine him gone forever. I wonder if he still needs more time and say, “Keith, I can wait if you need to.”
“Tori, I want to be with you tonight. Taylor is my past and gone forever. You”—his lips brush mine lightly—“are my future.” When we kiss again, Keith’s passion sweeps me away, and I believe him.
Chapter 8
Annie
Just after midnight, Tristan made everyone leave. Designated drivers were checked out, and everyone should make it home safe. Many will be back in the morning to continue working on the dorm, but the amount that was accomplished today is amazing. I gaze out at the skeleton building. Stars twinkle in the background, and I smile. The house should be ready for occupation in just a couple more days, and Tristan plans to call the rest of his clan to come.
Empty vodka bottles clink as Sven lifts the bag of returnables to carry it to the garage, and the screen door slams as Lucy comes outside and toward me. I say to her, “Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome.”
Lucy watches Sven as he turns the corner, and I say, “I hope you’re staying here tonight.”
She turns her gaze to me to say, “If that’s okay, yes.”
“It’s more than okay. Now that Sven has moved here from Carly and Brady’s I’d like you to think of this as your home too until Sven can get a place of his own. You’re welcome to stay any night you wish.” I place my arm around her shoulders and give her a hug. “I think it will make things easier for Sven with the crazy hours he’s keeping now, don’t you?”
Lucy says, “You guys are doing such a great thing for the De Rozier clan. I know Sven appreciates it.”
I seat myself on a bench, and my hand thumps lightly on the wood when I motion for Lucy to join me. “It’s my pleasure. I’ve led a fortunate life.”
She sits. “Me too. I forget how lucky I am, but Sven is making me super-aware.”
I think about how difficult things are for Tristan’s clan members. He told me that many have lost their homes, and they spend most of their time in bear form while they live off the land. The adjustment to life in Maine must be difficult.
The crickets chirp out a song in the night, and I glance at the girl next to me. I get an idea. “Lucy, what did you have planned for this summer?”
“Part-time work at Ink It and not much else. Why?”
“Would you consider helping me here? I think Tristan’s clan is going to need assistance adjusting.”
Lucy grins. “You mean getting used to humans being equals?”
I smile back. “That. And I’m going to need help getting them to and from appointments for jobs, registering the children for school, buying new clothes, and sorting out their new daily routine.”
She takes a moment to consider my proposition. “Sure, I don’t see why not.”
“Fantastic.”
The springs on the back door squeak as it opens, and Tristan steps out to ask, “Have you seen my mother?”
“No,” I say. “I thought she went up to her room.”
He shakes his head, and I stand as I frown. The extra nanny we hired to guard Helga went home a few hours ago. “Did you check all the rooms?”
“Yes,” he says. “She’s not in the house.”
Lucy says, “Maybe she went for a run. I’ll check for her clothes behind the shed.”
Sven comes around the corner, and Tristan must speak in his head, because Sven immediately strips and shifts. His feet make the ground shudder when he takes off. Tristan says to me, “He knows her scent and will be able to pick up a fresh trail.”
I guess they’ve had to do this before. Lucy has returned, and she shakes her head when we look at her. I say, “Lucy and I’ll go make another round of the house just in case.”
Tristan gives the slightest nod and walks away. I say to Lucy, “The girls are asleep upstairs, so we’ll need to be quiet, but look everywhere you could imagine hiding.”
Lucy cocks her head at me as she walks across the tile floor of the kitchen, and I shrug. “I’m not sure what to expect, so we might as well cover all bases.” While the De Roziers may feel a need to keep Helga’s state of mind a secret, I don’t think we can take any chances with her right now. The woman is almost at the height of her manic phase, and she’s not rational. I have the gorgeous gardens she planted in one night by herself to prove it. I have to trust Lucy to keep it to herself.
Before we get to the second floor, Tristan sends me a telepathic message. “Did you lend anyone your car?”
“No.”
Tristan growls as he enters the door from the garage that leads to the great room. When he sees me, he says, “I think Helga took it.”
I walk to the kitchen, and the bare hook where I keep my keys gleams in the brightly lit room as if it’s warning me. “Where would she go?”
“I have no idea.” He rakes a hand through his hair and doesn’t seem to care that he’s left it all askew. “She doesn’t have any money.”
I say, “My tank is only a quarter full. She won’t get far.” My pocketbook. With all the guests we had at our house today, I put it on a shelf in the garage, and I push my way past to Tristan to check.
It’s gone, and I turn to my mate, who’s followed me. “She’s got my purse.” Something flashes in his eyes, and he takes a deep breath as I ask, “Should we call the police?”
He frowns at me. “Humans against my mother isn’t a good idea.”
“We have our own force. They’ll be able to track her by my license plate and when she uses my credit card.”
“Okay, but we’re going to have to be covert. Helga is too smart for humans, and I fear what she might do if they try to apprehend her.”
“I get it. Would you mind if I brought Brady and Carly into this?”
He sighs and turns from me to pace the great room. His steps are heavy and thud on the hardwood floor. The coffee pot in the kitchen clatters. I fight the urge to go bake something, and wait for Tristan to give me an answer.
He turns to me and says, “I don’t like sharing my family problems.”
“I know.” I step toward him. “But right now I think you need Brady’s connections.”
My mate nods as he walks over to me and grips my arms lightly. “You’re right, my love. Call him.”
I slip my arms around Tristan’s waist and speak telepathically to Brady and Carly, who are both Le Roux alphas and able to communicate with all of the clan. “Helga’s run away with my car and wallet. We need your help.”
Brady replies, “I’ll call Ted, and we’ll be right over.”
Ted is the chief of police and a werebear. I gaze up at my mate’s troubled expression. “Brady and Carly are on their way over.”
I hug Tristan tight, and the muscles of his back are firm under my arms, as if he’s tensed up and ready to attack. He’s put on muscle mass and is much bigger than he was when he arrived six months ago, and it occurs to me that my mate could easily kill any bear in the Northeast Kingdom. I say, “Tristan, we’ll find her.”
“I know.” Pain that I imagine is fro
m childhood memories flashes through his eyes. “It’s cleaning up after her that has me worried.”
Chapter 9
Tori
While Keith took a quick shower, I arranged the sushi on the table. Ice clinks as I twirl the bottle of champagne in the freezing bath Keith prepared for it in the sink. He says it will chill the liquid in about five minutes.
His footsteps make me turn, and I discover Keith in faded jeans and a tight Orono T-shirt. I smile, because he’s usually in looser clothing, and I think he’s showing off for me. I say, “Either you beefed up since college, or that’s your get-lucky shirt.”
Keith flexes as he grins. “Is it going to work?”
I place my hand on his chest. “You had me the first day we met.” The heat of my werebear is hot under my palm as I slide it down to his abs.
He grabs my hand and stops me from going further. “Dinner first. You’re going to need your energy.”
I lick my lips. “Promises, promises.”
Keith winks at me and then tugs me along to the table. “We old guys know a thing or two. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.”
I sit and squirm in my chair as my dreams replay in my head. If they really do predict the future, I’m about to have the best sex of my life. I say, “I think you’re right.” But Lucy’s words of caution the other night niggle at me. My brow knits as I remember she said that eventually I’ll need to become a werebear if I want to stay with Keith, because my destiny is to have children to perpetuate the clan.
The champagne cork pops, and I return my thoughts to Keith. He hands me a glass full of bubbly liquid. It’s cool in my fingers as I wait for him to join me at the table.
Keith sits and gazes at me as he lifts his drink. He says, “To the beginning of our life together, Tori. I hope it will be forever.”
Our glasses clink as we toast, and I take a sip. The fizz tickles my tongue before I swallow. As much as I don’t want to ruin our first time together, I need to clear up the werebear thing, so I take a deep breath and ask, “Tell me more about what’s going to happen with us. Lucy told me that eventually I’ll have to decide if I want you to bite me or not. Is that true?”
Keith nods as he reaches over for my hand. “There’s no rush. We can cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“Is that what you want, though?” My heart rate increases as I imagine that we’ll be over before we start. “For me to have your children someday?”
“Yes. I would like that to happen.” Keith squeezes my hand. “But one thing I’ve learned is that life can be cut short, and I plan to make the best of each day I have on this earth.” I imagine he’s thinking about his dead wife. The fact that she’s with us once again makes jealousy spike in me. I bite my lower lip to keep from saying anything I’ll regret.
Keith must have an idea of what I’m thinking, because he adds, “You are what makes me happy. So even if you decide you won’t become a werebear, and leave me, I want to be with you while I can.” He traces my bottom lip with his finger. “Because if I’m not, I’ll regret that I never let myself love you, Tori.”
His touch sends an electric pulse through me that pushes my jealousy and apprehension away. I nod and gaze into his brown eyes, which make me think of the ocean. “Okay.” I take a sip of my drink, and the bubbles seem to intoxicate me even further. I blink to gather my wits and pick up my chopsticks. “Let’s work on that energy you promise we’ll need.”
When we finish dinner, I’m comfortably full and ready for our version of dessert. Keith tops off our champagne glasses to empty the bottle as I put the last container of leftovers in the fridge. When I turn to him, he speaks in a low voice that stokes my desire. “Let’s finish these in the living room.”
I take my glass from him, and he takes my other hand. In the few short steps to the couch, he threads his fingers through mine, and the heat of him begins to envelop me. He takes me to the floor-to-ceiling window, which offers a view of his forest wonderland. An overhead light placed high on the outside of his house illuminates the area. Two patio-style lounge chairs are set out with what appear to be fluffy cushions in a floral pattern that sparks my memory.
I take a sip of my champagne as he says, “Do you remember the dream about being out there?”
My mind flashes back to the dream of lying on one of those chairs while Keith is between my legs, giving me oral pleasure. “I do.” I take his glass to set it down along with mine on a side table. The metal knob of the door that leads outside is cool in my hand, and I ask, “Shall we?” The door is swollen with moisture, and I tug hard to get it open a crack.
Keith reaches above me to grab the edge of the door and pull it open further, and wood scrapes hard when he does. We step out into a cool summer night. I walk on spongy moss that makes me want to feel it between my toes. I stop and crouch down to remove my shoes. Keith places himself across from me to do the same.
We’re silent as we gaze at each other and stand. The greenery beneath my soles cuddles my feet in coolness as he steps forward to take my face in his hands. Keith whispers, “You’re the one, Tori. You’re the one I was meant to be with.”
My pride wants to believe that it’s always been me, the way I know it will always be him, and I say, “You’re the one too.” I reach up to pull him to me. Our lips meet, and I taste the faint remains of spicy wasabi mixed with sweet champagne. The passion between us quickly takes over, and my hands tug at clothing as I drink him in with my mouth.
Keith breaks away and gazes at my heaving chest. My shirt is on the ground along with his, and he groans as I reach back to unhook my bra. I let the straps fall off my shoulders and offer my breasts to him. His hands cup them as he lowers his mouth to take one of my nipples. The sensation of his tongue on my skin shoots all the way down to my toes, and I let out a small cry.
The muscles of his shoulders ripple under my hands as I hold on. He moves down my belly with his mouth and lowers himself to his knees. I close my eyes, and dizziness makes me think I’m a drunk, so I snap them open quickly. But it’s probably what Keith does to me, because I can handle two glasses of champagne. Hot breath tickles my stomach, and he unfastens my jeans and tugs them down my hips.
I place a hand on his shoulder as I step out of my pants. Keith gazes up at me as he palms my bottom with his hands. “Your scent makes my bear want to roar.”
I say, “You—” Keith nuzzles my panty-clad mound and swipes his tongue over the thin nylon covering my sex. I gasp before I croak out, “You did promise me growling.”
A low growl rumbles through him as he yanks my panties down. I tremble as if the sound scares me, but it’s from need, and I stumble back to the lounge chair to relive my dream. Our dream.
The weatherproof fabric is cold under my back when I lie down, and I squeal when Keith yanks my hips to drag me to the edge. He growls again before he licks my folds. Oh god. He was right. Older guys do know a thing or two, and mewls come from me as he takes me higher than even my dreams could go.
When I’m melted into a puddle, Keith rises up over me and kisses me. His cock is large and throbbing between us, and I grip him tightly as I taste the tangy flavor of myself on his lips. He stops and says, “We can continue like our dream, or I can scoop you up and take you to my bed.”
“I thought our dreams predicted the future. Don’t we have to do it that way?”
“You have a choice, Tori. You’ll always have a choice with me.” His gaze is intense, and I stare at him as he waits for my answer.
I stroke his hard length and say, “I want the dream, Keith. We can decide the rest later.”
He growls again as he lifts up off of me to flip me over. The noise reverberates through me as I climb to my knees, and I practically growl back when he enters me from behind.
Keith’s breath tickles my ear as he thrusts all the way in and whispers, “For now, you’re mine, Tori.” He draws back out slowly, and I moan for his return.
Skin slaps when he slams in hard, an
d I say, “I’m yours.” Forever.
Chapter 10
Tori
Keith did eventually scoop me up and bring me to his bed after we finished the champagne and relived another mystical forest dream. Nestled against his chest, under a fluffy comforter, I inhale the aroma of our combined musk. I say, “Not bad for an old guy.”
He slides out from under me to press me against the mattress with the weight of his body, and his dick twitches between us as it thickens. “You talk as if I’m done.” He reaches down to guide his cock between my legs, and I spread my thighs apart to accommodate the size of him.
I’m sore but resist the urge to flinch when he pushes against my tender opening. “Whatever was I thinking?” I sigh when he enters me and grip his hips to rock with him. My dizziness has returned, and I don’t let my eyes close as Keith brings me to the brink of another orgasm. When I’m done screaming, I wonder how I got so drunk, because the bed begins to spin.
Keith arranges himself behind me to spoon, and I focus on the landscape painting on the wall to make the sensation of vertigo stop. His hand palms my belly, and the heat soothes my upset stomach as he tugs me tighter. He says, “I love you, Tori.”
My nausea has passed, and exhaustion takes over as I let my eyelids droop shut. I whisper, “I love you too.”
Icy wind whips my hair around my face, and my ears are cold. I reach up to warm them with my hands. Snow is on the ground, and I chide myself for not wearing a hat and mittens as I trudge through ankle-deep snow. I gaze out at the expanse of white to my right. Trees border it, making it appear to be a lake. A white cottage with dark-blue shutters is in the distance, and the smoke curling up from the chimney reaches out as if it’s inviting me to come inside.
I pick up my pace to get to the warmth. I notice there aren’t any tracks in the snow or a vehicle anywhere in sight. I begin to wonder if I’m hallucinating the fire that awaits, when the front door opens.
