by Jenika Snow
“You’re mine.”
Oh God. His voice, gravel under the tire of a car, was loud, slightly distorted, and like nothing she had ever heard. The sound had her toes curling, her breathing increasing, and her heart pounding so fast and hard it felt like it was lodged in her throat and moving into her ears.
She had wanted him like a fiend before, but seeing the possessive gleam in his eyes, feeling that crackling energy that at this moment he was more bear than man, and having his fingers still moving in and out of her had Ary realizing she wanted his mark, and she wanted him to claim her hard.
Everything became deathly still and quiet. Seconds later, he removed his fingers from her, brought them up so she could see how wet they were, and proceeded to suck her juices off his index and middle finger. The sight was highly erotic and like nothing she had ever witnessed before. It had her blood boiling and her knees weak.
He leaned forward and ran his tongue up her throat, over the corner of her mouth, and along her bottom lip.
Parting her lips and sucking his tongue into her mouth had them both groaning. Their flavors mixed together until it was all she could think of. Suddenly, his hands were framing her face, and his fingers were tunneling in her hair. He used his leverage to tilt her head to the side and take control.
For long, drugging minutes, they did nothing but kiss. He dominated her without bonds, controlled her without words, and promised her with just the touch of his fingers on her flesh. He slid his hand down her hips, over the curve of her ass, and gripped the mounds in an almost bruising manner.
Ary loved it and moaned for more. He gave her a light squeeze before moving lower until he curled his fingers around the backs of her thighs.
In one swift move, he had her lifted up, and she was forced to wrap her legs around his waist. The hard cock that pressed right between her thighs was huge and brought back wave after wave of remembrance of their night together. It had been far too long since they had been together, but that was going to be put to an end right now.
He turned around with his hands now back on her ass, spun her around so she wasn’t pressed against the wall anymore, and started striding down the hall.
“Where is it, baby?” he murmured against her lips but then went back to kissing her. He didn’t need to elaborate on what he was referring to. It was strange that this was the first time he had been to her home, and only the second time they would be intimate.
She broke the kiss long enough to answer. “Up the stairs, first door on the right.” He turned around and started heading back the way they had come, and she couldn’t help but chuckle at the humor in it all. Right before he headed up the stairs, she said, “Wait, the front door.” In their lust-filled haze, they had left it open for any and all her neighbors to see.
In just two long-legged strides, he was in front of the door, kicked it closed with his foot, and made his way back to the stairs to ascend them. Before she knew what was happening, they were in her room and she was on her back in the middle of her modest full-sized bed.
The sound of ripping material filled her hazy brain, and she realized it was from Charlie tearing her shirt off. He took a step back, and his chest heaved up and down with the force of his breathing. Not bothering with the buttons of his shirt, which she found highly carnal, he ripped the shirt from his body, tossed it to the ground, and went to work on his belt. Ary was so aroused her wetness slipped in the crease of her ass.
“Spread your thighs for me, baby.” Once the belt was free and the button undone from his pants, he stepped out of them. The fact that he wore no underwear was like a hot poker to her clit. Doing exactly as he said, she loved that she was the one who brought out the harsh grunt from him. His dick was just as impressively frightening as before, and when he took a step closer and knelt before her, her heart stopped.
Seconds ticked by with only the sound of his breathing and the feel of his breath along her labia. A hand on her inner thighs had her jerking with awareness. As he lowered his head until she knew there couldn’t be an inch that separated his mouth from the very center of her, Ary waited for his next action with anticipation.
“Ary, you are mine.” He lifted his head, and his emotions were reflected clearly on his face. He looked savage and powerful, making her feel dwarfed and miniscule compared to him. He was everything she wanted and a male who could ruin her with a few softly spoken words. To her disappointment, he rose above her without so much as a lick to her pussy.
Her clit throbbed in time with her heart, and the sound of her blood rushing through her veins filled her head. “I will destroy anything that stands in my way of ensuring you are completely mine. Do you understand, Ary?” His statement and question were a double-edged sword, because she knew as soon as she told him she was his that it would be set in stone.
When a male like Charlie wanted something and declared it so, there was no going back. As they stared into each other’s eyes, she knew the truth. She wanted to be his, no matter what.
“I’m yours, Charlie, irrevocably.”
He took her mouth in a powerful, intoxicating kiss, and before the world righted itself, he was pushing his erection into her.
“Yes, Ary, you’re mine. Mine.” He roared out the last word as he buried the rest of his shaft into her. The power with which he did the act had tears of pleasure and pain springing to the corners of her eyes. “Mine. Fucking hell, you’re mine.” Being completely filled by him was like an otherworldly experience. Shaking from head to toe and on the verge of coming just from the feel of him totally bottomed out inside her, she knew as soon as he moved that she would climax.
And as if he read her mind, he did just that. Pulling out of her and pushing back in, he took control of her body like he knew it expertly, like he had her memorized. Her first orgasm claimed her hard and fast, and she panted through it, knowing it was only the first of many.
Just as the first orgasm waned, another took its place when Charlie placed his thumb on her clit and worked it back and forth.
He pistoned in and out, in and out. His claws were out, scraping erotically against her skin, and his muscles flexed and seemed to grow right before her eyes.
“I’m sorry, baby.” He closed his eyes and panted. Sweat covered his chest, and the droplets slid down the hard valley. “I’ve tried to control myself around you at every turn, but my bear wants to mark you, mate with you, and claim you.”
The last part was a roar. She knew her eyes had to be wide, because even though this was an intense moment, she was so turned on she couldn’t even think straight. Her ocelot purred in approval and all but jumped out of her and rubbed itself on Charlie.
“You smell so good, Ary.” He looked down at her, his eyes half-lidded and his hair clinging to his sweaty forehead. Even through all of this, he never stopped pumping into her or rubbing her clit. “I just can’t control myself or stop it.” He closed his eyes again and gritted his teeth. “Tell me you accept me. I need to hear it one more time.” It was clear he was hanging on by a thread, and she wanted to say it to ease both of them.
“I want you, all of you, Charlie.” It seemed that was all he needed to hear, because he pumped into her again and again, rubbed her clit faster and harder, and then they were both climaxing at the same time. She felt his cum fill her, felt his body shake atop hers, saw the wildness in his features, and knew what was coming next.
He stayed buried inside her for several long seconds, his cock jerking as he emptied himself completely. He pulled out, and a gush of their combined fluids slipped from her, but instead of turning her off, it inflamed her.
Naked and growing even larger right before her eyes, Charlie’s bear took control, and he started to shift. Bones broke and realigned, dark brown fur grew along his flesh, and no more was a man standing before her, but a frightening-looking grizzly.
The beast roared out, his teeth and fangs rivaling anything she had ever seen. Being a shifter herself, nothing surprised her, but seeing this from th
e man she was falling for harder and harder each day had her heart stopping.
He stalked forward on all fours, his muscles moving beneath the dark fur. He was the predator, and she was the prey. He stopped beside her, and she didn’t move, didn’t breathe, and didn’t dare blink as she kept his stare. He lowered his massive head and ran his tongue along her throat and down to her shoulder.
The post-euphoric bliss still coursed through her veins, and the feel of his slightly roughened tongue made her acutely more aware of everything. The scraping of his teeth along where her shoulder and neck met didn’t have her tensing, but instead had her relaxing into the mattress.
In a swift move, his teeth pierced her flesh, and the stinging pain from his bite gave way to the knowledge that she was his.
When it was all said and done and he was lapping at the wound he made, all she could do was smile. The sound of bones breaking and realigning once more filled the room, and then Charlie in human form was pressed against her.
He turned her to the side, brought her back to his front, and placed a big palm right over her belly where their child grew.
Before she let her eyes close and euphoria claim her, she heard his softly spoken words and let them carry her off into a blissful sleep.
“There is nothing that can keep me away from you and our baby. Nothing will ever hurt you, and I won’t let anyone take you from me. You’re mine, February.”
15
Four weeks later
After Ary revealed her pregnancy to Charlie, which was already a month ago, a crazy thought every time it passed through her mind, everything had been going fantastic. He was attentive—overly so, in fact, but it was always welcome.
She couldn’t help but notice how territorial he was with her. Never had she been with a male who was like that, who seemed more animal than man, and she would be lying if she didn’t say it made her feel cherished and protected.
February had never realized how lonely she had been, even when she was with Frank or her other partners. They had been there with her, but not for her, and that was the major distinction between them and Charlie. It wasn’t just about the baby though. He talked to her and actually listened to what she had to say.
Even now, she remembered when Frank and she would have a conversation. He never paid attention to her and was certainly not interested in anything but himself.
Charlie conversed with her, responded to what she had to say, and focused solely on her. It was refreshing and made her realize exactly what she had been missing out on and the losers she let fill her life. He didn’t care that she had a few extra pounds, or that her belly wasn’t flat and her thighs were thick. In fact, he told her continuously that he loved her body and that she was healthy enough to carry his child.
He hadn’t been formally introduced to Melissa or Candace yet, and she hadn’t met his brothers. With her friends’ schedules taking them out of town for several weeks, and his brothers traveling from Sweet Water to Denver the last couple weeks for a new building project, there hadn’t been a right time for introductions.
That would change tonight though, because they had plans to go to Bram’s house later this evening, and she was taking Melissa and Candace with her.
Charlie picked her up, and they went to her first official doctor’s appointment—well, the one she considered official, since the time before had just been a confirmation that she was indeed pregnant. This one would allow them to find out the sex of the baby and if it would take after her or Charlie in regards to shifting.
Charlie seemed to be positive it would be a male bear shifter, but she couldn’t deny she was kind of hoping for a little girl. It didn’t matter the sex or who it took after, though, because in the end she just wanted a healthy baby.
“You getting excited?” Charlie reached across the seat and grabbed her hand. She nodded and couldn’t help but smile. “Me too, baby.” His own excitement was tangible, and his smile lit up his whole face. There was no denying he was one proud father, and that had her heartstrings tugging almost painfully.
Her belly was in knots, but in the good kind of way, and the further along she got in her pregnancy, the more she was anticipating the arrival of the baby.
She had four more months to go, and although she hadn’t felt any kicking or movement, she knew it would be coming and couldn’t wait.
He pulled the truck into an empty spot in front of the doctor’s office, and they climbed out. He grabbed her hand again, and she loved that he always had to be touching her. Since he went wild on her all those weeks ago, literally, she noticed he tamed down quite a bit.
Maybe it was because he was no longer fighting his bear for supremacy, and now the two were merged into one. Either way, she liked everything he gave her.
When they entered the small office, there were a few women seated in the chairs. Some had obvious round pregnant bellies. After she checked in and they sat down, Ary couldn’t help but notice the way the women stared at Charlie. Yes, he was certainly not a male to be missed, but wasn’t it obvious enough that they were together when he still had a hold of her hand and brought it up to his mouth to kiss her fingers?
The women were called back one at a time, and the longer she had to wait, the antsier she became.
“Calm down, kitten.” Charlie chuckled beside her. He was flipping through some Pregnancy 101 magazine, and that sight brought a smile to her face.
“February Felina?”
Her heart pounded a fast tattoo, and they both stood and followed the medical assistant into the back of the office. After being weighed, having her vitals taken, and asked to change into the standard paper gown, they were left to wait in the room for the doctor to arrive. Charlie started pacing, and it was her turn to speak and ease his nervousness.
“Calm down, Charlie.” He glared at her but plopped his big body into the tiny chair in the corner. The doctor arrived moments later with a sonogram machine and an assistant.
“Hello. I’m Dr. Harrison.” She held her hand out, and Ary took it. The physician was a cougar shifter, the same as the assistant. The feline in her could smell the cat in them right away. “So how about we check on your little one?”
Nodding and smiling, February did as the doctor instructed and lay back on the table. The lights dimmed, and the sonogram machine lit up in an array of blue and white. “If you were a human, we would have to go vaginally in order to see anything, because you’re so early in the pregnancy, but seeing as you’re a shifter, we will be able to do this on your abdomen.” The assistant brought the machine closer. “We can see the sex of the baby and which species it will take after, if that is what you’d like revealed.” She smiled at Ary and then did the same to Charlie.
Dr. Harrison squeezed warm gel on her exposed belly and started moving it around. Charlie stood by her side and took her hand in his. At first, she couldn’t see anything but a black screen, but then the tiny body came into view. Ary could make out the arms and legs, the head, and even the tiny fingers and toes.
The doctor started pointing out all the parts and even showed them the baby’s beating heart and let them hear it. Tears filled her eyes, and she blinked them away. It was the most surreal and joyous moment in her life thus far.
“Do you guys want to know the sex and who the baby is taking after?”
Ary looked at Charlie but already knew he wanted to know as well. She looked back at the doctor and smiled. “We want to know.” The doctor ran the wand over her belly a few more times, tapped out dimensions on the keyboard, and printed off some pictures.
She pointed at the screen, but Ary had no idea what she was looking at. “You see that right there?” Charlie leaned in and squinted, and she and the doctor laughed. “I know it’s hard to make out if you don’t know what it is, but that right there tells me your baby is a boy.” Charlie snapped his head back, and she swore his chest puffed out a good six inches.
The doctor then started rattling off bone lengths, head circumference, and a w
hole lot of other dimensions that made no sense to Ary.
“The bone structure and the placement of internal organs tell me your baby will be a bear shifter.”
Charlie squeezed her hand and looked down at her. His smile was bigger than any other time before, and she couldn’t help but return the expression.
“You hear that, kitten? We are having a boy, and it looks like he’s taking after his dad.” He leaned down and kissed her on the lips.
“I can also see he is going to be a pretty big boy too, given the length of his arms and legs this early on.” Doctor Harrison looked over at them. “But seeing as the father is quite large in size, that really isn’t a surprise.” They wrapped everything up, and they were handed a series of pictures of the baby. When they were left alone and Ary was dressed, Charlie grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug.
“Have I told you how happy you make me?” He pulled back and cupped her face with his hands.
She had to crane her head back to look into his face. “Yes, but you can always tell me again.”
He chuckled and kissed her once more. “You make me so damn happy. I love you, Ary.” Her eyes widened, and her pulse quickened. Charlie didn’t flinch as he stared at her. “I know everything is happening so fast, but my feelings are what they are. I don’t expect you to feel the same way—”
“I love you too, Charlie.”
His eyes widened a fraction as well, and then that trademark half-mouth smile came into play. He pulled her into a hug again, and she heard him inhale. He was right; things were going so fast, but she had never been around someone who made her feel so complete.
After several long minutes of him just holding her, he pulled back and dropped to his knees in front of her. She was a bit confused as to what he was doing, but then he lifted up her shirt and placed a kiss on her stomach.
“You hear that, son? Your momma loves me, and I love her.” He kissed her once more and stood. She was speechless, so much so that all she could do was blink at what he had just done. Here was this big, strong male, so very powerful and frightening at times, but so gentle and surprising at the things he did. He continuously shocked her. “We better get going or they’ll think we’re doing dirty things in the exam room.” He took her hand and led her out of the office. She was still in shock when he helped her in then climbed in the driver seat.
