by Sable Sylvan
“The winning muffin…is the ‘stud muffin,’ by Jennifer Drury from Bear Claw Bakery! I can’t recall the last time a non-marionberry muffin won first place,” admitted Grandma Dixon. “Congratulations. This muffin is truly a treat. I’ll be ordering two dozen to serve at my next moon watching party!”
The crowd cheered.
Jennifer’s hands flew up to her face. She couldn’t believe it. Her muffin had really taken first place! She looked around — the judges were clapping, the other competitors were clapping, and the audience was clapping — including Patricia, who was flanked by two men hooting and hollering louder than anyone.
“Not only is Miss Drury’s muffin delicious, but, I heard there’s a special story behind the recipe,” said Grandma Dixon. “Care to share the story with us, dearie?”
Jennifer walked up to the mic and took the blue-ribbon prize from Grandma Dixon in one hand and took the mic in the other.
“Marionberry muffins are a Port Jameson favorite, have been for years, and I don’t expect that to change just because my silly recipe won a prize,” said Jennifer. “To tell you the truth, my original plan was to enter some marionberry muffins into this very bake-off. But, Fate throws everyone curveballs, shifters and humans alike. I found the best dang marionberries in Port Jameson, but their berry patch got attacked by bears. Luckily, my two bears helped me work on my recipe for stud muffins at the last minute. My bear claw inspired muffins have a touch of marionberry and a lot of local honey, in the icing, marzipan, and cinnamon honey swirl. The bear claw, the marionberry, and the honey represent three remarkable things about Port Jameson, and I couldn’t’ve made it without the two men that make my life as perfect as these muffins — Jevon and Rufus, my true loves, and me, well…I’m their fated mate. Port Jameson’s a place where you can make anything if you put your mind to it — from bake-off winning muffins to fairytale happily-ever-afters.”
“Go up there and kiss her!” called Patricia, pretending she wasn’t sitting next to the boys.
“Yeah! Kiss!” called someone else — Brittany, one of the competitors on stage.
Jevon and Rufus exchanged a look and nodded. They headed up to the stage, picked up their fated mate, gave her kisses on the cheeks, and carried her back down to the seat they’d reserved for her in the audience.
And that is the story of how Jennifer Drury, the muffin woman, who lives on Drury Lane, finally found a happy ending with her stud muffin bears.
Epilogue
“I want to sleep in,” said Jennifer.
“Well, you can’t,” said Rufus, gently, rolling Jennifer’s hair behind her ear. “You have to get up. We have a big day today.”
“But it’s the weekend,” said Jennifer with a sigh, rolling back onto the pillow.
“Nuh-uh-uh,” said Rufus, leaning in to give Jennifer a kiss on the cheek. “You never get a day off from being my mate.”
“From being our mate,” Jevon corrected Rufus while leaning in the doorway. “Come on. There has to be something that can lure you out of bed.”
“Like what?” asked Jennifer.
“How about food?” asked Jevon. “That’s what gets bears to get up after hibernating all winter.”
“I wasn’t sleeping for that long,” grumbled Jennifer, like a bear that had just woken up from hibernating all winter.
“Well…if you won’t get up, will you let these two bears into your den?” asked Rufus, rubbing Jennifer’s shoulder. “Maybe that will wake you up.”
“I’ve had worse alarm clocks,” said Jennifer, raising an eyebrow. “Get in here.”
“Rufus! This was not part of the plan!” hissed Jevon.
“Look — you can stand there and be the ‘responsible’ one, or, you can get in this bed,” said Jennifer. “What you do is your business.”
“And what I do is mine — all mine,” said Rufus with a chuckle, getting into bed beside Jennifer, only bothering to kick off his shoes. Rufus, like Jevon, had already gotten changed. Rufus kissed Jennifer on the top of the forehead.
“I mean — not all yours,” said Jevon with a frown.
“Oh, yes, Rufus — I’m all yours,” said Jennifer, half-sarcastically, leaning her head back, before Rufus nipped her on the neck. “Oh! Ru…Rufus!”
Jevon didn’t bother taking his shoes off. He came over to the side of the bed, ripped his shirt off, and pushed Rufus aside, hiking Jennifer’s legs up around his waist and pulling her up to kiss her deeply, on her mouth.
Jennifer felt electric sparks fly between her lips and Jevon’s. There was no hitting snooze on that.
“See?” growled Jevon. “This is how you wake up your mate. What you were doing…well, that’d put her to sleep.”
“Some of us prefer nuance,” said Rufus, sitting so that he was behind Jennifer, wrapping an arm around her waist, and kissing her neck gently, slowly, before taking more of her nape’s soft surface into his mouth and grazing it with his teeth. A chill ran down Jennifer’s spine, even though her arousal was heating her up from within. Rufus’ kisses were like opium, relaxing and intoxicating.
Jevon saw Jennifer’s eyes flutter and close as she took in a deep breath.
“See — you’re putting her to sleep,” growled Jevon.
“And you’re muddying up the linens,” retorted Rufus.
“Fuck the linens,” spat Jevon.
“Fuck the linens? Fuck me,” said Jennifer, bucking her hips up.
Jevon and Rufus exchanged a glance. Jevon peeled Jennifer’s nightshirt up above her head. Her arms were stuck in the fabric as Jevon pulled her legs back up around his waist. Rufus kissed Jennifer’s back and reached forward to massage her bosom while Jevon slid Jennifer’s panty to the side.
Jennifer felt Rufus and Jevon’s rough hands — the hands of lumberjacks who knew a hard day’s work and the paws of shifters that knew a hard night’s shift. The pebbled texture of the marks on their hands sent her every hair on end, as if she too were a shifter, about to turn into some wild animal. While she couldn’t shift, they had awoken something inside her — an animal with no name, a primal urge that would’ve blinded her vision if the fabric of the nightshirt had not kept her blind.
As Jevon slid deep into Jennifer’s moistness, Jennifer sucked in a breath of fresh morning air and the fabric of the shirt pressed against her moist mouth. The material kept her from taking in as much air as she wanted. She tried to shimmy off the fabric, and finally, Rufus lifted the shirt off. Jennifer gasped as she took in a breath
“Took you long en — oh!” said Jennifer, once she’d stopped gasping, but Rufus gave her something else to gasp about. Jennifer closed her eyes, bit her lower lip, and let herself fall into Rufus like a cliff diver falling into the raging waves of the ocean, ready to drown in his warm arms, to crash against his hard metal belt buckle, his rough denim jeans, his tough flannel shirt.
But, Jennifer was pulled from Rufus by Jevon. He didn’t lift her gently like a guardian angel rescuing a fair maiden who’d slipped from the edge of a cliff. No — he was a bungee cord, bouncing Jennifer back up to meet his body and nearly giving her whiplash.
“Fuck,” Jennifer moaned as Jevon grabbed her thick ass with both hands, pulling it apart roughly as he bounced her up and down on his cock.
Before Jennifer could come, Jevon spilled into Jennifer, but although she felt his hot wetness fill her like the incoming salty waves filled the tidal pool, she felt something else as well, driftwood that washed upon her shores. No — it was the mast of a rogue’s pirate ship, a thick crow’s nest invading her shores.
Rufus pulled Jennifer back onto his cock and pushed her back down. He grabbed her thick ass with one hand, her waist with another, pulling her ass up, pushing her back down, making her arch her spine as if he were some rakish unprofessional yoga teacher.
“Fuck,” moaned Jennifer, as Rufus hit her right in her spot. “Rufus…”
“Didn’t call out my name,” grumbled Jevon.
“Who’s keeping count?”
asked Rufus, quirking a brow and slapping Jennifer, drilling into his mate.
“Me,” said Jevon, raising a brow. “Obviously, me.”
“Oh, Jevon — you made me so wet,” said Jennifer, looking at Jevon and biting her lower lip. “Jevon — you know how to get me started, and you know I’m harder to start than the lawn mower the landlord left me at this rental.”
“Better late than never — but trust me, you’re a heck of a lot sexier than some rusty lawn mower,” said Jevon.
“I don’t know…I’ve seen some really sexy lawn mowers in my time,” joked Rufus, squeezing Jennifer’s ass. “Ooh…that could be fun.”
“What could be fun?” asked Jennifer.
“So many things…but for starters, me, Jevon, mowing your lawn for you,” said Rufus.
“You’d do that for me anyway,” said Jennifer.
“Okay — but how about we do it shirtless, while you make us lemonade, and give us a very special tip for a job well done?” asked Rufus, flexing his cock inside Jennifer.
“Why do I have a feeling you’re going to make me make you marionberry lemonade?” asked Jennifer.
“Because that Port Jameson air’s finally gotten to you,” said Jevon. “Speaking of which…I want to do this date before it gets too hot. Can you, uh, hurry things up, Rufus?”
“Art takes time,” said Rufus.
“I don’t want art,” said Jennifer. “I want to come.”
“Well, then why didn’t you just say so?” teased Rufus, reaching forward, to press Jennifer on her clit — the very opposite of a snooze button.
Jennifer’s eyes went wide — wider than they’d been all morning, and although the sensation of having her clit rubbed by Rufus made her want to close her eyes and enjoy the feeling, her body wouldn’t let her do that. Instead, it made her lean so far down on the bed that her arms were at her sides, her thick arms and curves pressed against the soft sheets of her bed. She grabbed the linens in her hands, her fingers rubbing against the bootprints left by Jevon on the bed when he’d fucked her, kneeling right in the spot her face was calling home.
“Can’t escape from that easily,” threatened Rufus, pressing against Jennifer even harder as he slammed into agonizingly slow.
“I need…more,” said Jennifer breathily.
“Are you going to be good for me and do what you threatened to do?” asked Rufus. “Or, are you going to be a bad girl, and break your promise?”
“I’ll…keep my promises,” promised Jennifer, and with that, Rufus gave Jennifer the sweet release she so needed, pressing into her, deep into her, going all the way, hard, while gently rubbing her clit. Jennifer felt her heart and stomach drop and felt as if she’d entered one of those rooms where items were glued to the ceiling to give one the illusion they were the ones that were upside down. She felt as if the world was wrong side up for a single second before things flipped back to normal and she came down hard, with a crash, in tandem with Rufus.
“Told you I could wake her up,” said Rufus.
“You two wore me out,” said Jennifer.
“Well, grab an energy drink then, because we’ve got a date to get to,” said Rufus, slapping Jennifer on the ass before sliding out of her thick, moist curve. “Or, I guess Jevon and I could just eat your portion of the meal…”
“Okay — maybe Jevon was right,” admitted Jennifer. “Food can get me out of bed.”
“Great,” said Jevon. “Slip on some outdoor clothes, because we’re going on a little trip up the mountains.”
“I told you, it’s my day off,” mumbled Jennifer. “Didn’t expect to have to frikkin’ hike up the mountain on my day off.”
Rufus picked his keys up off the dresser and jingled them. “Who said anything about hiking? Just put on clothes you don’t mind ruining — which frankly, you should do whenever you expect to see Jevon and me.”
A BBW and two bear shifters walked into a garden. There was no punchline. There was just quiet. They were carrying a large picnic blanket, a basket of goodies — including stud muffins — and a bottle of marionberry mead. They lay out on the grass and drank and ate and made merry.
Jennifer lay back on the blanket and looked at the way the light finger through the floral canopy, curling back the petals to stream down onto the garden’s underbrush.
“It’s a shame this place won’t be around much longer,” said Jennifer.
“What do you mean?” asked Jevon, shooting a confused look to Rufus. “Rufus…didn’t you tell her?”
“Tell me what?” asked Jennifer.
“I thought you told her,” said Rufus.
“It’s your crew!” said Jevon with a laugh. “I didn’t want to steal your thunder!”
“Can somebody please tell me whatever it is they wanted to tell me…now?” asked Jennifer, rolling her eyes.
“Didn’t I tell you?” asked Rufus. “I can’t believe I forgot to tell you. Terrence said we have to tear it down…but, we’re going to rebuild it.”
“You’re rebuilding the garden?” asked Jennifer, sitting back up.
“New beams, new wires, and by this time next year, this garden should look like it does now — without the splinters and tetanus-covered nails,” said Rufus.
“I thought the alumni wouldn’t change their mind,” said Jennifer.
“Well…I knew you loved the garden, so Jevon and I came here and talked about a way to convince Terrence to let us keep the garden around,” said Rufus.
“Hell, I promised to come here every night with Rufus and maintain it,” said Jevon. “But…that gave Terrence an idea. He’s going to have members of Hemlock Crew renovate the garden, using wood they chop down on the mountain, as part of the general Hemlock Crew program.”
“He pitched it to the alums, and they all agreed it was a good way to teach us newbies some life skills, what it’s like to do hard work, and not just forestry, but carpentry, too. Plus, it gives us a way to put our wood to use,” said Rufus.
“I know of another way you can put your wood to use,” said Jennifer, rubbing Rufus and Jevon’s pants. She felt something in Jevon’s pants. It was thick, hard.
“Seems like you’re all ready to, uh…give me something special,” said Jennifer.
Jevon exchanged a look with Rufus. Rufus nodded. Jevon reached into his pocket and pulled out a wooden box, shaped like a bear. It was a simple puzzle box. He opened it and made sure not to lose the parts that could put the box back together. Inside the box, there was a simple bed of forest green velvet, as verdant as the lush ground they were sitting on, and on top of the velvet, there was a ring.
The ring had a giant sparkling diamond on it, a white diamond, and it was mounted on a simple golden band that had been hammered out by hand. It seemed perfectly round and smooth at a glance, but when looked at carefully, it was apparent that the band was made with love.
“Jennifer Drury, the best thing that’s ever happened for us is you moving to Port Jameson,” said Jevon. “Fate brought you into our lives for a reason.”
“Just as the two of us came up with a way to save this garden, and the three of us came up with those award-winning muffins, we want to keep on solving problems with you,” said Rufus. “No matter what Fate throws our way, I’m sure we can handle it — as a team. This ring is also a collaboration piece. The diamond is from my grandmother’s ring, a loose diamond that was passed down to me. Jevon made the golden band by hand, with some help from a Grizzlyfir lumberjack who knew a thing or two about jewelry. The ring has a part of me and a part of Jevon in it.”
“All it’s missing is you,” said Jevon. “Will you marry us, Jennifer, and make us happier than a bear during the peak salmon season?”
“Of course I will,” said Jennifer. Jevon slipped the ring on Jennifer’s finger. Jennifer pulled both of her lovers in for a hug before smattering their cheeks with kisses. In the end, Jennifer Drury, the muffin woman, who lived on Drury Lane, had gotten her pair of her stud muffin bears.
“An engage
ment party? Of course, I’d love to help you plan it!” said Patricia. “You two — I mean, you two bears — can come by after closing to come up with the menu. I’m sure Jennifer would love the surprise. Bye now!” Patricia hung up the phone.
“Who was that?” asked Darius.
“Obviously, Jennifer, Jevon, and Rufus — weren’t you listening?” asked Terrence with a smirk.
“I was — but I wasn’t trying to be rude about it,” said Darius pointedly.
“Jevon and Rufus finally proposed to Jennifer! Apparently, it happened earlier today. That’s right — it was Jevon and Rufus, and they want to plan a surprise engagement party for Jennifer,” said Patricia. “You two could learn a lot from them, about getting along. Anyway. Back to the accounts. Terrence, this month, Hemlock Crew owes —”
“Wait, what?” asked Terrence. “Back up a second. You think that Darius and I should get along?”
“Isn’t that what you two told Jevon and Rufus to do?” asked Patricia.
“Well, yeah — but that’s because it’s easier for us if lumberjacks aren’t trying to tear each other apart,” said Darius.
“You know — you two could take a leaf out of their book,” said Patricia. “Heck, they’re not the only lumberjacks at your camps that have started to get along.”
“Oh, you’re talking about Alex,” said Darius, crossing his arms.
“And…Quentin,” said Terrence, exchanging a look with Darius.
“And Katrina, Katrina Muffet,” said Patricia. “Come on. You two know how they met, right? My curvy Miss Muffet was trying to do her frikkin’ jobs, and then, Terrence, your curds got in her way…”
Sneak Peek: Miss Muffet’s Bears
Raw, Unedited, Unfiltered
Curvy Miss Muffet told the lumberjacks to stuff it, as their curds were all in her way...but along came a werebear, who sat down beside her, and frightened his fated mate away!
