Bear to Want: Kodiak Den #1 (Alaskan Den Men)

by Amy Lamont

  I turned my attention fully on Alyssa, curious to see her reaction. Her hazel eyes were wide, her gaze sliding back and forth between us.

  “I did think about it, Mason.” She blew out a breath. “In fact, it was about all I could think about last night.”

  Her eyes widened even more as she looked at me, and I couldn’t help but think her last statement wasn’t the complete truth. What else had been on her mind last night?

  A sneaking suspicion started creeping in as pink tinged her cheeks. I was beginning to think she’d spent a good part of last night thinking about more than a job. In fact, if the red that hit her ears was any indication, Alyssa had spent last night thinking about me.

  Good.

  She licked her lips nervously, and again turned her gaze on Mason. “I appreciate the offer, Mason. I really do. But as tempting as it is, I can’t in good conscience say yes. Not when I plan on leaving town as soon as I can. You need to find someone who can help you with your business for the long haul.”

  My bear roared when faced with the threat of her leaving. I managed not to let the disquiet show on my face, but I’d taken about all I could.

  I stood abruptly from my stool and grabbed Alyssa’s hand. “Pete, Alyssa’s taking a break. Mind if I use your back room for a minute?”

  Pete looked up and his grizzly face broke into something that I assumed was his version of a grin. He raised a hand holding a spatula and waved it toward the swinging doors to the back.

  I walked forward, Alyssa still on the other side of the counter, but her fragile hand grasped firmly in my own. I pulled her along the length of the counter until we reached the end and then I tugged her next to me and through the doors. I led her to the big pantry all the way at the back of the restaurant that held jars of oversized condiments and packages of paper goods.

  Flicking on the light, I pulled her inside and shut the door behind us with a slam. I twisted her so her back was to the door and then leaned into her.

  Her scent filled my head and I had to remind myself why I’d brought her here when every part of me wanted to do nothing more than pin her to the door and take her mouth with my own. Her face only inches from mine, it was pure torture not to give in to the driving urge to finally taste her.

  “You’re going to explain to me why you haven’t left town yet,” I all but growled.

  She blinked up at me. I could feel a fine trembling taking over her body and her breath came in shallow pants against my cheek.

  I groaned and tucked my face in her neck, inhaling deeply. “Tell me, Alyssa. Why are you here? Why didn’t you leave for college the minute you graduated high school?”

  “I-I...what are you doing, Kaden?”

  I pulled back so I could stare down into her eyes. “I’m asking you a question. I need an answer.”

  My words seemed to restore some of her temper. She pulled away from me as far as the door at her back would allow. “What's going on, Kaden? Are you trying to get me fired from this job, too?”

  That caught my attention. “Kelly fired you?”

  “Yes.” She spit the single word at me. “After she accused me of being the plaything of every shifter in town, she fired me.”

  Anger at the stupid woman for daring to hurl those words at my mate warred with something else. In this moment, with Alyssa’s body inches from my own and the door closed with no chance of being interrupted, the other emotion won out.

  I grinned down at her. “Good.”

  “Good?” She all but shrieked. “I needed that job.”

  “If you need a job, sweetheart, take the one Mason offered you. Come work for us.”

  Her shoulders deflated and confusion swirled in the depths of her eyes. I could see a war raging behind them.

  “Alyssa, seriously. Why wouldn’t you take the job?” Mason hadn't given me all the details, but I’m sure he offered her a generous salary. And if he hadn’t I would. Not that she’d need it. I’d be taking care of all my woman’s needs sooner rather than later.

  “Because I’m leaving, Kaden. I have plans to move to Oregon in November.”

  I drew my brows together. I couldn’t understand why she hadn’t done that long ago. And I needed the answer. “Tell me why you didn’t leave sooner. I know you planned on going away to college the second you could. Why didn’t you leave Kodiak years ago? And please, tell me why you waited until I got back to town to finally plan on leaving.”

  She sank her teeth into her bottom lip and a wrinkle appeared between her eyebrows. She looked completely bewildered and completely adorable at the same time. I couldn’t fight the urge to lean in closer to her. My hips held hers pinned to the door.

  Her lips parted. “Kaden...”

  My name came out of her on a whisper, like she had no breath to spare. And I forgot why I brought her back here. Forgot my intention to apologize and explain things to her. Forgot everything but the way she looked with her hazel eyes wide and her pink lips parted. I couldn’t wait even another second to taste her.

  “Fuck it,” I muttered and lowered my mouth to hers with a loud groan.

  Chapter 6

  Alyssa

  Kaden Black was kissing me. The thought barely had time to lodge itself in my brain before all ability to think fled. All my fears came true in an instant and I knew I’d do anything to have Kaden’s mouth on mine forever.

  Kaden didn’t seem to object to the idea either. He was in no hurry to end the kiss. His mouth devoured mine, his tongue urging my lips to part.

  I couldn’t help myself. I obliged him. I opened my mouth to him and his tongue dipped inside to tease and taste me. Without thought, I lifted my hands to his shoulders, bracing myself when my knees grew weak. Tentatively, I slid my tongue forward to meet his. Tasting him for the first time, I couldn’t keep from moaning into his mouth.

  As if the sound set off something inside him, Kaden kissed me harder, his body pushing mine into the door. He slid his hands down my sides and cupped my ass, lifting me and urging my legs around his waist. I did as he wanted and felt his erection prodding me through my jeans, creating delicious friction in my most private spot.

  Kaden ripped his mouth from mine and I almost whined at the loss. But I needn’t have worried. He continued to press kisses along my jaw and up until he reached my ear.

  “You’re mine, Alyssa.” His voice was all but a growl. I knew I should protest his words, fight the feelings rising up in me, and push him away.

  But I couldn’t do it. Instead I titled my head, giving his mouth, tongue, and nipping teeth better access to my neck.

  He kept one hand under my ass, bracing my body against the door. The other moved up, sliding up my front and without warning, right underneath the hem of my T-shirt onto the bare skin of my belly.

  I jolted in his arms. The touch of his hand against my naked skin was electric and seemed to flip a switch, setting every nerve ending in my body on high alert. My hips bucked against him and a sizzling tingle sent waves of pleasure through my body at the same time as I felt a surge of wetness between my thighs.

  I’d read my fair share of romance novels. At the ripe old age of twenty-two, with my prospects for bed partners few and far between, I’d had my share of self-induced orgasms. But nothing—nothing—had prepared me for the feelings shooting through my body as Kaden’s hands and mouth traveled over my skin.

  “Kaden.” His name escaped me on a moan.

  “What do you need, baby?”

  “You, I need you. Just you.” It became a chant. I didn’t know if I said it out loud or if it was all in my head, but my hips started to rock, jerking and bucking against his hard length.

  “That’s it, sweetheart. Take what you need.” He moved his hand up to cup my breast over my bra, dipping his thumb inside to flick over my nipple.

  The hard bud pulled into a tight peak at his touch and my breath came in harsh pants. He bit down on the sensitive spot where my shoulder met me neck, and before I even knew it was upon me, an orga
sm washed over me in white-hot waves.

  I continued to move my hips against him as the feelings pulsed through me. Kaden’s arms gripped me tight, offering me a safe haven to ride out my pleasure.

  When the last aftershock passed through me, I opened my eyes, not even really knowing when I’d closed them. My gaze immediately met Kaden’s. And while I might have just found the ultimate pleasure, his expression made it more than clear that he had not.

  The skin over his sharp cheekbones was tight, his mouth a firm slash, his lips pressed together, as if he held onto his control by a thread. His dark eyes blazed down into mine and I shivered.

  He moved his head down, his lips seeking mine once more. My eyes fell closed and I tilted my head, more than ready and willing to start building the pleasure again.

  But before he made contact, he paused. My eyes flew open.

  “Kaden.” His name came out as a demand.

  He chuckled “I know, sweetheart. Believe me, I don’t want to stop. But the first time is not going to be here. Not in a storage room in the back of Sheila’s.”

  He slowly slid me down his body, pulling my legs from around his waist and easing me back down to the floor.

  My eyes widened and I looked around as it sank in that I’d all but thrown myself at Kaden while I was in the middle of my workday. God. I really was just like my mother.

  But before I could delve too deeply into that humiliating thought, something else occurred to me. “If you knew this was my first time, why did you get so mad when Kelly called me a slut last night?”

  It was Kaden’s turn to be shocked, and if I wasn’t staring at him as intently as I was, I would have missed the slight widening of his eyes and the small breath he exhaled. His gaze searched mine.

  “You’re a virgin?” he asked.

  I pressed my lips together. Crap, crap, crap. That wasn’t what he’d meant. I turned my face to the side and refused to answer his question.

  “Alyssa.” His voice was warm and amused.

  I hid the only way I could, considering our positions. I buried my burning face in his neck.

  His warm chuckle washed over me and my body stiffened. Could this get any more embarrassing?

  “Look at me.” He slid a hand along my face and down to cup my jaw. He used his hold to tip my head back, his thumb gently caressing my cheek.

  I forced myself to do as he asked. I looked at him, and the expression he wore stole my breath away.

  “You haven’t been with anyone else?” His voice was gentle but demanded an answer.

  I shrugged. “No, I haven’t...been with anyone.” I left off the “else” part. The fact I just came apart in his arms and now had to admit to my lack of experience with men was humiliating enough without implying I intended to be with him.

  A look so indescribably possessive broke like a wave over his face. For a second he looked so fierce, I would have been afraid if his eyes hadn’t remained so warm and his touch so gentle.

  “Let’s go, Alyssa.”

  And before I could say another word, Kaden was back to tugging on my hand. Before I knew he it, he’d dragged me out front where I’m sure all my customers got an eyeful of my disheveled hair and rumpled T-shirt. Just great.

  “Mace, take care of my breakfast, will you?” Kaden called out. Without waiting for a response, he kept us moving through the restaurant toward the door as he called out. “Pete, sorry buddy, but Alyssa quits. Effective immediately.”

  And that’s how I found myself standing outside of Sheila’s, no jacket, still in my apron, spluttering and trying to figure out what the hell just happened.

  Kaden

  When we hit the sidewalk outside Sheila’s, all I could think about was getting Alyssa to the nearest private spot. After she shared what she shared, my bear and I were in perfect accord—we needed to make her ours without delaying another second.

  My eyes scanned the street up and down, like a hotel might have cropped up since I ducked inside the restaurant. When nothing presented itself, I tugged Alyssa toward my truck.

  “Kaden?”

  I glanced over my shoulder and cursed myself. Alyssa stumbled along, her free arm wrapped around her middle to ward off the cold and her lips pressed together in a worried line. My first job, above all else, was to take care of my mate.

  Looked like I was doing a piss poor job of that so far.

  I stopped abruptly and Alyssa ran into my back. I twisted and caught her in my arms, rubbing my hands briskly down her back to transfer some of my heat to her. She stared up at me with those wide eyes and for a second I was lost again, thinking of nothing but burying myself insider her.

  Her shiver—whether from cold or the same desire I felt, I didn’t know—spurred me into action. I wasn’t taking any chances. I shed the dark green fleece zip up I was wearing and pulled it around her shoulders.

  “Sorry, sweetheart. I’ve waited a long time for you and I guess I lost my head.”

  “Waited a long time?” Her head tipped to the side and her voice was just above a whisper.

  I pressed a quick kiss on her lips. “Seven long years.”

  And that was long enough.

  As if my words about the past had conjured the image, a sudden memory of Alyssa’s house popped into my head. I grinned, grabbed her hand and all but ran down the street and over one block, mindful not to make my strides too long. It was all I could do not to heave her over my shoulder, but as foreplay went, running down Carpenter Street carrying her in a fireman’s hold, probably wouldn’t earn me many points.

  And she was a virgin. Just the thought sent bolts of pure need through me.

  “Kaden, where are we going?”

  I just kept moving, all my attention focused on getting her to the nearest bed. Or really, any flat surface would do.

  No, a bed. I sucked in a deep breath as I fought for control. My girl deserved a bed her first time. I needed to take my time and make sure she was ready for me.

  I pushed down the frustrated groan that wanted to escape. All I wanted to do was bury myself in her body. Now. Taking things slow might just be the death of me.

  A glance over my shoulder at the woman following me so trustingly told me one thing—she was worth it.

  I stopped short when I came to the place I’d been looking for. Alyssa’s house.

  I pulled Alyssa into my arms. “Your mom isn’t home, is she?”

  Alyssa stood staring straight ahead, her gaze fixed on the ramshackle little house with its overgrown yard. I had no clue what the expression on her face meant.

  I gave her a little shake. “Alyssa?”

  She slowly turned her head to look at me, her eyes strangely emotionless. “My mother hasn’t lived here in years.”

  Finally, some good news. “So you live here alone?”

  Even as I asked, I knew that couldn’t be right. Alyssa might not realize yet just how well I knew her. But I’d made a habit of studying her when I still lived in Kodiak.

  Alyssa worked hard and took pride in the fact. There’s no way she’d live here and let the weeds grow so high or the paint to fade and chip.

  “You don’t live here.”

  She shook her head. “Not since right after I turned seventeen.”

  I hugged her tightly to me. “Did you move to get away from your mother?”

  A crinkle formed between her brows. “No, Kaden, my mother moved away from me.”

  The carefully blank expression she wore couldn’t cover the slight quiver in her voice. What had I missed while I was away?

  “Where does she live now?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “I haven’t seen or heard from her since she took off over five years ago. She said she was heading to North Dakota, but I’m really not sure.”

  Anger and a fierce protectiveness surged through me. “You were still in high school five years ago.”

  She nodded and turned her gaze back to the house. “That’s one of the reasons I left here. I couldn’t afford the rent
and still finish school.”

  “What about after you graduated? You always wanted to go to college. Why didn’t you leave here too?”

  Her lips parted and her head whipped back toward me. “How do you know that I always wanted to go to college?”

  I shrugged. “Sweetheart, I told you, I waited a long time for you. And a big part of the reason I waited so long was so you could have your dream. My plan was to come find you as soon as I got the new business going here. So when I say I was shocked to get home and find you still here, let’s just say it was an understatement.”

  Her hazel eyes grew wide. “What?”

  Shit. I guess I’d done too good a job of giving her space. I’d meant to give her time to grow up and follow the plan she set for herself. Now it sounded like all I did was left her alone and unprotected. My bear snarled and I could feel him pacing, ready to pounce on any threat he saw.

  I blew out a breath and cuddled Alyssa closer.

  I needed to claim her. Soon. She needed to know she was mine and so did everyone else.

  Chapter 7

  Alyssa

  I couldn’t understand what Kaden was saying to me. It sounded like he’d been attracted to me for a long time. And not in the way the local shifters were attracted to my mother. More like the way my boss Pete felt about is wife.

  That didn’t seem possible. Questions swirled in my mind, but I didn’t know what to ask first. Or if I should ask them at all. But there was one that seemed fairly simple and straightforward and the safest of the bunch floating through my brain.

  “Kaden, why are we here?” I wasn’t going to tell him that I avoided this house like the plague since the day I moved out. Even before my mother left, taking all the money I’d saved for college with her, I didn’t have many good memories of living here.

  He grinned down at me and, I swear, my heart flipped over in my chest. “I thought you still lived here, sweetheart.”