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

by Amy Lamont

“Okay.” I wrinkled my nose at him. “And why did we come here in the first place?”

  His smile widened and I could almost see the bear behind the face of the man. Gulp.

  “I think I rather show you than tell you,” he said.

  I looked around us. The day was cloudy with a chill nip to the wind. The road was empty. And I stood outside my childhood home wrapped in the arms of the shifter who I’d wanted to avoid at all costs. And I liked standing there being held by him.

  “Am I asleep?” I asked.

  He chuckled. “I certainly hope not. I need you wide awake for what I have in mind.”

  “What do you have in mind?” My voice was a whisper.

  “That’s more of what I want to show you, sweetheart. Do you live nearby? I think if we go to my place, we’ll run into too many of my den mates. And I want you all to myself for a little while.”

  Confused, I answered before I thought better of it. “I live two blocks on the other side of Pete’s.”

  “Show me.”

  Before I knew it, I was being hurried along by Kaden Black through the cold air tinged with the salty scent of the ocean toward my apartment. This couldn’t be good.

  When we got to my apartment building, my steps slowed. I stared at the building and tried to imagine what it looked like through Kaden’s eyes.

  The two story building was a rectangle covered in fading brown siding and held two apartments, one on the first floor and my apartment on the second. A set of rickety wooden steps led up along the side of the house to the door of my apartment.

  “Careful,” I warned Kaden over my shoulder. “The step up here is a little wobbly.” I took a big step to avoid that one entirely. I’d tried to fix it before, but my carpentry skills seemed to leave a lot to be desired.

  I dug my single key from the front pocket of my jeans and paused at the door. Was I really going to let Kaden Black into my home?

  Before I could think of a way out of this, Kaden slipped the key from my slightly shaky hand and slid it into the lock. With a gentle hand, so surprisingly gentle, at the small of my back, he guided me inside. He followed me in and shut the door behind us.

  My eyes skimmed over the large studio, again taking stock and trying to see what Kaden would see. I’d fought with myself over spending money, money I couldn’t spare if I wanted to get to college before I was rocking my grandchildren, on decorating the space. But I just couldn’t leave it in the shabby state it had been in when I first moved in. This place was my only haven from the community that wasn’t real welcoming to the human girl whose mother wanted nothing more than to trap one of their men.

  I couldn’t help but wonder if it still looked shabby to Kaden or if he could appreciate the pale yellow paint I’d skimmed over the walls, the billowy curtains on the windows, and the care I’d taken choosing furniture and decor.

  I didn’t get a chance to gauge his reaction, though. I had just a second to slip out of the fleece he’d wrapped around me before he replaced the jacket with his own body.

  A gasp of surprise broke from me as Kaden backed me against my front door and into a similar position as the one we’d been in in the pantry back at the restaurant. His mouth came down on mine, hard and demanding. And I was helpless to do anything but open to him.

  His tongue slid in against my own as his hands went to my hips. He tore his lips from my mouth only to leave a trail of kisses against my jaw. He urged my legs around his waist, and a haze of desire pushed out all thought. I turned into nothing but sensation and wanting.

  I didn’t need more urging. I complied with his unspoken demand, wrapping my legs around him, eager to once again feel the friction of his erection pressed against my most sensitive spot.

  He paused in his kissing to mutter, “Bed.”

  I didn’t have a chance to say anything before his hands slid down to cup my ass, holding me firmly against him as he twisted us. In a few long strides, he reached my bed and sent me tumbling down onto it.

  He stood over me pulling in harsh breaths. “Trying to go slow here, baby.”

  This was slow? I resisted the urge to laugh. Wasn’t that hard considering he towered over me and I got to study every inch of him—his dark eyes, blazing his desire at me, his broad shoulders, the sinewy muscles of his forearms exposed by the Henley he had pushed up to his elbows.

  Dear Lord. I was admiring the man’s forearms. I might be in trouble here.

  For a moment, a brief tiny moment, I considered calling a halt to things before they even started. But as I stared up at the handsome shifter fighting for control, a sense of rightness and inevitability stole over me. I’d always known this man was a danger to me and my peace of mind. It was only now, though, that I was starting to feel like peace of mind was overrated.

  Also, I wanted to see what was under that shirt more than I wanted my next breath.

  I rolled to my knees and inched my way to the side of the bed until I was in touching distance of him. I reached for the hem of his shirt.

  His hands gripped mine, preventing me from going any farther and I wanted to scream.

  “Baby, you need to help me out here. If you put your hands on me...”

  He didn’t need to finish that sentence. I flashed him a grin as I glanced at him from under my lashes. I shook off his hands and leaned in closer as I swept his shirt up, exposing his bare abs.

  “You can go slow if you want.” I ran my hands over the hard ridges of muscle I’d uncovered and pushed the shirt up his chest. “But according to you, we’ve been leading up to this moment for seven years. Don’t you think that’s slow enough?"

  For once giving into the urges of my body and my heart instead of my brain, I let go of his shirt only long enough to whip my T-shirt off over my head. I scrambled to expose his skin again, almost desperate to feel my skin pressed against his.

  Thankfully, at that moment he gave up on slow. He reached behind his head and yanked his Henley shirt and the white T-shirt beneath it off, tossing them on the floor.

  Holy, holy, holy. There were no words to describe him. Tall and broad with miles of tanned skin, marred only by small scars here and there. His chest had a light sprinkling of dark hair that tapered down, pointing straight to the spot I had yet to explore, but couldn’t wait to get my hands on.

  I didn’t know where to start on him, the desire to press my mouth against his chest warring with my desire to strip away the rest of his clothes.

  Kaden didn’t give me the chance to decide. In seconds he was on me. He bore me down to the bed and his weight pressed me into the mattress. The delicious feeling of his skin against my own sent me spiraling into a swirl of need unlike anything I’d ever felt before.

  He kissed me, demanding and hard and holding nothing back. When he pulled away, I tried to follow but he pressed me down with a chuckle.

  “I need to see more of you, sweetheart.” He eased back far enough to bare my breasts to his gaze.

  And for the first time since he’d pinned me to the door in the restaurant’s pantry, my brain took over. It suddenly occurred to me that nobody had ever seen me naked before. His were the first eyes to ever see my bare breasts aside from my own.

  And I couldn’t help but worry he’d find me completely inadequate. I mean, look at him. He was the most gorgeous specimen of man or beast I’d ever laid eyes on. He was perfect and he could have his pick of women. And if the female shifters of Kodiak were anything to go by, beauty was in the genes of all werebears.

  And me? There was nothing hard or toned within an inch of its life on my petite body. I was physically fit with muscles beneath my curves. Tough not be when you spent most of your days waiting tables and running between jobs. But Mother Nature had gifted me with generous hips and a booty to match, ample breasts, and thighs that wouldn’t touch if I lost forty pounds. Not to mention a taste for Ben and Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk.

  Normally I didn’t give my curves much thought outside of when I was trying to find new clothe
s. But lying bare-breasted in front of Mr. Perfect Kaden Black, I couldn’t help but worry he’d be disappointed.

  I lifted my hands, easing them up over my full breasts, cringing inwardly at the pale flesh that spilled over my fingers. I fought the urge to tug the covers out from under me and hide beneath them.

  “Alyssa.” Kaden sat back on his heels and his hands covered mine as he stared straight into my eyes.

  I didn’t fight him as he slowly eased my hands away, baring me to his gaze.

  His eyes released me from the intense stare down to dip down to my chest. I could feel his gaze like a touch, the heat of it warming me as it skimmed over my skin.

  For long moments he just drank me in, but then he moved swiftly, like the predator he was, sliding forward to cover me.

  “You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. And you’re mine." His voice came to me on a growl, sending shivers skittering across my skin.

  Before I could respond, he slid down and latched his mouth onto the tip of one of my breasts.

  A moan broke from my lips and my back shot off the bed, arching to offer his hot, wet mouth more access. How had I managed to go twenty-two years without realizing how amazing this would feel?

  Kaden shifted to my other breast, laving my nipple with his tongue before sucking it between his lips. I couldn’t keep still. My hands lifted to his head, holding him there while my hips bucked against him, seeking something, anything, to relieve the scorching tension slowly building inside me.

  Kaden lifted his head and admired his handiwork. His eyes moved over my breasts before he lifted his gaze to mine. A self-satisfied smile curved the tips of his lips up. “I think that’s going to leave a mark.”

  I glanced down and saw a bright red hickey beside my right nipple. I raised my eyes to meet his amused gaze and shrugged. “Who else would see it?”

  An expression so fierce and so intent passed over his face. His hands came up to cup my head and he kissed me with a determined possession that left me breathless.

  When he pulled away, it was only to continue kissing down my jaw and then lower. He nipped and licked his way down to the spot where my shoulder met my neck and he bit down, sucking and moving his tongue against my skin in a rhythmic motion.

  My hips shot up and my legs wrapped around him. I arched my neck back and allowed him to have his way as a mixture of pleasure and pain sent bolts of heat tearing through my body.

  “Kaden!”

  He lifted his head and his eyes glowed fiercely down at me. The usual warm brown now had a tinge of gold rimming it. The planes of his face seemed more pronounced and his expression was almost feral.

  I should have been afraid. But the emotion surging through me had nothing to do with fear. If anything, the hint of his wild nature propelled my desire to greater heights.

  “Kaden, please.” I wasn’t sure what I was asking for, but his almost savage smile told me he did. And he didn’t hesitate to give it to me.

  Kaden continued kissing his way down my body. He punctuated the caresses of his mouth with small nips. He also seemed determined to taste every inch of me. By the time his mouth reached the waist of my jeans, his tongue had left swirling trails over my skin that left me shivering and wanting more and more.

  His hand went to the button of my jeans.

  “You ready for this, sweetheart?”

  I could see the animal shining out from behind the eyes of the man. Instead of feeling fear as any smart woman would, I felt nothing but wonder. His need was clear as day on his face. The fact he was driven by a primal instinct I couldn’t begin to understand, didn’t prevent him from waiting and giving me time to accept him.

  Warmth seeped into my chest and a feeling I didn’t want to examine too closely curled through me. I leaned up and lifted a hand to caress his cheek, the scrape of his unshaven whiskers chafing my palm in a delicious way.

  “I’m ready,” I whispered before dropping back to the bed.

  He didn’t wait for any further invitation. Before I knew it, he’d unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans. His hands went to the waistband and in one swift movement he stripped me of my jeans and my underwear, sliding down to the bottom of the bed to pull them clear of my feet.

  When he had me completely naked, he stood at the bed by my feet. He stared down at me, his eyes taking the same route his mouth had just traveled, taking in every inch of me.

  This time I had no embarrassment about my curves as his eyes raked over me. His expression made it clear he liked what he saw and a newfound confidence began to bloom inside me. I couldn’t help but lift one leg so my foot was flat on the bed, my knee bent. In this position, my legs weren’t parted enough to give him a full view between them, but it did offer a small glimpse.

  His eyes glowed. With a growl, he ripped at the button and zipper of his own jeans and in seconds he had them flying off his body to join his shirt in a puddle on the floor of my apartment. But not before he grabbed something from his pocket.

  And then, before I could really take all of him in, he was on me, covering my petite, curvy body with his big, hard one.

  A gasp escaped me at this first contact of skin on skin. I reveled in the weight of him pushing me deep into my mattress. I opened my body to him, wrapping my arms and legs around him.

  He kissed me hard and fierce and with a possession that made me want to offer him everything, all of me.

  Kaden ripped his mouth from mine. “I need you, baby.”

  “I’m right here.”

  “I need to make sure you’re ready for me.”

  I couldn’t form the words to tell him I was more than ready for him. And he didn’t wait for them. He slid down over my body so fast, I didn’t realize his intention until my thighs were parted, my legs hooked over his shoulders and his mouth on my hot, wet center.

  “Kaden!” His name left me on a small shriek as his tongue delved straight into me before he licked upward and worked my clit with his tongue and lips and teeth.

  My hands clutched the comforter beside my hips, grasping convulsively in time with his movements.

  I glanced down just as he looked up at me, and the sight of him, his head between my legs, his mouth shiny with my wetness, was enough to bring me right to the edge.

  His feral grin pushed me further and when he delved back into my core, his lips closing around my clit, I went right over. Incoherent moans escaped me as my back bowed, pushing my back off the bed and pushing my sex more firmly at his mouth. Pulsing waves of pleasure coursed through me, one after another as I fought for breathe.

  Kaden kept his mouth working on me until I rode out the last wave of my orgasm. When he pulled back, my body dropped bonelessly back onto the bed, my eyes falling closed and my breath coming in harsh pants.

  Even my fantasies, and if I were being honest, I’d had many of them over the years that featured Kaden prominently, hadn’t prepared me for what he’d just wrung from my body.

  “Open your eyes, Alyssa.” His voice was pure gravel, rough and rumbling. “We’re not done yet.”

  I opened my eyes as he slid his body back up along mine, reigniting tingles of desire in every nerve ending as he moved. I met his fierce gaze with my own. “Oh, God. I might not live through this.”

  He grinned, a wild grin full of promise. “I won’t let you die.” He leaned down and kissed me, his tongue plunging inside my mouth, sharing my taste with me. He pulled back after a minute. “I have too much I still want to do to you.”

  A shiver quaked through me and his grin deepened.

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart. You’ll like every bit of it.”

  I had no doubt. And suddenly, the languorous fatigue my orgasm left me with was gone. Replaced with an almost raging need to have him show me all the things he wanted to do.

  “Show me.” I pushed up and kissed him, tangling my tongue with his, my arms holding him with a ferocity I didn't know I possessed.

  He didn’t need any more goading. He shifted to grab th
e foil packet he’d dropped on the bed. In seconds he opened it and had himself sheathed in a condom.

  I followed his movements with my eyes, and for the first time I really took him in, my eyes devouring every inch of him.

  Holy cow. I’d seen pictures before, but nothing I’d seen online prepared me for the throbbing hardness presented to me now. My eyes widened and raised quickly back to his.

  He chuckled, a pure male sound that sent white-hot need skittering over my skin. At the same time, I couldn’t help a small bit of fear at the thought of trying to take all of him into my body.

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart. You were made for me,” he said as though he could read my thoughts.

  And in that moment, I felt a strong connection with him, as if some bonds I couldn’t see were weaving themselves between us, binding us together in a way that allowed him to know more about me than I even knew myself. The feeling pushed all thoughts of fear away.

  I shifted beneath him. My legs opened and wrapped around him without my conscious decision. I stared up at him, making sure to hold his gaze with my own. “I trust you.”

  He fell to a push up position over me as if he couldn’t hold himself up another minute. His hands landed on the bed beside my shoulders, caging me in a way that made me feel like I never wanted to get out. His hard, hot length prodded my entrance.

  “You’re ready.” His words weren’t a question. I’m sure he could feel just how ready my body was for him.

  Still, he waited, staring down at me.

  I used my legs to pull him in closer to me. “So ready.”

  He reached down and guided himself into me. The broad tip of his dick slid into me, and the feeling was beyond anything I’d ever experienced before. I shifted my hips restlessly as he moved forward oh, so slowly.

  Every muscle in my body pulled tight like a bow, my back arching and bringing him deeper.

  Kaden leaned down and took a nipple into his mouth. He rolled his tongue over it. The competing sensations left me gasping for breath. I dug my nails into his back and used my feet on his ass to urge him forward.

  “Kaden,” I gasped, “I need…”