Mine.
“Come on, sweetheart, I want to make you feel good, but you’ve got to tell me.” He pulled the skirt down her legs, lifting one ankle and then the other until he could pull the silky fabric away completely. “You’re so beautiful.” He couldn’t look away, the matching lingerie set stood out against her creamy skin. A dusting of freckles lined her shoulders and across her stomach. He wanted to kiss every single one of them. Mine. His hands continued running up and down her legs, each pass getting closer and closer to the line of her panties.
“Connor,” she gasped out his name like a prayer.
He growled. He wanted to hear her say it again. “Yes, love?”
“Stop teasing. Touch me- ah!”
He slipped a finger under the lace, grazing her clit. “Now, now, ask nicely,” he told her. He pulled the fabric to one side, marvelling at the soft red hair at the top of her pussy. “I know you can be nice.”
“Fuck you,” she huffed and Connor laughed, leaning down to rake his teeth across the sensitive skin of her neck and twisting one finger into the wet heat between her legs.
“Connor - oh God,” her voice wavered, and she reached for him. Connor was having none of that, pressing her hands back into the mattress so she wouldn’t pull and aggravate her shoulder. She whined, the high noise sending a jolt down his cock, and babbled as she bucked her hips. “Connor, Connor, God, Connor please, want your fingers, thought about it so many times.”
His cock throbbed almost painfully and he shoved a hand down to undo his fly, pressing the heel of his palm against it with a hiss.
“Tell me,” he growled, sliding another finger into her tight heat. Brooke arched off the bed beneath him with a loud moan.
“Oh God- every time you came in to Cole’s I would - ahh! I would imagine what it would feel like if you fucked me in one of the dressing rooms.” She let out sweet little whimpers and moans, canting her hips to meet his thrusts as she spoke. “Thought about how your cock would feel inside me, what you’d sound like when you came-” Connor inhaled sharply, pulling his fingers away from her dripping core. Brooke whimpered. She went to grab him, pull him back, looking so bereft that he would have given her anything right then and there without hesitation. “Why did you stop? Connor, please-”
“Hush, sweetheart. I’ve got you, it’s - fuck, you’re so gorgeous.” He stroked her hair away from her face and watched the way her body quivered, pale skin flushed and pretty under his fingers. “And the things you say…” He got up, reluctantly pulling himself away from the angel in his bed to pull off the rest of his clothes, unable to stop the groan that left him as he finally closed a hand around his cock. “Could listen to filthy things from that pretty mouth all day.” Brooke watched him stroke himself, opening her legs impossibly wider and letting one of her hands drift down her body to rest against her clit.
Connor’s bear was going crazy. He let go of his cock and stalked back to the bed, leaning over her to grab a condom from the bedside drawer. Brooke trailed her free hand down his chest, pinching at his nipple as she continued to finger herself. Connor shivered, drawing back to settle once again between her spread thighs.
“Hands off, Brooke,” he teased. “I’m going to fuck you now.”
She moaned, loudly and roughly. Connor felt another wave of arousal spike beneath his skin. He pulled her into a bruising kiss, tongue claiming every inch of her mouth he could reach as he guided himself into her.
He almost came then and there. She was so hot and wet around him and something shifted in his chest, a relief he’d never felt in his life settling over him. He pulled back from the kiss, loving the way Brooke chased his lips and leaned his forehead against hers. Their breath mingled and Connor could have sworn he felt like they were one person. It was intoxicating.
A few blissful moments passed by when Brooke shifted her hips, driving him deeper into her and he growled low and guttural. Brooke whined.
“Connor,” she sobbed, “Please. Need it. Need you.” The desire in her voice broke his resolve and he picked up the pace, rocking Brooke further up the bed.
“Yes!” Brooke gasped, crooning as her fingers wound into his hair again, pulling hard enough to send a flash of pleasure-pain sparking down Connor’s spine.
“I thought about it too, you know,” he whispered into her ear, licking along her throat and feeling her shiver against him. “I thought about what you would look like squirming on my tongue as I ate you out. I’ll do that, next time, if you’ll let me. Would you like that, Brooke? Want me to lick into you, curl my tongue around that pretty little clit and take you apart with my mouth?”
She was trembling beneath him and her legs tightened around his hips, drawing him in impossibly closer as she whined.
“Connor, ah, oh, Connor…” she moaned his name over and over and Connor kissed her, infinitely softer than their other kisses, as he thrust into her. He’d never felt like this before, like something missing inside of him had been found. He tightened his hold on her, never wanting to let go.
“Brooke.” He kissed her neck, sucking at the juncture between her neck and shoulder and Brooke tensed below him. “Mine,” he whispered the vow into her tender skin.
Brooke screamed, clamping down on him as she came and Connor let himself go, cumming inside her with a loud groan. They stayed there for a few moments, clinging to each other as they shook.
“I think-” Brooke started, voice horse and sleepy, “you might need to wrap my shoulder again.”
8
Vince
Vince watched from the treeline as the last few guests from the ski slopes walked back up towards Black Bear Lodge. His claws scraped angrily at the forest floor. Fucking bears think they own everything. The pack had been in the area for months now and they were still begging on the outskirts of bear territory, waiting for scraps with their tail between their legs like common dogs. He didn’t deserve this, he’d followed Brooke all the way from Nebraska because she’d told them all how amazing Colorado would be.
“We’ve decided to make Brooke the new alpha.”
Vince froze. He was breathing heavily, clutching at his side where Brooke’s claws had raked across his fur. The bitch had beaten him. He couldn’t believe it.
He was strong, stronger than most of what was left of the pack. Their numbers had dwindled the more they moved around. It had been everyone’s idea that a new alpha might finally be able to give them some stability and move them forwards into prosperity. It was meant to be him, he was sure of it, but now he was bleeding and Brooke stood to one side, unruffled with her hands jammed into the pockets of the ratty old coat she always wore. Vince glared at her. She’d cheated. There was no other way, he refused to believe she could beat him. One moment she was standing across from him, tensed for the fight, and the next she was behind him. One pounce onto his back and he’d hit the ground like a cub falling on its ass. She wasn’t even breathing hard.
She must have cheated.
She didn’t even look grateful! She was smiling, sure, but it was a small careful thing. He could feel pure rage filling him up, threatening to spill over. He’d said, over and over that he wanted to be alpha. He was one of the original pack members; he was strong and quick on his feet.
And he was better than her.
She looked back at him, hazel eyes steely with determination and Vince knew she was waiting for him to bow his head, to submit and show that he accepted her leadership. He wanted to rip her throat out. He could do it. He was fast, but the rest of the pack were staring at him, waiting and he knew he might be able to take her down but they’d never accept him as alpha. Reluctantly, he lowered his head stiffly. Satisfied, Brooke turned her attention to the rest of the pack and Vince slipped in behind them, still clutching his side.
“We’ve been kicked around for too long,” she said loudly, eyes glancing over all of them. “I think we should go to Colorado, set up a more permanent base. It’s not very far, but the forests there can give us a m
uch bigger hunting ground than we have right now.”
The trees rushed past him in a green blur, the stink of bear filled his nostrils and he growled. Bigger hunting ground, yeah, right.
In the old days bears and wolves were natural enemies, back then he’d known where he stood. All this peace bullshit made his fur crawl. It would have been so easy the other day to rip out that bear's throat, but Angela had held him back with a warning snarl.
“Remember what Brooke said,” she’d growled as they turned tail and ran. Vince snarled. Brooke. She was a weak alpha, she knew nothing about running a pack and it showed. She was sloppy, she lacked a backbone - it should be me in charge, he thought furiously and I should be running that lodge. He was easily the better choice. He was older, wiser and he wouldn’t back down just because of a few bodybuilder wannabe bears. He needed a plan to take over. And for that he was going to need backup.
He already knew the rumors that were going around the pack, he’d started most of them himself - Brooke spends an awful lot of time up at that lodge don’t you think? I heard she was planning on selling us out, think about it - how little of this territory do we actually have a claim to? And how long before we get kicked out of here too?
Vince grinned. It really was too easy. The pack was twenty strong and growing and the number of them that were starting to listen to him instead of Brooke was close to half. He’d asked them to meet him just outside the lodge grounds, already deep in the bears’ territory. What was that saying? The best offense is a good defense? Yeah, screw that.
The meeting place was a well-hidden clearing, so well hidden in fact that Vince almost didn’t find it. He broke through the trees too fast and almost went flying. He skidded to a stop. The semi-circle of wolves turned to look at him and he growled in warning when a few of them laughed.
“What are we doing here, Vince?” Lucas asked. “This is way too close to the lodge, if Connor Strauss and his brothers find out we’re here.”
“Let them find out!” Vince interrupted. “I know none of you give a shit about what those bears think of us. They need to be taken down. I know it and you know it.”
Silence. Good.
“For years we’ve been tossed from one territory to another. We’re predators! And here we are clinging to the edge of these forests like dogs begging for scraps.” Vince felt a rush of power as the others watched him pace back and forth. He could definitely get used to this.
“Angela and I got chased off of unclaimed territory the other day.” Several of the wolves bared their teeth, shifting agitatedly from foot to foot. He could see Lucas nodding; Vince remembered what he heard about the trio of youngsters being chased off unclaimed territory as well, not that long ago. He grinned. Wolves really are pack animals. Vince smiled to himself. A few choice words and they were eating out of the palm of his hand.
“We are a proud pack and I know with the right alpha we can take back what is rightfully ours.”
He looked at each of them in turn, it was important to make them feel heard after all. If he was to gain their support, he would need to be clever. “Brooke is weak. She doesn’t care about us; all she cares about is kissing up to Connor Strauss and his sleuth. And they’ve made it clear they don’t care about us. It’s time we took over and to do that, Brooke has to go.”
Looking at the semi-circle of wolves around him, teeth bared, Vince’s grin widened.
Brooke was as good as dead.
9
Brooke
Brooke awoke a few hours later feeling more rested than she ever remembered being. The sun had set and Connor was still sound asleep next to her. She took a moment to admire the way his hair fell softly across his forehead as he slept before slipping from the bed and getting dressed.
Her shoulder felt much better; Connor was much better at dressing wounds than she was. He’s probably been in more brawls than I have, she thought, remembering the sheer strength the man currently drooling onto his pillow had shown the night before. Brooke shivered and slipped out of the suite before she could do something she’d regret. Like crawl back into Connor Strauss’ bed and never leave it.
It was better this way, she told herself as she climbed into her car. It didn’t matter how much she liked him, how soft his eyes were, or how crazy amazing he was in bed, he was her enemy. Her pack’s enemy. They’d fought and nearly tore each other apart. She could still feel the the ghost of his touch on her arm, on her thighs, inside her-
She started the car.
When she pulled into the parking lot outside her apartment Vince was standing outside her door, signature scowl in place. He watched her climb out of the driver's seat, eyes following her as she walked towards him.
There goes my good mood.
All she wanted was a hot bath, some whiskey and her bed. She wasn’t needed at Cole’s until after lunch, and she intended to dedicate the day to forgetting how good Connor smelled curled up against her.
“What do you want, Vince?”
“I think you know, Brooke.”
She sighed. She’d known this was coming. Ever since she’d beaten him out for the alpha position he’d had it in for her: opposing everything she said, antagonising her at every turn. She should have kicked him out. The wolf in her snarled, hackles raised, every time he opened his mouth, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. The pack was so small then, and really, they were still short numbered. Vince had been there since the beginning. He was family, even if he was an unbearable asshole.
“Vince. I’m tired. Can we please have this ‘my dick is bigger than your dick’ competition for some other time?” She tried to move around him but he stepped with her, pushing her back to collide with the brick wall beside her front door, flakes of orange dust flying into the air with the force of it. She growled a warning, but Vince ignored her, baring his teeth. “What the fuck, Vince?” she snarled.
“You reek of bear.” Fuck. She should have known he’d be able to smell Connor on her clothes. Fuck fuck- she struggled out of his grip, fixing him with a glare.
“I work at Black Bear Lake Lodge, Vince. You think I’m gonna smell like fucking roses?”
“You can’t fool me, you’ve been gone for hours,” he sneered and Brooke wanted to rip his throat out then and there. “Tell me who you were with!”
She surged forward, fisting the fabric of his gaudy silk shirt and hauling him in. “None of your goddamn business,” she growled. “And if you ever touch me like that again I will pluck your teeth out of your skull one by one.”
She let go, sending him stumbling away from her and reached for her keys.
“Your time is coming to an end, Brooke!” Vince called as she opened the door. “You’d be wise to watch your back.”
She flipped him off and slammed the door.
Cole’s was practically empty as she walked through the door and, as Elsie waved and left her to it, the hours passed by agonizingly slowly. Brooke had doused herself in her scent suppression perfume, using almost half the bottle in one go. If Vince had smelled Connor on her, then there was a chance that Connor would smell wolf. It was a goddamn miracle he didn’t smell it when we had sex.
She’d been trying not to think about it, but with Vince on the offense and the pack slowly slipping further and further into decline, thinking about Connor gently treating her wounds and taking her apart with his fingers was a pretty nice distraction.
Until the man himself hesitated at the door. He looked just as flawless as usual, but Brooke found herself missing the way he’d looked when she left him - softer.
Gone was the man she was allowed to like, replaced once again by her boss and a bear.
“Brooke.” The way he said her name sent shivers down her spine. Dark eyes met hers and didn’t look away. “You were gone when I woke up.”
Brooke looked away first, buckling under the intensity of his gaze. She plucked half-heartedly at some non-existent fluff on the collar of a shirt. She hadn’t expected him to come and find her.
Sure, he said he didn’t want to fight anymore, but there's becoming tentative friends and then there’s jumping into bed together.
“Missed me?” This she could do. She was being a coward, avoiding her feelings by going back to what she knew, but teasing was familiar territory.
“Yes.”
Oh. She looked up. There wasn’t a hint of a joke in those deep dark eyes. All her breath left her and she was overcome with a need to be closer.
“Well, some of us can’t afford to lounge around in bed all day and then spend hours doing their hair in the mirror to impress people.
“Does it impress you?” His face was serious, intense.
She took a step back, feeling out of her depth. She could do harmless flirting and arguing, they were as easy to her as breathing, but Connor wasn’t joking any more. She took another step back. “I-”
He must have noticed how she stepped back because he backed off, picking up one of the bright red blazers from the nearest rack and holding it out to her.
“You know, I never came for that fitting,” he said lightly. It was a peace offering of sorts and Brooke pounced on it, relaxing slightly. “Bold prints and colors right?”
She cocked an eyebrow at the crimson fabric and reached forward to snag the suit from his hands.
“Yeah, for accessories,” she teased. Connor grinned and she smiled back.
“Please help me, oh wise color master!”
“Yeah, yeah, go into the dressing room and I’ll pick some things out, okay?” He gave her a two finger salute and a wink that did not make her blush before disappearing behind the curtain.
Brooke got to work finding things for him to try on before the thought of Connor getting undressed could fully register in her mind.
Connor (Strauss Bear Shifter Brothers 0f Colorado Book 4) Page 5
