by Sophie Stern
“Then what should I do?”
“Stay here.”
It’s an impulsive move, but I don’t really care. She’s hot, I’m hot, and the night is young. Anything could happen, and oh, I want so many things to happen. It’s rotten and I know it, but I want her here. I want to tie her up and tease her and make love to her. I want to play with her and kiss her.
I want all of her.
And more.
Theresa doesn’t think twice.
“Fine,” she says. “And thank you.”
Chapter Four
Theresa
Once the kids are tucked into the guest room bed, I go back to the living room to find Heath sitting at the table. His dog is resting at his feet. Spot. The dog is called Spot. He’s a good dog, too, from what I can tell. He’s good and very brave.
And Heath loves him.
“Thanks for what you did,” I say.
“Anytime.”
“You didn’t have to take them in. It would have been just as easy to let them keep going, you know.”
He looks up at me and his eyes narrow.
“You think I’m the kind of man who just lets little kids go wandering around in the forest? Are you insane?”
“No, I’m not insane,” I snap. “But I’m also living in the real world.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that people don’t just help other people for no good reason.”
“Well, that doesn’t really sound like the kind of world I want to live in,” he says. “No offense.”
I look at him now, sitting at the table. He’s got food in front of him, and I realize that we interrupted his dinner. He must be starving. My own stomach rumbles, but I’m not about to ask this guy for scraps. How pathetic would that be? It’s bad enough that I’m shacking up in his house with my kids.
He notices, though, and he sighs.
“Sit down.”
“No thanks.”
“Do it,” his voice deepens, and the way he commands me has me moving faster than it should. Shit. Why am I listening to this guy? Why am I obeying him? I don’t want to be obeying him.
But I slide onto the wooden chair and sit with my hands folded in my lap as he rustles around his little kitchen.
“So you live here alone,” I say.
“Small talk isn’t your thing, huh?”
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine. Yeah, I live alone. You?”
“Aside from the kids? Yeah.”
“No husband?”
“Nope.”
“Boyfriend?”
“Nope.”
“Girlfriend?”
“I do not have a girlfriend.”
“Why don’t you have a partner?” He slides a plate of food in front of me and sits down next to me. Heath is much too close to me, and he smells so good. He didn’t bother putting a shirt back on when we got back, and there’s one problem with that.
He’s cut.
He’s got these rippling abs that lead down to the most fantastic cock I’ve ever seen. I mean, he’s wearing pants now, but that doesn’t matter because I saw it. I saw all of it.
Shit.
I think I saw too much of him.
“That’s a personal question.”
“I saved your kids,” he shrugs. “I’m curious.”
“Um, I don’t know, I guess,” I pick up my fork and start pushing around the food on my plate. It’s chicken and rice. He must have had this earlier and just warmed up an extra portion for me, but I can’t even tell. It looks so good. I lift the fork to my lips and sigh as the first bite crosses my tongue.
Fantastic.
Where the hell did this dude learn to cook?
“Has it been awhile since you’ve eaten, Theresa?”
“Too long.”
“When did you eat?”
“Um, breakfast, maybe?” I take another bite and then another. Oh, for dragon’s sake, this is so amazing. I love it. Every bite just makes me feel even more fantastic.
“You haven’t eaten since breakfast, yet you’re trying to camp in the forest?”
“Are you judging me?” I put my fork down and glare at him, suddenly irritated.
“A little bit, yeah.” He crosses his arms over his chest and oh, shit, I’m in trouble now because all I can think about is whether there’s a way to convince this guy to spank me. Seriously. He could just pull me over his knee and yank my jeans down like that. No big deal. Just a spanking between acquaintances.
He raises an eyebrow as he looks at me. For just a brief second, his nostrils flare, and I blush. Fuck. I forgot that he’s a shifter. For just a second, I let my defenses down. If he’s part-bear, he can probably smell me, right? Some animals have really incredible senses of smell, and if I had to guess, he’s one of them.
Fuck.
I’m definitely aroused, and I’m not sure that it’s a good idea to let this stranger know just how much I want him to yank my hair back and bite my neck.
What the hell is happening to me?
I shake my head to clear it. Focus, Theresa. He was insulting me. He was judging me for not eating.
And now I’m basically starving.
“Look, it’s hard being a mom.”
“No one is saying that it isn’t, but you have to take care of yourself.”
“I got busy.”
It was one thing after another this morning. Between the kids fighting while I was packing to them not wanting their lunch to the failed afternoon playdate before we headed up to our camp…it was just a really, really long day.
“Theresa, eat the food,” he says. His eyes soften just a little, and I obey him. I pick up my fork and I start eating because food is something simple and easy and it’s really not that hard to follow this sort of direction.
Not from him.
Not from the handsome bear.
As I eat, he watches me. Finally, he speaks.
“It’s important to take care of yourself,” he says. I don’t say anything this time. I just keep eating. Suddenly, I really do feel like a starving person. I honestly can’t even argue with him because I haven’t been taking care of myself.
Life with twins is harder than I ever thought possible.
I don’t know what I was thinking when I decided to do the solo-mom thing. I mean, I thought I could handle it, and I can, but he’s right. I need to take the time to look after myself.
Otherwise, how am I going to look after my boys?
“I don’t know your story,” he continues. “But I’m going to offer you some advice you didn’t ask for.”
“Okay.”
“I was raised by a single mom,” he says.
“You were?”
“I was. She was wonderful.”
I have so many questions for him.
Like how did she do it?
How did she keep her sanity?
How did she raise a bear?
He laughs.
“You look like you have a lot of questions, and I’ll answer any of them. Just eat your food, okay? I’ll talk while you eat. Then you can ask.”
I manage to nod.
“My dad died when I was young,” he says. “Hunting accident. You can see how that happens with shifters.” He shakes his head. “Sometimes humans see us in our natural habitat and assume we’re up to no good. Other times, shifters are poached.”
I close my eyes for a second and when I open them, he nods.
“Your boys aren’t guaranteed safety,” he says. “And it’s important for you to know this.”
I don’t want to know this.
I don’t want to think about them being hurt or in trouble.
Or someone hunting them.
“My mother never remarried. She poured her heart and soul into my brother and I, but our lives only worked because she also took care of herself. She didn’t become a shell of who she was. Jean the Mom was only part of who Jean was.”
Was?
“My mom pa
ssed away a few years ago,” he continues. “And the most important thing I remember about her is that she loved life and she loved adventures. She was happy woman. She was a wonderful woman. She took time for herself and the people around her. She took time to care for everyone. Most importantly, Theresa, she didn’t let being a mom become her entire world.”
“It’s hard,” I say. “When they’re little. You know, it’s not like I have anyone who really helps me with them.”
“Their dad never comes around?”
I’m not ready to tell him about that.
“Nope. Never.”
“Pity,” he shakes his head.
“What is?”
“If I had cubs, you can bet your ass I’d never leave them. Not for a second.”
Chapter Five
Heath
She finishes eating and then I help Theresa get comfortable in front of the fire. She sits on the couch under a blanket with Spot curled up next to her. I look at them both for a minute before I head over to the sink and clean up the dinner mess.
Okay, so tonight went very differently than I planned.
When I finish putting the leftovers away, I move over to the couch. Theresa looks up at me and smiles. Then she pats the couch.
“There’s room for one more,” she says.
Spot whimpers and hops down.
“You don’t have to leave,” she tells him, but I just smile.
“I think Spot knows there’s really only room for two on here.”
“Is that right?”
Especially if we’re cuddling.
And oh, I really, really want to cuddle with this girl.
My inner-bear is going nuts. He’s chomping at the bit, trying to escape. It’s taking every ounce of my self-control not to shift again because right now, all I want is her.
“That’s right.”
“Suit yourself,” she says to Spot. Then Theresa turns to me.
“So why do you live here all alone?”
“That’s kind of a personal question, don’t you think?”
“A little.”
“You don’t seem to mind.”
She shrugs.
“I’ll make you a deal.”
“What kind of deal?”
“A question for a question.”
“Tit for tat?”
“Pretty much.”
She thinks about it for a second, and then holds out her hand. I reach for it, surprised by just how small and dainty she really is.
“Deal.”
“Okay, so why do you live here alone?” She asks.
“My girlfriend cheated on me with my best friend. I caught them. I guess you could say I ran away from my problems,” I tell her.
“Ouch.”
“Pretty much.”
“I’m sorry that happened to you,” she shakes her head. “That’s completely unfair.”
“That’s a nice way of putting it.”
“I don’t know how anyone could do that to another person,” she says.
“You sound like you have personal experience with this.”
“Not really,” Theresa shrugs. “I mean, I’ve never cheated and I’ve never been cheated on. I just…I’m kind of a dreamer,” she admits. “And I spend a lot of time talking to people and thinking about different situations. Wondering how people will react. That sort of thing.”
She looks over at me, and in the light of the fire, I’m surprised to see she’s not pitying me. That’s good, and to be honest, it’s kind of a relief. I think there’s nothing quite as bad as being pitied by another person.
Nobody wants that.
“Okay, your turn.”
“What’s the question?”
“What happened to their dad?”
“My kids’ dad?”
“Yeah.”
Theresa is fucking gorgeous. She’s got a lovely, curvy body and beautiful hair. She’s got a sweet smile and she seems both fierce and brave.
Whoever left her was a fucking idiot.
“They never had one.”
“What?”
“My kids are adopted,” she says.
“Really?”
For some reason, this completely shocks me. It really wasn’t what I expected her to say at all.
“Yeah, well, I mean, I wasn’t married. Not even close. I wanted kids and I’m financially at a place where I could do that.”
“That’s really interesting.”
“It explains why I didn’t know my kids are shifters,” she laughs quietly, but she shakes her head. “Oh, I can’t believe it. What am I going to do?” She looks at me sideways and holds up her hands.
“You’re going to take it one day at a time.”
“I don’t know any shifters,” she whispers. “How am I supposed to help them through this?”
“You’re going to take it one day at a time,” I repeat.
“And then?”
“I’ll help you,” I promise her, but I don’t know why I’m promising her. Maybe it’s because it’s late, and I’m tired, and she’s lovely. Maybe it’s because it was a wild afternoon full of crazy emotions.
Maybe it’s because my inner-bear really, really wants her to be our mate, and I’m fighting him so hard on that.
Maybe.
“You’d help me?”
“Yes.”
“But you don’t even know me.”
“I can get to know you.”
She sits up and scoots a little closer to me. We’re not quite touching, but then Theresa reaches for my cheek and smiles up at me.
“That means a lot to me.”
“Good, because it’s not an offer I often extend.”
She laughs loud and happily, and then Theresa surprises me. She leans up and kisses me softly, pressing her lips to mine.
“What was that for?” I whisper.
“Heat of the moment,” she shrugs. “A thank you.”
“Oh, I think a thank you should be more like this,” I say, and then I grab her and pull her close. I bring my lips down to hers, and I own her mouth for just a moment. This is no innocent kiss. This is no sweet, demure thank you kiss. Nope. My kiss is needy and hot and breathless. My kiss is going to leave her panties wet and her body aching for more.
That’s how I kiss.
That’s how I show appreciation.
I pull away and look down at Theresa. Her eyes are closed and a smile spreads on her face. She reaches for me without opening her eyes and this time, she kisses me again.
And again.
And again.
Fuck, my dick is hard now, and I want more, but we’ve only just met.
She doesn’t seem to mind, though. Theresa makes soft purring sounds and if I didn’t definitively know she was human, I’d say she was a cat shifter for certain. She rubs her body against me greedily seeking more, and I’m so happy to give that to her.
My hand is on her thigh and my lips are on her neck. I kiss her skin, tasting her, craving her.
“Heath,” she murmurs.
“Theresa.”
“You are so fucking hot.”
She looks up at me and opens her eyes, and she just…smiles at me. She looks so innocent and so surprised.
“Why, thank you,” I murmur. I touch her cheek, stroking her skin, and she leans into my hand. Somehow, I get the feeling that Theresa isn’t very experienced when it comes to men or dating. I’m not sure why I get that feeling. It doesn’t bother me. It’s just that she seems so innocently excited by what we’re doing.
“Do you bring a lot of girls here?” She asks, smiling.
I laugh, but I shake my head.
“I can honestly say you’re the first,” I tell her.
“I’m honored.”
“We need drinks.”
I get up and head to the kitchen. I grab a bottle of wine and pour us each a glass. When I bring the glasses back to the couch, she takes hers greedily and chugs it. Then she hands me the glass back.
“Really?”
<
br /> “What?” She asks. “I like wine.”
“Drink mine and I’ll refill both of the glasses.”
I hand her my own glass and sure enough, she chugs that one, too. I get more wine and this time, we sip our drinks like proper adults while we sit and talk on the couch.
“That kissing,” she shakes her head. “I can honestly say I didn’t expect that when I decided to go camping.”
“What did make you decide to go camping?”
“Life has been a little stressful lately,” she shrugs.
“How so?”
“My job is…complicated.”
“How so?”
“I’m a writer,” she tells me. “And I go to a lot of events where people come meet me.”
“Book signings?”
“Pretty much.”
“And those are stressful?”
“They can be,” she says. “Everyone expects me to be a certain way, and to be honest, I’m kind of introverted. Attending events, signing books, and meeting people can be a little scary for me.”
“I’m sure everyone adores you.”
“My fans are wonderful,” she says. “And really, they aren’t the problem.”
“So who is?”
“My personal assistant.”
“Your assistant?”
“She basically runs my life, and not in a good way. She’s been stressing me out and honestly, I’ve been thinking about just firing her. I asked her not to sign me up for any more events this year so I can just focus on writing, but I just found out she signed me up for another event next weekend.”
“I’m sorry,” I tell her. “That sounds exhausting.”
“It is,” she admits. Then she shakes her head.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t even ask what your job is.”
“I’m in real estate,” I tell her.
“Really?”
“Really and truly. I actually just bought myself some land and I’m going to be building my dream home on it.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“But I buy and sell houses,” I tell her.
“And you enjoy that?”
“I don’t do it super-seriously,” I admit. “I only do it enough to have fun and pay my bills, but yeah, it’s really fun. I love taking old houses and fixing them up. I love turning a dump into someone’s new dream home. It gives me this deep sense of satisfaction.”