Alex flopped to the mattress beside her, legs tangled with hers. A sheen of sweat covered his brow, and his eyelids were at half-mast as he stared at her contentedly. “Breather? I could use a pizza or five.”
Both their stomachs growled so loudly at that moment, the sound damn near echoed off the walls.
Lara laughed, blowing away a strand of hair that had fallen across her face because she didn’t have the strength in her arms to move it with her fingers. “They have a Michelin-starred restaurant, and you’re going to have pizza?”
“Oh, I’m going to have their signature dishes as well as pizza. You like pepperoni?”
“Vegetarian,” she offered, just to watch him wince. “Kidding. Wolf, remember? Meat lovers. See if they’ll offer a Bunny Special.”
He snorted. “Damn. You remember that? That was a stroke of brilliance by whoever came up with the news article to cover up the fact the local Panago had a shifter-special topping option.”
Lara willed her body into a sitting position, running a hand up his chest because she could. “Thank you, I was rather inspired that day.”
Alex curled himself around her. “Seriously, that was you?”
“I had to do something. It was one of the damn Orion pack who sweet-talked the manager into adding bunny cutlets with spicy peppers and extra cheese to the menu. Security doesn’t just mean keeping people out of places where they shouldn’t be. It means spin-doctoring when necessary.”
He made a face. “I don’t think I would’ve had the smarts to think of that one on the fly. My brother deals with that kind of bullshit. Good for you.”
They crawled farther up the bed and leaned against the pillows as they examined the room service menu. They ordered an impossible amount of food then ducked into the shower.
Lara slapped his hands away a dozen times before she gave up, only escaping when the buzzer for the door went off.
Alex was still staring, hunger for more than food in his expression, as she tied on a robe and made her way to the door to let in the waitress.
Her name tag said Chantelle, and her mass of tight curls bounced as she strode forward pushing a cart layered with food. There was something about her that made Lara lean forward, curiosity growing as—
“I hope you find everything to your satisfaction.” Chantelle glanced around the room before pulling an envelope from her pocket and handing it to Lara. The other woman spoke softly. “This is for you. Read it in private.”
She left the room without another word as Lara stared at the envelope in her hand in horror.
Damn it, she’d thought she’d covered all the bases, and that this spa experience was on the up and up. Yet now she had an envelope in her hands that came from the pack office, and the woman who had just left had her sister’s scent all over her—Chantelle had to have been at the pack house recently.
Something was wrong, and Lara had no idea how she was going to deal with it. Not without Alex discovering some secrets.
13
While Alex had experienced the mating fever for years, as he’d shared with Lara, this was the first time he’d fully participated. His memory of avoiding the fever in the past had involved him shifting, and his bear was never great at remembering details.
This year was different on so many levels. Not only because he had a willing and, dare he say it, eager partner to play with, but his human side seemed to be doing a lot better at staying in charge.
Which sounded off the wall, but that was the problem with being both a man and an animal. They were the same person, and yet there were times his bear had a totally different sense of humour, among other things.
Thirty-six hours into the spa experience, and they hadn’t left the suite even a single time. It hadn’t been necessary, and for the first twenty-four, Alex been hard-pressed to move more than a few inches away from Lara. If he hadn’t been inside her, he’d been touching her with as much of his body as possible.
Even when they’d had food delivered, he’d found it hard to keep his hands off her. Lara had finally made the executive decision that they’d both stay locked in the bedroom while the waitstaff rolled masses of food into the living room.
Lara sat immediately beside him, legs tangled with his while she reached toward the coffee table to grab another serving of popcorn. The oversized robe she’d insisted on pulling on—in spite of his suggestion the suite stay a no-clothing zone—gaped open as she leaned back on the luxurious couch.
“You’re out of control,” she teased, motioning to the table with one hand. “I mean, I appreciate the calories, but five types of potato chips?”
She said she liked them, his bear insisted.
I believe you, he assured the animal, snorting with amusement because he didn’t remember adding that portion to the last order they’d phoned in.
Yeah, bear-in-charge equaled weird shit on the menu.
Alex rearranged Lara on the couch beside him, pulling her feet onto the seat so her knees rose into the air. “Extra building supplies means it’s playtime. Don’t move.”
He proceeded to grab a handful of chips from each bowl and arrange them on her body. Teeny towers of crunchy goodness bloomed on each of her knees and her shoulders.
When he leaned in to build a small Inuksuk statue on each of her breasts, Lara laughed softly. “You goof.”
“No earthquakes allowed, sugar. Stay very, very still.”
She waited motionless as he finished his task, the smile on her lips sincere and bright. “I didn’t know you had a sense of humour like this.”
Alex stared down at her as she good-naturedly put up with his inexplicable weirdness. A sudden jolt struck at the accuracy of her comment. “Bears like to play, but I haven’t had a lot of chances lately.”
Her expression softened. “It’s tough when you’re in security. It feels as if everybody expects you to be tough and ready at all times. And that’s not a bad thing, but it’s not the only thing. So I know what you mean. My wolf likes to play as well.”
Alex ran a finger along her shin, the robe falling farther away to leave her legs bare to his teasing hands and drifting gaze. He touched as he spoke, wondering why his tongue was loosening. Why he was sharing this with her, but it felt right. It felt as if them being mostly naked meant their words needed to be naked as well.
Truthful and rawer than he’d admitted to anyone before. “My brothers are better at it than I am. At letting their animal sides be playful. Well, James is for sure. Cooper can get himself tied up in knots about doing things the right way, but even he has moments when he decides to shove the rules.”
She could’ve been sitting in a Zen garden instead of covered with barbecue-chip dust and stacks of potato wedges. She seemed so serene and at peace.
Lara spoke carefully. “From what I know of your family, you’ve got a lot to be thankful for. If not getting playtime is something that needs to change, I bet they’d listen to you. They’d help you find a way for you to still be the security mastermind that you are but also get time off for the parts of you that need the break.”
Alex eyed her closely. Despite how suspicious he’d been of her only days ago, his gut insisted this sharing time was completely aboveboard. As if she really was trying to make his world better.
“This is weird, isn’t it? This whole you-and-me-sharing thing.”
She met his gaze, and one brow rose high. “Are you kidding me? If potato chip body ornaments are a thing, then you and me chitchatting about feelings is situation normal.”
He rumbled with amusement and moved toward her cautiously. “Body ornaments that are tasty. Let me check.”
He managed to nibble one pile off her knee before he got distracted, and by the time they were done, the couch was covered in crushed chips and two sated bodies.
They fell into a routine. Sex, food, chatting. The sex was off the charts, the food fantastic, but by the evening of the second day Alex was beginning to look forward to the interludes where they ended up talkin
g about anything and everything.
His bear good-naturedly rolled his eyes and seemed to be on his best behaviour, knocking almost politely to disrupt conversations when it was time for another round of heated sex.
Lara was sharing another story about being the youngest girl of five when there was a knock on the door of the suite.
She tensed, the happiness and relaxation in her body vanishing between one breath and the next.
Alex braced instinctively. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” But her gaze darted to the door, shoulders tightening as if preparing to face an attack.
Warning signals going off, Alex rushed to the door. He glanced through the peephole and jerked the door open to find a startled waiter stepping back as he precariously balanced an oversized bowl in his hands.
“What?” Alex demanded.
The man’s face had gone utterly white, but he held forward his hands as if making an offering. “Delivery for Ms. Lazuli.”
Alex let out a deep growl and took the container, watching as the man scampered away as if the hounds of hell were on his heels.
Weird.
He turned back and brought the delivery to Lara’s side. “Did you order something?”
A frown folded her expression. She pulled a card from the top of the covering and opened it, and he read the message over her shoulder.
Sweets for the sweet.
She peeled back the edge of the lid and the scent of ripe blueberries filled the air. Nowhere near the dangerous item he’d expected from her earlier behavior.
Alex forced his voice into normal range, trying for light-hearted. “I hope you plan to share.”
“Of course. Help yourself.” She tipped the bowl toward him, but there was still tension in her shoulders. She was smiling, but it wasn’t real.
Before he could ask any further questions, she picked a big ripe berry from the bowl and pressed it to his lips. One thing led to another, and the confusing situation slid from his brain as the mating fever once again took control.
Monday morning rolled around. Alex lay on the carpet in front of the fireplace with Lara sprawled on his back. She was tracing shapes with her fingertips on his shoulder blades, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so relaxed.
“This isn’t done,” he warned her. “I know we have to check out today, but I’m not out of the fever, so we need to talk about how we’re going to deal.”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, the air gusting over his back as her cheek rested on his shoulder blade. “I can put off going back to the pack house for one more day, but beyond that, it could get tough.”
He twisted, catching her as she fell and pulling her into his lap. The instant she’d spoken, the tension had risen so hard it was as if someone had been applying thumbscrews.
Alex gazed into her face, horrified to discover fear in her eyes. “Dammit. If being with me is going to cause trouble with your pack, I’ll do what has to be done to smooth it out.”
“It’s not that,” she hurried to assure him. “They have no control over who I choose to be with…”
The way her words faded off sent up all kinds of warning signals.
“Lara. What the hell is going on? You’ve been laughing and teasing and sharing with me for the past three days. Not just sex, but more than that, I can tell the thought of going back to the pack house is upsetting you.”
Her expression grew even more guarded.
His bear went on alert.
Sudden clarity rushed in, and he was certain he knew what was going on. “Oh, hell. Your pack is up to something. What are they doing, Lara? What are they involved in that you can’t bear to tell me?”
“Up to something? What are you talking about—oh shit.” She hesitated.
Dammit. He lowered his tone and spoke as sincerely as he could. “At the risk of bringing up dangerous memories, I once told you friends were willing to help each other. I was trying to manipulate you back then, but now I mean it. Lara, I consider you my friend. You can tell me what’s wrong, and I will help.”
Brave and courageous wolf.
She looked him straight in the eye. “You want the truth? Then here it is. Yes, I suspect my pack is up to no good, but that’s not what’s setting me off right now. The reason I don’t want to go back is that my sister kindly sent a note to let me know she thinks it’s time I find a partner. And since I didn’t click with anyone in our local pack, she’s invited a half dozen potential mates to come for a visit. The instant I go home there will be a horde of power-hungry wolves sniffing around to see if I want to hook up with any of them.”
His bear shot past alert to nuclear fury.
Alex really wanted to respond to Lara, but at that moment he had to work on leashing the animal or who knew what would happen.
No leaving us, his bear demanded. She’s ours.
I know. We’re not done playing. Calm down and let me talk to her. Alex used a stranglehold on his animal side.
Wolf is mine, his bear screamed.
What followed wasn’t easy to describe but mostly involved Alex fighting for control while his bear attempted to stomp around the room and shred things. Utter confusion, utter chaos.
Dangerous and deadly because most of him didn’t give a damn who got hurt as long as Lara stayed safely by his side.
A firm grasp landed on his ear and hauled him to a stop. The connection grew from slight pressure to high-pitched pain, and then Lara was in front of him, her beautiful amber-flecked eyes glaring as if she were an avenging angel.
“You will stop this now,” she said, power rolling out with the order.
A flash of fang and the sensation of claws had Alex’s bear staring in rapt amazement. The wolfie power didn’t really affect him other than by being hotter than hell, but the entire package of Lara laying down the law worked like a set of hand cuffs with an aphrodisiac chaser.
When he returned to his senses, he was sitting in the middle of the kitchen with killer wood. Lara straddled his hips, one hand knotted in the front of his shirt, the other running through his hair over and over in a move that had his inner beast purring like a kitten.
“I think I’m back,” he informed her. He chose to ignore his aching hard-on, instead leaning forward to press his mouth to hers for a brief kiss. “Thank you.”
One side of her lips curled upward, the twisted expression slightly amused and mostly sheepish. “Rule number three. Don’t mention potential rivals without some warning. Trust me, Alex, I have zero interest in getting involved with any of the visiting wolves. But that’s not important. We need to talk about how I help you finish dealing with the mating fever.”
Screw that. At that point their problems were interconnected as far as he was concerned. “It’s a simple solution. I figure we need at least four more days for me to be completely done with the fever. If you need to go home, then I’m coming with you.”
Her jaw dropped. “I live at the pack house.”
He offered a wide grin. “Then I guess this bear is moving in with the wolves.”
14
The last fifteen minutes had been some of the weirdest of her entire life. Maybe she was dreaming. That would explain why Lara had just heard the impossible come out of Alex’s mouth. “You want to move into the Orion pack house,” she repeated.
His gaze drifted over her face and down her torso, fingers moving to the front of her robe to slowly untangle the knot she’d hurriedly put in position when she’d had to go ninja warrior on his bear.
“Yup. The pack house is adults-only, yes?” When she mindlessly nodded confirmation, a low growl rumbled up from his chest. “Perfect. I hope you have decent soundproofing between the bedrooms.”
She snorted then covered her mouth with a hand. “Maybe I should request a room change. We can use the guest suite next to the common area.”
Not that the soundproofing was any better there. But if she wanted to encourage the visiting wolves to leave her alone,
the blatant sound of sex blasting from the room would be one way to ensure her unwanted guests knew she was currently occupied.
Alex slid his knuckle down her torso and over the swell of her breast, watching the progress of his hand intently even as he continued to speak. “Seriously, I mean it. I think we need to work together. I’ll help you hold off the wolves, and we can figure out what mischief your pack is up to that’s got both of our senses tingling. I’m right about that, aren’t I?”
Lara struggled for a moment before admitting it. “You are, but I want you to promise to talk to me first if you find anything suspicious. I swear I don’t want the pack doing anything rotten, but you can’t go off half-cocked and bite off heads before we have a chance to let them make things right.”
He nodded briskly. “From the stories you’ve told me about your sister, it sounds out of place for her to get involved in something truly hideous. We’ll work together and figure this out.”
She leaned her forehead against his. “Thank you. And thanks for helping me deal with the unwanted guests.”
Annoyance shot across his face, but he kept his bear under control. “Believe me, I get how frustrating it is to have someone dictate matters involving your private life.”
Inside, her wolf bumped against her, squirming with worry. What if there’s someone he’s supposed to be with? Someone not us.
Lara calmed her inner beast the best she could even as she scrambled for the strength to put words to her worry. “Someone out there demanding you get hitched?”
He laid his hands on her hips and made a face. “I told you this was my first official mating fever. I’d planned to avoid it this year as well, but due to some manipulation by my gramps, my brothers and I all agreed we’d let nature run its course.” He held up a hand and placed a finger over her lips before she could ask a question. “Don’t worry, you’re not going to end up stuck with me. That was one good realization we had after James hooked up with Kaylee. Yes, my bear likes you, but there’s no fear of us ending up mated without both our human sides agreeing we want to go all in.”
The Bear’s Fated Mate: Borealis Bears: Book 2 Page 8