“Is she really that good of a lay? Or was that a regret punch?”
Dominic snarled and inserted himself between Boomer and Orion. “The human is here today. Put your dicks away and play human for the day.” His gaze shifted to Boomer. “Unless you’ve told her already.”
“No. I haven’t told her anything.” Boomer wished he had, while simultaneously grateful that he hadn’t. Things would have been so much easier had he thrown himself before her and explained everything that was confusing in his heart. The truth of the matter was that she had to go back to civilization. He was just dragging out the days until there was no other option.
“You’re keeping her locked away like she’s some kind of possession,” Orion went on. “Either take her back to humanity or let some of us get to know her. She could make a nice mate for someone. Even if she’s not a mate, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind a roll in the sheets.”
Boomer darted past Dominic. He slammed into Orion and they both crashed to the ground. One hand closed around Orion’s throat while the other drew back in a fist, but Orion’s knuckles hit Boomer’s jaw and his head snapped back. Pain shot through his skull, but it only added fuel to the fire. His hand clenched tight. He would stop Orion’s words before they met the air.
“Okay,” Dominic mumbled. “We get it.”
Hands tugged them apart. Boomer stumbled away from Orion, but not before Orion snuck in a blow. Everyone heard the sharp snap of Boomer’s nose. Orion snarled before straightening his spine and jerking away from Reid’s grip.
Boomer’s face was a mess of blood and fiery pain. Orion was a loose cannon, dynamite waiting to explode. He didn’t want Emmy anywhere near the unpredictable shifter. She was too soft, too fragile. The fact that Boomer wasn’t trying to claim her didn’t help. If he left her unmarked and she remained near the other bears, they had the right to try mating her.
The thought filled him with rage. The beast inside him thrashed. It would cut down anyone who stepped anywhere near her. He was in trouble, that much as clear.
“Go to first aid. Set your noses before they set crooked and we have to rebreak them.” Dominic shook his head. He had no time for their dominance games.
Boomer opened his mouth to argue, knowing that Emmy was up there, but Orion was already on his way up the hill. He swallowed his snarl and raced after the shifter. Orion cut him a sidelong look, taking him in. The shifter grunted, saying nothing more. Boomer was still half tempted to throw him down the hill.
Orion came to a halt when the door to the trailer flew open and Emmy appeared, eyes wide and hand over her mouth. She raced down the short steps to them. Boomer pulled her toward him, but she held her ground as she inspected their faces.
“What happened to the two of you?” Her gaze was almost knowing as she looked between them. Perhaps instinct alone told her what had happened. Hell, maybe she’d watched from her perch up here.
“Inside. Both of you. Those noses need to be set.”
Orion gave Boomer a pointed look, brows raised, and lips pursed. Boomer snarled. His threat was unspoken, but Orion heard it. The fight had bled out some of the young shifter’s restless energy. Boomer didn’t think he would try to corner Emmy in the trailer, but he couldn’t be sure. The truth was, Boomer didn’t want to let her near anyone else.
Like Orion stated, she was still unmarked. It didn’t matter how much his beast pined for her. As long as she was unmarked, she was fair game to another bear. Boomer wasn’t going to allow another shifter to mark her and steal her freedom. She deserved better. There had already been one man in her life that treated her like a possession.
No one else would get the chance.
Emmy dragged them by their shirts. She directed Orion onto a small stool. Watching him fold his legs beneath him to put his massive frame onto the stool was comical. Orion glared up at him, daring Boomer to laugh. There wasn’t enough room inside the trailer to fight. Not with Emmy inside.
She moved to look at Boomer’s nose, but he directed her toward Orion. He wanted the shifter out of here as soon as possible. He needed to get Emmy alone for a little while. She wasn’t pleased with him, but she did as he wanted. Deftly and quickly, she set Orion’s nose into place. It snapped, the crack echoing through the room.
Orion laughed and twitched his nose. Blood dripped into his mouth, making him look comically grim. Emmy paused, a clean rag in hand, and stared at Orion with awe. Her gaze shifted from Orion to Boomer. The question was there, clear as day, but he couldn’t find it in him to answer.
She was better off not knowing. Bringing her here had been a mistake. Her presence compromised their secret. He knew it, and yet he’d still brought her. The bear laughed, a gruff sound that said enough. Boomer wanted her to know. A part of him needed her to see what they were on her own, so he didn’t have to bear the guilt of telling her himself.
It was cruel, to put that on her.
“Out,” Boomer growled at Orion.
Emmy paused, her rag hovering over Orion’s face. Her touch had been tender and focused as she cleaned him, and Boomer couldn’t take it. He wanted to break Orion’s nose all over again. If she touched Orion again, he didn’t know what he would do. He was just grateful Orion kept his hands to himself. Orion knew what was happening to Boomer, if the gloating grin on his face told Boomer anything, but the young shifter didn’t push the situation further.
“He’s a bloody mess,” Emmy snapped. “If he doesn’t get cleaned up, it’s going to dry and get sticky. He’ll end up with a beard full of wood shavings.”
Orion laughed and snatched the rag from her hand. “I don’t mind the sound of that, but I can clean myself from here, doc.”
Her brows furrowed. “I’m not a doctor. I’m a nurse. We’re way better.”
“Oh, really? I thought you couldn’t even remember your own name?” Orion teased.
Her eyes flashed wide, lips forming an O, and Boomer’s heart clenched. The shift in her demeanor was immediate, her shoulders rolling back and her head rising with a wide grin on her lips. Her eyes danced with delight. Boomer knew right then that there would be no one else his heart would ever belong to. That smile and joy owned him, heart and soul. It could have been the bear’s incessant obsession with her, or it could have been the way she swept into his life and cleaned it up. He would never know the moment she owned him, but he would always know the moment he gave her up.
“I’m a nurse. My name is Emmy White and I’m a nurse.” She repeated herself, the smile never leaving.
The hand around his heart tightened.
“Looks like you’re next.” Orion lurched away from the small stool and out the door, but not before tossing a wink at Boomer.
He still wanted to smash the kid’s face into stone. Left alone with Emmy, Boomer didn’t know what to do with himself. He moved, foot to foot, until she pointed at the stool and raised a brow. Every step closer to her greeted him with her scent. It was as soft and sweet as she was, but now he could smell something else behind it. Citrusy and alive, the scent overwhelmed the blood in his nose and cleared his senses.
Emmy moved to stand between his open knees. Her touch on his nose was firm. He prayed it hadn’t already healed and set. It gave a fight, refusing to budge until it suddenly slipped into place. Emmy let out a cry of victory. He laughed and reached for her, gently holding her between his legs.
Her joy bled into warmth, lips parting. He missed those lips, missed the taste of them and the way she kissed him back. The moment stretched. Neither said anything, just losing themselves in the inferno that blazed inside the trailer.
Then, Emmy lurched away from him. She turned her back in search of a new rag and busied herself by sterilizing it. Boomer had to admit to himself that he was hiding her, like Orion claimed. But, he wasn’t hiding her from them. It was that ex-husband and his vicious ways that he was hiding her from.
He hated him. The way the man spoke of her, he wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d hurt her. She might hav
e come to these mountains to escape him. Hiding in the wilderness, where few could find her, had been a smart idea.
“What are you looking at?” Emmy’s cheeks were pink.
He grinned, pleased that he could make her blush just by staring. If she gave him the chance, he could make her happy in so many other ways. For a moment, he considered clearing off the desk and sitting her atop it while he knelt in front of her. She wouldn’t want his mess on her anyway. His face was still smeared with blood.
When she finally began cleaning him, her touch was gentle. Her eyes followed the movement of her hand. His gut clenched, and he fought against the urge to pull her into his body. He wanted to touch her, to memorize the shape of her and how she felt beneath his hands before she had to leave him forever.
How much longer would they get together before he couldn’t put it off anymore? A day or two? A couple of weeks? Dragging it out did nothing for either of them. He was steadily losing himself in her. When she left, she would take most of him with her. Would there be a part of her left with him? It was a silly thing to hope for, but he hoped anyway.
Her dark eyes followed a line along his cheek, somber and serious. Gently, she touched her fingertip to his skin. “How did you get this scar?”
Boomer had to resist the urge to pull her hand away from his face. His heart beat double-time in his throat. The truth was there, fighting its way to the surface. “I fell off a house as a kid. Landed face first in the gravel driveway. My nanny had to pick stones from my face for a week.”
Emmy’s eyes widened. Her training was returning, creeping in as instinct. She knew no mortal child would be able to survive something like that. Had he been human, Boomer would have snapped his neck.
She didn’t challenge him the way he thought she would. Instead, her eyes narrowed, and her lips pursed with challenge. She was quick. He had a feeling she was going to draw the truth out of him, little by little. If he could capture her lips, he could silence her. If he could pull her into his arms, he could make her head spin.
Emmy would forget about her mission.
His fingers trailed along her thigh, barely a brush against her skin. She shuddered, but sidestepped his flirtation, not to be deterred. This woman was going to be his undoing. Every day with her brought more and more of her beautiful soul to the surface. Even if she couldn’t remember her past, her truth shone brighter than any history that might have fluttered behind her.
“How about,” she touched the scar that split his brow, rubbing her thumb along it and drawing a growl from his throat, “this scar?”
He fisted his hands at his sides to keep from grabbing her. He didn’t want to startle her and chase her away. “Hmm. Let me think. That one might have been knocked out of me.”
Emmy laughed, a huff of breath as she reached for more rubbing alcohol.
“Oh, right. Reid and I came across a bunch of assholes trying to sabotage the logging equipment. They were from a rival team that didn’t get the contract. The guy slapped me with a log and split my face open.”
“You’re just a punching bag, aren’t you?”
Boomer had taken quite a beating over the years, either by his own hand or others. He was a stocky bear. He could take it.
A scar on her arm made him pause. His heart stuttered and stopped. Her ex-husband’s face flashed in his mind. He didn’t think about what he was doing until he’d already drawn her close. Gently rubbing his thumb over the circular burn on the inside of her forearm, he debated asking her the same question.
Emmy saved him time. “If you’re wondering, I don’t remember where it came from. Looks nasty, though.”
“It looks as though someone burned you with a cigar.” His vision turned red around the edges. The bear roared in his ears. It was moments away from hunting down her ex-husband. Where else would she have gotten such a scar? People didn’t put cigars out on themselves.
Her lips parted, then she closed them again. He could feel the hesitation in her body. Her breath was stuck in her chest and he wanted to coax it out of her, to relieve her of whatever he’d forced her to remember.
Before he could act, she spun away from him. Whatever she’d remembered was locked tight behind her lips. She became small and fragile once more. Her human bones were too easily broken, her skin too easily opened.
His beast raged at the thought of anyone hurting her, but it was an inevitability if she stayed here with them. The other bears would try to court her, and Boomer didn’t trust any of them to be gentle. He knew what their bears wanted because he had one of his own.
Either way, as long as she stayed, she couldn’t be left unmarked. Any bear could steal her out from under him and force her into a life he was trying to protect her from. He only hoped she wouldn’t hate him for what he was about to do.
“I have something else you could look at, Miss Nurse.” Boomer waggled his brows suggestively. His cock rose in agreement, excited at the prospects of what he meant to be a joke.
Emmy’s blush darkened, and she looked away, but not before he caught the hint of a smile on her lips. That smile drew him out of his seat. As if she could feel him behind her, she moved toward the window. She distracted herself with everything happening outside while he crept up behind her.
He knew she could feel the heat of his presence when she glanced over her shoulder. She was within reach, the outline of her body silhouetted by the light streaming in the window. He would fall to his knees and worship her there.
No other woman had affected him like this. He’d been a purveyor of human women, scouring cities and towns near their worksites to satiate the beast inside him. The women he fell with had all been boisterous and aggressive. Emmy was anything but those things. She was delicate and quiet and unnervingly obstinate.
Slowly, he reached for her, half expecting her to dart away from him again. When she didn’t jump away from his touch, he stepped closer. The bear growled happily. It drank in her scent, gulping it down.
***
He didn’t give her any room, gripping the window frame before her. The air around her grew warm. It boiled with everything she’d pent up. All the desire and lust that had blossomed inside her now exploded. Boomer growled as if he could tell. The sound hummed through her ear.
His body pressed against hers and she could feel exactly how much he wanted her, too. She leaned into him, instinctively. The window frame groaned beneath his grasp. His growl deepened, filling her. She wanted something else to fill her, but their clothes were in the way. As much as she wanted to tear off her shirt, all she could do was brace herself against the window.
“I can’t get enough of you,” Boomer whispered into the skin of her neck. He was a match and his words were the spark that ignited him. She felt him grow harder against her.
Slowly, he rubbed against her to give her a better idea of what he could offer. She couldn’t tell him how much she wanted it. Her voice was trapped inside her. He let go of the window frame to hold her. His hands left a hot trail across her body, over her hip and down her thigh. One hand rose to settle around her neck.
It should have frightened her. She should have run from the possessive grip, but she felt safe in his hands. Boomer wouldn’t hurt her. He wouldn’t let any harm befall her. The hand felt comforting, protective. His fingers touched her chin. They pushed, guiding her head to the side where his lips waited.
As he claimed her mouth, he pulled her into his groin. She let out a small sound, but it was swallowed by his kiss. His tongue probed inside her. It reminded her of other things she wanted inside her. His grip tightened, both around her neck and on her lower stomach. She thought she would sink into him and become one.
It felt right. It felt like destiny.
Boomer broke the kiss. His lips whispered over hers before he pulled away. They fluttered over the tender skin behind her ear and down her bare neck. He nipped the skin on her shoulder, a playful warning. Emmy could do nothing more than groan with ecstasy.
“If I
could, I would keep you forever.”
She only had a moment to wonder what he meant before something pierced her skin. She cried out. Pain bled into the desire throbbing in her core. Confusion twisted her mind. She reached for Boomer and gripped the arms that held her. Her nails dug into his skin. Caught between pain and pleasure, her mind spun out of control.
Her body wanted this. It melted into Boomer, acknowledged him as everything she’d ever waited for, but her mind didn’t know how to process this. The bite filled her with knowledge, with a small amount of understanding.
When he pulled back, his hands were shaking. Emmy darted out of his grasp and put the space of the small trailer between them. Her body was on fire. It started at her shoulder and pulsed down to her core. If he went any further, she wasn’t sure she had the ability to say no. She wanted him with nearly every ounce of her being.
He could slam her on top of the desk and rip off her clothes and she would thank him. This wasn’t her. At least, she didn’t think this was the version of her she’d been before the fall. Before the amnesia. She had to decide now if this was the version of her she wanted to be.
Boomer didn’t pursue her, much to her relief and her disappointment. Guilt lowered his brows and softened his eyes. He knew he’d done something, Emmy just wished she knew what it was. Frustration built inside her until she kicked the stool between them.
“Emmy I—”
She held up a hand, placing the other over the small wound on her shoulder. She needed antiseptic and gauze. Her core still throbbed with need, making each movement fill her with a pulse of lust.
“Go back to work. I’m going to clean this and walk home.”
Home. She’d called it home. The word was catching. It could have been the amnesia, the absence of anywhere else she could call home. Or, it could have been the feeling between Boomer and her that forged the word.
“You’re not afraid to be stopped by a bear?” His tone was joking, as if he were speaking of a boogeyman. He said it like she wouldn’t find any bears.
To Love a Bear Page 6