by Reina Torres
Now she’d seen his bare backside when he’d walked out into the snow hours before, but she’d been denied the chance to see the rest of him until that moment.
He was, in a word, tantalizing.
Again, Michelangelo had done a poor job of preparing her for the reality of the naked male form. The thick erection that stood proudly out from his body was as pale as it was perfect. Thick and curved as if his creator had imagined the perfect form and given it life. She could see the way it trembled as blood pumped through his veins and as she moved closer, keeping her hands at her sides, she saw it twitch ever so slightly.
“Come here.”
She barely recognized his voice. It seemed to come from somewhere deeper inside of him than just his physical body, but she was more than willing to follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked her.
Haley only had to take a step to reach him, but it felt like she’d taken a huge leap of faith with the way her lungs were greedily drawing in air.
Clancy knelt down at her feet and his fingers grasped the waistband of her sleep-pants and panties and drew them down to the ground.
She should have been afraid, or at least a little self-conscious. She was naked in front of him and in the soft cast of light in the room.
With his advanced sight, he could see every inch of her body.
And he did as he slowly raked his eyes over her. The look in his eyes when he met her gaze was ravenous. He wanted her. Just as much as she wanted him.
Clancy’s hands guided her to the floor and lowered her onto her back. When she felt the soft cushion of the blanket behind her back and the spill of her hair beneath her, she felt a blush creep across her cheeks.
He skimmed his palms along the outside of her thighs and when he reached her knees, he gently separated them and set her feet on either side of his legs. Seeing him there, kneeling between her spread legs, his hands slowly moving over the tops of her thighs, she felt wanton and womanly.
She felt… loved.
That didn’t change when his fingers slipped through her curls and skimmed through the liquid heat he found there. Haley heard the hitch in his breath and echoed the sound as he swept a fingertip around her clit before sliding it into her heat.
One stroke.
Two strokes.
At the end of three she felt his crown of knuckles pressed against her folds.
Another trio of long, languid movements and he slipped a second finger in with the first and Haley arched off the blanket.
Again, he repeated his movements, his fingers exploring the tight sheath of her body.
Something was building inside of her, but she couldn’t quite reach it.
Haley’s hands clutched at the blanket on either side of her, but she knew she needed more.
Her hips rose, eager, but innocent. Naïve, perhaps.
She wasn’t a virgin, but she felt like one. No man had ever taken the kind of care that Clancy did. The attention to her body, the way he was building her anticipation, her need.
He slipped a hand under her hip to her lower back. With a soft growl in his throat, he lifted her up and set her backside on his thighs.
Haley’s eyes searched his. She had never been this exposed before, never been so open. He held her there. One hand under her, one hand stoking her fire and bringing her higher and higher.
She reached her hands out to him, her eyes full of confusion.
He gave her the answer.
Bending over her, his hands still working her body, he merged his mouth with hers. His lips, his tongue made love to her, pulled the air from her body, and replaced it with his own. As his tongue danced with hers, his fingers found just the right rhythm, the perfect weight and pressure.
Her hips bucked. Her inner walls contracted around his fingers, tighter and tighter until he rubbed his thumb against her clit.
She saw lights dancing in her vision a moment before she began the long and deliciously devastating fall into oblivion. Haley clung to his arms, holding tight as her body drew on his fingers, seeking more of his touch.
Clancy spoke to her, his voice softly caressing her ear. She shuddered and a sob escaped her lips. The soft skin between his brows furrowed and she heard him wonder aloud. “Maybe we should wait.” His lips brushed against her forehead and pulled back. “Maybe it’s too much for tonight.”
Her fingers bit into his arms as she clung to him. Her hips still shook as bolts of sensation arced through her body. “No. No.” She was panting and all but out of breath. “Please, Clancy. I don’t want anything between us. Just you and me, together.”
Clancy felt the silvery light on his back as if they were outside, making love under the moon. He felt the soft cushion of grass under his knees, cool and inviting. And he felt Haley’s body welcoming him home.
With one long roll of his hips, he worked his way inside her.
Haley’s body stretched around him, pulling him in.
And the instant he felt the luxurious curve of her backside flush against his body and the rolling aftershocks of her orgasm playing along the length of his cock, he knew what he had to do. He set the rhythm and she matched it. He thrust into her body and she rose to accept him. They found the perfect give and take between them and it wasn’t long before she was once again on the crest of an orgasm.
Her eyes flew open as he pushed her higher and higher, wanting to feel her come apart under him as he found his release. It felt like everything inside of him was wound up, tightening, as he plunged into her body again and again.
“Don’t let go.” Her words repeated. “Don’t. Let. Go.”
He called to her with his voice trying to reassure her that it was the last thing he was going to do. In that moment, it was all he could do to pull out of her body because he knew he’d thrust right back where he belonged.
Inside of her.
Clancy felt her orgasm as it broke through her body.
She had her eyes on him when it happened, and before he could even think of asking her if she was okay with her decision, she smiled and tilted her head to the side, baring the flesh were her neck met her shoulder.
It was the most beautiful surrender he’d ever seen.
What else could he do but let nature take its course.
Leaning over her body, he fastened his mouth over her skin and bit down.
The sharp tang of blood on his tongue sent his bear rushing to the surface.
It took every ounce of energy he had left to keep his bear from pushing right through the barrier between them, but he managed to keep him back as he found his release.
It felt like a never-ending cycle. Taking her blood into his body and leaving her something of his in return.
She was his heart.
He held her in his arms.
They were as they were always meant to be.
Together.
8
Bells rang out on Christmas morning in Allaway and the town was awake as soon as the sun broke over the mountain. Warm cups of coffee, hot chocolate, and cider were in plentiful supply as were the sweets. Cookies, pastries… whatever a sweet tooth desired was there as well. When Clancy backed the truck up to the edge of the Town Square, he had to race around to the passenger side to get to the door before Haley could swing the door open and climb out on her own.
He hadn’t said as much to her, but Haley had a good idea what had gotten under her mate’s skin. Every morning she woke up to his hands smoothing over her belly and when she cooked in their kitchen, he was on the alert for odd food pairings.
Clancy hadn’t pressured her, asking out loud if she was pregnant, but she could tell he wanted to. It was amazing to her that as attentive as he was, he missed the obvious.
Angelina and Mrs. Behr were the first to approach and gently pulled her from Clancy’s side and into the thick of the gathering. “Wait,” she told her friends, “I need to help him get out the presents and put it under the tree.”
Mrs. Behr was the first to reassure her.
“Please… like he’d let you lift any of those packages.”
Angelina backed her up. “Absolutely. Besides, Manny will help him take things out of the truck.” Leaning closer to Haley, she winked. “It’s the only way to get Manny to stop hovering over me.”
The group stopped at one of the tables covered in sweets and Mrs. Behr piled two plates high of deliciousness and sat both of them down. “There,” she nodded with her usual air of authority, “now you two can nosh, and I won’t have the boys breathing down my neck.”
“Please.” Angelina paused with a cookie a hairsbreadth from her mouth. “The boys won’t give you any trouble.”
Rolling her eyes, Mrs. Behr gave Angelina a pat on her shoulder. “They will when it comes to you two ladies. Having two newly mated bears in town is going to be a lot of fun. Just wait until the cubs come.”
Angelina nudged Haley’s shoulder. “Has he figured it out yet?”
Haley started to shrug and then shook her head. “He’s come close a few times, but I don’t think he’s ready to grasp the idea yet. I’ve tried the cute ‘drop hints’ version. I told him the rabbit died.”
Mrs. Behr chortled at the idea. “And what did he say?”
“He told me he was sorry, but he’d take a look at my car and fix it.”
Angelina winced in sympathy. “How about just telling him?”
Haley stared down at the plate of goodies in her lap and shook her head. “I think it’s instinct for him. Every time I walked up to him to just say it, he stops me. I mean it’s starting to give me a complex. I can tell him anything else and he’s fine, but if I open my mouth to actually tell him he’s going to be a daddy, he shoves something in my mouth.”
She shook her head and sighed, looking between her two friends for comfort before picking up a chocolate chip cookie from the top of her pile. “I’m beginning to think he doesn’t want to be a dad.”
Mrs. Behr arched a brow at that comment. “Sweetheart, from the sparks flying between you two that last time you came to dinner, I was assuming you two have been… tryin’ real hard to get pregnant.”
Haley almost choked on a bite of cookie but managed to swallow it before Clancy charged over in full mate-mode. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have any complaints when it comes to that. It’s good to keep his skills in fighting shape, right?”
She blushed as Angelina and Mrs. Behr laughed out loud.
Angelina leaned in closer. “Amen, sister. I’ll have to tell Manny that he’s slacking behind Clancy.”
Mrs. Behr’s brows drew together in concern. “Seriously?”
Angelina’s laughter held more than a hint of mischievousness. “Not at all, but it can’t hurt to tell him. Manny’s a competitive bear by nature, if he thinks Clancy’s outdoing him in something, he’ll do everything he can to come out on top.”
Mr. Behr walked up with a cruller in his hand. “Come out on top of what?”
All three woman went as still as statues until Mrs. Behr leaned over and took a bite out of the pastry and waved him off. “Get everyone together so we can start. I want to make sure I don’t miss a thing.”
#
Clancy saw Mr. Behr give him the sign that things were about to get underway. With a nod to his friend, Clancy and Manny picked up the last of the boxes from the Behr porch and brought it over to the town’s Christmas tree. They set it down behind the tree just out of sight of the women.
Manny leaned in. “Do you think she knows?”
“That she’s carrying my cubs?” Clancy shook his head. “Although I’m fairly sure she thinks something’s wrong. The other day she told me her rabbit had died.”
Manny’s brows came together in a wave of concern. “Her car? There’s nothing wrong with it. Are you worried about her?”
Clancy shrugged. “Theadora said Haley’s just fine, but I know she’s been worried. A few times now, she’s come up to talk to me and I can tell she’s stressed about something, but I didn’t want her to worry, so I distracted her, hoping that we could put off the conversation until today where I can tell her she’s fine. She’s just pregnant.”
The realization hit him like a poleax to the gut. He hadn’t said those particular words before and the very taste of them on his tongue brought up a bunch of images in his head. Fueled a great deal by his bear, Clancy saw the future ahead of him. A handful of ginger bears frolicking in the woods and their beautiful mother at his side.
His bear added one more image of a less than family-safe nature to remind Clancy that he’d have to do a lot more mating if he wanted that many cubs.
Clancy fought the bear down with a mental thought to mind his manners before Clancy straightened and stood beside Manny, their two massive bodies blocking the extra box from view.
“Merry Christmas, Allaway!” Mr. Behr managed to make himself heard throughout the square without seeming like he was shouting at all. Then again, the majority of the townsfolk were all shifters so their hearing was just fine.
The town echoed back the sentiment in a score of different ways, ending in a good-natured clamor.
“It’s so good to be here again to celebrate another year in our little mountain nature preserve!”
There were all kinds of laughter that filtered through the group. Everyone in the town limits understood what a unique place they lived in. While the world had just recently learned about shifters after the emergency in Sylvan City, the town of Allaway had always been aware of what and who they were. Integration was just a natural byproduct of living there and loving their neighbors.
Mr. Behr went through a hefty list of town achievements and notable events. “Including,” he turned and winked at the ladies, “two new mated couples in just the second half of the year alone!” He lifted his mug of coffee and saluted the crowd. “Dare I hope we have more in the coming year?”
A few men at the edge of the gathering cheered and one of their number called out. “We’ll need more women in town if that’s going to happen.”
Clancy understood the reality behind their laughter and joking comment. The women in town were all mated or hadn’t sparked the kind of recognition needed for a true fated pair. Those shifters would have to hope for new women to come to town or leave in hopes of finding their mates.
“And I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to the seemingly endless supply of sugar and hot beverages.” Mr. Behr turned toward Clancy, but Clancy tried to wave him off. He should have known it was futile. When a Behr wanted to do something, they just did it. “And a big Allaway thank you to Clancy Rhodes who went searching everywhere in the forest for just the right tree. He cut it down and toted it all the way into town for our enjoyment. Merry Christmas, everyone!” Mr. Behr gestured at the tree and right on cue, the lights turned on, making every eye in town widen in a little yuletide awe.
Mrs. Behr giggled when her husband finally made his way through the milling crowd and gave his mate a big kiss on her cheek. “Merry Christmas, dear.”
“Dear,” he scoffed, “you know what I do to deer.” With a laugh he gave his wife’s ear a little bite.
“Robert,” she playfully hissed at him. “Not in front of the children.”
Haley and Angelina shared a chuckle.
Angelina was the only one who spoke though. “We’re not children.”
Mrs. Behr joined in their laughter. “You are to me, girls. You’ll always be like my own.”
Mr. Behr wrapped an arm around his wife. “Ladies, your mates are waiting to see you open your presents.” He nodded at the edge of the assembled group. “Shall we mosey on over?”
Haley stood and wondered what she was going to do with her plate of sweets.
“Oh, I’ll take that.” Mr. Behr’s eyes lit up as he took the plates from both younger women. “I’ll watch these carefully.”
Mrs. Behr stepped between the two women. “I’ll get you more later, but we should go before your bears start pacing.”
They arrived moments later at the edge of the g
athering and Haley couldn’t help but swoon inside at how handsome Clancy looked. She’d made him a shirt, which she had more than her share of fun measuring and fitting to his body. And he’d worn it into town, full of pride for her gift. She was wearing a matching dress with some woolen leggings underneath that Clancy had ordered for her in every shade of color they sold.
Yes, he wanted to keep her warm, but secretly she knew how much they both enjoyed it when he peeled them off of her before climbing into their bed together in the evenings.
Haley stepped over to Clancy’s side and took the wrapped package from his hands. Her Christmas gift to the growing Suarez family safely tucked away behind the polar bear wrapping paper.
She leaned into Clancy’s embrace when Angelina opened the top of the box they’d brought into town for them and Clancy had wiped away the tears of joy from Haley’s cheeks when Angelina gently traced her fingers over the intricate carvings that Clancy had made in the sides of the cradle.
“I hope,” she licked her lips trying to ease the anxiety she felt, “that you haven’t burned yourself out on making cradles.”
He gave her a squeeze and pulled her closer against his side. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll make another in case they end up having twins.”
Haley tried to smile but it didn’t quite feel natural on her lips. Sure, for bears the possibility of twins was high, but that wasn’t the point of her comment and she was beginning to wonder if she’d need to hit him over the head with a cradle to get him to understand.
Not that she could hit him over the head with anything unless he was sitting… on the floor.
When Angelina’s eyes started to moisten with tears, Haley stepped forward and held out the package in her hands. “Another gift from us to your family.”
Angelina took the wrapped gift in her hands and shook her head. “You didn’t have to get us anything else. The cradle is gorgeous!”
Haley shrugged. “I didn’t ‘get’ it for you. I made it.”