Reforming the Bear

by Vanessa Devereaux

  It was clearer now. Lucy had somehow made the sun shine again and she was gradually turning his cold heart of stone into one that beat blood.

  Liam picked up speed, hurrying back to the edge of the wood where he could shift and get back into his truck. Perfect time of the night for a run: No one around, and the stars and moon shining overhead.

  He relaxed his body, slowly shifting back into his human form. He quickly dressed and got into the car, starting the ignition and wondering what the other shifters like Aiden, Christopher and Dane would think of him finally giving in and having sex with a human. Having a relationship with one. Is that what he and Lucy were heading toward?

  Liam put his foot on the gas, suddenly in a hurry to get back to that gorgeous woman in his bed. He ran his hands through his hair. At some point he’d have to be honest and tell Lucy what he really was. What they really were. He’d always been guarded about their secret, going to meetings and berating the other guys who’d taken human lovers and wives for putting them in danger. He had to follow his own advice. He had to get to know Lucy a lot more before he revealed their secret. After making such a fuss about it with the others, he wouldn’t be the one to make them susceptible to outside threats. Liam Ahern wouldn’t be the shifters’ downfall.

  He pulled in front of the garage and hurried out of the truck, hoping she hadn’t fallen asleep because he wanted to make love with her again.

  Lucy was lying on her side under the covers of his bed. He stripped off and slid in beside her. She was still naked but her body was warm. He snuggled up to it, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her shoulder.

  “How was your run?”

  “Perfect,” he said.

  “Don’t you get scared running this time of the night? I mean, aren’t there lots of wild animals about?” asked Lucy.

  “Sure there are, but most of them wouldn’t hurt you.”

  At least not when he was in his bear form.

  “Yeah, I guess they’re more scared of us then we are of them.”

  “Exactly,” he said pulling her in tight to his body. His cock beat against her butt cheeks. He put his hand over her right breast and squeezed before running his finger down her stomach, over her navel, and into the curls that he still found fascinating.

  Liam found her clit and began massaging it.

  “You are a master at that,” said Lucy, shifting her body just a tad so he could have more access.

  “You like it,” he whispered in her ear.

  “I do.”

  He took her earlobe between his lips and began playfully nipping on it as he teased the swollen nub even more. Lucy’s legs kicked out, her feet fluttering against his own.

  Her juices streamed over his knuckles, and the scent made him hungry for her, desperate to be inside her once again. She cried out as he slid his finger south of her clit and pushed it inside her channel. So hot and tight … he’d have to take her soon.

  “Excuse me for just one minute––stay right here,” he said close to her ear.

  He flipped over, reached for the box of condoms and was all fingers and thumbs getting the damn rubber out of the package. He threw the covers back and went to work on sheathing himself. He really hated these things but Lucy was the only human he knew worth the humiliation of having your dick encased in this hideous invention.

  He turned over, letting his finger trail down her crack, parting those cute cheeks of hers and then, wham, he was back inside her pussy.

  Liam thrust a few times and then stayed still and let his cock vibrate at the same time he practiced an ancient shifter ritual of biting the nape of her neck. Her pussy grew tight and she fidgeted as she cried out.

  She came big time. He knew that by the pressure on his dick that her pussy made as it spasmed three times and then she hit the pillow with her fist.

  He bite her again, just enough to derive pleasure for him but not enough to put her to sleep.

  Liam began thrusting again, holding on to her like she was going to run away. He’d left her skin pink and swollen from the bite. Shifters usually only did that to their intended mate.

  Usually it was given lots of thought, but he hadn’t hesitated before sinking his teeth into her.

  He kissed her neck this time, giving her a hug while he pounded into her. Something about Lucy made him want to protect her. Maybe because he’d found her in a vulnerable situation and she’d looked like a damsel in distress.

  She cried out again with her heels digging into his shins. He’d give her a few more orgasms and then he needed to find his own release. Her nails scraped his arms as she clung to him and cried out allowing him to let go and enjoy pure bliss.

  ****

  When Lucy first woke up the following morning, she thought she was back at home. She felt that relaxed, no longer scared about being miles from Philly. The muscular arm lying across her ribcage reminded her she was in Montana and in the bed of the sexiest, nicest guy she’d ever met.

  Lucy was tempted to outline each one of the magnificent muscles in Liam’s arm but guessed by the warm air being circulated by her ear that he was still in a deep sleep. Last night had been fun––the sex, him crawling in beside her, having sex again, and then falling asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.

  The bag. She’d left it in the apartment. She’d been so caught up with having sex that she’d left it unattended all night.

  Guilt washed over her and she had to go see if it was still there. She carefully lifted Liam’s arm up and off her body while watching for any signs she’d disturbed and woken him as she eased herself out of the bed. She put some weight on both her feet. Still a little sore, but if she didn’t move too quickly she wouldn’t need the crutches any more. She pulled on her t-shirt and pants.

  Lucy walked toward the door, cursing under her breath when it squeaked as she opened it. She glanced over at Liam. He stirred and his nose twitched but he remained asleep. She crept along the hallway, into the living room where she’d left her shoes and slipped her feet into them. Looked like it was going to be a beautiful day. She stepped outside and saw the sun starting to peek out over the horizon. She dug into her pants pocket and pulled out the key, slipped it into the lock and went inside the apartment.

  Once she saw the bag sitting exactly where she’d left it, her heartbeat slowed down. This was actually the safest place for it so she turned around, went back outside and locked the door again. She could go back to bed with Liam, but he’d been kind enough to make her breakfast yesterday so the least she could do was return the favor.

  Lucy walked into the kitchen and tried to figure out where he kept everything. She opened up one cupboard next to the fridge and saw five bottles of honey sitting on the top shelf.

  Wow, he certainly liked this stuff. She saw one bottle already opened on the bottom shelf and pulled it out, knowing he’d smothered the toast with it. She found bacon and eggs in the fridge and a carton of orange juice. She wasn’t sure how to work the coffee machine because she never drank the stuff herself and this looked like it had lots of buttons and options on it. She didn’t want to mess things up for him, so for now she’d stick with orange juice.

  Lucy set about finding a skillet and got to work on the bacon and eggs. Next she put two slices of bread in the toaster. The medallion that Liam had found sat in a dish beside it. How sad that he’d had to find it when he’d opened up the apartment for the very first time––even sadder that it had sat there, all that time, without him knowing. Perhaps he would have liked his brother to be buried with it.

  The toast popped up out of the machine, making her jump, and as she leaned over to retrieve it she jumped again as Liam wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the cheek.

  “I didn’t hear you come into the kitchen,” she said.

  “I’m very good at sneaking up on people like that.”

  “Really. Hope you’re hungry, because breakfast is about ready.”

  “Can’t smell any coffee brewing.”


  “Yeah, sorry about that, but I didn’t know how to turn on all the switches.”

  Liam let go of her and within minutes, the smell and sound of coffee brewing filled the kitchen.

  “I remembered you like toast with your honey,” she said holding up the jar.

  He smiled and took it from her. He opened the top, dipped his finger inside and then smeared it over her lips. Before she could lick it, Liam swiped his tongue across them and then kissed her, allowing her to taste the honey as it slipped inside her mouth.

  Liam put his arms around her, pushing her up against the wall by the fridge. He lifted up her t-shirt, removed it from her body and then pulled down her pants, kicking them away quickly. They kissed again, his erection stabbing at her belly, making her pussy spin and do flips. She bit his lip as he pulled her left leg up at an angle to her hip.

  He was Mr. Perfection because she hadn’t even seen him sheath himself. He slid into her like they’d been having sex for years and knew one another’s bodies better than they knew their own.

  She groaned while loving the coldness of the wall on her back and the heat of his dick buried deep inside her channel. Liam ran his tongue over her lips, all the time diving deeper, thrusting harder until her butt slapped against the sheetrock.

  His roughness, the way he’d taken her without a long build-up of foreplay excited, turned her on, priming her for the climax that took her breath away. Oh, how she wished every morning for the rest of her life could start like this one. She took a deep breath and put her hands on either side of his face, loving the roughness of the stubble against her palms. She quivered and cried out when another orgasm built quickly and made her whole body hum and come alive.

  He suddenly stopped thrusting, letting his cock vibrate inside her. She pushed her head back, her chin up in the air, enjoying the coldness of the sheetrock on her scalp as well as her ass. He angled her leg higher, allowing him more access. The tip of his shaft beat a steady beat at the back of her pussy.

  Lucy hoped he had a good hold on her because her legs were getting weak and shaking from the wave upon wave of climaxes that had washed over her. How far away was his nearest neighbor because she was about to scream out and hoped they wouldn’t think Liam was murdering her or anything sinister like that.

  She whimpered as he began thrusting again, growling, moaning almost like a bear––had to be all the honey he ate. And then, pow, the warmth from his ejection filled her.

  They pressed their foreheads against one another.

  “Quite the way to start the day,” said Lucy.

  ****

  He had both Sam and Lucy with him today. Liam was the former loner bear who was no longer spending the weekend by himself.

  “I’m getting tired of wedding stuff,” said Sam sitting down next to Lucy’s car as Liam worked under the hood.

  “Just think, one day you’ll be planning your own.”

  “Yuck! I hate girls.”

  “Kaitlin’s your best buddy and she’s a girl.”

  “Yeah, but I hate all the other girls. I’m never getting married.”

  “All men say that,” said Lucy, who sat reading in a chair by the door of the garage.

  Liam winked at Sam. “Hey buddy, you want to hand me that wrench there?” asked Liam.

  Sam stood and passed it to him. “Are we going fishing?” asked Sam.

  “I have a better idea. I thought the three of us could drive up near Glacier and see Maureen. She raised me and your dad and I know she’d love to meet you.”

  “Is she…?”

  Liam knew what was coming next and he cut Sam off before he could get the word bear out.

  “She sure is. And she makes wonderful pies.”

  He wanted to see Maureen again. He hadn’t visited her for a year. He’d promised he’d go check on her every couple of months now that Stan was gone but he hadn’t. He wanted her to see Sam, see what a fine boy Danny had produced.

  “Okay, then.”

  “You okay with that, Lucy?”

  “Are you sure you want me tagging along?” asked Lucy.

  “Absolutely, and do you mind if we take your car so I can see how it’s running?” asked Liam.

  “It’s fixed already?”

  “I think it is.”

  “You want me to drive?” asked Lucy.

  “You feel up to it?”

  She nodded.

  “Okay, then. Let me go wash my hands and we’ll set off.”

  ****

  Lucy believed her car ran better than it had before. It seemed strange being back inside it. She shook off the horrible memory of breaking down and that creep of a trucker stopping and…

  Liam put his hand on top of hers as if he knew what she was thinking and recalling. How weird was that?

  “You’ll have to give me directions,” she said, turning to look at him.

  “Just head out on Highway 90 and keep driving until I say to turn. Does the car feel and sound okay?”

  “Perfect. In fact, the engine doesn’t seem so noisy.”

  “Yeah, I made a few adjustments I thought it needed.”

  “Have you always loved fixing cars?”

  “Just about. Danny and I both loved anything with an engine.”

  Sam chose that moment to scoot forward and rest his arms on both front seats. “How come I don’t?”

  “Maybe you will in time,” said Liam ruffling his hair.

  “Bear’s going to get me a new bike,” said Sam.

  Lucy smiled. He was lucky that he had an uncle that clearly adored him, and a soon-to-be stepfather who obviously took good care of him.

  Sam slid back on the seat and Lucy could see him fingering the zip on the bag. Yes, she should have left it safely at home but she couldn’t. She’d sneaked it into the car when Liam was washing up in the bathroom.

  “What’s in the bag?” asked Sam.

  Her heartbeat picked up its tempo as his fingers slid along the zipper. Lucy glanced in the rearview mirror. For one awful moment she thought he was about to undo the bag.

  “It’s my dirty laundry and other girlie stuff.”

  She knew he hated girls, so figured that should do it.

  “Yuck,” he said, pushing it to one side.

  Liam laughed. “I bet he won’t be saying that in about ten years’ time,” he whispered to Lucy.

  He was probably right. Lucy glanced back at Sam. He was now sitting with his arms folded, looking at the scenery as it whizzed by.

  Disaster averted.

  ****

  Liam detected the smell of pie being baked about ten minutes before Lucy pulled into the spot close to Maureen’s new cabin. He put his nose in the air as he got out of the car and stretched his arms in the air. Huckleberry, if he wasn’t mistaken … his favorite. He looked around the place. Maureen had planted a vegetable garden since the last time he’d stopped by. Washing hung on the line that stretched between two trees. The place was wonderful, quiet, peaceful, hidden, and the surrounding woods would be perfect for a run. Maybe he’d come live here too when he retired.

  He put his arms around both Lucy and Sam as they headed to the front door. Proud to suddenly show both of them to the woman he and Danny had come to know as Mom. He tapped on the glass in the door.

  Maureen headed toward them, wiping her hands on a dishcloth and smiling.

  “Well, look who’s here. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I would have made some effort to look more presentable,” she said opening back the door. “Whom do we have here?” she asked, looking at Sam.

  Maureen had been the first person he’d told when he’d discovered that Sam was Danny’s son. You have a grandson, he’d told her.

  She wasn’t really a blood relative but when she and Stan had lost all three of their children in the crash that had brought the shifters to Earth, and Liam and Danny had lost their parents, it seemed only fitting they should adopt the two boys and raise them as their own. Many other suddenly childless and orphaned shif
ters had gotten together like that. In fact, there were just as many blended families as there were regular ones.

  “This is Sam,” said Liam.

  “Well, let me take a good look at you. Come inside.”

  The three of them stepped into the hallway and Maureen got down on her knees and put her hands on either side of Sam’s face.

  “My, my … you are such a handsome little boy. I can see your father’s devilish but very good looks. I have so many stories to tell you about your father.”

  She kissed him on the nose and Sam wiggled out of her hands and wiped his face with the back of his arm. “Yucky! I only let Momma kiss me like that.”

  Maureen laughed. “Yes, just like your daddy. He used to do that when I kissed him goodnight.”

  “Sam, what do you have for Maureen?” asked Liam.

  Sam lifted up the bunch of flowers and offered them to her. Lucy had suggested they buy them when they’d stopped for gas.

  “For me? They’re beautiful.” She put them up to her nose. And then she looked at Lucy.

  “And who is this beautiful young lady?”

  “This is Lucy Hunt. Lucy, this is Maureen, who I’ve been telling you about.”

  Lucy held out her hand but Maureen chose to hug her instead.

  “Come on through to the kitchen because I’ve just taken a huckleberry pie out of the oven.”

  Liam nudged Sam in the back. “You hear that, Sam? Maureen’s pies are legendary. In fact, if you ask her nicely she might let you take a slice home with you.”

  “Do you have ice cream too?” asked Sam.

  Maureen turned around and laughed again. “There’s no mistaking that he’s Danny’s son. You know, young man, your father used to steal all the ice cream and blame it on your grandpa.”