by V. Vaughn
I smile up at Ian. “I have a sweater in my bag that will make a nice skirt for you.”
He smiles and walks over to retrieve it. Once he’s tied my cardigan around his waist, I nudge the girls to go to him.
Sophie says, “I’m sorry, Daddy.”
Sadie gives him her apology too, and Ian opens up his arms to them. He embraces them in a big hug, and they both cling to him as if he’s been part of their lives all along.
My heart swells as tears fill my eyes. Ian scoops up the twins and carries them up to the blanket. “I think it might be time for dessert,” he says. “Who likes cookies?”
“Me! Me! Me!” the girls cry out, completely recovered from their near-death experience.
“Me too,” I say, and I join them on the blanket as Ian passes out chocolate chip cookies that appear homemade. I take a bite, and buttery sweetness fills my mouth before the rich chocolate flavor comes. “Oh wow,” I say. “This is good. Did you make them?”
He nods. “I know my way around a kitchen.”
“Hmmm. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’ve been in training to be more than a warrior. I think you’ve been preparing to be a dad.”
Ian grins at me. “Who said I wasn’t?” He glances at the girls then looks back at me. “This is what I dreamed about for us, Elise.” He chuckles. “And I believe I just got a crash course in what it’s really like to be a parent.”
I chuckle too and lean in to give him a sweet kiss. “You passed with flying colors.”
Because the girls are wearing dresses that are dripping wet, they begin to shiver fairly quickly. When Ian notices, he says, “I think it’s time to get them home and in dry clothes.”
“Good idea.” I stand up to pack. He drops us off at Kimi’s, and we arrange for him to come back once he’s changed into clothes, which gives me time to put the girls down for a nap.
Once the girls are asleep, I go outside and into Kimi’s garden to wait. Ian pulls up in his truck, and when he gets out, I stand up from the stool and wait for him.
“Pulling weeds?” he asks.
I shake my head as I smile. “Patiently waiting for the father of my children.”
Ian places his hands on my arms and rubs them. “Today, I finally got it.”
“Got what?”
“What it’s like to want to protect your children at all costs. I realize now what you did for our children was brave.”
“I’m not sure brave is the right word.”
“I think it is. We both know that our children would not have been easily accepted by the clan four years ago, and that I would likely have left the LeRoux to be with you. And—” He shakes his head. “You were right to do what you did.”
“No, Ian.” While I’m happy he understands my reasons now, I know it’s not right. “You deserved to be a part of the decisions I made. No matter what I want to do to protect you or our children, you need to be part of that process.”
“We’re a team, aren’t we?” he asks.
I grab his arms and lift up on my toes. “We’re a family. I love you, Ian.”
“I love you too, Elise.”
Ian hoists me up, and my feet thud on the stool when he puts me on it so that we’re closer in height. He kisses me. There’s a need pulsing through both of us, but the frantic loss of control we do so well isn’t as intense now. I think it’s because we’ve both grown up. Or maybe we finally know that we’ve got the rest of our lives and not just stolen moments. So I savor our kiss like a fine wine, because our love will only get better with time.
Epilogue
“Elise,” Ian whispers in my ear, and I let out a moan as I slowly wake to his gentle kisses on my neck. His breath is hot on my skin as he whispers again, “Morning,” and he moves down my chest.
The girls and I moved into Ian’s house within a week of me signing the contract with the LeRoux clan, and Ian and I had a simple wedding ceremony in Kimi’s gardens a few weeks later.
I open my eyes and squint at the sun streaming in the window. “Ian.” I let out a small gasp when he takes my nipple between his teeth and bites lightly. “The girls.”
“Won’t be up for at least another half hour,” he says. The two of us are homeschooling Sophie and Sadie together, and I’m surprised at how well Ian does as a teacher. Although I shouldn’t be, because his gentle way has made him an excellent father. He’s fallen into the job as if he were born for it.
“Oh,” I say as I arch up to let Ian have full access to what he wants. He laps at my hardened nipple, and tingles of pleasure travel to my core as I begin to heat up with my desire. I grip Ian’s hair lightly as he leaves my breast and moves down my stomach, and I tremble when he dips his tongue into my belly button.
“That tickles,” I say, and he glances at me with a mischievous grin.
You are so bad, I say to him telepathically. We bonded with his bite on our wedding night, and since then, we can talk to each other using our minds. It’s quite handy when it comes to the girls.
Ian is now between my legs, and I spread my thighs wider for him as he strokes my tender folds with his tongue. I let out a small moan and begin to squirm in response to the sensations that are making me quiver.
Ever since we started having sex in a bed, our lovemaking has changed from fast and furious to slow and sensual, and I’m completely on board with basking in this version. My passion heats up beyond a simmer when Ian begins to dart his tongue into my entrance and alternate it with sucking on my clit. I let myself fall into the abyss of ecstasy, and the wave of my orgasm washes over me, lighting every inch of my body on fire. I let out a strangled cry to keep from waking the twins.
I take a moment to let the little shudders of aftershock happen and say, “Now that’s the way to start my week.” I smile up at Ian as he climbs up to lie next to me, then I get on my knees to give him a good morning as well.
I start at his ear and whisper, “I think today is a pancake day,” before I suck at his earlobe and kiss my way down his neck the way he did to me. When I get to the top of his collarbone, I whisper again, “With bacon. Lots…” I move down his chest and nip at his nipple with my teeth. “And lots…” I keep going until I get to his belly button, where I tickle him too. “And lots of…” Now I waggle my eyebrows at him and move between his legs, and both of us forget what I was saying. His musky scent fills my senses as I tease his cock with my tongue by dragging it up the sides and swiping it around the slick head.
He moans and bucks his hips as he loses himself in the pleasure of my ministrations, but he stops me before his release and takes over. Ian flips me on my back as if I’m a rag doll and drives himself into me with the frantic need of our past. But he’s not needy in the same way. This is his bear claiming me, fulfilling a primal desire that was embedded into our DNA from the very beginning. And I lift my legs to wrap them around his waist and pull him into the very center of my being.
We rock together, each taking and giving what we want. What we need. What is a unique blend of us. When we both cry out with our climax, it’s the song of our hearts and our love.
Ian lowers himself to the bed and rolls us so that I’m lying on top of his heated body. I nuzzle into his neck and let out a sigh of contentment. “How is it my life is so perfect?”
“I was just thinking the same thing. My god, Elise. I thought I loved you before, but ever since we bonded, I’m scared by how deeply I feel for you.”
“I know. I love you the same way, Ian.”
Quick footsteps on the stairs make me sit up and grin, and I grab the T-shirt for me and the shorts for Ian we keep by the side of the bed. I say, “Cover up that boy thing. Would you?”
He laughs as little fists knock on our door. Once we’re both dressed, Ian calls out, “Come in!”
The door bursts open, and two little girls launch themselves onto the bed to scramble up and get in between us. I smother them both with kisses before I get out and let them carry on with the rest of their morning routine.
Both girls shift into cubs who could scratch and harm me, but with their dad, who has werebear healing powers that let him heal instantly, they don’t have to be careful.
I watch my family wrestle on the bed, and my heart fills up with so much love I’m not sure how I manage to contain it. But then I realize there’s no need. I reach down and place my hand on my stomach and smile. I haven’t taken a pregnancy test yet, but my visions have told me all I need to know. Soon, I’ll tell Ian what I know too. Because more children are on their way.
I came to Maine to protect my girls, but that wasn’t what I needed to do. I opened up my heart and my mind to the future, and to the family I dreamed I could have.
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About the Author
V. Vaughn lives on an island in Maine and spends as much time outdoors with her three Portuguese Water dogs as she can. She may have seen a bear or two….
www.violetvaughn.com