by Bianca D’Arc
When he slid his pants down his powerful legs after kicking off his shoes, she caught her breath. He really was the most handsome man she’d ever seen in the flesh. Everything about him appealed to her. Everything about him turned her on.
She reached out for him and he didn’t make her wait. He put one knee on the bed and lowered himself over her.
“Slow and steady or hard and fast?” he asked when he was positioned above her. His gaze met hers and she could see the humor and love in his eyes. It made her want him all that much more. It made her want to show him how much she loved and wanted him.
“How about somewhere in the middle?” she replied, her tone teasing.
“Your wish, is my command,” Ace said, nodding his head to the side. He finished the movement with a kiss to her neck, in the sensitive spot that made her squirm. Yummy.
He kissed his way down her body, pausing here and there at interesting parts. Ultimately, she had to reach down and drag him upward again, tugging lightly on his hair, his ears, whatever she could reach. He gave her a silly grin and raised eyebrows when he met her gaze.
“Yes?” he asked in a dryly amused tone.
“I changed my mind,” she said between panting breaths. “Hard and fast. Now!”
His grin turned devilish and he wasted no time sliding within her. “Hard and fast, indeed. My favorite.”
There was no more time for talking as he applied himself to her pleasure. His strokes started out slow, despite their earlier banter, but moved rapidly from languid to urgent. Just as she wanted. He was so powerful, so masterful, so athletic, and yet so loving. She could feel the care he took with her in every movement, every touch.
For the first time in her life, she knew what it was to make love with a man who loved her heart and soul, completely. For the first time, she understood what it meant to love and be loved in return. She was complete. And completely ready for whatever he had planned for their future, including right this minute, when she felt like the top of her head was going to come off when she hit orgasm.
Son of a…
She screamed his name as she came, gratified to hear him shout hers as well a moment later. They strained together, reaching for the stars and finding each other there, waiting, willing, wondering how they had each been so blessed as to find each other.
“I love you, Ace,” she whispered into her ear as he dropped his weight momentarily onto her, his arms giving out at last. She loved that she could affect him so deeply. Just like he affected her.
He rolled after just a moment, taking her with him, keeping her close. He growled low, near her ear. “I love you, too, mate.”
She wasn’t sure if it was the man or the beast talking, but she figured, in the end, it didn’t matter. She loved both sides of his nature. The growly protector and the tall, lean, biker who owned her heart.
*
They might’ve spent the rest of the day in bed, making love, but the phone rang. Ace sighed heavily and answered it, sitting up against the headboard of the bed. Sabrina snuggled against him, unwilling to let him go too far.
She knew she was being a bit needy, at the moment, but they’d both been through a lot that morning, and she was still coming to terms with everything. She’d give him space if he gave her the least indication that he didn’t like her clinginess, but so far, he’d returned every caress and seemed to enjoy the way she’d wrapped herself around him.
She knew she’d have to give him some space eventually, but for right now, all was well with her world and her man was close enough to touch. She was damned well going to touch him. Where the sudden feistiness came from, she wasn’t exactly sure, but she liked it. Being with Ace gave her confidence she’d never really had. Especially after the disastrous events up north with the wolf Pack. That had shaken her right down to her foundations, but Ace had helped her rebuild and then some.
Sabrina felt stronger than ever before, with his presence in her life. He made her better. More stable. Happy.
She knew she probably had a sappy smile on her face, but she didn’t really care. She was drunk on newfound love and happy just to be alive.
Ace ended the call and put the phone back on the bedside table. He was grinning.
“Apparently, news really does travel fast around this town,” he said in a musing tone. “We’ve been invited to our own mating party. It’s being held tonight in the town square. They’ve arranged for a band, and all the refreshments are being paid for by Ezra’s employer—a guy I know pretty well—whose mate is a freaking heiress. You haven’t met Trevor and his mate, Beth, but you’ll like them both. They’re good people.”
“But why would they pay for our mating party?” Sabrina was astounded by the generosity of these bear shifters. They were truly exceptional.
“I’m guessing it’s because my brothers and I helped Ezra get Beth’s businesses back under her control. Her stepfather had turned her late father’s business empire into something truly sleazy and downright evil. Ezra has been helping Trev and Beth systematically go through the holdings—and there are a lot of them—to figure out what’s legit and clean up those things that are not. My brothers and I lent them a hand not too long ago, and this feels a bit like a belated thank you, though we were all well paid for the job.” He shrugged. “It could also be that age-old bear shifter thing—any excuse for a party, you know. You’re going to have to get used to that if we’re going to live here.”
Sabrina sat up a little higher, meeting his gaze. Did he mean…? “You want to live here?” She caught her breath. “Will they let us?”
“Yes, and yes. If you do, and they’ve already cleared us if we want to stay.” He put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her close to his side. “Come to think of it, the party might also be a way for them to show us that we’re welcome. Bears are clever like that. They suck you in, and before you know it, you’re family.”
“I haven’t had a family in a long time,” she whispered, awestruck at the open-hearted kindness of these shifters. They were so different from Tobias’s wolves…except for Marilee.
“You’ve got me, now. And don’t forget my younger brothers. They’re going to love you.” He kissed her, and she forgot to worry about meeting the brothers until he let her up for air, again, sometime later. Then, another thought occurred to her.
“What am I going to wear?” She had only the clothes they’d traveled in, and nothing was really suitable for a celebration where she and Ace were the center of attention.
Ace chuckled. “Urse thought of that. She wants you to meet her at the bakery in an hour. She’s taking you shopping, apparently.”
That afternoon was filled with shopping with the girls. Urse had brought along her sister and Nonna to help Sabrina find the perfect dress. There was only the one boutique in town, and it was run by a mermaid. She had all kinds of pretty frocks, and the strega witches insisted Sabrina try on a dozen different options before they all settled on the perfect one.
It was sky blue and had subtle sparkles, a simple cut and a feminine silhouette. The strega women conspired to hide the price tag from Sabrina, insisting that they were paying for the dress as a mating gift. Sabrina teared up at the way they had welcomed her into their circle. She almost felt like one of the family, though she had known them only a short time. They were just already so special to her. So caring and accepting.
She hugged each one of them, thanking them for the incredible gift of the dress and the fun hour spent shopping. She hadn’t done that kind of thing in far, far too long.
Then, they took her to another new mermaid-run business in town—the one and only salon—to get glammed up. They told her they would release her only at the party. They wanted her to make an entrance and wow her mate with how beautiful she looked and how much thought and effort she’d put into dressing up for him. They seemed to imply that Ace was doing the same, but Sabrina couldn’t picture it. He was already so handsome, there was little he could do to improve the way he looked, and
she might not recognize him if he put on fancy clothing…but she began to wonder what he’d look like dressed up a bit.
Too hot to handle was her private conclusion. She thought about him wearing different outfits from a spy tux to a sport jacket while the blow dryer whirred. Damn. She couldn’t wait to see if he’d actually made an effort. Excitement buzzed through her as the time drew closer to go to the party.
Ace was impressed by the way the party had come together on such short notice. It sure looked as if the entire town had come out—probably to hear the band and make merry. He waited somewhat impatiently for Sabrina to arrive with the Ricolettis. John had assured him that his wife and sister-in-law, as well as their Nonna, had basically kidnapped Sabrina—in a good way—for the few hours leading up to the party. Ace trusted them, but he was getting anxious at the separation. The mating was so new, he wanted to be with her all the time.
And, then, she was there. A vision in sky blue, she walked toward him, the light fabric of her dress wafting in the wind and sparkling an invitation at him, to come hither and claim his mate. The crowd parted, making an open lane between them, and Ace found himself walking forward to meet her. Closer…and closer…until she was right in front of him. She smiled, and he lifted her in his arms, spinning them around in the joy of just being together.
A cheer went up around them, but Ace hardly heard it. Music started playing, and folks started dancing, but he was caught up in the magic of being with his mate, looking into her eyes and knowing she was the only woman in the world made just for him.
“You look stunning, sweetheart,” he told her. “Sky blue to match your eyes…and your talent. It’s definitely your color.” Sabrina blushed a bit as he kissed her cheeks gently.
“You’re the most handsome man in the world,” she said, her words ringing with truth to his sensitive ears. Now it was his turn to blush a bit. “Thank you for fulfilling a fantasy.” Her smile was devilish, this time, and made him wonder what she meant.
“What sort of fantasy?” he asked, playing along.
“Well, when they hinted that you might be getting some new clothes for the party, too, I started dreaming up what you would look like in different things. I like the button-down shirt and khaki look on you. Rugged and urbane, all at the same time.”
He decided retreat was the better part of valor in this situation, since he didn’t quite know what to say to that observation. Nobody had ever called him urbane before. He figured his mate would keep surprising him for a good long time to come. He looked forward to that with every fiber of his being. Speaking of which…
“There’s a piece of land up the mountain a ways. I had a talk with John about it while you were shopping, and it’s available if you want to go take a look with me tomorrow.” He wanted her input on where they would live. “The advantage of this particular lot is that it has the highest vantage point on the cove. I figured you could see all the weather from there, if that’s something you want. John said you’d be most welcome to do your weather thing for the town, and if you decide to take that job, it would come with compensation, since you’re using your talents on behalf of the entire town. You’d be a town employee, though they’re still thinking about what title to give you. Weather witch, while appropriate, isn’t quite covert enough.”
She laughed with him, her expression filled with joy. “I can hardly believe how welcoming they’re being. The wolves were nothing like this.” She put one hand on his chest before he could say it and repeated it for him. “I know. Bears rule, wolves drool.”
“Damn right!” came a voice from nearby. Zak was grinning at them as he danced past with Tina in his arms. “Bears rule!”
A few others took up the chant, and soon, the entire area was filled with raucous bear shifters and their indulgent mates, chanting and laughing up a storm. It was the best party Ace had ever been to.
“I love this town,” was Sabrina’s comment as she watched the happy crowd, just shaking her head.
“Me, too,” Ace agreed, then added, “but I love you more.”
They kissed, and the people around them started wolf-whistling. Sabrina was smiling and blushing when Ace let her go. The night went on like that for hours. Dancing under the stars with new friends and old, his mate in his arms and good music, flowing refreshments and the welcome he had never really expected. At least, not like this. Things were definitely looking up.
The only things missing were King and Jack. Ace sent a prayer up to the Mother of All for their safety and a reunion with them sometime soon. He knew they had to travel their own paths, but he hoped, and prayed, that their paths would lead them to the same kind of amazing happiness Ace had found. He wanted them to be as happy as he was right now.
EPILOGUE
White Oaks Wolf Pack Territory, Iowa
King ended the call from his brother Ace and shook his head. He’d gone and done it. Ace, the eldest, had gone and found his mate. King was just a bit worried about what the mating would mean for the brothers. Things were going to change, now.
Of course, they’d always known they couldn’t go on as they had forever. They didn’t want to go on as bachelors for their entire existences. The whole point of going off and having adventures was to meet new people and hopefully find mates.
King was happy for Ace. In fact, he was intrigued by the little Ace had told him about Grizzly Cove and the bear town John Marshall’s unit of crazies had founded for themselves. He’d had a good time hanging out in Iowa, but there were no mates in sight for him here.
He knew that, for sure. He’d taken every single female in the territory on at least one date, and none of them had made his bear wake up and take notice. They were nice girls, but he figured his mate just wasn’t to be found among werewolves.
Maybe there’d be a cute lady bear shifter—or even a mermaid—in Washington state that would make his inner grizzly growl in appreciation. He figured he was just about done with roaming, for now. It hadn’t panned out for him at all, though he’d solidified his contact with the Alpha werewolf here in Iowa. It was always handy to have friends in far off places that you could count on.
King decided there and then to make his farewells as soon as possible and head west. He wanted to see Ace and meet his new sister-in-law. And he most definitely wanted to check out the town known as Grizzly Cove.
Meanwhile, in Canada…
Marilee was fed up with Tobias and his edicts. His indifference and shoddy leadership had cost her Sabrina. The only true friend she had in this crappy town. Marilee wasn’t a dominant wolf. She would never stand up to Tobias in an overt way, but Sabrina had given her the perfect excuse to leave town, and she was going to take it.
Tobias didn’t have to know she had no intention of returning. He’d figure it out soon enough when she didn’t come back. And, by then, hopefully, Marilee would have found herself a better place to live among people who were more accepting and friendly.
That thought firmly in mind, Marilee put her efforts into packing up Sabrina’s stuff. She didn’t have much. Her apartment had come furnished, so the only things Marilee had to pack were personal items and clothing. It all fit in just part of the trunk of her car—leaving quite a bit of room for Marilee’s possessions.
She packed quietly. Methodically. Taking only a few things a day out of her apartment—conveniently in the same house as Sabrina’s had been—and packing them away in her car. They were safe enough there until she made her great escape. One thing Tobias wouldn’t tolerate in his town was petty crime.
When Sabrina called to let Marilee know she had landed on her feet in Grizzly Cove of all places, Marilee knew it was time to go. She packed up her last few things and left town one morning as the sun rose over the mountains. It was a beautiful day, and she hoped for a much brighter future ahead.
She’d left a note for her landlord, along with the keys and a little money she owed him. He’d find it that night when he got home from work and saw the envelope she’d left in his m
ailbox. By then, she’d be well on her way.
She had one thought as she left the remote mountain town behind…
“Grizzly Cove, here I come!”
*
Thank you for reading Storm Bear. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review. The next book in this series is called Bear Meets Girl. A short excerpt follows. A complete list of all of my books, separated by series, follows the excerpt, or you can also check out my website at WWW.BIANCADARC.COM. Or, you can sign up for my new release list to be alerted when new books are released.
EXCERPT FROM BEAR MEETS GIRL
© 2019 Bianca D’Arc. All Rights Reserved.
“Okay, I see the exit for the rest stop. I’m pulling off.” Marilee told her friend, Sabrina, over the phone. She resisted the urge to turn on her blinker and, instead, just headed for the rest stop. She drove as quickly as she dared through the deserted parking lot, pulling into the final space. “I’m in the last parking space,” she reported to Sabrina.
“Ace says leave your engine running,” Sabrina told her.
Marilee nodded, even though nobody could see her. “It’s still on. But, I have to tell you, those trees in front of me look pretty inviting right about now,” she warned her friend. “My wolf wants to make a run for it.”
Marilee heard Sabrina relaying her words to Ace, then she came back on the line. “Stay in the car for now, Mar. King is there. He’s going to block the road at the entrance to the rest stop and see what happens. Can you see him yet?”
Marilee craned her neck around to look out the side windows. “I see him,” she confirmed. “He pulled his bike across the width of the road and got off. If they’re up to no good, they could crunch up his bike something nasty.” Marilee worried about potential damage to King’s motorcycle.