Arms outstretched, legs pumping for all she was worth, Hadley imagined she heard the chuffing breath of the bear behind her. Closing in.
Hadley had a head start, but the bear was fast. She was going to be eaten by a hungry black bear. Hysteria rose in her, and she wondered hysterically if her parents would even come to the funeral or if they would just send a card.
The pounding of a thousand pounds of bear echoed in the clearing, still discernable over Hadley’s scream of sheer terror. Blindly, she ran, her feet just touching the bottom step before another sound emerged from her left.
Hunter
He’d been aware of the black bear snacking on garbage, but figured it would be a good lesson for Lacey and Quinn to bear-proof their trash. Bear and man had nodded to each with respect while Hunter went to chop wood.
Whistling quietly, Hunter stacked an armload of wood and rounded the corner of the yellow cottage. Three things occurred to him simultaneously. Hadley was in trouble. The bear was chasing her. And Hunter wasn’t sure he’d have the time to save her.
With a mighty roar, Hunter shifted. Agony tore through him as bones and tendons reformed and his clothes burst off his body. He was bigger than the black bear. Maybe twice its size, but he was further away, too.
Adrenaline pushing him, Hunter and Bal pushed themselves. Mine, Bal roared. Hunter retreated, letting Bal take point on this mission. Must save Hadley.
Hadley’s pace seemed odd like she had something on her foot that kept her from running. As her foot reached the bottom rung on the patio, the black bear nipped at her heels.
Furious, Bal bellowed and attacked.
Anger ripped through them both as they broadsided the smaller bear. Bal was out for blood. How dare anyone hurt Hadley?
They tussled for a few minutes with the black getting up on his hind legs to show off his height. But he immediately retreated when Bal performed a similar action.
Mine, Bal called to the other bear’s retreating back. Bal’s blind fury wanted to chase after the black bear, demanding retribution. Hunter called him back, reminding him now that the imminent danger was over, they needed to check on Hadley. Hunter’s shoulder throbbed, reminding him of his injury. An injury that could give the black bear the ability to cause more damage.
And what would happen to Hadley if they were both out of commission?
By reminding Bal of their duties to Hadley, his bear calmed down and allowed Hunter to exert control.
Hadley opened the door a crack. “Is he gone?” she asked in a tiny voice. She visibly trembled. “Oh, God, Hunter, I have never been so happy to see anyone in my entire life!”
As Bal climbed the stairs, Hadley walked out onto the patio. She hugged the bear, and for a moment, Hunter felt at one with his bear. They both needed her.
His shift was less painful this time as he went into human form. Hunter’s arms enclosed Hadley, and he held her as if she'd been constructed from spun glass and sunshine. “I didn’t think I was going to make it in time. What the fuck happened?”
Starting to cry now that the danger was over, Hadley said, “I thought he was you.”
“Baby, I know all bears look alike, but I’m a grizzly. He was clearly a black.”
“I know,” Hadley wailed on a hiccup. “I don’t know. It wasn’t anything I thought about. It’s not like bears of any color roam around the streets of Winston-Salem.” Her shoulders shuddered with each sob, and Hunter held her.
She wiped her cheeks with the back of one hand and giggled as she took in his current state. “You are awfully rough on clothes, aren’t you?”
Hunter chuckled, feeling his emotions grow calmer. “Let’s get you inside, okay? Bal and I, we need to hold you.” He lifted her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Don’t leave me,” she whispered. “I was so scared. I thought for sure I was going to die.”
They curled up on the bed, Hunter stroking each inch of her skin. Looking for marks. Bruises. Anything that said she wasn’t hale and whole.
But Hadley was fine. Hunter was fine. They were alive and together. It had to be enough.
Hadley continued to tremble as the adrenaline coursed through her slim body. Hunter’s arms tightened around her as memories rushed through him.
He hated those memories. Never wanted to go there. Talk of them. See them play out in his mind ever again. And yet, like a bad fucking dream, they haunted both his waking and sleeping hours.
“I thought my last mission was going to break me,” he whispered into the spikey pieces of her pixie cut. “But faced with losing you, I realized how much more I could still lose.”
Hadley was quiet in his arms, and for a moment, Hunter wondered if she’d fallen asleep. “What happened?” she finally asked, her lips caressing his chest with each word.
“We were in South America. Quibria. We got this intel about a munitions factory the rebels were using to take over from Queen Sanibra. There was a national holiday celebrating the Queen’s birthday coming up. Fireworks were planned in the nation’s capital.”
Hunter’s heart began a hard, steady beat, but Hadley’s hands were there, soothing him. Trailing over his exposed skin like it was a fine instrument.
“Our intel said the munitions in the factory would be used to blow up the town square. Kill tens of thousands. All I needed to do was destroy the ordinance.”
“And you obeyed your orders.”
“I’m a soldier, Hadley. Or at least I was. I’m not sure what’s happening now. They gave me leave to get my head on straight, but if I do that, they’re going to want me back.”
“And if you can’t?”
“I don’t know. They could have me destroyed. Or take me back anyway and put me on an assignment guaranteed to kill me.” Hunter shook his head, confusion etched on every line of his body. “The not knowing makes it worse.”
“Tell me what happened,” Hadley said. She sat up, her body tight against his. Skin touching. Hearts synchronized. “Trust me with your secrets.”
Feeling like he was going to puke, Hunter nodded. He risked everything—her trust if he didn’t tell her. Her good opinion if he did. Hunter closed his eyes and inhaled, taking in the sweetness of her floral-scented soap. “There was a munitions factory there. The intel was right about that. But it was wrong, too. The factory was in the basement. The first floor had a daycare center in it.”
Hadley gasped and turned to look at his face. Hunter looked past her, no longer seeing the ceiling or hearing the quiet of the surrounding mountain. He was lost in a memory of children screaming, the acrid taste of billowing smoke, and the howl of his soul as he charged through the scene to see if he could help.
“I killed them,” he said, his voice tired. Drained. “A dozen children died because I didn’t ask what else was in that building.”
“Could you have? Would the orders have changed?” Her words were as calm as her tone. Appeasing him outwardly as though she understood the internal damage.
“Had we known? I sure as fuck hope so. We don’t go to kill children. There's always collateral damage. Soft targets. People in the wrong place. But up close like this was a first for me."
Hadley nestled back into the crook of his arm. “Is that why you don’t like staying human?”
“The memories are too much,” he said. “I can control them better when you’re here, but as soon as you leave, they come crashing down around me.”
They lay quietly in the afternoon light until dusk darkened the bedroom. Hadley touching his chest. Arms. Trailing her fingers over his skin while he felt her tears pool on his skin.
Hunter kept his hands firmly anchored in the short strands of her hair. His body longed to pound his memories to dust. Pound his hips into hers. Strip away the last barrier and fuck until nothing was left but sweat-drenched forgetfulness.
He felt her doze off as darkness fell. Trying not to wake her, he slipped off the quilt-covered bed and left.
One step off the patio and Bal burs
t forward. If the only forgetfulness at is disposal was losing himself in his alter ego, then that’s what he had to do.
Chapter Five
Hadley
After waking up alone, Hadley figured Bal and Hunter had needed to forget. She’d had a quiet dinner with Lacey and Quinn, but didn’t say anything about the black bear, the attack, or Hunter’s confession.
“Let me walk you back to the cabin,” Quinn offered. “I saw bear tracks around the garbage cans.”
Hadley nodded but didn’t say anything. What was there to say, really?
“Lacey has been thrilled since you’ve been here,” Quinn said. His deep voice resonated with quiet reassurance. “She wants you to stay.”
“These cabins are for your friends, though, aren’t they? A place to transition from military demands to civilian life.”
“They have, yeah, but there’s plenty of room for you, too,” Quinn said. He ran his hands through his hair. “Hunter is different around you, too.”
Sadness engulfed Hadley. The life she could have stretched before her like the yellow-brick road. She longed to take the first step. Physically ached with it.
But she’d been on that road before. Knew where it ended. Hunter’s pull me push me behavior was too similar to her parents. Instead of winding up in a mythical land of happily ever after, Hadley was afraid she’d be left waiting for a birthday card in the mail.
“I’ll give it some thought,” Hadley said. “Thank you for walking me home.” She waved to Quinn and walked into the little yellow cabin. Before settling in with her crossword puzzles and gem-match games, she made sure the house was locked up tightly.
She understood Hunter’s bear a little better now. Understood his need to forget. Hadley could fight for him. Could argue and debate and present her case with the best of them. But if all he had to do was wait for her to fall asleep and slip away? Well, there wasn’t much of a future there, was it?
Amidst the sounds of crickets, wolves, and the occasional owl calling for its mate, Hadley fell into a restless sleep.
<<<>>>
It was the sound of nightmares. Roars of displeasure amid the acrid stench of fire and the splintering of wood.
Hadley woke with a start, the light from the moon long since past its zenith. She reached for her phone to check the time. Three o’clock. But what had woken her?
The sound came again. Louder this time. An animal in distress.
Still afraid of running into a bear, or wolf, or even one of those owls (like, have you seen their talons?), Hadley went to investigate. Her door, the one she had purposefully locked, still stood in the moonlight, but she could tell Hunter had been there.
The wounded animal growled again. Wait. Was that Hunter? Was that from next door?
Unmindful of only being in a nightgown, Hadley grabbed the fire poker and wielded it like a baseball bat. She left the safety of her cabin for the unknown situation next door. Hunter’s door opened smoothly, and as she entered she heard the sounds of his nightmares coming from the bedroom.
“Hunter?” she called, hoping to wake him enough to get him out of a dream. She didn’t want to be the one who woke up a soldier having a night terror.
His inarticulate growl caught her by surprise. He sat up, sniffing. “Mine,” he said, even though he appeared to be still sleeping.
“You said that the first day, too,” Hadley remarked. She stepped closer, wondering if she’d been mistaken. “Are you awake?”
Powerful arms reached out, grabbed her, and pulled her into the heavenly depths of his enormous bed. “Hunter? Can you hear me?”
“Nightmares stop,” he mumbled against her neck. “Don’t leave.”
“Shh,” she said. She wiggled a bit until Hunter rested against her chest. “Lay down, sweet man,” she said. Hadley rummaged around in her memory for a lullaby before finally settling on one she remembered from her nanny.
Whether it was the Irish melody that calmed him or the soft curves of her body, Hadley didn’t know. What she could tell, though was that restlessness stopped. And he was able to sleep. Hadley slipped into a light doze, acutely aware of the man in her arms.
But as sometimes happens in the middle of the night, control slips and desire takes over. His hands, wide, masculine, capable, began exploring the silky length of her bare legs. The loose confines of her sleep shirt. The delicate plumpness of her breasts.
Tendrils of arousal wrapped around Hadley, and she was pulled into the sensual haze he created. Powerful hands discarded her nightshirt, leaving her naked in his arms.
“Pretty,” he mumbled against her breast, making it pull high and taut.
Hadley sank into his embrace. The dream-like sensations making her float with desire. Her lips touched his, seeking his taste. His heat. His passion.
Warm pleasure resonated within her and she reveled in their mutual touch. Her breathing grew ragged. Carnal. In need.
Hadley’s hands explored, finding the treasure trail of hair leading to the thick ridge of his dick. The heavy sack of his balls. The petal-soft head of his cock.
Something dark and sensual flooded her body, drenching her core. Her thighs rubbed together seeking to ease her own powerful arousal. Nothing mattered to Hadley except getting Hunter’s cock in her mouth. And yet. He still slept.
It was wrong. Hadley knew it. And yet Hunter’s sleepy kisses trailed down her neck. Traced her collarbone. Nipped on her tender nipples.
“Hunter, what are we doing?” Hadley said, tears forming in her eyes. Her body ached with the voluptuous need for completion, but it was wrong. The rough slide of his body hair was addictive, and she writhed against him. Silently begging for completion.
Hadley slid the soles of her feet up along his calf and then down again, savoring the strength of his muscles. The palms of her feet tingled from the downy hair of his legs.
“Please be awake,” she whispered against his chest. His lips pulled on her earlobe, nipping at it. Shivers descended her body. Tightening it. Preparing it for him.
But still, Hunter didn’t say a word. He flipped Hadley on her stomach, pulling her beneath him. His panting grew ragged, his hips arching his thickness against her hips. The rasp of his whiskers trailed down her spine. His tongue tasting the rise of her bottom. Exploring the dimples in her low back.
Like a cat in heat, Hadley moaned, pulling her knees under her. Raising her hips. His mouth. Hands. Skin. He was everywhere and yet. It. Still. Wasn’t. Enough. She was empty without him.
Hunter rose behind her, covering her body. Hadley felt the broad, wide head of his cock as it sought entrance within the silky, sultry depths of her body. “Hunter?” she cried. Was it possible to want something so badly and still be afraid?
Because every cell in her body wanted him inside of her. And yet, the sheer pressure against her core worried her.
“You are exquisite.” Hunter trailed licks and bites up her spine.
“You’re awake?”
Hunter snorted with laughter and turned her to face him. He settled into the cradle of her thighs. “I’m awake,” he confirmed with an amused smile. Large hands caressed her breasts. Pushing them together so he could taste them both. “Men can do lots of things asleep, sugar.” He paused in his ministrations and looked at her. “But making love does require a few working brain cells.”
Hadley luxuriated in his words, arching and stretching beneath him. “I didn’t want to take advantage of you,” she admitted shyly. She buried her fingers in his dark hair. “Kiss me,” she demanded.
Their kiss was hot. Sultry. Carnal. A helpless groan escaped, but neither knew who had groaned and neither cared.
“Make love to me,” she begged.
He shifted his weight, brought his cock to the entrance of her body. Warm, velvety lips parted, kissing the smooth head. “You ready, sugar?
“I, I think so,” Hadley stuttered. Oh, please let her be ready, she thought, her body tensing in the seconds leading up to the first thrust of his hips.
“Fuck,” he said, teeth gritting as he pushed the first inch in. “You’re as tight as a fist, aren’t you, baby?” His hips pulled out, and her legs rose to tangle around his hips.
“Don’t leave,” she begged. Hunter was so close. So damned close.
“I’m not going anywhere, sugar,” he soothed. His gravel-deep voice tickled along Hadley’s senses, relaxing her. “You can take me, right? You’re not going to leave me out in the cold are you, Hadley?”
“Never,” she vowed.
He pulled back, the tip of his dick just barely within the tight confines of her pussy. And thrust, piercing both the barricade to her virginity and the wall she kept around herself. She stiffened and whimpered in distress.
Finally, at last, they were one.
Hunter
“Oh, baby.” Hunter ground his back teeth, fingers twining in her hair, his hips pumping reflexively. “Fuck, baby, you’re so tight. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t. I don’t know.” She thrashed on the bed, raising her legs to cradle him deeper within her. “Don’t stop,” Hadley begged.
“Am I hurting you?” He buried his face in the crook of her neck and shoulder. “Fuck, baby, please tell me I’m not hurting you.”
“I’m just. Full,” Hadley said. Long limbs twined around his hips and shoulders. “But it feels good, too.” She hissed under her breath when his hips moved.
“Is that a good sound or a bad one?” Hunter fought for control, the overwhelming need to thrust, and claim, and own.
And yet, when he finally opened his eyes and looked down, he was swamped with tenderness. Hunter couldn’t resist the lure of Hadley’s lips. He nipped the bottom one. Then the top. Finally, he took her mouth in a deep, searing kiss that consumed him.
The sultry pulse of her pussy around his cock, the deep heat of her mouth, the silken texture of her skin. He surrendered to her Siren’s call until he wasn’t sure where he ended, and she began.
Because, finally, at last, they were one.
Hunter tested the depths of Hadley’s passion. The further he went, the more profound their connection. She was decadent heat, starry nights, and breathtaking pleasure.
Her Broken Bear: Shifter Special Forces Page 4