“Hold on, sweetie,” he said. “When you come, I’ll be holding you. Now, let go.”
As he commanded it, she felt herself rush over another edge. It was like being swept over a series of waterfalls, where each one had a steeper drop. She screamed as she dug her nails into him, and he groaned.
“That’s it, baby. Hold on, I’m here.”
“Riley, Riley, Riley,” she said, repeating it because she couldn’t stop. He was all she could think about, and he damn well knew it, judging by the cocky smile he got as he pulled back to look at her. She was still pulsing in the throes of pleasure, and his eyes went dark with want as he watched her in the afterglow of the pleasure he’d given her.
He lowered himself between her legs once more. It was like he couldn’t get enough of her.
“Please,” she said, feeling an ache deep inside her. “Please, now. I need you.”
“One more,” he said. “One more to make you realize what I can do for you. What I’ll do for you for the rest of our lives. My life is yours, Leslie,” he said. Then he went back to loving her, and she let him, twisting against the sheets as she waited for the inevitable release. The build was hard and slow and she knew when it came, it would be stronger from her fighting it. But she couldn’t help it. It felt like it would be too intense. Like she wouldn’t be able to survive it.
“Riley,” she called out. “Riley, I can’t…”
“You can,” he said, and then he made the perfect, quick motion with his tongue to send her over the last waterfall. The fall was so long, so fast, her heart leapt almost as if it would stop, and then the pleasure of relief washed through her. It was thrilling, it was confusing, and it was amazing.
And, she realized through a haze of pleasure, he was holding her. He was here, and he wasn’t going to leave.
And that thought alone nearly brought her to the edge again. But this time, Riley was ready to go with her.
“I had to take care of you beforehand,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose lightly. “I knew I wouldn’t be able to wait once I was inside you. I wish I could make it last, but I know how it’s going to feel inside you. So intense, so strong…”
“Just get inside me already,” she snapped, unable to wait a moment longer.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He stood up to get a condom, and then they both realized he didn’t need one and laughed. “Habit,” he said. He climbed back on the bed and slowly stripped for her, pulling his shirt up over his head.
She gazed at his abs, so perfect and taut, and then he started pulling down his pajama pants and her eyes were caught by something much more interesting. Something much more tantalizing. Gosh, he was huge, and she couldn’t wait to feel every inch of him.
He felt her. “You’re so sweet for me, honey.” He swirled his finger, lightly dipping inside her.
“Stop torturing me,” she groaned.
“Torturing us both,” he said. “But I don’t want to rush it. I don’t want to waste a single moment going too fast. I want to remember this forever.”
“And I just want you. Now,” she said.
He crawled over her, both of them totally naked and bared to each other, and looked into her eyes. She reached up and clasped her hands around his neck. Then she wrapped her legs around his hips, pulling him close. He bit his lip and slid inside her.
It was so tight, so full, but she couldn’t deny that that was part of what made it so wonderful. They were completely together, skin to skin, with nothing to spare, just utterly joined. He filled up every space in her, and with her legs around his waist, she felt utterly his. She didn’t know how they could even be two people, it felt so right. She moaned when he withdrew, immediately wanting him inside again, though she loved the friction of it.
He exhaled as he pushed in again, this time taking her slowly, enjoying each second of coming together. Then he paused, relishing the feel of her. She dug her hands into his back, holding on for dear life as he began to move again.
“Faster,” she said, and he nipped her nose and complied. As he increased the speed, she felt the most intense sensations moving through her. So utterly full, then so empty without him. But each time he came back, giving her that pleasure, that amazing heat against every part of her. Encircling her even as she encircled him.
And she could feel her bear, the part of her that was joined with nature, that could scent her mate on the wind. She and her bear were one in what they wanted. Him. Now, coming inside her, pulsing with life, as overwhelmed by the pleasure she gave him as by the pleasure he gave her.
She thrust with him, meeting him with each movement, and he groaned in response, shutting his eyes and driving on. Each time he moved, she felt intense sensation at a certain part within her, and she could feel herself moving toward the fall again. She closed her eyes tight. She didn’t know how the mate claiming worked and she wanted to hold on for him.
But she didn’t know how long she could, not as long as he was making it feel this good.
“You feel so…” he trailed off. “There’s no word for it.” He drove in, hilt deep, and held it. She could feel his arms trembling from the effort of holding back.
She was shaking too, her sensitive body aware that she couldn’t hold on much longer. But she wanted to go with him.
“I don’t have much more.” He lifted one hand to stroke a curl off her face. “I love you, Leslie. Be mine, forever.”
Then he resumed, and with three more gentle, strong strokes, and a touch of his hand between them, she went, cascading over the edge just before he went with her to catch her.
She felt so herself as they came together. She felt it was only them in the whole wide world, and she wondered who had thought up letting humans have something that was this amazing. It was too good to be true. And as he pulsed within her, she burned with the sure knowledge that he was hers now, forever. Their bodies thrummed together with release, and she reached up to touch his face, taut with ecstasy and emotion that mirrored hers.
He threw his head back and let out a low growl. Then he leaned forward over her, nearly collapsing. He gathered her close, still inside her. She could feel his warmth spilled inside her.
“You’re mine now. Thank goodness you’re finally mine.”
She laughed and stroked his hair, liking the feel of his big body on hers. Not wanting to let him go. “It’s not like you had to wait long, it’s only been a few days.”
“No, I’ve been waiting a whole lifetime,” he said. “I just didn’t know it would ever be this good. If I’d known, I could have waited forever.”
She grinned. “I couldn’t have”
“That’s true,” he said, kissing her lightly and pulling back to look at her. “We’re going to have to teach you some patience.”
She wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him down to her. “When it comes to having you inside me, I’m never going to be patient.”
His eyes widened, and then he chuckled and gathered her close. “I guess I’m okay with that. I’m still going to torture you, though.”
“Honey, if it’s your kind of torture, I can deal.”
“Good,” he said. He pulled out gently, grabbed a towel to clean them both off, and then came back to join her in bed. He wrapped his arms around her and snuggled her from behind. “You have an excellent body for spooning, mate.”
She snorted. “Now it’s just mate, huh?”
He nipped her ear lightly, savoring the gasp she made when he did it. “Maybe. Maybe for a little while I have to say it so I actually believe I’m that lucky.”
“All right. As long as I can call you my bearlebrity.”
He froze against her back. “What?”
“Bearlebrity. Since I can’t believe I’m with the Riley Hart.”
He groaned. “No, no deal. I’ll do whatever you want, just don’t call me that.”
“Did you know Janna calls Ryder a bearllionaire sometimes?”
His hands tightened around her as he let out a mock
gasp. “The horror. What can I do to keep you from uttering that hideous phrase that mocks both my profession and the entire English language?”
She giggled. “I can’t think of anything. It’s too funny.”
“Not funny at all. Unless you want me to call you Beartender.”
“What?” she gasped, slapping at his arm. “No.”
“Why not? You’re a bartender, and I’m a—” His words were cut off when she rolled over and kissed him.
“You’re mine,” she said. “What does it matter?”
“Right,” he said, holding her tight. “It doesn’t. All that matters is that I get to keep you right here by my side.”
“Cheesy,” she said, snuggling into him.
“That’s right, and now you’re sentenced to a lifetime of cheesiness,” he said. “With your bearlebrity.”
She groaned. “You’re right, that’s an awful word. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get the word beartender out of my head.”
“I can think of a few ways,” he said, wiggling an eyebrow at her. “But right now I just want to hold you.”
“Me too,” she said.
He pulled the covers over them and they rested together, enjoying the feel of one another’s heartbeats and the restful pleasure that comes from having been loved thoroughly. She let out a happy sigh, and fell asleep shortly after.
And when she woke up, Riley helped her forget the word beartender ever existed.
Epilogue
Riley checked the weather forecast one more time before heading to the bar. Then he checked to make sure everything else was ready. Small box in his jacket pocket? Check. Pull-apart flannel shirt? Check. Dashing, movie star good looks? Check.
He headed out into the street just as thunder sounded in the distance and rain started to fall outside. He was going to walk from Leslie’s place to the bar. It was only a few blocks, and he could use the time to get nice and wet for her. She’d like that, he thought.
It’d been a few months since the night she’d saved his life, and he had just one more promise to keep with her. And one more promise he wanted her to make. He could kill two birds with one stone. It occurred to him that that was an absolutely awful phrase as he made his way to the bar where he would pick up his mate.
The rain started light, but got harder as he walked. It was a beautiful day in early spring, and it was just slightly cloudy and not that cold, considering they were up in the mountains. She’d been a little confused when he’d insisted on her wearing a white cardigan over a black tank top. But he wanted her to be wearing something that could get wet and see-through, but still be covered so no one else could see anything about his mate that he didn’t want them to.
Now that he was more and more in touch with his bear, he was embracing the possessive nature inside him. After all, it had helped him fight for and win his mate. It had made him a good match for her. And if he ever got worried that at some point she’d change her mind, he just looked to Janna and Ryder, who were still deliriously happy. More so every day.
He suspected that before long, they’d have an announcement. Not that he could pick up on that kind of thing, but Ryan did. And Ryan seemed to think that Janna was pregnant.
The thought of a nephew or niece, that was joyful. He could just picture Leslie holding them. And then that brought the thought of her holding his own children. And that thought made him catch his breath and stop for a moment, frozen under the clouds by how simply amazing that would be.
Then he picked up his pace again, eager to see the woman who meant the world to him. He knew it didn’t make a lot of sense, that someone could suddenly walk into your life and mean everything. But he guessed it was something to do with the animal inside him. With instinct and intuition. And he’d learned better than to try and fight it.
So now he was giving in, and he was enjoying every minute of it. He whistled as the bar came into view, and jogged the rest of the way to the door.
She came to meet him, a question in her eyes as she looked over his dripping-wet body. “Riley? What are you—”
Before she could finish, he pulled her out into the rain with him, dragged her behind him a few steps until they were around the side of the building, where no one could see them. Then he pinned her to the wall and gave her the kiss of her life as the rain streamed down around him.
She gasped and squirmed in his arms as he kissed her ear, her jaw, her neck, and then took her lips again, reveling in the way the cool water running over them just intensified the hot feel of her lips.
Kissing her was simply heaven. Nothing else came close. Well, except something they couldn’t do in public. The thought made him hard, and he continued to press his woman to the side of the building, kissing her until they were both breathless. Then he pulled back, pinning a hand on either side of her head. Her wet curls shone with moisture, her lips had a bead of rain caught on them, and he leaned forward to lick it off, and then couldn’t resist taking her lips one more time.
This kiss was slower. It tasted like clean mountain rain. The scent of the cleansed earth around them was heady and refreshing. He kissed her like it was the last kiss he would have on earth. He held her like she was made of gold. And then, when she was gasping and looking up at him, shocked and amazed by the power between them, he got on one knee.
Rain came down as he reached in his shirt and pulled out the small box. Inside was a ring he’d picked out just for her. He opened the box slowly as her hands came up to her mouth and she squeaked in surprise.
“Riley…” she said, but he put up a hand to stop her.
“I’ve given you your kiss in the rain,” he said, pushing wet hair off his forehead. “And I’m sure I’ll give you many more, as the years go by. Now if you’ll just humor me in one more thing…” He held out the box, presenting a simple gold ring with a blindingly large square diamond. “And wear my ring, so that everyone knows you’re mine.”
She laughed and threw her arms around him, joining him on the ground and pressing her mouth to his. He kissed her back, his hand still holding the ring box awkwardly in the air.
“Like anyone doesn’t know already,” she said, pulling back. He held out the ring and she let him slip it on her finger. He loved the look of it there. “Wow, is it huge enough?”
His mouth twitched. “I wanted to make sure no one could miss it,” he said.
She shook her head and threw her arms around him again. He could feel the metal of the ring on her finger. She was his. Soon they’d be married, and it would truly be the beginning of the rest of their lives.
He buried his lips against her shoulder and wondered if life could ever, in any way, get better.
She brushed a hand through his hair and looked into his eyes. “Actually, I have a surprise for you, too. I was just waiting for the right moment.”
His gaze snapped to her hand, which was moving gingerly over her stomach, and then back to her face. She nodded and he felt faint.
“You’re…”
“Yes,” she said.
He yanked her against his chest, almost squishing her before she grunted and he realized he needed to let up a little. “That’s amazing.”
“Are you happy?” she asked shyly. “I know you probably weren’t expecting…”
“Happy?” he said. “No. I’m ecstatic.”
Her face lit up. “Really? I’m so glad. Because I’m happy, too.”
He put an arm around her and walked her out in front of the building. “You know what this calls for? More kisses.”
“Agreed,” she said.
“But not in the rain,” he said. “Gotta keep you warm, now that you’re in a delicate condition.” He walked her toward her car. “I told Talia she might be needing to take over during the lunch hour.”
“Ah, so that’s why she was giving me those weird looks,” Leslie said. “I’ll get her for that.”
“For letting you have a break with your sexy husband?” he asked.
“For keeping
a secret from me!” she exclaimed. When they reached the car, he opened the door but she lunged forward to capture his lips. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up against him, right off the ground.
“All right,” she said, when he set her down, breathless. “I guess I can forgive her, in light of things.”
“Great,” he said. “Now get in the car before you catch cold.”
“You’re going to be unbearably protective now, aren’t you?” she asked as she buckled herself into the seat and waited for him to get settled in the driver’s seat. He had to move the seat way back to fit and it made her laugh.
“Oh yes,” he said. “Very protective. Un-bear-ably.”
Her mouth opened in a gasp of shock.
He kept going. “I don’t know how you’ll be able to bear it. It’ll be so em-bear-assing—”
She cut him off with a kiss. “Take me home, big boy.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said.
And he did just that.
* * *
* * *
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Bearthlete (Ryan’s Story Out Now)
The final story in the Bearstone Park series is out! At least for the brothers.
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He’s an athlete, and a bear, and the only thing he wants to win now is the heart of his mate.
Bearlebrity: (BWWM) Paranormal BBW Bear Shifter Romance Standalone Page 14