Bears of Burden: STERLING

by Candace Ayers

  Lexi nodded. Shane got out of bed first and she followed. It took her a moment to remember everything from the night before: Matt showing up at the hospital, Shane coming to get her to keep her safe from his insane cousin, Shane’s hands all over her body…

  She flushed as she remembered the feeling of him between her legs. Heat filled her and Shane’s nostril’s flared. “What are you thinking about?” he asked calmly.

  Lexi flushed a deeper shade of red. “Uh, last night.”

  He chuckled before taking her hand and leading her to the bathroom. “Maybe we’ll go for a repeat later today?”

  Lexi nodded, both nervous and excited. He turned on the faucet in the shower, and tested the water before he started to undress. Lexi took a moment to admire his body. He looked like he shouldn’t have been graceful. He had the sort of muscles that she associated with guys who were always in the gym. But he moved with an awareness of his body that reminded her of professional ballet dancers. He pulled down his pajama pants, revealing his toned thighs and butt. She had never considered herself a butt girl before but Shane was changing her mind.

  He turned to her and grinned. “I’m feeling a little objectified right now,” he teased.

  She laughed and followed him into the shower. “I can’t help it. Have you seen your body?”

  “I like yours more,” he said as he cupped her face in his hands. He kissed her deeply, sending electric shocks down to her toes. She wondered if she’d ever stop being a little sad whenever his lips parted from hers.

  Shane maneuvered them so she was under the warm water. It cascaded down her body, easing tension that she hadn’t known was there. She moaned softly. “Fuck, whenever you make noises like that it drives me insane.”

  She turned away from him. “Sorry,” she muttered.

  He grabbed her face and turned her towards him. “You have nothing to apologize for. You’re so sexy, and you don’t even know it. It is really kind of astounding but also a major turn on. If you hadn’t noticed.”

  He looked down between them pointedly, and she followed his gaze. His thick cock was standing up between them. There was just a small bit of pre-cum leaking out. She took his cock in her hand, and slowly rubbed her fingers over the head. His head fell back and he groaned.

  She slowly sank to her knees. The tile was uncomfortable but she didn’t mind. She brought his length to her mouth and gently rubbed it along her lips. His eyes found hers. She slowly slid him inside of her mouth, savoring the masculine taste of him. His hands went to her wet hair, slowly guiding her. It was never rough, and he never gave her more than she could handle. One hand moved from her hair and caressed her face as she slowly sucked at him. Her tongue ran along the bottom of his shaft, exploring him. She noticed every twitch, and every groan, taking note for later.

  She ran her nails up his thighs. He shivered and his grip tightened on her hair. He thrust slowly into her mouth, and she took all of him.

  “Lexi, I’m going to cum,” he whispered.

  Her hand moved from his thigh to his balls, and gently rubbed at them. She could feel his body tighten as he moved to release. He groaned and his hot seed filled her mouth. She swallowed quickly, and he slowly pulled his semi-hard cock from between her lips. He helped her stand up slowly. Her knees hurt a bit from the hard tile. He pulled her against his chest and kissed her head.

  “That was fantastic, thank you.” She nuzzled against his bare, wet skin, enjoying the feeling of his warmth combined with the hot water. He released her and gave her a lingering kiss before grabbing a bottle of shampoo. “Turn around.” She obliged and he began to massage the shampoo into her scalp. She sighed and relaxed against him. After a few minutes, he turned her around and rinsed the soap out of her hair.

  Then he picked up the soap. He lathered it in his hands and started at her shoulders and neck. He worked her muscles in small circles, gently ironing out the kinks. Her eyes fluttered shut and she relaxed into the delicious warmth his hands were creating. He moved down her body. His hands on her breasts made her feel like she was on fire. Her breath caught in her chest as his fingers circled her nipples, never quite touching them.

  “You’re teasing me,” she said. She wasn’t sure if she was annoyed or if she was loving it.

  “Maybe just a little,” he replied before he took her nipples between his thumb and forefingers and rolled them. She gasped as the sensation shot directly to her core, making her clench her inner muscles. His hands were magical.

  He moved down, over her scar, careful not to ignore it. And then he dropped to his knees. He took the same care and time that he did on her shoulders on her legs and thighs. Then his hands ghosted over the curve of her buttocks. He pulled her in close, and ran his tongue against her slit. Her head fell back and she put a hand up against the wall of the shower as his tongue found her clit and pressed against it. She felt the orgasm move through her immediately. Her legs shook, and he kept her upright. Two fingers slid into her clenching sex and rubbed against that special spot inside of her.

  She cried out in pleasure, her moans reverberating against the walls of the shower. His tongue lapped against her, licking up everything she gave. When she finally stopped shaking he stood up, turned off the water, picked her up in his arms and stepped out and into the steamy bathroom.

  He sat her at the edge of the tub and she watched with half-lidded eyes as he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her. He slowly dried her off, and then quickly toweled himself off. She leaned her head against his hip, and took in the smell of him. His hands moved through her hair, carefully working out the knots.

  “I could get used to this,” she said as he bent down to kiss her.

  Chapter 8

  Once they were out of the bathroom, Shane lent her a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Both were too big but at least the sweatpants had a drawstring. She sat in his kitchen as he cooked breakfast. It was a nice kitchen, very homey. Lexi wondered if his mother or sister had helped him pick everything out. There was a wooden block island in the center of the kitchen, and pots hung overhead. There were two chairs on one side of the island, creating a tiny breakfast bar area.

  “Do you cook a lot?” she asked as he flipped over the omelet.

  “When I have the time I do. You don’t get into helping restaurants out without really loving to cook. I was always the one helping my mom out in the kitchen because my sister can’t boil a pot of water. It’s pretty sad. Her fiancé can’t cook either, so they’ll probably survive on take out.”

  Lexi snorted into her orange juice. “I’m trying to imagine you as a little kid but I can’t.”

  “Well since I refuse to show anyone pictures of my horrifically styled childhood, you’re out of luck.” He turned and slid part of an omelet onto her plate. It was steaming and looked delicious.

  He pulled the second chair around so he was facing her and began to cut up his own omelet. “This is amazing,” Lexi said after her first bite.

  “I’m glad you like it.”

  “So are you and your mom still close?” she asked.

  “Sort of. Things have been extremely busy in the last few years so it’s a little hard to spend time with her. And my dad is pretty sick, so that takes up a lot of her time. We don’t see each other very often, but she usually tries to go to all of my restaurant openings and we do try to have dinner as a family once a month or so.” He took another bite and then looked at her. “How about you? Are you and your family close?”

  “We used to be. And then when I started dating my ex we became distant. He sort of isolated me from everyone. So the last year has been a lot of relationship rebuilding. I try to spend time with my sister and her kids a lot, but both my parents died in a car accident about six months ago.” She tried to sound calm, but her lip quivered. She could feel a tear leak from the corner of her eye. It killed her that her parents died just as she was in the midst of repairing her relationship with them.

  Stood up and moved around the table. “Sh
it, Lexi. I’m so sorry.” He put his arms around her and she buried her head against his side.

  “It’s okay,” she whispered. She took a deep breath, and calmed herself. “I’m okay.” She looked up at him and his lips met hers. His touch was so comforting that it almost made her nervous. He was too good to be true. She was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. “Your food is going to get cold.” She pointed to his omelet.

  “Are you alright?” His eyes searched her face.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Promise. Now eat!”

  They were halfway through their meal when Shane’s phone began to buzz. He didn’t go to check it, but the moment the call went to voicemail it began to buzz again. It happened three more times. “I think you may want to get that,” Lexi said, pointing at the phone.

  Shane picked up the phone and looked at the caller ID. “It’s my sister, Amanda. I don’t really want to get it. I know exactly what she’s going to say.”

  “Are you two arguing?” Lexi asked as the phone began to buzz again.

  “Something like that.”

  There was a loud knock on the door and the phone began buzzing once more. “Fuck,” Shane hissed. He dropped his fork, and stood up. “I’ll be right back. Stay here.”

  Lexi could hear him move through the living room and open the front door. She couldn’t quite hear what was going on, but Shane and the feminine voice at the door (Lexi assumed it was his sister) were clearly going at it.

  The voices became clearer as they moved into the apartment. Lexi figured whatever was going on, Shane was losing his battle.

  “Shane you’re being ridiculous— “

  “Get the hell out of my apartment, Amanda. I’m dealing with things the way I see fit to do so.” Lexi stood up. She didn’t think Shane wanted her to hear this. If she peeked her head in, maybe they would quiet down. If not she wanted to let Shane know she could leave while he and his sister figured things out.

  She padded to the living room, and stopped in the doorway.

  Amanda stood in the living room. She was the tallest woman that Lexi had ever seen in person. She was also wearing six inch heels. Her arms were crossed, and she looked so angry. “Shane, what the hell were you thinking? You brought a human into your home? Matt is at the council right now, screaming about how you’re betraying our kind— “

  Shane locked eyes with Lexi. “Amanda, stop it.” Shane’s voice was low and angry.

  “No, you have to listen to me. This isn’t appropriate right now. If you want some human side piece that’s fine but not right now!” Amanda turned away from Shane and looked right at Lexi.

  Human? Why in the world would she call Lexi human? It wasn’t as if Amanda wasn’t too. And what council was she talking about? Was it Shane’s board of trustees or something?

  “Oh, shit. You didn’t tell me she was here,” Amanda said as she looked over her shoulder at Shane.

  “That’s what I was trying to tell you, but you wouldn’t listen.” Shane crossed over to Lexi. “You should go Amanda.”

  “I will not! Not until you do something about all this. No offense, Lexi. I’m sure you’re lovely, but this is a really bad time for our family.” Amanda waved Lexi away, as if banishing her.

  “Fuck, Amanda!” Shane ran a hand through his hair.

  “Would one of you mind telling me what’s going on?” Lexi asked. She was getting really sick of being talked about like she wasn’t here. Family issues or not, she was involved now. Especially because Matt wanted to hurt her.

  Amanda and Shane looked at each other. If was as if they were having an entire conversation silently. Anger rose in Lexi. This was completely inappropriate. If Shane didn’t want her involved in his crap, then he shouldn’t have asked her out. Or he should have let her handle Matt. “Whatever. I’m done. Shane, call me if you want. Or don’t.” She turned, and walked towards the door, planning on grabbing her purse and leaving. Her hand was on the doorknob when she realized that her car was still at the hospital. She hesitated for just a moment before Amanda spoke.

  “We’re werewolves. Or shifters. Or whatever the hell you people call it.”

  Lexi shook her head. She must not have heard it right. She turned to the two siblings. “What are you talking about?” She searched Shane’s face, waiting for him to shout ‘Punked!’ But he didn’t. He wasn’t looking at her.

  “People who can turn into animals. They exist. Some people can turn into bears. Some into wolves. I’m sure there is other shit out there too. But Shane and I can turn into wolves and Shane is heir to the pack throne. So obviously it looks messed up when he’s dating human women instead of one of the girls from the pack.” Amanda tossed herself onto the couch and crossed her legs. She looked like she was on a photoshoot. Even her relaxed position looked beautifully posed. “So that’s what the whole fight with Matt is about. Well, it’s not about you. It’s about Shane being into humans and what humans can do for us, and Matt fucking hates humans. For good reason, you are all sort of assholes. But Matt would be a fucking horrible leader. He’s too hot headed. Case in point.” Amanda pointed at Lexi.

  “Who attacks someone their rival has been seeing for like two weeks? Hell, I’d have been more worried that you put this all together yourself once you had Shane’s bloodwork. You wouldn’t be the first doctor to figure it out. So it would have made sense to try to kill you because of that.”

  Lexi leaned against the door, her legs suddenly week. “Is this some joke? Are you trying to get me to stop seeing your brother?”

  Amanda laughed. “No, sweetheart. He really seems to like you. I don’t care who my brother fucks. I do care about the pack and what is best for the pack. And right now, you’re not. It really isn’t anything personal.”

  “You’re crazy.” Lexi mumbled.

  Amanda laughed. “I wish I was!”

  Lexi looked at Shane, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes. “Shane? Is this…is she telling…” Lexi couldn’t even finish her sentence. What was she supposed to say? What was she supposed to do? Just accept that…werewolves existed? That made no sense. It would be medically impossible for someone to shift forms. She had to look at the lab work. She had to know the truth.

  “I’m leaving,” she whispered. She pushed herself up. One hand on the wall kept her steady.

  “Lexi,” Shane whispered. “Lexi, I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t know what you want from me, Shane. I really don’t.”

  She wasn’t sure if she imagined his reply, because she was halfway out the door, but she was almost certain he said, “I just want you.”

  Chapter 9

  When she was two blocks away she called a cab. She sat on the sidewalk and waited. It wasn’t until she was home that she remembered that she left her favorite scrubs back at Shane’s. She opened her door and checked the time. She had a few hours until her shift started. She jumped into the shower. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt dirty. And wrong.

  She finished, dressed for work, and then sat on the couch. She turned on the television, hoping to distract herself from Amanda’s words, and Shane’s reaction, but she couldn’t focus on the television. She stood up and paced around the room. How was it possible for a human body to mimic an animals’ body? There was research that came out a few years ago that suggested that dogs shared some human DNA, but humans turning into wolves…no, it was impossible. Right?

  Lexi needed to see the lab work. That was it. The lab work would tell her everything she needed to know. She called another cab, cursing the fact that her car was at the hospital, and then called a lab she worked with to find out if she could get some wolf blood.

  The guy on the other line made her feel insane. But she made up a story about a patient being attacked by a large animal and needing to confirm the DNA. She scheduled the courier service to the hospital. Her heart thumped as she walked through the sliding doors.

  “Lexi!” One of her favorite scrub nurses greeted her. “Your shift isn’t scheduled for another few hours. Why a
re you here?”

  “Just checking on a couple of things,” she smiled.

  “You’re such a workaholic,” the nurse admonished playfully.

  Lexi shrugged. “I can’t help it; I love my job!”

  The nurse laughed and turned to walk away. Lexi headed towards the lab. She pushed open the lab door and was greeted by one of the lab technicians, Greg.

  “Hey, Lex! You got a package. It’s in the fridge; it’s the box with your name. Obviously.”

  “Thanks, Greg. Can you pull the file on the John Doe who came in with the gunshot wounds the other week?”

  “Are the two things related?”

  “No, not at all.” Lexi felt bad lying to him. “Just figured that since I’m down here I can double check something with that anyway.” Lexi took her samples out of the medical refrigerator and began to set up slides. She compared her slides to the pictures and pathology from Shane’s report. The more she compared the more her heart sank.

  Amanda wasn’t insane. And she wasn’t trying to drive Lexi away from Shane. There were too many similar markers. Amanda was telling the truth. Werewolves, or shifters or whatever, were real.

  Lexi sank down onto one of the chairs and put her head in her hands.

  “You okay, Lexi?” Greg asked. He put his hand on her shoulder.

  “Yeah, I think my blood sugar is just low. I got a little faint for a second.” Lexi took two deep breaths and Greg handed her a protein bar. “I’m not going to take your lunch,” Lexi said, passing the bar back to him. Greg basically lived in the lab, she was sure he lived on protein bars and protein shakes.

  He smiled and opened a cabinet, displaying three boxes of the meal bars. “You wouldn’t be. Eat something, Lexi. You look like you’re going to pass out.”

  She opened the wrapper and took a tiny nibble. She felt too sick to really dig into it. She wrapped it up as best she could and slid it into her pocket. “Thanks for that,” she said and gave Greg a smile.