Bearly Christmas

by Becca Fanning

  "What did you mean when you said "we all are?"" She asked, standing awkwardly next to the door, not wanting to sit next to him on the bed for fear of sending the wrong message.

  "The groomsmen. We're all…bear shifters. I know that sounds ridiculous, but it's the truth."

  Rosie's eyebrows shot under her fringe.

  "Does Dina know?"

  "Not that we know of, but she's smart. It wouldn't surprise me if she's figured it out." He glanced out the window as the wind picked up, shaking the glass and whipping the rain hard against the hotel.

  Rosie remembered what Dina had said as she'd been trying to leave- they have this under control. Yeah, Dina probably knew. It didn't seem like the sort of thing that would pass her by.

  "When did you…when did all this start for you?" She began, not sure what the right way to phrase her question was. It was difficult; she didn't want to come off as insensitive, but then, she had so many questions, and no better time to get them answered.

  "Puberty," he shrugged. "It's when it happens for most of us."

  "Does it just turn up, or…?"

  "My uncle had it, so it probably runs in the family." The calmness with which he was answering her questions was putting her at ease, and she found herself drifting closer to him, perching on the edge of the bed.

  "How does it affect your life? Or, I mean, does it?"

  "Of course it does," he grinned, a tinge of sadness to his smile. "Not many people know about it- it tends to scare them, especially because, you know, I'm a giant fucking bear sometimes and people assume that I'm going to be out of control and hurt them."

  "Have you ever? Hurt anyone, that is?" She moved a little closer to him. This was the question she wanted answered- she found herself drawn to him, and the last thing she needed after getting that badly hurt in a relationship was to get actually, physically hurt in her next one.

  He shook his head.

  "It's hard to explain, but I am in control when I'm like that. I'm not fully me, but I can recognize the stuff that I should and shouldn't do. What you saw- I never use shifting like that except when my life's in danger."

  "You say it like it's happened before," she breathed, looking at him intently. He glanced away, as if she'd hit a sore spot.

  "Once. I was out with my ex- my fiancée- and some guys started on us at a bar. They followed us out to the car, and one of them pulled a knife, so…" he shrugged. "I didn't hurt anything of them, but I scared them away pretty good. And terrified the living fuck out of my girlfriend."

  "Did she not know about it?" Rosie cocked her head at him.

  "No, she knew, she just hadn't seen it before," he explained, a flash of pain passing across his face. "I think that's part of the reason she cheated on me, in the end. She couldn't bear the thought of having kids that were like me, kids that she could be scared of."

  "And you think…?"

  "Yeah," he nodded. "Not that I'd ever tell anyone that. It's not the kind of thing people want to hear- yeah, she cheated on me, but then I'm a bear sometimes, so I guess it balances out."

  "That's really…" she searched for the words, but they escaped her. "I don't know. That doesn't seem fair."

  "I guess it doesn't really come down to what's fair and what isn't," he pointed out. "You know that. It happened to you."

  Rosie frowned, and it was her turn to look away, hoping to hide the discomfort she felt at his words. Not because he was reminding her of one of the hardest experiences of her life- but because what happened to her seemed so pathetic in comparison to what happened to him.

  "My ex cheated on me because I was shitty at relationships, not because one of us was a bear," she parried. "It doesn't measure up. You couldn't help it, I could."

  "No, he's the one who could help it," Win shot back. "You've got nothing to do with it. Some people are just built that way, no matter how good the relationship is."

  "I guess," she shrugged, trying to brush off the comment. It was almost habit now, trying to avoid conversations on the topic of her ex-boyfriend, but for the first time, there, then, it didn't actually hurt.

  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to rake it up," he apologized softly, moving to put an arm around her.

  "No, it's fine," she replied, actually meaning it. "Seriously. I don't care about what he did any more."

  "Really?"

  "You're right. It's stupid to get hung up on the crap he did when it had nothing to do with me, especially when…" she gestured towards him without thinking, and then blushed. "Fuck, I didn't mean-"

  She was suddenly very aware of the weight of his arm around her shoulders, how close they were sitting on the bed.

  "I really don't mind if that is what you mean," Win answered, his voice gentle. For the first time since she'd sat down on the bed, Rosie looked at him- really looked at him- and found a warmth spreading out across her chest. Refusing to give her brain any more time to overthink what she was about to do, she leant forward, and kissed him on the cheek. She felt his stubble up against her skin, the roughness of it, and lingered there for a moment before she leaned back.

  "I think I'd like that," she murmured, and, just like that, Win was on top of her.

  It had been so long since she'd felt the weight of a guy on her- the heat of him, the closeness- that it almost took her by surprise. He was rough and quick and needy, slipping an arm around her waist and pressing her down on to the bed in one swift motion. His mouth found her's quickly, and she felt as if her heart was going to punch straight through her chest when she felt his tongue slip past her lips. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt wanted like this, desired so potently. She tentatively placed her hands on his back, and pulled him closer, marveling at the feeling of the muscles beneath his shirt. She had never thought- never, in a million years- that she would actually feel good enough about herself, about everything, to hook up with someone at this wedding, but in that moment, she wanted nothing more than to feel him inside her. She practically blushed at her own thoughts- with Jacob, she had never found herself so consumed by lust, so utterly taken over by her need to have him, but with Win, she could barely wait. He pulled back, ran a hand through his hair, and closed and opened his eyes, as if trying to clear his head.

  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

  Before he had a chance to continue down that line of questioning, Rosie had yanked him back down, kissing him with a fervor. She didn't know how much time they had, and she knew she needed relief- taking his hand, she slid it up her shirt, his cool fingers skimming across her breasts and making her gasp.

  "Okay," he grinned, his breath coming a little short, as he quickly unbuttoned her shirt and pulled it apart. She had small breasts, and was glad she had chosen that day not to wear a bra. Any extra fabric between them felt rather extraneous to circumstances. His hands were deft and quick, feeling as if they were everywhere at once as they moved across her torso, down her belly and towards her pants.

  "Take off your shirt," Rosie panted, surprised by her own forwardness, but he quickly did as he was told. She realized that ever since she'd seen him there- naked, bloodied, still somehow as powerful as he was in his bear form- she'd wanted to get her hands all over him. He sat up on top of her and threw his shirt aside, and she ran a hand from his neck all the way down to his jeans.

  "Stay like that," she ordered, and slid out from underneath him, drawing her legs up coyly so that she was in front of him. He looked down at her, one eyebrow cocked, as he tried to figure out what she was going to do next.

  Hooking her fingers through the loops in his jeans, she tugged them down, exposing a pair of tight black boxers that accentuated the shape and strength in his legs gorgeously. She tentatively reached out, massaging his erection through the fabric, and looked up to take in his expression- his eyes were closed, his teeth resting ever-so-slightly on his bottom lip. Rosie felt suddenly powerful, and took her new surge of confidence a step further by pulling down his boxers and taking his bare cock in her hand.

>   Wriggling herself flat out on the bed, she lay so that her head was at the same level as his cock. Slowly parting her lips, she stuck out her tongue and rolled it over the head of his erection. He groaned, loud enough that she could hear it, and she smiled to herself- she'd never realized she'd had this in her, but she was enjoying the new sex-kitten version of Rosie. Tossing her hair to one side, she opened her mouth a little further, and took him as far as she could into her throat. She just wanted to feel him inside her, to taste him, to have him. He wove his fingers into her hair, and guided her up and down his erection- his pace was slow, much to Rosie's relief, as he was bigger than she was used to and took a little acclimatization.

  Once she had grown used to the feeling, he flexed his hips a little, pushing himself further into her mouth, and she did her best to work the underside of his cock with her tongue, wriggling against his seam. Realizing she had hands to spare, she slid one down to cup his balls, and the other into her jeans- she was almost taken aback by how wet she was, by how much relief her touch gave her. It had been a while since she'd masturbated out of anything other than habit, and the feeling was revelatory- she circled her finger around her clit a few times, moaning slightly, and looked up to make eye contact with Win-he was staring down at her, almost delirious with desire. She ran her nails across his balls gently, satisfied with the gasp he let out, and slid two fingers on either side of her clit. Part of her wanted him to finish in her mouth, but she knew she wouldn't be satisfied until she'd felt him inside of her.

  She slowly slid her mouth off of him, licking her lips theatrically and glancing up at him with wide, as-innocent-as-she-could-muster-given-the-situation eyes.

  "Fuck me?"

  "God, yes," he growled, and in one motion, flipped her on to her back. He kicked off his jeans as she hurriedly wriggled out of her's, her body now aching with need for him. He reached into his bedside cabinet for a condom, and quickly sheathed himself.

  "Always be prepared," he quoted the boy scout's motto, and she giggled, unable to focus on anything other than his proximity and how much she wanted him. He pushed her leg back slightly, positioned himself at her slit, and eased himself into her.

  The feeling was exquisite- almost new, it had been so long, but strangely familiar. They both let out long, contended sighs as he pushed his way into her for the first time, stretching her, and she placed a hand on his chest, urging him to go slow. He obliged, moving with almost painful care in and out of her, until she raised her hips to meet him. Wrapping her legs around his waist, he pushed into her hard, and she let out a small cry- this was better than she could ever have imagined, feeling him in her, the relief it gave her, the pleasure. She sank her nails into his shoulder, pulling him closer, and their lips met once again, tongues frantic with passion against each other.

  "Good?" He breathed, gently biting on her lobe, and she squirmed beneath him.

  "God, yes," she murmured in response, repaying him in kind. "Harder."

  Win was quick to fulfill her request, sinking his fingers into her ass as leverage and fucking her hard. She could feel her orgasm building- it had been so long since she'd come with someone else, but now she wanted it more than anything in the world. She frenetically ground her hips up against his, trying to match his pace, craving more of him, as much as she could get. She reached down and slid her fingers against her clit once again, her own pleasure taking control of her every movement.

  And then it hit her- wave after wave of it, shuddering across her body like some kind of nuclear explosion. She let out a small cry, and her body went limp under his for a moment. He tilted her head towards his with his hand, and kissed her- kissed her as the waves of pleasure coursed through her body, as she came back down to earth. Moments later, she felt him finish inside her, their mouths still hard and hot against each other's.

  They lay there for a moment- still kissing, but otherwise still- before Win withdrew, sliding off her and lying next to her on the bed. Outside, the storm was still raging, and he reached over to place a hand on her stomach.

  "I really, really needed that," he smiled at her.

  "Me too," she grinned back. More than you could know.

  They lay there in silence a little longer-listening to the sound of the wind and rain battering the window outside. There were jolted from their post-coital reverie by the sound of a knock on the door. Rosie lazily pulled the covers across her naked body as Win draped himself in a robe and went to answer it.

  Rosie looked after him, admiring his form for a little longer- but as soon as he opened the door, something changed. He conferred quickly with whoever it was on the other side, and then turned back to her, closing the door and running a hand through his hair.

  "What is it?" She demanded, sitting up straight and tucking the covers around herself, even though she knew damn well what the news was. Win took a deep breath before he answered, and she could have sworn there was a little shake in his voice when he did.

  "The wolves. They're here."

  Ian

  Grizzly Groomsmen IV

  by

  Becca Fanning

  Iris looked over at the man sitting opposite her. Well, this wasn't exactly how she'd imagined spending this weekend.

  When Dina had announced that her wedding would be taking place on an island, Iris had imagined sun, sea, sand, sex, sangrias, the whole nine yards. Dina had asked Iris to be her bridesmaid almost as soon as she got engaged-they'd known each other for years, childhood best friends, and even though they'd drifted apart in the intervening decade, there was no way Iris was turning her down. When it turned out she'd get a tropical trip as part of the bargain, it was just a bonus.

  And, God, the island had looked so beautiful when she'd arrived, just as she'd imagined. Dina had shown her the brochures on the flight over, and Iris immediately pictured herself laid out on the beach in her bikini, maybe drinking some extra-strong cocktail out of a coconut or something appropriately tropical. It had been way too long since she'd travelled anywhere, and this trip had felt like a chance to start something fresh.

  Pressing her forehead up against the glass of the bedroom window, Iris closed her eyes. Even despite everything that had happened, she couldn't help but think this was better than what had come before. At least it was something. While Dina had gone to college and got a good job and met an awesome guy to marry, Iris…well, Iris had not. She'd gotten pregnant almost straight out of high school, she couldn't be sure, but she was pretty certain that she had been carrying her baby daughter when she graduated. She'd been planning on taking a year out to travel before she left for college, but, as it turned out, that never came to pass. She had sworn that she wouldn't let Abby, her daughter, get in the way of her fulfilling her dreams, but life had a way of slipping away from you, especially when you were working two jobs just to support you and your daughter because her father didn't want a thing to do with you.

  And she was proud of herself for that, for succeeding, at least this far. She knew it was a different kind of success to Dina's, but she had (so far, at least), successfully raised a daughter. And it had been hell at times, desperately trying to scrape together the money to pay rent and cover the cost of Abby's school uniform, but she didn't regret it. Abby was smart, sweet, and talented, and that was all that mattered to Iris. She loved her daughter, fiercely, and even as she thought about her now she felt a stab of sadness as she realized how far apart they were. She had a sudden urge to cradle her daughter in her arms, just like she did when Abby was a toddler and had a bad dream, but she was too big for that now, even if she had been right there with her. Iris prayed that none of the news about what was happening on the island had travelled back to her sister, who was currently taking care of Abby, the last thing she wanted was for either of them to spend the next couple of days in a full-out panic, wondering if Iris was going to come back in a body bag.

  Iris shivered at the thought. All of this had been terrifying for everybody, of course it had, but every time
Abby flashed through her mind, Iris felt a stab of resolution. She couldn't leave her daughter behind, not just because she wanted to take a few days out to sun herself at a tropical wedding. That wasn't how this was going to go down.