by V. Vaughn
I continue to lumber along until I reach her house. And while I should shift into a human, my bear is too upset to let me do it. He’s taking this hard because he fears we’re going to lose his mate too.
Trying to be as gentle as I can, I scratch at Hillary’s door.
Her eyes widen when she comes to the door and sees me in my bear form. “Alec?”
I chuff in reply.
“What are you doing here? Are you okay?” She reaches over and scratches my head near my ears where she knows I like it.
I chuff again and then take a couple steps back so I don’t break anything when I shift back to human. It’s harder coming back, because my bear doesn’t want to shift. He’s being stubborn, but I push him back, reassuring him that I’ll shift again soon. It’s important we sort this out with Hillary.
Once I’m human, she ushers me into the house, and I sit at the kitchen table.
“You came to me as a bear. What’s going on?” She sits in the chair next to me, her face pinched in worry.
“I didn’t get the coaching job at the high school.”
“What? I thought it was basically a given.”
“I did too, but Coach said they don’t have the budget to bring me on.”
I brace for her disappointment. I know how much she wanted me to get that job. How much it meant to her and our relationship. Without it, I fear she’ll push me away because of the uncertainty.
“I’m sorry Hillary. I know I’ve disappointed you.”
My heart leaps in my chest when she reaches across the table and grabs my hands. “Alec. You haven’t disappointed me.” I let out a big sigh of relief. “It’s okay,” she says. “We’ll figure it out.”
Chapter 36
HILLARY
Poor Alec. He’s really upset he didn’t get the job, and I don’t like to see him like this. I lean forward and hug him. He buries his face in the crook of my neck. “I’m so sorry,” he says. “I know how much it meant to you that I get this job.”
“It’s not your fault, Alec. That school is making a huge mistake not hiring you.”
I’ve been so eager for him to get this job, to put down roots, and it is disappointing he didn’t get it. But that doesn’t mean he can’t find something else. This is only a setback.
I think part of why he’s upset is that this was another way for him to show me he’s serious about us. But he has proven he loves me. It hits me that I’m no longer worried he’s not going to stay. I smile with my realization and grab his hand to squeeze it as I say, “I love you, Alec.”
He smiles back. “I love you, too, baby. Always.”
“We’ll just have to figure something else out.”
He nods. “I’ve got money saved, but not enough to last forever. I’m going to have to get a job somewhere eventually. Plus, I’d feel better doing something, some kind of work.”
“How about at the shop with your brother?”
He shakes his head. “I’m good with my hands but not in that way. I’d be terrible at fixing cars. Bruce made me help in his shop the past two days, and I’m pretty sure I broke more than I fixed.”
“What do you like to do?”
“The only thing I’ve ever been good at is sports. Remember how I barely even passed math class?”
“I remember.” I chuckle. “You copied most of my homework in sophomore and senior years.”
He grabs at my waist, tickling me. “That’s because you’re so damn smart.”
“Then we should definitely cross off anything to do with numbers.” I laugh. “I definitely can’t see you working in a restaurant either. You don’t have the patience.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I couldn’t do your job. I think you have to be nice. And people like you.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. I think people like you a lot. Everyone was so pumped to watch you on TV, cheering you on. I think most of those people would follow you anywhere. I’ve seen you be motivational, and I bet you didn’t even realize it.”
He sits back in the chair and frowns as if he’s pondering what I said. “What kind of job utilizes that skill?”
“Besides coaching?” I picture Alec working with a team, and it hits me. “You could open a gym. Heartland doesn’t have one. All we have is the rec center, but there’s no dedicated place for fitness.”
“Huh, free weights, machines and personal trainers.”
“Yes, you could train people to get into shape. Enthusiastic people looking to get healthy.”
He rubs at his chin and narrows his eyes. “You know I like this idea. I definitely have enough money to invest in a gym.” He gets up and walks over to my junk drawer, and items in it rattle when he rummages through to pull out a small note pad and a pen. He grins at me as he sits down again, and I love seeing the excitement on his face.
He says, “First I’d need to find a big enough building. I need to research equipment.” The pen scratches on paper as he writes. “What do you think about a pool?”
I laugh at him. “A pool sounds great. And what about a smoothie bar with healthy things to eat after your work out?”
“Excellent idea!” He scribbles some more before he reaches across the table and grabs my hand. “Hillary, I feel like we’re a team again.”
“We are. We’re in this together no matter what.” I squeeze his hand.
He tugs me forward and kisses me softly on the lips. When he pulls back, he looks me in the eyes. “Through thick and thin. I’ll wash cars, pick up trash, or learn how to answer phones in a hair salon. Doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is you. And I’ll do anything to be where you are.”
My heart melts. “As long as we’re together, I don’t care what you do for work. You don’t even have to work. You can be my kept man, waiting at home for me when I come home from the diner.” I laugh.
But Alec doesn’t. He says, “I’d do it. I’d do whatever you asked of me. I’ll do whatever it takes to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Oh, Alec,” I’m filled with so much joy I feel like I could explode. I’ve really got him back, and like he told me yesterday, I’m all in.
Chapter 37
ALEC
I get up from my chair and drop to one knee in front of Hillary. I can’t believe I chose to do this now, without a ring or any clothes, but I’m not going to wait any longer to claim the woman I love. I look up into Hillary’s face, memorizing every detail of it, and know that this, she, is my true dream.
“When I woke up this morning, I didn’t imagine that I’d be naked and down on one knee in your kitchen.”
She worries at her bottom lip. “Are you—? Oh, god.” She places her hand on her chest. “Do you want some pants? Because I’m not telling our kids you proposed naked. I’m sure I can find a pair of shorts or something.”
“Nah, I’m good.” I chuckle. “We’ll just leave that detail out. I’m already down here and I’m not getting up again until I’ve done what I need to do.”
Tears well in her eyes, and she fans herself as if she can stop them. “Okay.”
“I love you more than anything in the world. I’ll get any job, open any business, I don’t care what I need to do, I just need know that you feel the same way.”
“I do feel the same. I love you so much, Alec.”
“I want everything with you. I want to mate with you and bite you to claim you forever.” I bring her hand to my lips and kiss the back of it. “I want to have tons and tons of babies, because that’s what bunny shifters do.”
She chuckles and nods, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.
I hold her hand in both of my trembling ones and look deep into her eyes. I see all I need to know she is my everything; she is my forever.
“Hillary Raz, will you marry me?”
“Yes!” she blurts out as if she’s been holding that in for hours. “Yes! Oh my god, yes!”
Laughing, I push up from the floor, grab her around the waist, and lift her up. I spin her around whi
le kissing her. She giggles as she tries to kiss me back. It isn’t working so well, so I set her down so we can have a proper kiss.
When we pull back, I say, “I’m sorry I didn’t bring a ring.”
She looks me up and down and smirks at me. “Where would you have put it?”
I laugh. This woman. She makes me so damn happy.
“I don’t need a ring to know I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Hillary wraps her arms around me again. “I’d even be willing to leave Heartland to have a second chance at forever love with you.”
“Oh, hell no, baby, we’re not leaving. This is our home, and we’ll find a way to make it all work. I’m never leaving Heartland again. Well, except for maybe our honeymoon. How does Morocco sound?”
“Sounds perfect.”
“You know what else is perfect?”
“What?”
“You.” And she is. From the top her blond head to the very tips of her cute little toes. She’s everything I could ever desire in a woman, a partner, and a mate.
Finally! My bear says. It took you long enough.
I must be making a face, because Hillary asks, “What’s he saying?”
“He says it took me long enough.”
She laughs. “My bunny is saying the same thing.”
Kiss her, fool! She wants you to kiss her. Do you know anything about how to love your mate properly?
I ignore him, because I see the flush on her cheeks. “What else is your bunny saying?”
“That we should just stop talking and start making ba—love.”
“Babies it is. Wouldn’t want to disappoint our animals, now would we?”
She shakes her head as she slides a hand down my stomach. “Nope.”
I’m already aroused, which Hillary can tell when she grips my cock. I grab her and start removing her clothing. First her shirt comes off, and I find she’s not wearing a bra, which gets me every time. Then I yank her shorts down to her knees. She shimmies them the rest of the way down to her feet and kicks them away, which leaves her standing in just a pale-green pair of silky panties, and my mouth waters.
Taking my time, I look her up and down. “You are the most stunning creature God’s ever created.”
She eyes me in the same way, and my insides heat up with desire for her. She says, “You’re not so bad yourself.”
“You know what’s wrong with this picture?”
“Nope, what?”
“Your panties. They have to go.”
Her whole body flushes, and I can hardly stand it. I want to touch her everywhere all at the same time.
She bites her lower lip and says, “Then come take them off.”
I love a good dare. I move toward her, but she takes off running toward the bedroom. And I’m in hot pursuit. I’m really beginning to like this chasing thing we’ve started doing.
When we get to her room, I catch her around the waist and lift her up to toss her onto the mattress. She squeals and then giggles as I jump onto the mattress next to her. I crawl over to her, pushing her down onto the bed to capture her mouth with mine. Her moans make me as hard as steel.
I slide my hands everywhere. I want to touch every part of her body. Every crevice, every slope. Her pale skin is soft and silky under my fingers. I trail my fingers down her torso to her hips, where I curl my fingers into the waistband of her panties and pull them down her slender legs. With my mouth I follow the same trail until I’m kissing and licking her belly, her hips, and the ticklish spot just above her pubic mound. As I lave my tongue over her skin there, she giggles.
I press my lips to her thighs, eager to get in between them and pleasure her with my tongue and fingers.
“Bite me,” she says.
I pause and look up at her face. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I want to do the biting ceremony with you.”
My heart nearly explodes as my bear roars with joy. “There’s nothing I’d like more.”
Chapter 38
HILLARY
I want to scream with my happiness. I’m marrying Alec Thompson! And I want to make it official. I see no reason to wait.
“Claim me, Alec. Make me yours forever.”
He raises his eyebrows at me before moving between my legs, and when he laps at my pussy, I grab his head and squirm with the pleasure he gives me. But as much as I love him eating me out, I’m impatient to claim each other and gently push him away.
“I need you inside me, Alec.”
“Are you sure? Because I heard about this alphabet thing.”
“What?” I laugh. “I’m sure that’s something I want to know about, but—” I sober. “Come here and kiss me.”
He gets serious too as he hovers over me, and I say, “I need to claim you. To be claimed.”
His brow knits, and I wonder if he thinks I still don’t trust him. “Alec, I don’t need this as proof. I need to do this to prove to you I’ll never doubt our love again.”
I reach down and grip his cock, and his nostrils flare as he helps me guide himself into me. He moves slowly, and I flex around him, drawing him into my body and further into my heart.
“Hillary,” he let out a breath of air as he withdraws with the same slow pace. “Oh, baby. I love you so much.”
“I know, Alec.” I grab his ass to pull him back down and whisper in his ear. “Right now, though, I need you to fuck me.”
He lets out a small gasp of surprise at my dirty talk, and I say, “Hard, baby. Mark me inside and out.”
Got to love a man who takes orders well. Alec begins to pump hard, and the bed thumps against the wall when he rams into me, rutting like a wild animal. My primal side comes out too, and I meet his thrusts with a fierceness of my own, even drawing blood when I scrape my nails down his back.
Sweat is slick on our skin, and we both pant between our moans. My ecstasy is reaching a feverish state, and I arch up with my impending release. I thrust my neck out. “Now, Alec.”
He doesn’t hesitate, and in a flash his bear teeth plunge into my tender flesh, bringing white-hot pain that makes my climax nearly explode out of me. Sweet bliss takes over, and I cry out as my body writhes with the most intense orgasm I’ve ever experienced.
As much as I want to ride the wave as long as I can, a greater need fills me. With strength that surprises both of us, I flip Alec over and ride him with the same fervor he had. He watches my breasts bounce as he grips my hips, and when his eyelids flutter, I know he’s close.
I call on my rabbit to prepare for the bite, and when Alec lifts his shoulders up to offer me his neck, I sink my teeth into his skin. The metallic flavor of his blood coats my tongue as he begins to thrash with an orgasm that sends him through the stratosphere.
As he comes back down to earth he clutches me tightly to his chest. “Holy crap, baby.”
I chuckle. “I know. Makes me wish we could do that every time.”
His chest shakes beneath me as he laughs. “I don’t know. I was a little afraid of you for a moment.”
“What?” I lift up to gaze down at him.
“Your little bunny has a fierce rabbit side.”
I give him a smirk. “You better remember that.”
“Actually, what I’m going to remember most is the way you asked me to fuck you. Hillary, just so you know, that’s the hottest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“Really?”
“Really. And you have to know I’m going to be looking at my sweet little bunny, whom everyone sees as a good girl, and know how bad you can be.”
I grin with pride as my mind wanders to other naughty things I’d like to try. “Good, because I’ve got plans to shock you a hundred more ways to Sunday.”
Alec flips me over onto my back and growls. “I can hardly wait.” He gazes down at where he bit me and leans in close to lap at it gently. “I can’t believe you’re finally mine.”
I thread my fingers through his silky locks as he moves down to kiss my breasts, and he pauses to look u
p at me. “How many babies do we get to make?”
“As many as you’ll let me.”
He pumps his eyebrows at me. “Sweet. Now about that alphabet.” He dives between my legs, and I let out squeal before I lose myself in the pleasures my newly bonded mate can bring.
Chapter 39
HILLARY
My mom hugs me tight. “I’m so happy for you darling.”
“Thank you. I’m so happy you two could make it back to Heartland.”
“Of course, we wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
My dad nudges Mom aside so he can hug me as well. “Thanks to Alec we were able to fly first class at the last minute.”
I don’t think my smile can get any bigger. I’m so happy to have my parents with me on this day. I wasn’t sure they were going to be able to make it, considering everything was planned so quickly. Seven days ago, Alec proposed, and now I’m waiting to walk down the aisle at my wedding to marry the man of my dreams.
“Okay, it’s going to start.” Mom kisses my cheek, and then wipes her lipstick away. “I’ll go sit.”
My Dad excuses himself for a moment, and Mandy and Lexi come up to me, both looking gorgeous in teal dresses.
Mandy asks, “Are you ready?”
I nod, beyond ready, even if my belly is doing little flip flops.
“Were you nervous for your wedding?” I ask Lexi. “I remember you looking so calm.”
“Heck, yes.” She laughs. “My knees were knocking. How are you doing? You nervous?”
I shake my head. “Nope, I’m just raring to go.”
“All right, I’ll tell them to start the music.” Mandy ducks into the park.
Lexi hugs me tight. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
She adjusts my veil as my Dad returns, and then she gets in line in front of me. Mandy comes back to stand in front of Lexi. When the cello and violin begin to play, Mandy waits a few seconds before she starts to walk with Lexi behind her.