Ransom retracted his fangs. “Don’t irritate me.”
“You’re a bear...everything irritates you.”
He stared off for a few seconds. “Yeah, you’re right.” When he looked back to her she was...grinning, at him. Fallon Wilder was actually offering a genuine smile and he took a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure he wasn’t mistaken.
“Don’t you look cheerful.” He commented, standing to adjust his jeans and re-wrap the used condom so he could dispose of it properly later.
Her brows waggled a bit. “Maybe because I finally know what Yogi will do with a good picnic basket.”
Biting the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing, he gave her a hand up. “You’re kind of goofy aren’t you?”
Her smile made his chest ache. She pressed a finger to her lips and leaned in, whispering, “Pack secret.”
Ransom held his arms akimbo. “So all you needed was the power of my God-like loving to—”
Fallon pressed a hand to his mouth, cutting him off. “If you complete that sentence, my happy mood will fade.”
He licked her palm and grinned as she pulled back, a disgusted look all across that pretty face.
Swiping her hand on her jeans, she shuddered. “Nasty.”
Ransom pointed to his mouth. “This has brought you pleasure, you should be more grateful.”
“That,” And yes, she felt the need to grab his lips and twist them as she spoke “Is the only reason why you’re still able to see the light of day.” Her hand let go as she pulled back, suddenly looking very shy. “You can be really...sweet.”
“I’ll try not to be insulted by your tone.” He picked up his t-shirt and tucked it into his back pocket.
“What tone?”
“The one that clearly insinuates that you didn’t expect me to be sweet.”
Her mouth twisted. “To be honest, between you and Maddox, you kinda seem like the one who would think disemboweling a deer together is romantic.”
“Oh that’s lovely!” Ransom spun and pointed at her. “I sent you flowers and candy!”
“Because you wanted to buy my lodge!”
Folding his arms across his chest he glared at the difficult female standing in front of him. “Do I have to explain that I never really wanted the lodge at all and that—”
“—the only thing you were truly interested in was me?” Fallon completed, mirroring his stance. “For the love of all that is holy, please don’t. It’s like a never ending story of bad fangy love. If I hear it one more time I’ll be forced to gnaw through your face with my human teeth.”
He made a sound.
“Was that a chuff? Did you just chuff at me?”
“That was a grunt. Learn the difference, canine.”
“You’re ruining my mood. Don’t ruin my mood. I will kill you for ruining my mood.”
Ransom lifted his hand and made it talk, imitating Fallon’s voice in a high-pitched tone that he knew would piss her off. “Don’t ruin my mood.”
“Och! I’m not dealing with this!” She turned to walk away from him and he grabbed her, swinging her up and over his shoulder like a sack. A sack with a great ass.
“Goddammit Ransom! Put me down you over-sized bastard!” Her open-palmed slap to his naked back made him snarl but he kept walking towards his goal—her cabin.
She slapped him again and he slapped her ass. “Ow!”
“Quiet down back there female!”
Fallon kicked her legs. “I will not quiet down back here and would you stop spanking me?!”
“You like it.” Ransom sung, doing it again. “You just don’t want to admit it.”
“How would you know?”
“You’re vagina told me.”
She stilled. “Excuse me?”
If she wanted an explanation... “You see Fallon, when a female is aroused her vagina begins to lubricate with what’s called—”
“Shut. Up.”
Her growl made him chuckle. “Didn’t you learn this in health class?”
“Yes. Do you know what else I learned?” Fallon questioned sweetly and it gave him pause.
“Does it have to do with male castration?”
“Why yes, yes it does. Aren’t we the smart one, Gentle Ben?”
“Yes, White Fang we are.” Ransom brought his palm down on her ass again and delighted in her yelp. “And we both know that you won’t castrate me because you like me too much.”
He bit back a grin when she suddenly slumped against him and muttered. “Entirely too much.”
***
Lord on high what was it about this man that made her smile one minute and bark the next? He was goofy, insatiable, sweet and apparently extremely possessive. Not to mention he fucked like a god. Something Fallon would never admit out loud!
Ransom made her crazy but in a good way so it tamped down the urge to chew through the tendons in his neck. She had a comfortable camaraderie with him that she’d only ever experienced with her closest pack members and she didn’t know if that were a good or bad thing. Getting too comfortable with a male too quickly usually lead to someone getting hurt. Ransom said he wanted her and it was quite clear that was true but for how long?
“You’re thinking. Stop thinking. Thinking ruins everything.” The bear in question calmly stated, strolling along with her still over his shoulder like a carry-on accessory. The worst part? They were just making it past the main office when she spotted Cree coming out the doors.
The other woman froze before slowly backing away to go back inside.
“Goddammit.” Fallon murmured as her friend then came back out, dragging Anoki and Cade with her.
They didn’t say a word. They knew not to. Instead they stared, silently, but the looks in their eyes. Oh those looks would haunt Fallon forever. The rest of her pack members who knew her as the dominating bitch also stopped to gawk the way her friends had.
“You’re embarrassing me.” She hissed at Ransom as they passed couples and families along with pups and cubs.
“I’m a bear, sweetheart—which means fucks will not be given on this day or any other. So it is written, so shall it be.” He retorted, still strolling along like all was right in the world. “You will come to know this philosophy and you shall implement it into your everyday life.”
Fallon’s head lifted. “And why exactly will I be doing that?”
He snorted but didn’t answer and her stomach twisted into knots. What did that mean?
“Big brother!”
She cringed at the sound of Maddox’s voice, knowing shit was about to get a lot worse.
Ransom swung around, enthusiastically going, “Little brother!” and all she could see was two pairs of freakishly sized feet. Where were their boots made? Narnia? Were there special magicks used for these?
“I see you have something rather delicious looking resting on your shoulder there. Did you catch her in the woods?” Maddox questioned and Fallon could hear the grin in his voice. Bastard.
“I did indeed. Chased her right down just like Daddy taught us at ten. She didn’t even put up much of a fight, wee thing that she is.”
Fallon pinched his side and listened to him do nothing but grunt. Why was she putting up with this again? Oh yeah, the sex. The sex had been amazing. She’d have to remember that later when she was digging a hole big enough for him to fit in.
“Wee?” Maddox’s tone took on a skeptical edge that Fallon wasn’t appreciating. “I think we need to talk about your definition of wee, big brother.”
“As soon as you tell me where your lovely facial lacerations came from, little brother.” Ransom replied.
“I’m not discussing it.”
“But—”
“Not discussing!” Maddox bellowed, cutting him off.
Fallon started to laugh and Ransom moved his shoulders, shaking her. “Quiet, canine.”
She simply pinched him again.
“Do you want to be able to sit on your ass at all this week?�
� Ransom softly queried.
Slumping over, she hung there like the wee thing he’d described her to be. “I hate you.”
Maddox gasped. “Oh! The wee thing speaks!”
“I hate you both!” Fallon shouted.
“Seems your female is in a bad mood, brother. Did you let her finish first?”
Ransom’s right shoulder rolled and she heard a grunt before she was suddenly looking at Maddox’s prone form on the ground as he rolled around, holding his balls and saying, “You motherfucker” over and over again.
The grizzly carrying her stepped over his sibling and kept walking. “He’ll get over it.”
From the way Maddox shouted, “I won’t forget this! I’ll never forget this!” Fallon was seriously doubting Ransom’s statement.
***
They’d turned against him. His own fucking pack. The one’s he’d fought for. The ones who he’d tried to give a better life had pushed him out like he was nothing; like he was something to be easily forgotten. But what they didn’t understand was that he wouldn’t slink away quietly. Oh no, he would nip this shit at the bud and rebuild the entire garden. He’d wipe everything clean like he was God and watch it regrow.
And his brother, along with the betraying fuckers who’d so easily done this to him, would be some of the first to go. He’d see to that...
Chapter 12
“He was carrying her.” Cree whispered, still staring at where Ransom had walked through with Fallon over his shoulder, a little in awe.
“Unh-hunh.” Anoki and Cade commented simultaneously, still beside her, gazing at the very same spot.
“And she let him.” She added.
“Unh-hunh.” The males repeated.
“Do you think drugs were involved?” Cade suddenly questioned, now looking at both Cree and Anoki. “Maybe a tranquilizer?”
“Nah,” Anoki shook his dark head. “His face would’ve been lacerated because our Fallon doesn’t go down without swinging.”
Cree and Cade both nodded.
“So then exactly what happened here?” She asked, her brows dipping. “Because we’re not hallucinating. That was Fallon. Our alpha...our—”
“—daily nightmare?” Cade threw in.
“Exactly.”
“Oh, I can explain this clear enough.” Anoki said grinning. “I think our daily nightmare got the daylights fucked out of her and it made her nice and lax. Like when you grab a pup by the back of their neck.” He rocked back on his heels. “Good sex releases all types of endorphins my friends. And being that Gentle Ben looked none too happy when he went to find her about an hour ago, I would say my poking him with a little brutal honesty put his enormous ass into gear.” With another smile, he turned to head back inside of the main office. “Excuse me while my narcissism takes over and I sing my own praises.”
“He acts like that’s a new part of his daily routine.” Cade murmured.
Cree patted her pack mate on the shoulder. “Let him be great now, dear friend. Because the moment Fallon finds out he goaded that bear into chasing her down—”
“—he’s going to be on the receiving end of those aforementioned facial lacerations.” He completed for her.
The pair turned to each other and smiled. Both knowing that because of one grizzly, things were about to get a lot more interesting.
***
“Did your hate for me die yet?” Ransom queried as he finally reached Fallon’s cabin with her still over his shoulder.
“No.”
He chuckled at the pout that he could hear in her voice.
“Well can you hate me and unlock your door?”
There was a sigh. “It’s already unlocked.”
Stopping, he said, “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why do you leave your door unlocked?”
“Why wouldn’t I leave my door unlocked?”
“Are you trying to make me crazy by answering my questions with questions?”
“I don’t know,” She retorted mildly. “Am I?”
Ransom growled as twisted the knob and stepped over the threshold. “Clearly my numerous threats about making this red tinted are going ignored.” He rubbed a hand across her ass.
Fallon snorted. “As are my numerous threats to disassemble you like an action figure and scatter the parts.”
Just for that, he began to spin around, ignoring her hits to his back and shoulders along with her shouts.
“Goddammit Ransom McKenna you stop this right now!”
He laughed at her and kept on laughing at her until he felt her claws dig into the back of his thigh. With a grunt Ransom went down, making sure to swing Fallon up and over his shoulder right before he landed in the middle of her living room floor on his back with her resting on top of him.
Her hands slapped at his head. “As soon as I can see straight again, that’s your ass, grizzly!”
Ransom grabbed her wrists and rolled their bodies until he rested between her thighs before pinning her arms above her head. “Violence is not the answer, baby.”
Fallon’s eyes narrowed on him. “Says the man who possibly just left his younger brother without the ability to reproduce.”
He smirked. “Okay, violence is the answer sometimes.” Keeping hold of her wrists with one hand, he used the other to trail down her jaw, staring at the way her bow shaped mouth parted and how her thickly lashed eyes gazed up at him from her heart shaped face. “So beautiful...”
At his softly spoken words she tried to turn away from him but Ransom cupped her cheek and brought her face back. “Hey, you are beautiful.”
Fallon snorted. “You already fucked me, Ransom. No pretty words needed.”
His brows drew downwards. “You have no idea how to take affection or compliments do you?”
She tucked her lips in and he had his answer. “Jesus Christ, Fallon. Haven’t you had boyfriends?” How did she not know this? Why hadn’t someone taken the time to show this woman exactly how mesmerizing she was without even trying to be?
Mouth curving in bitter amusement, she replied, “Kind of hard when you’ve been labeled cold and unstable.”
Ransom sucked in a deep breath then got to his feet. He held out a hand for her. “Come on.” This shit ended and it ended now. Fallon Wilder was a lot of things but cold and unstable were not on that list.
Her brows rose. “Where’re we going?”
His head cocked to the side as he wiggled his fingers and watched her closely. “Nowhere and everywhere, baby. Now be a good girl and follow me there.”
Fallon stared at his palm for the longest time before she finally gripped it and allowed him to pull her to her feet.
When Ransom swung her up into his arms she didn’t voice a complaint which was good because he would’ve simply ignored it. Her cabin was built like most of the others in the lodge so he had no trouble finding her bedroom but he did have trouble processing what he saw when he got to the doorway. It was just so...so...girly.
His company had some of the best interior designers in the U.S. on call and he didn’t think even one of them could top the floral layout Fallon had in her bedroom. The walls were a vibrant yellow with trails of tastefully painted flowers while her bed was an extended California king complete with a canopy that also held the same theme. There were picture frames all around—on the desk in the corner, the dresser, and floating shelves. She’d had a skylight put in and if he wasn’t mistaken, he was looking at several bouquets of flowers that he’d sent her.
“Fallon...”
“Surprising huh?”
Ransom swallowed, suddenly feeling too dirty to touch anything in what was so obviously Fallon’s private sanctuary. “Bathroom?” He asked gruffly, kicking off his boots and purposely leaving them outside in the hallway.
She pointed to a door on his right and he made his way across the large room. When he stepped through it, she reached over and clicked the light on. Mediterranean tile and pristine porcelain greeted them and Ransom
finally sat her down on her sink counter top before he walked over to the shower stall. Determination kept him silent as he went about the task of turning it on, impressed with the fact that she had four different shower heads that were all separately adjustable in temperature.
When he was done, he turned to Fallon and once again held out his hand. Instead of hesitation, he received the immediate sensation of her palm sliding against his own. Slowly and calmly, he went down on his knees and unlaced her boots, getting her to step out of them. Then he rolled her socks down her feet and unbuckled the waist to her jeans, tugging them along with her panties down her curvy hips until she stepped out of those too. Standing again, Ransom pulled her t-shirt up over her head and unhooked her bra.
He pointed to the shower. “Get in.”
Fallon shot him a look but did as she was told, clearly understanding that control belonged to him. Later, outside of this moment, she could have it back but right now, it was his and he wasn’t relinquishing it. While she stood under the constant stream of water washing and rinsing her hair, he got undressed, neatly folded their clothes and set them aside near the hamper before climbing into the stall with her. Like the rest of the bathrooms, she’d gone for a larger shower so it made maneuvering comfortably behind her slick frame easier.
Ransom curved his hands around her waist and brought her back against him. Dropping a kiss to the top of her head, he whispered, “Relax.”
He grabbed the candy apple scented body wash just over her shoulder and poured it onto the shower puff hanging from a tile hook. With steady strokes he gently scrubbed her soft skin until she began to melt against him. The way her waist curved in and flared out into thick hips made him bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from dropping to his knees again and biting her outer thighs instead. The ample rise of her ass brushed his cock which had risen the moment he took off her clothes and he heard her sharp intake of air.
Ransom ran the shower puff over her chest and watched her nipples harden with every pass until eventually she grabbed his wrist and stopped him, panting. He easily shook out of her hold, flicking the distended nubs until all he could hear were her whimpers. Her body was made for every single plan he had. It was sinfully lush with definition that didn’t overshadow the feminine parts of her. Her nut brown skin shone with a healthy glow, scars littering almost every exposed piece of flesh. They didn’t bother him in the least. And if he had his way, he’d taste every single one before the night was out.
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