There was something new and thrilling about the sensation of Eli’s stubble against the soft insides of her thighs, his mouth and tongue playing along the sensitive, wet folds of her feminine sex. It felt rawer, more intimate, special, especially since Eli was the first person to see her this way, to touch her in this way since her escape from Jas. Mia supposed if she wasn’t already completely ruined for any other man just with how Eli treated her, respected her, then she definitely was now.
Eli nosed up his folds again before his tongue laved against her clit, lips twisting in amusement when her overtaxed thighs quivered with the sensation. “You’re so wet for me.” He said almost reverently. He licked his lips again, slow, as he stared up into her eyes. “Do you need a break?” The question, of course, earned him a thump on the head with one of her heels and he chuckled. “All right, all right. So impatient, Mia.” He dove enthusiastically back between her legs, that teasing tongue and smirking mouth working dutifully to wring a second orgasm from her.
He sat back on his heels after he left her a panting, quivering mess on the grass, striping his flannel over his head. Still unable to move, she let her eyes trace a path over the chiseled muscles of his abdomen, large, thickly banded shoulders, and strong arms. He didn’t bother standing to take off his jeans, instead, he popped the button open, sliding them part way down his hips. The cock that jutted out from the v of his hips was an even bigger monster than she expected after feeling it rutting against her thigh, but she felt the tingle of arousal building the longer she stared. She had never been with a man besides Jasper, who had a serious case of overcompensating for a cock that was average at best.
As if feeling her stare, Eli smiled gently, shaking his head. “We don’t have to, Mia. We can stop.”
“But what about you?” She couldn’t help but ask.
“This wasn’t about me. Today was all about you.” He told her, startling a laugh from her lips. “Mia?” He questioned.
“It’s just-no one’s ever…Just get inside me.” She ended up blurting, groaning and covering her face with her hands. She felt him gently tugging her hands away from her pink cheeks.
“No hiding, Mia.” He reminded her, fingers stroking over her blushing cheeks. “Beautiful.” He pressed their lips together, one of his thick fingers prodding at her entrance. He continued to kiss her breathless as his fingers slowly coaxed her open. His fingers slipped free and she could feel the fat head of his cock rubbing against her entrance in their place. Then he was sliding forward, slow, as she stretched to accommodate his girth. She bit the inside of her cheek to prevent any noises from escaping, worried that he would stop if he heard her. It takes no more than a few seconds for Eli to sheath inside her fully. Strands of dark hair dance around his face as she blows out the breath that she’d been holding in. She can feel every inch of him. Her world seems to right itself in that moment, and Mia feels whole again like she found the piece she didn’t even realize was missing.
“Oh, Eli.” She gasps out and her lover purrs in contented agreement. His thrusts start out slow, with Eli pulling out so just the very head of his cock holds Mia speared open, before sliding in again. He continues this infuriating pace, despite Mia trying to drive her hips up into a quicker pace. His next slow thrust grazes that magical spot inside her that she’d only become quite familiar with in the last few years since leaving Jas, and the ensuing pleasure reverberated through her entire body, forcing a moan from deep in her throat. “Right there.” She encourages breathlessly.
He started snapping his hips forward then, shoving her up the soft, smooth grass with each thrust until she had her hand braced against the bark of the tree so she wouldn’t hit her head. He took hold of her hips with his large hands, pulling her more firmly against him as her legs tightened around his hips, pulling him in deeper still. Each thrust of his hips spurred little noises from her lips, though she was well beyond words. “I am yours, Mia.” He spoke roughly against the shell of her ear. “I am yours and you are mine.” All she could do was nod, closing her eyes against his intense amber stare as she started to give in to the heat rapidly crescendoing in her belly. Eli tucked his head into the crook of her neck, his teeth sinking into the flesh there, surely leaving a mark. She came first, her orgasm ripping through her body, but he didn’t slow his brutal pace, fucking her through it. She knew he had to be close when his careful rhythm stuttered, his thrusts growing sporadic, ramming his hips against hers. She felt his ragged breath against her neck as he spilled his seed deep inside her.
They lay underneath the cool, protective embrace of the tree, chests heaving to fill their lungs with air, each one completely absorbed in the other’s embrace. She pulled her fingers through his messy locks, nails occasionally scraping against his scalp, eliciting a shudder, while he drew circles into her hip with the pad of his thumb. Neither one of them noticed the tall shadow moving within the dark wall of trees that encompassed them like an ocean.
Chapter 6
As the rolling thunderstorms of early summer bloomed into the dry heat of mid-August, Mia realized she had forgotten how wonderful dating could be. Despite how quickly they dove into the sexual aspect of their relationship, Eli seemed determined to woo her. They went to see local bands play in local dive bars, Eli drove her around the county, painting her a picture of his childhood, and every Sunday morning that she worked, he would be waiting with a wildflower to put in her hair.
The locals weren’t exactly thrilled with the amount of time Eli was spending in town. Mia heard the whispers that followed them and felt their staring eyes on their backs. The gossip and mistrust didn’t seem to bother Eli in the slightest, although it made Mia even more determined to ask him about it. But right now, she had something a little bigger to worry about.
“Come on, come on.” She muttered as she paced in her small bathroom, eyeing the little stick that was currently balancing on the edge of her porcelain sink. “How can it not have been five minutes yet? It’s been at least a year.” She groaned. It had only been two months since their time under the tree, but it had been two and a half months since her last period. Trust her to get knocked up by the first decent guy she’d ever tried to date.
The timer she set on her oven finally buzzed and she snatched the little stick from the sink. Two red lines were staring back at her. She fumbled with the box as she tried to double check the results. “Two, two, two.” She muttered. Two lines. Positive.
She lowered herself until she was sitting on the edge of the tub. Her hand slid down her torso, fingers fanning over her still flat belly. “So, you’re really in there, huh?” She asked. “I don’t exactly look pregnant.” She stared at the test in her hand, knowing this meant a trip to the clinic. She had to be sure before she told him. Sudden tears sprang to her eyes. She had always wanted to be a mother, she just thought it was impossible with Jas. There’s no way she could have brought a baby into that nightmare. But now, now she was free. She was happy and even though she hadn’t told him, she knew that Eli would be supportive. He’d probably be thrilled. She wiped the tears from her eyes and reached for her phone.
***
She had the papers from the clinic folded neatly in her purse in case he didn’t believe her, but somehow Mia didn’t think that that was going to be much of a problem. She kept one arm draped as casually as she could across her waist on the ride back to his cabin. He was supposed to be making her dinner tonight, but she could tell that he was worried about her. She hadn’t spoken a word since he picked her up outside of her apartment. She wanted to tell him so badly, but she didn’t want to tell him while sitting in the cab of his old truck. She wanted it to be special for them both. She was going to tell him after dinner…if she didn’t end up blurting it out much earlier of course.
Eli jammed the gear into park as soon as he pulled up beside the cabin she had begun to think of as her own home. “Mia, something is bothering you and I think I know what it is.”
“You do?” She asked, her own su
rprise reflected in her rising heart rate.
“Yes, it’s what the townspeople have been saying about us, about me, isn’t it?” He asked.
“What? No-“
“I’ve been meaning to tell you, Mia. It’s just never felt like the right moment.” He tried to explain.
“Wait, wait,” she said, pregnancy momentarily forgotten. “What are you talking about? Tell me what?”
“I think it would be better if I showed.” He said and went around to the other side of the truck to help her down. “Just stay right here. Don’t move.” He took several large steps back away from her and began to strip out of his clothes until he stood before her naked.
“Uh…”
“Just watch, it will make sense in a minute.” He told her and closed his eyes. The first crack of bone was the most startling, eliciting a shriek from her throat. She could only watch as his bones cracked and snapped, transforming him from a man to beast. Thick, brown fur sprouted from his torso, quickly spreading down the rest of his twisting body. His head was tossed back in a silent scream, his teeth elongating into fangs between his parted lips. The entire process could have taken no longer than a couple minutes and when it was over, a grizzly bear, thickly furred and amber eyed, was standing in the place that her lover had just been occupying.
There was no more air. Where had all the air gone. She was sure there had just been air here, crisp, clean mountain air, but it was gone now. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t breathe. She needed air. A cold nose pressed against the bare flesh of her arm, the shock of the sensations allowing her to suck greedy pulls of air into her lungs like a gaping fish. She didn’t know how long it took her to reign in her panic attack, but when she did, the first thing she noticed was the grizzly that was sitting on its haunches in front of her, amber eyes deep with concern.
“Eli?” She finally asked. The bear tipped its head to the side, huffing a soft breath against her face. “Uh, I guess I’ll take that as a yes.” She said and one pale, trembling hand stretched out to pet the coarse fur on his head, he turned, snuffling his snout against her palm. “I guess I shouldn’t be too shocked. The night I dreamt of the tree, there was a black bear beside me. But you…you’re a grizzly, aren’t you? I’ve never seen an animal so big.” His coarse tongue scraped against her palm. “Uh…Eli, as much as I appreciate you sharing this with me, could you turn back into-um, into a regular person. We need to have a conversation we can’t have with you as a, uh, a bear. Yeah. And I have questions, lots and lots of questions.”
The transformation back wasn’t nearly so dramatic and horrifying now that she had some idea of what to expect. He wouldn’t meet her eyes as he pulled back on his clothes. “Are you going to leave me?” He finally asked, massive shoulders stooped in resignation.
“What?! No, no, of course not. This isn’t something that I’d ever leave you over. We definitely have to have to have a conversation about it later, but I have something more important I need to tell you about.” She said. She had about had enough of him jumping to conclusions for one day.
“What is it then, my Mia?”
“Well…” This really wasn’t what she had in mind when she daydreamed about telling him. “I’m pregnant. Two months. I went to the clinic yesterday to make sure.”
There was a long stretch of silence, long enough to make her feel worried, before he finally spoke, his voice rough with emotion. “You mean to tell me that I’m going to be a father?”
She nodded. “Yes.” She squeaked as his arms suddenly circled around her, holding her more delicately then he ever had in the course of their relationship. “You know, the baby and I aren’t made of glass.” His hold tightened only slightly; his head was tucked down against her neck. His cheeks were wet.
“Thank you, Mia, you’re giving me a gift I wasn’t sure I would ever have.” He told her earnestly, pulling away to cup her face. “I love you, Mia.” Emotion, joy, love, relief, swelled within her chest.
“I love you too, of course I do.” She laughed, closing her eyes as her own tears spilled over her cheeks and his hands. He stroked her face, trying to wipe the tears away.
“No hiding, Mia.” He said softly, prompting her to open them again. “Let’s go inside, I’ll make you some tea before I start dinner.” She laughed again as she was swept up into his arms, hands clinging to his shoulders as he carried her over the threshold.
“You know you can’t carry me everywhere, right?” She asked.
“Well, I think it isn’t very gentlemanly to point out, but I am stronger than you. So, I’d like to see you try and stop me.” He said cheekily.
“Okay, now I’m leaving you.” She grumbled as he laid her gently on his sofa, tucking her in with a flannel blanket that smelled too much of him for her to complain about its ugliness. “Not all of us can be made of muscle.”
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “You’ll just have to accept that I’m going to spoil you, well, spoil you even worse now. I’ll get you tea and then I’ll start dinner. I’ll have to rethink the beer we were going to share though.”
***
The mug in her hand was warm, the tea fragrant, and the sizzling from Eli’s frying pan was just gentle enough to soothe her to sleep. When she woke, it was to the mouthwatering scent of grilled chicken that was wafting up from the plate that Eli was waving under her nose. She didn’t realize how hungry she was until she was snatching it out of his hand and eating with such gusto that she knew she embodied what her grandma liked to call, “unladylike.”
“Thanks.” She mumbled around a mouthful of food, but Eli didn’t seem appalled by her manners and was instead smiling at her fondly.
“I like to cook for you.” He told her, settling down beside her with his own plate piled high with six chicken breasts. She supposed she knew now why he ate so much, but even knowing that he could somehow transform himself into a grizzly, his appetite still didn’t cease to amaze her.
They ate in comfortable silence and after they were finished, Eli took their plates to the sink before curling back up on his lumpy, but comfortable sofa with her. They watched the fire crackle in its pit, Eli sliding his hand up her shirt just high enough to stroke circles around her belly. “I’m not showing yet, you know.” She said.
“That doesn’t mean our baby isn’t in there.” He said and hearing him use the words “our baby”, sent warmth blooming through her, her toes curling in delight. She could have fallen asleep right there, warm and safe, tucked into his large arms, but she still had questions.
“So…The whole, bear thing. Is that a guardian thing or a you thing?” She finally asked.
“All guardians have the ability to shift our forms, but it is inherited. Not only the guardians can do it, my little brother can transform as well, but he takes the shape of a timber wolf.” He explained.
“Wait, you have a brother?” She asked. “You never said anything. Why haven’t I met him?”
His brow furrowed, a frown tugging down the corner of his mouth. “After our parents passing, Ezra left the valley. Things with him are difficult. I didn’t mean to keep it from you.”
“I’m sorry.” She said and squeezed his arm. “Let’s talk about something else then. You said he could change into a wolf. Can all shifters choose their form?”
“We do not choose it, no. It is usually an animal that can blend in with the region you’re in but sometimes…” He shrugged. “I guess, the spirit has no way of knowing that grizzlies or timber wolves are no longer seen in these areas.”
“Is that why people talk?” She asked. “Because they’ve seen you or your brother by your property?”
“The townsfolk have always been suspicious of my family. We have been living here, on this mountain long before the town was even built. Stories are passed down, rumors spread, but I leave them alone and they do the same.” He said.
“That sounds lonely.”
“It wasn’t always. Not when I had my parents or Ezra, and now I have yo
u.” He said, bringing her closer for a gentle kiss. His large hand cupped the back of her head, keeping her in place as his tongue swiped across her closed lips as if asking for entrance. She moaned quietly, her lips parting for him, hands curling into fists, bunching up the soft fabric of his flannel between her fingers as she turned in his lap to face him. No longer bent at such an awkward angle, they could kiss properly without craning their necks.
His hands circled around her hips, anchoring her in place over him as his mouth devoured hers. Their teeth clinked together in their frenzy but neither one of them slowed. Mia’s fingers dug into the meat of his shoulders, anchoring herself as she ground down against him. He finally broke their kiss to tug her shirt up and over her head in one fluid motion, tossing it somewhere behind the couch. Her jeans were a little more awkward to be rid of, considering that she really didn’t want to move from her place atop his muscled thighs, but they soon joined the pile behind the couch along with her bra and panties.
“Off, off.” She muttered against his lips, fingers twisting in the panels of his flannel as she tried to get it over his head. Together, they managed to get him stuck inside a sleeve before his clothes were joining the others. When his hands were finally on her again, they settled against her cheeks, cupping her face and tilting it back so he could press a tender kiss to the base of her throat. A breathy moan escaped her parted lips as she felt his hand move between their bodies to gently skim her folds with the rough pads of his fingers. He sucked a bruise along the long column of her throat, his breath hot and moist as he sank a finger between her folds, his other hand still caressing her cheek gently.
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