by Maria Amor
He ran a hand over the back of his neck, his legs going wide in a firm stance. “At the mixer, you seemed so confident in flirting and getting men’s attention, and the way you implied someone special gave you the fossil—it didn’t set right with me. And watch thing. I just… it all came together in my mind.”
“You bastard.” Gia crossed her arms, trying to hold back a tremor. “My father gave me the fossil necklace a week before he died.”
Trey looked up to the sky and closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, Gia. Damn it.” Hands on his hips, he took a deep breath. “I want you. My bear wants you. You’re her. The one I thought I didn’t want.” Trey shoved his hands in his front pockets and looked to the clear, blue sky. “I never intended to actually find a woman at the mixer, at least, not one who speaks to my soul like you do. I can’t explain it, how you affect me. And I don’t think I’m meant to be able to.”
“It just is.” She confirmed, coming toward him. It was true. It was natural, effortless to want her, to feel like he could fall harder. Faster. Completely. She shook her head as she approached, her eyes soft yet filled with determined light. He was a fool. But the fading anger on her face gave him hope that he could beg her forgiveness and come out the other side, with her in his arms.
“I’m not a thief. I’m just a boring microbiologist.” She was almost to him when her phone rang again. A blank look crossed her face as she reached for it. Trey grabbed it from her hand and pressed connect.
The sound of breathing came through the line. Irritation pumped through him. “Stop calling.” Two words edged in razors; he hoped they’d do the trick, or he was going to hunt down whoever kept calling her and set them straight.
Handing Gia back her phone, Trey tugged her into his arms. “I thought we’d settled the boring thing.”
“Did we?” She asked innocently, tipping her face up. His heart pounded with the hope that she forgave him for confronting her, while he kicked himself for not going with his instincts. From the beginning, he’d had a hard time accepting that Gia was truly the culprit. Now, he just wanted to make it up to her.
“Do I need to remind you?” He meant to be gentle, but as his mouth took hers, the kiss was urgent. He cupped the back of her head and she leaned back into his support, her body pliable to his will as he arched her back and delved his tongue deeply into her mouth. His free hand made a desperate sweep of her body, from breast to the curve of her waist and hip to the rise of her ass.
He needed this, the nourishment of connection with a woman he couldn’t get out of his head. Spinning her, Trey walked her carefully back to the horse, his forward steps in sync with her backwards one, never breaking the kiss. Her hands wrapped around his neck, holding him close, the needy little sounds coming from her throat threatening to unleash him.
He broke free long enough to grab the blanket from the back of the saddle. Taking her hand, they went a bit farther down the creek bank, to a flat stretch of grass footed by the trickling water. He spread out the blanket, and with ease, pulled her effortlessly down onto it. Her breasts heaved as she stretched out on the soft cotton, her legs parting eagerly as he knelt between them.
Trey ran his hands up her ribcage to her lush breasts, loving the softness of her body, the ripe femininity that he couldn’t wait to expose. Taking her wrists in one hand, he lifted her arms above her head. The movement pulled the hem of her shirt up over her belly, baring a strip of pale, creamy soft skin. He dipped his head and kissed her there. Gia arched up against his mouth, the simple movement flaming his need. Her scent wrapped around him, engrained in his senses. With controlled slowness, he kissed along her belly, nibbling the soft rise of flesh and leaving his mark behind.
He worked the hem of her shirt higher, kissing his way up until her bra stopped his progress. Urging her to lean up, Trey whisked the shirt over her head and off her body. Her fingers twined together, arms still outstretched as he loosened the front clasp of her bra. It popped open, her breasts spilling free. Trey captured them in his hands.
“So perfect, Gia.”
He palmed her breasts, kneading them as he loved each rigid peak until Gia arched and cried out. She lowered her arms, but he urged them back up, giving her a steady look.
“Keep them up.”
Her cheeks were flushed, her lips swollen from his kiss and Trey swore he’d never seen a woman so beautiful. Finding the button at her jeans, he unfastened it. Slowly, he pulled the zipper down as he lightly pulled her nipple between his teeth. Gia lifted her hips, her head lolling to one side. He worked the jeans over her full hips, pulling away from her chest to watch as each downward inch of denim exposed her body. The bear inside went wild at the sight of innocent white panties captured between full, pale thighs, her long legs shapely and strong. Smooth… so smooth, her skin was silk and fire beneath his fingers.
Trey worked back up her body, pausing between her legs to place a kiss at the waistband of her panties. The scent of her arousal was like a flavor to his palate, the heady, delicious taste boiling his blood, teasing the bear, making his need hard to control. He pressed his fingers at her center, loving the simultaneous feel of her soft, warm flesh beneath his touch and the pleasured gasp that flew from her lips.
He wanted to take this slow, but rational thought wasn’t an option. Primal desire ran though him, driving his need to take and take, to hear her scream her ecstasy as her body pulsed around him.
“Gia,” he murmured against her belly. “I’ll hold back if that’s what you want, what you need.” His mouth moved down, replacing his fingers at the line between her pussy lips. He parted his lips wide, closed them slowly, absorbing her heat as he pulled her panties with his teeth.
“Trey!” Her hips bucked against him. “Please, let me touch you.”
“No.” He couldn’t bear to have her touch him, to feel his scars. Not yet. With little bites, he worked down her center and then back up, relishing her hard breathing. Then, with one rough move, he pulled the panties at her hips. The fabric dug into her flesh before it tore, falling apart easily in his hands. Spreading her legs farther apart with his hands, Trey quivered with the need to take her. Spread out before him, exposed in the most intimate way, Gia was his deepest dream come to life.
He gently parted her, finding her tight little nub and pressing a finger there. Her thighs clenched around his hand and then relaxed, opening wider, encouraging him. He began to stroke her clitoris while kissing his way up her torso. Suddenly, her hands were in his hair, pulling, kneading.
Gia threw her head back as a slow tremble worked down her limbs. He felt each shake and quiver as he played between her legs. Watching her, he plunged two fingers inside. His brain went foggy at the wet, tight feel of her. She cried out, pulling his head to hers for a wild, open mouthed kiss. Alternating between methodical strokes that made her body tense and coil, and gentle thrusts that forced cries from her throat, Trey teased her until her back arched and she began a nonsensical whimper.
He could sense her impending release, felt it inside his own body, rumbling along his skin and over his nerves. His erection pressed painfully against his jeans, each pulse of her body making his own beg for release. With a pace of long and slow, and fast and wicked strokes, Trey meshed their mouths as Gia’s body coiled and she broke free from his kiss.
“God, Trey!”
Satisfaction flashed through him. “That’s right, baby. Give it to me.”
Her fingers tugged his hair again, pulling, holding his head, finally falling away as she cried out, her legs tensing, her clit swelling and pulsing beneath his touch.
Tipping his head to his chest, he smiled, feeling a sense of rightness he hadn’t had in a long time. Gia didn’t allow him to dwell on it long as she reached for him, desperate to pull him up. Her legs wrapped around his, her hips tipping up.
“Trey, please. Please, now.” She reached for his shirt, but he stopped her. Bringing her hands to his lips, he trailed kisses over her knuckles, hoping it was enough to s
ay what he couldn’t. She relaxed, moving her arms above her head again, submissive and willing.
He barely remembered fishing the condom from his wallet, or pushing down his jeans. But he heard her gasp of surprise loud and clear, as her hand wrapped around his thick cock. She swept her thumb back and forth over the tip. Trey closed his eyes to focus on the sensation… the warmth of her palm, the loving grip that promised so much pleasure. She began to stroke, an appreciative sound from her mouth making the act more erotic. A black curtain started behind his eyes, threatening to pull him into bottomless pleasure—a place where Gia controlled his desire, his release.
As good as it was, he needed all of her. Gently brushing her hand away, Trey gripped her hips and pulled her down to him. Their eyes caught as he gripped his cock and placed the tip at her entrance. Her eyelids fluttered as she opened for him, her legs finding his again as he made a slow, gentle breech.
“Oh my God.” He wasn’t sure who said it first—maybe both at the same time. Trey guided into her, letting her body adjust before he plunged deep. Her inner walls gripped him, teased him. Promised him. The black curtain was back, erasing everything in his mind but the primal need to take her.
“Hang onto me,” he growled, barely holding back. One sign from her, one indication that she needed him to slow down, and he would. Her face found his neck as she gripped his shoulders and her legs tightened around him.
“Don’t hold back!”
How could she be so perfect? Bracing himself on his arms, he thrust hard before pulling back and plunging in again, her slick channel stretching and hugging and urging him deeper. Gia’s nails bit through his shirt into his flesh as he found his rhythm, pushing her body to higher pleasure, reaching it himself with each thrust. His shoulders strained, the pulse in the sides of his neck beating staccato. Each thrust was better and better, their matched breathing keeping pace with his movements. Time and awareness simply stopped—everything except the blazing sensation of their connected bodies. Her cries sounded far away and close to his heart as a sweet ache started at the base of his spine, blossoming into the pleasure-pain edge of release.
Forcing his eyes open, Trey gazed down at Gia to find her eyes on him, watching. She looked drugged, joyful. Gorgeous. And he couldn’t hold it back. Now would be the time to mark her—just as his release claimed her, so could his incisors—making her his, completely.
Knowing it wasn’t time, Trey straightened and grabbed her hips, urging her pelvis up higher. Three swift strokes and he pulsed hard and long into her, lowering so their chests meshed before the last of his orgasm faded away. Gia threaded her fingers into his hair, held him close.
He should say something. But his mind was a jumble of nothing. Several long minutes passed, the dampness of his shirt beginning to cool even as his body kept its post-sex warmth. Gia held his head to her breast, her other hand making lazy circles over his bicep. He almost heard it, if falling completely could have a sound.
Didn’t matter. He felt it. To his very bones. For the first time in years, the bear and the man were happy. And he wasn’t quite sure what to do with it except get used to it and let it happen.
“I’m sorry, Gia. For what I said.”
She ran a hand over his chest and curled her body around him with a lazy smile. “I know you are.”
Taking her hand, he squeezed it. Oh yeah, he could get used to this.
CHAPTER SIX
Gia couldn’t keep the smile off her face. Worse, it was one that left little doubt, to anyone who saw her, why she was smiling. Like Trey’s brothers, who made “do tell” eyes at Trey over dinner that night. He’d just grinned and winked at her, the two of them sharing their intimate secret with a look that made her ready for a repeat.
Later, Xander made a bonfire for their guests, and Gia found herself chatting with people from all over the country who had come for this ranching weekend. Some of them stayed in one of the ranch’s four cabins. Everyone else brought tents or RVs. She’d overheard the Cross brothers talking about building a few more cabins to accommodate more tourists. Seeing how happy everyone was, roasting marshmallows around the fire and relaxing, she thought it sounded like a great idea. Taking an extended vacation out here would be perfection.
Maybe an extended vacation that included never going back home. Trey’s admission that he’d make her his mate wasn’t as farfetched as she’d thought a few hours ago. He’d sat next to her by the fire, in their own little corner away from the others, and they’d talked. About their families, his role as protector of the clan, his hopes for the ranch’s future. It was like talking to an old friend—one she never wanted to let go.
He’d sent her off to bed late, saying he and his brothers had a few things to take care of in the barn before they could come in. She called Hope and filled her in with giddy details, before slipping under the covers and drifting off to sleep to the memory of Trey’s arms around her. A little after midnight, he’d slipped into her room and made love to her until they both fell into an exhausted sleep.
She woke to a note on her pillow.
Going to be out for a few hours this morning. Make yourself at home.
After a shower and getting dressed, she made a lazy stroll to the kitchen for coffee. Pastries and fruit were set out on the counter, so she helped herself, found a paper to read while she sat at the table and enjoyed the early morning sun coming in the tall windows. Turning on her cell phone, she returned attention to the newspaper, until her phone beeped. And beeped again—three more times—the notification light going crazy.
Fourteen missed calls, all from a number she didn’t recognize. Her gut clenched at the thought that it might be Mack. His unwelcome zealousness was something she’d have to face when she went home, probably. Knowing that he had her home address, thanks to the form she’d filled out for the mixer, Gia resolved to stop by her local police station when she got home for advice. If Mack didn’t stop bothering her, they’d be able to help. Hopefully.
Clouds blocked out the sun as she finished eating. A peek outside showed dark clouds dotting the sky. Between patches of bright blue, grey streaks were taking over. She hadn’t had a proper tour of this massive house, and if it was going to rain, might as well have at it. Going to the upper level, Gia wandered around, appreciating the artwork hung on the walls, and the intricate craftsmanship of the house. She hadn’t gone far when she spied a room with the door open. Bookshelves caught her attention.
Peeking inside, she found an expansive room, an office-slash-library. A large desk sat near floor to ceiling windows, flanked by three walls covered in bookshelves. A large blue, red and white woven rug ran the middle of the room, soft brown leather chairs tastefully arranged for reading. Awed, Gia looked around the bookshelves. Some were filled with books, both old and new. Others displayed figurines and brass statues of bucking horses and cowboys or cattle and mustangs.
Tall floor lamps with floral shades and glass pull strings sat in the corners. The room was a mixture of feminine and masculine—the Cross brothers’ parents study, she figured. Trey had mentioned his mother had a penchant for Western artwork, which was clearly displayed here.
Moving to the desk, she noticed the bookshelf on the left held a variety of geodes. With an awed gasp, she lowered to her knees near the middle shelf, eyeing the selection of stunning rock. Some of the rocks offered concave middles with threads of pale pink and yellow crystals. Others were solid, like the one she’d seen downstairs, with iridescent colors reflecting back at her. She picked up a few, held them, and studied their colors.
They were all beautiful, but two in the back caught her attention. Smaller than the other geodes, these had flat centers colored in midnight blue, and a floating trail of celestial green, red and purple. Small white dots sparkled through the colors, like stars.
These must be the constellation geodes, Trey had mentioned. Picking up the smallest, Gia gingerly steadied it in her cupped hands. Inspecting the amazing colors, she then turned it aroun
d. The outer gray rock shell would have been nondescript except she noted a feathery imprint on the bottom. Like a fossil.
The sound of a truck door closing broke her attention. Peeking out the window that displayed the front of the house below, she spotted Trey’s truck. He got out, followed by Xander, and both of them headed off to the barn. Trey paused and turned and looked at the house. A soft patter of rain dropped onto his head, dotting his hair with glistening drops. He looked as if he might come to the house, but Xander called out to him, and Trey continued toward the barn.
Eager to see him, Gia slid the rock into her pocket and went downstairs for a sweater. By the time she’d slipped into her shoes and stepped out onto the porch, the rain had turned into a steady, light stream. She hurried to the barn, sidestepping small puddles on the dirt path. She was just about there when her cell chimed with a text. Pulling it from her pocket, she cupped her hand around the screen.
I’m getting very angry with you, Gia. You’d better be where you say you are.
Her heart fluttered, her face going cold. It was the same unknown number as before. Another text came through.
Cross had better watch his back. I don’t share. You don’t want something bad to happen, do you?
Shaking from a blend of the cool air and the ice in her veins from the nasty messages, Gia’s mind raced to think of some kind of reply. If she did, she’d be engaging him. There was no question in her mind that Mack was the culprit. But why? She’d done nothing to encourage his interest, or whatever it was he felt for her. She’d been purposefully rude and it hadn’t been enough to ward him off.
Concerned over the vitriol in the texts, Gia waited to see if another would pop up. Would he really do something to Trey? Seriously, Mack couldn’t be stupid enough to go after Trey. She didn’t figure he’d get far by tangling with a clan of bear shifters, but if he did, he deserved whatever happened next. It wouldn’t be pretty.