Just then the feline got the upper hand and had drawn back his paw, claws extended for a fatal swipe when Susan screamed, “No!”
The cat’s head swiveled in her direction, let out a roar and went to leap at her but Sebastian was faster. His large paw knocked the cat hard to the side before Sebastian gripped the tawny head and twisted sharply. The feline fell limply to the pavement.
Sebastian lumbered toward her favoring his right side a bit when a man Susan recognized as the manager burst out the door of the restaurant, rifle raised and shot Sebastian before he could reach Susan.
Susan screamed as Sebastian fell to the ground. She hadn’t heard a rifle discharge, but she’d seen the weapon jerk slightly in the manager's hand and Sebastian was falling, his eyes closed; surely he had to have been shot. She threw herself down nearly on top of him; gripping handfuls of fur as she cried. Life couldn’t be so unfair. She couldn’t lose him, not when he’d finally come back. She felt his massive body expand and contract and was nearly sick with relief when it penetrated the fog of her grief that he was breathing.
They were starting to draw a bit of an audience as some of the staff and patrons came out to see what was going on but she didn’t care as she searched Sebastian for injury. She saw the red tassel sticking out of his side and recognized it for what it was. She pulled it out and dropped it on the ground. The manager had used a tranquilizer dart. She wanted to kiss the man in thanks. If he had used a bullet, Sebastian would be dead.
Susan vaguely heard the manager telling the restaurant patrons and staff that were clustered in the doorway that everything was fine and to go back inside. But then a blonde woman pushed through the crowd. “What the hell?” She yelled as she finally broke through and staggered on her heels. She stood there frozen a moment, her face a mask of shock before she screamed, “Liam!” and ran to the fallen feline.
Susan felt a moment of sorrow as she realized the woman wouldn’t be as lucky as she to find her male still breathing. A keening cry split the air and Susan lowered her face to Sebastian’s fur knowing that that could have been her mourning her lost love.
When Sebastian awoke the first thing he realized was that he was still in fur. It had been so stupid of him to shift in such a public place, but when the feline had threatened Susan, every scrap of humanity had fled and the bear took complete control. There was no stopping it.
He jerked his head up and sniffed the air, Susan was close but was she well? He could feel that he was in a moving vehicle. A look around quickly determined that he was in a caged off cargo section of an SUV. Susan was sitting in the passenger seat up front and he was immediately relieved that she looked unharmed.
“Glad you’re awake, Sebastian.” A male voice he recognized as belonging to Sheriff Stone said. “You can go ahead and shift back if you like.” He paused for a moment and then continued. “I heard you were back in town, son, but I was hoping to see you again under better circumstances.”
Sheriff Stone was one of a small circle of non-shifters that knew their secret and remained completely neutral between any shifter disputes. It kind of came with the territory of being sheriff in a mixed town like Mariposa. He was a much trusted, honorable man.
“How are you?” Susan asked anxiously before he could acknowledge the sheriff.
Sebastian shifted back to skin, stretched and flexed some of his muscles, and took stock of his injuries before he replied with a grunt “A few scratches and bruises.” Actually he felt like he’d been hit by a truck and then run over repeatedly but he wasn’t about to say that. Susan would insist he go the hospital and he didn’t need that; a night’s sleep would take care of most of his aches.
“What happened?” Sheriff Stone asked gruffly. “I’ve got a dead feline that may restart a blasted war on my hands, son.” The sheriff banged a hand on the steering wheel. “Things are bad enough with the tinfoil-hat crew that insists on shoving their video cameras in everyone’s faces trying to confirm the bear-man theory. Confirmation handed to them because you can’t keep your skin is the last thing we need.”
Sebastian sighed, he hadn’t been thinking about the war or about that video that had exposed Mariposa to scrutiny. He hadn’t been thinking at all. “I’m sorry. He admitted to being the one who attacked my brother Christian and then he threatened Susan. I lost my head.”
“Oh, Sebastian,” Susan breathed, tears shimmering in her eyes and looking at him with sympathy and love. His heart gave a little flutter and he clenched his teeth together. He was angry at her right now. She hadn’t trusted in him to keep her safe. She had put herself in harm’s way and could have been killed.
From the corner of his eye Sebastian saw the sheriff nod. “I’ll go out to the Murphy place tonight and explain it all to Colin.”
Sebastian didn’t know who this Colin was and he didn’t care. Right now he just wanted to get Susan home, behind a locked door and strip her down to make sure she was whole, and well and to prove that he was a worthy male who could take care of her.
He pushed those thoughts away for now. Being naked and having an erection in front of the sheriff was probably not the best idea. He grabbed the dark wool blanket that was folded neatly next to him and wrapped it around him before he asked. “Am I under arrest?”
The sheriff let out a long drawn out sigh. “You know, there is no rule book I can refer to when it comes to shifter business; makes my job damn hard. As far as the official report, there was an attack between a mountain lion and a bear in the parking lot of Abernathy’s. The feline was killed and the bear was tranquilized and transported away for public safety.”
Sebastian nodded and grunted but the sheriff continued. “Like I said, I’ll go see Colin Murphy and he’ll either set up a meet with you or he’ll go straight to the bear council. They’ll decide from there what’s to be done. That’s out of my hands.”
Susan looked at Sebastian and volunteered, “Colin Murphy is the new pride leader.” She grimaced, “He’s the one who put down their previous leader to end the war, so let’s hope he’ll still want to keep the peace after this.”
Sheriff Stone made eye contact through the rearview mirror. “He’s very reasonable but that cat was his son.” The sheriff cleared his throat, “The second son he’s lost in a month.”
Sebastian laid his head back on the carpeted floor of the cargo area, closed his eyes and blew out his breath. He may have saved Susan from that feline but he also may have put her life in danger by starting another war.
All the adrenaline had left Susan’s system leaving her exhausted by the time they arrived back at her house. Once the sheriff had been satisfied with Sebastian’s answers, he had brought them back to the parking lot and Susan’s car. Every time she had glanced over at Sebastian during the ride home his jaw had been clenched tight and the muscle ticking. He looked like he was about to explode but he kept silent the entire time. She wondered what he was thinking. Was he worried about Colin Murphy? She didn’t want to ask since he looked like one word might cause him to snap. She wasn’t afraid of Sebastian but she knew better than to push a bear beyond his endurance. She quietly sighed. Their nice evening out had turned into a disaster.
They were barely through the door of her house when Sebastian scooped her up into his arms and practically ran upstairs to her bedroom where he set her on her feet. “Take off your clothes.” He grunted.
Susan blinked twice, wondering if she misheard him. “What?”
“Remove your clothes; now.” He commanded and Susan stood there stunned. Sebastian looked pissed and she wondered where his head was right then. Did he need to shift and release some anger? Was that what he was thinking? If so, why come inside?
Her hesitation was noted and he carefully gripped her upper arms and bent so he was nose to nose with her. His breath was coming in agitated pants as he growled. “I can smell your fear and it’s driving me crazy. I need to see you bare. I need to see for myself that you are whole. You didn’t trust me to protect you and you p
ut yourself in danger. Remove your clothes or I will remove them for you.”
She put a hand out to ward him off but didn’t remove the clothing, preferring to explain than strip for what sounded like an inspection. “I’m sorry I didn’t stay in the car, Seb, but I needed to see what was going on so I knew whether I needed to call the sheriff. I wouldn’t have intervened except I was scared for you. I couldn’t let you be hurt, Seb. I love you!” Sebastian grunted, yanked her fully into his embrace and kissed her.
Chapter Twenty
Susan clung to Sebastian as his mouth worked voraciously over hers. He was acting a bit feral but she wasn’t afraid. She welcomed the aggression as his hands molded her to his hard body and his teeth raked over her lower lip. It had to have hurt his injuries, but it didn’t cool his desire. She heard fabric rip and realized that Sebastian had torn her sweater down the back and she gasped from the thrill of his need. Later she would mourn the loss, but right now she was too excited to care. She felt primal and aggressive, so unlike herself as she gripped Sebastian hard to pull him closer.
She felt him push her jeans past her hips and she broke the kiss to bend and help him but he scooped her up and deposited her on her bed to yank the pants the rest of the way down. Her shoes were tossed, then the jeans. Her panties didn’t survive the hard tug he gave them and then he was spreading her knees apart, kneeling at the end of the bed and she could feel the heat of his breath on her thighs.
She gasped as his mouth latched onto the center of her desire; his tongue moving strongly over the swollen bundle of nerves. She was writhing, panting, and moaning as her hands fisted handfuls of his hair to hold him in place. It was so intense she wanted to close her knees as his fingers slid inside her wet heat. She felt like she was going to burst as every muscle in her body tightened in anticipation of the pending climax. Her hips thrust up against his mouth, her heels dug into the mattress and her body arched off the bed. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as her body came apart with almost painful throbbing pleasure.
When Susan became aware of her surroundings once more Sebastian had crawled up slightly between her spread legs. His large hands spanned her ribcage and he was kissing her upper belly; working his way toward her breasts. She let out a little mm of pleasure and tugged on his biceps to bring him up to face level. He resisted her tugs and pulled a nipple between his lips while one of his hands slid up to caress the other one. Previously his movements had been raw with aggression and the need to dominate, whereas now he was gentle and she reveled in it. She welcomed this man’s touch regardless of whether he played the caveman or the seducer. Her hands drifted over his back and shoulder marveling at the strength of his body and the pleasure it could bring to hers.
He continued to lavish his attention on her breasts and the strong tugs of his mouth were shooting sparks of pleasure to her belly and below. Her hips lifted and she rubbed against his belly trying to find relief for the pressure that was once again clamoring for release. Aware of her need, his hand drifted down and his fingers slid inside of her. It wasn’t enough. She needed him, needed to be completely filled as only he could do. “Sebastian, please.”
He pushed off of her slightly as if to leave the bed and Susan wrapped her legs around him in fear that he’d leave her. He smiled and kissed her lightly on the lips but pulled his head back when she tried to deepen the kiss. At her look of confusion he said, “I swore I would never be so careless with you again and I meant it.”
Understanding dawned when he stood up, went to grab one of the boxes of condoms he had purchased earlier, and tore into it. The sight of his erection assured her that he wouldn’t take long. It was thick and pulsing with the same need that she felt. Within seconds he had rolled the latex down his shaft and rejoined her on the bed to take her mouth in another thought stealing kiss. She immediately wrapped her arms and legs around him to keep him where she needed him.
She felt the blunt head nudge against her entrance and she lifted her hips to capture it, wanting him inside of her. “Please,” she begged against his lips and he growled as he pushed forward into her welcoming body. “Yes,” she panted as he filled her. The feeling only intensified as he withdrew and thrust again. She welcomed every stroke, urging him on with her moans as her body raced toward completion. One of his hands gripped the back of her thigh and lifted her leg higher so that he could penetrate even deeper. The change in position also allowed his body to grind against that swollen cluster of nerves and her body flew over the edge to fulfillment. As her continuing throbs squeezed tightly around his erection she felt him come as well with a loud roar. The pulse of his release felt like a heartbeat; an echo of her own. Right now they were truly one. She rained gentle kisses across his neck and shoulder and whispered, “I love you, Sebastian. I love you.”
Susan could feel the heat of his breath as he panted against her forehead and she closed her eyes in dread at his continued silence. Had she made a mistake in telling him she loved him? She should have kept it to herself and waited until he had told her that he loved her. Instead she had opened herself up to heartbreak once again. She remembered what had happened after they made love last time and grimaced. What would happen this time? Would he give her one of those pitying looks? Or maybe it would be another apology. Just the thought made her cringe and close her eyes tighter.
She felt his head lift as cooling air swept over her face. She could feel his gaze but she refused to open her eyes afraid of what she might see. “Bug? Look at me.”
She shook her head, not caring how childish it was. Her cheeks were rapidly heating with embarrassment and she hoped he attributed it to spent passion. She felt his fingers caress her cheek as he said “You could have been hurt, or worse, killed” she tried to shake her head in denial but his hands on either side of her head gripped her hair and he snarled, “I’d die if I lost you. Don’t you understand that?”
Her eyes finally snapped open from the intensity of feeling behind his words. His eyes were mesmerizing in their intensity and she couldn’t look away as he said, “I was dead inside until you. You burst into my life like rainbows and sunshine and it was like I suddenly woke up.” His face softened and he smiled, “You got me to make an angel and wrestle in the snow like I was a child again. You brought happiness into my life.” The fingers of one of his hands moved from her hair and he touched his chest where his heart was, “You touched me here and I finally realized what real love feels like.” Tears filled Susan’s eyes and he smoothed them away with his thumb as he cupped her cheek. He placed his forehead against hers and sighed. “You made my heart beat once more after ten years and I know that if I lost you it would stop again and this time I wouldn’t survive it.”
“Oh, Seb,” she sobbed out, burying her face in his neck and hugging him tight.
“You are everything,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion. “You’re so smart and funny. You’re warm and kind and generous. I love how you feel and how you smell. I love holding your hand and just being near you. I love your optimism and your joy and your brave heart. I even love how you surround yourself with pink.” He added with a chuckle and Susan couldn’t help but smile.
He pulled back slightly so that he could look into her eyes. “I love you, Bug. You told me before that I don’t deserve your love,” she shook her head in denial but he continued, “and you were right.” He said gruffly. “But I want to be that man. I will be that man. I have to be that man because I can’t be without you. You’re my Bug and I won’t let you go.”
She cupped his face with both hands, careful of his bruises and smiled softly. It was time for the entire truth. “I have always loved you, Sebastian Black. I loved the sweet, thoughtful boy you were and the idealistic young man you became. I love the caveman that bellows and grunts at me, and I love the man who is willing to make snow angels and wrestle with an annoying pest from his past.” She ran her fingers gently over his injuries and frowned, a faraway look on her face. “From the moment I first saw you I want
ed you for myself. You thought I was following you around because I craved Mary Beth’s attention but it was your attention I wanted.” She looked away in shame for a moment before she took a deep breath and said, “I didn’t send you those pictures, Seb because it was the right thing to do. I sent them because I was jealous – positively green with it. I wanted you for myself and wanted to break up your relationship in the hopes that you’d finally be with me. It was spiteful, childish, and manipulative and I’m sorry. I’m not as kind and generous as you believe.”
She waited for Sebastian to get angry and pull away but instead he snorted before kissing her nose. “You were fifteen, sweetheart. Do you want to hear all of the stupid shit I did when I was a teen, even into my twenties? If you’re trying to talk me out of loving you then you should know it won’t work. You’re pretty much stuck with me.” He smiled and then withdrew from her body. She immediately felt hollow without his body filling hers and she wanted to call him back.
He left the bed to enter the bathroom, a moment later she heard the water come on for a few minutes and then shut off. He returned and she frowned as she took note of the rapidly darkening bruises that marred his big beautiful body. “How are your injuries? Do you need anything for the pain?”
He crawled back in bed next to her and pulled her into his arms so he was spooning her. He kissed her jaw, her neck and the curve of her shoulder before he grunted. “I’ll heal. I’m still annoyed you disobeyed me and put yourself in danger.”
She stroked the arm he’d placed around her waist and yawned before snuggling into his warmth. “Loving you means I also feel the need to protect you, Sebastian. Even if you don’t think you need it.”
He sighed and kissed the top of her head. “Stubborn female,” he muttered before he turned out the light. Susan smiled.
Until You: A Malsum Pass Novel Page 14