“I…,” she started, clearing her throat in an effort to buy enough time so she could organize her thoughts. “Chet came by this morning—“
“Shit,” Max interrupted. “Shitshitshit!” He stood and grabbed fistfuls at his dark hair like he wanted to tear it out.
“Damn him!” He wheeled around to her, kneeling at her feet and grasping her hands. “Please don’t tell me you believed any of his bullshit. Please say you told him to fuck off and to mind his own business.”
He was in a full-blown tizzy, standing and pacing in front of her, raging about his nosy, misinformed, meddling uncle. She couldn’t even get a word in.
“I suppose he told you that I’d be kicked out of our clan or some shit like that, didn’t he?” The look on her face must have answered his question. He nodded and continued.
“And that werebears and humans can’t breed, right?” He stopped and gave her a shrewd look. “Did he tell you that you’d die if you had my baby?”
She glanced away to the waterfall, revealing everything in that moment. Chet’s warning broke her heart all over again. Who knew a person could have so many tears in her?
Then Max was beside her, cradling her in his arms and nuzzling at her neck. “No, baby, don’t cry,” he whispered into her hair. “He’s got it all wrong. Chet’s wrong.”
Hitching her breath, Bethany turned to face him. “But…but he said…”
Max thumbed away the tears from her cheeks. “He told you about Crystal and the baby. Said that any human woman who had a werebear cub would die, as would the baby. That our relationship, if it could survive a shunning by my clan, would have to be a childless one. I know what he said, Bethany. And I’m telling you he’s wrong.”
Sniffling, she said, “I can’t believe he’d lie like that just to get me to move.”
“Oh, I don’t think he’s lying. He genuinely believes that garbage. But that’s what it is: garbage.”
Bethany thought for a moment, her thoughts still muddled from the trauma of the last few minutes. “How do you know?”
“How do I know what?”
“How do you know he’s wrong? Have there been lots of bear-human unions?”
Max looked away and chewed on his luscious lower lip, a mannerism that normally drove Bethany wild with desire. But now it only made her sad.
“There have been a few, Chet’s being one. Yes, it ended badly, but that was because the baby was breech and Crystal hemorrhaged before the clan doctor arrived. When she died, the baby died. It was horrible and tragic, but it could just as easily have happened if her husband had been human.”
“But Chet said the baby was…not right.”
“Mutant. He called him a mutant, didn’t he?”
She nodded. Max shook his head sadly, using his finger to trace the veins and tendons on the top of the hand he was holding.
“Poor Chet. He was crazy with grief. Doc had to use forceps to deliver the baby after they’d both died, and his head was misshapen in the process. That baby would have been perfect.”
A rustling in the underbrush made Bethany jump and tense. They both spun toward the noise only to see a squirrel scamper across the path. For the first time in what seemed like days, the birds started singing again.
“She won’t be back,” Max soothed, stroking her back in long, languid movements.
“I don’t understand why she attacked me in the first place.”
Max was silent for a moment, stroking her and watching the woods come back to life. “Male bears will often fight over the affections of a female, but occasionally it works the other way. She made no qualms about offering herself to me, so I’m guessing her instinct to fight for a good mate got the better of her.”
Bethany felt a tug of sympathy for Ursula. “She probably feels humiliated and maybe even betrayed that the love of a mere human could entice one of her kind away.”
Max’s hot gaze searched her face. “Wait, did…did you just say you love me?”
More tears pricked the back of her eyelids. Would they never stop?! She couldn’t find her words so she settled for an embarrassed nod-shrug combo. She hadn’t meant to tell him that, hadn’t wanted to make him uncomfortable.
But instead of pushing her away, Max smothered her face with kisses, breathing in her scent and taking her breath away at the same time.
“Bethany, you know I feel the same, right? I’ve loved you almost since the moment we met. I was just afraid you wouldn’t want to be with, you know, someone like me.”
He was afraid of being rejected by her? She couldn’t have been more shocked if he’d told her he rode a unicorn to work. Clinging to his neck, breathing him in, her tears turned to giggles, then to full-on laughter.
“What’s the joke?” Max asked, pulling back. He was smiling but perplexed, which just made her laugh even harder. The emotional rollercoaster she was on all day was finally taking its toll. I’m losing it, she thought as another round of laughter doubled her over.
Max seemed to understand that she just needed to let it out so he patiently held her while she rode her hysterical laughter to its inevitable end. Hiccuping and gasping for air, she finally got control of herself and wiped the wetness from her cheeks — which ached from laughing so hard, by the way.
“I’m sorry,” she gasped. “It just struck me as funny and ludicrous and wonderful that you were feeling as insecure as I was. I would never have guessed.”
His eyes softened as his rough hands cupped her cheeks, pulling her forward. Suddenly, she didn’t feel like laughing any more. Suddenly, her chest filled with love for this man who had saved her, in more ways than one. And gratitude for realizing that she’d saved him back.
Max’s lips traced lightly across her brow, down her cheek until they found her waiting mouth. His hot breath mingled with hers, pushing all lingering fear and doubt from her mind. Hey tasted salty, the sweat from his fight with Ursula seasoning their kiss.
He moved from her lips to her ear, sending shivers of desire down to her core, a sigh escaping her lips. “Oh, Max,” she breathed. His response was a low growl and a tighter grip on her.
He loves me, she thought as he fingered the buttons of her blouse loose and eased it from her shoulders. That’s all that mattered. As long as they were both willing to fight for their love, the rest were mere details.
The cool air of the forest hit her skin, pebbling her nipples and drawing a sharp intake of breath. Max warmed them instantly with his hands and lips and tongue, drawing more sharp breaths from her. Cradling his head in her arms, she buried her face in his hair, breathing in his masculine scent. It was time to show him how she felt.
Bethany stood and shrugged out of her jeans and underwear, turning Max around so his back rested against the log bench, his erection eager for the attention it was about to receive.
She kneeled between his legs and leaned forward to plant a soft, lingering kiss on those sweet, full lips. “I love you, Max,” she breathed into his mouth. His chest hitched under her hands.
Trailing her lips down his neck, she kissed her way down his chest, carefully avoiding his injured shoulder. As her tongue neared his belly button, he stroked her hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ears. His fingers lingered, lightly touching her head, as she kissed the head of his shaft and flicked her tongue down to the base.
“Mmmm,” he groaned. Bethany glanced up at the look of bliss on Max’s face. As he’d done to her their first time together, she smiled and dipped her head to take him in her mouth. Another sharp intake of breath, this time his. The sound thrilled her. That she could make him growl and groan did something to her, flipped a switch inside.
Using her tongue, her lips, her hands, she swirled and sucked and kissed and stroked until he was on the brink of oblivion. His hands were fisted in her hair, not guiding her movements but just holding on for dear life. His breathing was labored. His pulse raced. He was nearly there.
But before she could take him all the way, he grabbed h
er under the arms and pulled her up to him, locking his lips on hers and pulling her hips down onto his. Straddling him, Bethany lowered herself until he firmly and fully planted inside her inner walls.
Their lips never broke apart as she began rocking her hips, Max gripping them firmly. His lips found a breast while Bethany tilted her head back to enjoy the sensation of riding him in the woods. Birds flitted along the treetops and sang to them while they loved each other completely.
His hands never stopped moving, caressing her ass, cupping her breasts, running down her arms to entwine his fingers in hers. Tension was building inside Bethany, and when Max’s thumb found the engorged nub of her sex, she could sense the end was coming close.
Her rhythm increased and his thumb matched it. Her hands clutched at his knees for support but her arms nearly gave out as she reached the edge and toppled over. Falling forward into his arms, Bethany rode the wave — and Max — and her body convulsed and tightened around him.
He tightened his hold on her, wrapping one arm around her rump, and moved his hips into her, seeking release. When he found it, a deafening roar filled the air. Birds and squirrels scattered and chirped in protest, but Max and Bethany didn’t notice. They were consumed by their love.
“Where should I put this?” Bethany was holding up a tacky seashell lamp she’d picked up at a garage sales years before. She was trying hard not to smile, but Max saw through her.
“In the junk pile, where it belongs, smart aleck!”
He pulled her into his arms and gave her a peck on the tip of her nose. “I can’t tell you how happy I am you’re moving in.”
She beamed up at him. “Me, too.”
He took a deep breath of her scent, holding her for a moment longer as if deciding whether to let her go, before releasing her and picking up the raggedy old afghan from her grandmother. The worry that he would want throw that out too must have been etched all over her face because he gingerly spread it along the back of his designer couch.
“Hey all!” Paul’s voice pierced through the sweet moment as he sauntered through the door, a bouquet of red roses in hand. “When’s the housewarming party?”
Bethany threw a wad of packing material at him. “Geez, let me get finished unpacking first, would you?”
“You should know better than anyone, little missy, that patience is not one of my many virtues.”
Charlotte poked her head around the doorframe. “Everybody decent? I brought pizza!”
“Thank God, I’m ravenous,” Max said, lunging for the box.
“Who wants a beer,” Bethany asked as she walked into the kitchen. It was unanimous.
“I’ll help, B.” Charlotte followed her in and cornered her at the fridge. “You know, we haven’t had much of a chance to talk over the last few days, and I have to tell you I’m a little worried. First the concern over being able to have babies with Max, then an out-of-the-blue phone call asking to stay with me, then a cryptic message that everything had worked out and to nevermind. What the hell, B? You know I try to keep my nose out of things that aren’t my business but I think I deserve some kind of explanation.”
Bethany nodded, feeling ashamed that she hadn’t filled Char in. “I know, I’m sorry. I should have called, but things have been kind of a whirlwind.”
“Well, I’m here now.”
“Yeah, I know. You’re sweet to worry. Okay, so after you left, Chet dropped by and he told me that there was no way Max and I could have babies. Plus his family and friends would ostracize him for being with someone…outside their community.” She still wasn’t sure how much of Max’s reality she should reveal and felt safer being vague.
“So what happened?”
“He offered to pay for me to move. I was tired because I didn’t sleep all that night because I kept thinking about our conversation. I didn’t really think I’d be faced with having to make a choice between Max and a family so soon, but that’s how it played out. Like I said, I was exhausted and Chet’s offer seemed like a good idea at the time. That’s when I called you.”
“Yeah, you sounded pretty out of it.”
“Totally. Then Max came home and talked some sense into me and here we are.” Glossing over the whole Ursula attack seemed wise.
“What about Chet? Wasn’t he pissed?”
“Oh, like a wild animal. When we told him that I would be moving into Max’s place, he went ballistic. Yelling, screaming, cursing.” Bethany shrugged, also leaving out that she was sure Chet was crying when he stormed out of Max’s apartment. “There’s nothing we can do to change his mind, and hopefully he comes around soon. He’s actually a good guy beneath that gruff exterior and Max really loves him.”
“And this problem with fertility? You can’t give up on your dreams of a big family, hon. You just can’t.”
Bethany smiled at her friend. “Don’t worry, sweetie. It’s not a problem. Chet got it wrong.”
“You sure?”
Her smile faltered a tiny bit, but she nodded to cover up any concern she might have. “I mean, there’s always a risk, right? But I’m sure things will work out fine.”
“Hey, where’s my beer?” shouted Paul from the living room. Char rolled her eyes as Bethany grabbed a six-pack from the fridge.
~ * ~ * ~
Bethany lay cuddled in Max’s arms after a relaxed lovemaking session. They both were exhausted from unpacking everything Chet’s movers had packed up, but not touching, holding, savoring one another wasn’t an option. She was just nodding off into slumber when he kissed the top of her head.
“I was thinking,” he started, sounding a little nervous.
“Hmmm?” she moaned sleepily.
“What would you think about joining forces.”
She laughed softly. “I thought we just did that.”
His arms tightened a little at her joke. “No, I mean, would you be interested in becoming my business partner?”
Shifting in his arms, she looked up at him. It was a little embarrassing but she wasn’t entirely sure what he did exactly, and told him just that.
“I’m sort of a…promise not to laugh?”
She nodded somberly.
“I’m kind of a, um, matchmaker.”
Bethany brayed with laughter, remembering how he’d previously described his job as ‘international relations’.
“Hey, you said you wouldn’t laugh!”
“I know, I’m sorry. You just made it sound so…classy before.” Another fit of giggles consumed her and him tickling her ribs as punishment didn’t help. Finally she calmed down and got serious. “What would my part of this operation be?”
“Well, up till now, we’ve focused on werebear matches but there’s a group of us who think we should try recruiting humans into our fold.”
“You did a bang up job recruiting me.”
He kissed her forehead, resting his cheek on against it. “I’d argue that it was the other way around. Anyway, I was thinking we should start a side job of hooking up humans and werebears.”
“What, like a dating site or something?”
“That’s where you come in. You’re the marketing specialist.”
“Hmm…” Ideas spun around her brain, chasing away the last remnant of sleepiness. “It might just work.”
More thoughts came and went as she felt Max’s breathing even out. He’d be asleep soon and she had a question she’d wanted to ask all day but had never found the right time. Now was as good as any.
“Max?”
It was his turn to moan sleepily. “Hmm?”
She was suddenly nervous. “What’s your favorite baseball team?”
He chuckled softly. “Duh. The Cubs.”
Bethany smiled and covered his hand with both of hers. Slowly she moved it to her tummy. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
THE END
~ * ~ * ~
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Marina Maddix is a romantic at heart, but hates closing the bedroom door on her readers. Her stories are sweet, with just enough spice to make your mother blush. She lives with her husband and cat near the Pacific Ocean, and loves to hear from her fans. Connect with her at:
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Laid Bear (A Werebear Shifter BBW Romance) Page 8