Luke watched with blazing eyes. He stood unmoving, as if uncertain about what to do next. River almost giggled. Surely, a man with looks like his had plenty of experience in the bedroom. Why did he look so nervous? She stepped forward to help him, reaching up to unbutton his shirt. She stood inches away from him, keeping her eyes locked with his as her hands slowly felt for each button. When the last one was undone, she pushed his shirt back and down across his arms, the wet fabric making a dull splat as it hit the tile.
River’s eyes widened as she took in Luke’s bare chest. She had known from the way that his muscles always protested against the fabric of his shirts that he was in good shape. But his naked abs were even more chiseled than she had imagined. The man didn’t just have a six pack. He had a freaking eight pack. She took her finger and traced the grooves of his stomach, running across each line of muscle. Luke shuddered and moaned at her touch, leaning his head back slightly and closing his eyes. River let her fingers drift down to the top of his jeans, where she unbuttoned the top button and slowly slid the zipper down.
Luke moaned, and then reached down to grab her hands.
“River, wait,” he said, his voice sounding desperate. “I want this so badly. I want you so badly. But I don’t want you to think I only came here to try to mate—I mean, to try to have sex with you. I’m not just in this for a quick bang. I’m looking for something deeper. Don’t think if we sleep together right now that I’m going to just disappear. Please, don’t think that.”
River paused, and looked into Luke’s churning eyes. She felt a wave of regret wash over her at the way she had assumed Luke was only interested in her for sex.
“I know,” she said. “I’m sorry I ever assumed otherwise.” She didn’t know what else to say, so she kept looking at Luke, waiting for him to make the next move. He looked deep into her eyes, as if trying to see whether she was really okay with where the evening was heading. He must have been satisfied with what he saw, because in the next instant, he was pushing River up against her front door and covering her mouth with his. The intensity of his kiss took her breath away. What a sight they must have been—Her, with her turquoise bra and panties, black glasses, and hair that could only be described as a hot mess. And him, with his soaking wet jeans and bare torso, the hair on his head spiking out in every direction as he pushed his body up against hers.
River felt the room spinning as Luke’s tongue dove deep into her mouth. Whatever earlier nervousness he had displayed had disappeared now. He moved his hands across her body with skill and confidence. He slid his palms down to cover her ass cheeks and he gave her a gentle squeeze as he pressed her pelvis against his.
River’s eyes flew open at what she felt. Even through his jeans, she could tell that he had a huge, rock-solid erection. She moved her hands back to the hem of his jeans, and started pushing down on the thick, wet material. Luke’s mouth never left hers as he continued to let his tongue dance with hers. River trembled with excitement as Luke stepped out of his jeans and she saw the outline of his dick pressing against the tight fabric of his black briefs.
Holy hell, this man looked like a god. His thighs were as sculpted and muscular as the rest of him, and River let her hand trace the outline of Luke’s upper leg as he flexed against her touch. She slid her hand back up to the hem of his underwear and pulled it down and off, then gawked at the size of his penis.
“Wow,” she whispered, using her index finger to draw an imaginary line along the underside of Luke’s strong, erect penis. He shivered at her touch, and closed his eyes with a moan. Soft, downy hair covered his skin just above where his dick stood erect, waiting for its chance to go deep inside of River.
“Hey, that’s not fair,” Luke whispered. “I’m completely naked, and you still have all your underwear on.”
“What are you going to do about it?” River asked in a low, teasing voice.
Luke let out a low growl, and then reached behind River to unclasp her bra. He slowly pulled the lacy garment down off of Rivers chest and arms, leaving her heaving breasts fully exposed in front of him. Her nipples stood erect, and he lifted his hands and grazed his thumbs back and forth against the hard, sensitive skin. River could feel moisture growing between her legs, and it definitely wasn’t rainwater. Luke was driving her crazy, sending hot, passionate tremors through her body with every touch. Her body was responding with eager anticipation.
After several delightful moments of teasing her nipples, Luke’s hands traveled down to her panties, and he pulled them down and off of her long legs. It had been a few days since River had shaved, but if Luke noticed that her legs were a little prickly, he didn’t let on that he did at all. He cupped his hand around her sex, letting out another guttural growl as he her juices dripping out of her body.
“You’re so wet for me,” he said, panting heavily. “I like it.” And then he took advantage of her well-lubricated entrance, slipping his middle finger inside of her. River gasped out and threw her head back as his finger hit her in exactly the right spot. Luke might have started out a little shy, but his confidence had completely caught up at this point. He knew exactly what he was doing, and what he was doing was driving River crazy.
As he moved his finger inside of her in tantalizing little circles, he slid his tongue back into her mouth and resumed his deep earnest kiss. River could feel the pressure building between her legs, and she tried to hold back the waves that were threatening to crash through her. It only took about thirty seconds for her to lose that fight, though. The orgasm hit her hard and fast, and her inner muscles violently clenched around Luke’s finger, as if they were trying to show him the depth of the pleasure he had generated within her. River leaned back against the front door, arching her body against Luke’s hand and screaming out. Her neighbors could probably hear her loud, ecstatic moans, but she didn’t care. All she could think about was how warm she felt. Luke’s presence and touch fired her up like nothing ever had before.
The orgasm slowly subsided, and River slid her arms around Luke, panting as she rested her naked body against his. She could feel his erection, still strong and solid, pushing against her stomach. She looked up at him, a little embarrassed that she had come so quickly.
“That was incredible,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
“It was just the beginning,” Luke said, and he grabbed her hand to pull her toward the bedroom. River whimpered in anticipation and let herself be dragged into the small room. Neither one of them bothered to hit the light switch, but some light drifted in from the living room and illuminated the bedroom with a soft, romantic glow. Books were piled on River’s bed, and she pushed them away and onto the floor as she and Luke fell across the bed. The sound of the rain outside intensified again, but River hardly noticed. All she could think about at the moment was Luke’s sculpted body hovering over hers. Flat on her back, she looked up at him as he gazed adoringly down at her. His hands were each on either side of her shoulder, and his legs held his dick up just above her.
“Are you ready for me?” he asked, his voice hungry. River nodded, and Luke slowly, gently lowered himself into her. He slid up and down in a soft rhythm, and River closed her eyes again, concentrating on the feeling of his warm, hard penis as it filled her completely. He gradually picked up speed, and the heat and pressure started to become unbearable again. She heard him moaning as his thrusts became more urgent, and the bed started rocking as his force increased. The springs squeaked and the headboard banged against the wall repeatedly, and it occurred to River that her apartment had never sounded quite so wonderful.
This time, she didn’t even try to hold back as she felt the pressure growing to a breaking point. She let the rush of tingling heat sweep over her, crying out as her muscles quivered over and over in response to Luke’s thrusting. As soon as Luke heard River finding her release, he found his. He stiffened, and let out a fearsome roar as his body shot a warm, hot stream into River. River opened her eyes to watch him as his muscle
s clenched and then relaxed, spent from the effort of making love to her.
After a few moments of panting recovery, he gently eased himself out of River and settled onto the bed next to her. He reached for her hand and laced his fingers with hers. They both lay there for a long time, listening to the rain beating against the windows.
River had never before felt quite like she did right now. The spasms of her orgasm had faded off, but the warm glow remained. She wasn’t sure quite how to explain it, but she felt connected to Luke on some deeper level. The feeling wasn’t just physical or emotional, it was almost spiritual. She was just about to comment on it to Luke when he sat up abruptly and interrupted her thoughts.
“Hey, I think someone promised me pie if I came over,” he said, crossing his arms in mock anger.
River grinned and sat up as well. Her hair had finally come completely loose from the bun it had been in, and tangled waves of dark brown hair hung around River’s shoulders.
“You’re right,” she said. “A promise is a promise. Let’s go get you some pie.”
She got up and sauntered out to the kitchen, purposely swaying her naked ass in Luke’s face. He gave it a little slap as she walked by, and she let out a little yelp.
Maybe it was better if she didn’t start getting too philosophical about their relationship just yet. She didn’t want to scare Luke off. If there was one thing she had learned from the last hour, it was that she wanted him to be around for a long, long time.
Chapter Seven
The next morning, Luke woke to sunlight streaming in through River’s bedroom window. The freak storm from the night before had cleared up, leaving unusually warm November sunshine in its wake. Even though Northern California never got too terribly cold in the winter, the weather lately had been warm even by west coast standards.
Luke glanced over at River’s side of the bed, and was startled to see it empty. He saw a note on her pillow, and picked it up to read it.
Luke, I had to go to work. Help yourself to whatever you want, including leftover pie. I left my extra key on the kitchen counter, so just lock the door when you leave. Your clothes are on the couch, I didn’t have time to wash them but I did throw them in the dryer for you, so at least they’re not soaking. Xoxo, River.
Luke held the note for a long time, staring at River’s neat, flowing handwriting. He finally leaned back against the pillow and covered his eyes with his arm. He had a lot of thinking to do.
Last night, when he mated with River, he had bonded with her. He had felt the unmistakable magnetic pull between them growing stronger and solidifying, and he knew that he was tied to River forever. He had never felt such a strong connection before, not even with his ex, Sara. He had tried to convince himself that he felt it with Sara, because he had wanted so badly for Sara to be his lifemate. But it had never happened between them, and Sara had eventually broken his heart.
Now, here he was, all these years later, bonded to a somewhat geeky but oh so lovable librarian. Luke couldn’t really say that his bonding to River surprised him. He’d suspected that they were lifemates, and now he had confirmed that. But he hadn’t given much thought to how he would tell River he was a bear shifter. He couldn’t decide whether it was better to tell her now, and get it out in the open right away, or to wait, and let her get to know him better before he dropped that bombshell.
Luke got up and found his clothes on the couch as River had said. He slipped on his briefs and jeans, but left the shirt off for the moment. Then he went to the kitchen, where he found some coffee and started brewing a strong pot for himself. Once the coffeepot had filled, Luke poured himself a large mug of the dark, steaming liquid, and carried it out to River’s tiny patio. He sat on one of the two rickety folding chairs, and thought about his options while he watched residents of the apartment complex leaving for work. It still felt strange to Luke sometimes to sit around doing nothing on the days when there weren’t any fires to fight. More than likely, the fire season had ended for this year. There might still be one more fire, two at the most. But they would be small and weak now that the rainy season had arrived. Maybe he should take up woodworking again to fill his time. He had enjoyed making River’s bookcase more than he thought he would, and he had been pleased to see that he still had a knack for carving.
Remembering River’s bookcase, Luke decided to go downstairs and bring it up for her. He had made the bookcase of real, thick wood, so it weighed quite a bit. But Luke had exceptional strength, thanks to his inner bear and his many days of hauling heavy gear while firefighting. He easily lifted the heavy case onto his shoulder and brought it up to River’s third floor apartment. He put it in a vacant area next to the couch, which was really the only spot in River’s tiny apartment where the case would fit. The smooth, honey-colored wood shone brilliantly in the morning sunshine, and Luke admired his work with pleasure.
On a whim, he decided to start putting some of River’s books on the shelves. She would probably want to rearrange them herself in her own particular way, but he thought the bookcase would make a great impression if her first full view of it was with books stacked neatly on its shelves. Luke gathered several of the book stacks from River’s floor and started shelving the books. He shook his head in wonder at the sheer number and variety of books that River owned. Some of the volumes he recognized from his school days. He vaguely remembered reading classics like Moby Dick or Great Expectations. But many of the books he had never heard of before.
When he finished loading the bookshelf, a few stacks of books still remained on the floor. But at least the large shelf held the majority of River’s collection. Luke smiled at the impressive sight of the beautiful handmade, hand carved shelf, loaded with River’s most treasured possessions. Even if he didn’t share her love of reading, at least he had shown her that he appreciated the things that she thought were important.
As Luke surveyed his handiwork, he made the decision not to tell River yet that he was a bear shifter. Things were finally going well between them, and it made more sense to let her get to know him better before gently breaking the news.
Feeling relieved at his choice to postpone revealing his shifter status, Luke cleaned up the small mess he had made from using the coffee machine, and then put his shirt on. He left River’s apartment, locking the door behind him, and headed back to base. He turned the radio up to a country station and rolled the windows down, singing at the top of his lungs and enjoying the almost summery breeze blowing in his face.
When he pulled the SUV into the parking lot in front of the hangar, he saw Trevor hanging out by the front door, oiling some hinges that had been squeaking incessantly for months. With the slowdown in fires, everyone on the crew was looking for ways to fill their time.
“Well, well, well,” Trevor said, his voice taking on the singsong quality it always did when he was about to make fun of someone. “Look who finally decided to return my SUV. Delivering that bookcase must have been a big job, since you were gone all night long.”
“Shut up,” Luke said, hopping out of the SUV and glaring at Trevor. He wished he could think of a wittier retort, but his one mug of coffee was already wearing off, and he was starting to feel the effects of not sleeping enough last night.
“Hey, that’s no way to thank your buddy for letting you borrow his car,” Trevor said, crossing his arms and pretending to be angry.
“Whatever. You’re just jealous because I got some and you didn’t,” Luke said.
Trevor threw back his head and laughed. “Oh, now that’s rich. Let’s add up how many times I’ve ‘gotten some’ over the last several years and compare it to your number. I’m definitely not jealous.”
Luke glared at Trevor. “You’re ruining my good mood.”
Trevor put his hands up in surrender. “Sorry, man. Just giving you a good, old-fashioned ribbing. I take it your plan to win River back with a handcrafted bookshelf worked out pretty well for you.”
“Yeah, it did. I’d venture to sa
y you’re going to be seeing a lot more of River around here now.”
“Good. We need more pretty around these parts. I’m tired of looking at your ugly face all the time.”
Luke rolled his eyes and shoved his way past Trevor, making his way into the main hangar. Hunter and Zach were sitting at two of the sewing machines, making some sort of modifications to their parachutes. Since the Burning Claws Crew didn’t have their own permanent airplane, they used the hangar as a space to fix up damaged gear. Their parachutes tended to take quite a beating, thanks to the frequent landings in the middle of treetops.
Hunter looked up as Luke walked into the room. “Look who’s doing the walk of shame,” he taunted. “Weren’t you wearing that same outfit when you left last night?”
Luke glared at Hunter. “You, too, huh? I already got an earful from Trevor about my extracurricular activities last night. I don’t need you to jump on the bandwagon with him.”
Hunter laughed, but Zach looked up with angry, dark eyes. “Were you with a woman?” Zach asked.
Luke exhaled in frustration. “Here we go again,” he said. “Yes, I was with a woman. Yes, she’s human. No, she doesn’t know that I’m a bear shifter. Any more questions?”
Zach stood up and threw the box of thread he had been holding onto the floor next to him. “This place is getting out of control, with all the human women running around. But I’m sure Ian is going to be fine with this, just like he’s always fine with everything.”
Zach stormed off, leaving Hunter and Luke rolling their eyes behind his back.
“What is his problem?” Luke asked, even though he and Hunter both already knew the answer to the question. Zach strongly opposed allowing any human women into the clan. No one in the clan could pinpoint the exact reason or the exact timing of when it happened, but at some point Zach had taken this stance and refused to back down. It had been a point of contention between Ian, the alpha, and Zach, who was second in command. Ian and Zach were best friends, but lately they constantly fought. Ian gave Zach a lot of leeway, but the rest of the crew had reached the point of exhaustion with Zach’s tirades.
A Burn To Bear (Fire Bear Shifters Book 3) Page 5