Bear with Me (Bear Mountain Patrol Series Book 1)

by Addae, Sydney

  He entered her with no warning in one swift move, robbing her lungs of air. It was absolutely perfect and passionate, just as he had been. Every thrust thrilled and excited her. This… this was what she needed. God help, she would ride this man until she could no longer walk, he felt that good.

  The sounds of their hips slapping against each other filled the room. They were fucking the living daylights out of each other, grunting and moaning like animals and she loved every minute. She moaned in beat with his thrusts. Nearing the end of his control, his thrusts became erratic, his rhythm faltered.

  Camilla screamed as electrifying bliss raced through her body from the tip of her toes to the top of her head. Shuddering as ecstasy buffeted her from all sides, her vaginal walls clutched and pulsed milking Tag’s cock.

  He paused for a second. Grunting, he slowly withdrew and surged back inside taking her hard and deep.

  “Camilla, Camilla, so damn good,” he said over and over causing her heart to expand as she took care of her man. A few strokes later, he jerked hard, stiffened then roared. Scared at the sound, her heart raced as she froze beneath him. Then he dropped his forehead on hers and rolled to the side holding her tight as if she were the most precious thing in his world.

  Well, she would get over his loud noises ringing in her ears.

  Chapter 17

  Barefoot, Tag ran through the mountains seeking an escape from his jumbled thoughts and chaotic feelings. Jumping fallen logs and across small streams in an effort to distance himself from the persistent hunger clawing his gut. Hot, sweaty and horny, he didn’t understand what the hell was wrong with him or Grizzle. Finally, he left his homestead so Camilla could rest.

  No matter how many times he and Camilla had sex, Grizzle demanded more. No matter how far and fast he ran, one inescapable truth remained Camilla Lopez had somehow become just as important to him as his family, possibly more.

  Last night had been one for the records, they made love in every conceivable position, in every room. He’d never look at the kitchen table the same again. She’d taken everything he gave and was up for more.

  Exhausted, he slumped against a tree, placed his hands on his knees and took several deep breaths. Moisture impregnated air brushed his heated flesh, offering a cooling balm as his heart beat down slowed. Sweet, clean, fragrant odors specific to the mountains circled his head and he filled his lungs again and again.

  Little by little the chorus of the night resumed, accepting his presence. Moonlight sparkled off the small stream running down into a distant cavern. It’s trickling sound an interesting backdrop to the occasional howl in the night.

  In spite of her insecurities over her shape and poor eyesight, he simply couldn’t get enough. Hopefully, he proved he liked her just the way she was.

  No woman ever affected him this way. If a woman didn’t like the way he handled things and wanted to leave, he opened the door. He never lay awake thinking of ways he could change to make her happier, or went running before the sun rose to give her a respite from his lust. Something was definitely off. This wasn’t him or how he handled his shit.

  Tag thought of calling his uncle to talk but the older bear couldn’t hold water. His mom would drop everything, grab his sisters and fly across country at the hint of him settling with one woman.

  Settling? The word tasted strange, but how different was that than a monogamous relationship? Not much. The word rattled around his mind. He couldn't lose her, not now, not ever. What if that was the price of admission into her life?

  “Mate.”

  Grizzle’s certainty wormed through his mind, deflating his ego at its simplicity. No. No way. He’d been so sure she couldn’t be. Not only was she almost blind, she lived in a world of make-believe, comparing everything to movies as if they were her true companions. But he’d never wanted a woman, any woman, on a bone deep level they way he needed her and it was more than sex.

  Baffled over the contradictions racing through his mind, he released a roar to the heavens and prayed for answers to anyone who could provide them. One thing was for certain, he couldn’t continue this way. No matter what Grizzle wanted, he had to rest.

  There was one other person he could ask. Tag punched in the number and waited.

  “Look man, call me later and we can set up a time at the gym,” Gold said picking up.

  “Yeah, about that, sorry it’s so early but I have a question,” Tag said walking toward a stream and taking a seat on a boulder nearby.

  “A question? At… five in the morning?”

  “Yeah.” Tag waited. Since he never called Gold to talk, the man had to know this was a special occasion and if he couldn’t be bothered, well…he couldn’t.

  “Hold on. I’m going outside.”

  The tightness in Tag’s chest loosened as he waited.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I met a girl, human and she… it’s wild but I can’t … what I mean is I can, we did. It’s just messed up, can’t seem to get it together.”

  “I see. Let me see if I can fill in some blanks since all I got from that is you’re confused about feelings you’re having with a human female,” Gold said, his tone warm and honest which helped Tag feel better about the call.

  “Yeah, something like that.”

  “Female bears wait for males to chase them then they decide when, where and how the whole mating thing goes down. We smell potential mates and know they’re the one or could be if the female agrees.”

  “Yeah, I know. But she’s human and –”

  “Hold on, I’m getting there, just drawing parallels. Human mates are different. Whoever’s in charge of mates, fixed it so the woman always knows first. Every mixed couple I know, that’s how it’s been. Once a human female sees her bear, her mate, it’s like a switch goes off inside her mind. She becomes a hunter, kind of like a male bear after a female. But that’s only until a connection is made, either sex or a kiss, something wakes us and says your mate is here.”

  “Yeah, we kissed,” Tag said rifling through his memories. “But after, I got the feeling she could walk away. Mates don’t do that.”

  “She can. That part sucks. If you don’t convince her to mate with you within a year, she’s no longer infected by the mating buzz.”

  “What?” This shit kept getting worse, well, not worse but conflicting.

  “Obviously at five in the morning I’m drawing poor pictures and analogies but you get my drift. The way it works is like this: Once she sees you, she cannot give her heart to anyone else, which is kind of messed up for her, right?” He paused. “Imagine, what you’re feeling now, she’s felt since she saw you. Mother Nature kinds of saves her for you, well us. Pissed Cyndy off, she didn’t appreciate falling hard for a stranger who didn’t pay her any attention, messed up her self-esteem and created other issues. You’ll have to work hard to reverse that if she’s known about you a long time.”

  Camilla’s conversation with Tyra in her bedroom replayed in his mind. She’d been confused and uncertain. “Why didn’t I recognize her? All of this could’ve been avoided if I’d picked up her scent.”

  “Sense of smell doesn’t work in this case, not with humans. There has to be something stronger to jumpstart the mating process for our beast.”

  “Sex?”

  “Body fluid exchange, could be a kiss.” Gold yawned.

  Tag told him about the ride in the car and his feelings, how they changed immediately.

  “That’s how it happens. Then she releases them.”

  “What? Who releases who?” Tag asked confused. Had he had missed this lesson in school?

  “Mother Nature, I say her because I can’t explain it any other way. After our beast recognizes our mates, it’s like they change. Not change as much as see things the way they would if they hadn’t been placed on hold all that time.”

  “That doesn’t sound right.”

  “It’s the best I can do right now.” Gold paused. “If you want to claim your mate,
be prepared to work hard and earn her love. Your patience will be stretched, and you’ll be frustrated as shit, but remember she went through it already.”

  “Damn.”

  “All that worshipping and chasing she’s been doing up until now, stops. She can date other guys and live a full live without you. It’s all backwards, a rocky ride but damn if it’s not fun and worth it in the end.”

  Tag stared open-mouthed at the water. Date other men? Grizzle swiped against his chest and he agreed, they’d rip the bastard in half.

  “You’re fucking kidding me, right?” He wished Gold hadn’t just read the script of how things went down between him and Camilla but he had.

  “Nope. If Grizzle hasn’t gone crazy and tried to crawl into her yet, be prepared, he will and worse.”

  “Worse? How much worse can it get?” He grumbled, not liking this mating process at all.

  Gold snorted. “Lots. If any other male comes around before she accepts you as her mate, you’ll be like a Mama Grizzle, won’t matter if he’s your brother, her daddy or your minister. Neither you or your beast will tolerate another male of any kind near her until she agrees to bond with you.”

  “Shit. I invited her cousin to stay here with me to recuperate when he leaves the hospital. How long does all this take? The bonding?” He raked his scalp with his fingers with the realization he expected Camilla to remain with him.

  “Bonding? Takes a couple of minutes.”

  Tag waited. “I sense a but in there.”

  “Well she has to agree and if her heart’s not into it fully, the bonding won’t work. Remember, she’s taking on a part of your bear and you receive a part of her humanity. Both of you have to embrace the other and willingly release a part of yourselves.”

  That didn’t sound too bad. “How long did it take you and Cyndy?”

  “A day shy of a year.”

  “What?” Tag yelled causing several birds to take flight. He couldn’t imagine chasing Camilla that long. They were mates and meant to be together, things should fall in place. “How’d you manage keeping her separated from other men that long?”

  Gold sighed. “It was difficult but we managed. I didn’t have much of a choice.” He paused. “You do understand what being mated means, right? In terms of being able to reproduce.”

  “Yeah, I can have sex with others but not impregnate them,” Tag said, not that it mattered. Camilla held his complete focus.

  Gold chuckled. “Yeah, well here’s what that really means. You can play with anyone you want but you’ll only orgasm with your mate. For everyone else, it’s blue balls.”

  “Ouch. I’d forgot about that. And only the men have balls to turn blue.” The thought of someone else putting that look of pleasure on Camilla’s face when she orgasmed, turned his stomach.

  “True. First you have to tell her about your dual nature.”

  “Grizzle? Does she need to meet him first? He’s driving me ragged over her.”

  “Yes, she has to accept all of you, Grizzle included. I suggest you take it from the point of her body and mind knowing who you were first, that seems to work better than “I’m a grizzly”,” Gold said.

  “Cyndy accepted that?”

  “Not right off, I introduced her to some other mixed couples and she asked the women questions and watched their relationships for a little while. If you need to do that let me know.” Gold paused. “Should I congratulate you on finding your mate?”

  Miffed at what he considered hoops he needed to jump through to secure his mate, Tag wasn’t ready to throw in the towel yet. “How do I know she’s my mate?”

  “Can you let her go?”

  “No,” he said swiftly without allowing time to think.

  “That’s how you know.”

  “In that case, congratulations, best wishes and a lot of good fucking luck is necessary.”

  Chapter 18

  Camilla woke and looked around. Beige and white paint adorned the walls creating a cozy effect in the large space. Two oversized, framed pictures of bears in a forest or something similar were on the wall. A long, wood dresser ran the length of one wall and a leather love seat on the other. She lay in the middle of a large, rumpled, well-used super king-sized bed. Musk and sex lingered in the air.

  At first she didn’t recognize the room then it all came rushing back. That man blew her fucking mind and every ache reminded her of how he took ownership of her body as well. Tag… memories from last night and this morning replayed like an unedited movie in her mind. He had been…unbelievable. The past three years she’d been half in love with him, but last night the way his voice deepened and his eyes softened when he called her beautiful, like it defined her rather than an overused endearment, sealed the deal. She ate his syrupy talk up like vanilla ice cream. When he held her close and stared into his eyes, she believed him, believed she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever held in his arms. Believed he wanted a ton of tomorrows and a future together.

  Her face flamed as she remembered what she’d done to him. Had she pushed him down on the bed and taken him in her mouth? Or demanded him to go harder and faster fucking? The words that had come through her lips would make a prostitute blush. And his taste...her mouth watered in remembrance of how good he felt and tasted. The sounds of pleasure he emitted and genuine surprise when he learned she’d only done oral once before fed her confidence and hunger for more. The man had been insatiable and she’d been equal to the task, making up for a lifetime of celibacy and bad sex.

  Quite pleased with her performance, she stretched and sat up.

  “Tag?” Where was he? She grabbed his tee shirt on the way to the bathroom. When she finished, she called him again and received no answer. Her stomach growled and she went in search of food and answers.

  Inside the refrigerator she found ingredients to make breakfast remembering what he cooked yesterday. She fired up the stove and sliced the bacon. Humming as she mixed the eggs, fried the plantain and finished cooking the sausage, she wondered if Tag had left to do morning chores. Curious about his home, she opened a few drawers, everything was neat and labeled which made cooking in a strange kitchen easier.

  Breakfast cooked, she fixed a plate and took a seat.

  Tag strode in just as she started. Smiling, he washed his hands and grabbed a plate. “Seeing you first thing in the morning, makes my day.” He piled food on his plate.

  Warmed by his comments, she peeked at him eating. “I wasn’t sure how much to cook, if you need more, won’t take long.”

  “This is good, much better than mine, thanks.” The way he ate every morsel on his plate sent a wave of pride through her.

  She glanced at the clock. “Can I use your phone?” He pulled it out and handed it to her.

  Camilla took it and hesitated. “Do you have a landline?”

  “No. Just the cell. Problem?”

  “Not really, I need to make this call. Afterward, can we talk?”

  “Sure.” He stood, placed his dishes in the dishwasher and left.

  Camilla walked outside to the porch, inhaled and called her mama.

  Thirty minutes and a full-blown headache later, she re-entered the house. Grabbing a bottle of cold water, she drank down the distaste of the argument with her mom. A vein throbbed in her forehead as she took several calming breaths.

  “What’s wrong?” Tag placed his hands on her arms and pulled her back against him.

  Shrugging from his embrace, she stepped forward and took another drink. Chaotic emotions threatened to choke her. Just when one part of her life fell in line, another piece went to hell. God, she was so tired of trying to make everyone happy and keeping peace.

  “Camilla?”

  She glanced over her shoulder but couldn’t look at him yet. How could she explain leaving him so soon? But if her mom was really sick, how could she stay?

  “Talk to me, what’s wrong?” He moved close enough that his body heat warmed the ice around her heart.

  Turning, she
wrapped her arms around his waist and held him tight. His arms went around her, pulled her close then he dropped his chin on her head. “Whatever is wrong, I promise we’ll fix it, together. You have me now, you’re not alone. Talk to me.”

  Camilla cleared her throat. “That was my mama, she’s not doing well. According to her, the stress of my absence placed a strain on her heart and either she’s coming here or I need to go there.” She refused to call it home or look at him. Did he think she lacked backbone, too? Chances were her mom was fine but what if she wasn’t? How’d she live with herself if something bad happened?

  “Sounds like my mom.” He chuckled.

  Camilla leaned back and met his amused gaze. “Your mom lays guilt trips on you?” She didn’t want a pat on the head or fake sympathy from him. Dealing with her mother was becoming a major issue.

  Tag placed a kiss on her forehead. “Come here.” Taking her hand, he led her into the living room, sat on the long, dark brown leather sofa then pulled her on his lap. One hand rested across her thighs, near the edge of his tee-shirt she wore, the other was around her waist, holding her hip in place.

  She leaned against his chest and listened to the steady beat of his heart.

  “First strike, I left the state for college, which somehow translated into she hadn’t been a good mother.” He smiled

  Camilla gasped. “My God, she does sound like my mother! She ordered brochures from every college in Florida, starting with the junior colleges, so I could remain at home.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t.” He tapped her nose with his fingertip. “Strike two, I got a job in another state after I graduated, which had to mean I was ashamed of her and my family.”

  Camilla laughed. Mama hadn’t used that one but she might one day. “Sounds like you guys had some interesting conversations. But you’re a boy with two sisters at home, so she wasn’t alone.”

  “True on all counts. What you’re forgetting is I’m her only son, the heir, the trophy holder and so on.” He lifted his arm making a fist and then dropped it. “I’m simply irreplaceable at least that’s what Mom says.” Leaning, he kissed her forehead. “One day, I hope you’ll feel that way.”