Adam frowned. “He told you about us?”
“Not exactly.” Lynn set her fork down on her plate, her pie not quite finished. “But I think he told my parents.”
“Why do you think that?” Adam asked.
“Because we used to visit every year, and my mom and dad would talk on the phone to Uncle Freddy most weeks. Then it stopped. Abruptly. I never knew why. All my mom would ever say was that Uncle Freddy was half crazy, and delusional, and they didn’t want me near him.”
“You think he told them about shifters?” Adam sat back on his haunches, and thought about it. “He knew about us, but he wasn’t a shifter himself. He did have a relationship with a shifter from over Bear Creek way. They weren’t mates. My dad said they lived together for a few years, before she moved out. Dad was never sure if it was because she found her true mate.”
Lynn sighed. “This was never on my agenda. You know, when I decided to move here, I just wanted a quiet life. I was tired of the hotel business, and wanted to dial it back a bit, breed alpacas, make wool… Make something that was mine.”
“Why can’t you still do that?” Adam asked. “Nothing else has changed.”
“Really?” She raised her eyebrows at him. “A hell of a lot changed. Ten minutes ago I found out you were a bear shifter.”
“Why does that alter your plans?” he asked. Then he paused, a sense of foreboding filling him. “You’re leaving?”
“No,” she said quickly. “But I need some time to let this sink in. What about when we have kids?”
He grinned. “We’re at the when we have kids stage. I like that.”
“Well, if you are my mate, then I’m at least going to have to give it a chance to work out.”
“Thank you.” He leaned forward, his lips close to hers. “You know I want to kiss you?”
“I figured you might. Although I taste of apple pie.”
“Perfect.” He kissed her lips, savoring the sweetness of the pie, mixed with a special flavor that was all Lynn.
She threaded her hands around his neck, her fingers pushing into his hair, while her lips moved against his. He nipped her bottom lip, then slipped his tongue inside her mouth, claiming ownership as he wished to claim ownership of the whole of her body and soul.
Adam slipped his hands beneath her and turned Lynn to a sitting position. He wanted to get naked with his mate. He needed to know if this was what she wanted too. One hand cupped her breast, and she gasped, but didn’t push him away. He rubbed his thumb over her taut nipple, a sign she was aroused, but he would need more than that before he made love to her.
“You understand what it means, when I say you are my mate?” Adam asked.
“It means you want to make love to me. And that you think I am going to be your wife,” Lynn said.
“It means a heck of a lot more than that,” Adam told her. “It means you and me forever, no matter what.”
“Unless I kick you out?” Lynn responded.
He buried his face in the crook of her neck. “I hope that never happens, but if you ever want me to leave, I’m bound by the bond to never hurt you. So yes, unless you kick me out.”
“Then you had better be a good husband. And father,” she said.
“I aim to be,” Adam answered. “Does that mean you will marry me?”
She threw her head back and laughed. “Let’s take it one slow step at a time. If I marry you within a month of moving here, then my parents will be crying out that I’ve been taken advantage of.”
“I truly do want to take advantage of you,” Adam said. “Right now.”
“I guess it would be good to see what you have to offer,” Lynn teased.
“Then let me assist you with your clothes.” He lifted the sweater over her head, his eyes fixed on her luscious breasts, which he left encased in her bra, while he worked on taking off her jeans. His fingers fumbled briefly in his excitement. He was like a kid at Christmas and Lynn was most definitely the best gift he could ever wish for.
“There,” he said with triumph as he finally pulled her jeans down over her thighs. Lynn helped, lifting her bottom up off the sofa, which pushed her mound toward his eager mouth. He couldn’t resist, lowering his head and grazing her clit with his teeth through the cotton of her panties.
She gasped, and held her bottom off the sofa, her hand in his hair, pulling him toward her. Adam nipped her through her panties, his tongue a hard point pressing against her clit until she whimpered, her back arched, offering herself to him. He planned to take what she offered. To take her to heights she had only ever dreamed of.
Hooking his fingers into the elastic of her panties, he pulled them down, throwing them to one side, not caring if she ever found them again, not caring if she ever wore them again. He would like nothing more than to have access to her whenever he wanted, which, the way he felt right now, would be all the time. If he could be with Lynn, kissing her, licking her, and fucking her every minute of the day, he would be a happy man.
So what if he didn’t want to live in the real world right now?
Lynn watched, her head bent, intent on what his fingers and mouth were doing to her. Adam pressed two fingers inside her sex, a smile crossing his face when he saw how wet she was. There was no need to ask if she wanted him, her body told him in its own way. Lowering his head, he kissed her clit, and then licked her, tasting her intimately and relishing it.
Thrusting into her deeper, he hooked a finger to slide along her inner walls, while he licked and nipped her clit. Lynn’s hands in his hair became rougher, the sounds escaping her mouth those of a wounded animal as her orgasm raced toward her. It hit her hard, and fast; he could have taken his time, and next time he would, but his cock was so incredibly hard in his jeans that he was being a little selfish. He wanted to claim her. And soon.
Adam didn’t let up. He ensured she rode her orgasm out to the end. Two fingers became three, in and out, rough, then gentle, he took her to the edge and then let her go. Her cries filled the room, her juices covering his chin as her sex throbbed around his fingers. He closed his eyes and imagined her hot, wet sex around his cock, until with a groan, he released her.
Standing up, he stripped his clothes off, tearing at his shirt when the buttons didn’t give way quick enough. Bending down, he scooped her curvy body up off the sofa as if she were a blade of grass. He nestled between her thighs, and she held on, kissing his mouth, while he guided himself into her.
With her impaled on his cock, he turned and sat down on the lumpy sofa, letting her adjust to his cock which was buried deep inside her. Lynn moved her hips, circling them around, stretching herself on his cock, playing with him. He liked the way she took control of her own pleasure, of the way she experimented. Up and down, around and around, she moved.
“You like it like this?” she asked.
“Uh-huh,” he ground out, his voice lost in the confusion she wrought in his brain.
“How about this?” She placed her hand between his thighs, leaning back to reach his balls. Then she cupped them, none-too-gently, fondling them while she rode his cock like a rodeo rider.
“Fuck, Lynn.”
“I am fucking,” she said with a lazy smile, which told him she was getting a good kick out of this.
Well, he was going to play his part, and make sure she had the same wonderful experience as he was. Unclasping her bra, her breasts fell out into his eager hands, and he cupped them, one in each of his large palms, massaging them, feeling her sex clamp tighter around him as he lowered his mouth and sucked her nipples, each in turn. Sucking and licking, his teeth grazing the hard little buds, he made her arousal kick up a notch, which transmitted from her sex through his body, his cock incredibly hard and ready to explode.
Unable to hang on any longer, he erupted inside her. It was Lynn’s turn to help him ride through his orgasm. He roared out her name, his hips bucking like a wild stallion as he fucked her. Releasing her right breast, he placed his thumb against her clit, brushing i
t as Lynn moved, pinching her harder, until she exploded around him, her sex gripping his cock and milking it of his essence.
Their orgasms began and ended, and then began again. Their voices mingled together, filling the old house with the sound of two lovers. Of two mates. This was where their future together began, even as their lovemaking ended.
Chapter Fifteen – Lynn
Adam had stayed until the early hours of the morning, and then he had left her on the sofa. As she moved her stiff body, glad that by the end of the day she would have a proper bed to sleep in, Lynn was hit by a terrible thought that made her feel like a fool.
What if this had all been a setup? A man changing into a bear. The whole story of fated mates, and how they were destined to be together. What if she had been used, so they could make her a laughingstock of the town? What if the whole point of this was to make her feel so ashamed, so stupid, that she would leave the ranch, and sell it to the Williams family?
“Not happening,” she told herself as she filled the kettle with water and put it on to boil.
“What’s not happening?” Adam asked, coming into the kitchen behind her, a large box of groceries in his arms. “I went into town after I did my chores. You have nothing in these cupboards, and the guys bringing your furniture are going to want food and water, not to mention my family, who are coming over at about ten, to help.”
Lynn stood staring at him. “You know, I need to get my hearing checked, the amount of times you creep up on me.”
“It’s a skill. Too many hours spent playing hide and seek with my brothers. We used to go out into the forests and track too, both as men and bears. So I’ve learned to be quiet.” He kissed her cheek, and then pulled back, his face at once filled with excitement that quickly changed to concern. “Are you OK?”
She started, as if being sparked into life, her earlier worries gone, to be replaced by something else. “Your family is coming to help?”
“Yes. Everyone but my dad…” Adam held up his hands, as if to stop her thoughts, which he read perfectly. “Don’t worry. It’s not because he doesn’t like you or holds a grudge. He has paperwork to do. I think he’s figuring out the wording of the contracts we are all going to sign. He is going to make sure we are all bound so tight, we can’t renege on anything and split the ranch up when he’s dead.”
“I wasn’t thinking that,” she lied. “Are you sure though, about your family? Skyla and Jordan are visiting, they shouldn’t be lugging furniture around. What if Jordan hurts his back?”
“They insisted. Although Jordan will insist Skyla is on tea duty. Not that she’s going to be content with that.”
“I can find some light jobs for her to do. I have the kitchen to unpack. A lot of the stuff is going to have to stay in boxes anyway, at least until I have the wiring done.”
“Which also reminds me,” Adam pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, “I took the liberty of asking Ron, the guy who does work over at the ranch, to come by later and give you a quote. I know you will want other electricians to look the place over, and I know you probably don’t want me interfering, but he’s good and he won’t rip you off.”
“Thank you.” Lynn stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “That is very thoughtful of you.”
“He’ll come over about eleven. I know you are busy, but since there are so many of us, I thought you would find time to speak to him. He’ll have to measure up, but he says if you want him to go ahead, he’s had a cancellation and might be able to squeeze the job in next week.”
She stood back, a shocked look on her face. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you either have a magic wand or a hold over the guy.”
“To be honest, he does owe us a couple of favors.”
“What kind of favors?” Lynn asked.
“Family secrets,” Adam replied with a wink.
“So when I become part of your family, I get in on all the gossip?” Lynn asked.
“You do,” Adam said. “So shall I make some tea while you go get ready?”
“Yes. One thing I will love when the wiring is fixed, is being able to put a coffee pot on while I go take a shower. I like baths, but sometimes you know when you just want to jump into the shower?”
“I do.” Adam hand snaked out and grabbed her around the waist. “A shower is just the thing. You know … after a hard day at work. All that soap.”
“Tea. I have some things I have to do before my furniture arrives.” She looked at her watch. “The truck is due in an hour.”
“So put me to work.” Adam offered.
“I was going to put all the furniture that belonged to Uncle Freddy in the dining room. Then all my furniture can go into the sitting room and the bedrooms. From there I can figure out what stays and what goes.”
“The lumpy sofa is staying though, right?” Adam asked, a wicked grin on his face. “You know, because if we conceived our first child last night, I’d like to have it as a keepsake.”
“Tea.” Lynn shook her head, blushing furiously, and left the kitchen, taking the stairs two at a time to put some distance between her and Adam, or else they might be finding a completely different activity to pass the time before the truck filled with her furniture arrived.
A quick wash, teeth cleaned, and a fresh change of clothes later, she stood at the top of the stairs, looking around her at the faded wallpaper and threadbare carpets. If she could get the house rewired and the plumbing fixed in the next couple of weeks, it would put her ahead of schedule.
Once today was out of the way, and her furniture, what little there was of it, had been stowed away, she would begin stripping all the wallpaper and paint, taking the house back to bare walls and floorboards. As soon as the wiring and plumbing were finished she would decorate throughout. At the same time, she planned on getting the land cleaned up and buying her first alpacas.
“It’s all coming together,” she said to the house, and the morning sun, its rays cast across the front of the house. There was a creaking as the timber boards expanded, which gave the house a voice. To Lynn, the voice was happy.
The scraping of furniture brought her back to the jobs that needed doing today, and she raced down the stairs, grabbing a hold of the end of the blue lumpy sofa, and lifting it, helping Adam take it into the dining room. Then they returned for an old dresser, one drawer missing, giving the impression of a lost tooth.
“I could repair this for you,” Adam said.
“Repair it? There’s a whole drawer missing.”
“I think Uncle Freddy used it as a dog bed. It’s out in one of the barns.”
“A dog’s bed?” Lynn asked. “He had a dog?”
“His only company for the last ten years of his life. It was a stray, he took it in, gave it a home. I think it kept him going. Dog died six months before your uncle.”
“Wow. Just one more reminder of how I don’t deserve this place.”
“Don’t let my father hear you say that.” Adam winked. “He is an expert in emotional blackmail.”
“Ah. Damn, this is slipping.” The wooden dresser slipped through her fingers, tilting dangerously to the side. Adam, with that superhuman strength she found disturbing and exciting all at the same time, took the weight, somehow holding it up on his own. He paused for a moment, one of the remaining drawers sliding open, as the dresser jerked forward. “There’s something in there.”
“You can take a look when it’s in the dining room,” Adam said, carrying the dresser out of the sitting room, across the hallway and into the dining room, which was beginning to look full. There he placed it down so that they could access the drawers. “Here.”
Adam handed her a small photo album, which she took from him and opened eagerly, wanting to get a glimpse of the life of the man who had thought enough of her to leave his estate, despite her never visiting for so many years. “Look. Is this the woman he shared the house with?”
Adam looked up, his head tilting slightly to one side. “The others are here.�
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Lynn tucked the album under her arm and followed Adam outside. A truck and a car had pulled up to one side of the courtyard, and Jon, Jordan, and Skyla, along with an older woman she hadn’t met, but by the resemblance to Adam, must be his mom, got out of the vehicles and came across to meet Adam and Lynn.
“Hello,” Skyla called. “We thought you might want the help.”
“I do,” Lynn said happily, unable to stop herself from glancing at Adam’s mom. She hoped, since the older lady had come over to help, that she would be accepting of Lynn, even if the ranch was going to stay in her name and not become part of the Homestead.
“Mom, this is Lynn. Lynn, this is my mom.” Adam held out a hand to his mom, who took it, looking equally as nervous as Lynn felt.
“Hi,” Lynn said, going up to her and giving her a hug. “It’s good to meet you.”
“And you, Lynn, I can’t tell you how happy I am that my son has found his mate…” She hesitated. “You know all about that side of things, don’t you? I haven’t gotten mixed up?”
“No, she knows. Saw my other side in all its handsome glory,” Adam said modestly.
“I expect you do look impressive by yourself,” Jon teased. “Of course, if Lynn saw the four of us together, then she’d think she was unlucky not to be the mate of the biggest and strongest bear.”
“Oh! You want to go!” Adam lunged at his brother. They fought, which consisted of the two of them trying to tip each other up. It was like watching WWE, not exactly convincing, but entertaining all the same.
“My sons will never grow up,” their mom said. “But no matter what their faults, they are good boys.”
“They are,” Skyla agreed, linking arms with Jordan. “I don’t know Adam that well, but if they are anything like my man, you are a lucky woman.”
“Thanks, I think I’m lucky too. Not just to have met Adam, but for the chance to live here.” Lynn took the photo album from under her arm, and opened it up to the photographs of the woman. “Adam said a woman used to live here with my uncle. Is this her?”
“Yes. Yes, it is. She lived here with him for some years, before moving out, it was so sudden, and Frederick never spoke of her again. We figured she’d found her mate, and left your uncle brokenhearted. He loved her, even though he was not her mate and so she would never give him her heart.”
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