Bear Exposure (Highland Brothers 3)

by Meredith Clarke

  He reached for her wrist, realizing too late it wasn’t a good idea. “You can’t go.”

  Her head whipped around. “Why not? Are you going to lock me up like the wolves did? Am I your prisoner?”

  He dropped her wrist. The pain sank into his chest. “No. I’d never do that.”

  “Oh, God. Am I a bear?”

  “No, no, no.” His hands flew to his forehead.

  “Good. I don’t want to be anything but human.”

  “And I don’t want you to be anything but human either. You’re perfect the way you are, Pres.”

  She groaned and wheeled her suitcases out of the room.

  He didn’t know what to do. How to draw her back to him. How to stop her. How to convince her there was no other life, but the one they had sealed the other night. They were bonded. He had claimed her. She just didn’t know it. He had fucked up the whole thing.

  He chased her down the stairs. “Wait.”

  She turned. “What is it?”

  “Tell me the reason you are so scared.”

  “You can’t be serious. I’m not like you. I’m not used to shifters and magic and whatever crazy ritual shit you live with.”

  “But what if you did? What if I explained all of it? What if I told you everything? What if I answered all your questions? Proved to you that you don’t have to be scared of me?” He paused. “Would you stay?”

  She looked at him. He could tell she was considering it.

  “You have one hour.” She held up a finger. “But after that, you are using your fancy Highland connections and getting me out of here. I’ll take a helicopter or limo. Something fast.”

  He grinned. “Ok. That sounds fair.” He took the suitcases from her and placed them by the stairs.

  “You can leave them by the door,” she stated.

  “After one hour with me, you’re going to want me take them back upstairs.”

  21

  Presley

  She swallowed hard. She had just agreed to stay one more hour with a bear. She was out of her damn mind. But every step she took toward the front step made her feel like she was moving in the wrong direction. There was an instinct pulling her toward him, bear knowledge or not.

  She put her hands on her hips. “Should I start a timer?”

  Striker took her by the hand and led her to the fireplace. She felt the heat on her skin where he touched her. She tried to ignore it.

  He pointed to the mantle. “This is my family.” He moved the picture frames around. “My brother, Hudson. My brother, Crawford. Our mom.”

  He handed her a picture of them in front of a Christmas tree. It must have been fifteen feet tall.

  “See? Normal, family holidays right here at Highland House.”

  “They’re bears too? All of them?” She placed the frame where it had been.

  “Yes. All of us.” He looked at her. “I’m sharing the family secret with you because I trust you. I know you’ll protect it. Just like I’m going to protect you.”

  She felt the tenseness in her shoulders start to melt. Damn it. In the first thirty seconds he had already broken down one layer of resistance.

  He led down the hall past the wine cellar entrance. He explained all the pictures to her. “This one was when Crawford caught his first fish. And this was when Hudson lost his first tooth. You know, totally normal things kids do.” He moved to the next row.

  “And this was from the birthday we all got bikes. And this is us building a hunting cabin we have on the property. It’s sort of our man cave. I can take you there later.”

  She looked at all the pictures. There were years of memories. Years of smiles. Years of normal, boring life events. She heard the tenderness in his voice as he told her about his family history at Highland House.

  She felt one tear slide down her cheek and then another.

  “What’s wrong?” Striker stopped.

  “I don’t have anything like these.” Before she could wipe her face, Striker brushed his thumb across a tear. She looked into his eyes.

  “But you will.”

  He leaned down, his lips pressing against hers and she couldn’t stop the kiss if she wanted to. Her mouth craved him. The way he tasted. The way his lips felt firm and soft. The way he sucked at her while his tongue moved with a steady rhythm.

  She caught herself falling for it.

  “No.”

  She pushed against his massive chest. Damn it was solid.

  “Sorry. I hate for you to be sad. I’m sad you lost your parents, but there’s a family for you here.” Striker pulled his shoulders back. “Come on.”

  His hand felt warm and reassuring against her palm. “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see.”

  He headed to the staircase and she felt nervous. Was he taking her to his room? Was he going to break the deal they had? What if this was a plot to turn her into a bear after all?

  They walked down the hall past his room and turned the corner for another hallway. This place was like a maze.

  Striker opened one door, shoving it wide open. Then another. And another.

  They stood in the middle of the hallway, surrounded by open doors.

  “I don’t get it.” She looked at the guestrooms. Each one was beautifully decorated. She wondered how many members of the Highland family there were.

  “This house hasn’t had children in it in years.” He took her by the shoulders.

  Her heart started to race. “Children?”

  “Yes. These rooms are empty. A waste of space if you ask me.” He spun her to face one. “Look at it. Boring guest room. Can you picture it with a crib?”

  “A crib?” Her pulse was picking up. Holy shit. What was he saying?

  “Or two? Or three?” He winked as he spun her to face him. “I could tell you all day about being a bear shifter. About how I control the bear in me. About how my family has kept our secret. About how for every bear there’s only one mate.”

  He brushed the hair from her shoulder.

  “Only one?”

  He nodded. “Just one. One woman who is so perfect.” He kissed behind her ear. “So beautiful.” He kissed along her throat and she felt her knees give way.

  “So fucking sexy,” he growled.

  Her core melted as his hand slipped around her waist. She needed his hand there to steady her.

  “Meant only for him. For him to love.” He cupped her breast and she moaned. “For him to claim.” He stroked her throat. “For him to fill with his cubs.”

  “Striker, the other night…when I told you I wanted you…” She already knew the answer. She knew it wasn’t like any kind of sex she’d ever had before. It wasn’t a one-night stand. “Did you? Am I? Are we already?”

  His eyes burned with desire. “Yes. I claimed you.”

  “Because I said yes?”

  He nodded. “I asked you, but this time I want you to ask me to do it.”

  Everything in her lit with fire at the words. She was already wet and her chest heaved with shallow breaths. Fuck.

  The other night was reckless and heated and she didn’t know she was committing to a life with a bear shifter when she told him he could take her in his bed. All she knew was that a gorgeous sexy man wanted her and it felt good. This was different. This was everything.

  “Forever, Presley.” He tipped her chin upward.

  She looked in his eyes. The eyes of the man who was melting any shred of resistance she had. The man who told her he was a bear. The man who had saved her. The man whose arms made her felt completely safe.

  Her hands wound around his neck, as he lips crushed against hers. This time she knew she wouldn’t stop him. She wouldn’t break free. She wouldn’t tell him no. She wouldn’t run.

  She wasn’t afraid of Striker. She knew she never had been. He had done nothing but protect and worship her body.

  His tongue lashed at hers and she pulled him tighter.

  He grabbed her ass and she hopped into his arms, wrappi
ng her legs around his waist.

  Striker walked into the first open door, slamming it closed behind them.

  Presley had never felt anything so overwhelming in her life. The need to be stripped bare. The need for him to taste her. The need to be consumed by him before the fire burned her into nothing.

  He rolled her onto the bed, taking her shirt over her head. He dropped to the floor, shoving the fabric of her bra off her breasts. She offered one to his mouth, and he sucked at the nipple, toying it with his teeth.

  Her head reeled back. It was as if his tongue was making the rest of her body come to life with each flick over the delicate skin.

  “Oh,” she moaned, grabbing the back of his head. She wanted him to suck until he couldn’t take any more.

  He moved to the other side, growling as her nipple hardened in his mouth.

  Slowly, he pushed her back on the bed. His eyes hungry. His fingers quickly worked the zipper on her jeans and shimmied them over her hips. Within seconds there was a pile of clothes on the floor and he was standing in front of her naked.

  The only thing between them was her panties. He knelt in front of her again.

  He licked his lips and she felt the sudden heat between her legs, wet and urgent.

  His eyes locked on hers as he slid the black lace over her thighs. She thought she would come right then. His gaze was intense, unrelenting, and sexy as hell.

  First he took one foot and placed it on his shoulder and then the other.

  She whimpered, wanting to feel him. Feel his tongue slide inside her.

  He grinned. “I’ll do anything for you, Presley. I’ll take you to the brink. To the edge of pleasure. Make you feel like you’re floating.”

  She nodded. God, yes. She wanted that. All of that.

  “But you can’t come without me. Not this time. It’s too important.”

  And with that, he spread her knees wide, exposing her entrance. His eyes sparked and began licking and swirling his tongue between the folds, settling on the nub throbbing with want, sucking, biting, and then plunging his tongue inside of her.

  “Oh, Striker,” she screamed bowing off the bed.

  It was electric heat. Tingles shot through her core. She clenched and pulsed trying to hold his tongue inside her, but he licked between her legs. His hands held her knees wide and there was nothing she could do but let him taste her until he was satisfied.

  “I want you so badly,” he growled. His tongue flicking in and out of her.

  He stood and she saw the full extent of what he meant. He was glorious. His erection long and thick, pulsing for her.

  His hand massaged over her entrance and she bucked toward him.

  “Please,” she begged. It was torture. Sweet torture, but he wasn’t going to release her. She knew it. This was different than the other night.

  He hadn’t been honest when he claimed her the first time. She didn’t know a bear was making her his mate. But there was no doubt now. She knew the truth.

  She was giving him every part of her. Her body was his to suck and taste and to fuck as much as he wanted. This would bond them together forever.

  He curled one finger deep inside her and drew a moan from her lips.

  “Tell me, Pres. Tell me this is everything you want.” His voice sounded pained.

  She nodded, knowing there was nothing she wanted more. “Yes, I want you.”

  “You want me to fuck you?” His fingers widened her.

  She nodded. “Oh, yes,” she groaned. “More than that.”

  “You want my cubs?” He placed the tip of his cock against her entrance, massaging it back and forth.

  Her head thrashed on the bed. “Yes.”

  If only he would slide inside her, fuck her until she saw the blinding white light that pulsed through her body.

  “Tell me you want my bear to claim you. I need to know this is what you want. We have already been bonded, but I won’t take you again, I swear until you tell me to.”

  He withdrew the steel hardness that she craved. She was clawing for it. Aching for it to claim her. She felt her skin tingle and the calm of her decision wash over her.

  The fire coursing through her body only meant one thing. She was meant for this man. For his bear. For giving him the cubs he wanted.

  “All of it. I want all of it. Claim me, Striker. Make me yours again. Please,” she begged.

  And with the last word, Striker slammed his thick cock deep inside her, shattering the walls she had built between them.

  “Oh, fuck, Presley.” He pumped hard against her.

  She wanted it to last. She wanted to savor the feeling of his bear claiming her. Taking her. Making her body his. Fucking her so hard she couldn’t think, only feel.

  Her hips lifted higher in the air. “Everything, Striker. Don’t stop until you have all of me.”

  She didn’t want it to end. The pleasure. The pain. The way she felt so tight against his cock. She realized they could both burst into flames as he seared fire into her with each stroke.

  She bit her lower lip as he plunged, hitting her core with lightning strikes of pleasure.

  His chest rumbled with a low growl as her body began to quiver in his hands.

  “Oh yeah, Pres. Come now, baby. Come.”

  She screamed as the orgasm washed over her like warm rain.

  “I’m yours. Always,” she cried.

  It pooled in her core and trickled through her limbs until she was soothed in ecstasy.

  Striker yanked her hips closer to the edge of the bed as he thrust deeper into her than he ever had.

  “You’re mine,” he breathed as he released himself, sealing their bond. Their commitment. Their forever.

  She felt the magic rush through her, and reveled in the sensations lapping through her body, knowing she belonged only to one man. One bear.

  Striker crawled over her, kissing her skin as he moved on to the bed.

  He kissed her mouth, sucking lightly on her lips.

  “I should have told you the other night,” he whispered. “I didn’t realize the mistake I was making, but only asking for one thing. Sex isn’t the same as bonding is it?”

  She couldn’t help but giggle. “No, it’s definitely not. But I think we would have ended up here anyway.” She ran her hands through his hair. “It may have just taken you longer to convince me.”

  She smiled. There was no doubt she had been drawn to him from the moment she saw him sleeping on the couch. Now she knew why.

  “True. You’re my mate.”

  “Your mate.” She let the words roll off her tongue. She loved how it sounded.

  “So does this mean you’re staying?” Striker laughed.

  She shoved at his chest. “I never had a chance.”

  “No, you didn’t.” He pressed his lips to her, unable to control the rumble from his chest. “I don’t think my hour is up.” He winked.

  “Oh my,” she purred as he hand dipped between her legs and she gave her body to him all over again.

  22

  Striker

  He looked at his mate sleeping in his arms. She was everything to him. He slid an arm out from underneath her. His hand cupped the softness of her belly. His cubs were there. He knew it. His bear felt contentment he didn’t know existed.

  All he could think about was protecting her. Keeping them all safe. The room was dark. The snow had started falling sometime when they had fallen asleep. There was a beautiful quiet surrounding the house.

  Striker crept downstairs. He wanted to fix her something to eat. He looked outside. The drifts were starting to pile up. Good thing he had the food delivered yesterday. There was no telling how long they would be at Highland House.

  The delivery driver had stocked the pantry and fridge. Striker hummed as poured pasta into a boiling pot of water and started a cream sauce on another burner. It was a good thing the stove ran on gas and there was more firewood than they would ever need.

  He didn’t bother to put on a coat
as he walked to the woodpile behind the house. The snow felt clean and cool as it dotted his chest. He loaded his arms with logs for the fire. The snow could fall for days. He didn’t care. As long as he was inside with Presley, the world was perfect.

  When he returned Presley was sitting on the couch, the blanket from the bed wrapped around her. She took his breath away.

  “Hi.” She smiled.

  He dropped the logs on the hearth. “Hi.”

  “I’ve been trying to think of something to say to you.”

  He tried to read her eyes. He felt fear between his ribs. It was too much. He had taken her too hard. He wasn’t patient enough. Damn it. He should have known after everything she had been through she needed time. Not to be claimed.

  He blamed his bear. His impatient, fucking bear.

  “What’s wrong?” He didn’t care about the fire anymore. It could wait.

  She scooted over on the couch, so there was room for him to sit. “I don’t know how to explain it.”

  “Just try,” he urged. There had to be a million things going through her mind right now. Why didn’t he give her more time?

  “When I woke up and you were gone I panicked.” She dropped her eyes to the quilt.

  “Panicked? I was just making something for us to eat. And I figured we needed more firewood. I don’t know how bad this snowstorm is going to get. We might lose power again.”

  She pulled the quilt around her shoulders. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “No. Go ahead. What is it?”

  She chewed on her bottom lip. “I don’t know what’s happening to me.” She looked in his eyes. “I’ve never felt like this in my life and we’ve only known each other three days. But I swear my body feels different. And the thought of you being gone almost ripped my heart out.” She covered her face with the quilt. “I sound crazy. This is crazy.”

  “No. No.” He pulled her palms from her face. “It’s our bond.” He smiled at her. “And what you feel is the shifter magic I gave you.” He waggled his eyebrows. “It only lasts as long as it’s inside you, but it’s the reason your cut healed so quickly. It’s my essence inside your body.” He traced the place the cut used to be on her cheek. “And the reason you’re looking for me is because you told me to claim you. You’re mine. I’m yours.” He moved to pull her in his arms.