“This is intense.”
“It is.” He kissed her forehead. “What else do you feel?” His hand moved to her stomach.
Her eyes flashed to his. “You think I’m pregnant? That’s not possible.”
He pressed his palm against her flesh. “Actually, it is. When a bear takes his mate it’s almost a sure thing.”
Her eyebrows pinched together. “Is that why I’m starving? And I want to eat all the bacon in the house and why I feel like I’m humming from the inside out?”
He nodded. “Yep.”
His bear was happy. He had filled her with his cubs. He was fucking proud as hell.
“We’re going to have a baby? A bear? A what in the hell is it?”
Striker laughed. “I’m hoping there are two.” He brushed his lips over her mouth, trying to wipe the worry from her face. “And they will be born like other babies. They won’t face their shifter side until they are twelve or thirteen.”
“Oh great, so on top of puberty, they have to deal with shifter changes?”
“It’s actually not that bad. It gives them an outlet. At least that’s how it was for me. I think Crawford and Hudson would say the same thing.”
The quilt fell from her shoulder and Striker looked at her.
“Hold on. Don’t move.” He jumped from the couch and raced up the stairs. He jogged down the stairs, holding his camera.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“You look beautiful. I have to capture this.”
He twisted the lens into focus, and snapped a photo of Presley. Her hair loose on her bare shoulder. The firelight glowing against her skin. Her body soft and curvy with his cubs. The quilt covering her with patchwork squares of color.
“Are you going to show these to anyone?” she asked.
He walked in front of her, clicking the shutter release again.
“No. These are for me. I don’t want to forget the way you look right now.” He loved how her hair looked like honey. Her cheeks were rosey. She was gorgeous.
She grinned. “Then if they are just for you…” She threw the quilt on the floor.
His bear growled. “Presley.”
She crawled toward him on the couch. “Striker, I’m yours. The night you found me in the car sealed that. I’ve been bare and exposed since you carried me through that front door.”
She looked over her shoulder and he snapped another photo. Her breasts bobbing, beautiful and pink.
“And the pack could have taken me somewhere dark. Somewhere I never would have escaped from.”
She ran her tongue over her lips, tilting her hips upward. He advanced the film and then quickly snapped a picture of her round, voluptuous bottom.
He was getting harder with each click of the camera.
“But you saved me. You protected me. No one’s ever tried to keep me safe before.” She sat forward on her heels, cupping her breasts and rubbing them with her palms, eyeing him with mischief.
His cock jerked to life, but he zoomed in, capturing the sensuality of the pose.
“And no one has ever given me what you have.” She laid back on the couch, one knee drifting to the side. “I’ve never had family, Striker. I’ve never belonged anywhere.” She arched her tits toward the ceiling.
He licked his lips, craving them in his mouth, but knowing she was giving him a precious gift. He pressed the shutter button, admiring the way her back curved.
Her hand splayed across her stomach. “But now you’ve given me them.”
She looked directly in the lens and his heart almost stopped. The want for her. The ache. The love. The pure animal desire to tell her what she was doing to him.
He groaned as he took another picture. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”
She rolled on her stomach, and he knew then it was over. His bear needed her. All of her. He tossed the camera on the floor.
Presley giggled as he pounced on top of her.
“What about the photo shoot?” she squealed.
“There’s something you’re going to have to learn about my bear, baby,” he moaned against her neck.
“What’s that?” She wiggled against his erection into a seated position.
He felt the wet heat between her legs.
“He wants you all the time.”
She sank onto him, sliding over him with sudden fire.
“Tell your bear I want him too.”
She began riding him, while his hands cupped her breasts, bouncing into his palms. He pinched her nipples between his fingers and she moaned his name.
“Oh, Striker. Fuck me, baby.”
He gripped her hips, slamming her harder on his cock.
When he knew his release was near he pulled her tightly to his chest, feeling the heat of her back align with his body as he pulsed and throbbed deep inside her. Her head rested on his shoulder.
“Is this how the snowstorm is going to go?” she asked.
He nipped at her neck. “I think so. But we’ll take food breaks.”
She laughed. “I am starving.”
He ran his palms over her thighs.
“Can we stay here forever?” she asked.
He smiled. “As long as you want.”
“It’s real? Everything is real?”
He kissed the back of her head. “Completely.”
She sighed. “Can I ask you something else?”
“Anything. You’re my mate. There is nothing but the truth between us.”
“I think I like that.” Her hands wrapped behind her, rubbing his back. “When did you know I was your mate?”
Striker paused. “The second I saw your face and held you in my arms. My bear knew you were the one. It was instant, baby.”
Her hands slid down his back, pulling his arms around her. She placed his palms on the soft flesh of her stomach.
“What if you had pulled some other girl out of a burning car? Would you have claimed her instead?”
He felt the warmth of her skin in his hands.
“No. I only have one mate. Just one, Presley.”
Her tone was playful. “So if you ended up harboring some gorgeous super model you wouldn’t have slept with her?”
His chest shook with laughter. “I didn’t say that.”
Presley spun in front of him. “Hey, wrong answer.”
“It’s cute you’re jealous. Very cute. But, no. I wouldn’t have claimed her. Only you.” His finger landed between her breasts. “You’re my first and only mate. Made for me.”
She sighed. “It’s so much to process.”
“I know it is. But I’ve got you. I will protect you. I swear you’ll have a perfect life. A perfect family.”
She threw her hands around his neck, looking into his eyes. “You think I was made for you?”
He pressed his forehead to hers. “Yes, you were completely made for me. Don’t you feel how we fit together?”
She nodded. “It feels so good it hurts.”
He kissed her lips. “I know what you mean.”
“But it’s never been like this for you? What about two bears? What about if I were a bear and you were human?”
He pressed a finger to her mouth to quiet her. “I will answer any shifter questions you have. But know this, Presley. Don’t ever doubt it. You are the only woman I’ve taken like this. The only one who will ever feel the heat of my magic.”
Her eyes lit and she ran her tongue over her lips. “Can I feel it again?”
He growled. Did she know what she did to him? “Don’t move.”
He leaned down to pick his camera off the floor. He looked at her, as she rolled back on the couch. Three days ago he couldn’t finish a damn photo shoot. Three days ago he was lost. Three days ago he was angry and lonely. Mad that he hadn’t found his mate. Frustrated that every woman he met was the wrong one. But now he knew why.
Presley was the woman he was supposed to find. The one he just needed to be patient for. The one who could re-inspire his art. Show him th
at the view through the lens looked completely different when he was focused on the one he loved.
* * *
Thanks for reading The Bear Exposure, we hope you enjoyed it, if you did please click here to leave a review.
Make sure to check out Ranger Bear, from the Rogue Bear Series.
Keep reading for a preview of Fated Night, Ally’s next witch and shifter series.
If you want to know when Ally’s next shifter book is out before anyone else, sign up for my mailing list, and check out my other books. allysummers.com
Do you love hot shifters? Sign up for a weekly shifter email containing the hottest shifter releases: ShareBear Fans
Happy Reading!- Ally and Meredith
Spells of Fate Book One, Fated Night Preview...
Ranger Bear Preview
Chapter 1
Kyle
It had been two weeks. Two weeks since Kyle had been back on US soil. Sometimes he felt like the desert sand was still in his nose, in his lungs, clogging his throat. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do stateside with clean air to breathe.
Sure it was a hell of a lot nicer being back. There were things like showers and beds, but he had a mission in Razastan. That mission wasn’t over until the target was taken out. The problem was the target kept moving. He kept switching the plan. Making it impossible to capture him.
Kyle had been tracking the target for over a year. He was the highest ranking member of Razastan’s regime, and he was well guarded and well funded.
It hadn’t been Kyle’s choice to back down, but they needed fresh intel if they were going to succeed. For now his team was scattered, waiting on orders before they could go back into the country.
He didn’t want to leave. They had to force him out. If he hadn’t made a promise it probably would have taken the entire Army to remove him.
While he waited, he had another mission. One he would rather never have to complete. It was the kind of mission every Ranger dreaded.
Kyle turned on the windshield wipers on his Jeep, and made another turn. He had been driving for hours, trying to find his way on Oregon’s back roads. When Sam told him he lived in the middle of nowhere, he meant it. There was nothing here but tall trees and rain.
He slowed the car when he saw the last name on the mailbox: Collins.
He groaned and pulled in.
“I can’t believe you made me promise this,” he muttered.
He parked in the driveway, staring at the house in front of him. This was it.
He slammed the Jeep’s door behind him and climbed the stairs. There was a wreath on the front door. A yellow ribbon tied to the base.
He pulled his shoulders back, ready to knock. Ready to fulfill his duty. Ready to try to right some of the wrong that happened to Sam’s family.
Chapter 2
Whitney
Whitney climbed the rocky steps cut into the side of the cliff that led back to the house. She wrapped the sweater around her shoulders, pulling the edges tight against her chest. The wind picked up the ends of her auburn hair.
The waves crashed fiercely against the sand. Even with her back to the ocean, she felt the chill cut through her.
It was good to take a break. She needed to get out of the house. The memoires were almost suffocating. But she didn’t know if watching the waves made things any better. All she could think about were the summers when she and Sam played on the beach.
When she didn’t think she could take the icy winds anymore, she decided to pack more boxes. They weren’t going to pack themselves.
The last month had been the worst of her life. Her restaurant had burned to the ground. Her brother had been killed and no one would give her any answers. She was left with a house that was falling apart, just like her.
As she reached the top of the cliff and made her way through the path that opened to the house she saw a Jeep parked in the driveway.
She crossed the yard, keeping one eye on the Jeep. She tried to open the gate, but the latch was stuck. The damn thing had been broken longer than she could remember.
She rattled the handle until it finally let loose.
She looked around for the driver of the Jeep. She wasn’t expecting anyone. No one drove out here. Sam’s memorial service was a month ago. The flower deliveries had stopped.
She took one step and then another before she saw her visitor.
“Hello?” she called?
His back was turned to her. He was staring off the edge of the porch, looking over the cliff. From there you could see the waves crash and hurl on top of the rocks.
When he turned around she almost tripped over the last step. It didn’t help there was a loose board.
“Whoa.” He ran over to grab her before she landed face first on the porch.
His hand circled her waist, catching her as if she were light as a feather. He stood her upright.
“Hi.” She stared into his deep blue eyes. She thought she saw flecks of amber.
He cleared his throat.
She tried to wiggle free, but his hand was clamped to her waist. His grip was firm.
“Thanks.” Her hands landed where his fingers were wrapped against her. They were wide strong fingers.
“You’re welcome.” He finally released her, his chest expanding.
“Can I help you with something?”
His brow furrowed. He took a step back. “Holy hell,” he whispered.
“Excuse me?”
“Sorry. It’s just…” He held out his hand. “Brake. Uh, Kyle Brake.”
She took his hand, noticing how rough it felt closing around her palm. “Nice to meet you. I think.”
He nodded. “It is.”
“Are you lost? Or are you selling something?” she asked.
She tried to figure out why this man was standing on her doorstep. She didn’t know faces like that existed. His jawline was square and his cheekbones high. His hair was dark, almost black, which was a dangerous combination with those eyes.
“Neither.” He smiled.
Oh shit. He had a gorgeous smile too. The kind that would melt the panties off any woman. She twisted her bottom lip under her teeth.
“Then what could have possibly brought you out here?”
Whitney waited for his answer.
“Sam sent me.”
Her eyes widened, and she reached for the column. But she wasn’t looking. Her eyes were fixed on the tall stranger, and she missed her mark, landing back in his arms.
Ranger Bear Available NOW
Fated Night Preview
The mixture of cool rain and warm blood washed down my cheekbone. It was pointless, but I wiped the stream from my eyes and massaged my throbbing temple. Keep going, Ivy; keep going.
As I hurdled each step, the pace of the footsteps tracking me seemed to cut the distance between us. My chest hurt as I tried to catch each breath and push myself into a faster pace. He was close and I didn’t know if I could make it to the seam before he stopped me. A quick diversion might help, but that was how I got into this mess. I had to do something. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t make it back, and this was not the place I wanted to get stuck.
The sidewalks and brownstone steps blurred past as I searched for a place to hide. I felt my body lunge forward and shudder with a thud. I hit the pavement, and my already scraped face smacked into the stones. My lungs froze from the impact. My throat clamped shut. I tried to pry myself up, clawing at the cracks in the sidewalk. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.
In that moment, I realized I could be caught. How could I have been so careless to jeopardize everything?
I jumped forward in the bed, clutching the sheet to my chest. A dream. It was a dream.
“Illuminate,” I whispered, holding my hand forward.
The soft orb formed above my palm. It’s light bounced around the hotel room. I steadied my breath. It was only a dream. But it wasn’t the first time it had awakened me. I looked at the clock. It was nearly three.
/>
“Extinguish,” I called to the light, watching it fade to remnants of glitter. I sank into the pillow, pulling the sheet to my chin.
I didn’t know what the dream meant. I didn’t know what triggered it or why I kept having it. I turned on my side, curling my knees upward.
The room was cold, but the chill shaking me had rooted under my skin. Something or someone had been chasing me. I shuddered, knowing it would be nearly impossible to fall asleep after a nightmare.
I tried to focus on tomorrow. I needed a distraction from the feel of rain on my face and the taste of blood on my lips. I reminded myself I was here for a story. I needed a glitzy set of Vegas characters I could take back for my next book.
I walked through how I would travel, keeping my mind pointed on performing the spell I would need. How I would time spell. I pictured the Starlight Casino and Resort.
The casino was a labyrinth, but I discovered a service corridor that didn’t have cameras. I would be able to start the spell and travel from there.
My body began to feel heavy again. The shaking had stopped. I pictured the blackjack tables and the doorway where I would make the seam. My eyes relaxed.
There was a reason I had chosen the Starlight. It was part of old Vegas. I would find my story here. I had to. My fingers let go of the sheet as sleep fell over me. Tomorrow I would find my story. Tonight I would forget the dream.
Fated Night Available Now
Bear Exposure (Highland Brothers 3) Page 7