by Tasha Black
The wait for the key was interminable for Derek.
“This isn’t your family home,” Hedda observed.
“No, I hope you don’t mind,” he explained. “But I wanted us to have one night to ourselves, before my family gets their claws into you.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Figuratively, of course,” he added. “I hope.”
She laughed and he joined her, enjoying her light mood. She had seemed thoughtful in the car. He was almost beginning to worry.
Mrs. Clintoch waved from the porch as Whitman brought back the key, and hopped in the car.
Derek waved back, hoping she would let them be.
He had helped her carry pumpkins and chrysanthemums and all manner of fruits and vegetables to her car over the years at the Farmer’s Market. That was how he knew her, how he knew everyone in the community. But they all seemed to treat him a little differently now, like maybe they should be carrying his stuff. It was disconcerting, and he wondered how long he would have to hang out locally before things got back to normal. It was quite likely he would never find out.
Whitman pulled up and helped them out, grabbing the bags he had packed for them.
Hedda stood by the door of the cottage.
“This looks almost familiar,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.
“Yeah,” he smiled back, his heart full. “I guess a quirky cottage isn’t exactly getting away for you, is it?”
“I never wanted to get away,” she told him with solemn eyes.
There it was again, the pensive look.
Whitman opened the doors and they went inside. It was one big room, the ceiling vaulted with skylights, the pine floors covered in Oriental rugs. A huge bed took up most of the room. A small door near the back led to the bathroom and laundry.
“Can I bring you anything, sir?” Whitman offered.
“No, thank you,” Derek replied. “I reserved a room for you in the house. Relax and enjoy. I won’t need you again tonight.”
“Very good, thank you, sir. Ma’am,” Whitman replied, nodding to each of them. “I’ll be nearby, all the same.”
He left and closed the door behind him.
Hedda looked after him. She was unmistakably uncomfortable now.
Well, now was as good a time as any. If Hedda had hesitations, he’d better know them now, before he claimed her, before he brought her home to his family.
“It seems like something’s on your mind,” he said. “Do you want to talk about it?”
She bit her lip, then appeared to make a decision.
“You are wealthy,” she said, fixing him with her lavender stare and filling his stomach with butterflies.
Butterflies, damn it, and he was a bear and a billionaire.
It wasn’t a question, but he nodded to encourage her.
When she didn’t answer right away, he felt a heaviness in his heart. Was she like the others? Did she want something from him?
“When you’re with me, you won’t need to worry about money,” he told her quietly. “If you have a student loan or a mother with hospital debt or something, I can make that go away for you. It would be my privilege.”
Somehow, saying it this time, he found that he meant it. It would be his privilege to save her worries and sorrow. He wanted to relieve her of burdens. He wanted nothing more than for her to be goddamned delighted, as a matter of fact. And if that meant spending every penny he had, he would do it in a heartbeat.
But she shook her head as if to clear the cobwebs.
“No, nothing like that. I just…” She still seemed hesitant. “Do you go out to fancy dinners and dancing and all that? You know, entertaining and all?”
“We can do any of that you want, Hedda. We can go dancing every night, and there are balls and cotillions, we can go to them all if you want. Or we can entertain in one of the houses. We can even build a new one for any kind of parties you want to host,” he offered, trying to keep any weariness out of his voice. He knew how she felt, he’d wallowed in it all too, in the beginning.
“Do we…” Her voice was small. “Do we have to?”
The world rotated on its axis for a moment.
Was it possible that she didn’t want those things?
“Are you saying that you don’t want to live that lifestyle?” he asked.
“I don’t,” she confirmed. “I can’t imagine a life without you, but I can’t imagine myself in that lifestyle, Derek.”
“Then we won’t live it,” he declared with a light heart.
“I know that’s easy to say, but you’ve just had a life-changing experience. In time you’ll want to go back to your friends and your parties, and that’s natural…”
“No,” he assured her. “In the movies, in novels, I know the guy with money always has wild friends and opulent parties. I’m not that guy, I don’t know if anyone who actually runs a business ever could be. I spend most of my time working. I have one real friend. I don’t like parties or traveling, and neither does the bear. Occasional business dinners are the bane of our existence. But if I had you to suffer them with, even that would be heaven.”
There. He’d said it.
She stood frozen before him for a few seconds that seemed an eternity.
Then she laughed and launched herself into his arms.
His senses filled with her, sweet and spicy. Her hair still smelled like the woods.
She pressed her lips to his and he felt her soft breasts crush against his chest.
Oh god, he had to claim her.
No, not like this.
He pulled away gently, and then dropped to one knee.
“Derek?” she asked in confusion.
“Hedda,” he held her hand in his, unable to find the words.
“Derek, we just met,” she said, trying to pull him to his feet.
“No. You won’t deny me this,” he said firmly.
To his surprise she straightened. It was the first time she had shown submission of any kind and the bear roared proudly in his chest. Well, he’d better enjoy it while it lasted. Derek had a feeling Hedda wasn’t going to make a habit of being bossed around.
“I know we just met and I don’t care,” he said honestly. “You mean everything to me and I want to give you all I have. My heart, my home, everything I’ve accomplished, I’m laying it all at your feet. It’s yours.”
“What are you saying?” she asked softly.
“I’m asking if you will accept me, imperfect as I am. Will you be my partner? Will you be my mate? Will you be my wife?”
The bear nudged him, and he pressed her hand to his lips, trying to convey in his kiss all that he couldn’t with his words.
There was a silence that nearly killed him, and then she spoke.
“I’ll be yours,” she said, “I’ll take you, but I don’t want all your stuff.”
His heart sang.
“We will talk about the stuff later. Right now, I want to claim you, Hedda. Is there anything you want to do first?”
“Hmm,” she replied, elaborately feigning her thoughtfulness. “No, no I don’t think I had anything else scheduled. Let’s do this.”
He chuckled and leapt to his feet.
She squealed, but he paid no mind and slung her over his shoulder.
When, inevitably, her little fists drummed his backside, he laughed and flung her onto the bed.
“Quiet, woman. I’m going to make you come so hard you forget your name.”
She giggled, but he knew before long she would be moaning.
And the thought of it made him wild.
37
Hedda lay on her back laughing. Derek crawled on top of her, his gorgeous body silhouetted by the setting sun streaming through the skylights above.
Soon it would be evening and they would sleep under the stars.
But first, oh, first would be something magical.
His animal was taking over a bit, she could tell by his flared nostrils. But she trusted the bear.
Derek slid her clothes off her like she was a rag doll and she didn’t fight. She wanted to be naked, she wanted to feel him against her, inside her, and quickly. Now that they were so close it was harder and harder to stay patient.
He knelt over her and looked down at her.
He saw her as she was. Impossible but true. He’d proven that her magic had little, if any, effect on him.
He looked down at her in awe, as if he couldn’t decide which part of her to appreciate first.
As if she were Venus stepping out of the ocean, or Eve holding out an apple. Not because of any magical trickery, but because of the way he felt about her.
The thought of it made her feel weak.
At last he focused on her eyes. He stared her down with so much lust that she felt her own body respond in empathy.
Without breaking eye contact, he pulled off his shirt, slid out of his jeans and boxer briefs.
His body was perfect. He was Adonis - long lean muscles, large puppyish hands, chiseled jaw and those blue eyes… Sometimes they cut like ice, but today they were like an ocean in summertime, blue and inviting, with unknown depth.
She reached up for him, tired of waiting, tired of the yawning moment between now and belonging to each other completely.
That wouldn’t happen in the wedding ceremony, not really, though that day would be important too. It would happen here, now.
Hedda knew enough about shifters to know that their bond was for life.
And she knew enough about herself to know that was perfect.
He lowered himself to kiss her slowly.
Her toes were already curling, and they had barely begun.
She moaned into his mouth without meaning to and he stilled on top of her.
She could feel him throbbing and pulsing between them.
It made her ache to possess him. She let her nails sink into his back.
“Hedda,” he whispered in warning.
“Please, I want you, please don’t make me wait,” she begged.
He cursed softly, as if he were fighting with his own impatience.
Throwing caution to the wind, she arched herself up against him, pressing her breasts into his chest so that he could be sure to feel the hard pebbles of her nipples.
“God, baby, slow down,” he begged her through clenched teeth.
She tangled her hands in his hair and kissed him with every drop of sensuousness she could muster.
He groaned in defeat and she cheered inwardly as he lifted himself up to flip her over.
Oh.
“It should be like this, the first time. Is that okay?” he asked.
She nodded, worried just a bit. He was so big, and this angle…
A moment later his mouth was on her sex and she forgot to worry. The pleasure was so intense and unexpected.
But it wasn’t enough.
She began to keen.
He replaced his mouth with his hand, then she felt him take her hip with one hand.
And then he replaced his other hand, with the blazing tip of his swollen cock.
“Are you sure, my love?” he asked her.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Good girl,” he praised her bravery.
Then with slowness that nearly killed them both, he pressed himself inside.
Hedda felt herself stretch and smart. As he remained inside her, unmoving except for his involuntary throbbing, the pain ebbed, and an irresistible current of need coursed through her.
“Please,” she whispered again.
He lowered himself over her, wrapping one arm around her waist and resting his weight on the other.
Slowly he moved inside her.
The pleasure was dizzying.
He moved again, long, slow strokes that had her howling with pleasure.
Then she felt his smiling mouth at the nape of her neck.
Hedda sensed what was coming and she didn’t fear it.
With his next thrust, he bit down on her neck.
The feeling was indescribable, white hot pleasure seared down her spine, loosening her pelvis and opening her further for him.
He groaned into her skin and thrust harder, faster.
When she began to see stars, he slid his hand down to find her clitoris and circle it lightly.
Hedda came apart on his cock in an endless series of clenching spasms, feeling him match her pulse for pulse from within, as if they were one being, fully human and fully animal all at once.
When it was done, he rolled them to their sides and nuzzled her hair.
“Beautiful Hedda, I love you. I will never leave your side. I will protect you and our young. Never doubt me, I am yours.”
She fell asleep as he whispered endless endearments into her hair as if he couldn’t help himself, as if he didn’t ever want to stop.
38
Derek ran a hand through his hair and looked up at the white stucco farmhouse with the green shutters that was the only home he had ever known.
He wasn’t nervous, not really.
No matter how many accomplishments life handed him, he always wanted Mom to be proud. And what made her proud was seldom anything he thought would please her. She’d been thoroughly unimpressed when he bought the building for his business and named his company Harkness.
But when he told her that he’d given up a luxury apartment to buy a condo she’d been beside herself and sent him framed pictures of his siblings to hang, and a handmade rag rug for the entry, a smaller version of the one by the fireplace back at the farm.
“I can’t believe you have your own home, that’s something to be proud of. But fill it up, son,” she’d said firmly. I’m sending pictures of the kids so you don’t forget what a home is really about.”
Now he was ready to fill a home with love. He had a mate, soon to be a wife. And she was strong and smart and brave. There was no way Mom would be unimpressed, he was pretty sure.
Not that her thoughts on the matter would weigh in. He was beguiled, besotted and bagged. Hedda had him on his knees, eating out of the palm of her hand. He wasn’t going anywhere.
“Having second thoughts?” A hint of laughter in Hedda’s voice belied her words.
“No, ma’am,” he replied. “I can’t wait. Are you ready to meet the family?”
“Yes,” she said resoundingly.
He paused at front step and fixed her in his gaze, one brow raised.
“You know, it’s not too late to turn back. It’s going to be loud in there and… honest. My family doesn’t distinguish between what’s a polite question and what’s personal, and the fact that half of them are teenagers, well…”
They watched as a pair of brown doves fluttered onto the porch to perch on the rail. One of the birds let out a soft cooing sound before they took flight again, disappearing into the orchard.
Hedda’s gaze followed them, an inscrutable expression on her lovely face.
Then she fixed him in her lavender gaze and tossed her dark hair.
“Bring it on,” she told him.
He knocked and the door swung open, nearly hitting him.
“Der-eeeeeeeeeeek!!!!”
There was a chorus of squeals, accompanied by what felt like a hundred kids, though there were really only three, arms open wide.
“Hey guys, good to see you,” he laughed, flinging the littlest one, Aidan, over his shoulder.
“You’re getting so big, Aidan. Whew! And is that Josh? How’s the world of science? Any new discoveries I should know about?”
“Who’s that?” Josh asked, pointing at Hedda. He was about six and had a shock of red hair on top of his head.
“Why that’s—” Derek began.
“—I’m Hedda,” she said for herself, offering the boy her hand to shake. “And you must be Josh.”
Good for her.
“Yes,” Josh beamed up at her, shaking her hand enthusiastically. “You knew that because I like science. Do you want to see my worm farm?”
; “I’d love that,” Hedda replied. “I like science too. And my sister really loves biology. Maybe you’ll meet her one day.”
Josh scampered off, presumably to fetch some worms.
Hannah had retreated to the kitchen, she was often shy with new people. Now she returned with a familiar face in tow.
“Mrs. Cortez,” Derek said fondly.
“Derek,” she smiled her beautiful smile. She squeezed his arm, but it was only on her way to Hedda.
“And this is your wife,” she said nodding to herself. “We’ll have a good chat about magic,” she told Hedda, leading her to a seat by the fire.
“Actually,” Derek began, “we’re not…”
Gloria Cortez waved a hand dismissively, as if she couldn’t be bothered by such trivialities.
“Derek?” Mom’s voice called from the kitchen. “Hang on, love, I’m putting a roast in the oven.”
He smiled, allowing himself to take in the familiar smells, good food cooking, the crackle of the wood fire, the giggles of the little siblings who had already forgotten the new lady and were climbing all over him.
“That’s your brother, not a jungle gym,” Mom said on her way in. “Go set the table, please, and then call your brothers and sisters in from the orchard.”
Derek basked in the sight of her. Her cheeks were pink as always, and those faded blue eyes crinkled up with a big smile. Wisps of her white and blonde curls frizzled out of the long braid down her back.
“Son,” she said simply.
He pulled her into his arms.
“Oh mercy, what’s this about?” she asked, but she hugged him back, hard.
“There’s someone I want you to meet,” he told her as he let go of her.
“Oh, is there, now?” she asked. But she had already spotted Hedda, having a cozy chat with Mrs. Cortez.
She turned back to Derek, her face aglow with happiness.
“She knows you?” Mom asked. “She understands?”
He nodded.
“Then she’s one of us now. I’ll leave it to you to break it to her,” she smiled ruefully. “Now I want to meet her and know everything that’s going on, but your brother is here too, so let me run out to the barn and grab him. Oh-ho-ho, just wait ’til you hear what happened to that one!”