"What time is it?" He checks his phone. "Is the limo arriving in an hour? How is your article?"
"Still working on it. I still have to graduate this week. Luckily, I have a ton of raw material," she smiles.
"You're welcome," he says.
"Thank you."
"I'll shower while you finish." He walks into the bathroom and she can finally concentrate completely on her work. She opens her laptop and writes.
When she comes up for air, the blog article is finished, and Cliff is putting the last few items in his suitcase.
"I feel so much better." He brings her a mug of coffee. "You sip, I'll read," he says.
She hands him her laptop and sits quietly as he reads.
She's written a short piece that tells the story of their weekend. It's about listening to your inner voice, she writes, instead of celebrity gossip. It's about savoring quiet moments with people you love. And it's about gratitude and peace.
"It's beautiful," Cliff tells her. "You're a great writer."
"Thank you," Frankie says. She presses Send and—with that—is officially done with community college. She feels choked up, thinking of her mom, and how much she believed in Frankie too.
Cliff embraces her in a lingering hug. "Congratulations," he says. "We can talk more about it in the limo."
"I'll have to drive my car while you take the limo," she says.
"Why don't you just leave your car here? We can send someone else for it tomorrow."
Frankie shakes her head. She doesn't want to leave her car. She needs to stand on her own two feet now. She'll never forget the nights she spent with Cliff. But it's over now. She understands that. Once she gets him to the hospital, her job with him will be over.
"What is it?"
"Elle said being sick had completely changed you."
"So?"
Will he go back to Elle? Has the entire relationship that's been building between them just been a side effect of his illness? Frankie isn’t sure, and her fears are reignited.
"Maybe you'll want to be with her again after you get well." She looks down at her hands.
"No. I won't. I'm crazy about you and that has nothing to do with being sick."
"How do you know? Elle said—"
"Would you forget what Elle has said about anything? I tell you, she’s crazy. You can’t believe a word of it."
"It’s hard. She's known you for so long."
"It might take time, I know that. But I’m all yours. After this, I’m never letting you out of my sight. I even turned down the role in Ford's film because she is involved in it."
"You turned it down? That part was everything you wanted."
He cups her face with his hands and stares into her eyes. "You're everything I want. You, Frankie Knightly."
She feels tears fill her eyes. It's exactly what she wants to hear, but she needs to know he's in his right mind before she can believe it.
Still, she doesn't want to upset him so she takes his hands in hers. "Let's get you ready for the hospital, okay?"
After bundling him into the limo, she starts her own car and follows, but the limo driver is going too fast. She can't keep up with them. The ferry is only a ten-minute drive away, but after about a minute she can't even see the limo anymore.
Surely, Cliff will make the limo turn back when he realizes she's no longer behind them. She's straining to see them when a loud clank tells her something is wrong with her car.
It sputters and dies.
She pulls over and checks her phone. There's still no reception. She tries to start her car. Nothing.
She'll have to just wait for someone else to drive up, or for Cliff to figure out something is wrong and come back.
When a car pulls up behind her, she feels relieved. Then she sees it's Dave and he's got his camera pointed at her again.
This can't be good.
A giant black wolf bounds out of the forest and jumps on the hood of Frankie's car. She honks her horn but the wolf seems to be just laughing at her. It slams its paws on the windshield and presses until the glass cracks.
Frankie screams and calls out for help.
"Cliff!"
The giant wolf bounces on the roof of her car, pounding it down toward her head. Frankie raises her hands overhead and slides down in the seat.
"Cliff!"
When a giant grizzly bear appears, Frankie isn't surprised to see him. It's Cliff. It's just got to be. She's not at all scared but her adrenaline is pumping. She's unable to speak because he's so handsome, golden brown fur with soft gray eyes. He grabs the wolf and flings it into the forest. It slams into a tree and runs off.
Then the bear turns to Dave.
Dave scrambles to get back into his car, but he can't get there fast enough. The bear is on him, grabbing the camera and stomping on it.
Dave runs off into the forest.
The bear rises up and lifts his arms to the sky. He snorts loudly, and as he leans down to the ground he turns into a man, stretching and wrenching his muscles as his joints make popping sounds. Cliff! He's completely naked now, and Frankie understands what happened when he was naked in the forest the last time.
She opens her door and runs to him, leaping into his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist. They kiss and it's several minutes before either one comes up for air. Cliff holds her tightly, before pulling back to look into her eyes.
"Now can I convince you to leave your car here?"
"Jane Fonda Honda is dead," she says with a sniff. "I couldn't get her to start."
"I'll buy you a new car when we get to Malibu."
"When we get there?"
"I told you. By your side. Twenty-four-seven. Unless you really want to stay in the youth hostel."
"Can we just get you to the hospital? I don’t want you dying at the end of our love story."
They kiss.
"Me neither," he says. "And, by the way, this is not the end."
They walk up the road to the limo, arms wrapped around each other. Cliff doesn't seem to care that he's completely naked. Frankie sure doesn't mind.
He says nothing about it to the limo driver, who is waiting just around a bend in the road, reading a newspaper. Cliff pulls some clothes from his suitcase in the trunk before getting in the backseat.
Once they’re settled in the limo and driving towards the ferry, the car phone rings. Cliff picks up the phone and listens for a moment, then says, "Send the contract to my lawyer. She'll let you know."
He hangs up.
"That was Ford," he tells Frankie. "He's giving me the part after all. Elle's part is being recast."
"I'm so glad." She never wants to let go of his hand.
"Now all I have to do is gain forty pounds. And get well."
"Whatever happens, we’ll face it together," she says, squeezing his hand.
He leans down and presses his lips to hers, kissing Frankie as if his very life depends on it. Maybe it does.
Epilogue
After two weeks in the hospital, Cliff is released with a clean bill of health. Frankie never left his side. He’s a bear shifter and he’s in love.
As they arrive at his house in Malibu, Frankie and Cliff walk onto the deck, strip off their clothes, and slide into the hot tub. Cliff presses two buttons and a fire roars to life in the outdoor pit as soft jazz fills the night air.
"Amazing," she says.
"Just another rough day in Malibu," he teases. "It’s good to be home. To finally have you here with me."
Frankie smiles. She floats onto Cliff’s lap, the bubbles caressing her legs and back while she caresses him. Her skin is flushed from the heat. "I know what you are. Tell me what Elle Hudson is."
He kisses her. Elle is the last thing he wants to talk about. "Some other time."
He leans in to kiss her again, and she pulls back. Her eyes are shining with curiosity.
"Really? We're doing this now?"
She nods.
He realizes Frankie has a righ
t to know everything. Even though he's never told anyone. His relationship with her is different. "Elle is a wolf shifter," Cliff says finally.
"What else?" She nods as if she had already guessed the truth. He strokes her arms and runs his hands down her back.
"She was the wolf on top of your car. The whole family is shifters."
"For real? All of them? Even the mother?"
"Even the mother." Cliff pulls her closer. "It's a lot to take in."
"So it’s not just you and the Seattle bear shifters," Frankie says.
"Hollywood attracts paranormals from around the world. When they become successful, they move to Malibu to live near the canyons and the ocean. Believe me, Malibu Cove is not always safe at night for humans."
Frankie surveys the the black hills that surround Cliff's house. She hears the roar of the ocean but not much else. She feels safe next to him. But maybe she shouldn't.
"Is that why you and Elle broke up?" Frankie finally asks. "Because you were both shifters? Too many fangs. Too much fur?"
"No. That's why we were dating. A big part of it, anyway," he says. "We just weren't compatible."
"You stood by her side."
"I wanted to. We had a lot of other issues. We didn't want the same things for the same reasons. She works in Hollywood for fame. I work in Hollywood despite fame."
She nods. "Thank you. For telling me, I mean."
He kisses her sweetly, tenderly. "Now you know everything. Or almost. There’s one more thing."
"What?" she asks quietly, as if steeling herself for the worst. The hot tub jets cover them with bubbles. She glances down at his chest until he lifts her face with one finger. He can read everything in her eyes, and he needs to see her truth.
"My bear tells me that you are my fated mate. If you want me."
Her face lights up with joy. "What does that mean? Fated mate?"
"We belong together, forever. Once we make love, we'll be bound for life. I'll always take care of you. Love you."
"I want you," she says without hesitation, kissing him again, pressing her breasts against his chest. "But can we please stop talking now, please?"
Cliff feels relief and happiness flood his every fiber. "Since you said please…."
Both naked and wet, Cliff pulls Frankie further into his lap and kisses her deeply.
She opens to him completely, her mouth, her heart, her legs. All of her welcoming him, accepting him, embracing him.
Cliff’s cock rises up, pressing into her pussy, demanding, insisting.
Yes, his bear growls urgently. Now. Do it now.
She adjusts her position and he slides in, sighing with pleasure as her soft heat envelops him. "Oh, yes." Cliff rises out of the hot tub, holding Frankie up, his cock still in her, and carries her into the living room, where he lays her down on the rug in front of the fireplace. Her blond hair spreads around her face like a beautiful crown.
"This is forever," he says, straddling her, still inside, his face inches from her sweet face, giving her one last chance to say no.
"Forever," she says, sliding her arms around his neck and kissing him, pressing her hips up and clutching her pussy to urge him on. He rocks his hips back and down, fully entering her, stretching her completely. He pauses and bends his head down to grab her left nipple in his mouth, rolling it between his teeth, biting her, teasing her as he dips his fingers over her clit.
"Hurry," she urges him, inflamed, wanting more. "Harder." She holds on to him.
"I don't want to hurt you," he says, looking deep into her eyes.
"I want to feel all of you. I need this too," Frankie says, and he knows it's true. She pushes him onto his back and straddles him, riding his cock, urgently pushing him onward.
He grabs her hips and rocks with her, and this time he doesn't stop. More deeply in, more roughly back. He sits up as he fucks her, burying his face in her neck, sucking on her soft shoulder, nibbling his way to her breasts, rolling and tugging first one nipple and then the other until she moans, mindlessly hot.
Pulling her onto his lap, her legs straddling his hips, Cliff pumps into Frankie as she grasps onto him, both lovers succumbing to desire and need. Waves of pleasure pulse through them, every moan bringing them closer to complete ecstasy.
Cliff lets his bear go.
He rears up and flips her over, belly down, ass up. She straightens her arms and arches her back, lifting her ass up high, offering him everything. Kneeling behind her, he pulls her pussy up and slides into her.
What is carefulness but fear?
They are done with fear. All that's left is fucking.
He cages her body. Her body slippery under his. His arms coupled with her arms. His legs trapping her legs. He slams his cock into her pussy, again and again and again. She cries out his name.
They're beyond thought. Only flesh. Only sensation.
She's crying out, getting closer and closer, and he's ready too.
Let's go, his bear says.
"Come for me," he commands, and she lets go, dropping over the edge of orgasm, waves of pleasure rocking her as he roars. His seed pumps into her until they both collapse, empty and spent. Completely satisfied.
She is his. And he is hers.
____
Frankie wakes first. Cliff is holding her to his chest, and he's smiling.
He’s asleep.
"Hey," she says, waking him up with a kiss.
"Was I sleeping?" he says, stretching and stroking her back, his touch leaving a trail of fresh goosebumps.
She nods, lovingly. "Yes," she says. "You were asleep."
She settles back on his chest, listening to the beat of his heart. The flames are still cracking in the fireplace.
"Whatcha thinking about?" he asks. Her body is still thrumming with pleasure.
"I’m not thinking at all. Just happy."
He drags his fingers over her breasts. "What will you do now that you're done with school?"
"I’m not sure," Frankie says, flipping over to see his face. "I don't want to be a reporter anymore. But I do want to keep writing."
"Your teacher said you were an amazing storyteller." He smiles.
"I kind of want to write a story about paranormals. Maybe a TV show?"
"A series? We can produce it together."
"A TV producer," Frankie says, as if trying the words on for size.
"What do you want?" Cliff asks.
"I want all of that." Frankie is suddenly sure. "And I want a family too. I want to have children—or cubs?"
"If we're going to live in both Salish and Malibu, we'll need to bring our work with us wherever we go. And then when we're married..."
She breaks into a grin.
"When we're married, we can raise our kids in the Pacific Northwest, so they turn out as completely adorable as you."
"And you," she says. Frankie didn't know she could feel this happy. "When can we meet your family?"
"Right away. I'll call them tonight. But first, I have a very important question to ask you."
"Yes?" she says, finally. She can't stop smiling.
This is the beginning she had hoped for with every fiber of her being. It is the beginning she hadn’t even allowed herself to dream might come true.
"Next weekend I have to attend a film premiere in Paris. Will you go to the red carpet with me? We can get you a new dress on Rodeo Drive. Unless you'd rather go back to Gertrude?"
"Yes!" she laughs, sliding onto Cliff’s chest, kissing him until neither one can breathe.
Not that she cares.
Who needs oxygen when you have bear-shifting love?
* * *
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About a Bear
1
Rachel had just settled under the crooked Douglas fir with her sketch pad and pencil when she was distracted by a commotion coming from the office of the Seattle Bear Sanctuary.
She
glanced up, the breeze ruffling her wavy auburn hair. Excited voices squealed, ringing across the courtyard.
"Oooh," she said to the bears she was sketching, "something exciting for us girls today!"
The three grizzlies, Marcia, Jan, and Cindy—sisters who had lived at the Sanctuary for most of their lives—also looked toward the office. Rachel had come to love these three brown bears, and they seemed accepting of her near-daily presence as long as she remembered they were magnificent beasts and she was a lowly human.
When she turned to look in the office windows, Rachel's giant handbag spilled off the bench, scattering juice boxes, sketch pads, a spare T-shirt, pencil boxes, a first aid kit, tissues, keys, her wallet, smart phone, and all the tiny necessary things that end up at the bottom of a purse.
She looked at the bears with a shrug. "Someday you may just need an apple juice box, and you'll know who to come to."
As she shoved everything back in her bag, Rachel wondered if a new bear had arrived, and if so, she might sketch it for the illustrations she was making for her latest book. Rachel specialized in illustrating children's books that featured animals, and the Sanctuary had fast become one of her favorite places to sketch.
The Sanctuary's director, Lea, opened the door to the courtyard and stuck her head out. Lea was tall with blond mermaid-worthy hair that she wore pulled back in the longest ponytail Rachel had ever seen. "Rach," she hollered, "you've got to see this!"
The Bear Sanctuary accepted lost, injured, or sick bears and got them ready to be released in the wilderness.
Rachel had never been called "Rach," much less addressed directly by Lea in the three weeks she'd been coming to sketch bears for her new children's book, which was about a bear.
It must be something pretty exciting. Rachel dropped her things on the bench, smoothed her jean skirt over her thighs, and said to the girls, "Be right back, girls. And I'll bring a full report." She jumped up and ran into the Sanctuary's office to see what all the fuss was about.
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