by Ruby Shae
He let go of her arm, but he wasn’t done talking. He leaned forward, and whispered in her ear. “Don’t make me chase you in the rain, Liddy. I’ll not only catch you, but I’ll have fun doing it, too.”
Something in his tone was different than it had been before, and she turned in his direction and watched him retrieve a pair of pants from behind a small cluster of rocks. He didn’t face her again until his bottom half was covered.
“Sorry,” he said. “I don’t have a shirt.”
His clothes were the least of her worries.
“You’re a bear,” she whispered. The statement was more for herself than him, but she had questions that needed answers. “It was you in the campsite, wasn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“So you knew where I was living from the very beginning. How did you find out?”
“Zach followed you after our lunch in the park.”
Honestly, she wasn’t that surprised, but knowing Aiden…
“Did you run a background check on me?”
“Liddy—”
“Did you?”
“Yes,” he admitted.
“And what did you find out?” she asked, her voice wobbly.
He sighed, but answered honestly.
“Everything.”
She shouldn’t have been shocked, but that didn’t stop the tears from slowly rolling down her face. The fact that Aiden didn’t elaborate meant his check was thorough, and extremely detailed.
“Does everyone know?”
“Graham is the only one besides me who has seen the full report, and he’ll never say anything. The others know you came here with very little cash, and that you intended to marry your ex, but it didn’t work out, and that’s how you ended up living in your car.”
“What do you know?”
“A little more,” he said.
Liddy stared at him until he started talking.
“You met him online, and after six months, he asked you to marry him. You quit your job, sold or gave away most of your possessions, cleaned out your bank account, and relocated. You spent one night with him, and then moved to the campground. There was also a photo, and I told the guys to keep him out of the club.”
She nodded, and wiped her tears away.
Even though she hadn’t wanted him to know about her past, she felt as if a great burden had been lifted off her shoulders. No matter what happened now, she would no longer have to hide the truth from Aiden and his friends.
“Yeah, that’s the gist of it,” she nodded.
“Why only one night?” Aiden asked. “Did he hurt you?”
“He didn’t do anything I didn’t agree to,” she said, willing him to drop it. “His profile—his persona—had all been a scam, and after we slept together, he said I was a disappointing fuck, and that he couldn’t marry me.”
“Fucking asshole,” Aiden said.
“Pretty much,” Liddy laughed, mirthlessly.
Aiden had been slowly moving closer to her, and now he stood only a few inches away. She could feel his breath on her skin, and if she moved, his lips would collide with her heated flesh.
“I’m sorry that happened to you, but I’m not sorry you came to Blackbeary Creek,” Aiden said. “If you didn’t move here, we would have never met, and I would have never found you.”
“I’m glad to have met you, too,” she whispered, looking up into his dark eyes.
“Stay with me,” he said. “Be my mate and let’s spend the rest of our lives together.”
She wanted his words to be true, but fear held her back.
“Aiden…what are you saying?”
“I’m saying I love you, and I want to marry you, as soon as possible. I’ve been trying to go slow, to give you time to get used to me, but I’m going crazy without you. I want you under my roof, in my bed, and eventually wearing my mark. If you don’t want to get married right away, that’s fine, but let’s stop pretending we’re just friends. I don’t want to be just your friend; I want to be your everything.”
“Aiden…”
She wanted him, too, but she still couldn’t find the words.
“You don’t have to answer now,” he said, taking a step back. “Please, just think about it. I know I said I’m going crazy, but I’m not some barbarian who can’t control himself. I can wait as long as you need, and don’t think you owe me anything. Nothing changes if your answer is no.”
She still worried she wasn’t good enough, but she would never say no.
“Aiden, I love you, too.”
“You do?”
“Yes. I knew it that first day, but I was so afraid of you finding out about my past. I wish your friends didn’t know about it. Wait! Are they all bears, too?”
“Everyone except Scarlett,” Aiden said. “And they don’t care about your past. Zach was being an ass today because I was grumpier than usual, and he was trying to help, but you’re mine and that’s all that matters to them. By the way, I’m going to kick his ass when we get home.”
“What?” she laughed. “You can’t kick his ass.”
“You think he’s stronger than me?” he growled. “A better fighter?”
His sudden ire didn’t bother her one bit, and she felt her confidence soar.
“Calm down,” she giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I’m sure you can kick his ass, but you don’t need to. He did help, and for that he deserves a bye. Gosh, you really are extra grumpy today. I wonder what we can do about that?”
He immediately understood her meaning, and crashed his lips down on hers.
***
Aiden wrapped his arms around Liddy’s waist, and pulled her soft, curvy body against his hard one. His kiss was rough, and unyielding, but when he tried to pull back, Liddy tightened her arms around his neck in protest.
Her approval was all he needed.
He shoved his tongue into her mouth, and she willingly accepted all of him, meeting him stroke for stroke. He explored her mouth like a dying man who’s only cure was her kiss, and when he pulled back and bit her lower lip, her answering moan called to his bear.
He lowered his hands to her ass, lifted her up, and Liddy wrapped her legs around him as if they’d practiced the move a million times. He slammed her against the wall of the cave, and ground his hard cock against her warm cunt, but her answering moan reminded him he was being too rough.
He eased up slightly, and she dug her nails into his shoulders.
“Don’t even think about slowing down.”
He ground his cock against her again, and felt his canines elongate. Marking her wouldn’t turn her into a bear, but it would tell the world who she belonged to. As much as he wanted to claim her, he wouldn’t until she asked him to.
That didn’t mean they couldn’t do other things, though, and he cursed the barrier of clothing separating them. He scraped his canines against the juncture between her neck and shoulder, and she shivered.
“When you’re ready, I want to mark you here,” he whispered into her skin.
“What will the mark do?” she asked. “Will I turn into a bear?”
“No, you’ll always be human, but it will bind you to me until we die. You’ll always be mine, baby.”
“Are you sure you’ll want me for that long?” she asked.
“I’m sure,” he said. “I knew you were mine from the moment you picked up my lunch and ran.”
“I’m sure, too,” she said. “You’re not like any other man I’ve ever met, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Her words soothed him in a way he didn’t know he needed, and suddenly, the cave wasn’t the place he wanted to claim his mate. She deserved so much better than a fuck against a dirt wall.
“Let’s go back to the house,” he said, stepping away from the wall.
Liddy didn’t release her hold around him, but he held her easily.
“Why?” she asked. “Did you already change your mind?”
Her sadness filled the cave as
she released her legs and slid down his body. When she went to release her arms from around his neck, Aiden grabbed her forearms and held them in place.
“No, baby, that will never happen,” he said, placing a chaste kiss on her lips. “I just think our first time should be special. You deserve so much more than a dirt wall protruding with rocks. Hell, we don’t even have a blanket to lay down on the floor.”
“I want you, Aiden, and to me, this is special. As for the blanket,” she said, unfastening the top button on his pants, “I’m sure we can improvise.”
Aiden loved his mate’s enthusiasm, but he wasn’t convinced until she pulled down his zipper, opened his pants, and wrapped her fingers around his dick. He loved seeing her playful and confident, but combined with her touch, she was dangerous to his self-control.
He grabbed her t-shirt by the hem, pushed it up her torso, and yanked the offending material over her head. Her large breasts were covered in a lace demi-bra, and he kissed the skin above the cups as he released her from the pretty material.
He pulled the fabric down her arms, and growled when her hard nipples came into view. They reminded him of his favorite chocolate coated candy, and he couldn’t help palming the fleshy globes and closing his mouth around one of the hard, tasty treats.
He licked, sucked and teased the bite-sized flesh until she tightened her fingers around the short hairs on his head, and pulled hard. Pain and pleasure raced to his cock as her cries of ecstasy echoed around the cave, and only then did he move to give the other side the same treatment.
Liddy held his hair in a death grip, and shifted her weight from one side to the other.
“Aiden, please,” she begged.
He could smell her arousal through her jeans, and he wanted to rip off the fabric and sink his cock into her soaking wet cunt.
“Aiden!”
She begged again, and he let her nipple go, and then kneeled down in front of her. He unfastened her jeans, caught a glimpse of her matching white lace panties, and pulled both garments down her legs. Her shaved pussy was damp, and he leaned forward and pressed a kiss on her mound.
She sighed when he issued the chaste peck, and he wanted to hear her make that sound again. Later, when they had more time, he was going to feast on her pretty pussy until she screamed his name, but right now he had other things to do.
He freed her from the denim holding her hostage, and then he stood up and removed his own pants. When he faced Liddy again, the look on her face made him pause.
“You okay?” he asked. “If you’re not—”
“I’m perfect,” she laughed, cutting him off. “I’m just wondering what’s taking you so long.”
“Really?” he asked, taking a step toward her.
He slid one hand between her legs, and his bear roared when she automatically widened her stance, allowing him to easily push two fingers into her wet cunt.
“Because I thought I was moving pretty fast.”
“Aiden…”
He moved his fingers in and out slowly, as if he didn’t have a care in the world, but in reality, he felt like he was going to explode. Liddy held onto his shoulders, and staggered kisses along his chin, neck and chest. The range of mews and moans coming from his mate made his teasing worth it, but they also tested his control.
When he felt her pussy clench around his fingers, his cock throbbed in response, and he knew their time was up. He slid his hands under her ass, and lifted her high off the dirt floor. Once again, Liddy wrapped her legs around him like a seasoned lover, and then sank down on his thick cock.
Her pussy fit him like a glove, and the way she clenched around him nearly drove him insane. He rushed to the side of the cave, pinned her against the wall with his hips, and tried to catch his breath.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, forcing him to look at her.
“I need a minute,” he said. “I’m losing control, and I don’t want to scare you.”
“And losing control means…?”
“Acting like an animal, and fucking you hard and fast.”
“So lose control, my grumpy bear.”
He didn’t wait for her to change her mind.
He pulled his hips back slowly, freeing all of his cock except for the tip, and then he slammed back into her hard and fast. He thrust his hips in and out until her pussy clamped down on his dick wildly, and the thick rod begged for release.
His canines elongated, and when Liddy exploded around his cock, screaming his name, he sank his teeth into the sensitive space connecting her neck and shoulder. She came again, and he lost what little sanity he had left.
He let go of her flesh, and roared his release.
Aiden continued pumping his hips until she milked him dry, and then he licked her wound, sealing his mark, and pinned her to the wall until their breathing returned to normal.
“Thank you, baby,” he whispered. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, Aiden.”
He planted a chaste kiss on her lips, and then carefully lowered her to the floor. When her legs stopped wobbling, he gathered up their clothes, spread them over the dirt like a blanket, and then laid down next to the thin fabric pallet.
“Come here, baby.”
She obeyed without question, and he felt one side of his mouth rise, but this time he didn’t try to hide it. He wasn’t going to change, but he would never hide from his mate.
She made him happy, and she deserved to know it.
Liddy laid down next to him, kissed her fingertip, and placed it on the raised side of his mouth. Then she smiled, and he lost the ability to breathe.
It wasn’t the smile she gave her customers, or his cousin, or anyone else.
This smile was just for him.
Without a word, she scooted closer, placed her head on his chest, and fell asleep.
Epilogue
Three hours later…
Liddy watched Aiden gather his clothes from where he left them next to the tree, and bit her lower lip. In the cave, he’d said that his family didn’t care about her past, but now that they were about to walk across the clearing, her old doubts returned.
“Are you sure they’ll accept me as your mate?”
“Positive,” Aiden said, linking his fingers with hers and kissing the back of her hand. “They accepted you the moment I said that you were mine. It’s the only reason you were allowed to stay on clan land, and live in Tristian’s home. They love you, baby, and everyone will be happy when they see you wearing my mark.”
“Even Zach?”
“Zach more than anyone, but I can still kick his ass if it will make you feel better.”
“No,” she laughed. “I’m good. If you say it’s okay, then I believe you.”
“Good, now let’s hurry up and get home. I need to be inside you again.”
Liddy laughed, but she allowed Aiden to pull her across the clearing.
The truth was, she wanted him again, too, despite the fact that he’d taken her a second time on the floor of the cave after they’d woken up from a short nap. Unlike the first time, the second had been slow and steady, and she couldn’t remember how many times he’d brought her to orgasm.
She should be tired and sore, but all she could think about was how Aiden was going to take her next.
“You’re going to ride me,” he said. “I want to watch you bounce on my cock.”
Shit!
She forgot how good he was with emotions. Not that it mattered. She didn’t need to hide from him anymore.
When they were almost to the house, Liddy tensed when she saw Zach rise from one of the chairs on the porch, and descend the stairs. He stopped a few feet in front of them, and she noticed a faded purple mark on his face. She looked at Aiden—wondering—and he nodded.
It wasn’t an ass kicking, but he’d already taken a swing at his cousin.
“I’m sorry for embarrassing you earlier,” Zach said directly to her. “I was trying to force Aiden to make a move, but I know I hurt yo
u in the process, which wasn’t my intent. Can you forgive me, cousin?”
Cousin?
She really did have a family again.
Suddenly, all of her fears disappeared, and she knew Aiden had been telling her the truth. His family didn’t care about her past.
“I forgive you,” she said easily.
“Good,” he said, pulling her into a hug.
Liddy hugged him back, but they both let go when Aiden growled.
“Well, that’s my cue,” Zach said, backing away slowly. “Congrats on your mating, and have fun shaking the walls.”
The goofy bear winked at them before he ran off into the forest, and Liddy couldn’t help but laugh as Aiden pulled her up the stairs to her new home.
The home she would now share with her mate.
Nearly a month ago, she’d arrived in Blackbeary Creek with next to nothing, searching for something impossible, and without even looking, she’d found everything.
Evidently, finding love is possible…if you steal from the right bear.
The End
From the Author
Thank you for purchasing this book. Your support allows me to continue doing a job I love every day. If you liked this story, please consider leaving a review so more people can find and enjoy my books, and don’t forget to sign up for my Newsletter to stay up to date on all of my book news!
Hugs,
Ruby Shae
About the Author
I’m a USA Today Bestselling Author of sizzling, sexy, shifter romance.
Until I find my own tall, muscle bound, alpha shifter…I’ll keep writing about them.
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