Amber made a big production of scooping salad onto Ryder’s bowl. She poured them each a glass of wine, and then settled into her seat.
Ryder was staring at her.
“What?” She asked, suddenly panicked that she had spilled on her shirt, or a button was undone.
“You’re beautiful.”
Amber shot him a skeptical look. “Quit that.”
“I can’t quit the truth. You are beautiful.”
“I’m pudgy. At least three sizes too big for beautiful.” She stabbed at the lettuce and peppers on her plate.
“You need to quit listening to magazines and movie stars. Listen to the man in front of you. You, Amber Cherie Flynn, are beautiful. I’m looking at you; I know.”
Amber froze. Her fork was in mid-stab. She turned her head slowly to look directly at Ryder. Sure enough, he hadn’t touched his food. He was just looking at her. She swallowed nervously and set down her fork.
“Look, Ryder. I just don’t know about this,” she began.
“Amber, don’t. Don’t make excuses. Why can’t you accept that to me you are perfection? I love your hair, your eyes, your body, your smile, your laugh, and that little crease you get right there between your eyebrows when you’re perplexed.”
Immediately, Amber’s hand flew to her forehead to rub that crease away. Ryder laughed.
“And I love your reactions to me. I hate that you left so unexpectedly eight years ago. I hate that I didn’t know where you were. I hate that we lost time together.” Tears welled up in Amber’s eyes. “But I love you. I’ve always loved you. I won’t let you go again. If you leave, I’ll follow. If you go somewhere, I’ll go with you. But what I want is for you to stay. Stay with me. Let me love you.” Ryder reached out and wiped her spilling tears from her cheeks. He tilted her face up and brought his down to meet hers. Sweetly, softly he kissed her. They could both taste the salt of her tears on her lips. Suddenly, he stopped.
“What’s that smell?”
Amber sniffed, and scrambled for the stove. She turned off the heat under the green beans and to the oven. When she lifted the lid off the pan, black smoke poured out. “Oh, no! It was going so perfectly!” Amber wailed.
The shriek of the fire-detector startled them both. Amber put the lid back down on the pan and picked up the whole mess. Over the noise of the alarm, she called to Ryder, “Would you take the potatoes out, please? I hope they aren’t burned to a crisp as well.” She rushed to the door, intending to take the smoking mess out to the trashcans. At the door, she met her sister charging in.
“What’s on fire?” Jade, wild-eyed, asked. “Are you okay? What’s burning?”
“I’m okay. It’s just the beans.” Amber pushed past her sisters, mortified that they’d come to her rescue, and continued outside.
“Hello, cousin dear,” Iris greeted Ryder. “How was supper going?”
Ryder pulled the potatoes from the oven. They looked a bit crisp, but edible and still smelled great. “Well, I think, Iris. I distracted her; she had everything well in hand.”
“Distracted her, huh?” Iris began rubbing Jade’s back in small slow circles. Jade was trembling; the thought of her baby sister in a fire had sent her into a panic she’d never experienced before. Iris spoke in low and soothing tones, but didn’t address the obvious just yet. “I wonder how.”
“Not the way you’re thinking. I told her she was beautiful.” Ryder set down the oven mitt and leaned back against the kitchen counter. He crossed his arms across his broad chest.
Iris’s eyes softened and melted just a bit. “Did you hear that, Jade love? He distracted her by telling her she’s beautiful.”
Jade struggled to pull herself to calm, “She’s always been beautiful.”
“Yes, love, we know this, but she hasn’t always thought so. Ryder, would you make my mate here a glass of water? I think she needs it.” Iris used her rubbing hand to push Jade over to the table where she collapsed into a chair. Her eyes were still wide and wild.
Ryder raised an eyebrow at Iris and tilted his head in question. She shook her head slightly in reply and they both turned at the sound of the door.
Amber clumped back into the apartment with the now empty pan. Her grumbles weren’t loud enough for anyone but Ryder to decipher. His grin suggested that her curses were highly inventive. Disgruntled at the way her supper had turned out, she snapped at the three faces staring at her.
“What?”
Iris and Ryder both shook their heads silently. Jade, however, chose that moment to burst into tears.
“Oh, no.” Amber hurried across the intervening space and set her burdens on the table. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. It was rude of me. You’ve been nothing but welcoming, and I’m a bitch. I’m so sorry.”
“No no no.” Jade waved away Amber’s apologies. “Not the snappy. Just so glad you’re okay. “She threw her arms around Amber’s neck and squeezed tight.
Amber was completely confused. She patted Jade’s back and looked over at Iris. “I don’t understand. I just ruined a dinner. Of course I’m okay. Just a bruised ego.”
“No, dear.” Understanding had dawned for Iris. “For insurance purposes, the fire detector in here is wired into the house’s alarm system. When it goes off, we know it. The alarm in the house sounded, and Jade panicked. She thought the apartment was on fire, and you were inside.”
Amber was getting really tired of crying. This time her tears were for her sister. “I’m okay, Jade. I’m okay. No fire. See? No fire.”
Jade’s only reply was to squeeze harder. “You left right after the fire and the funerals. You were gone for so long. Then you came back to me. The thought of losing you to a fire just…”
“I would’ve done the same, Jade. I would’ve done the same.” The two ladies sat and held each other for a few minutes.
Iris walked over to where her cousin leaned against the counter. She joined him there and, as they watched their loves, tilted her head onto his shoulder.
“Amber, why did you leave me? Why? I lost my whole family in less than two weeks.” Jade wept.
Amber struggled for a moment and finally shared her secret. “It was my fault. I had to leave.” Guilt washed over her for all the pain she had caused: their parents’ deaths, deserting Jade, leaving Ryder and Rachel. Her tears flowed freely. “All my fault. I couldn’t face anyone knowing that.”
Jade sat back a bit and wiped at her face. “What are you talking about your fault?”
Words were difficult to push through Amber’s tears. “The fire. Momma and Dad. My fault.”
Iris and Ryder perked up their ears; this was new information for sure.
“No,” Jade said. “You can’t blame yourself.”
“Yes. Yes, I can. I did it. I had candles lit all over my room.” Finally confessing and purging this heaviness on her soul had Amber’s words tumbling over one another to get out. “I had played romantic music to get into the mood for my date with Ryder, and I lit some candles. I must’ve been in too much of a hurry to get out of the house to blow them out before I left. They burned down the house with Momma and Dad in it.” Amber’s sobs grew harder. “I burned down the house with Momma and Dad in it. I killed them.”
“No, Amber.” Jade’s tears had stopped. She was back to being the calm big sister.
“That’s why I can’t take the insurance money. It’s blood money. It’s not mine. I can’t. I can’t…” She continued to cry.
“Oh, Amber. No, baby.” Jade smoothed Amber’s hair away from her face and forced her face up to look directly into her eyes. “No, baby. That’s not how the fire started. We have the Fire Marshall’s final report. That old furnace that Dad had ordered replaced? It developed a short, and a spark started the fire. It was the first cold snap of the year, remember? The heater kicked in, and it was too much for that furnace. Complete opposite end of the house from your room, but too close to Momma and Dad’s.” She wrapped her arms back around her sister. “I’m so glad you s
tayed at Ryder’s that night. So very glad.”
Iris reached up and brushed at a tear that had escaped from her eye. Ryder’s eyes shone as well at the emotion there in front of him. So much time lost because she’d blamed herself and run away; he shrugged away all the hurt he’d felt at her leaving. She’d punished herself more than enough. It was time now for healing. He vowed that there would be no more lost time between him and Amber.
After Iris had managed to salvage dinner that had been crisp and cold, Jade and Iris left Amber and Ryder to savor their “getting re-acquainted time” as Iris called it.
Something had been nagging at Amber all day, and with the confessions and all the emotions of the evening, she decided that now was the time to lay all the cards out on the table. She’d bared hers, now it was Ryder’s turn. They were seated together on the couch, Amber snugged up against Ryder’s chest listening to his steady heartbeat. Her face was still a bit puffy from the amount of crying she’d done, but some cold water had helped that.
“Ryder, I need to know something and I need for you to be completely honest with me.” She pulled away slightly and looked up into his face. He raised his eyebrows quizzically, but was clearly unprepared for her one-word question.
“Bear?”
She already knew the answer, she wasn’t stupid and the signs were obvious. She simply needed him to confirm it. If they were to have a future together, there could be no more secrets.
Ryder released a sharp breath and ran his fingers nervously through his hair. He stared into her eyes for a long moment and then simply nodded his answer.
Amber smacked his lips with a quick hard kiss and smiled smugly, “I knew it!” She seemed supremely proud of herself.
She snuggled back against Ryder. He ran his hands up and down her arms and squeezed her into his embrace. Amber marveled at the way she was feeling. She felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders; it had been years since she’d felt so content and…. happy.
“Amber?” Ryder deep voice reverberated through his chest adding a new dimension to her name.
“Hmmm?” she replied languidly.
“Marry me.”
She suddenly froze; her breath caught in her lungs. She knew what she’d heard because she’d also felt the words as they’d come through his chest. She turned her face to look directly at him. His gold-flecked eyes were serious and gazing at her intently.
“You mean it?”
“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.”
She knew that was true. Ryder had never said anything he didn’t mean one hundred percent.
“Stay with me. Marry me. Make a home with me. Make a family with me.”
Amber thought of all the running she had done. It hadn’t done her any good. She’d ended up right back where she’d started, older and more experienced maybe, knowing the dangers and loneliness of the world outside of The Ridge, definitely. She returned Ryder’s gaze.
Ryder understood the look in her eyes and expression on her face. She needed him as much as he needed her.
She mouthed the word, “Yes.”
He stood, lifting her up in the air as though she weighed nothing, his arms cupping her ass, encouraging her to wrap her legs around him.
He could smell her arousal. He walked with her the few steps to the bed as their tongues intertwined passionately. The bulge of his erection rubbed between her thighs, teasing her.
Ryder laid her on the bed in one smooth movement, and dropped his jeans and boxer briefs releasing his enormous hard length. Before he could step out of pants crumpled at his ankles, Amber rolled on her side, grasped him and took a slow, leisurely lick from the base of his cock to the tip, suckling on the delicate underside, enticing the groan that escaped his lips.
Her eyes bore into him. She gently kissed the tip of his swollen cock, never breaking eye contact. His body jolted as her lips opened slipping over his dick and sliding all the way down, taking it all in her mouth, constricting her throat around the delicate muscle as she nuzzled the fuzz at its base with her nose.
Ryder let out a ragged sound- a mix of a growl and moan. His hips and pelvis ground against her face. After a few seconds, she slid her mouth slowly back up. His eyes were riveted to the sight of her saliva along his dick, a string of it dangling from her lips to the tip. Amber smiled at that look in his eyes, her hand gently stroked his shaft while the other fondled his balls. His head tilted back in bliss. She knew how to both torture and pleasure him, it seemed. Finally, he couldn't take anymore.
He rolled her over spreading her legs and positioning himself on top of her with his shaft at her entrance. Ryder clamped his mouth over her devouring hers penetrating her with his tongue as he thrust his hips forward, burying his length deep inside her. A choked whimper came from her throat as she felt his girth filling her. His hips pulled back slowly before thrusting forward again. He nibbled love marks along the flesh of her neck and down her collarbone. He allowed her whimpers and moans to control the shifting and grinding of his thrusts and guide him in pleasuring her. When her nails dug into his back, he brought his hand to her breast, cradling it, cupping it and teasing her nipple gently. He flicked his tongue over her nipples, before sucking and then raking his teeth over them. She felt a tingling, like an electric current run from her nipples down to her pussy.
He knew she was getting close to her climax, and her whimpers became cries of ecstasy as the tip of his cock hit the deepest part of her channel. Amber felt the beginnings of a warm tingle in her core, and as her cries and moans became a bit higher-pitched, his thrusts quickened. She cried out urgently before she fell apart, screaming out Ryder’s name in pure blissful pleasure as her orgasm rocked through her.
Sharp, animalistic sounds left Ryder's throat, grunts and growls, before Amber felt the warm pulsing jets of his seed shooting deep within her. She writhed in abandon, as pulse after pulse of his cum filled her until it was overflowing onto her thighs.
He remained inside her as her breathing slowed and continued to pepper her face and forehead with soft gentle kisses.
This man was her heart and soul. She needed to be with him. She belonged with him.
“My bear.” She whispered.
He rolled to his side keeping his strong arms wrapped around her holding her close to his body in a naked, post-love making embrace.
“You've made me the happiest Bear in the world, Amber.”
THE END
BEAR’S (mail order) BRIDE
STORY DESCRIPTION
Lilly needs a way out. She’s well aware that if she doesn’t find one, she’ll soon end up dead at the hands of a cruel and abusive husband.
A mail order bride agency is a perfect solution to her dilemma, but is there any man who would want a jaded, “no longer fresh” 27 year old woman?
Eli does not want to be tied to one woman. Never has, never will. But the wealthy bear shifting saloon (Ahem… brothel) owner finds that the ladies in his establishment won’t take no for an answer. A wife on his arm would best keep them at bay. A wife in name only, of course.
It’s a business transaction. A sensible woman is what he needs, and on paper Lilly looks perfect. Older, widowed, she’s not some young virginal harpy preoccupied with illusions of love and dreams of romance.
Unfortunately, once his bride to be arrives, Eli can think of little else but disrobing her and claiming her as his wife in every sense of the word.
Chapter One
Eli stepped out onto the front porch of the saloon, the freshly painted doors swinging shut behind him. A woman was perched on the edge of one of those rockers, her hair artfully curled and piled high on her head, cheeks and mouth a painted pink color. She greeted the men who came close enough to be tempted by her buxom beauty and husky, suggesting voice.
Flowers spilled out of the window boxes, their fragrance another heady reminder of Eden and temptation, and Eli swept a critical eye over the whole building. Everything about it was fresh and beckoning
. The new shutters, the candles in the windows. He could find nothing amiss. This was just the kind of place a hungry man might come when he was looking for some sweet, feminine company, and a good time.
The woman on the porch drawled a greeting to him, and he felt her eyes linger on his body as he stepped off the porch, her own hunger for him palpable. He pulled his hat low over his eyes, in what he hoped was close enough to a response. “Ma’am,” he said, not pausing or inviting conversation.
The countryside spilled out in front of him, an endless view of gorgeous sunset, mountains draped in the background. Nevada had certainly been a wise choice for him. Just the kind of place he needed to take his newly found wealth for a fresh start.
He’d found a lot more than just the gold in Sacramento, though, and it certainly wasn’t the thing that had changed his life the most. He didn’t linger on the dark thought for too long, just long enough to remind himself of why he’d come out here in the first place. It certainly wasn’t for the women. His eyes drifted toward the mountains in the backdrop. They were why he’d come here, after all. Refuge.
He shook his head. It was up to him to seem like any other entrepreneur, searching for a way to invest his money wisely — not like a man skulking on the edge of society and trying to hide his secrets.
So here he was, in the outskirts of Reno, putting his money to work. And so far it was working pretty damn hard. And in the process he’d been able to create a life that supported his…specific needs. He was grateful for all of that because he knew that hadn’t been a guarantee, but, if he continued to have to dodge these tiresome come-ons from these pretty working girls, he was going to lose his mind.
Eli knew what the real problem was, of course. Aside from the problem that had led him to Reno in the first place. He was unattached, and it was an open invitation to be pursued. He’d tried to suggest gently he wasn’t interested, but those women looked at him like he was a walking piece of gold. He tried less gently. He was downright rude. Nothing seemed to work. And whether he claimed disinterest or not, they wanted to believe they were going to be the one that was different from all the others. Or that he was playing hard to get. Or that he just didn’t know the kind of opportunity he was passing up.
BOX SET: Shifter 4-Pack Vol 2 (Wolf Shifter, Dragon Shifter, Mafia, Billionaire, BBW, Alpha) (Werewolf Weredragon Paranormal Fantasy Romance Collection) Page 73