by V. Vaughn
No!
“I’m sorry.” He leans down and kisses me quickly.
“No! Aleck, please. I can change.”
Searing heat from his fingers burns through me as he removes my hands and says, “You’ve given me my dream, Noel. And now it’s time for me and the band to give you yours.”
The metal doorframe of the utility room is icy in my grasp as I cling to it for support while I watch the love of my life walk away. I glance down at the red silk covering me. Tears stain it as I cry, and I realize I’ll never wear this dress again.
13
For the next two weeks of Second Sound’s tour I immerse myself in work. I’m a machine, because in order to get through my day I have to turn off all emotions. The success of the band’s debut depends on me being at the top of my game, and I refuse to let them down. I even go to my first shopaholics anonymous meeting, which prompts me to create a budget designed to get myself out of debt. With the big cut I’ll be getting from the release of Second Sound’s album, I should have my credit cards paid off. But it’s a daily struggle to control my need to spend money, though I’m told it will get easier.
Aleck and I have done our best not to be alone, and I’m grateful the others are pretending everything’s fine. My feet thud over the wooden stage as I pace aimlessly. We’re in our last city, and since waiting in the dressing room with the band is out of the question, my new ritual is to lurk backstage as I listen to the anxious crowd. Second Sound is already a big buzz in the celebrity world, and I smile at how well the publicity campaign is going. I’ve done good work and launched a band that could very well make a significant mark on the music industry.
“Noel.” I turn to Adrian’s voice. He says, “I have a favor to ask you.”
“Sure.”
“We have a new song we’d like to play. When the crowd yells for an encore, could we give it to them and play it?” Because of time constraints, the opening act doesn’t get to play encores. But we can finagle that minor point.
I nod. “I like it. Would you rather cut a song or go on a little early?”
He shrugs. “Early?”
“Yes. I think that’s best. Go tell the band, and I’ll tell everyone else.” I grin at him. “Your fans are going to love it. Great idea.”
Adrian stares at me as if he’s trying to figure out how to tell me something. I ask, “What?”
He smiles. “Thank Aleck. It was his idea.” Adrian turns away before he notices how his statement affected me. It’s like a punch to the gut, and I squeeze my eyes shut to block out the pain. I need to get through one more night before I let myself crumble to pieces. I take a deep breath to smooth out my armor and get to work.
Later that night when Second Sound goes on, I watch with excitement as I wait for their new song. At the end of their set, they stay on stage as the crowd chants for more. Adrian struts out toward them, and when he announces that he’s gotten permission to play one more, the screams hurt my ears.
Adrian says to the fans, “We’re going to play a brand-new song for you.”
More cheers erupt, and Adrian gives them a moment before he speaks again. “We wouldn’t be up here if it weren’t for one special lady. This song is for our agent, friend, and part of our family, Noel Keating.”
I gasp, and my fingers are cold on my mouth as I cover it. Did Aleck write me a song?
It starts with just Aleck playing a few notes in a slow tempo before the rest of the instruments join in, and I listen as Adrian and Nessa sing about falling in love. But then the lyrics take a turn toward a breakup, and a vice grips my heart, because now I know the song is about Aleck and me. Tears roll down my face, and I guess Aleck is as heartbroken as I am.
Adrian turns to the side so he can see me and croons, “You have my heart, I’ve offered my soul. But somehow all of it can’t make you whole.”
I shake my head, because the only thing that can make me whole is Aleck. He’s got this wrong.
Nessa pulls on Adrian’s arm, and he turns to her as she glances past him at me to sing her part. “I wanted more, but I didn’t see. The one that I found is all that I need.”
I nod as fiercely as I can, and she winks at me before she walks over to Aleck. He gets up from the keyboard and lets Ginny take over his part as he stands. I have no idea what the crowd thinks is happening, because screams erupt when I race across the stage to Aleck. He lifts me up off my feet in an embrace that’s so strong it hurts. Aleck says, “I can’t let you go. We have to find a way to make this work.”
“We will.” I gaze at him through my tears. “I don’t need anything but you, Aleck. I really don’t.”
He kisses me as the crowd lets out cheers and whoops. When he sets me back down, we leave the stage to let the band continue to play, and he turns to me to say, “I need you, Noel, just the way you are. I need the woman that can find me bison burgers and dress me up for the world so my music can shine, because that is what makes you my true mate.”
“Oh, Aleck. I’ve realized I was trying to find what I need in things.” I gaze down at my couture dress as I slide my hands over the skirt and say, “But you’re all I need to be happy.”
He asks, “So that means I get to see that dress on the floor tonight?”
I slap playfully at his chest, and his fingers grasp my hand to surround it with warmth. I think about how Link and I spend so much time spinning facts to present the perfect image. But nothing is perfect. I gaze at the man that I want to spend the rest of my life with. His hair is unruly, his eyebrows are natural, and his teeth aren’t snow white, yet his heart is generous and full of love. I really don’t need anything but Aleck. I say, “I love you so much.”
He leans down and whispers, “I love you too, Noel Keating,” before he kisses me and lets me know we’re going to be okay.
14
“I have a surprise for you,” says Aleck. We’re back in Brunswick after a whirlwind week of interviews, a press conference, and numerous photo shoots for the release of Second Sound’s first album. Even I was ready to lie low and avoid people after that, so I opted to take a week to work remotely in Maine. Aleck says, “Go put on something fancy.”
My laptop is warm on my legs as I close down the document I was working on. I’m dressed in yoga pants, and there’s something to be said for the comfort factor of working cross-legged on a couch. I say, “I’m going to need more than that to go on.”
Aleck is standing across from me in a pair of dress slacks, a button-down shirt, and a tie. He gives me a mischievous smile. “You’re not getting it.”
“Fine.” I stand up, and my computer clatters on the coffee table when I set it down. “But give me a half hour to do my hair and makeup, please.”
Aleck says, “Planned on it.”
As I climb the stairs to his bedroom, I think about my new budget. While Aleck offered to pay off my debt, I insisted that the only way I was going to learn to keep my spending in check was if I had to work at it. But being with Aleck makes it easy. The Lindquist brothers love to play cards, while Nessa enjoys cooking interesting foods, and the need to dress up and go out is nonexistent. I’m sure things will get tougher once I return to LA, but for now, I’m returning to my modest roots and relearning how to live life without spending a lot of money.
After I get dressed and put up my hair I listen to the music that carries up to me while I put on my makeup. Aleck wasn’t kidding when he said that he hears songs in his head. If he isn’t singing a tune under his breath, then he’s scratching notes down on a napkin or running lyrics over in his mind as he stares off into space. I hum to the tune he’s playing as my makeup brush swishes over blush. It’s the one he wrote about us, and it makes me smile.
I think tonight might even be the night Aleck asks me to seal our bond with the bite that will change me into a werebear. If it’s not, then I might ask him instead. I have the musical ability of a fish, but I sing anyway as I make my way back down the stairs in an answer to his previous lyrics. Aleck i
s sitting on a bench by the secondhand piano he works at, and he tilts his head at me for a moment before he glances down to scratch his pencil over his paper. I tease him, “Wow, should I have picked something else to wear?” I lean down to meet him in a quick kiss.
He says, “No. You look great. I was just changing the lyrics.”
The lyrics that got us back together? “You’re kidding. Why would you do that?”
Aleck grabs my hand to pull me down onto his lap. “I just need to add one more part.”
I grab his face in my hands and put my nose against his. “You mean the one where we live happily ever after.” I kiss him.
Aleck pulls back before we get too carried away. “Yes. That’s the part I have to add. We should go.”
I sigh. “Yeah.” I stand up and twirl for him. I’m in a green dress that I had tailored to fit me perfectly, and I know I look great. I also know I can achieve the same appearance for a lot less the next time. I ask, “Think this will look good on the floor later tonight?”
“I think it’s going to make every man at Thirty-two Lincoln jealous that you’re with me.”
Thirty-two Lincoln is the five-star restaurant in town, and I grin at my mate. “You’re taking me out for a fancy dinner?”
“I am, and we’re going to order expensive wine and as many courses as they offer, and have the fine dining experience you love.”
I reach for his hand as we walk toward the door. “Thank you, Aleck. This is so sweet of you.” It occurs to me that even when Link would get us reservations at the latest, greatest place in LA, I never got this excited. It makes me think that it’s easy to take things for granted when you make what should be special the ordinary.
We approach the run-down van that the band used to use to get around to gigs. Aleck rushes ahead as if we’re on our first date, and the passenger door groans with age as he opens it for me. He’s nervous about something, and I wonder what’s up. The leather seat I climb onto is torn and mended with duct tape. The speedometer doesn’t even budge from zero no matter how fast we go, but it doesn’t matter. I gaze at the man behind the wheel to notice he’s sliding his hands up and down it. I ask, “What is it, Aleck?”
Gravel crunches under the tires of the van when Aleck pulls into the parking lot of the restaurant. He turns off the engine and gazes at me. “I was going to wait until we had champagne and do this properly, but I can’t. I’m so nervous, I might throw up.”
“What? Why?” Now my stomach is queasy too. What is he afraid to tell me?
“I want to change you.” He rushes on before I can reply. “I know this has to be your decision, and I’m sorry if it’s too soon. You can tell me--”
“Aleck. Stop.” I move over on the bench seat so that our knees touch, and I marvel at the heat of him as it sends currents of desire through me. “Yes. Change me. Tonight would be good.”
“Really? Because we don’t know what might happen. What if you can’t control your shift at first like Ginny?”
“Then we’ll deal with it together.” The cotton of his shirt is stiff in my hands as I tug him closer for a kiss. “I’m ready.” Our mouths meet with the usual passion, but tonight there’s more. I’m about to seal our bond forever, and the fact that Aleck wanted to make this special for me in my way floods my heart with a warmth greater than anything I’ve ever known. When we stop I say, “You didn’t have to take me out to dinner to ask this. I know you’d be happier eating a big meal at home.”
“Not true. Your happiness matters to me, and this is something you love to do. Doing it with you makes me love it too.”
I smile at the man I never knew I’d find. “True mate love is about compromise, isn’t it?”
He nods. “You do make me crawl out from under my rock.”
I chuckle. “And you show me how great that rock can be.”
“Stay right there,” says Aleck. He gets out of the car and comes to my side to let me out. He holds out his hand, and I let his firm grip lead me as we make our way to the restaurant. He tugs me close before we walk inside, and his voice reverberates through me as if it can fill every pore. “I love you.”
“And I love you too.”
* * *
After a delicious dinner and a bottle of expensive wine we go home. Aleck’s room is small, with only a double bed and bureau for furniture. I glance over at my suitcase full of things in the corner and know that my hanging clothes take up more of his closet than his do. I say, “I’ve kind of taken over in here, haven’t I?”
Aleck turns me around by my shoulders, and a shiver runs down my spine as he places a kiss on the back of my neck and tugs on the zipper of my dress. I’m reminded of the first night we slept together, and desire pools low in my belly. He says, “We’re merging.”
The smooth fabric of my dress falls down my arms and thumps softly on the floor. I step out of it and think about how Aleck bent me over my bed to take me the first time. I’m tempted to offer myself up to him that way again, but he takes my arms and turns me to face him. He says, “I’m going to worship every inch of you tonight. Are you sure you want this?”
The buttons on his shirt are slippery in my fingers as I begin to unfasten them. “Yes. I’m already yours and committed to a lifetime with you, Aleck. I’m ready to become part of your world.” I reveal a chest that is perfection. Hair is coarse under my fingers as I slide my hand over his pecs. I move down his stomach toward his pants, and he trembles beneath my touch. I say, “You may have to be the one to change me”--I undo his slacks and tug them over his hips, grabbing his underwear as I go--“but there’s something I need to do first.” I lower myself to my knees and let out a sigh at the sight of his long, thick length. I need for him to come undone under my human hands before he brings me into his world. I gaze up at him. “I need you to give everything to me before I give my all to you.”
He groans when I place him in my mouth and says, “That won’t be a problem.” Long fingers thread through my hair, and he guides me as I suck him in and make him quake with his impending release. The familiar animal growl vibrates through his body as he reaches his climax, and he does roar when he finally explodes. I drink in the heat of his essence before he stumbles back to lie on the bed. I smile at him as I slither out of my bra and panties. Still wearing my shoes, I swing my hips and walk like a model over to him before I kick off my heels and crawl onto his lap.
Earlier, Aleck explained that when I change I need to be restrained to keep from hurting myself. Apparently I’ll go through hell for about twelve hours as my body becomes part bear. I glance over at the BDSM cuffs chained to the bed frame. It sends a zing of excitement through me when I imagine being helpless under Aleck, and I wonder if that’s something we might need to explore later.
Aleck kisses me, and when his tongue plunges into my mouth he takes over. At some point he flips me onto my back and performs his version of making me come undone. But before I come he rises up to enter me slowly. When he’s seated deep he says, “When you’re ready to scream I’ll bite you. It’s going to hurt, but if we time it right the orgasm you have is going to make you forget your name and it won’t matter.”
I lift my hips up as I grab his butt and dig in my fingers. “Do it, Aleck. I’m more than ready.”
Something flashes in his eyes, but I’m not afraid. I think it’s his bear, and my dormant side awakens as if she’s being called. Aleck pumps and works me to a quick rise of pleasure. I lean my head back to cry out when he growls. It captures my attention, and I watch in amazement as fangs grow from his mouth. My adrenaline spikes as he lowers his mouth to the fleshy part of my upper chest. Pain shoots through me when he breaks the skin, but my orgasm crashes an instant later, and I scream with it as everything around me seems to disappear. I’m taken away in a tornado of sensations that seem to wind threads of me with Aleck, and when I begin to recover I feel an intense heat burn through my body like fire. Aleck snaps the restraints on me and says, “I’ll be right here, Noel.”
* * *
Fingers stroke through my hair as I wake, and I wonder for a moment who it is, because while it should be Aleck, the heat of his touch is gone. I open my eyes to my true mate sitting on the bed next to me and realize that I’m a werebear now too, meaning that like his, my internal temperature is higher than humans’. He smiles down at me. “How do you feel?”
I stretch my limbs that are no longer restrained to find I’m sore, like after an intense workout, but I also feel strong. “Fine.” I inhale deeply to notice an intense flood of smells. The strongest one is of our coupling, and it makes my insides twinge for more. I sit up and gaze around the room with my new eyesight before I take in Aleck. Love floods my body with warmth when I look at him. He’s become even more beautiful to me in a way I can’t quite describe, although I bet it’s to do with our true mate bond that is now complete. I reach up and touch his cheek. “I feel as if I’ve woken up from a daydream I didn’t know I was in.”
“Yeah, your senses will take some getting used to.” He grins. “You were the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen before you changed, but now--” He growls. “Now I’m not sure how I’m ever going to let you out of my sight.”
I try out my growl too, and it makes me grin when it sounds right. “I know just what you mean.” I lean in close to Aleck. “You’ve made me whole.”
He nods. “That’s it. You’ve made me whole too, Noel.” He sighs. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Aleck. With my heart. And my soul.”
* * *
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More Rocked by the Bear:
Andre
Adrian
Aleck