She almost turned around and walked out the door right there, but she had a perverse desire to mess with him. Holding back her tears, she plastered the most painful fake smile on her face and skipped up the aisle to his table. She planted a big, juicy kiss on his forehead, leaving a smear of black lipstick behind.
“How they hangin’, Tubbs?”
“Crystal, you look…”
Her laughter tinkled through the room, a little off-key, if you didn’t know any better. “Yeah, I just couldn’t take all the lies anymore. This is the real me. Nana and Pop-Pop will just have to deal, and so will anyone else who wants me to give them the time of day.”
“You’re so…”
She fingered a pink spike and grinned darkly. “You like? I normally go for a darker color but supplies are limited around here. Besides, I don’t mind mixing things up every now and then.”
“I just…” He kept trailing off. It was getting on her last nerve.
“Oh, just spit it out already!”
A sheen appeared on his perfect brow and he flushed with what could only be mortification at being seen with her. She worked really hard to nurture the pleasure she felt at making him sweat and ignore the pain from his obvious disgust.
“I need to get out of here,” he spat, leaping from his chair.
Yup, that was about what she expected. At least she found out now, before she let herself believe something could happen between them. Now she could bury whatever attraction she had for him and only remember him with contempt.
“Later, Tubbs,” she sneered, imitating her teasing farewell from the ferry. She’d been amused by his pretentiousness and obvious discomfort then. Not anymore.
“Oh, no, you’re coming with me,” he said, capturing her black Jelly bracelet-covered wrist and tugging her along behind him.
“Hey!” She struggled slightly but couldn’t break free from his grasp. Not that she really wanted to; she couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say, away from the snoopy people in the pizza parlor. So she followed him out the door and around the back of the building.
“Listen, Chet,” she started, feeling a little guilty for taking him so off-guard. Her bratty side had taken over when she saw that can of pink hairspray in the store earlier, and she was regretting being so obstinate “I’m really sor—“
He silenced her with his lips, pressing her back up against the building. It was her turn to be taken completely by surprise. For a moment, she didn’t know how to react so she stood stock still, puzzling things out. But the ferocity of his kiss and his roaming hands chipped away at the ice in her heart until she melted into him, snaking her arms around his neck.
His tongue forced its way past her lips, plunging into her mouth and daring her to resist. His hands were everywhere, touching her, burning her. One managed to fight its way under her tutu to firmly grasp her ass and pull her closer to him.
She wanted to feel him, every long inch of him, so she wrapped a leg around his hips and pushed her wet heat into him, swiveling her hips for better contact. He moaned into her mouth and ground himself against her. Every muscle tightened within her, begging for release, begging to be taken right there against Paulie’s Pizza. Damn these fishnet stockings!
Chet was the first to break their kiss, panting into her neck as he kissed a trail of heat down her neck. Her nipples had never been so hard in her entire life. What was he doing to her? She barely cared, as long as he kept doing it.
“God, you’re hot,” he murmured, his lips tickling her sensitive skin.
Burying her fingers in his hair, she let her head fall back to give him better access. She moaned as one hand found her breast and another cupped her head.
“You were supposed to think I was grody,” she breathed.
He choked out a laugh and pulled back to look her in the eye. “What? Are you kidding?”
“Well, on the ferry—“
Once again, she was silenced in the most delightful manner. The ferocity with which he claimed her mouth nearly sent her over the edge. No one had ever been so passionate about her before. It was something she could get used to.
The urgency slackened and his caresses became more luxurious, slower, sweeter. Little kisses rained down on her face, heedless of her heavy makeup. Hands cradled her face, fingers stroked her skin, a thigh pushed between hers. She’d never been happier in her life…or so she thought. Chet’s next words set the bar a mile higher.
“Crystal, I love you. I will love you no matter what. Tall or short, pink hair or gray, punk or wastoid. None of that shit matters. What matters is us, how we feel about each other.”
Were those tears shimmering in his eyes? They were! Her heart nearly exploded all over the place.
“And I know I’m not supposed to say this or you’ll think I’m needy, but it’s true. I am needy. I need you. Now and forever, I need you. I’m sorry if that’s too fast for you, but I won’t hide it. If you don’t want me to say it again, I’ll stop, but I had to tell you at least once.”
She’d never felt so loved or so whole before. The future was far away, and she had no idea what was going to happen when she left for school in the fall, but right here, right now, she’d found the perfect guy, and nothing was going to stop her from enjoying every minute with him.
A single tear spilled down his cheek and she couldn’t resist kissing it away. Moving her lips a fraction of an inch away from his, she peered up at him, blinking back her own tears.
“Never stop.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Remind me again why we can’t tell our families about us,” Crystal murmured into his chest as they cuddled under a wool blanket on a rock outcropping that overlooked Hardy Channel. They’d been meeting before and after work for three days, hanging out and learning about each other. Chet had carefully skirted the topic of his being a werebear, not exactly lying but certainly not fully exposing himself. She was skittish enough as it was because of their different backgrounds, he didn’t want to freak her out completely. Not yet, anyway.
“I told you, my family’s beliefs forbid us from being with, um, outsiders. It’s going to take some time for them to accept this and I don’t want to upset them if you decide you don’t want to be with me.”
She tilted her head up, her ice blue eyes holding a slice of doubt. “Or you. You could change your mind, you know.”
Damn, she was cute. With the smallest shake of his head, he bent down and placed a soft peck on her forehead and pulled her closer into him. “Nope. Not gonna happen.”
He wasn’t sure if the sigh he felt whisper across his neck was bliss or frustration. She so wanted to believe that he might leave her, but the very thought almost brought him to his knees in agony. Every time she hinted at it, his bear threatened to break loose and claim her so passionately that all uncertainty would be literally fucked out of her.
But they’d agreed to take the physical part of their relationship slow. It was absolute torment, but of the sweetest kind. Each kiss, every stroke, taught him what she responded to. When the time finally came to push passed that final boundary and make love, he would know how to make every curve and valley sing with joy.
“And my grandparents? They would cream themselves if they knew I was dating a gorgeous richie.”
“Gorgeous? Hmm, good to know…”
Her elbow jabbing into his ribs stopped his chuckling. “Seriously, Crystal, they would not be happy. Trust me on this.”
“I don’t get it. Is it because your uncle is Pop-Pop’s boss?”
“That’s part of it,” he hedged. “Let me ask you this. Have you ever…like, ever seen any townies lampin’ with anyone from our group?”
“I haven’t even been here a month, Tubbs. I wouldn’t know who was who. Doy!”
“I’ve been here the same amount of time, and even self-absorbed me can see that neither side is all that jazzed to socialize. No, I honestly believe your grandparents would be righteously pissed off if you brought me home.”
She pulled back a little, creating a small gap between them. Chet could feel the cool, misty air filling the space and he was left yearning for her to snuggle back in.
But as much as his bear didn’t understand it, he couldn’t simply drag her back into him. She was a headstrong and very cynical woman, and Sandy had been coaching him on how to handle her. If she needs to talk, listen. If she needs space, give it to her. If she wants to make out, for God’s sake, do it!
That wasn’t a hard rule to follow, but the others rather went against his nature. He was used to getting what he wanted, when he wanted it. It wasn’t easy but it felt right, it felt good. As much as he hated to admit it, this ‘taking it slow’ thing was a way cool chance to do some growing up.
“So where does that leave us? If neither of us can tell our families, then this thing really doesn’t have much of a future.”
Pain shot right to his heart at the way she said ‘thing’. This was so much more than a ‘thing’ to him, but she wasn’t fully convinced. She was so freaking aggravating sometimes!
“Listen, my love,” he growled, tugging her back into the crook of his arm and covering her shoulder with the blanket. “You can fight this all you want, but I’m here to stay. Until you feel the same way, there’s no sense in putting anymore strain on our relationship—“ he refused to call it a ‘thing’ — “than there already is.”
This time he knew her sigh was a happy one because she snuggled into him, wrapping an arm around his chest. He wanted to stay this way forever, holding her in his arms and envisioning how amazing their life together was going to be. He pictured their home filled with cubs, running around like maniacs and he couldn’t help smiling. That would come in time. Now was the time to enjoy each other.
“Now it’s your turn to remind me of something,” he whispered into her hair.
“Mmmm,” she answered sleepily.
“Why was it that we decided not to make love?”
“That wasn’t my idea, you letch!” She burst out laughing and tickled him as punishment. Turns out, he was incredibly ticklish so she used her fingers as weapons whenever he got a little too frisky.
Grabbing her wrists, he pulled her body onto his and planted a deep kiss on her soft lips. She relaxed into him and took charge of their kiss, lazily flicking her tongue along his lower lip, nipping after each flick. The light prick of pain only served to heighten his desire for her, which she no doubt felt along the length of her thigh.
His hands skimmed her back and settled on her round rump. He’d never realized what he’d been missing with all those emaciated, flat-assed girls back in L.A. There was nothing to hold onto, only hard edges and angles. Crystal was smooth and soft and oh-so-grabbable.
After what seemed like hours of slow and gentle torture, she pulled back, a sad smile on her lips, and said the words he’d come to hate over the past few days.
“It’s time to go, Tubbs.”
CHAPTER NINE
“I have good news, Chet,” Uncle Max said over dinner later in the week.
Chet barely heard him. His thoughts were still with Crystal, remembering what they’d been doing behind the equipment shed at her work just a few hours before. It took every ounce of strength for him not to take her right then and there, despite the fact Andy might walk around the corner at any moment. She wouldn’t have resisted, either, but they’d both agreed to not have sex until after they told their families. Which, of course, depended on when — not if, but when — Crystal realized they were fated to be together.
He didn’t understand what was taking her so long, honestly. His bear had known in a heartbeat that she was his fated mate, even if it had taken Chet’s stupid brain a little longer. But Crystal was still uncertain, he could sense it and couldn’t figure out why.
“Chet? Earth to Chet.” His uncle snapped his fingers, jerking Chet out of his reverie.
“Sorry, Uncle Max. What did you say?”
“I was saying that I forgot to tell you before you bolted out of the office this afternoon, but the date has been set for your initiation into the clan. Isn’t that great?!”
“Oh, yeah, great,” he said, trying to muster some enthusiasm. He’d almost forgotten about the rite of passage. It was only his sole reason for coming here — though, now he thought maybe the real reason was to meet Crystal. Somehow, he doubted his aunt and uncle would feel the same way. “When is it?”
“Next week. Saturday night. After that, you’ll be a full member of your family’s ancestral clan. An adult were without a clan is a tragic thing.”
“Sounds like heaven to me,” Sandy snorted as she munched on a corn cob, butter dripping from her fingers. Good thing she’d taken off her lace gloves or they’d be ruined.
“Don’t say such things, Sandra Jean!” Aunt Clea gasped. “And certainly not with a full mouth.”
“Relax, Clea. She’s just being rebellious. She doesn’t understand what it truly means to be banished.” He laid his fork next to the hunk of barbecued salmon on his plate and soberly looked at his daughter.
“Sandy, being shunned is the worst thing that can happen to a werebear. You’re kicked out of your community and no one will speak to you or even acknowledge your existence. You no longer have friends or family. They’ll mourn as if you died! There’s no going back after you’ve been shunned, no second chances.”
Chet had heard all this before. He was raised with it, and the thought of never seeing his family ever again curdled his blood. But he wasn’t worried. The crimes that got you kicked out of your clan had to be pretty severe, like murder, and he had no intention of committing any of them. In fact, even though they weren’t official members of the Xus Clan in Malibu, his family was privy to all the gossip, and he’d never heard of a single shunning there, like, ever.
The old ways were enforced differently in each clan, though. Members of the Xus Clan could freely socialize with humans, for example, but not mate with them. Apparently, the Skookum Clan — his ancestral clan, even though the only members he knew were sitting at the dinner table with him — did things a little differently. It was a bit old-fashioned, in his opinion, but nobody was asking for his opinion.
A tendril of shame wiggled through his guts that the thrill of new love had completely overshadowed his impending rite of passage. In truth, he couldn’t wait to become a full member, a ‘real’ adult. When he was younger, he’d ridiculed the ceremony as being archaic but the closer the time grew for his own induction, the more excited he’d become.
There wasn’t much he had to do to prepare for the ceremony. He just had to show up. The hardest part was being separated from kids his own age. His uncle kept spouting some bullshit about giving the initiants space and time to reflect on their new status in the clan, but he really thought it was just a way to keep them from getting into too much trouble celebrating the last days of their ‘youth’.
It was going to be weird getting inducted with a bunch of young people who’d grown up together, who all knew each other already. For them, it would be like a reunion. He’d be the loser from out of town that nobody knew. He was suddenly nervous to face all those strangers, but he didn’t have a choice. It was all part of being a werebear.
“Chet,” Aunt Clea said, carefully setting down her third glass of Chardonnay and placing a perfectly manicured hand on his arm. “You’ve been such a big help to your uncle that we wanted to thank you. We know how difficult it’s been for you, being all cooped up here with no friends—“
Sandy shot an indignant glare at her mother. “Um, hello!”
Aunt Clea ignored the interruption. “—and how bored you’ve been, so we’ve decided to let you borrow our car to go to town for a few hours tomorrow night.”
Chet was shocked. They’d barely let him ride in their Cadillac, and now they were going to let him drive it? To town?! Unchaperoned?! He was powerless to stop the grin that spread across his face thinking about squiring Crystal around town in the Caddy. He knew just the suit he’d w
ear…
“Of course, you’ll take Sandy along with you,” Uncle Max added, reaching across the table to pat Sandy’s buttery hand. “She only ever gets to go to town with her old fuddy-duddy parents.”
The grin fell from Chet’s face and plastered itself on Sandy’s. His upper lip curled in disgust when she grinned at him, corn bits clogging her braces. Dammit! How was he supposed to spend time with Crystal if Sandy was tagging along?
His bear was chuffing in aggravation but as soon as her parents looked away, Sandy tipped him a tiny wink. Happiness surged through him. She’d make herself scarce as soon as they got there. He almost laughed out loud but caught himself in time.
“Thanks, Aunt Clea and Uncle Max. You have no clue how much this means to me.”
They really didn’t.
~ * ~ * ~
The next day dragged out forever. He’d managed to see Crystal in the morning to tell her about their date that night, but his uncle had offered to drive Pete home that afternoon so Chet could spend some time getting ready for his big night out on the town — and, of course, waiting for Sandy to get all dolled up.
“Now remember,” Uncle Max said as he handed over the keys to the Caddy, “be back by eleven. And don’t get too cozy with the locals. And don’t let your bear get the better of you if anyone…what’s it called? Oh yeah, disses you.”
“You got it, Uncle Max.”
“Oh,” he added as Chet tried to scurry out of his office. “And don’t let Sandy out of your sight. If you haven’t noticed, she’s a wild child and she’ll push to see what she can get away with.”
Uncle Max sighed and shook his head in resignation. “That girl is going to be the death of me. Who thought it was a good idea to bless me with a daughter?”
If Chet hadn’t been so keyed up, he might have felt a little more sympathy for his uncle but he was too anxious to listen.
Bearly Hanging On (A Werebear Shifter BBW Romance) (Laid Bear Book 3) Page 5