Healing the Bear

by Vanessa Devereaux

  “Had sex,” said Charlotte.

  “How did you know?”

  “You’re blushing. For some reason you bear shifters blush when you talk about sex. Well, besides Christopher who I’m convinced isn’t capable of blushing.”

  Dane laughed. She already knew her brother-in-law oh so well.

  “So what do you want to know?”

  “Her body. I mean you humans…her body was different.”

  “Pubic hair and clits.”

  “I saw the hair, but clits?”

  “The little nub above her vagina,” said Charlotte.

  He was damn well blushing again.

  “It’s called a clit?”

  “Clitoris actually. Hope you gave it a lot of attention.”

  Dane shook his head.

  “You better do it next time around. I mean you’re planning on getting together with her again.”

  Oh yeah, he definitely wanted to do that, and not just for sex.

  Dane nodded. “And she passed out from her climax.”

  Charlotte laughed. “Oh yeah, I remember the first time Aiden made love to me, the whole neighborhood heard me and I think I was cross eyed for at least a week.”

  Aiden chose that moment to come in with a coffee mug and now wearing an apron. Dane tried not to laugh when he and handed the drink to him.

  “Yep, Kaitlin and Barney were out playing in the mud, so I have another set of washing to do. There’s mud all over the floor I washed an hour ago. And to top that I off, I now have a Pomeranian to shampoo.”

  Bothe Dane and Charlotte burst out laughing.

  “And what’s so funny?” asked Aiden.

  “Domestic life suits you,” said Dane. “So does that apron.”

  “Did you hear the good news? Dane is seeing a human,” said Charlotte.

  “I’m real happy for you,” said Aiden.

  “Are you planning to tell her about yourself?” asked Charlotte.

  “I know I have to, but I want her to get to know me before I spring it on her.”

  “Just don’t wait too long,” said Aiden.

  Dane looked at Charlotte. She nodded.

  “You want to take one of my medical books to study?” Charlotte winked at him.

  Dane smiled. Yeah, he’d read up and be ready for Melanie the next time they got horizontal.

  ****

  Melanie had cleaned the sink twice, the bathroom mirror three times, shaken all the rugs twice, and realized she’d done the very same thing when she’d first met Mike and was waiting to see if he’d call her for a second date. He had, but so far no word from Dane.

  Her mom had always advised her not to sleep with a man too early on in the relationship. Her mom. How she’d love to see her parents and tell them all about this guy she’d just met.

  A tear ran down her cheek. She’d lost so much. Those terrible people had taken away her life and she’d never get it back. If there was such a thing as Good Karma then maybe the universe had sent her Dane.

  She glanced at the phone. She’d also done that when she’d first met Mike. She was sure she’d sent vibes down the line, telling him she wanted him to call her again. Wasn’t working this time. Maybe Dane had been offended that she’d passed out. Maybe he’d thought she’d fallen asleep during sex which definitely wasn’t the case. Just the opposite in fact.

  A knock on the door made her jump. Unexpected knocks, sounds, and visitors always made her do that and always would. Stupid she knew, because she doubted the bad guys would make an announcement or ask permission to come inside and kill her. She walked into the hallway and looked through the peephole. She smiled. It was Dane. She unarmed the alarm, unhooked the chain and bolt, and opened the door.

  “It’s a beautiful day and I thought you might like to go for a walk by the lake,” he said.

  ****

  Dane wasn’t sure if it was the breeze coming across the water or the company, but for the first time in forever he felt like he was coming back to life again. He never thought he’d say that, but there was a tingling in his soul that told him he might just have a future.

  He slipped his hand into Melanie’s, hoping that was okay with her. She didn’t protest and when she squeezed it, he knew it was more than all right. He’d love to shift and run, show off somewhat, but she was human and he doubted that sort of thing would impress her like it did female bear shifters.

  Are you going to tell her about yourself?

  Charlotte’s words crept into his head. He wanted to. However, he couldn’t risk losing her before she got to know him — the human side of him. Once she did, then he’d introduce his bear half which hopefully she’d enjoy just as much.

  “You want to sit and watch the boats?” she asked him.

  “Sure.”

  They found a bench and sat, thigh to thigh, arm to arm. He loved the way this human smelled too. So different to the musky bear odor of his own kind.

  Melanie put her hand upon his knee. She had pretty hands with their nails painted a light pink color. Her toenail polish matched. He’d noticed that last night when they’d had sex.

  “You ever go sailing on Flathead Lake?” she asked him.

  “Nope, how about you?”

  She shook her head.

  “Then maybe that’s what we should do, hire a boat and take a picnic out on the lake.”

  She rested her head on his shoulder. “I like the sound of that. I’ll let you arrange everything with the boat and I’ll provide the food.”

  “Next Saturday okay with you? Weather permitting.”

  “Perfect and while we’re on the topic of next Saturday, I don’t suppose you’d like to come along to a concert with me in one of the parks in Kalispell. It’s a country and western band I’ve heard on the local radio.”

  “Does that mean I have to wear a cowboy hat?”

  “I think you’d look extra sexy in one.”

  “Extra sexy, hmm?”

  He turned to look at her. Then he leaned over and kissed her. Sensing that someone was walking by on the path by the bench, he pulled away. He noticed an older couple looking and smiling at them. He watched them go by hand in hand despite the fact that they were probably in their late seventies.

  Dane watched a couple of guys tossing a football around and glancing over at Melanie.

  Sorry, buddy, she’s taken.

  “Those guys obviously think you’re as gorgeous as I do,” said Dane, putting his arm around her. He could mark his scent, rub himself on a nearby tree, but hopefully the arm around the lady’s shoulders would tell them to stay away or face the consequences of this grizzly bear.

  “You have two admirers,” said Dane.

  “I have what?”

  “Those two guys playing football over there can’t take your eyes off you and not that I can blame them one little bit.”

  She swung around to see where he’d pointed.

  “Can we go now because I’m getting chilled?”

  “Sure, you should have said something.”

  Melanie was back on the main path before he could even stand. He ran over to her, trying his best to catch up.

  “Is something wrong?” he asked.

  She glanced at him, looking like the color had drained from her face.

  “No, like I said just a little cold. I’ll be fine once we get back to the car.”

  He didn’t believe it. There was a wind coming off the lake, but if anything it was balmy for this time of the year. She was shaking, that was true, but he sensed it wasn’t from the temperature. A bear knew fear when he smelled it and right now the air was heavy with it.

  Dane glanced over at the men again. Both weren’t taking their eyes off Melanie.

  Ex-boyfriend that she didn’t want to mention at this point in their relationship? Ex-husband? Nope, she’d hinted she was a widow. Stalker.

  She didn’t need to worry because any danger that came her way he’d take care of.

  Chapter Nine

  Melanie knew i
t was downright stupid to hurry away from the lake like she had. The guys were probably harmless, and Dane was probably making a bigger deal out of it than necessary. Guys were like that, totally aware of men checking out the women they were with.

  It meant he felt something for her, right?

  She smiled when she saw him taking her tea kettle over to the teapot she’d set out on the countertop in her apartment. He poured the hot water into it and placed the lid back. He’d thought something hot would warm her up. In all honesty, she hadn’t been cold but used it as an excuse to leave the lake.

  Such a shame that her past, and present for that matter, had dug such a deep scar into her life. They’d been enjoying themselves and her paranoia had ruined an otherwise great Sunday afternoon.

  “I have some honey on the top shelf in that cupboard. I like it in my tea,” she said.

  “I do too. In fact, I love honey, period.”

  He opened the cupboard and reached up for the plastic bear.

  “Cute,” he said. “You like bears?”

  “Why?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “Just curious because I noticed you have a teddy bear on your bed.”

  “Uggy.”

  “Uggy?” he asked, raising both his eyebrows.

  “That’s all I could say when I was two and my parents gave him to me for Christmas.”

  He handed her a mug of tea. She wrapped her hands around it, knowing that the bear was something she wasn’t supposed to still own. She’d been told to leave with nothing that would connect her with her former life, but Melanie couldn’t see how an almost threadbare teddy bear could bring criminals to her door. She bit her lip. Of course the teddy did house some other secrets too.

  “You warming up now?” asked Dane, pouring himself a mug of tea.

  “Yeah, much better.”

  “Soup’s good too. I always love soup on a chilly fall day. My wife used to make this incredible vegetable soup. It was so hearty that it was a meal in itself.”

  He smiled but she detected some tears in his eyes.

  “Tell me about her…I mean if you’re comfortable with talking about her.”

  He leaned up against the counter and sipped his tea.

  “She did look a lot like you. I wasn’t going crazy that day when I burst in like that.” He paused. “She was very clever. Could do crosswords in no time flat. Oh, and those Sudoku puzzles. I’ve never been able to solve a complete one, but she went through them like it was one plus one sort of stuff.” He paused again. “She had a kind heart. Loved to sew and make things. I’m probably going on too much now.”

  “No, really you’re not.”

  “She was having a baby when…when she was killed.”

  Melanie put down her mug and rushed over to him, hugging him to her. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea. And I didn’t know she’d been killed. I thought maybe she had cancer or something.”

  “Shot when we were out hiking.”

  Melanie went cold. They had more in common than she’d originally thought.

  She pulled away from him so she could look directly at him. “What happened?”

  “Hunter. He was out shooting and it wasn’t even bear season.”

  “Bear season?”

  “I mean that’s what he said he was doing in the woods that day, hunting bears.”

  “That’s awful. I hope they arrested him and he went to prison.”

  “Um, yeah, he got his just reward.”

  He hugged her, clung to her like he wouldn’t let her go.

  “I’ve made you sad and I feel bad now,” said Melanie.

  “Nope you haven’t. Let’s go see what’s on TV and drink the rest of the tea.”

  ****

  He’d almost ruined it. The out of bear season thing. He should have come clean. And the just reward bit, well that was true, only justice had been served his way. He hated to think that Melanie would ever find out that he was a cold blooded killer.

  He flushed the toilet and washed his hands, looking at himself in the mirror over the sink. It was the front of a cupboard and he was a curious bear. He opened the front up and peered on the shelves. A bottle of aspirin. Tube of sun block. Box of tampons. Dane felt himself blushing again.

  Next shelf held a bag with a drugstore logo on it. He pushed the paper down, seeing a box of dark brown hair dye. He had noticed the blonde roots showing when they’d sat on the bench. He tried to imagine her as a blonde. She’d be cute but maybe she liked dark hair better. Most women were never happy with the color nature gave them.

  He closed the door. He said he’d only be a couple of minutes and now he’d been sidetracked by his nosiness. Dane tapped his pant pocket. He’d been to the drugstore too. Not for hair dye but condoms in the largest size they had. Melanie had said she was cold, again so he’d suggested she go to bed and get under the covers. He was going to join her and who knew what might happen. He walked out of the bathroom and along the hallway to her room. She was under the covers all right, but her bare shoulders peeked out over the top of the quilt.

  “I thought you’d like to get under the blankets and help warm me up.”

  Oh yeah, bears knew how to do that all right.

  Dane lifted up his sweatshirt, pulled it over his head, and then unzipped his pants. He took out the condoms, placed them by the foot of the bed, and then pulled down his boxers. He was hard, his cock pulsating to a beat that matched the blood pumping around his body. He was going to make love to Melanie again and it was going to be better than the first time.

  Nothing like a little fun to kick things off. He lifted up the bottom of the quilt and saw her legs. He crawled underneath and kissed his way up her body. She smelled divine and the tactile sensation of her skin on his lips made him grow harder with each inch he took. He arrived at her thigh. He gave it a kiss, making a smooching sound that made her giggle.

  Lucinda had giggled whenever he’d done that to her too.

  Now something completely different, the curls on top of those thighs. And something he’d look for this time. Her clit. He wouldn’t see a thing under the covers so he stood up, sending them down the bed. Now he could get a better look.

  He parted her legs. Her folds were a dusty pink color and a drop of cream already clung to her opening. He wiped it with is finger, smelling its musky odor as he dragged his finger upwards, knowing her clit would be at the apex like he’s seen in Charlotte’s medical book. He smiled thinking that maybe Charlotte should throw a seminar for shifter guys who wanted to date human women.

  And here it was. A little nub of a thing. He pressed it, seeing her legs twitch instantly.

  “I am a clit type of girl,” she said.

  He wasn’t quite sure what she meant by that, but he was going to find out. He placed his thumb on it, circling it in steady turns.

  “Oh yeah,” said Melanie, sliding down in the bed and opening her legs more for him.

  Now Dane was more intrigued than ever. He pressed harder and sped up his movement.

  “You are a bad boy, really…oh yeah.”

  Her eyes were watering and she had the top of the quilt stuffed in her mouth. He moved his thumb even faster, hearing her cry out and seeing cream spill from her.

  “You better be ready to rock my world right now.”

  Oh yeah, he was. He reached for the condom, tore it open, and luckily this bigger size rubber thing glided over his dick with ease. He lifted his now sheathed cock and slid into her.

  She was smoldering hot, wet, yet tight, just the way he liked his woman.

  “Hold on, baby, because it’s more than your world that’s going to be rocked.”

  Chapter Ten

  Could lovemaking get any better? Just how had Dane learned to bring about such off the charts orgasms?

  She lay on her side with his big arms wrapped tightly around her, his cock buried deep inside her, his lips tickling her earlobe as he thrust so hard he almost moved her off the bed. In fact, if she hadn’t been safely encase
d in his arms she might have easily fallen on the floor. He kissed the side of her neck while bringing his right hand around her hip, moving it over her mound and downward until it found her clit. He massaged it as he continued to thrust. A double delight. She closed her eyes, her pussy growing heavy, her clit growing super sensitive to his touch. Both areas were pulsating and she wasn’t sure which one would provide her with her climax first.

  He pressed harder, thrust with more gusto. She grew lightheaded wondering, if a person could have a stimulus overload. It was almost too much. She never thought she’d hear herself think that.

  “Dane, I don’t think I can tolerate the double treat.”

  “Oh yes you can, baby, and it’s going to be great,” he whispered in her ear.

  She believed him. She held on, feeling even her legs growing sensitive, her skin tingling and then kaboom, the double whammy.

  Dane held her as she shook. She was sure she was seeing fireworks, sparks of light traveling around the room. She stroked his arms, admiring the muscles that stood out on his forearms and then heard him moan and pant before a warmth spread through her pussy. He squeezed her extra tight and kissed the side of her face.

  “See that wasn’t too much for you,” he said.

  She smiled, glad she had trusted him, because he was right. That had been the experience of a lifetime. They laid together, him resting his cheek on hers. Melanie suddenly wondered what Mike would think of Dane. Would he be happy that she’d finally found someone to be with? Someone that she felt free to be herself with?

  Yet, she wasn’t exactly herself. A tear ran down her cheek. They’d taken away her husband and also any chance she had of ever being normal again. Those bastards. Sometimes she thought about taking her agent up on his suggestion that they provide her with a gun and let her take shooting lessons so she could defend herself if the occasion ever arose. She’d practice and practice until she became as good, if not better, than a sniper, and then she’d lay wait for them. She’d shoot them but not fatally so she’d have the chance to tell them just what they’d taken from her and then she’d finish the job. Sometimes she was shocked at her fantasy. She’d never been a violent or revengeful person, but that morning had changed all that.