by Bianca D'Arc
“Oh, it is most definitely true. Just about everyone in town loves honey—except maybe Sven. Polar bears are weird.” She laughed as he finished licking his fingers. “One of the main factors in favor of your business was the box of samples you brought when you made your presentation to the town council. The fact that you used natural ingredients—including a lot more honey than most commercial bakeries—is what sold everyone who tasted those first samples.”
“So, honey was our ticket into town, eh? Tina will get a kick out of that. She’s the one who first started tweaking our recipes and led us down the back-to-nature path. She’d have us go totally organic, if we let her, but the costs are just too high right now to make it worthwhile.” Ashley began gathering the used plates together, naturally organizing things to take back inside. “Tina’s the one who came up with the idea for our roof garden too. We all helped build it, but it was her idea. It’s been great for us. Saves us money on produce, and considering how far off the beaten path this town is, it’s allowed us to have fresh greens whenever we want them rather than whenever the delivery truck shows up.”
“Yeah, not many of us are salad lovers,” Tom admitted. “So, we didn’t place that high a priority on that sort of thing. We all can hunt our own game, though we can also have beef and chicken delivered. Just like my wine. We pool orders and have a truck drop off a whole load every couple of months. Everybody’s got a big freezer to stash their supply.”
“I heard someone was starting up a ranch up the mountain that is supposed to be able to supply the town with chicken, turkey, pork, beef and even bison, eventually,” she said as they worked together to clear the table, moving in and out of the patio doors, brushing each other from time to time as they carried things.
Tom’s mind wasn’t really on the conversation. He was thinking more about what would come next. Was she cleaning up in preparation for leaving? Or was she cleaning up because she was just a neat person who wanted to have everything in order before they sat and drank more wine…and maybe did other things? Tom was eager to find out.
“Yeah, that’s the plan, but it’ll be a while down the road yet. Livestock tends to be nervous around us, so we’re looking into outsourcing the labor, but every applicant has to be vetted. As we learned from you and your sisters, we’re not very good at keeping our secret yet. We have to be careful who we allow access to our town.”
“I’m surprised you have such control. I mean, I thought people could come and go wherever they wanted in the U.S.”
“Technically, we’re only partly in the U.S.,” Tom explained. “Much of our land is on the outskirts of the reservation. We have a good relationship with the elders, and they know we are excellent stewards of the land. Native Americans are some of the only humans who are raised to believe in us. The local shaman knows what we are, and he trusts us to do right by the land, and by their people. In fact, that ranch will probably employ a large number of the tribe’s younger folk, when it finally gets up and running. We have a few other irons in the fire to create employment opportunities, and the tribe gets a percentage of our art sales. It’s our way of giving back to their community, since they welcomed us so warmly. We’re even looking at constructing a new building on Main Street for the tribe’s artists to run, where they can sell their own work.”
“That’s really impressive. I didn’t realize the reservation boundaries were so close. I mean, I knew they were nearby, but I didn’t realize…” Her words trailed off as she went back into the house for a moment to drop off the last of the dishes.
When she returned, Tom watched her to see what she would do. Much to his relief, she poured more wine for them both and moved over to the padded bench that faced the water at the far end of the patio. Tom joined her there, sitting next to her as they sipped their wine and watched the dark waves rippling in the moonlight. The dim light from the patio behind them didn’t interfere with the stillness of the night all around them.
Tom reached over and put his arm around her, gratified when she moved closer, snuggling into his side. They sat there for a while, watching the stars twinkle and the water wash against the sandy shore. It was a peaceful night, the sound of the water soothing, even while the feel of Ashley against him heated his blood.
Chapter Eight
Ashley was about to scream in frustration. If Tom didn’t make a move in the next five seconds, she was going to jump him.
Oh, to hell with five seconds!
Ashley got up and rearranged herself so that she straddled Tom’s thighs, her hands sliding around his neck as she lowered her mouth to his. And then, she was kissing him. Thank God.
She couldn’t have taken one more quiet moment without jumping his delectably handsome bones. Tom’s only fault—if it really could be called a fault—was that he was too polite. Any other guy would have been all over her by now, but something was holding Tom back. He seemed a little nervous, maybe even a little shy, but Ashley didn’t mind showing him that she was ready. More than ready. She had been going a little nuts just sitting there, next to him, feeling his warmth, and breathing in his enticing scent.
Things were better now. She could taste him and feel him under her. She liked the way his cock stood to attention as she introduced her thighs to his, rubbing all over as she squirmed on his lap. Tom’s arms went around her waist, supporting her, then subtly moving her in the direction he wanted her to go…right against his hard cock.
She could feel him through the layers of clothing, and he was…impressive. Oh, yeah. Impressive was definitely the word for him.
Her head swam when he whirled with her in his arms, changing positions as he put her beneath him on the wide, padded bench. He was so damn strong. It was a total turn on. He lifted her as if she weighed nothing at all. She felt petite next to him, which wasn’t something she normally felt with guys. She was the tallest of her sisters, and though none of them were waif-thin, she was built a little more…uh…substantially than her sisters.
Her height and curves had made her feel self-conscious with a lot of guys, but it seemed none of those old insecurities plagued her when she was with Tom. He was a big man. Taller than she was, his body was coated in hard, rippling muscles. He treated her like she was a goddess, and with him, she felt it. Just a little.
Make that a lot.
He undressed her, moving faster now that he knew she was eager for more. She urged him on, helping by tugging at his clothes, undoing the small buttons on his shirt and his dress pants. He dressed very urbanely for a bear, she thought, smiling.
And she’d give anything, right about now, to see him in nothing at all.
Apparently, that’s what he wanted too because he didn’t stop stripping her, even while he was kissing the breath from her body. He let her up for air, only to begin a new assault as his mouth trailed hot, wet kisses down over her skin, pausing at all the interesting places.
He laved her nipples with his tongue, making her moan. He nibbled his way down her ribcage and over her tummy. And then, he was there, between her splayed thighs, his mouth giving her the most intimate kiss imaginable while his hands roamed over her thighs, caressing and squeezing, holding them far apart for his pleasure.
She felt mastered and cherished, all at the same time. Never before had she felt this way with a man. Tom knew what he wanted, and he made it exactly what she wanted too. Anything. She’d give him anything by the time she came apart under the powerful influence of his tongue on her clit and up her channel. He knew just how to play her to make her scream.
And scream she did. His name echoed through the trees around the patio a split second before he rose up and slid into her quaking body. He held her thighs high and wide while he took possession of her spasming channel, his gaze holding hers while her orgasm went on and on…to heights she’d never visited before.
He began to move, and she kept climaxing in the most intense experience of her life.
Multiple orgasms. She thought maybe that’s what they called thi
s. Wasn’t it supposed to be some kind of unattainable phenomena?
If so, nobody had told Tom. He rode her hard and kept the sensations running hot as he escalated quickly into his own raging climax. When he stiffened above her and she felt him come, tears leaked out of her eyes at the beauty of the moment…and the man.
He’d given her something she had never had before. He’d made her feel…almost…loved.
Tom wanted roar as he came inside her, but he did his best to leash the bear’s howl of triumph. Everything inside him shouted mate, but though he inwardly crowed, he knew he’d have to take it slowly with Ashley. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her off.
He wouldn’t talk about mating until she had seen Brody and Nell’s relationship at work for a while, he decided. She needed to understand that mating was for life, and that he’d never treat her badly. He would live only for her, but he had to finesse her agreement. He had to show her that he was serious, and that the mating impulse, though quick to make itself known, wasn’t capricious in any way.
Tom rolled to his back on the wide base of the padded bench and draped Ashley over him as they both came down from a glorious climax. She fit him perfectly, as he had hoped she would. She was his match in every way, and he would spend the rest of his life proving himself worthy of her.
If she let him.
When the night air started to cool, Tom knew it was time to go indoors. Would she stay? There was only one way to find out.
“Shall we move this party to where it’s warmer?” he asked, hoping with every fiber of his being that she’d say yes.
Ashley leaned up, her hair tumbling around them, creating an intimate space in which their gazes met and held. She smiled, rubbing one finger along his collarbone.
“I thought you’d never ask.”
She made a move to get up, but he stopped her, taking her easily into his arms and rising from the bench. Kicking the wad of clothes toward the patio door, he set her down right in front so he could open the door without fear of dropping her.
Ashley scooped up the pile of their discarded clothing, though he would’ve left it, and scampered into the house before he could stop her. He followed her in, finding her sorting and folding their clothes on the kitchen counter. She was a neat little thing, which amused him.
But there would be time for clothes folding later. Much later.
Tom scooped her into his arms and carried her straight down the long hall to his bedroom.
* * *
Sometime well before dawn, Tom came awake. Ashley was moving quietly around the bedroom.
“What’s up?” he asked, yawning as he scratched his chest.
“Me, unfortunately,” came Ashley’s swift reply. “Sorry to wake you, but I really have to go.”
“Go?” Maybe he hadn’t heard her correctly.
“Yeah. I’ve got to open the bakery. Actually, I’m already late.” She ducked into the bathroom while he got out of bed.
Dammit. He had heard her correctly. After the most glorious night of his life, his new lover had to leave.
But he understood. Her family was depending on her to take the first shift, as she always did. They hadn’t made any prior arrangements that would allow someone to cover for her. Events had just unfolded the night before. There hadn’t been a whole lot of planning or premeditation.
Frankly, Tom hadn’t expected anything beyond dinner when he issued his invitation. He’d hoped. But hope wasn’t the same thing as certainty. The fact that Ashley had spent the night in his arms was something he would never regret. It was a special gift. A blessing.
And he would do everything in his power to keep her. Forever.
Part of that kind of relationship, he knew, involved allowing the other person room to grow, and be who they were without interference. It was accepting them as they were, and not trying to change them to suit his needs.
Ashley was a baker. She was a vital part of her family’s business. She worked while most other people slept. It was her routine.
Tom wasn’t going to interfere with that. Not on what was, essentially, their second date. It would be up to Ashley, if she wanted to change her schedule, now that they were a couple.
She probably didn’t realize it yet, but in Tom’s mind, being a couple was a foregone conclusion. He just had to ease her into the idea. Eventually, though, she would see them as he did—two halves of a whole.
Ashley came out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her and a fragrant cloud of steam following on her heels. She’d used his soap and shampoo. His bear scented the familiar fragrances, plus the essence of Ashley that made those plain scents much more alluring. Tom liked that she would wear his scents—his soaps and his touch—all day.
“I hope you don’t mind. I won’t have time to clean up when I get back to the bakery. The bread has to go in the oven as soon as I can prepare it, or I’ll have a few angry patrons in a couple of hours.”
“No problem,” Tom said, gently reassuring her. He wanted to be supportive, even if he would rather have slept until morning, with her in his arms. “I’ll drive you back.”
Tom ducked into the bathroom, pausing only to place a smacking kiss on her lips as he passed her. He saw her head out of the bedroom and figured she was going after her clothes.
He grabbed some clean clothes out of his wardrobe a few minutes later, dressing quickly. Venturing out in search of Ashley, he found her in his kitchen, fully dressed, if a little rumpled. She looked nervous, and he hated the uncertainty that marred her pretty face.
“I’m sorry,” she said, as he came into the room. “I know this is a strange way to end the evening.”
“Don’t worry.” Tom walked up to her and took her into his arms, rocking her gently. “I didn’t exactly plan last night either, but I’m really glad it happened. I want to spend more time with you, Ashley. And I don’t mind if I have to do a little readjusting of my schedule to make it work. I’m mostly an artist, these days. I don’t have to be anywhere at a particular time, most days. And my legal work is mostly paperwork, which can be done in the middle of the night, if need be. I’ve got more flexibility in my hours than you do. We’ll figure something out.” He kissed her, then moved back to meet her gaze. “That is…if you want to continue exploring this thing between us. I know I do.” He smiled at her, hoping she’d give him the answer he really wanted. “How about it, Ash? What do you say?”
“I say…yes.” She reached up to kiss him quickly, smiling brightly. “I want to see where this leads, but right now, it better lead me to the bakery pretty soon, or the morning’s bread will never get made.” She stepped out of his arms, and he felt momentarily bereft. He craved the feel of her in his embrace already.
But she hadn’t told him to get lost. That was a plus. He could work with it. He just had to be cautious and not rush her.
Chapter Nine
Ashley had expected Tom to just drop her off. Instead, he’d come into the bakery with her, keeping her company as she rushed through making the day’s bread. He was a good companion. He didn’t get in the way, and his conversation was both interesting and subdued, befitting the early hour.
When she had the first batch in the oven, they took a break together. He’d made the coffee and poured her a cup when she came out from behind the oven door, ushering her to one of the tables, where they could look out at the view. They sipped the hot liquid in companionable silence for a few minutes as the sun’s first faint rays began to make an appearance.
“If I didn’t say so before, I had a lovely time last night,” Ashley finally opened the topic she’d been avoiding for the past hour. When it came down to it, she was actually somewhat shy, even if she had jumped Tom’s bones a few hours ago.
“So did I,” he agreed amiably. “Want to do it again tonight? I can get some fresh fish from Sig, if you like grilled salmon.”
She felt a smile bloom inside her soul. “I’d like that.”
“I’ll come by and pick you up again?�
�� he asked, though it wasn’t really a question.
“Sounds good.” She grinned. Just like that, she had another date with him. Another chance to prove to him that they were good together. No. Not just good. Spectacular.
Tom stayed for breakfast, sharing what was fast becoming a ritual with them, of feeding Gus the seagull and sitting outside for a bit, watching the sun rise. When the first customers started trickling in, Tom sat quietly at one of the out-of-the-way tables, reading email on his cell phone while he ate a Danish and drank coffee.
Everyone greeted him in some way, either nodding or going over to shake hands, and she got the idea that a great deal of speculation was flying as they looked from him to her and back again. Ashley didn’t know what to make of it. For her part, she didn’t mind anybody knowing that she was dating Tom, but she didn’t really know how he felt about their possible notoriety. It was a very small town, after all.
She watched him carefully as each new person said hello, but he didn’t seem to care that the other townsfolk were putting two and two together and coming up with four. Maybe he didn’t mind that they knew. Or maybe—and this sort of speculation could get her in trouble—just maybe, he wanted them to know that he and Ash were an item.
Maybe his very obvious presence in the bakery this morning was meant to stake some sort of claim, or warn other men off. A little thrill of excitement sizzled down her spine at the thought, but she had to be careful. She could be totally misreading the situation. Maybe he just wanted to hang out, drink coffee, and eat pastries. It wasn’t all that uncommon.
Although…up ‘til a couple of days ago, Tom hadn’t even set foot in the store before. And now, it seemed he couldn’t get enough of the place. At least in the morning, when she was there.