Beary And Bright (Fire Bear Shifters 6)

by Sloane Meyers

  “I’m not sure ‘asked’ is the correct way to describe it. More like insisted and threatened. But let’s not waste time on the petty details,” Clara said, waving her hands as if to wave away a minor fact.

  Carter laughed. “Okay, okay. So what happened next?”

  “I looked your house up online. Stalkerish, I know, but I didn’t know how else to find you. When I got to your house, a neighbor of yours told me where you had gone to work. An old lady, with a really loud toy poodle.”

  Carter couldn’t help but chuckle. “That’d be Miss Edna. She’s a trip.”

  “So, long story short, I drove out to find you, was forced to turn into a bear to get the beam off of your leg, and here we are. Now I know your secret and you know mine. The end.”

  Carter laughed. “It’s not that simple, though. You’re leaving details out. How did you know, just from a missing bouquet, that something was wrong? I would’ve expected you to just chalk it up to the guy getting tired of his little game, and leaving it at that.”

  Clara didn’t speak for a long time, and Carter held his tongue, sensing that she had something important to say but wasn’t quite sure how to say it. When she finally did speak, she didn’t answer his question. Instead, she asked a question of her own.

  “Do you still feel all of those things you wrote in the notes you sent with the bouquets? I would understand if you didn’t, now that you know that I’m a bear shifter.”

  Carter reached over and put his hand on Clara’s thigh. “I still feel all of those things. I would venture to say I feel them even deeper now, that I’ve been privileged enough to see a deeper part of you. I will admit that it’s a lot to take in and understand. But knowing how unique and special you are only deepens my affection for you.”

  Clara fell silent again, but Carter had a feeling that it was because she was fighting to keep her emotions in check. After several moments, he saw a single tear escape from her right eye and roll down her cheek.

  “Hey, don’t cry,” he said softly, reaching up to brush away the tear.

  “Sorry, it’s just that I had begun to think that no one would ever want me again. The clan wars I mentioned were pretty rough on the soul. That’s another long story for another day, but suffice it to say that it was hard for me to even find friends in Alaska, let alone a man to care about me.

  “I may not understand what it’s like to go through clan wars,” Carter said. “But I understand what it’s like to be lonely and not have friends, or love. The holidays are the hardest time of year for me. I feel like everyone around me is so full of joy, and is having such a great time with their family and friends. And then here I am, by myself, with no one in my life to celebrate. Honestly, it’s why I wanted to do the bouquets for you in December. I was hoping to sweep you off your feet just in time for us to enjoy Christmas together.”

  Clara had reached the cabin at this point. She pulled up next to Carter’s truck and put her car in park.

  “I hate spending Christmas alone, too. But I thought I would never find a man brave enough to be with a woman who is half bear. You asked how I knew you were in danger. Well, shifters believe that we are all fated to be with one person. That person is our lifemate, and our souls are tied together. A shifter can feel the energy of his or her lifemate when that person is within a certain geographic proximity. When I didn’t get the bouquet, it set off warning bells in my soul. The feeling kept getting stronger, and I recognized it as the pull of a lifemate. I could feel that my lifemate was out there, and in trouble. The missing bouquet was just the first clue, but my heart told me the rest. I knew I had to find you, even though I didn’t know it was you at the time.”

  Carter stared at Clara with wide eyes, unsure of what to say. “Wow,” he finally managed to get out. “So you feel like you’re fated to be with me?”

  Clara finally looked back at him. “Yes. I know you are my lifemate. I’ve been attracted to you since the day I met you, but I pushed away the feeling because I thought you weren’t interested in me. Then, at Zach and Mindy’s wedding, I realized you were interested in me, but I thought you would never be okay with my bear side. It wasn’t until I realized you were in danger that I finally let myself experience the depths of my feelings for you.”

  Carter leaned back and ran his fingers through his hair. He couldn’t deny that everything he had learned in the last twelve hours or so was a lot to process. But none of it made him change his mind about wanting to be with Clara. If anything, it made him want her more. Instead of trying to explain all of this to Clara with words, he took her face in his hands and leaned in toward her. He kissed her, with passion and urgency. He let his lips meet hers, saying with his touch the things that words could never adequately express. He wanted her. He needed her. He may have only heard the term “lifemate” a few minutes ago, but he already knew that she was his lifemate, and he was hers. They were fated to be together.

  He felt himself growing hard from the heady sensation of his mouth touching hers, and he started to pull back from the kiss. He didn’t want the excitement in his groin to become too obvious. She deserved a romantic first time with him, complete with candlelight and soft music and rose petals. He would never let his passion make him forget his gentlemanly manners enough to ask her to consummate their relationship in a car in the middle of the woods.

  But if he had thought Clara was one to let things like a lack of candlelight stop her from getting what she wanted, then he was about to be surprised again.

  “Get in my backseat. Now,” she ordered.

  “Clara, are you sure? We can pick this up when I’m back in Red Valley tonight.”

  “I said, now,” Clara repeated, crossing her arms in feigned anger.

  “Okay, okay,” he said, raising his arms in surrender. He climbed over the seats and into the backseat, and Clara followed him. As soon as they were both back there, he began kissing her again, slipping his tongue deep into her mouth. She had made it clear what she wanted, and he was going to give it to her. No more holding back.

  Their tongues danced for several minutes, and Carter’s penis stood erect, rock-hard and throbbing, begging to be allowed into the beautiful woman he was holding in his arms. Clara’s skin was glowing with the faint sheen of perspiration as the heat of her excitement grew. Carter reached for her hoodie and the t-shirt underneath, pulling them up and over her head. Then he unclasped her bra, moaning as he caught his first glimpse of her two perfect breasts—full, supple, and round. Her nipples stood hard and alert, waiting for him to caress them, to lick them, to nibble on them. He did all of that and more, spending several minutes teasing each nipple, causing Clara to arch her back and beg for more of his touch.

  “You want more of my touch?” he asked “I’ll give you more of my touch. How about I touch you like this?”

  He slid his hand inside her yoga pants and panties, and started massaging her clitoris with his pointer finger while sticking his middle finger deep inside of her. Her moaning grew louder and more urgent, until she exploded into an orgasm around his fingers, the muscles of her vagina squeezing his hand over and over. She called out his name as the tremors continued to pass through her, and a delighted, satisfied smile pulled up the corners of her lips.

  “That was amazing,” she said. “But I want more. I want that enormous dick of yours that keeps poking me to poke itself deep inside of me. Let me feel you filling me.”

  Carter happily obliged her. He shimmied her yoga pants and panties down, and then pulled down his own sweatpants. There, on the backseat of her tiny car, with both of them struggling to fit but not even noticing the awkward angles their lovemaking required, Carter and Clara bonded. He lowered himself into her, feeling her moist warmth as it enveloped his penis. He slid his shaft up and down inside of her, hitting every square centimeter of her inner walls. He felt her arms wrapping around him, squeezing tighter and tighter, as she called out his name over and over, with greater urgency each time. And then he felt her exploding
all around him again, this time clenching around his dick as she came for him. As soon as she came, he let himself go. With a loud cry, he released a hot stream of passion into her body, relieving the pressure that had been building in his own body with one glorious burst of heat and ecstasy.

  They lay together, panting and happy. The air outside was still cool, but inside of the car it was as steamy as a tropical rainforest. When they finally disentangled themselves from each other, Clara looked over at him and gave him the most adorable shy smile.

  “Are you sure you’re not a shifter?” she teased. “Because you’re definitely a bear of a man.”

  Carter felt his chest swelling with pride at her words. “I may not be able to physically change into a bear, but I’m strong, and large, and I know how to treat my woman right.”

  Clara’s smile widened, and then faded somewhat into a look of concern. “You don’t feel threatened, then, by the fact that your woman is a literal bear and you’re not?”

  Carter laughed. “I don’t feel threatened. I feel damn proud, that’s what I feel. I like my woman to be strong and fierce. I reckon that makes you pretty much perfect for me.”

  Clara grinned, and leaned over to plant another quick kiss on Carter’s lips. But she pulled back suddenly when the clock on the dashboard came into her line of sight.

  “Holy shit, it’s after eight o’clock already. I have to get back to the pie shop. Riley is going to kill me!”

  Carter sighed. “I hate to let you go, but I understand. Can I see you again tonight? Maybe for dinner?”

  Clara smiled. “I’d like that, but I have a feeling I’m going to be working well past midnight tonight. We have a lot of orders we’re trying to fulfill for Christmas pies for people. Can I take a rain check for tomorrow night? It’s Christmas Eve. Come to the hangar and spend the holiday with me and the smokejumper crew.”

  Carter felt his grin stretching so wide that the sides of his mouth hurt. “I can’t think of anything that would make me happier,” he said, then leaned over to give Clara one more kiss before getting out of the car to let her go back to Red Valley.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Clara got home well after midnight, but her long work hours hadn’t dampened her holiday spirit. And the surprise bouquet of red roses from Carter had been a nice addition to her day. She’d thought he was going to stop with the flowers now that his secret wasn’t so secret anymore, but he just switched to signing his name on the card instead of leaving the sender a mystery. Clara admired the roses while she worked, enjoying the reminder of the gorgeous man she would get to see the very next day. By the time she left for the day, all of the Christmas pie orders for the Sweet Crust had been completed. The store would be open a few hours the next day, to allow customers to pick up their pies, but Clara had the day off. The clan had planned a fun Christmas Eve Day, full of food and fellowship. Clara was looking forward to sleeping in, and then spending the day hanging out with her favorite people in the world. And one of those people now included Carter. Clara grinned as she drifted off to sleep, with Carter’s face dancing in her mind’s eye. This Christmas promised to be her best one yet.

  Despite planning to lay in bed late into the day, Clara woke with the sun, excited to get the festivities started. She spent the morning eating pancakes and drinking coffee in the hangar with the rest of the clan. Laughter filled the air, and Sophia and Drew burned off plenty of energy running in circles around the giant Christmas tree. In the early afternoon, Carter showed up, and the whole clan welcomed him, clamoring around to ask questions about how he was feeling. Everyone wanted to hear his version of his rescue story. He told it while holding Clara’s hand, which he frequently squeezed. As the day wore on, and the light changed into the long shadows of late afternoon, everyone’s beverage of choice shifted from coffee to wine. Even the guys, who usually preferred beer, were classing it up with wine for the holiday.

  Zach and Trevor started firing up the grill for a barbecue. Thankfully, the rain had cleared up and the weather was sunny, although a little crisp. The grass was still damp from the previous day’s storms, but other than that Clara thought she couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful Christmas Eve. With a thick hoodie on, she was completely comfortable outside. Quite a difference from the holiday weather in Alaska, but she definitely wasn’t complaining.

  Carter quickly established himself as the life of the party. He surprised everyone by coming out of his reserved shell, cracking jokes and giving and receiving teasing jabs just as well as the rest of the clan members. Clara fell even deeper in love with him as she watched him blending effortlessly into her group of friends and family.

  A few hours later, after Sophia and Drew had gone to bed with the promise that there would be plenty of presents to open in the morning, the adults went back inside to sit around the Christmas tree and continue their conversations. Riley made spiked hot cider for everyone, and brought out a stack of pies to share. Even though everyone was still full from dinner, no one refused a slice of pie and glass of cider. It was Christmas Eve, after all. The holidays only came once a year.

  The clock had passed midnight again by the time Clara and Carter left the hangar. As they walked toward the bunkhouse, Carter stopped to pull her toward the parking lot.

  “Come here,” he said. “I want to show you something.”

  Clara gave him a curious look, but followed him as he led her to where her car was parked. She laughed when she saw a giant pot of poinsettias sitting in the front seat.

  “They’re beautiful. Thank you,” she said.

  Carter smiled. “Your final Christmas bouquet from your not so secret admirer,” he explained. “But that’s not the only thing I wanted to show you. I snuck your keys out of your room earlier with Zach’s help, before you even knew I was here.”

  Clara raised a questioning eyebrow, but Carter just kept smiling as he pulled her keys out of his pocket and handed them to her.

  “Turn the car on,” he said.

  “Okay,” Clara said, her voice filling with uncertainty. She opened the driver’s door and handed the poinsettias off to Carter, then sat down to put the key in the ignition. The engine roared to life and hummed quietly for several moments before Clara realized what was going on and looked over at Carter with a huge smile. “The clanking noise is gone!” she said.

  Carter nodded. “It was a simple fix, like I thought. I also changed your oil for you. If you need help with anything else on the car let me know, but she should be good for a while now.”

  Clara turned the car off and stepped out of the vehicle, throwing her arms around Carter, which was difficult to do since he was still holding the poinsettias.

  “Thank you so much,” she said. “It means the world to me that you cared enough to take time to fix the car for me.”

  He shrugged off her thanks, saying it was nothing, but Clara had meant what she said. That clanking noise had been nagging her for a long time, insistently reminding her every time she got into the car that she was risking a breakdown at any moment. Carter’s initiative to fix it took a load off of her worried mind.

  Which left her free to think about the other things on her mind—like getting Carter back to her room.

  “Come on,” she said, giving Carter a sultry look from beneath her eyelashes. “It’s getting late. We should go to bed.”

  Carter smiled and let her lead him away without hesitation. This time, he joined her in her room of the bunkhouse. As soon as the door closed behind him, he pulled Clara into his arms. She leaned her head against his chest, enjoying the feeling of strength and security that came with being so close to him.

  “Today was perfect,” he said, stroking her hair. “Thank you for inviting me. Thank you for letting me into your life.”

  Clara tilted her head back so she could look at him. “Thank you for accepting me for who I am,” she said. “I never thought I could feel so comfortable and at peace with someone, but I can completely be myself with you.”

/>   “Sounds like we’re perfect for each other,” Carter said, leaning down to softly kiss Clara’s lips. “My beautiful bear.”

  Clara kissed him back. “I agree, my gorgeous bear of a man.”

  Carter laughed. “I’m loving this nickname. I hope you stick with it.”

  Clara smiled. “I’m sure I will. It fits you very well. You have the physique and the quiet splendor of a bear.”

  Carter brushed a strand of hair back from Clara’s face, and his expression turned very serious. “I love you, bear.”

  Clara felt her heart beating faster as Carter looked at her with an intensity she had never before seen from anyone. “I love you, too, bear,” she said.

  And then, they were done talking. Carter pulled Clara down onto the bed with him, slipping his tongue past her lips and moving his hands down to cup each of her ass cheeks. Clara felt a sweet, tingling sensation starting at her lips, and spreading all the way to the extremities of her body. The tingling increased as Carter moved his hands from her ass to the front of her jeans, unbuttoning and unzipping them before deftly sliding them off. Clara quickly returned the favor, taking off Carter’s jeans as well, and then pulling his hoodie and t-shirt off to reveal his sculpted chest. She could stare at that chest all day. It was broad and strong, exactly what you’d expect from someone who spent his days doing strenuous physical labor. Carter lay on his back on the bed, and Clara straddled him, tracing the outline of his six pack with her fingers.

  “Your body is incredible,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

  “So is yours,” he replied. “Let me see it.” He sat up, repositioning Clara so that she was still straddling him, sitting in his lap. He pulled her hoodie and t-shirt off, leaving them both sitting there in their underwear, wrapped up in each other. Clara could feel Carter’s erection pushing against her groin, and she pushed her groin against his groin.

  “You feel good,” she murmured. “Why are you still wearing underwear?”