“I could ask you the same thing,” Carter said, then reached behind her back to unclasp her bra. He slid it off, then dipped his face to her breasts. He nibbled on her nipples, applying just the right amount of pressure. The warm, wet feeling of his mouth on her breasts drove her crazy. She closed her eyes and savored the moment, savored the sensation of her man having his way with her nipples. The tingling sensation in her body grew warm, and then hot. Clara was burning up with desire, and she could feel her panties becoming soaked with the evidence of her deep craving for Carter.
He seemed to sense her growing impatience, and he tossed her playfully onto her back on the bed next to him.
“Who’s ready for a little bit deeper action,” he teased, already reaching to pull off her panties.
Clara bit her lip in anticipation, reaching up to try to pull off his underwear as well. It was a difficult task from the angle at which he was facing her, but he seemed happy to assist her in pulling off his sexy, black briefs. She felt a fresh rush of hot desire as she watched his erection springing free, stiff and enormous. She moaned at merely the anticipation of him filling her.
“Ready?” he asked, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. She nodded, and he slid into her, filling and expanding her inner walls. She closed her eyes and let the feeling of him inside of her overtake her. He hit every sensitive nerve cell, every pleasure spot. He moved up and down with a steady, strong rhythm, until Clara felt like her body was going to explode from the heat and the pressure. She could feel her warm wet juices oozing out, welcoming Carter into her body. She lost herself in the passion of the moment, throwing her head back and calling out his name.
And then she did explode. Her orgasm burst forth in a tremendous cascade of satisfying waves, as her inner muscles clenched around Carter in pulses of sweet release. Carter let out his own loud moan as he stiffened and then came into her, filling her with a steady hot, stream of himself. He held himself inside of her for several moments, panting and enjoying the deep feeling of togetherness that their lovemaking had brought.
When they had both caught their breath again, he slid off of her and lay next to her on the bed. Clara snuggled up next to him, feeling warm, sweaty, and loved.
“Merry Christmas, baby,” she said.
“Merry Christmas,” he replied, kissing her forehead. “It’s only an hour past midnight, and it’s already my best Christmas yet.”
Chapter Eighteen
Christmas morning brought a flurry of activity. Little Sophia and Drew rose with the sun, eager to open their presents. Despite Zach’s and Mindy’s insistence that the kids didn’t need much, everyone in the clan spoiled them. Box after box had been placed under the tree, carefully wrapped and labeled with the children’s names. And who could blame the clan members for wanting to give so many presents to such sweet children? Nothing could beat the look of joy on their faces as they discovered what each box held.
The adults didn’t buy much for each other, preferring to focus instead on giving the children gifts. But there were a few homemade gifts. Luke, who enjoyed woodworking, had made a beautiful wooden dresser tray for each clan member. He had even managed to finish one for Carter in time for Christmas morning. Bailey, who had her own jewelry business, presented each of the women in the clan with a gorgeous new necklace. Hunter, however, had planned a slightly more extravagant gift for the clan. He handed each member a small envelope, and instructed everyone to open them at the same time.
Clara looked down at the sheet of paper inside with nervous excitement—it was a gift certificate to a local skydiving center.
“I know those of you who are lifemates to the smokejumpers think you could never jump out of a plane,” Hunter said. “But I’m going to force you to disprove that theory. On New Year’s Day, we’re all going to do a fun jump together. No excuses. I know Bailey has done a skydive with Trevor, and if she can do it, so can all of you. I promise, once you try it you’ll love it.”
The adults all began talking at once. The smokejumpers were, of course, excited about the plan. They had all jumped out of planes so many times for work that it seemed commonplace at this point. But those in the clan who hadn’t jumped yet, including Carter and Clara, were understandably nervous. Clara could feel her palms getting sweaty at just the thought of standing in the open door of an airplane. But she had to admit a little thrill of excitement filled her at the idea, too.
As everyone talked at once, and the volume in the hangar made it difficult to understand what anyone was saying, Clara suddenly realized that Bailey was shouting, trying to get everyone’s attention.
“Everyone!” Bailey yelled. “Quiet down and listen up. I have something important to tell you.”
When she finally had everyone’s attention, Bailey took Trevor’s hand and looked over at him with a smile. “You all know that I’ve been skydiving before, and I’m always game for a thrilling adventure. But I won’t be joining you on the plane on New Year’s Day. I don’ think jumping out of a plane is recommended for a pregnant woman.”
It took a moment for everyone in the room to grasp what Bailey was telling them, but as soon as they did, a chorus of excited shouts erupted again.
“A new cub!” Riley screeched with excitement. “This is the best Christmas surprise yet!”
All of the clan members exclaimed their congratulations, and began asking questions about when Bailey was due, and whether they knew if the cub was a boy or girl. Bailey was two months along, so it was too early to find out the gender, but that just added to the intrigue and excitement. The clan members could hardly wait until the next summer, when the newest little member of their family would be arriving. And everyone was impressed at how well Bailey had been hiding the fact that she hadn’t been drinking alcohol over the last few weeks. She’d been sneaky about it, wanting to save her big announcement for Christmas morning.
But the new cub wasn’t the only exciting thing about the coming summer. Luke and River announced that they were planning an official wedding, and Hunter and Riley piped in that they were considering a summer wedding too. This led to talk of a possible double wedding, and soon the excitement in the room had reached fever pitch. Carter and Clara glanced at each other, smiling happily as they took in the energy of a room full of people they loved.
As the chatter died down, Ian stood and addressed the group.
“There’s one more big matter we need to discuss,” he said. “As you all know, this year has brought us a lot of happiness in the way of new family. New mates, new cubs, and even a new polar bear shifter all the way from Alaska. But we haven’t officially made Clara a part of the Burning Claws Clan, and I’d say it’s high time that we welcome her officially. Obviously, if we agree to give her clan membership, Carter will be given clan membership as well. As alpha, I move to admit them both. Does anyone have any objections?”
Clara felt her heart leaping in her chest. She knew Ian had been busy, so she hadn’t wanted to press the matter. But she had been hoping that he would allow her to become an official clan member. As she looked around the room, the Burning Claws Clan members all smiled back at her. Clearly, no one was going to protest Ian’s motion.
“Alright, then,” Ian said. “Clara and Carter, we welcome you as clan members. You’re an official part of the family now.”
Cheers and whoops filled the air, and Clara and Carter both had wide smiles stretching across their faces.
“I can’t believe how lucky I am,” Carter whispered in Clara’s ear when the commotion finally lessened. “Even a few weeks ago I would have never imagined that I would find love, family, and friendship for the holidays.”
“It’s the magic of the season,” Clara said, squeezing his arm tight. “Love and joy can’t help but shine through during this time of the year.”
Clara looked around the room, full of happy faces and festive red and gold colors, and she knew it was true. Christmas magic was all around her.
* * *
One week later, the magic continued a
s the whole clan, except for Bailey, loaded into an airplane at a nearby skydiving center. The experienced smokejumpers were jumping with their own parachutes, and the other clan members were connected by a harness to experienced skydivers for a tandem jump. Clara sat in the plane, her hands shaking, as she watched the jumpers ahead of her. Ian, Charlotte, Hunter, Luke, Trevor, and Zach all hurled themselves out of the plane with exuberant whoops. Then Riley left the plane with her tandem master, screaming hysterically as the experienced skydiver tipped them both over the edge of the plane’s open door. River went next, screaming just as frantically as Riley had. Next was Mindy, who was going right before Clara. Clara watched in horror as she saw Mindy leave the plane. She couldn’t believe how quickly Mindy was sucked away toward the earth. That’s when Clara really started to panic.
“No, no, no. I changed my mind! I can’t do this,” she insisted as her tandem master pushed her toward the door.
“Too late to turn back now,” the tandem master said, pushing her closer to the door inch by inch.
Clara started screaming, and she looked over her shoulder at Carter, who was laughing uncontrollably at Clara’s distress. That bastard, Clara thought.
Then she was in the open doorway, looking at the ground fourteen thousand feet below her. She said a quick prayer, then screamed again as her tandem master launched them both away from the plane.
Suddenly, the roar of the engine was replaced with the sound of rushing wind. The sensation of the wind pushing against her, buoying her up, almost made Clara feel like she was swimming through water. But she wasn’t swimming. She was flying. And it was amazing.
The tandem master spun them around in circles, first to the right, and then to the left. They were hurtling toward the ground at one hundred and sixty miles an hour, and the adrenaline rush was like nothing Clara had ever felt before. She lost herself in the wonder of the moment, and was surprised when her downward flight was halted suddenly. She looked up and saw a huge red and yellow parachute above her head. Almost like red and gold, she thought to herself. Christmas colors. Perfect for a skydive to close out the festive holiday season.
For a few blissful minutes, Clara and her tandem master floated toward the earth. When they landed next to the airplane hangar, she saw the rest of the clan already gathering around Bailey, who had been waiting on the ground with Sophia and Drew. Carter landed a few minutes after Clara, and Bailey passed out paper cups filled with hot chocolate.
“That was incredible,” Clara said as Carter approached her. “I can’t believe how much fun I had. Although, I’m still mad at you for laughing at me on the plane.”
Carter laughed again, then leaned in to kiss her. “Sorry. If it makes you feel any better, you’re really cute when you’re terrified.”
Clara crossed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at Carter. “You’re lucky you’re so cute, mister.”
Carter just laughed, and then their playful argument was interrupted by Ian, calling for a hot chocolate toast. The clan members all raised their paper cups in the air as Ian spoke.
“Here’s to the end of a brilliant year, and a heartwarming holiday season. I’m so thankful for each and every one of you, and I’m looking forward to many more happy years and holidays as our clan continues to thrive and grow. Cheers!”
“Cheers!” echoed each of the clan members, tapping their cups together. Clara took a sip of her hot chocolate and smiled over at Carter. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight.
“Here’s to never spending the holidays alone again,” she said.
Carter smiled at her and kissed her forehead. “I have a feeling the holidays are only going to get better and better from here on out, with you by my side. Happy New Year, Bear.”
“Happy New Year, Bear,” Clara echoed, winking up at her man. He may not have been a literal bear, but he certainly had the heart of one.
More Books in This Series
FIRE BEAR SHIFTERS
Book One: A Blaze to Bear (Ian’s Story)
Book Two: A Spark to Bear (Hunter’s Story)
Book Three: A Burn to Bear (Luke’s Story)
Book Four: A Flame to Bear (Trevor’s Story)
Book Five: An Ember to Bear (Zach’s Story)
Visit Sloane Meyer’s Amazon Author Page for Even More Books and Series by Sloane:
http://www.amazon.com/author/sloanemeyers
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About the Author
There are bears walking among us. Sloane Meyers is devoted to telling their stories.
Sloane thinks we could all use a little escape in our lives. And what better way to shake up the ordinary than to transport yourself to the mysterious world of those who have an animal within them, roaring to be let out. Sloane brings you hot shifter males, and spunky, spirited heroines—with NO cliffhangers! Each book can be read as a standalone.
When she’s not busy crafting bear tales, Sloane enjoys a good glass of wine, preferably shared with good friends. She loves reading, baking, and pretending that she’s actually a music buff. On weekends, she spends a lot of time in the great outdoors, hiking with her own sexy alpha and adorable little cub.
You can connect with Sloane at her website, www.sloanemeyers.com, or by Friending her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authorsloanemeyers.
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