It’d been two weeks since I ran out of Daisy’s bedroom after nearly tearing her throat out. My bear had turned nice at the last moment, but I hadn’t been sure before then. I was terrified that I was going to watch my mate die by my own claws. I’d spent my time away from her thinking of her, watching her when I could, and working until there were blisters on my hands. Every day I spent away from my mate was torture, but I had no choice. I couldn’t put her or her baby at risk.
I’d finally talked to Matt about what happened. I figured he was most likely to understand at least a little of what I was going through. There’d been a time when his bear wasn’t exactly friendly. But, when I finished telling him everything, he just called me a dumbass and walked away.
John finally came home. He was just shy of a year younger than me and he and I had always been close. Irish twins, is what my father had called us. He was quiet and more reserved than my other brothers and he’d never made me feel bad when I didn’t go out and hang out with the rest of them as bears. He just let me be.
He’d been on the road, trying to convince the woman he loved to give Wyoming a chance. I personally felt like if you had to beg a woman to try out Wyoming, she probably wasn’t meant for the bear shifter lifestyle. Plus, there was the fact that she wasn’t his mate. He’d been in LA for months, after making a deal with her that he would give city a try for a while.
He was the only one of my brothers who hadn’t already settled down. We were both having women trouble. Although, I guess mine was less woman trouble and more bear trouble.
We sat on the back porch step at the ranch house, a shared bottle of whiskey between us. John listened to me without interrupting and then thought quietly to himself.
“I barely know anything about her. I’ve been…watching her. Just to make sure she was safe. Well, that, and honestly, I felt like I would die if I didn’t see her at all. She’s kind and sweet. She does everything for the people around her and I know she cried when she went to the obstetrician. I couldn’t even go to her and comfort her. I’m a horrible mate. I can’t give her what she needs and deserves because I’m too goddamned dangerous.”
John took his hat off and rested it on his leg. “You’re stalking your mate instead of talking to her?”
I grumbled. “I’m not stalking her. I just like to keep an eye on her.”
He shook his head. “Michael, I know you’ve always been different. I don’t fully understand what happened with you and I wasn’t here for all that shit that happened with Lucas, but I know you. And I know you’re making a mistake.”
I started to speak, but he continued on. “You didn’t hurt her. Your bear wouldn’t have. He couldn’t. He loves her just as much as you would if you gave yourself the chance.”
My stomach twisted and I knew that I didn’t need the chance. I already loved her. I wanted to be with her. It tore me apart not being next to her, getting to know everything about her, spending every second she’d allow right beside her, making love to her every night.
“He already proved that he isn’t going to hurt her. You’re hurting yourself, and your mate, because of some fears that you need to realize aren’t based in reality. You wanted to be a doctor, to help people, to save lives. You’re not the monster you think you are. You’re one of the most gentle guys I know. All of our brothers would say the same.”
I snorted and poured myself a hefty glass of whiskey. “Yeah, right. You should see them when I’m around the kids. They nearly pushed me away from Daisy when she was here. They don’t trust me.”
“Michael, they aren’t worried that you’re going to kill one of their kids or Daisy. They’re worried about you, in general. You’ve been through a lot and you’re not the best at handling things, if this isn’t evidence enough for you.
“When that guy shot Lucas, you did what any of us would’ve done. Your bear knew to protect its brother bear. You just got to him faster. Matt said he would’ve done worse. But, no matter how many times you hear us say that, you only manage to think that you’re some monster.”
I threw back the whiskey and poured another glass. “You guys just say that shit.”
“No, we don’t. We’ve never coddled you. None of us are the type. And I’m not going to coddle you now. You’re terrified of your bear. I don’t know if it’s because of what Uncle Max’s bear did to you, or what, but you’re so fucking scared of your bear that you’ve convinced yourself that his normal reactions are all vilified. But your bear’s not broken, Michael, he’s fine. You’re just afraid of him.
“We all see it. You flinch every time one of us shifts. I could shift right now and I bet you’d be so uncomfortable that you’d run off. We never called you on it because there never was a good enough reason, but you’re about to throw away a chance with your mate. How long do you think she’s going to sit around waiting for you?”
I swallowed the whiskey and put the glass down so hard it shattered in my hand. “I’m not fucking afraid.”
“Then what is it? You don’t like the idea of raising another man’s child? Can’t look past the fact that someone else fucked your mate before you found her?”
I roared at him, feeling the need to rip his head off. “Don’t say that about her!”
He kept poking. “Are you afraid you’re not bear enough to handle a mate? Maybe I should go get one of those unmated bears working down at the rodeo to see if they can handle your mate for you.”
“John! Fucking stop!”
“Why, brother? Too scared of your bear coming out to play? Bring it. You may be a chicken shit, but I’m not.”
My anger was getting the best of me and I couldn’t stop it. “Get out of here, John! I don’t want to hurt you.”
He ripped his shirt off and shoved his pants down. “I’ve been in fucking LA for months. I need this. Show me how scary this bear of yours is, Michael. It’s been so long since I’ve seen him. I can’t remember. Tell me, is he as scarred up as you?”
That was it. My bear ripped forward, faster than I expected, and slammed into John’s still shifting form. Before we hit the ground, John was bear. He turned his head and nipped my shoulder before kicking me off of him and standing up.
I ran at him full speed and slammed into him again, knocking us both to the ground. We rolled back and forth, swiping at each other with our paws, snarling and nipping each other. With his words still running through my head, I tried to see my bear in a different light.
John wrestled me off of him, but then another bear jumped into the fray. Matt. He let out a happy roar and dove into John’s body. Then, another landed on my back. I could smell Alex clear as day and something strange happened in that moment.
I wasn’t fighting to kill them. My bear was…playing with his brother bears. I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under my feet. I hadn’t played with my brothers since we were kids.
I gave a mighty roar, deciding to think it all through later and instead enjoy the gift I was being given. We rolled and wrestled until we were all flattened in the grass, outside of the barn, four panting grizzly bears.
John was the first to shift back. He pulled himself up and made a show of spinning in front of me. “Not a scratch. You’re telling me that I’m just so amazing at dodging that I managed to escape a fight with the most vicious bear in Wyoming without getting a single little scratch?”
Well, shit.
CHAPTER 11: Daisy
I’d waited as long as I was going to wait. I had a baby growing inside of me and my baby needed someone who would commit to being its daddy. No matter what happened with Michael, I wasn’t going to pretend like the two hours I’d spent with that random sperm donor qualified him to raise my child. I didn’t even know his last name, and I was sure he would be perfectly fine if he never knew about the secret I was carrying. I didn’t want him. I wanted Michael. This kid would have the best home and the most loving parents if I could just get my mate to stop being a first class imbecile.
I’d seen h
im following me around. I knew he was checking on me. He cared enough to do that, so I know he was feeling our bond as strongly as I was. He was just a blooming idiot.
I was done. Some might say my hormones were driving me, but I knew better. I just wanted my mate. I thought I could outwait Michael, but I couldn’t. He won that game. I surrender.
I didn’t care about him being a bear. I didn’t care that he thought he was some monster. I just wanted him back. We could sort out all the details later. We could play four hundred questions and he could read my journal from my teenage years, but right then, I just needed him back.
I’d driven to the ranch, expecting a fight, but the one I witnessed was not what I’d been expecting. I drove up just as Michael and another man turned into bears and started fighting. What looked rough at first quickly turned into something fun and lighthearted. I parked and watched as more bears joined into the party and they all wrestled each other to the ground multiple times.
Michael seemed to actually be having fun. If anything, his bear looked gentler than the rest of them. I easily tracked his movements until he was flat on his back, just like the rest of his brothers.
For someone who hadn’t known shifters existed until very recently, I took it all in easily enough. I was fascinated by it, but mainly I just wanted to run and comb my fingers through Michael’s fur while he was still a bear.
I got out of my car and walked around the front end of it. I’d barely gotten ten feet closer when Michael’s bear sat straight up and turned its golden gaze on me. He roared and ran at me. I knew the gig, though. I didn’t run. I just stayed where I was and smiled.
I noticed that his brothers remained calm. “Michael. I came here to yell at you, but look at how cute you are like this. I can’t get over it.”
His brothers snickered, but Michael slowed down and then eagerly bent to rub his head into my stomach. The massive creature was easy with me, delicate almost. Then, he was man again, naked and kneeling in front of me. “Daisy.”
I put my hand on the center of his forehead and pushed him backwards. “You are in trouble. I’m tired of you running away from me. I have been waiting on you to come to your senses for too damn long, Michael. You’re making me eat my pride and come out here to get you, and that’s just so… annoying!
“I don’t care that you think you’re a monster. I don’t. I want my mate. I don’t know everything about you, but I know that you are mine. You said it yourself. So, stop being a butthead and act like my mate. I mean it. I have a lot of pent-up stress right now and I’m willing to release it on you.”
He stood up and grinned at me. “Butthead? I thought you were supposed to be sweet?”
I opened my mouth to yell at him but he his lips descended over mine before I could get words out. His kiss tasted wild and then dark, like whiskey. His tongue swept into my mouth and I moaned as all of my tension seemed to seep right out of me.
When he pulled back, Michael was still grinning. He looked like all of his tension had faded, too. “Come with me.”
I tried to keep up with him, but he was too excited. His naked steps were twice as long as mine and eventually, he just turned around and picked me up. “Where are we going?”
“To my favorite spot. I need to be alone with you.”
My body reacted immediately. My nipples pebbled, my panties soaked a wet spot right through, and I was suddenly panting against him. “Don’t leave me again. I can’t do it.”
He broke into a run and then finally stopped beside an overgrown lake. “This is going to be cold for a second.”
I shrieked as he waded with me into the water. The water was chilly, but his body was steaming hot against mine. “What are you doing?”
He adjusted me in his arms until I was pressed against him like a second skin. His big hands reached inside of my skirt and effortlessly ripped my panties apart so he could dig his fingers into my bare ass cheeks. “I’m trying to make it right.”
“How?” I moaned as he pushed my skirt up farther, and discarded the scrap of panties. His shaft brushed against my bare core. “By freezing me to death?”
He easily pulled my shirt off and then leaned forward and nipped at my chest when he saw that I was wearing a lacy bra. It’d been a matching set until he ruined the bottoms. “By warming you up.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my chest into his. “We have to talk.”
He wrapped his arm around the back of my thighs and expertly slid a work-roughened finger into me. When I released a moan, he inserted another finger. “After.”
I grabbed onto his hair and let my head fall back. “After, it is.”
“I want this to last longer, but we’ve got forever to do that. Right now, I just need to be in you.”
I gasped when he replaced his fingers with the hard shaft of his dick and thrust himself into me. He stretched me just past the point of pleasure, but something about the light sting made it even better. I arched my back and took another inch of him in. “Yes!”
Michael gripped my ass and lifted my body until he was almost completely out of me. Then, he pulled me back to him fast, starting a rhythm that had my head spinning. “Tell me if I hurt you.”
I let him work my body up and down on his manhood, the water making gentle waves around us and lapping against my lace-clad nipples. I was enjoying every second of it. When I arched backwards so he’d hit a certain spot, his mouth closed on one of my nipples over my sheer bra and he devoured it with his tongue and teeth. Then, he moved to the other one, building me up, higher and higher.
He moved up my throat, to our mark, and flicked it with his tongue. “You’re mine.”
I lowered my mouth to his and kissed him for all I was worth. “Then act like it.”
The provocation worked. He growled and then swiftly moved us up to the bank. He laid us down and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. With his eyes glowing, he looked absolutely wild. When he pushed back into me, his movements were fast and hard.
I could feel the pressure building in my body as he kept up his uninhibited pace. It started at my core and worked its way out until my entire body felt like a rubber band that had been stretched to capacity.
He reached between us and rolled his finger over my clit. “Come for me, Daisy.”
The rubber band snapped. My walls squeezed around him and pulsed in tune with my pounding heart as my orgasm flooded my body and tingled my every nerve ending. It was too much for Michael. I felt him jerk and shudder and then he was orgasming with me. I raked my nails over his shoulders and bit my bottom lip to keep from screaming loud enough to alert the entire town to what we were doing.
It was needless, because the roar Michael let out as he came surely did the job.
CHAPTER 12: Michael
My mate had tried to suck the life right out of my cock. Her body was too tight, too hot, and too willing, for me to last longer than it took for her to reach her climax. I rolled off of her and let my arm fall across my eyes. My chest was heaving and I didn’t know if my heart would ever calm down. My mate was one hot lady, that was for sure.
It’d been different. Without the anxiety about my bear, I’d felt everything a little clearer. It was a double-edged sword, because I didn’t know if I’d ever last longer than a few minutes with her.
Daisy trembled next to me, her body still reeling from her own climax. I wanted to crawl between her thighs and taste her, but I didn’t know if I could move.
She rolled into me and I wrapped my arm around her. Her soft breath on my chest had my dick hardening again, but I ignored it. If I listened to him, I’d screw myself stupid, or my mate lame.
“You never answered me earlier. I asked you not to leave me again and you didn’t answer.”
I looked down at her and frowned. “I don’t deserve you.”
She started to argue, but I rolled onto my side so we were facing each other and cut her off. “I don’t deserve you, but I’m going to have you. I’ll work at being
worth your time, and I’ll work as hard as I’ve ever worked at anything. I can’t stop this thing between us. I was an idiot to try.”
She blinked. “You’re done running?”
“I’m done running. I know this is a little crazy and I can only imagine how weird it is for you, but we belong together. I barely know you, but I… know the things that matter. You’re passionate and willing to fight for a man you don’t owe anything to.” I took a deep breath in. “I already love you, Daisy.”
She hauled off and landed a smack on the side of my head. “Shit. That wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.”
“That was for giving me such hell.” Then her eyes welled up with tears. “You love me?”
I laughed and nodded. “Yeah, I do. I have a lot of things to try to understand about myself, but that’s one thing I know for sure.”
She swallowed. “I think I love you, Michael. I let you stay away for longer than I should have because I was trying to make sense of all of this, but I don’t think I have to. We can learn along the way.”
My chest felt like it was going to fly away. “You think you love me?”
I had a lot of exploring to do with my bear and I knew everything wasn’t as simple as John had made it sound, but hearing her say that she even thought she loved me made me feel like I could conquer anything.
“I don’t know why I said that.” She cupped my face. “I know I love you.”
I crushed her mouth in a hot kiss and then lowered my hand to cup the tiny bump that was her stomach. “And this little guy or girl?”
She blinked back tears. “I’m keeping my baby. I want you to be the father, Michael. I know you’d be a good one and I want us to be a family.”
“I can’t…have kids of my own. Because of the attack.” I looked down at her belly. “This would make me unbelievably happy, Daisy. Being a family with you and your child.”
“Our child.”
I rolled us over so I was hovering on top of her. I needed a moment away from the heavy stuff. I wasn’t great at it, and I knew we had plenty of time for me to learn. “So, tell me, mate, what does a bear have to do to get some attention around here? It took you two weeks to chase me down. My poor ego is wounded.”
Rancher Bear Complete Series: PLUS NEW BONUS BOOK: Rancher Bears' Merry Christmas Page 19