“Fine.” I tasted the skin at her throat and grinned as she writhed in my arms. I had no real intentions of letting her out of my bed for a couple of weeks, so we could sort out the details then. “It was hell without you.”
She pulled her nails across my back and moaned. “Eventually, we have to do more than this. We have to talk.”
“Okay, sure.”
“Later, though.”
I grinned. “Definitely later.”
CHAPTER 15: Bunny
The world was back on its axis. All of the anxiety I’d felt over the past six months had faded the second I saw John. A new tension had formed south of my stomach in its place. I’d made the right decision. I knew it as much as I knew the sky was blue. I belonged next to him.
John carried me into the house and up the stairs, to his bedroom. With ease, he lowered me onto the bed and then stepped back. His bruises were quickly fading, leaving perfect, tan skin behind. His hair was longer and messily brushed back from his face, and his beard had grown fuller. I liked the way it made him look, even if it tickled my face.
“What are you thinking about?”
I looked up at his golden eyes and smiled. “I don’t hate the beard.”
He laughed while pulling his shirt over his head. “I like your hair like that.”
I shook off the blanket that’d been around my shoulders. “Mandy told me you’re James Smith. I’m sorry I threw your own books at you that first day.”
He undid his belt buckle. “I probably deserved it. I wasn’t quite myself. See, I’d just met my mate and slept with her within ten minutes of finding her hiding in my closet. It was a busy day.”
I sat up and leaned forward on the bed so I could grab the front of his pants and pull him closer to me. “She sounds easy.”
“Ha! No, she is not easy. She is anything but easy!” He leaned over me and grabbed the bottom of my dress before easily pulling it off. When he saw that I wasn’t wearing anything under the dress, he groaned. “Not easy at all. But worth it.”
I ran my hand down his length, through his jeans. “Well you’re pretty hard yourself. We should do something about that.”
“We’d better not. I’d like to last longer than last time.”
I unzipped his pants and pushed them down enough to get him out. “Apparently, we have a while. Being mates and all. I’m told that’s forever.”
He twitched as I held his erection in my hands and stroked. “Damn, Bunny. Say that word again.”
“Which one?” I flicked my tongue over the head of his dick and looked up at him. “Forever?”
John opened his mouth to talk, but I opened my mouth and took as much of him as I could in. I moved my tongue along the underside of his shaft and curled my lips over my teeth as I bobbed my head. He growled and buried his fingers in my hair.
Just when I was finding a good rhythm that had his grip tightening in my hair, he moved away from me. “On your back,” he growled.
I moved to the middle of the bed and pressed my thighs together as John undressed. Seeing him naked turned me on more than anything else ever had. My mate was sexier than should’ve been allowed. His body made me stupid.
He knelt in front of me and rained kissed all over my legs, working his way up my thighs. “You have no idea how many times over the past six months I’ve regretted not tasting you that day. I was in such a hurry to be inside of you that I missed out.”
I gasped as he pulled my legs apart and kissed my inner thighs. “Have you thought about this a lot?”
“I’ve fantasized about you every single day.” He lowered his face until his breath fanned out over me and then he extended his tongue and ran the tip from end to end of me.
I cried out, feeling just as wild as I had the first night. I wondered if it would always feel so unhinged with him. I constantly felt like I was out of control, but I loved it.
John rolled his tongue again, diving deeper with that stroke. Again and again, he caressed me with his tongue, working me into a frenzy in no time. He stiffened his tongue and thrust it into me, fucking me with it.
I gripped his hair and held on as I felt like I was flying away. When his tongue found my clit, I was lost. His beard rubbed it in just the right way that had an orgasm shooting through me before he’d really even started. My hips twisted and left the bed, but he held me steady.
“John!” I screamed his name, letting go.
“I need to be in you. Fuck, Bunny.” He moved up my body, kissing as he went. Stopping at my breasts, he took a few seconds to tease my nipples until I was writhing under him again.
I opened my body to him, invited him in, and was surprised when he rolled me onto my stomach. I looked back at him over my shoulder and felt the weight of his erection rest between my thighs. My core clenched and I bit my lip.
John’s eyes were bright and I could see his bear right under his surface. “Mark. I want to mark you.”
I knew what he meant, thanks to Star. He wanted to claim me as his own. I couldn’t fight it, even if I wanted to. His desire to do it was as natural as the sun rising. I lifted my hips and shifted so I could reach under me and line our bodies up. “Do it.”
He surged forward, flattening my hips into the bed as he filled me completely. He held onto my hips and pulled out so he could slide back home again.
That angle was magical. He was hitting me in a place that had my eyes crossing. I gripped the pillows under me and begged him for more.
Not needing to be asked twice, he started an unforgiving rhythm. Each thrust forced my hips into the mattress. Each little growl of his had my heart pounding away.
John shifted forward, leaning his body onto mine, covering me. He held himself up with his fists planted on the mattress on either side of my head, as he rocked into me again and again. Just when I thought I couldn’t take anymore, he whispered in my ear about how he wanted to make me come for him. His deep voice tickled my ear, but it had my core clenching in an impossible way.
John growled and moved his hips faster. It was too much for me. I sank my teeth into his arm and fell into an earth shattering orgasm. My whole body shook as heat spread through me. At the same time, I felt John’s teeth close on my neck and then he shot his seed into me. I opened my mouth and screamed as white hot pleasure scorched every nerve ending I possessed.
I lost track of time. I didn’t know how long I was orgasming or how long it’d been since John marked me. I just opened my eyes and then he was beside me, pulling me into his chest. He dipped his head and ran his tongue over his mark, causing ripples of my orgasm to move through me.
“What happened?”
John chuckled and held me tighter. “I marked you. And you marked me.”
I looked at his arm and saw my teeth marks. “Oops.”
“I don’t know how I survived the last six months without being able to hold you. This is amazing.”
I closed my eyes and let myself enjoy him. “Let’s never do that again.”
“You have me forever, Bunny.”
I rested my leg across his and traced his stomach muscles with my fingernails. “I changed my mind.”
He stiffened. “About?”
I leaned up and kissed him. “The beard. It can stay.”
EPILOGUE
*****John*****
One Year Later
“I told you we didn’t have time for this! Everyone’s going to know what we just did.”
I tucked my dick back into my pants and slapped Bunny on the ass. “Yep. And it’s all your fault. This dress has been driving me crazy all day and you’ve been prancing around here, wiggling your hips at me.”
She gave me a wicked grin. “I can’t help it. I’m horny constantly these days.”
I pulled her into my chest and kissed her. It was a little awkward with the belly between us, but we were making it work. I cupped her perfectly round belly and knelt in front of her. “Do you hear that, baby? Mommy’s blaming this on you now.”
There
was a knock on the door and Alex’s voice rang out. “If you two are finished, you may want to get out here. The show’s about to start without you.”
I kissed Bunny once more and opened the door. My little brother was standing with a big grin on his face as he looked at us. I smacked him on the back of the head. “We are the show.”
Bunny gave me the evil eye. “I told you they were all going to know.”
We hurried towards the ceremony, where soft music was playing and our family was waiting for us. Everyone was there. All of my brothers and their mates, and their children. I could already hear a baby squealing.
“Who thought it would be a good idea to do this when I was nearly nine months pregnant?”
Alex moved on as I stopped and rested my hands on Bunny’s shoulders. “You did. You wanted this to happen before the baby came. If you’d rather not do it, just say the words, Bunny. I’ll do whatever you want.”
Tears filled her eyes and she shook her head. “No, I want to. I just feel awful. Look at me.”
I did look and I felt myself hardening again. “Baby, you’re fucking sexy as hell. I can go again if you need proof of how I feel.”
She laughed and let me wipe her tears away. “I’m sorry. I’m all over the place. I’m just nervous.”
I pulled her into my chest and held her. “I love you, Bunny. I love you more than any man has ever loved any woman, I’m pretty sure. I don’t need this ceremony. I know what we have. If you’d rather just have the party, no one is going to blame you.”
She straightened herself and shook her head. “No. I know what I want. Come on.”
I let her lead me to the field of flowers and couldn’t help feeling a little relieved that she wanted to do it. We joined the rest of our family, because they were her family, too, and I couldn’t help feeling like I was the luckiest bear there. I stood back and watched as all of my brothers’ mates rushed towards my mate, to fawn over her and her very pregnant belly. My heart felt like it couldn’t take anymore. I knew it could, though. Soon, my son would join us.
Our whole family was complete. Of course, Bailey was still too young for her mate, but she seemed happy just taking care of all the new babies. I knew Dad would be pleased with how we’d turned out. We finally understood the crazy will. This, this spectacular thing, was all he’d wanted for us. It’d taken us losing him to get our heads on straight, but here we were. Better than ever.
Bunny suddenly cried out and I rushed to her side. She looked down and growled. “My water broke!”
Elizabeth grinned. “The baby’s coming early!”
Bunny shook her head. “No. No way. We have to do this first.”
I grabbed her arms. “No fucking way, Bunny. We’re getting you to the midwife and the tub. We can do this later.”
She grabbed the front of my shirt and yanked me closer. “We’re doing this. Now.”
And so we did. We committed our lives to each other in a commitment ceremony- not a wedding- while my mate was in labor. She screamed as I slid her ring on and threw mine at my head when I suggested we skip the rest and go ahead to her midwife. It was messy, with everyone gathered around us in a tight circle of worry and laughter. Bunny cursed me, while also telling me how much she loved me. It was us. It was perfect.
And then we all lived messily, and happily, ever after.
THE END
RANCHER BEAR’S MERRY CHRISTMAS
CHAPTER 1: Lettie
If my mother had still been living, she would’ve lost her cool on me. I couldn’t get that thought out of my head as I sat behind my desk on Christmas day. Mom was big on traditions and spending Christmas with family was one of them. Unfortunately, she and Dad had only one child, me, and their brothers and sisters didn’t have kids nor did they stick around Landing, Wyoming. So, here I was, sitting alone in my office on Christmas day. No family around to speak of, and all my friends were spending time with their own families today.
My office sat on the corner of Main Street and Second Avenue and if I rolled my chair to the left corner of my desk, I could just see the giant decorated Christmas tree in the center of town square. It was early in the day, but the lights were already twinkling. A thick layer of snow blanketed the town, undisturbed except for the twin tracks on the road where people had driven over it. It felt magical, serene, and silent like the song.
I rolled my chair back in front of my laptop screen and tapped the space bar to get it to come to life. I didn’t have anything to do. What was a travel agent supposed to do at her office on Christmas day? All of my clients were either already enjoying their holiday vacations, or tucked away cozy and warm in their homes celebrating with their families. I opened my email, anyway, then refreshed it a few times when nothing new appeared. Still, nothing.
A heaviness was beginning to settle over me at the realization that I was feeling, well, a little bit lonely. I had nothing to do on days like today but think about how alone I was in the world. Dad died when I was in college and Mom followed him a few years later. At twenty-seven, I’d been on my own for a number of years already and I was no stranger to holidays spent alone, yet each year around this time felt more and more depressing.
I’d received invitations to join people over the years, but I didn’t want to be the orphan at the party. It always felt like I was being invited out of pity, because everyone knew I was all alone. Eventually, the invitations quit coming. People knew I wanted to be alone. Or, that’s what they assumed, anyway.
I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes. Instantly, a postcard perfect image popped into my head. My friend, Helen, had sent me the picture from her mother-in-law’s living room. Helen, her husband, perfect children, cute dog, and a perfect backdrop of a fireplace, stockings, hot cocoa mugs, and even more family photos. I couldn’t help the jealousy I felt. I was happy for her, but I truly wished I had something like that for myself.
I’d proven to myself that I was okay being alone. I was healthy enough to sit alone in a silent room without going insane. Didn’t that mean I was ready for someone to love? Wasn’t that what people said? Once you were okay with yourself, the right person would come along? So far, that wasn’t true for me.
I opened my arms, looked up at the ceiling and said aloud, “I’m okay, world. I’m okay with me!”
I refreshed my email again and sighed. At the rate I was going, I’d be dead from boredom by nightfall.
The shrill sound of my office phone interrupted my thoughts and I practically dove at it. “Hello? Jay Travel. Can I help you?”
“Busted!” Leila Long’s voice barked into my ear. “I knew you’d be at the office. Dammit, Lettie, that’s no way to spend Christmas.”
I made a face at the phone. “I just had to run in and finish up with something. Jeez. Do you harass all of your friends this way?”
She laughed, and then I heard others talking in the background. “Just the ones I love. Are you going to be free later?”
I’d had my back to the front door of my office, so when the bell rang, it startled me. I spun around and froze at the sight in front of me. Three children stood, without jackets, shivering, and staring at me. The oldest one, who was probably twelve, rubbed her hands over her arms and gave me a forced smile.
“I’ve got to go, Leila. I’ll talk to you later.”
She was talking when I hung up, but she’d be fine with me hanging up on her if she knew what I was looking at.
“Hi.”
The oldest, a girl, gave me another forced smile. “Hi. You’re the only shop open on this street.”
I nodded and jumped into action. I didn’t know what was going on, but these children had to be freezing. “I am. C’mon in, kids, here, let’s get ya’ll warmed up. I have a heater over here. Huddle on up to it, you’ll all be able to feel the heat.”
They rushed over to it, the smallest one getting pushed right up against it. He looked up at me with the biggest brown eyes I’d ever seen and stuck out his full bottom lip. He couldn’t
have been much older than three and everything about his sweet little face broke my heart.
“Why are you open?”
“I’m… not quite sure. Why are you walking out here alone?” It was direct, but I couldn’t help it. I knew everyone in Landing. Everyone and everything. It was a small town and people talked. Yet, I didn’t recognize these children. In fact, if I were a betting woman, I’d wager I’d never seen these kids before.
The middle boy, only about five, started to cry. “Mommy left us.”
His big sister nudged him. “Be quiet, Joey.”
I knelt in front of them and smiled up at the girl. “You in trouble?”
She sucked her bottom lip in between her teeth and roughly shook her head. Her messy brown hair matched her brothers’ and they all shared the same huge brown eyes. Their pale skin was slowly turning rosy as the warmth returned to their little bodies.
“What’s your name?”
Joey struck again. “Abby. And I’m Joey. This is Bear.”
The small one’s eyes turned bright and fur started spouting out on his little body. He let out a little sound that sounded more kitten than bear. Abby grabbed his arm and shook it.
“Stop it! Stop it, Bear!” She looked at me with panicked eyes and pushed him behind her body. “Don’t hurt us. Please.”
I reached around her and pulled her hand away from Bear’s little arm. “It’s okay. You don’t have to stop him here, Abby.”
“You… You know what he is?”
I nodded. Landing was made up mostly of shifters and their partners. Everyone in Landing, for the most part, knew about shifters. “I do. How did you kids get here?”
Abby looked more relieved than anyone I’d ever seen. Tears filled her eyes and she hugged herself. “We walked. From the bigger road.”
“It’s okay, sweetie. We’ll get this sorted out.”
CHAPTER 2: Tucker
Rancher Bear Complete Series: PLUS NEW BONUS BOOK: Rancher Bears' Merry Christmas Page 25