A Lamb for the Bear's Appetite

by A Lamb for the Bear's Appetite [Evernight] (mobi)

  “I just wonder how this will work out between us.” The sound of him grinding his teeth pierced the gentle sounds of the wildlife surrounding them.

  “Do you want me, Olive?”

  Olive stared into his ruggedly handsome face. He was just so untamed. His dark hair had this slightly disheveled appearance to it, and his eyes seemed much brighter and greener than she had ever seen them. His animal was not in the mix this time. “You know I do.” The words were low when she said them, but she couldn’t help it. He affected her on a deeply primitive level, and whenever she was around him she felt so helpless, but in a very good way.

  He lowered his head so he was staring at the ground, and lifted his hand to run it through his short black hair. She was drawn to the sight of his bicep flexing. He lifted his head and stared at her once more. He took a step toward her, and she found herself taking a step back, seeing that his bear was no longer hiding deep inside of this male, but was coming forward and making its presence known. “You want me, and I sure as fuck want you.” He kept his eyes trained right on her. Olive felt the tree behind her and pressed her back against it. The bark was rough and pierced her thin t-shirt, and although maybe she should have felt apprehension over the fact this male, her mate, was on edge, possibly because he thought she might be able to walk away from him, all she felt was the answering call of her desire. Her pussy became wet, unbelievably so, and the tightening of her nipples bordered on painful. He took another step closer until his chest pressed against hers, and every inhalation she took caused her breasts to press more firmly into his hard, muscular chest. When he lowered his head so his mouth was right beside her ear, Olive curled her nails into her palms, sucked in a great lungful of air, and held her breath. His scent overwhelmed her, and all she wanted to do was push everything else aside and take control of her emotions, give herself up to him, and worry about the rest later. That couldn’t be so bad, right? Being with her mate seemed like it would solve all over the problems in the world.

  “You want to be with me, but I can also see the fact you are thinking of leaving when all of this is said and done.” His warm breath teased the tendrils of hair that had fallen out of her pony tail. “And even though your mind thinks that is the safe thing to do, that you would be protecting everyone by leaving, your body says something entirely different.” He slammed his hand on the trunk right beside her head with so much force that pieces of bark rained down. “I can smell how much your body craves mine. You’re wet right now, so fucking wet that I bet your panties are soaked. Go on, Olive, tell me how fucking juicy that pussy of yours is for me.”

  Olive closed her eyes, trying to get her thoughts and body under control, but it was no use, especially with Liam so close to her. “You already know the answer to that.” She opened her eyes and took a steadying breath.

  “Then why are you trying so hard to deny what is happening to us?”

  Every part of her body tingled. His natural scent mixed with the light aromas of the cologne he wore, and a small mewling moan left her. Every cell in her body bounced around, slammed into each other and made all common sense and voluntary actions near to impossible for her to grasp. “Because it would be safer for everyone if I just left Sweet Water.” Her pulse pounded, her blood rushed, and her clit throbbed.

  A hard looked moved across his face, and those deeply gorgeous green eyes of his turned black from the power of his polar bear making its presence known to her. “You will not leave Sweet Water, and you sure as fuck will not leave me.” His voice was so guttural, so animalistic, that she knew at this moment it was his animal that was addressing her. “Just give in, Olive, let me show you how fucking good it’ll be.” The feel of him dragging his tongue along the shell of her ear had her eyes closing once more and a shiver racing up her spine. “I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want, but, Olive, I damn well know you want me.” He ground his erection into her belly, and a gasp left her.

  Things were going so fast that her mind reeled, but the words to tell him to stop wouldn’t form. But there was no way in hell she could stop this, even if she truly wanted him to. She needed his touch as much as she needed the next breath of air. The alphaness that came from him was like a powerful tsunami. Olive found some strength and lifted her hands, but as soon as she placed them on his hard pecs, not knowing if she intended on pushing him away or pulling him closer, she melted against him even further. His muscles flexed right below her palms, and a fresh gush of cream left her. He pressed his hard cock into her again and again, and her mouth went dry as a soft cry left her.

  “We should stop. We can’t possibly do this right here, right now, and out in the open. What if someone sees us?” But even as the words spilled from her, she knew she didn’t mean a damn one of them. It was as if she was trying to be reasonable, trying to use good judgment, but she didn’t want any of this to stop. “God.” A gasp left her at the very large erection he continued to thrust against her stomach. “Just forget about what I said. Don’t stop. Don’t ever stop.” She swallowed, trying to get enough saliva in her throat so it didn’t feel like cotton was lodged in there.

  He twisted his hips slightly, letting her feel exactly how big he really was between his legs. God, his cock had to be as thick as her wrist, but Liam was a big guy all around, so the fact he was extremely well endowed wasn’t a surprise. The images of what it would feel like to have him sliding inside of her slammed into her brain.

  “I could take you right now, Olive, and you’d let me, wouldn’t you?” He ran his tongue up the length of her neck. “Yeah, you’d let me, because you are just as far gone with this mating as I am.” The sound of his claws retracting and digging into the bark beside her head didn’t even douse the fire burning inside of her. “You have no idea what I want to do to you. I might even frighten you if I said exactly what is going through my head right now, baby.” He cupped the side of her face, and right when she realized what was happening he had his mouth on hers and his tongue passed the seam of her lips. The flavor of him exploded against her taste buds, and she found her hands speared into his hair and tugging forcefully at the strands. He grunted, and a concentrated shot of his lust slammed into her nose, making her open her mouth wider and deepening the kiss. Their combined harsh breathing, coupled with the sound of her moaning and him grunting in an almost animalistic way had Olive wanting nothing more than to tear each other’s clothes off and get fucked by her mate right against this tree.

  He broke the kiss and started licking her throat, up and down, up and down, until she found herself reaching between their bodies and pressing her hand against his erection. He growled right beside her ear, a purely alpha male sound. “You could, Liam, God, you so could.”

  “I could do what, baby?” He never stopped licking her, and she knew why he did it. He wanted his scent covering her, wanted anyone that was within smelling distance of her to know that she was his, and the repercussions for messing with her would be in the form of his bear emerging and tearing shit up. By the prick of his claws gently digging into the skin at her neck, she knew that he was close to shifting.

  “You could have me, Liam. Oh, God. I want you to have me. Right now.”

  He growled low and deep, and so forcefully that she felt the vibrations in every part of her body. Just as he reached between their bodies, his fingers brushing along hers, he said, “I want this, too, but I’ not about to take my mate up against a tree.” He leaned back and looked at her in the eyes. “When I slide my cock deep inside of your body, Olive, it is going to be in a bed with you beneath me, surrendering every part of yourself to your mate.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Liam was harder than he had ever been in his fucking life, and as much as he wanted Olive right now, he wasn’t going to have their first time be against this old fucking tree. He pulled away from her and stared into her eyes. His bear was trying to break free. The asshole didn’t care if he fucked Olive right against the tree, not when he was hard-up to claim what
was his. It was taking all of his strength not to shift and claim her like his kind had done for centuries over. All he wanted to do was slide his dick into her hot little body, and he would, really fucking soon. She was wet, and the scent of her arousal was like a punch to his fucking groin. His cock pulsed with the need to feel her surrounding him, and his balls were so damn heavy that he was surprised he hadn’t come from the pressure alone.

  He kept moving back until he felt a tree stop his retreat, and then he started pacing, moving in fast steps and fighting internally with his animal to rein the fucker in. The scent of her clogged his mind, swirled through his body, and all he could do was picture her beneath him, totally nude, and completely spread so nothing was hidden from his view.

  “Liam.”

  He shook his head, closed his eyes, and tried to reason that if he wasn’t careful he’d shift right now.

  “Liam?”

  Hearing her say his name was like a slap to the face, and he stopped and looked at her. There was a worried look on his mate’s face. “You need to get control of yourself. You’re about five seconds away from shifting.” Her words pierced something deep inside of him, and his polar bear receded, relinquishing power, and all because his mate had cracked an invisible whip.

  “Yeah.” He ran a hand over his head. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry.” He closed his eyes again and shook his head. He needed to get some fucking control, because as it was he was liable to lose it and do some real damage. Not to her, of course. Never to his mate, but anyone or anything that stood in his way.

  “I didn’t mean to let things get so out of control.” He looked over at her, saw that she was still just as worked up as he was, but also knew it wasn’t her fault.

  “Baby, I was taking it just as far.” He moved closer to her, saw the way her nipples beaded right under the thin material of her tee, and wanted nothing more than to pull that shirt up and cup her bare breasts. His fucking hands itched to do just that, but he curled his claws into the palms of his hands instead. “Let’s just keep heading to the pond.”

  She took a deep breath, nodded, and offered him a dazzling smile. Fuck, she was so damn beautiful. How in the hell did an asshole like him get so lucky as to get a mate like Olive? He certainly hadn’t done anything extraordinary in his life, but she was something extraordinary. His bear sensed it, his human sensed it, and he sure as hell meant to treat her right.

  They started walking again, and to his disbelief she reached out and took hold of his hand. There was that ever-present shockwave of electricity that surged within him every time they touched. He gripped her hand tighter, wanting her as close to him as possible, and gave in to that one desire. He pulled her near him until he could let go of her arm and wrap his arm around her shoulders. It was perfect seeing as she could tilt her head and rest it right on his arm. They walked for another five minutes before the path opened up and the trees spread out. The pond wasn’t anything grand, but it was positioned in the center of a clearing, where hand carved benches sat around it, flowers grew in abundance when in season, and a canopy was set up for picnics. This had been Candace’s idea, and since it had been built they had spent several Sundays here. Liam had never thought himself the family type, but since Olive came into his life, as recently as that had been, something had changed in Liam. He thought about what their lives would be live years from now, the children they would have, and the life they would create. A male that wasn’t mated wouldn’t understand the instinct to be with his mate in every possible way. They wouldn’t understand the desire to procreate with the one female destined to be theirs. Liam sure as hell hadn’t understood it. He might have known that there was a primal urge with their animal, but he sure as fuck never expected this kind of reaction, and he wouldn’t change it for the world.

  Olive moved away from him and walked closer to the pond. It had a fountain in the center, and as his mate walked around the perimeter he stood back and just enjoyed how relaxed she looked. She definitely was in her element surrounded by nature. Her sheep, or lamb as she preferred to be called, was right at the surface, taking everything in, and Liam could have stood there all day just watching her. She moved gracefully, her womanly curves calling out to him, and the small smile on her face clenching his heart. She was perfect for him in every way.

  She stopped on the other side of the pond and looked at him. “You live here?” He slowly moved toward her, but she started walking around the pond, keeping enough distance between them that he couldn’t get near her. But he could have caught her so easily, because there was nothing that would have kept him from his mate.

  “No. I have a place, but Trace’s home is a lot more secure. He has his mate and my little sister here, so he makes sure it is locked up tight. Right now your safety, as well as your brother’s, is my priority.” He kept moving toward her, but she kept retreating. That was all right, though. Liam liked the hunt, and given that she was smiling at him, it told him his mate enjoyed being chased.

  “Do you have any other siblings?” she asked. He shook his head. “What do you do for a living?”

  He grinned. So, Olive wanted to do twenty questions? He could and would appease her curiosity. Because he’d be asking his soon enough. He wanted to know everything about her, even the minutest detail.

  “You want to know about your mate, baby?” Her wanting to ask him questions shouldn’t have turned him on, but he’d be lying if he said it didn’t have his erection springing to life. He got satisfaction that she was interested in him. She nodded, and even from the distance he saw the way she licked her lips. “I was born and raised in Sweet Water. I had a shitty mother growing up, one that gave my dad that nasty looking scar that you politely don’t stare at.” Her cheeks turned pink, and his grin widened over that. “I grew up as an only child, but my dad found his mate only a short time ago, and they had little Alivia. Now they live like the Brady Bunch most days, although Candace won’t sugarcoat the fact Trace can be a pain in the ass.”

  She chuckled softly, and the sound went straight to his balls. Fuck, if he couldn’t fuck her right now, he’d sure as hell need to jerk one off at some point today, because as it was he was going to get a major case of blue balls. He laughed, but it certainly didn’t hold any humor. Liam couldn’t even remember the last time he had yanked one off. It was easy enough to find willing pussy in this town, but now that he found his mate, just thinking about other females had his dick growing soft instantly.

  “I went to school for mechanical engineering, but am working for Maverick—that grouchy looking lion shifter that was there the night you escaped—and am happy enough working on cars and bikes.”

  “So you have this incredible degree, but you want to fix motorcycles instead?”

  He shrugged. “I’d rather work with Maverick on the Harleys, than in some big company where I am nobody. Besides, fixing engines and shit isn’t so much different from what I went to school for. I make a good living, am close to home, and am happy enough.” Although he’d be a hell of a lot happier if she quit moving away from him. But it seemed the closer he got to her the farther she moved. A low growl left him, and she laughed again. Yeah, she was a little siren and thought teasing him was fucking funny. All it was doing was making him harder, and having his animal growing excited for the hunt. “What about you?”

  “Me?” He nodded, and she looked down for a second, as if she was trying to think of what to say. “I’m no one special.” Yeah, he really fucking doubted that, but before he could say anything she was talking again. “My home life left a lot to be desired, and basically it was just Holden and me toughing out the world together. I always wanted to go to school to teach, but working and making money to help support us was obviously the route I had to take.” She kicked a rock away, and he wished she’d stop so he could hold her. “Then everything happened with Holden and the drugs and money, and well,” she looked up at him, and although she was strong as hell, there was a glimpse of her pain, “you know the rest.”


  He moved toward her side quickly, and he thanked fuck that she stayed put. When he was close enough to wrap his arms around her, he did just that. For long moments all he did was hold her, with the sound of the fountain splashing water into the pond.

  “It doesn’t have to be you against the world, Olive.” She didn’t respond, but did rest her head on his chest. “I’m your mate, and with that comes the fact I can carry your burdens. You don’t have to run, and neither does Holden. He can get clean, start a life where he can stand on his own. And both of you can achieve whatever you want right here in Sweet Water.” He pulled and brushed away a lock of hair. “I want that, want you near so I can keep you safe, shower you with affection, and where both of us can learn what in the hell this whole mating thing is about.”

  She was silent for several seconds, and he wished he knew what she was thinking. “And what if I told you I wanted to go somewhere else, somewhere that had an ocean and a beach, and was not Sweet Water?” Liam knew that assuming she would just stay with him was a little arrogant. He cupped her face in his hands and realized that compared to him she was so small.

  “I don’t care where I am, as long as I’m with you.” Her mouth parted slightly, and he couldn’t help himself. He leaned down and captured her lips with his. The kiss wasn’t anything passionate, but he wanted her to know that he was here for her, would be there for her no matter what, and he wanted that cemented in a physical way. “I’m not asking you to push your only family away. Just please don’t run because you think that is your only option.” He murmured against her lips, but he tasted the saltiness of her tears. “If you feel the need to leave, then let me be there to help you.”