Hard To Bear

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Hard To Bear Page 7

by Georgette St. Clair


  He hadn’t just come back to town to restart his family’s business. He’d come for some other reason. Could it be connected with the disappearances?

  And what should she do with this information?

  There wasn’t much point in confronting him with it, she decided, as she dumped detergent into the washing machine and turned the dial. If he hadn’t told her the truth yet, he certainly wasn’t going to spill any details just because she’d found that receipt.

  What did this mean for her and the bear?

  Nothing, she thought firmly. It was even more reason to avoid him.

  She grabbed a towel, and found that Flint was already in the kitchen, making two cups of hot chocolate for them. He’d gotten the whip cream out of the refrigerator and sprayed it on top. He was as naked as the day he was born, completely comfortable with his nudity. His rock hard erection pointed straight at the ceiling, thick and proud.

  “Thank you. And I appreciate you staying here,” she said, looking only at his face and trying not to blush again. He made her blush a lot. “I do feel safer.”

  She held out the towel, and he wrapped it around his waist, and they stood by the counter sipping the sweet, hot liquid. She shivered in the cooling air; the rainstorms always brought the temperature down.

  He set his hot chocolate down on the counter and reached out to rub her arms, and when his firm, strong hands gripped her, she felt a tidal wave of liquid lust washing over her.

  “Don’t,” she gasped, but she made no move to pull away from him. Her knees turned to jello, and she leaned against the bank of kitchen cabinets so she wouldn’t sway where she stood.

  “Why not?”

  “Because…because I’m not interested.” Her breath was coming out in pants, and she felt the juices of her arousal oozing between her legs.

  “Liar.” His voice was husky. How had he gotten so close to her?

  “Am not.”

  “Kiss me, and if you aren’t interested after that, I’ll sleep in your armchair without a word of protest.”

  “Okay,” she murmured. In her lust-dazed state of mind, that seemed to make perfect sense.

  The huge bear shifter cupped her face in his hand and tipped it up, and then he bent down, and his luscious lips melted onto hers. Her lips parted, and she was lost. She felt his towel dropping to the ground and let his free arm circle her waist and pull her up against his massive, hard body without protest, and she let out a helpless whimper of pleasure as his tongue thrust into her mouth and firmly swirled around hers.

  “Mmmm.” She moaned into his mouth as he probed the caverns of her mouth with his tongue, leading her tongue in a slow, intimate dance. She drank in his sweetness and the wet heat of his plundering tongue, and felt her knees go liquid. She started to sag in his arms, and his arms tightened and held her, crushing her closer against him.

  His rock hard erection pressed into the soft flesh of her stomach. He was so tall he had to bend down to kiss her, and she stood on her tiptoes to receive his devouring kiss.

  “Bed,” she moaned. They needed to be in a bed.

  With his shifter strength, he scooped her up in his arms as if she were light as a feather pillow, and carried her down the hallway to her bedroom. She nuzzled and kissed his neck as he carried her, breathing in his earthy, masculine scent.

  When they got to the bedroom, it was a race to see who could rip off her clothes faster. He undid her pajama top so fast that buttons went flying, but she didn’t care. She shimmied out of her pajama pants, and he pushed her back on to the bed, falling on top of her and covering her with the giant wall of muscle that was his body.

  “Not interested, huh?” he growled, pinning her hands above her head. He moved his body so he could kiss her neck, nipping at her soft flesh and then running his tongue over the area he’d just bitten.

  “Mmm,” she whimpered helplessly, squirming underneath him. Damn the bear, teasing her like this when she wanted him inside her, with a hungry, aching urgency.

  “What’s that? I didn’t quite catch that.” He nipped at her neck again, and then moved down to suck her nipple into his mouth. Her nipple was swollen, sensitive, engorged in his mouth. Every inch of her body that he touched lit up with pleasure, little rivulets of delicious sensation crackling down her nerve endings.

  “Yes….Ohhh, yes….” She wailed, squirming. “Okay, maybe I’m a little…ohhhh….interested…”

  “Good,” he growled. “Because I’m very interested.” He sucked at her nipple again, gently tugging it with his teeth, and another whimper of pleasure escaped her lips.

  He cupped her other breast with his hand, and ran his thumb over the nipple. Little jolts of pleasure shot throughout her body. His massive bulk pressed her into the mattress, and she couldn’t have escaped if she’d tried. She lay there helpless and loving it.

  Then he moved down lower still, and she bit her lip, anticipating what was to come.

  “I can’t wait to taste you, baby,” he crooned. “You smell so sweet.”

  He kissed her stomach, and she couldn’t help but flinch.

  “What?” he murmured into the soft swell of her flesh.

  “I’m fat.”

  “You’re well padded. I like that in a woman. When I make love, I don’t want to bang up against someone’s bony skeleton.”

  She forced herself to relax, trying not to think of the other women he’d made love to. He was here with her now, for this night, and that was all that mattered.

  He kissed her again, swirling his tongue over her flesh. It was amazing how her body responded to his every touch, her skin instantly turning deliciously sensitive under his hot kisses and firm caress.

  He moved down lower still, to the neatly clipped triangle of red curls, and then placed his big, strong hands on her soft thighs and firmly spread them apart. She kept herself shaved bare on the lips.

  He spread her lips open gently, reverently, as if he were opening a box of delicious chocolates or a treasure chest of gold. Then he ran his tongue along the seam, from back to front, in one long slow lap, and she gasped in ecstasy.

  He slowly lapped at her again and again, and then his hot, hungry mouth closed around the swollen pink bud of her clitoris, and he sucked at it hard. She sank her fingers into his shoulders, moaning helplessly beneath the sensual torment of his tongue.

  Her arousal was building up inside her like a hot wall of lava, and she writhed with mingled pleasure and frustration.

  If he didn’t make her come soon she’d die.

  As he sucked, he slipped a finger inside her, and began stroking her inner wall, until he found the sensitive spot that made her arch her back and cry aloud. He massaged the spot with the pad of his index finger and sucked harder, until the dam inside her burst and the hot streams of pleasure gushed through her body. She felt dizzy, lighter than air. Sparks exploded behind her eyes as she came, gasping for breath.

  He moved up, pressing his knee between her legs, and she parted her thighs, wrapping her arms around his waist.

  Then he paused, moving down to grab a condom from his wallet. He tore open the packet and rolled it onto his thick cock.

  “Jumbo size?” she guessed. “Not that I’m complaining.”

  “Was it good for you too?” he teased.

  “Oh, my God,” she said. “Oh. God. Terrifyingly good. Yes.”

  The thick head of his cock nudged between her drenched lips, and he moved his hips and thrust again until he was inside her. He thrust again, filling her completely, so big that it took several more hard thrusts before he was fully inside her.

  Then he began rocking his hips in rhythm, burying his face in her hair. “Oh, baby, you’re so tight. I love how you squeeze me,” he groaned.

  He was so big that it hurt, but it was an exquisitely pleasurable pain. He filled her completely, and she felt her wet sheath clamping down on his cock, squeezing it hard.

  He pumped inside her, thrusting all the way in, and then pausing while he was bu
ried all the way to the hilt.

  “Don’t stop,” she begged, and he resumed, hard and fast, and then, just when she was on the brink, stopping again, making her plead for it. Finally with a last explosive thrust, she came again, hard, muscles convulsing and clamping on his cock, and he came with her, his guttural grunts of pleasure sounding in her ear.

  Chapter Eight

  Flint woke up to the urgent sound of his cell phone trilling from the nightstand. It was a special ring tone that had been programmed to alert him in case of emergency.

  Coral lay on her side with her back to him; he’d been spooning her, arms wrapped around her deliciously soft, warm body, when the phone rang.

  Yearning to sink into her warmth again, instead, he scrabbled for the phone, pulling it out of his pocket and answering it quickly. “Flint?” Melinda said. “You need to come meet me right away. I’m at our northwest post.”

  “What do you need?”

  “I’ve been attacked.”

  Alarm shot through him. Melinda didn’t sound as if she’d been badly injured – she wasn’t even out of breath – but if she’d been attacked, that was bad news. The operation might have been compromised.

  He swung his legs across the bed, and sat up. “I’m on my way,” he said. “Have you called Rory yet?”

  “Just hurry!”

  He pulled on his pants quickly.

  Coral was looking at him, her sheet drawn up to cover her. “That was Melinda,” she said, her tone cool.

  “Yes, it was. You heard that?”

  “I’m a wolf shifter. We have freakishly good hearing. Did I hear her say she’s been attacked?”

  “No, no,” he lied, inwardly cursing. “Just some problems at the work site.”

  Coral just stared at him stony-faced. She’d heard what she’d heard. He knew it. She knew it.

  Melinda shouldn’t have called him, and she was well aware of it. She had just risked exposing them all. She should have called Rory, their lieutenant and commanding officer. Flint’s reason for being in town was to provide cover for their entire crew. The construction project was the perfect cover, allowing them to move dozens of men into town undetected and unquestioned.

  He quickly dressed, wincing at the look on Coral’s face. This wasn’t the morning after he’d been hoping for.

  “I’ll be back in time to take you out to lunch,” he promised.

  She shook her head, frowning. “I’ll be busy throughout the day,” she said. “I’m following up on some leads.”

  “What kind of leads?”

  “Stories I’m working on.” She shrugged, not meeting his gaze. She had the covers pulled up, hiding her lush body, and he felt a vast chasm yawning between them now. Last night they’d practically melted into one person, and now she was cold and distant. “Let’s just say we’re both not sharing everything with each other. You should go see who attacked your friend.” She put particular emphasis on the word friend.

  He winced. “Coral, I will admit that Melinda has a crush on me, but there’s nothing romantic between us, and there never has been, and never will be.” Her expression didn’t change.

  “You believe me, don’t you?” he asked her.

  “I don’t know what to believe, Flint. There’s more going on than what you’re telling me, which tends to make me not trust you.”

  Yes, there was, but he couldn’t tell her why. It was too important. The fate of shifters, and humanity, versus the fate of his sex life? The choice was clear – unfortunately.

  It was more than just his sex life, though, wasn’t it? He was starting to develop real feelings for this lush, sexy wolf shifter. He was starting to wish he didn’t have to leave town so soon…and that she didn’t have to go either.

  “I’ll call you later. I’m sorry about this,” he said, and rushed off. Coral didn’t say a word to him as he left.

  He headed out to the northwest post, which was on a large area of property that he’d recently purchased for Sweet Stuff. There were numerous wild blueberry and raspberry bushes on the property, which is why they’d purchased it – or at least, that was the story they’d given out. The property was also very conveniently located, next to the area that the Enforcers needed to access in the near future… and that was the real reason he’d bought it.

  As he drove, he called Rory Fontaine, the contractor who was remodeling his parent’s historic house. Rory was also a tiger shifter, and a lieutenant in the Enforcers. He was supervising the operation in Blue Moon Junction.

  “How did Melinda get attacked?” Rory asked him, puzzled. “She didn’t call any of us for help, and she’s supposed to be at the canning factory today, overseeing construction. ”

  “I don’t know,” Flint said. “But I aim to find out. Just meet me there.”

  When they arrived, they found Melinda in her human form, with a bruise on her head, a split lip, and scrapes on her arm.

  She flung herself into Flint’s arms. “I’m so glad that you’re here!” she said, hugging him.

  He stepped back, disentangling himself from her arms with some difficulty; she tightened her grip, and he had to firmly push her away.

  “What the hell happened?” he demanded.

  She flashed him a hurt look. “That’s a nice greeting, considering I nearly got killed. And why did you bring Rory? I called you, not him. I was hoping to get a chance to talk to you alone for once.”

  “I asked you what happened. If the other side has engaged, this could be a matter of national security.” Flint was stone faced. “And I brought Rory with me because he’s in charge of this operation, and you should be reporting any incidents to him, not me. That’s not what I’m here for, and you know that.”

  Melinda’s hurt expression melted into anger. “I was upset because I had been assaulted, and because you and I were friends, you were the first person that I thought to call for comfort. I see now that was a mistake. I won’t make it again.”

  Flint felt the sting of guilt. Was he over-reacting? Was he being a dick because she’d just yanked him away from Coral, and quite possibly ruined things between him and the sexy wolf shifter? He shouldn’t take his frustration out on Melinda. It wasn’t her fault that he was falling for the one woman he shouldn’t date.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, more gently. “But we’re here for professional reasons, Melinda. I need to know what happened.”

  She took a deep breath, and nodded. “I changed into bear form and went onto Metamorph territory.” Metamorph was a company based in Eastern Europe, specializing in pharmaceutical grade weapons.

  At Flint and Rory’s startled looks, she added, “I know I wasn’t authorized to, but I was worried. Those missing people…God knows what’s being done to them. They’re suffering. I couldn’t stand it.”

  Now Flint felt really badly. She’d done the wrong thing, but for the right reasons.

  Rory, however, wasn’t having any of it. He was a strictly follow the rules kind of person.

  “You trespassed on their property?” Rory growled. “You engaged them, and exposed us!”

  “I didn’t!” Melinda protested. “I didn’t engage them. It was a bear that attacked me – an actual bear, not a shifter. I got too close to its cubs while I was out there, but I managed to get away from it. I was in bear form the whole time. And I found a squadron of armed men patrolling near their so-called hunting camp, at the ley line convergence area. Trust me when I tell you this, those men were military; they weren’t hunters. Let me give you the coordinates where I saw them.” She rattled off a list of latitude and longitude numbers, looking pleased with herself.

  “That’s some good intel, huh?” she said happily.

  “You disobeyed direct orders,” Rory snapped. “You put yourself in danger of being captured. If you’d been captured, you would have been taken into custody and identified as an Enforcer. They would almost certainly have moved their operation elsewhere, and that would have blown our best chance to rescue the shifters they’re holdin
g, to say nothing of the larger implications.”

  “Come on, Rory, I’ve always been a maverick. It’s what I do best.” She flashed a cocky smile.

  Rory shook his head. “I can’t risk having this operation blown. I’m the officer in charge, and I am ordering you to pack your bags and leave immediately. You’re suspended from your position pending further notice. If anyone in town asks, we’ll tell them you were called back home on a family emergency. I’ll be writing up a report and recommending that you be subject to disciplinary action.”

  Melinda’s eyes went wide with astonishment and dismay. “You can’t do that!” she protested. “It’s not fair! I brought back valuable intel!” She turned to Flint. “Come on, Flint. We’re a team, you and me. We work best together. Don’t let him do this to me! You’re the one who’s putting out all the money for the cover operation – if you say that I have to stay, he won’t make me go!”

  Flint shook his head, feeling mingled regret and frustration. “I’m not going to attempt to usurp his authority. He’s the officer in charge, and honestly, Melinda, I have to agree with him. Your heart was in the right place, but you went about it the wrong way, and all the good intentions in the world won’t matter if you blow our operations. The only people who should be on our team are people who can follow orders. When you called me this morning, as it so happens, I was with someone. That person overheard you yelling about being attacked. I can only pray that you haven’t completely exposed our mission. If you’d called and reported it to the appropriate person, that wouldn’t have happened.”

  Rory’s eyes flashed with anger and he skewered Melinda with an ice-cold glare. “That does it. I want you packed and out of here within the hour, and you will drive straight to headquarters. I’m recommending that you be permanently pulled from the field.”

  Melinda whirled on Flint, tears filling her eyes and running down her cheeks. “It’s your fault, not mine! If you hadn’t spent the night fucking that fat wolf bitch, there wouldn’t have been anyone there to overhear me!”

 

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