Bruins Peak Bears Box Set (Volume III)

by Sarah J. Stone

  Her car peeled out of the driveway, and Silas shut the door with a sigh. “And so it begins.”

  Natalie had to smile. “It will be like this from now on.”

  He nodded. “Maybe we can check out the websites another time.”

  “We’ve got all the time in the world.”

  85. Chapter 10

  Natalie took Aurora’s casserole dish out of the oven and set it on the table, along with Lyric’s salad. Half a dozen other dishes already filled the fridge, and another three she put in the freezer for later.

  More and more, well-wishers stopped by to offer their condolences to Briar, Dana, and Silas, but these Bruins were all too sensitive and considerate to stay long. They delivered gifts of food, offered to help in any way needed, and they left. Everybody understood the family didn’t want anyone hanging around at a time like this.

  For some reason, though, Natalie didn’t count. She took over the kitchen like she owned the place. She made meals for Grace and Silas and Briar. After the first lunch, she cooked for Shaw and Dana and their baby boy, too.

  No one showed the slightest surprise when Natalie rummaged through the MacAllister family cupboards and hunted for storage in the pantry. Neither she nor Silas said anything to the visitors, but Natalie already knew in her heart what this meant. This was her house. She might not be married to Silas yet, but that was just another formality they needed to work out.

  In the meantime, she took her place as the new matriarch. She did exactly what Briar did when Natalie’s parents, Addison and Virginia, died. She didn’t ask permission. She just moved in and took over. Briar didn’t need permission. She was Riskin’s mate, for better or for worse.

  Besides Shaw and Dana and their little boy, this house would be empty when Don and Iris died. Silas and Natalie would share it with Shaw and Dana and any other children they had. That was as it should be. That was the Bruin way.

  Natalie sat down next to Briar. Silas sat across the table from her. Everyone looked around. “Should we say a blessing?” Briar asked.

  “You say it, Silas,” Dana told him.

  He extended his hands on either side, and everyone else copied him. The family linked hands and bowed their heads while Silas said the words to the 21st Psalm. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters…”

  Natalie’s head shot up. That Psalm sent shivers up her spine. Everyone else at the table stared at Silas’s bowed head. An electric current ran through the joined hands of those gathered together.

  Silas kept his head down and his eyes shut. He spoke out of the depths of his soul. He had no idea he spoke to the hearts of everyone present, right up to those fateful words, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.”

  When he intoned the last words, “And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever,” Briar couldn’t hold back her sobs. She buried her face in Grace’s hair and cried. No one moved until Silas raised his head and looked around at the startled circle of faces. “Amen.”

  Still, no one moved. Every eye riveted to his face. This was their Alpha. This was their future. This was Natalie’s future, too. She heard the words of his heart, and she loved him beyond comprehension at that moment. She worshiped him. Her whole romance with Max blew away into so much dust in her eyes.

  Silas lowered his eyes and put out his hand for the serving spoon. “Let’s eat.”

  That broke the spell. Briar wiped her eyes, and everyone attacked the food.

  After dinner, Natalie fell into her role as house mother again. She carried the dishes to the sink and ran the hot soapy water. Dana and Briar were too occupied with their youngsters to notice or offer to help.

  Natalie scrubbed out Aurora’s baking dish and Lyric’s glass bowl. She dried them and set them on the counter to return before she set to work on the family dinner plates.

  Briar fussed with Grace’s clothes. “Let’s get you into your pajamas, Pumpkin. It’s time for bed.”

  Grace kicked and screamed, the same way she always did when she got tired after a full day. “No, I won’t!”

  Dana’s baby started crying, and she and Shaw disappeared into their own end of the house. Natalie had seen enough Bruin kids growing up on this mountain to know the drill. Every Bruin girl knew enough about raising children from watching her young cousins and nieces and nephews to handle her own when she had them.

  She was just rinsing the dishes when the door opened from outside without a knock. Riskin strolled in. “Evening, all. I thought I heard my little girl say, ‘No, I won’t’. Did I hear that right, Pumpkin?”

  Grace rushed into her father’s arms. “Daddy! I wanna go home!”

  He pushed her head down on his shoulder. “I know you do, Pumpkin. I want you to come home, too, and you’ll be there very soon. I promise.”

  “I want you, Daddy!”

  “Aww.” He hushed her while he smiled at everyone over her shoulder.

  Briar came to his side. “She’s been fine all day. This just started because it’s bedtime.”

  “How are you doing?” he asked.

  Briar passed her hand over her forehead. “I’m fine. It’s just taking forever. That’s all.”

  “It’ll be over soon.” He peeled his daughter off his shoulder. “You go with Mommy now, Pumpkin. Go to sleep, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Briar took the tiny body in her arms.

  Riskin turned to Silas. “Do you need anything? I didn’t come to make a nuisance of myself. I just came to check in and make sure everyone’s getting on okay.”

  “We’re fine. Thanks,” Silas replied. “It’s like Briar said. It’s just taking a long time. It puts a strain on everyone’s nerves.”

  Riskin put his arm around Briar’s shoulders. “Let me know if you want to come home, even for just one night.” He kissed her on the forehead and headed for the door. “You all have a pleasant evening. Remember, I’m just a phone call away.”

  Natalie turned around in the process of drying her hands on the dish towel. “Hold on, Riskin. I’ll catch a ride home with you.”

  She gave Briar a hug and Grace a kiss good night. “I’ll back in the morning to give you all a hard time. You and me, we’ll go walking down to the dairy shed again, Grace—if that’s all right with you, Silas?”

  She turned to Silas, but she didn’t know what to do to take her leave from him. She would have liked to give him a kiss—and a lot more, too. He saved her by speaking first. “You’re welcome to go down to the dairy shed again. I’ll go with you like I did today. I’m looking forward to getting out of the house.”

  Natalie lowered her eyes. She didn’t know how to handle him in front of all these people. “Thanks.”

  “Why don’t you spend the night here?” he suggested. “You can stay in May’s old room. No one else is using it. That way, you won’t have to keep going back and forth—unless you have something you need to do at home, of course.”

  Natalie stared at him. What was he implying? Stay here? If she stayed here now, she would stay here forever. That’s what he really meant, and both of them knew it. He wasn’t suggesting she stay to help out while his parents died. He was suggesting she stay indefinitely—that she move in—move in with him.

  While she stood there gaping, Briar cut in, “That’s a great idea. You should stay here, Natalie. We could all really use you right now.”

  Silas’s eyes told her a different story. He didn’t want her to cook and clean and take care of Grace. He wanted her to marry him. He wanted her to take over—the kitchen, the house, the whole tribe. He wanted her to be his mate, to rule with him and belong to him for life. It written right there on his face. Why didn’t the others’ see it?

  She cast a glance around the circle and found Riskin looking back and forth between her and Silas. Riskin was Alpha enough to pick up the electric vibration racing between Silas and his sister. H
e saw, and he understood.

  “You should stay, Natalie,” Riskin told her. “As long as you want to, of course.”

  “There you go,” Silas exclaimed. “Then it’s all settled.”

  Instead of staring at Silas, Natalie looked at Riskin. He returned her gaze with his direct green eyes. He knew she belonged here. He knew she belonged with Silas, and he approved. He gave his consent for her to stay, and not just for the night, but forever. He released her, as her Alpha, to mate with another Alpha.

  Natalie’s guts burned with adrenaline coursing through her. This was it. This was the turning point of her life. She would never go back to being Rhys and Riskin’s little sister. She left her Homestead this morning, and she would never go back to it—not like that, anyway.

  She belonged here. This was her house. That was her kitchen and her dirty dishwater over there. That was her food in the fridge, and these were her people. She was MacAllister now, as sure as she was standing here. With a few simple words, Riskin had handed her over to Silas.

  Grace fretted on Briar’s shoulder. Briar gave Riskin one last kiss. “I better get this little Pumpkin up to bed. Good night.”

  Riskin backed away. “I’ll come by again in the morning. Call me if you want anything from the house.”

  Silas walked Riskin to the door and closed it behind him while Briar carried Grace upstairs. Silas sauntered back through the living room on his way to the stairs, but when he saw Natalie staring at him in blank shock, he stopped. “Is everything okay?”

  “Did you see the look on his face when he told me to stay here? He knew. He knows what’s going on between us.”

  “I’m sure he does,” Silas returned. “He’s a smart guy, and he’s your brother. No one has to draw him a map to explain what’s what. He’s been there himself. I’m sure he can see the signs.”

  “What signs? All we did was…”

  “Come on, Natalie,” Silas chided. “We’re Bruins, and we’re mated. I’m sure everyone can see. We have nothing to hide.”

  She gulped. “Yeah, I know, but still…”

  He waited for her to say something. “But what?”

  She waved her hand at the kitchen. “It’s like we’re already married. I’m already doing everything. I’m already taking care of everyone and cooking and cleaning and…well, everything.”

  “That’s because you belong here. You know that.”

  She shrugged, but she couldn’t answer. Why did this surprise her? Why did she think it should be any other way?

  Silas took a menacing step toward her. “There is one more thing you’ll be doing when we’re married that you’re not doing yet.”

  She looked up at his shiny black eyes. She opened her mouth to say, “What’s that?” but no sound came out. Her heart stopped when she saw the look on his face.

  He raised his hand, and this time, he didn’t let it fall. His warm palm came to rest on her cheek, and his strong fingers laced into her hair. He pulled her toward him. He overcame her natural resistance. He exerted steady pressure on her head and neck to tow her toward his face.

  She didn’t have to wonder what would happen when she got there. Her heart thudded against her ribs. His fingers tightened in her hair. That subtle dominance bent her will to his. She belonged to him. She wasn’t doing it yet, but she would. He would make her his own, and then no one would ever deny again they were mates.

  He didn’t stop pulling. She migrated closer to his mouth. She couldn’t look away from it. His lips parted to meet her, and she gasped for air through her pouting lips. She wanted it, even as she feared it.

  What would become of her? She had never expected to become an Alpha’s mate. The thought never crossed her mind. She woke up this morning loving Max. Now here she was, moving in to kiss Silas MacAllister.

  He had his hands on her. He held her by the hair, and he was going to kiss her. Riskin gave his consent, and now she was spending the night. What would she be when this night ended? She would be his mate, the same way she was right now. She would simply have done that one thing, that one little thing, she wasn’t already doing—that one little thing she would do once they were married.

  Her guts churned when she thought about it. She would do it with him. She wouldn’t stay in May’s room when they were married. She would stay in his room. She would sleep in his bed. She would give him her body, and she would partake of his body in return.

  That’s what he meant, and those hands, those lips, that muscle under his shirt—they all told the same story. He wanted her. He wanted her right now, as if they were already married.

  He gave her the last little tug, and her mouth landed on his. The instant their lips touched, the raging passion he ignited in the forest sparked to life, and nothing remained to stop them. They were alone. They were here in their own house. They were mated. She could give herself to this moment and experience the undying love and desire welling up inside her.

  He grew massive and overwhelming before her. His strength took hold of her. Nothing could stop him once he got started. She didn’t want him to stop. She wanted him to carry her over the edge into that dark uncharted territory where they would become one.

  His fingers slid deeper into her hair to cup the back of her neck. He commanded her through his hand. He moved her head to one side to meet his mouth groping and discovering her lips and tongue.

  She wanted more than anything to close her eyes against the intensity of that kiss, but she couldn’t break his gaze. He held her captive with his piercing black eyes. He saw to her very depths. She wanted him to see her and leave nothing hidden, not even the horrible truth of her disastrous obsession with Max.

  She laid her heart bare for him to see. He exposed the deepest vulnerability lying in her soul. She didn’t have to be strong. She didn’t have to hold it together for him. She could be soft and tiny and sensitive. He could touch her raw nerves and excite her quivering shudders. He would hold her safe in his powerful hands.

  He slithered his other hand behind her back. He pressed the gentle curve where her waist met her ass. He hauled her against him, and her whole being melted at his touch. She was all his, forever. Her body responded to his suggestions. Her knees wobbled, and her delicious insides dissolved into steaming juicy delight.

  She snaked her arms around his neck, and he lifted her against him. Her breasts touched his chest, and the cool fabric of his shirt over the rock hard muscle underneath sent her into a spinning delirium. He intoxicated her and aroused her more than she ever thought possible.

  Max never came close to igniting her fire like this. He could never be more than a figment of her imagination. She excited herself on him. She made him into what she wanted him to be. He wasn’t real. He could never be real, not like this.

  Silas panted for breath between Natalie’s lips. His crotch hardened against her tender mound, and he rubbed his prick back and forth over her pelvis. His thin khaki pants did nothing to hide it from her, and its sharp point raking her dripping vulva made her juicier and hotter than ever.

  86. Chapter 11

  Silas pressed Natalie against him and lifted her off the ground. He grappled lower around her ass to pick her up. He had to get her onto him. He had to cover every inch of his skin with her fruity softness. He had to break her in half with his driving spike.

  She collapsed under his hands in rapturous beauty. He had never experienced anything as magnificent as the sensation of her flesh under her clothes. How could he touch himself thinking about Penny? She wasn’t real. She could never be as real and as mind-blowing as this.

  He couldn’t tear his gaze away from Natalie’s green eyes hovering there beyond his nose. His lips explored her mouth and his tongue probed her mind, but her eyes demanded his attention. He couldn’t think of anyone or anything as long as he had her to touch and kiss and feel.

  His fingers investigated lower down her curving hip to the crevice between her legs. She whimpered at his every touch. She hurled herself on him faster
than he could take her. She wanted this. She wanted this as much as he did.

  All the time he kissed her and touched her and held her, his mind whirled in a ferment of plans, realizations, and emotions all jumbled together. He would mate with this woman. He would bring her home, and they would become the new force of the MacAllister tribe. She was his. All he had to do was take her.

  His throbbing prick drove him toward her harder. It led him. It instructed him. It knew what to do, even when he didn’t. The more he pressed it between her split thighs, the more she whined and undulated against him.

  Her breasts stroked his chest through his shirt. Her stomach rolled down his midsection. Her fingers combed into his hair. Every inch of her set him on edge. He could never be satisfied with half-measures again. He had to take her to the limit. He had to find out what lay beyond this fateful night.

  He crushed her ass in one hand. He couldn’t get enough of it until he had to tear his fingers out of her hair and scoop her up in both hands. He had to smash that captivating ass against his cock. He had to get inside her or go crazy trying.

  She acquiesced faster than he expected. She jumped into his hands and looped her long legs around his waist. Before he knew what was happening, he held her up off the floor. Her weight sank into his arms, but he didn’t fall. Nothing had ever felt so right. His hard prick jabbed straight up into her sweet tissues.

  He couldn’t get at her like that, though. He needed his hands free to get her clothes off. He wheeled to one side and took a step. Her back bumped into the kitchen counter. He set her on the counter and pulled back just enough to bring his hands around.

  She wouldn’t release his lips, no matter what he did. When he tried to look down, she attacked him in animal lust. She chewed his lips and bit his tongue. She growled under her breath with ever fresh assault. He couldn’t stop kissing her while he ripped her shirt out of her pants.