“Don’t be. She was the ray of light in my life. I loved her dearly,” he said. “She gave me something to look forward to every day.” He shook his head. “Then she got sick. She passed out and had a seizure at school. They took her to the hospital, called me. Brain tumor. Inoperable.”
She bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Limes.”
“Have you ever had to tell a fifteen-year-old she’s going to die?” he asked. “Well, I didn’t.”
“What did you do?” she asked.
“I let her live happily. And she passed in her sleep. And I lived after that feeling like someone had blasted a shotgun straight through me, taking out everything inside me. I couldn’t breathe.”
“I can’t even imagine.”
“I joined the army,” he said. “There’s no room for grief there. I put it all away. I tried not to love her.” His arms wrapped tight around her. “I think I tried not to love you, too. Love is a terrible, frightening thing.”
She swallowed. “I can see why you feel that way.”
“But it’s also the only thing worth living for,” he said. “When you asked if I loved you, I couldn’t say. The thought hadn’t occurred to me because feelings like that were part of that place in me I couldn’t access. The place that was locked up. But when you threw me out of your house, I had no choice but to examine it.”
“And when you did?”
“When I did, I found you were as deep inside my heart as anyone could go. And I remembered I never regretted loving Tori. I just regretted she died.”
She didn’t know what to say. She was both completely touched and completely devastated for him. So much made sense. The way he hid behind humor. The way everyone called him grumpy. The way he seemed to distrust life and people in general.
When something that harsh happens, people cope however they can. Limes had coped by turning off.
“I’m glad you decided to love again,” she said.
“You made it impossible not to,” he retorted dryly, his arms holding her tight, like he needed her to survive. “You with that silly umbrella and your cute romance novels and your great cooking and your smile and your kindness and your inability to watch horror movies.” He kissed the side of her neck. “We’re working on that, you know.”
“Fine,” she said with a sigh, loving the feel of him. “I’ll try.” Then she thought of something. “That’s why you’d seen Pride and Prejudice,” she said. Then she clapped her hands over her mouth, wishing she hadn’t said it.
He turned her around in his arms, and she looked into his eyes. Despite the little scratches on his face, the bruise next to his eye, his severe short hair and hard features, he was the most handsome man she’d ever known.
“Never apologize for speaking the truth,” he said. “I want everything open between us from now on. I know it might hurt, but I don’t want to hide anymore.” He grinned ruefully. “And yes, Tori loved Pride and Prejudice. What teenage girl wouldn’t?”
She laid her head against his chest, setting the water moving and lapping around them. “I hope I’ll learn more about her.”
“You will,” he said. “I can only take a little at a time.”
“Understandable,” she said. “But we won’t forget her.”
“Thank you,” he said, sounding serious and touched. “For now, I just want to be with you.”
“Okay.”
For a moment, they just sat like that, floating in the water together. Then she grabbed a bar of soap and lathered it in her hands and began to wash his neck and shoulders, trying to make sure he was clean and there were no bigger scratches that needed attention. When she was sure he was fine, she rested in against his solid, warm chest, loving the muscles there.
“I love you, Jamie,” he said, running a strong hand over her back. “I always will. My bear knows it, my human knows it, and pheromones don’t have anything to do with it. You’d be smoking hot to me without them. Will you mate me?”
She looked up into his eyes. They were calmer than she’d ever seen them, not lit with irritation or tension or anger. They reminded her of grass on a spring day. “Of course I will,” she said. “I love you, too.”
His lips spread into a grin, and he placed a kiss on top of her head. “Perfect.” He sighed and gave himself a once-over. “What do you think? Good enough to claim you?”
She swallowed. “Hmm, yeah. Then again, I’d take you any way I could have you.”
He grinned wider and stood in the tub. She gasped at the size of his member, already ready for what they were about to do.
“Wait,” she said.
“What?” he asked, staring down at her in that intimidating way he had.
“How does mating work for bears?” she asked.
“Unprotected sex, at least with other bears. How about wolves?”
“Same thing,” she said. “Plus, um, both partners going…” She felt blood rush into her face, and he let out a deep laugh.
“Not really a problem when it comes to us, is it?” he asked.
“No,” she said, lifting her arms to wrap around his neck. He put an arm under her legs and easily picked her up, stepping out of the tub.
She knew he had to be tired, but she also knew he’d insist on carrying her to bed either way.
He set her down and she checked him over in concern. But while his body bore unmistakable signs that he’d fought for her, he looked well enough to claim her.
For the rest of the night, she’d make sure he was okay.
She stretched out on the bed as he came over her, straddling her with thick thighs. It wasn’t their first time together, but there was a warm anticipation because this would still be different from any other time.
She was so glad to see him like this, so okay and vital and alive and with her. “I’m glad Bronson showed up,” she said, running a hand over Limes’s thick thighs.”
“Pshh,” Limes said. “I had it under control.” Then he leaned forward possessively, nipping at her earlobe and surrounding her on all sides with one hand at each side of her head. “Don’t talk about other men, mate. I’ll get jealous.”
“What if I like you jealous?” she asked, and his eyes widened slightly. There was the fire she remembered.
“Then you’ll probably like me a lot,” he said. “Because I feel like I’ll be jealous every day for the rest of our life.” He licked the inner shell of her ear, making her shudder. “I’ll be jealous of myself, dammit.”
She laughed. “I like that.” She ran her hands up his broad, strong back, feeling the muscles there, lightly grazing her fingers over them.
He knelt and parted her legs in front of him, his eyes darting down to where they would come together. She could practically sense the satisfaction radiation through every part of his body. And she was already wet and ready.
This wasn’t just sex. This was giving each other everything.
He came back over her and positioned his head at her entrance. She wriggled in anticipation and then gasped as he came in with nothing between them. He felt like velvet, so slick and soft against her and then so hard as he moved all the way in, filling her completely.
She put her fist up to her mouth and bit the back of it. “That… oh my… Limes…”
He laughed. “I like hearing my name from you,” he said. “Josh or Limes, it doesn’t matter.”
“Limes to me,” she said. “It’s unique, like you. It’s not something everyone would understand, but it’s perfect for me.”
He froze and looked down at her, and then his brow furrowed in concentration. “How do you always know what to say to me?”
“I’m your mate,” she said brightly. “Or I will be.”
“Yeah, as long as I somehow have the self-control to finish this,” he said, kissing her forehead. “Nothing else could feel like this. I feel… home with you, Jamie.”
He was stroking gently, stoking a comforting fire inside her, rising like a slow tide. She loved relishing
in the feel of it.
She wound her arms around his neck.
“We’ll make a new home together.”
“Do you think we’ll have cubs?” he asked.
“Or pups?” she asked. “I don’t know. I don’t even know if we’ll be mated in the way we would be with our own species.”
He shrugged and kept moving, and she bit her lip as the feeling grew more intense. “I guess we’ll have to see. All I know is regardless of what happens, you’re mine forever. You were meant for me from the moment I met you. My bear knew it, and I had to keep up.”
“And my wolf wanted you, too,” she said.
“So if they decided it, who are we to say no?” he asked, stroking deep, pressing up against her. She groaned and arched, loving the feel of it.
“You’re driving me crazy,” she said. She was getting close to the edge now, every stroke taking her palpably closer. She could almost taste the release that was coming.
“Just returning the favor,” he grated out, clearly getting close, too. “I love you,” he said, brow knotted in concentration.
Her arms gripped his as he stroked, and she got lightheaded as she began to be aware of the scent of the forest mixed with a moonlit night on the mountains. Whatever was happening between them, it was definitely special.
“I love you,” she said, biting her lip and closing her eyes as Limes sped up the rhythm, going deep inside her and pulling nearly all the way out and then plunging in again. The slap of their bodies coming together only heightened her arousal, and she felt her body start to kick over and let out a scream.
As her nails dug into him and she tensed with the first crest, she felt him tighten and jerk inside her. She could feel him spilling, joining them, rhythmically tensing as he released, even as intense waves of pleasure covered her, making her incoherent with happiness.
She looked up to see his eyes glazed in pleasure. His handsome features contorted, and felt she’d never see a more beautiful sight in her life than his body in the throes of passion as it joined with hers.
She felt the wolf inside her howl into the night as they came together, and when he finally fell on top of her, breathing harder than he had even during the fight, she felt peace completely consume her.
He pushed himself up to look into her eyes, and she could see he felt the same.
“That was…” She trailed off, not knowing what to say.
“Mate,” he said, reaching out and stroking her hair.
“Yeah,” she said, wrapping her arms around him and holding him close. “Mate.”
* * *
Hours later, they were watching Pride and Prejudice together, finally on the last segment.
Limes loved the feel of Jamie under his arm, pressed up against his side.
He looked up at her door, remembering when Glen had come back.
“So you’re mine now,” he said, looking down at her, smoothing her hair with his hand.
“Yes,” she said, dark eyes sparkling up at him.
“So no more Glen? No more Milo?”
“No,” she said. “You have my permission to do what you wish with them if they come back again.”
He cracked his knuckles ominously. “Excellent. I think I’m going to like this mate thing more than I ever thought possible.”
“Me, too,” she said, pulling his arm back around her.
“Do I make you feel safe?” he asked, looking down at her, still in awe that this beautiful, curvy woman was completely his.
“Of course,” she said, putting a hand on his chest. He loved how small her hand was. He brought his other hand up to cup it in his. “I love that about you.”
“That’s all I wanted,” he said. “I hated when you looked afraid. I wanted you to look at me like a port in the storm. Like your rescuer.”
“Hero complex, hm?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No. Not in general. Just for you.”
He saw her tilt her head down, as she did when she was slightly embarrassed. It made him grin. He looked forward to figuring out all of her little ticks and quirks over the years they would have together.
“So you can stay home and work on your novels now I guess,” he said. “Or even better, come work at the office with me.” He grinned. “I like the idea of having my mate around whenever I want her.”
She laughed. “Are you sure you wouldn’t get sick of me?”
“Not possible,” he said. “One thing I’ve learned from working with you is I can never get tired of you. Just being around you brings me more peace.”
“Are you sure it’s not just so we can have sexy times whenever we want?” she teased.
He grinned. “Would you have a problem with that?”
“No,” she said. “I guess I can work on my novels at your place. It’ll be fun to stay together.”
“Darn right,” he said. “Hey, you should name a hero Limes.”
“No,” she said flatly.
“Why? Is it too weird?”
“No,” she said. “I don’t want to share you with anyone. Sorry, there will never be a hero named Limes.”
“Except in real life,” he corrected.
She rubbed her hand over his chest and brought her lips up close to his. “Yeah, just the one in real life.”
He kissed her then, drinking her in, loving the way her body gave in and pressed up against him, the way they seemed to meld any time they touched.
He was in no hurry to let it end. The longer he kept his lips on hers, the more connected he felt, the more intense everything was. His love for her, his awareness that he would die for her, the protectiveness he held deep inside that was so obvious to everyone around him.
She was utterly precious. He could never let her go. And she was his.
It was inconceivable. It was more than he’d ever deserved. It was so wonderful that it sort of made up for the terrible loss he’d had before, though he knew no one could ever replace his sister in his heart.
No, Jamie wasn’t replacing her. Jamie was just bringing him into the light again, where he could love openly and remember without wanting to hide in the darkness.
Jamie was making the world bright again, one ray of sunlight, one trusting smile at a time.
“I’m really glad you didn’t want to work with Bronson,” he said, pulling away, loving the look of her eyes, glazed over in pleasure from their kiss. “It must have been fate.”
“I thought you didn’t believe in fate,” she said.
“I believe now,” he said. “It’d be wrong not to, after fate’s done me so good.” He nuzzled the top of her head. “It brought me perfection.”
She grinned and rested against him, both arms hugging his chest, barely reaching around him. “Didn’t do so bad for me either.”
“Oh yeah?” he asked, tilting up her chin to face him. “Not too bad?”
“Not too bad,” she said, running her hands over his stubble. “Just bad enough.”
“So I’m not the monster you thought I was when you met me?”
“Oh no,” she said. “You can still be a monster. It’s just that you’re on my side now. That’s a good thing.”
“Always on your side,” he said. “I’ll always fight for you.” He kissed the top of her head. “Always protect you.” He ran his hand over her arm as he lowered his lips to kiss her neck, making her shudder. “Always make sure you feel loved. I love you, mate.”
“Gosh, you turned mushy,” she said, warming under his touch.
“You like it?” he asked.
“I love it,” she said. “I love everything about you, Limes.” She giggled. “Even that name.”
“Want to go to bed and say it a few more times?” he asked, pulling her in tight.
She shivered and squirmed in his arms. “Yes, please.”
And then Limes took his mate to bed, utterly grateful that, for at least one person, a sour, green fruit that others couldn’t stand could be the most delicious after all.
“You’r
e not serious,” Bronson said, turning in his office chair and eyeing Limes like he’d gone out of his mind.
“Completely serious,” Limes said. “Jamie hasn’t taken a vacation in years, and you know I haven’t either.”
“Yeah, but we’re already backed up on tech stuff since you’ve been out of the office. What are we supposed to do for two whole weeks?” Bronson ruffled his blond hair, looking genuinely perplexed.
But Limes had an idea of how to fix the situation. He owed his friend for coming to help during the fight against Jamie’s kidnappers.
“I already have someone in mind for the job,” he said, pushing a resume across the table. “Now keep in mind, you can’t really hire a hacker by resume, but I know this girl from the community. She’s good.”
“Have you met her in person?” Bronson asked.
“No,” Limes said. “That’s not the point. She’s damn good though, and I think you’ll like her. At least in our online interactions, she’s a lot like me.” Limes gave Bronson an evil smile and the other man groaned and leaned back on his chair, looking out the window.
“A female Limes? Heaven help us all,” he said. He waved to the city below. “Goodbye freedom.”
“Stop being dramatic,” Limes said. “You can’t do both jobs. Hire her, let her do mine. It’s only two weeks, you big goof.”
Bronson frowned. “I don’t see why you can’t have a honeymoon around here.”
Limes folded his arms. “You were gleeful at first at the prospect of me finding a mate, now you’re pouting. What’s up with you?”
Bronson grew quiet at that, turning out to look at the city. “I guess it’s just gonna be a little lonely around here. I’m going to be the only one on my own.”
“That’s stupid,” Limes said flatly. “Just find a female then.” He raised an eyebrow. “Hey, hook up with the hacker chick.”
Bronson gave him a dark, unamused look. “A female Limes? No way in hell.” He tapped his fingers on the desk. “No, the female for me will be friendly, quiet, kind, sweet. All those things. I can just picture her now.”
Limes scoffed. “You do that.” He pushed the resume closer. “But you call this girl in. You’ll regret it if you don’t. Heck, she could work here when I’m back too. Now that I have a reason to not live at the office twenty-four seven it would be nice to have the help.”
Bear-ly A Hero (Bear Claw Security 2) Page 16