Home Or Her Bear: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Bear Bluff Clan Book 4)

by Harmony Raines

  “Nope,” she said, pulling out a warm sweater and another pair of socks. “I have my own idea for a perfect date.”

  “So do I.” As she stood, he pulled her into his arms. “I can’t help looking at your bed and remembering last night.”

  She leaned into him, their lips meeting. As their kiss deepened, he let his hands roam her body. How she wished it were just the two of them in the house, and that they could make love all night, and then sleep in each other’s arms. Instead, she understood the awkwardness of the situation. And it made her sad, she knew she would have to move in with Taylor soon to satisfy their craving for each other.

  “Shall we go?” She pulled back from him and took his hand, a wonderful warmth spreading through her at the touch and the closeness of him. “We’ll just have to say goodbye to everyone.”

  “Sure. You know, we could always drive over to Bear Bluff. You could stay the night. ”

  Melanie felt that familiar pang of loss. That’s where her life would be soon, she would have to travel to come and see her brother and the new baby. It would also make it harder to keep Alli up to speed with Bear Brides. She knew she should tell him, voice her concerns, but despite everything, they were still strangers. Mated strangers, held together by the force of fate, but strangers all the same. Melanie felt the familiar shyness creeping up on her, a feeling she hadn’t experienced for some time. Not since the people of Bear Creek had accepted her and Kian as part of their community.

  “Are you OK?” he asked, sensing her unease.

  “Yes. It’s just… Nothing. Let’s go.” She opened her bedroom door and went back down the stairs to say goodbye. Marjorie had handed baby Callum back to Alli, and they were all relaxed, drinking coffee and talking about the next project Kian and Vic, his business partner, were working on. Again, that pang of loss hit her, she loved these evenings, when they would sit and ponder the future. Now her future was in someone else’s hands, not just her own.

  “You off out?” Alli asked. “The snow is coming down hard.”

  “I know. But we wanted to get some fresh air,” Melanie said, trying to be tactful.

  “Fresh! It’s freezing out there,” Marjorie said.

  “They both have bear blood, Marjorie,” Vic said. “They won’t feel the cold. Especially when they have each other.”

  “I always forget I’m not the same as you,” Marjorie said.

  “Don’t feel bad, that makes two of us,” said Alli. “That’s why this little one will need his Aunty Melanie to show him all her bear tricks.”

  Melanie couldn’t answer, but her eyes met Alli’s, and the look they exchanged told her Alli wasn’t looking forward to the changes in their lives either. A look that didn’t go unnoticed by the other people in the room either. But Melanie was so caught up in her worries, mixed up with the pull to be alone with Taylor, she missed it.

  “We will keep warm, don’t worry Marjorie. I won’t be too late.” Melanie looked round at the happy faces in front of her, and smiled. “Come on, Taylor.”

  “Bye,” he said, trying to make an effort. She knew he must feel like an outsider here. In the same way she would feel like an outsider when she moved to Bea bluff.

  With the people in the sitting room chorusing goodbye, they headed out into the snow. Marjorie was right; it was freezing, the snow coming down hard now, big soft flakes settling on the ground. They trudged through it to the barn, she opened the door and they went inside.

  The barn was old, traditionally built with big oak beams. She loved it in here, it reminded her of how old the house was, and how many changes it must have seen. Something’s do remain the same, she thought, looking up at the roof above her head.

  “I think we have a choice,” Melanie said. “We can either go up the mountain in the snow, or we can stay in here.”

  “That depends on what you are suggesting we do if we stay in here,” Taylor said, coming towards her.

  “Well,” she said, placing her hands in his shoulders. “There is all that hay to be moved. And I guess we could knock all the cobwebs down from the roof beams.” She looked up, feigning interest in the roof, when all she wanted was for him to take her in his arms and make love to her.

  Chapter Sixteen – Taylor

  “Not exactly what I had planned for our perfect first date.” He kissed her neck, pulling her into his arms, his hands stroking her back, going lower to cup her bottom and draw her to him. “But I think this will be perfect all the same.”

  “I don’t care what we do as long as we’re together,” she said, her lips parting, inviting him in.

  “My thoughts exactly,” he kissed her, his lips firm against hers. She opened her mouth, allowing him to push his tongue between her teeth to entwine with hers. They stood in the barn; the snow coming down outside, but the cold didn’t penetrate them. Their bear blood and their intense need for each other keeping them warm.

  As their kiss deepened, she sighed against him, and he held her tighter, wanting their bodies to become one, for them to be always this close. If not bodily, then with their souls, which were tethered together for eternity. His lips moved against her, his tongue pushing in and out of her mouth, stroking the roof of her mouth, sending shivers through her body.

  Pulling away, he asked, “So where is this hay you told me about?”

  She took his hand and led him to a corner of the barn, the hay made a natural mattress, where he was quite determined to lay her down and make love to her. He kissed the back of her hand, and then eased her down, the hay soft and sweet as he joined her.

  “Are you sure? We could go back to my place.”

  “No. I don’t want to wait, I love it in here. Make love to me, Taylor. Right here, right now.”

  “I don’t need to be asked twice,” he said, sweeping her long hair back from her face and pulling her sweater down off her shoulder to kiss her bare skin. “How many layers of clothes did you put on?”

  “Why don’t you take them off? We can count if you want.”

  He chuckled. “I just want to get you naked as quickly as possible. My bear just wants to tear every shred of clothing from you, but I’ll try to keep him restrained.”

  She slipped her hand down to stroke his cock. He jumped at her unexpected touch. “How much would it take for you to lose control Taylor?”

  Not much if you keep that up,” he said.

  She unzipped his jeans, and pushed them off his thighs. Then she scooted down, her lips kissing the tip of his cock. “How about now?”

  “Ohh, ohh. My … control had already … gone.”

  She closed her mouth around him, sucking his cock until he thought he would explode. She lifted her head, and licked him form root to tip. He fisted her hair, holding her head in place while he lifted his hips of the hay to opus into her mouth. She was incredible, licking and sucking him into submission.

  Just before he came in her mouth, he stopped her. “I want to be inside you, Melanie. Deep inside you when I come.”

  She pulled back, sitting up and lifting her arms for him to remove her sweater, then a shirt, followed by a thermal vest. Only then did he reveal her wonderful full breasts, swelling over the top of her bra. He sighed. “Damn, I feel so spoiled to have you as my woman, Melanie. I want to make you the happiest woman in the world.”

  “Show me,” she said.

  And he had every intention of doing just that.

  Chapter Seventeen – Melanie

  She wasn’t sure where she had found the confidence to take him in her mouth. But she’d had this incredible urge to taste him, to know what his essence felt like on her tongue. And she was so happy he enjoyed what she did. Her confidence grew; she was a woman now, not a girl. Alli was right, she could do what she needed to do, no matter what she was faced with. Not that being faced with Taylor’s cock was bad, in fact as he guided himself into her sex, she knew it was good. Real good.

  Taylor moved between her thighs, thrusting forward into her. Her lips parted, his cock sl
iding into her, causing a wonderful friction against her sensitive skin. As he pressed forward, filling her, her sex yielded to him, her slick heat coating his skin so he slid in easily. Incredibly slowly, he filled her, stopping often to allow himself to regain control. She knew if she touched him, or aroused him anymore, this would be what was called quickie. He was so close to coming, after she had used her mouth on him. So she allowed him to take control.

  However, her sex ached to be filled completely by him, for him to thrust in nice and deep and make her come. But she was a patient woman, for now anyway. Deeper, his cock pushed into her, and then he surprised her with one hard thrust, impaling her completely. He lay still, his lips kissing her neck, her cheek and then her mouth as he lay so still inside her.

  “I need to let go a little or else I am going to come instantly. And I want you to come at the same time as me, Melanie. I love feeling your tightness around me when I climax.”

  She lay still, only their mouths moving, although her sex now ached and throbbed, her muscles straining to stay still while he was inside her like this. It increased her own arousal; she could feel the blood pulsing through her inner muscles, making her clit throb. And then he began to move, his body brushing her sensitive bundle of nerves.

  If he was worried, he was going to come too quick, now that fear had transferred to Melanie. She stroked his back, nipping his neck as she tried to put her mind elsewhere, but it was too late. In an instant she came, her inner muscles going into spasms around him. She cried out, burying her face into his neck so that no one would hear her.

  Her breath came in short gasps, hot on his neck. And then he came, his seed spurting deep inside her. He thrust hard, deeper and deeper, spilling his seed into her womb. He reached behind her head, grabbed hold of a rail, which was attached to the barn wall, and then leveraged himself deeper, his cries filling her ear. He was claiming his mate and had no notion of not letting the whole world know about it.

  Taylor jerked hard and fast into her, his hand sliding beneath her to hold her firmly so he could impale her completely. She nipped his neck, her nails digging into his back as her orgasm crested and then seemed to begin again. An endless wave of pleasure thrilling her body. Her mate was here, deep inside her, possibly even making a new life at this moment with her. One day soon their child would be running and playing with his cousin Callum. But not if they moved to Bear Bluff, and as her orgasm ended she knew she had to find a way of making this work.

  Taylor stayed inside her, his cock softening, but he didn’t want them to part. And she wouldn’t complain. His body heat warmed her, the chill air resting on her cool skin. They kissed and caressed, exploring each other’s body. Finding where they were ticklish and where a simple touch could ignite arousal.

  At last, he moved off her. “I should go. I don’t know how long it’s going to take me to get back to Bear Bluff, and I daren’t be late for work again. Trent will forgive me once, but not twice.”

  He passed her clothes to her, and retrieved his own. Dressing however took some time, because they had to stop and touch each other, caress each other, needing to feel that connection, that closeness. She loved that he enjoyed her curves. That her round voluptuous body turned him on. He spent endless minutes kissing her nipples when she was trying, unsuccessfully, to out her bra on.

  He cupped them together, licking her taut buds with the flat of his tongue, and then circling them until her nipples were swollen and sore. “I thought you wanted to go home,” she said, feeling the heat pool between her thighs.

  “I don’t want to, but I have to.” With a groan, he dragged himself away. “I can’t wait until you move in with me, then I can fuck you whenever I want. Which I think will be every spare minute. My cock seems to have a mind of its own.”

  She knew what he meant; her body craved his like a drug. However, she remembered how Kian and Alli were at the beginning of their relationship, until the first glow of their new loved had blossomed into something else. Something deeper, not so caught up in the physical pleasures of their bodies, more in their emotions. Melanie’s mind conjured up all the ways they could please each other, until their love deepened and her arousal grew. He was right, they needed to live together as soon as possible or else she would go quietly insane. The need to mate with him was so strong. She became resigned to leaving here, leaving this life.

  “I will pick you up at seven. If I have a chance earlier, I will come by and pull your car out of the ditch.”

  “Thank you,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and breathing in the scent of him one last time. Pine woods and earth, just how a bear should smell, she thought. “I will see you tomorrow.”

  “I can’t wait. And please, don’t worry if my brothers tease me. It’s all in good fun. Word has already got round I have found my mate.”

  “I can’t wait to meet them,” she said, hoping that when she met his family they might make the thought of moving to Bear Bluff easier. She only wished more of his brothers had mates so that she would have other women around her. One thing she would miss was the closeness between her and Alli. Yet she knew that even if she did make friends, it could never be the same as her relationship with Alli.

  Her sister-in-law had been the first person to take a chance on her, by giving her a job at Bear Brides.

  Feeling melancholy, she stood and watched Taylor’s truck disappear into the snow, noting that Vic and Marjorie had already left. Thinking Kian and Alli had probably headed to bed for an early night, she went into the house quietly. Surprised to find Kian waiting for her.

  “Hi,” she said, going to him and kissing his cheek. “I thought you would be in bed, Kian.”

  “I wanted to make sure you got in safely,” he said, wrapping his arm around her as they sat together and watched the fire die down.

  “How are you?” she asked. “You know with the baby and everything.”

  He smiled. “It’s amazing. Better than I ever thought. But all of a sudden there is this huge responsibility on my shoulders. I mean, having a mate is one thing, you know that’s going to happen. But a little bear cub, well, all of a sudden you want to be the best person you can possibly be.”

  She laid her head on his shoulder. “You already were the best person you could be. Look how you turned our lives around.”

  “I wouldn’t have done it without you and Alli. You two are the best support system I could ever wish for.”

  “And now I’m going to move away,” she said, her voice filled with sadness. “At least that’s one less responsibility for you.”

  “Melanie, I never saw it that way. And if there was a way to make it right, I would. But Taylor is your mate. I want to plead with you to stay here, but I know you have to do what is right for the two of you.”

  “What if I don’t know what that is? I mean, yes, we are bonded, and I want to be with him. But my life is here in Bear Creek.”

  “Have you told him that?”

  “No. How can I? His family, his work and his home if in Bear Bluff.”

  “Melanie. You are a partnership. You should speak to him, work it out with him.”

  She stood up, offering him her hand, and pulling him off the sofa. “Come on, we both need some sleep.”

  He stood, and hugged her tightly. “Speak to him. He seems like a good man. Tell him how you feel.”

  “I thought you didn’t like him.”

  “Alli pointed out that he was protecting you by lying. So I think he must be alright, to do something like that.”

  She laughed. “Don’t go overboard.”

  “One step at a time, Melanie. One step at a time.” He walked to the door, and then turned and paused. “I know why I might appear not to like him, and it’s not his fault. It’s only that I hate the idea of losing you. It wouldn’t matter how good a man he was, I would feel some resentment towards him. I love you Melanie. Alli and Callum love you to. Never forget that. This will always be your home.”

  “Thank you, Kian,�
� she said, holding her tears inside, as she watched him walk up the stairs to bed.

  Despite her own tiredness, she sat back down and watched the embers glowing in the grate, for a long time she sat and tried to puzzle her way through the situation, but she could see no way around it. Not unless she could ask Taylor to move to Bear Creek. When she eventually went to bed, she knew she would wait until after dinner with his family tomorrow and then broach the subject

  Chapter Eighteen – Taylor

  “He’s still not back,” Taylor said to Cooper as he entered the office.

  “Nope, no word from him. He must be stuck in Cougar Ridge, I guess the ladies there will be pleased to see him.”

  “I’m not looking forward to being on the receiving end of his bad mood when he gets back,” Taylor said, feeling even guiltier now for not coming into work yesterday.

  “Don’t worry. You know Trent, he’ll have made the best of it.” Cooper looked out at the snow. “Starting to melt. But I think for now we should sit tight. Wait until the boss gets back. I would hate to send you out on a delivery and find he would rather you had stayed grounded.”

  “Grounded? I’m not a kid.”

  “Not in that way. Keeping the trucks grounded. That’s safest for now.” Cooper threw him a brush. “You can go sweep the warehouse instead. Then clean the insides of the windows.”

  “Great. More sweeping,” Taylor said, but he didn’t mind, it kept him busy and this way it meant he wouldn’t be late for dinner with him family and Melanie. It also gave him an opportunity to let his mind wonder. Daydream was not practical when you had a big truck under your control, but a sweeping brush, that didn’t take much thought to use.

  ***

  “Well, son, I guess you might as well go on home. I thought we would have heard from Trent by now, but no such luck.”

  “You don’t think we should phone the sheriff? Ask Dermot if he’s had news of an accident?”