Bear With Me

by TJ Cross

  “By yourself?” The guy stammered, his breath speeding up. I could feel his pulse rising and my tiger could sense the increase in his body temperature. Clearly, the man was smitten.

  “For a while,” I shot back, turning to look at the guy for the first time and flashing him my roguish grin.

  “Oh, well,” he stammered, forcing his eyes down to his computer. He was shaking by this point, fumbling with the keyboard as he took down my information. “Okay. So, I have a room for one, for Rhys Alexander.”

  I nodded at him, “Sounds good.”

  “When will you be checking out, sir?” the man said, his breath growing more and more rapid the longer I stood there.

  “I’ll let you know,” I offered, winking at him.

  The man’s jaw dropped slightly and he licked his lips. Then, recovering, he grabbed a keycard from under the desk, slid it through a slot on the keyboard, and handed it to me. “Enjoy your stay, Mr. Alexander.”

  I waved him off, “Rhys is fine. Mr. Alexander was my father.”

  Then, without another word, I made for the nearest elevator, feeling the gaze of the front desk attendant’s eyes on my ass the entire time.

  ***

  I climbed out of the shower, towel in hand, and dried myself off. In the mirror, I watched as I moved the coarse hotel towel over my muscular frame. My tattoos stretched from my forearms and up to my chest, where yet another tattoo covered my hard pectorals. My rippled abs led perfectly to a well-defined Adonis belt, with a “V” that pointed to - in my opinion - the most impressive part of my body. Even without an erection, my cock was a sight to behold.

  Yeah, I thought to myself with a smirk. Definitely would’ve broken the guy.

  I finished drying off and stepped back into the bedroom. I’d thrown my clothes into the room’s tiny washing machine in hopes of freshening them up, so I went to my bag instead to retrieve my extra pair. I dressed myself in a pair of silk boxer briefs, a pair of worn-out denim jeans, and a black tank top that clung tightly to my muscular frame. Throwing on a pair of socks, I stepped into my worn-down hiking boots and laced them up. I then retrieved my wallet, the room’s card-key, and the key to my motorcycle and shoved them into my pockets. Ruffling up my sandy-blond hair with my hands, I glanced in a nearby mirror.

  “Works,” I told myself, then made for the door.

  Both nearby elevators were already in use, so I dismissed them in favor of a nearby stairwell. Working my way down the stairs, I hummed to myself, bobbing my head from side to side in time with the music playing in my head. One thing about being alone most the time, you learned how to keep yourself entertained. Humming to myself was just one of the ways I managed that.

  I finally reached the bottom of the stairwell and was happily surprised to find that it exited to the exterior of the hotel, spilling out in an alleyway adjacent to the parking lot where I’d abandoned my bike. I strolled out of the alleyway and onto the sidewalk that ran parallel to the street. Judging by the lights and sounds from downtown, the weekend festivities were just getting started.

  I made my way to my bike and hopped on, revved it up, and pulled back onto the street. I coasted into downtown with a smolder plastered on my face. The steady beat of the club music spilled out onto the streets and I hummed in time with it, doing my best to compete with the hum of the machine between my legs.

  After a few minutes, I pulled into a parking spot on the side of the street near bar named Dash’n Trash. Judging by the patrons filing in and out of the building’s front door, it was exactly the kind of place I was looking for. I attracted the eyes of more than a few men as I strolled up to the door and I did my best to ensure each of those sets of eyes that yes, I had noticed.

  And that, yes, one lucky contestant would be getting the fuck of his life.

  AUGUST

  I packed my bag as quickly as I could, stuffing clothing, cash, and a few valuables into the pockets until I had to force the zipper closed. I’d had it. I was done. I wasn’t going to take any more.

  As much as my father wanted me to, I wasn’t just going to roll over and go along with the prearranged mating. It wasn’t my idea, my plan, or my desire. No, I wanted to get away. I wanted to get as far from Black Canyon as possible, and I wanted to do it now.

  When I’d finished stuffing my bag, I grabbed an extra pair of cargo shorts, slid off the still-damp pair I had on, and slipped them over my bare flesh. If I had to shift, my clothing would be shredded anyway, so there was no sense in throwing on a pair of perfectly good boxer briefs just to have them ruined. I did retrieve a striped polo shirt from one of my drawers and pulled it on over my head, the fabric clinging tightly against my broad and muscular chest. I slipped on a pair of sandals, checked my reflection once in the mirror, and then made for the door.

  I did my best to stalk through the house without being noticed, my bag slung over one shoulder and my car keys in hand. With any luck, I could get away unnoticed.

  Luck, however, tended to not favor me.

  As I stepped into the garage, I was greeted by a pair of bright, golden eyes that rose to just under my nose. The man behind the eyes was handsome in a way, with sharp and defined features that complemented his large and muscular frame. “Where are you off to, August?” my younger brother asked, one eyebrow arched as he stood in the doorway.

  “Nowhere,” I told him, trying to will myself between him and the door frame. “Step aside, Jonathan.”

  Jonathan put a hand on my chest, stopping me dead in my tracks. He may have been younger than me, but he had more of an alpha personality than I ever would. Even at a few inches shorter than me, he was still an imposing figure, and I had no doubt that, if he wanted to, he could take me in a fight. The guy was a born and bred dominant and if not for his birth order, he’d have made a wonderful figurehead for the Greystone clan. Unfortunately, Fate must have been drunk when dictating our birth order.

  “Doesn’t look like you’re going nowhere,” Jonathan said, nodding toward the bag hanging over my shoulder.

  I swatted his hand away from my chest, rose up to my full height, and glared directly into his eyes. “I said move.”

  For a brief moment, my bear clashed with Jonathan’s. At that moment, I felt Jonathan’s bear reluctantly relent. Not because he was weaker than I was - not by a long shot - but because Jonathan and his bear did value the hierarchy, and they both knew that I was a few slots above them in the pecking order.

  Dipping his head in a show of respect, Jonathan stepped to the side, letting me slip past him and into the spacious garage. I grunted a thanks in his direction, then strolled over to the metallic blue Camaro parked in the corner. I opened the passenger door and tossed my bag in the seat then started toward the driver’s side of the vehicle.

  “He’ll find you, you know,” Jonathan called out from the doorway. “It doesn’t matter where you go.”

  “We’ll see,” I told him, staring across the garage at my younger brother. This was for the best. I’d leave, he’d become alpha, and my father would finally have the heir he really wanted. Everyone would be happy. Everyone would win. “Goodbye, brother.”

  “Don’t do this, August,” Jonathan said, panic starting to lace his voice. “Please.”

  I shook my head at him then, without responding, climbed inside the Camaro and keyed the ignition, flipping the switch on the automatic garage door opener as I did. I threw the car into gear, revved the engine, and pulled out of the garage. I was halfway out of town before the regret set in.

  ***

  The road snaked its way through the mountains as I drove east toward the nearest city. With any luck, I’d be there before midnight and be able to find a place to crash for the night. I’d get some shuteye, wake up, evaluate my situation, then decide on where to go from there. In the meantime, it felt nice to finally be free.

  While part of me hurt deeply at having abandoned my ancestral home, my family, my mother without so much as a goodbye, the largest part of me only felt ca
use for celebration. For the first time in my life, I was free. Free to be who I was, to do what I wanted. No more arranged mating, no more preparing to lead the Greystone clan. I was free to be me. What that meant, I had no idea. But I could figure that out tomorrow.

  The city lights came into view as I rounded one final mountain pass. It had been years since the last time I was in the city, and even then it was only for half an hour while my father conducted business. Bears tend to be secluded creatures, and we rarely go out of our way to socialize with non-bears. Humans, especially, can be troubling. Even though shifters had long-since been outed and (for the most part) accepted within the populace as a whole, a lot of humans still held dangerous thoughts and dark suspicions about us. For bears, it was better to just leave them alone in hopes that they’d do the same. It’s why we holed up in bear colonies in some of the most secluded places in the world. Black Canyon was just one of many bear colonies, after all.

  The sights and sounds of the city were a far cry from my mountain home, and I found myself immediately appreciating the beauty of it all. Just the architecture alone was enough to give me pause, and I slowed the Camaro down to coasting speed as I made my way through the near-empty streets just to appreciate it. I rolled my window down, letting the sounds of weekend parties and booming clubs fill my ears.

  Being there, in the heart of a throbbing, living, pulsing city was a breath of fresh air. For a brief moment, I almost considered spending the weekend there, but the reality that my father would be hot on my trail once he realized I was gone (I’d convinced myself that Jonathan would keep quiet as long as he could) reminded me that I could stay a night, at most, before getting as far away as possible. Even still, the thought of joining the crowds as they moved from one bar to the next was enticing. I’d almost convinced myself to grab a beer or three but knew that I needed to stay as far out of sight as possible.

  With a reluctant sigh, I pulled off down an empty street and worked my way up and down the city streets until I found a hotel with a sign signaling vacancy in the window. I pulled into the near-empty parking lot, killed the ignition, grabbed my bag, and climbed out of the Camaro, locking it behind me as I did.

  I headed straight for the hotel’s front entrance and made my way through a pair of automatic sliding doors. Once inside, I was greeted by a pleasant looking young man with long black hair that was combed over to one side.

  “How may I help you?” the man - his employee tag read Chris -asked.

  “I need a room for the night,” I told him, offering my best smile.

  “No problem. I’ll just need to see an ID and a credit card,” Chris replied, matching my smile. The man was cute, I had to give him that, but small. My bear perked up when he spoke, but I dismissed it. As cute as he was, he was a bit too small for my taste. I tended to like men who, like me, were a bit more on the muscular side. As huge as I was, anything less would be awkward. And besides, it was obvious that he was human, and even if I had abandoned my clan, sex with non-bears, much less humans was considered taboo. There are some lines you just don’t cross.

  “Right,” I told him finally, fetching my wallet from my bag and digging out my ID and credit card. I handed them over to Chris and waited patiently while he prodded at the computer for a few minutes. Finally, after what felt like ages, he returned the cards to me and grabbed a keycard from under the desk, activated it, and handed it my way as well. “Appreciate it,” I told him.

  “No sweat,” Chris called out as I walked away. “Enjoy your stay!”

  I threw up a hand and waved over my shoulder at Chris as I neared the closest elevator. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long for the doors to open and I stepped inside and keyed in my destination. The elevator was an older model, and it made an awful creaking sound as the doors started to close.

  “Wait! Hold that!” A voice called out and I stuck an arm out to stop the doors from closing all the way.

  The doors reopened to reveal a pair of men racing toward the elevator, hands locked together as the larger of the two men seemed to drag the other impatiently across the floor. I stepped to the side, letting the men enter. “What floor?” I asked, turning to the keypad.

  “Same as you,” the larger man said, his voice thick and sultry, each syllable threatening to melt my clothes off my body.

  Holy shit.

  By the time I turned back from the keypad in order to actually take a good look at the man, he was already tongue-deep in the smaller guy’s mouth. The two lovers were at it hot and heavy, their hands moving liberally over each other’s body’s. The scene itself was incredibly erotic, and I felt my cock bulge against my shorts as I stood there, awkwardly watching it take place. The larger man, in particular, was especially interesting. He was tattooed from forearm to chest, and I could just make out the continuation of the tattoo beneath his black tank top as he and his partner shifted around. The man was incredibly muscular, almost as much as I was, and only an inch or so shorter than me. He had tousled sandy-blond hair that my bear begged for me to reach out and run my hands through. I salivated at the thought, and at the thought of being the man he was currently locking tongues with.

  More than that, though, there was something distinctly exotic about the man. He had a scent about him that I couldn’t place, and I had to force myself to keep from sniffing the air around him.

  The elevator dinged, signaling our arrival at our floor, and the two men separated as the door opened. The other man, a smaller, but still fit-looking college-aged kid, caught my eyes and glared at me.

  “Got a problem with queers?” the college kid spat at me. “Fucking perve.” Then he darted out the elevator, turning back only to extend a hand toward the larger man.

  For the first time since he’d entered the elevator, the larger, tattooed man looked directly at me. The moment our eyes met mine, my cock sprung up in my shorts, threatening the fabric that held it down. His jaw quivered a bit as he looked at me, a sense of longing in his eyes. Then, as quickly as it had come, the look vanished and he returned his gaze to the college kid.

  “That way,” he pointed own the hallway, directing the kid toward their room. His voice felt like silk on my ears. Then he was gone, chasing some barely-legal twink in the opposite direction from my own room.

  When they vanished around the corner, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding and stepped out of the elevator. My heart was pounding in my chest and my bear was roaring in defiance, urging me to go after the man. To track him down. To drag him back to my room.

  I shook my head, doing my best to clear my thoughts of impressively bodied man. No good would come from letting my thoughts linger on him. I needed to get to my room and get some sleep.

  Tomorrow was a brand new day, and I needed to be ready to embrace the bright new world that awaited me.

  RHYS

  My fingers were shaking as I fumbled with the keycard to my room. My mind was reeling, heart was racing, and cock was pulsing. And none of those three were because of the horny and half-drunk slut begging me to fuck him as fast and hard as I could.

  No, it was because of that man. That specimen. That delicious looking creature I’d just shared an elevator with.

  I’d been too caught up in forcing my tongue down the college kid’s throat to notice the man at first, but once the elevator had stopped…well, I’d noticed. The moment our eyes had met, my tiger had nearly burst out from beneath my skin. For the first time in my life, I’d yearned for a man. That didn’t happen to me. I didn’t yearn for anyone. Men yearned for me.

  I’d had to force myself to look away from him, had to force myself to follow the kid instead. And now, I’d have to force myself not to run back, chase the man down, and drag him back to my room.

  He’s probably not even gay, I hissed at myself, still fumbling with the keycard.

  Finally, I managed to get the door unlocked and I shoved it open, gesturing for my guest to get inside. I let the door slam shut behind me as I entered
and grabbed at the man, shoving him backward toward the bed.

  “Shirt off, cock out,” I demanded and, not at all to my surprise, he quickly complied.

  The college kid leaned back against the bed, his body a happy surprise. He was well-muscled and definitely in shape. In fact, his rock-solid ass had been most of the reason I’d brought him here in the first place. I’d picked him out of a decent crowd back at the bar, made sure he had his fair share of tequila, then threw him on the back of my motorcycle. He hadn’t minded. And I knew he wouldn’t mind this.

  I stepped toward him, fully intent on giving him a night he wouldn’t forget, but abruptly drew up short. Something stopped me, something cold and raw that bit deep enough into my psyche that I felt a violent pang in my chest. I stared at the man, examining his body. He was hot, fit, and, more importantly, horny as hell. There was no reason I should be experiencing any reluctance. And yet, I was.

  It wasn’t his body that I craved. It wasn’t his cock that I was hungry for. It wasn’t him that my tiger wanted to devour.

  No, everything in me wanted the other man. The one from the elevator. The one with broad shoulders and a body that could very well rival my own. I salivated at the thought of it, and had to shake my head in an attempt to dismiss the thought.

  What the hell is going on?

  “Well…” the college kid started, looking up at me seductively as he thrust his hips at me, his cock firm and ready for the taking.

  I shook my head. There was no getting around it. I wasn’t even hard anymore, and the only thing that sent any sensation down to my cock was the thought of the man from the elevator. This wasn’t going to work.

  “Shit,” I said, before stepping across the room, grabbing the kid by the collar of his shirt, and shoving him toward the door. “Sorry.”

  He turned toward me, a disgusted look on his face. “Are you fucking serious? Jesus Christ…” Then he opened the door, stepped outside, and slammed it back shut behind him.