by Sable Sylvan
Artemis woke up the next morning with panties so soaked she’d worried if she’d had an accident in the night. She got changed and was disgusted with how aroused Jasper had managed to make her, probably without even trying on his part. There was one man that Artemis had told herself she would never get with, and that man was the only one that had managed to weasel his way into her dirty dreams, outside the rare celebrity.
Artemis got changed and went back to bed. They weren’t working that day, and it was the first time she’d had a quiet house to herself since going to Seattle. The company apartments were always filled with noise during the weekends, as some employees worked weekends at Asher Lumber, and so she was woken up by the sounds of people running up and down the halls and stairs, rushing to make their morning commutes. Out here, she didn’t need a snooze button to fall back asleep, and as soon as her head hit the pillow, she fell into a dreamless, peaceful sleep.
***
Jasper Dixon had just as restless a sleep as his companion...
The pink lace thong teased Jasper even in his dream. He was chasing a girl in a white dress through the woods. There was no mistaking her, even from behind, for anyone but Artemis Miller. No other woman’s hips could sway the ways hers could, no other woman’s curves could fill a dress out like hers could, and her scent...even in the dream, it was absolutely intoxicating and he took hurried breathe after breathe as if he’d lose the smell if he didn’t constantly sniff at the air.
Jasper ran through the woods, following Artemis’s scent, her giggles, her laughs, as she ended up in the glade, the glade he dared not show her yet, a glade she may never see. The fact she was in the glade made Jasper realize this was all just a fantasy.
He looked down: he didn’t have his man hands, he had his bear shifter paws, claws and all, but Artemis...she wasn’t afraid of him. Not at all. And as he stood, and walked towards her, he looked down: his feet had gone back to being human, and so had his legs, and...the thing between his legs. He was out of his shift and in Artemis’s arms all in the same minute.
Jasper pulled the blankets on the bed closer to him, as if they were Artemis, in his arms. His body couldn’t tell the difference between the dream and the sensations it was feeling in real life, during this strange and highly erotic experience that almost bordered on hallucinatory.
Artemis undid her gown, letting it fall down onto the dewy meadow like a baby spider’s gossamer balloon. Artemis lay back and Jasper pulled her close, pulling her up to him as he went to undo the bra and remove the panties, but in dreamland, where anything could happen, Artemis was magically nude again beneath the thin fabric of the gown, which had turned into a silky blanket beneath them.
“I want you,” said Artemis, running her hand over his chest, over his mate mark, which she traced with her fingers. “And you know Jasper...it’s fate...”
Jasper’s inner bear roared and commanded him to take her, then and there, on the grass. Jasper pressed the start of his cock against her entrance and pressed in. She was tight and wet in the dream, and her sex smelled of arousal, the same scent Jasper had caught Artemis letting off before she even realized she had been turned on in the first place.
The wetness let him slip in with ease, even past the tightness, and beneath him, Artemis moaned. But Jasper’s dream didn’t fade to black. No, his dream? It faded to light, a light so bright, both white and yellow, both silver and gold, at the same time, that it engulfed everything in a fiery heat that left him desperate and thirsty for more, for pleasures yet to be tasted...and as Jasper was burned by the cleansing light in his dream, the dream was burned away in kind, leaving Jasper in a warm and empty ivory bliss...
Jasper woke up and got changed. He looked at his bed: a large wet spot covered a big portion of the bed. He rubbed his temples: he’d just had the maid come in. He looked at the clock: it was only six, there was time for him to wash and dry his sheets before Artemis saw him. There was no frikkin’ way that smarty pants would see him with a load of sheets and not realize what had happened, and she would give him Hell if she figured out what the dream was about.
***
The next morning, Artemis woke up to the smell of something smoky. It wasn’t the cabin burning down: it was bacon. She got changed into one of the outfit she’d packed, a simple dress with sandals, and headed downstairs into the kitchen, where Jasper was taking bacon off the stove and putting it on a plate covered with a paper towel to soak up the oil.
“Morning,” said Jasper. “You ready to go into town?”
“Town?” asked Artemis, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
“Yeah, I need to get some things in town,” said Jasper. “Do you wanna stay here, or do you wanna come with me and see Port Jameson?”
“I guess I should get out,” said Artemis. “I can’t believe this town has less people in it than the Asher Building on the average weekend night.”
“Well, you’re in Oregon, not Washington,” said Jasper. “Let me put it this way. We think Portland is a city.”
“We?” asked Artemis, taking a piece of still hot bacon and munching on it as she watched Jasper make a big batch of scrambled eggs using the leftover fat from the bacon as oil.
“I grew up around here,” explained Jasper. “The Ashers and the Dixons are related through marriage, only a couple generations back, but I grew up in Port Jameson. I only started working in Seattle when my cousins took the company over after their fathers passed on.”
“And your father?” asked Artemis casually.
Jasper’s eyes flashed. There was no way Artemis knew not to ask, but the question still hurt. “Hunting accident,” said Jasper curtly. “At least that’s what my stepmother’s family said it was.”
“Your stepmother?” asked Artemis.
“Well, you see, Artemis, when a mommy and a daddy no longer love each other...get the picture?” asked Jasper. “Anyways, my dad’s second wife’s family didn’t exactly approve of him being a bear, so they did what they needed to to make him...disappear. Hunting accident, my ass.”
“Why didn’t they approve?” asked Artemis.
“Ever wonder why you don’t see many people our parent’s age in human and shifter marriages? Yeah, that’s why,” asked Jasper.
“Oh... I had no idea,” said Artemis softly, as she put the story together. She never would have thought that a human family would murder a shifter over marriage, in the past decades, although the practice, going either way, hadn’t been uncommon in the past at all.
“Well, it hasn’t exactly left me with the best memory of your species, but it’s definitely left me with the strongest one I have,” said Jasper. “I was raised by my grandmother in town...it was hard for her, to have lost a son. It’s something I’d wish on nobody, not even my deepest enemies.”
Jasper served eggs to Artemis. “Coffee?” he asked, changing the subject.
“It’ll do,” said Artemis. “I’m so tired this morning. I couldn’t sleep.”
“Do you want different sheets, or to switch rooms?” asked Jasper. In reality, his bear wanted a very different sleeping arrangement with Artemis, the one arrangement Jasper hadn’t suggested, the one involving them pressed together in bed with only Jasper’s heat keeping Artemis warm.
“No, I’m fine, I’m sure that it’s just because it’s a new room for me and all,” said Artemis, stretching. As she stretched her arms upwards, her breasts were pulled up and pressed together, forming even more cleavage.
Jasper’s stomach lurched. How did Artemis have no idea how erotic her every small motion could be? She looked sexier in her modest dress and sandals than most models did in lingerie ads, and turned Jasper on in a primal way no stick-thin model could. Shifter men wanted women with curves, women who could carry their loads, literally, as shifter men were prone to have strong swimmers and their women often ended up carrying multiple pregnancies, most commonly twins, followed by triplets. Rates of solo pregnancies had risen as of late in the shifter community, but curvy hu
man women whose genes were just compatible enough with a shifter’s to produce young, but weren’t identical to the point of creating flawed, inbred children, were the women all hot-blooded male shifters lusted after, if they listened to their shift’s spirit.
Artemis carried her plate away with her to the office. She hurried away so she wouldn’t have to look at Jasper much longer. Jasper’s naturally fluffy hair was tousled from bed and he hadn’t shaved since they arrived at the house, so he had a pretty thick amount of scruff on his chin, but that facial hair made Jasper look even more handsome, the contours of his face and the thickness of the beard hair just begging to be touched by Artemis. Jasper wasn’t going to get any less handsome, so Artemis removed herself from the company of the one man who she knew she couldn’t be with. It’d be unprofessional, uncouth, and altogether just wrong. He was Rumpled Bear Skin, for goodness sake! There was no frikkin’ way that what he was doing was anything more than an act.
Jasper watched as Artemis walked away. Even in the modest dress, wearing flat sandals, her ass looked fantastic. He felt something twitch and immediately started thinking of work, anything to get his mind off of the fact that the one woman he couldn’t have was the one woman that had managed to make it into his dreams, after all these years of searching for his fated mate.
Chapter Five
Artemis looked over the dossier over her breakfast. There were details regarding the low sales numbers in the Midwest and the existing plans for the Asher Charity Gala, as well as pictures of the past events, even copies of the old invitations. There was no frikkin’ way that Artemis was going to be able to turn the event into something that would help with Midwest sales: the sales in the Midwest had nothing to do with the charity gala or with the big-city shifters who attended the exclusive event.
After breakfast, Artemis and Jasper got back in the SUV and headed into town. Port Jameson was full of people getting ready for their coming weeks, but the town wasn’t hustling and bustling like fast-paced Seattle. People were taking time to talk to their neighbors on the street and were doing their shopping as families on Main Street. Jasper parked the car and opened Artemis’s door for her.
“Bear Claw Bakery?” said Artemis, reading the store’s sign. “You must really love their stuff.”
“This is actually the first Bear Claw Bakery location,” said Jasper. “I know we have all that food at home but nothing beats a fresh bear claw.” Artemis followed Jasper into the store which was bright and cheery. There were women working hard behind the counter which was full of trays of fresh pastries.
“Two bear claws,” said Jasper.
“Is that Jasper Dixon I hear?” said an older woman, coming to the front from the kitchen behind the counter, where many curvy women were working hard to get pastries ready for the after-church rush. Every proper Sunday dinner in Port Jameson had a Bear Claw Bakery pie served for dessert.
“Hey there, Beatrice,” said Jasper, leaning on the counter. “How’s the store today?”
“Well, sales are up since the last time you were in town, because it’s marionberry season, but we’ve had to raise delivery prices because – ” started Beatrice, checking things off an imaginary list as she gestured to remind herself what things she had to report.
“I’m not here to talk business, Beatrice,” said Jasper. “How’s the store, do you need new equipment, is everybody doing well? Did your niece have her baby?”
“Everything and everyone is doing great,” said Beatrice. “And of course, don’t think I didn’t put something aside for you when I heard you were in town. And who’s your friend there?”
“Artemis Miller, I work with Jasper,” said Artemis, introducing herself to the woman, extending her hand for a handshake.
Beatrice pulled Artemis close and looked her over head to toe. “Artemis...Artemis Miller. What an absolute pleasure.” The curvy woman was human, but she knew how to give one heck of a bear hug. “Beatrice Mason, I basically grew up raising Jasper,” said Beatrice. “I used to babysit this boy after school while his grandma was still working over at Spinning A Yarn. It’s the best knitting store in the tri-state area. You knit?”
“I’m afraid not,” said Artemis apologetically.
“Well, that’s no problem, I can teach you next time you come around,” said Beatrice. “I have a feeling we’re going to be seeing a lot of you around here. Gladys! Get the box for Jasper and his new girlfriend! You know, he’s never brought a girl to the bakery, I never thought that he’d ever come around, really.”
Artemis looked at Jasper. Girlfriend? There was no frikkin’ way Beatrice had said that to her.
A curvy woman in a green apron with a gold sigil stamped on it came out. She had a huge box of pastries in her arms. “These are for you, sir,” said Gladys.
Sir? As Jasper walked out with the pastries, Artemis turned to Beatrice again. “Sir?” asked Artemis.
“Oh, some of the new girls don’t know that they don’t have to call Jasper ‘Sir’, and can’t get out of the habit of calling him ‘Mr. Dixon’ either,” said Beatrice.
“Why would they do that?” asked Artemis.
“Because Jasper’s the owner, of course,” said Beatrice with a smile.
“Oh, I didn’t know the Bear Claw Bakery was part of a franchise,” said Artemis. “I knew it was part of a chain though.”
“Right, the chain that Jasper owns,” said Beatrice. “You didn’t know? He’s known as the ‘Bear Claw Billionaire’ around these parts. It’s a great story, you’ll have to have him tell you what.”
Jasper walked back in to collect Artemis. He rubbed his temples: he should’ve dragged her back out to the car with him. “Beatrice, what’re you telling Artemis about me?” said Jasper.
“Nothing you shouldn’t have already told her,” said Beatrice. “You didn’t tell her you owned the chain?”
“It never came up,” said Jasper.
“Well, she knows now, so aren’t you going to tell her the story of how you bought the store?” asked Beatrice.
“It’s not that interesting of a story...but I do recall there was quite a lot of paperwork involved,” said Jasper sarcastically.
Beatrice put her hands on her hips. “Oh, you stop right there,” said Beatrice. “Artemis, Jasper worked down at the Bear Claw Bakery all through high school and his summer vacations were all spent back there, by those very ovens. He went to school and got a business degree: ever since I’ve known him, he’s wanted a business of his very own. Well, the summer after his senior year, Jasper was working here while looking for jobs, and the bakery had fallen into some bad straits, so Jasper got the money together from his cousins, who gave him a generous no-interest loan, and he bought the store. He repaid his cousin, but kept working at the bakery, and made it into something really special. He established BCB as its own brand, and within two years, he’d opened another location...and then six months later, another. A new BCB opens every month now, and heck, they’re even in Japan, but a few years ago, Jasper was contacted by his cousins, you know, the Ashers, who were impressed by his business acumen, and they hired him as a consultant, because BCB is one of the best loved brands in the PNW and the Ashers...well, they need a bit of help with their image.”
“I guess Jasper had a good eye for investments,” said Beatrice.
“I didn’t buy BCB as an investment,” said Jasper sternly. “I bought it because it was the right thing to do. Dozens of people would have lost their jobs, and...”
“And now, tens of thousands of people are employed by your bakeries,” said Beatrice with a kind smile. “You’ve provided people like me with opportunities and benefits we couldn’t have afforded on our own.”
“It’s what any decent person would’ve done,” said Jasper. “Beatrice, it was great to see you, we’ll get dinner next time I’m in town, but I have to steal Artemis away from you for some more errands.” Jasper gave Beatrice a hug goodbye, and Beatrice gave Artemis one last squeeze before waving them off.
Artemis got back in the car. “You’re the frikkin’ owner of the Bear Claw Bakery?” said Artemis. “And you’re...a billionaire?”
“It’s not like that changes anything,” said Jasper, backing the car out of the space.
“It means you’ve hidden stuff from me,” said Artemis, munching on the bear claw. It was warm and the glaze was still wet and sticky from being melted in the oven. The almond puree core melted in her mouth.
“We all have secrets, don’t we?” said Jasper. “I’d prefer to not talk about it. Besides, we’ve got groceries to buy.”
***
Over the next four hours in Port Jameson, it seemed as if everyone who they ran into had been helped by Jasper or the Dixon Clan...and everybody assumed Artemis was Jasper’s girlfriend. They didn’t correct them, to be polite, but Artemis found her hand reaching for Jasper’s all on its own, and she had to pull it back. After they finally got to the grocery store so Jasper could buy a huge sack of rice, they headed back to the house.
“I think I’ve guessed your mate mark,” said Artemis.
“Oh yeah?” asked Jasper.
“Is it...a bear claw? Or paw?” asked Artemis.
“Technically, that is two guesses,” said Jasper. “And no to both. I’ll count it as one. Here’s a hint. My mark isn’t related to my species.”
“I’m never going to guess it,” said Artemis.
“Artemis, most people would never guess it,” said Jasper. “Beatrice knows it because she’s known me my whole frikkin’ life, and of course, the women I’ve been with have seen it, but...”
“But you won’t tell me,” said Artemis.
“Of course not, that’d ruin the game,” said Jasper with a wicked smile as he parked the car outside the house. “Come on, dinner is going to be quick to prepare tonight. I just need to get something from the river.”
“More salmon?” asked Artemis as they headed inside.
“Trust me, you’re going to like what I make,” said Jasper. “I just need to head to the river to get some more salmon.”