by Sable Sylvan
“Of course,” said Rose, but when Beast opened his bottle of sparkling water, it burst, spraying him with water, absolutely soaking his shirt.
Rose couldn’t help but laugh as Beast was sprayed with seltzer. “I’m...I’m so sorry,” said Rose between laughs. “It’s just...you look...oh my gosh, I’m sorry...”
“Are you?” asked Beast, and he opened another bottle of seltzer, squirting Rose in the face and hair with water.
“No. Frikkin’. Way,” said Rose, moving her wet hair away from her face and shoulders. “That means war, bear.”
“Does it, human?” asked Beast with a smirk as his eyes flashed in the moonlight. He took the remnants of the water and poured them over his chest, soaking the entire shirt. His black hair lay straight, flat and wet, against his head.
Rose pulled out a bottle of sparkling water. “You know, if you waste all the water, we’re not going to have anything to drink,” said Rose. She opened her bottle and held it away from her body so it wouldn’t soak the nice dress. “You’re going to catch a cold wearing that wet shirt.”
“I’m half bear, I can’t get a cold,” said Beast smugly.
“You’re half man, and maybe half jackass, dry yourself off,” said Rose as she put a watermelon slice into her mouth. The watermelon tasted like a mojito. The mint and lime flavors danced with the watermelon on her tongue. The watermelon was crisp and juicy, kept chilled by an ice pack in the basket. This picnic was the most normal event that Rose had experienced at the mansion: while the picnic itself had a fancy twist, Rose enjoyed getting out of the house.
“With what? It’s not like we’re in the mansion, there’s no towels out here, and no spare shirts,” said Beast, pulling Rose’s free hand off her lap and bringing it towards his chest.
Rose didn’t pull away. She hadn’t touched Beast’s chest since the kiss, but it was still as hot and warm as she remembered. She gulped and put down her watermelon. There was nobody around. She could do whatever she wanted with Beast...but on the flipside, he could do whatever he wanted with her. Beast’s muscles seemed to pulse under her hand, and she realized what she was feeling was his heart beating, fast. She could almost hear the vibrations.
Beast leaned back on the plaid picnic blanket and let Rose explore his body with her hands...and when she finally undid the top button of his flannel shirt, he took a breath and held it, keeping it in until he the top was entirely unbuttoned. He let the top fall to his sides, exposing his chest to Rose, who couldn’t stop staring at the mark spread across his sternum.
Chapter Six
The mark on Beast’s chest looked like a tattoo. A series of roses was scattered over his chest, roses with red and yellow petals, the red petals close to the outside of the rose, the yellow petals close to the inside. Black marks first looked like leaves but on closer inspection, looked like thorns. Rose lifted her hand to Beast’s chest and ran her fingers over the tattoo and then pulled her hand away.
“What...what happened to your chest?” asked Rose.
The bear in Beast bristled. How did Rose not know what the symbol meant? Everyone knew what those symbols meant. The man shushed the bear. It was not the first time a human woman had asked him about the symbols, although e hoped it would be the last. “What do you mean, ‘what happened’?” asked Beast.
“I’ve seen tattoos before...why does yours feel different?” asked Rose. “Why does it feel thick, like a scar, or like...the marks on your hand?”
“It’s...complicated,” said Beast.
“When did you get it?” asked Rose.
“At eighteen,” said Beast. “It’s...it’s almost like it’s always been there.”
“I’m sure girls go nuts over it,” said Rose.
“You’re the only girl I’ve ever shown it to...and the only one I’ve ever hid it from,” said Beast.
“Is everything a riddle with you?” asked Rose.
“At least for now,” said Beast with a sigh.
Rose scooted to sit next to Beast and undid her boots, slipping them so she could feel the soft grass between her toes. “I like how the grass feels between my toes.”
“Be careful, you wouldn’t want the killer worms to eat your toes,” said Beast dryly.
Rose moved quickly, sitting in Beast’s lap, her toes safe on the picnic blanket. “Killer worms? Why are we out here if there are killer frikkin’ worms?”
“Because there aren’t any, I’m joking,” said Beast. As much as he regretted making Rose worried, he liked that the place Rose went to feel safe and secure was in his lap, surrounded by his arms. “Sorry, I didn’t think you’d take me seriously.”
“We’re in a garden of glowing roses, I think killer worms are feasible,” said Rose with a frown, looking up at Beast. In the moonlight, she could still see the strong lines of Beast’s jawline, and his face was smattered with a layer of stubble that was usually absent, as Beast would shave before their dinners.
Beast burst out laughing. “What’s so funny?” demanded Rose.
“I’m sorry,” said Beast. “It’s just...you look adorable when you’re mad.”
“Whatever!” said Rose, crossing her eyebrows more, which made Beast laugh more.
Rose pushed at Beast’s chest and he pulled her hand close, keeping her hand on his chest. “I had no idea you were so interested in my chest,” said Beast. “I thought I was the only one here fascinated with somebody’s chest.”
Rose blushed as she lost her frown. That was the most forward thing that Beast had ever said to her. “There’s no frikkin’ way you just said that,” said Rose.
“What, you don’t get hit on often?” asked Beast sarcastically.
“Honestly...not really,” said Rose. “I work part time as a waitress, or at least, I did. I don’t know if they found someone to cover my shifts since I’ve been out here, but it really wasn’t the job for me.”
“What would be the job for you?” asked Beast.
“I don’t know,” said Rose. “I’ve been taking care of my sisters for the longest time. I don’t have a college education, just a high school diploma.”
“Fine, let me rephrase that. What would you do all day, if you could do whatever you wanted?” asked Beast.
“It’s been a long time since I thought about that,” admitted Rose. “But...I love reading in your library.”
“Why?” asked Beast.
“Because...it makes the days go faster,” said Rose.
“And you want the days to go fast, so you can go home,” said Beast, the bear inside of him getting on all fours and roaring loud. Beast wanted to run. This had all obviously been another huge mistake.
“No...because if the days go fast, I can see you again sooner,” said Rose, looking up at Beast. “And that’s all I’ve wanted, all this last week. To see you again.”
Beast pulled Rose up closer and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her deeply, still tasting the watermelon, mint, and lime in her mouth. He sucked her lower lip before licking along it, opening the petals that lead to her mouth. “I missed you too, gorgeous,” said Beast, running a hand up along Rose’s legs as he moved her hair off her face.
Rose wrapped her arms around Beast’s shoulders, pulling him in for another kiss, as he explored the curves of her legs, feeling the soft plushness of her every pillowy part. Her thick thighs enveloped his hands like cream coating strawberries, but as Beast pressed further, he found exactly what he was looking for: the sweetest treasure a bear can hope to find, the honeypot.
Beast ran a single finger along Rose’s slit and felt her warmth, and then something else. It was a wetness, Rose’s body, responding to his touch. “You’re already wet for me,” he growled, the bear inside roaring instructions, telling him to take her, to just rip her clothes off and have her, because she had given him all the signs. The man shushed the bear. They were doing this slow, the right way, the romantic way, the way they’d always dreamed of doing it, and he wouldn’t hear any more.
“And you’r
e hard for me, aren’t you?” whispered Rose, feeling down Beast’s rock hard chest to his abs and finally, down the trail of coarse hair to something hard...Beast’s belt. Rose pressed further, and found something growing beneath the fabric, something so long it was practically down Beast’s leg.
Beast felt his throat tighten as Rose explored his body. “You want me, don’t you?” he asked.
“Of course I do,” said Rose. “I’ve wanted you since you showed me the stars.”
“And I’ve...I’ve wanted you for a long time,” said Beast simply. He ran his hands over the curves of Rose’s body. He lightly ran his hands over her soft breasts, black lace peaking out from under the dress, and down her waist. He had dreamed of having Rose in his lap since the night he’d met her, and after weeks of waiting, she was finally there, in his lap, ready for him.
Rose looked up at Beast. He was a man who could make her feel small, something that was rare down in Big Sky, as the lumber industry had left town long ago, jobs going upstate, and any men who were big and strong making their money up at a tree farm like this one. While the big, strong men were common in rural areas, there weren’t many shifter men left down in Big Sky...and bear shifter men were like no other shifters. Bigger and burlier, they stood out from a crowd.
Clad in only his jeans and a belt, there would still have been no mistaking Beast for anything other than the rich man he was. His hair was too long for a millworker, his hands too soft, excepting the hard pads on the palm and tips, and he didn’t have a torso full of scars. His arms and chest were free of any lumber scars, and he didn’t have a million splinters under his manicured fingernails. Still, he looked more at home in the jeans than he had in his suits.
“Beast...I trust you,” said Rose. “I know it sounds insane...but even though I’ve only known you for a little over two weeks, I want you.”
“I want you too, Rose,” said Beast. “But...I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You haven’t hurt me,” said Rose. “You’ve confused me. You’ve worried me. You’ve kept me up all night wondering about your secrets...but you’ve never hurt me, Beast.”
“You keep me up too, Rose,” said Beast, looking over the beautiful woman whose hair was splayed in his lap.
“I do?” asked Rose.
“You do,” said Beast. “Everything about you...you’re enchanting, Rose. More beautiful than any of the roses in this garden.”
“Oh, stop,” said Rose, turning way, but Beast moved her face back gently.
“Everything about you, Rose, reminds me of your namesake flower,” said Beast, rubbing her cheek gently with his finger pads, the rough pads exciting Rose. “Your cheeks are as pink as rose petals, and just as soft. Your lips are like a rosebud, begging for kisses...so many shades of pink depending on where one looks, so soft, so tender.”
“Aren’t roses supposed to have thorns?” teased Rose.
Beast almost lost his composure and revealed all to Rose, because hearing her say that word, thorns, sent the bear into a frenzy. “Not all roses have thorns,” said Beast, closing his eyes and enjoying the feeling of Rose’s delicate skin against his fingers. “You can be sassy and honestly, an absolute smart-ass at times, but you’re not a feral, wild thing, Rose. You’re sweet and kind...and there’s no thorns guarding your heart.”
“Maybe there should be some,” said Rose, looking up at Beast and running her hand on the black marks on his chest. “A rose needs thorns for protection...and no rose wants to get hurt.”
“Damn it, Rose, I need, you,” said Beast, pulling Rose up so she was sitting on his laps, pressing his forehead against hers. “I want to feel you, all of you, and I want to open and kiss the petals between your legs.”
“Who’s stopping you?” asked Rose. “Other than yourself?”
“I’m not stopping myself...I’m stopping my bear,” said Beast. “I’m not sure that if I started, I’d wanted to stop...so I need to know, Rose, do you want to go all the way with me?”
“Yes, Beast, I do,” said Rose, and that was all Beast needed to hear. He clasped Rose to his chest and lowered her down onto the blanket. Beast pushed Rose’s skirt up and Rose held the skirt by the hem as Beast lowered her panties down, past her thick thighs and her tight knees, loosening her up as she relaxed, Beast’s hot touching warming her to her core, melting away any anxiety she’d had.
The first press of Beast’s tongue against her slot made her shudder. The feeling of Beast’s mouth against anything other than her lips had that effect on her, but against her most sensitive of places, the feeling of his hot, warm tongue was unlike anything she’d experienced before. Beast was more skilled with his mouth than most men were with their shafts, and his tongue was broad, perfect for licking clits and sending waves of pleasure through a woman’s body.
Beast hoisted Rose up so that her legs were up around his shoulders, and then he pushed down, keeping the legs up with his hands while he went to town on her honey pot, enjoying the tastes of her natural musk, Rose’s juices sweet and full of wanting.
Rose reached down and lifted her legs up on her own, freeing Beast’s hands. He pulled apart the petals and exposed the small hole of her entrance, small petals framing the opening, and licked downwards and into Rose, feeling the hotness and fresh wetness of her wanting hole.
“Oh, Beast,” moaned Rose.
“That’s right, babe, say my name,” order Beast, pressing two fingers to the entrance and sliding them up, feeling Rose’s body instantly tighten around the fingers, not a nervous tightening, but the sort of tightness that only came from a genuine lust, the tightness that pulled his fingers in, rather than pushed them out. “I want to make you feel how you make me feel every damn night. I want you to be just as horny as I have to be whenever I see you.”
Beast pressed up and explored Rose’s canal, finding the smooth spot he was looking for, and pressed upwards, feeling Rose instantly wetten on his fingers. His own shaft was thickening in his pants, straining against layers of denim. The bear roared in Beast, telling him to do Rose then and there, but Beast shushed the animal within. Romancing women had never been the bear’s strongpoint: how many women had been scared away by the intensity of both man and bear?
Beast pressed his lips back up to Rose’s clit, and instead of licking, he started to kiss the clit as if it was Rose’s lips, the bright redness of the clit brighter than any flower in the garden, the clit sprinkled with their juices like the dew that appeared on wildflowers each morning. He pressed his lips against the spot gently, taking the nub between his lips and rolling it delicately back and forth, left and right, before widening the scope of his kiss, taking more of Rose into his mouth, before starting to suck, gently at first, but then, with more intensity as he added tongue again, swirling the clit on the tip of his tongue before pressing it hard against the broadness of his tongue while his lips acted as a whirlpool, bringing as much of Rose into his mouth as possible, like a black hole taking in planets, stars, and whole galaxies.
“Beast, oh, Beast, you’re...oh, I want you,” moaned Rose, holding her legs spread and up for Beast to give him full access to her honey pot as she enjoyed the varied sensations Beast introduced to her clit the way he’d exposed her lips to so many tantalizing desires during the past weekly dinners, which paled in comparison to this experience. “Oh, Beast...please, give it to me!”
And with those words, Beast felt the bear pounce again, and he pulled back, slowly, keeping his fingers in Rose as his lips moved away, and then, he pulled his fingers out too, slowly, wiping them against Rose’s entrance to keep all the juices in Rose, waiting to lubricate his shaft when the right time came.
“Why did you stop?” asked Rose.
“I told you, if we started this, I couldn’t hold back, and now that I’ve had a taste of the honey, I want to be balls-deep in the pot. If we do this, I wanna do it right,” said Beast with a growl, his eyes glinting with a light of their own. “I’m not gonna just do you here, on the ground. I want you
in my bed, Rose, where you belong.”
Chapter Seven
Rose pulled down her skirts and put her boots back on as Beast cleaned up the picnic basket, and once it was cleaned up, Beast led her out of the rose garden and out of the glen, back to the garden, up the stairs to the mansion. He dropped the basket off inside and scooped Rose up, holding her in his arms as he made his way towards his bedroom, a room that Rose had passed by only a handful of times, as she had stayed on her side of the house for the majority of her visit.
Beast opened the door with one hand and carried Rose into the master bedroom. Resplendent in black and red, the room was the shadow counterpart to Rose’s bright and cheery room. The wallpaper looked like it was black with red patches, but it was really red and covered in dark swaths of dyes, the paper patterned with roses...and with crawling thorns. The centers of the roses were gilded with real gold leaf, and the roses looked like the flowers on Beast’s chest.
Beast lay Rose down gently on the dark wood bed, the soft red satin sheets cushioning her. It was hard to tell where Rose’s dress stopped and the sheets began. Beast pulled a pillow down and propped Rose up.
Beast pulled Rose up close. “Do you have any tattoos?” whispered Beast, brushing his lips against Rose’s ears, making every small hair on her neck stand on end.
“Not a one,” said Rose, moving so Beast’s lips would brush against her cheek.
“Mind if I check?” asked Beast, pulling Rose close and pressing his forehead against hers.
“Go ahead,” said Rose, running her hands over Beast’s chest while Beast unzipped the side zipper of the dress, sliding the petal-like fabric away from Rose, leaving her exposed on the red satin sheets, wearing only the dark black lingerie.
Beast ran his fingers along Rose’s body, following the straps of the bra down to the cups, which had no lining, letting her pert nipples poke through the fabric, begging to be sucked on and touched. Down, lower, her panties were soaked, with her own juices and with Beast’s saliva, and he ran his fingers along the slit, feeling how much wetter Rose had gotten since he’d first felt her honeypot.