Carefully, watching in case she decided to run, his bear took one solid step forward. Pausing, he watched the fascination sweep over her face. Then she came to him, not afraid at all. Her hand was outstretched, but before she touched him, she asked, “Do you mind if I stroke you?”
In answer, her took two steps forward and let her hand brush along his shoulder. His bear shuddered in delight, lifting his head and breathing her scent into his bear snout. Opening his mouth, he roared in delight at finally having her in his life. The search was over, the next stage of his life was about to begin. And both forms of Trent could not be happier.
“My turn,” she said.
She was brave too. What a fine mate to have. The fates truly had smiled on him. Reluctantly, his bear allowed his human form to return. It was time. Time to awaken the knowledge that had been buried inside Willow. Knowledge that would make her desire him as a mate.
Chapter Fourteen
Willow
“Can we go over it one more time?” she was so excited, it was a struggle to keep the process straight in her head. The thing that had scared her for so long was close to being under her control, thanks to Trent’s patience.
“When you are ready to change back, keep an image of yourself, your human self, in your mind. As if, you were looking at yourself in the mirror. Then you step into it. No matter what your panther wants, you hold onto that image. It takes some practice. But we have time.”
“Got it,” she said, but she didn’t know how much time they had, she was freezing. If she didn’t change soon, she would have to go back inside to warm up. Along with her body, her mind was beginning to slow, her thoughts a little foggy. Not something she could deal with, while trying to control changing into a panther. The thought made her tremble in excitement, but she saw the look of worry flit across Trent’s face.
“Are you sure? I know how cold you are.”
“I need to do this now,” she said firmly. “OK. I’m ready.”
“Right. So do it slowly, do not let your panther take control. You always need to be the one in charge. Don’t worry, the more you do it, the easier it becomes.”
She nodded. Then she allowed the creature inside her to come forth, to fill her brain with its image, with its essence. Willow could feel it, its sleek black fur, its whiskers and its long twitching tail. All became so crystal clear she thought that it must be real, that she could reach out and touch it. And she did, her body almost sucked from his world to be suspended in limbo for seconds, before the panther began to take over. They were one, a human and a big black cat combined.
Slowly, she let her body settle, so low to the ground, she felt disorientated by the need to stand on four paws. Her vision had changed too, everything sharper, more in focus. Then she noticed her hearing. It was acute; she could hear the thumping beat of Trent’s heart, almost sense the flow of blood through his veins. She was so aware of everything about him. A combination of pine needles and musk, he smelt like a bear in a way she couldn’t understand, but entwined with this was the smell of fear. He was afraid. Of her.
No, she looked at his eyes and saw he wasn’t afraid of her, he was afraid for her. Maybe scared that the panther would take control, that he would never see his woman again. To ease his fear, she slid along his legs, her tail in the air, twitching slowly as she moved clumsily. This would take some getting used to, walking on all fours. But the thought was exhilarating. Imagine running like this, jumping, leaping from log to log, rock to rock. The panther flexed its paws, wanting to test itself, test this body she had freed from her subconscious. Willow decided to play it safe and return to her human body before she lost control.
Now she was the one who was scared. What if she was stuck as a panther? Would it be so bad? At least Ollie would never find her, but then she would not be with Trent either, and right now that was what she wanted. Her green eyes looked up at him, seeing his concern and reading in his expression how much she meant to him. He was her mate, that all fell into place now. She could fight it, but she would be fighting her own fate, and that was something she could not win. Her panther wouldn’t let her.
OK, you can do this, she thought, and made the image of herself in her head. Was that what she looked like? As the thought crossed her mind, the image wavered and then disappeared. Willow tried again. She could do this. How many times had she looked at herself in the mirror? Enough to know what she looked like. Better than anyone else on the planet.
There. She had it. Now, before she lost it again, she stepped into the image, knowing that was who she was. The world shimmered out of existence and for a fleeting moment the feeling of being suspended in time, washed over her. Then she felt the cold ground beneath her feet. She was returning to herself, but the cold came as a shock, making her stumble forward, gasping for breath.
“Hey, it’s OK. You did it,” Trent said, catching her. Scooping her up, he carried her surefootedly to the narrow path, along the street. He took her straight back to his room, and lay her on the bed, trying to warm her up as she slipped out of consciousness once more. This was becoming a bad habit.
When next she woke, his body was next to hers, the familiar heat radiating from him. So warm, so cosy in his arms. She lay and enjoyed it for a few moments before she allowed her excitement to brim over.
“I did it!” she said, turning to look at him.
“You did. Exceptional control,” he said smiling, his eyes caressing her happy face, making her squirm with desire. He had to be one of the most perfect men she had ever met. Maybe she should pinch herself to check she wasn’t dreaming.
“Thank you,” she said, lifting her hand to stroke his cheek, feeling the way his body responded to her. Then she leaned forward, and very lightly kissed his lower lip, waiting for his response. He froze.
“I thought you wanted me.” Her voice and her confidence wavered.
“I do, more than anything, but I don’t know if I can stop myself once I let myself respond. Think carefully, Willow, and if you want to go back to your room, I’ll take you.”
She shook her head. “No. I’ve made my decision. Before … well it sounded ridiculous that you would want me. But now, having seen you as a bear, and then tuning into a panther. I have to believe the other side of it. Don’t I?”
“I hope so,” he said with a groan, his hand threading through her hair and pulling her to him.
That first kiss scared her; it gave her a glimpse of the power of his love. He was a force, one that now lose, took control of her body. Turning her onto her back, he quickly unbuttoned her shirt, dragging it from her body. Then her bra parted company with her breasts, his hands so quick she couldn’t understand how he moved so fast.
“How?” she asked, as she grabbed his hand.
“Another one of our many gifts. But don’t worry; I’m going to go real slow now.”
She gasped as he sucked her nipple into his mouth, no build up, just wham, shockwaves through her body. Reacting to that, she wanted to curl up, to protect herself form the onslaught of his hands and mouth. So many sensations jumbling around in her head as his hands moved lower, stroking her between her thighs. Trying to think coherently, she kissed his neck, then used her hands to stroke his skin, feeling the warmth spreading through his body.
His mouth worked on her breasts until she was gasping for breath. His tongue rolled around the hard bud of her nipple, then, with it flat, he licked it like a popsicle. Fresh waves of need pressed on her senses; she wanted to be naked beneath him, with him deep inside her. Her sex grew wetter at that thought, while his fingers rubbed her clit, making her sex ache with its own need.
Trent moved his hand higher, his fingers deftly undoing her jeans. Sitting up, he then pulled them down over her thighs, Willow lifted her bottom off the bed to help him, feeling mortified when her panties went with her jeans, down her legs and over her feet, to leave her naked before him.
However, when he took this opportunity to remove h
is own clothes, she forgot all about her own embarrassment. Instead, she allowed her eyes to roam every inch of his well-muscled body. Tanned and toned, his muscles flexed as he moved, his hard chest exposed when he drew his shirt up over his head.
She had expected him to lie back down next to her, to touch her breasts once more and maybe make love to her. Instead, he slipped between her thighs, easing them open as he lowered his head to kiss her skin there. She tensed, knowing what he was about to do, and dreading it. He would look at her intimately. Taste her intimately. What if she was a freak down there too?
Yet as soon as his mouth came into contact with her heated flesh, she didn’t care. The only thing she cared about was that he didn’t stop. His fingers slipped inside her, while his tongue flicked over her clit. Probing deeper, he crooked his finger and made her sex contract around him and a sigh escape her lips.
In and out, he stroked her inner walls, her climax building while his tongue licked her clit and then his mouth sucked her. When she was so close to coming she could see stars, he pushed his tongue deep inside her sex, using his fingers on her clit instead. The change in sensation sent her crashing over the edge. His fingers didn’t let up on their torture of her swollen clit, while his tongue pushed in and out of her sex quickly, licking and suckling her outer lips until she thought she would pass out once more. Her head lolled from side to side, her hands fisting his hair as she cried out his name. She couldn’t believe he could make her feel like this. No wonder all of those women had practically been queuing up for him to make love to them.
And making love was the next thing on Trent Savage’s agenda.
Chapter Fifteen
Trent
Always a confident man, it was hard for him to accept the nervous feeling that came over him. He was about to make love to his true mate for the first time. His prowess in bed, was well renowned, it was why so many women wanted him to sleep with them. Yet faced with his true mate, his confidence had vanished. He felt as though he was fumbling around like a virgin. OK, he had made her come with his fingers and mouth, but what if she didn’t like it when he actually penetrated her. He might be too rough, or not rough enough. Had his foreplay prepared her for what was about to happen? Or would he shock and hurt her?
She lay beneath him, looking at him with trust, what if he betrayed that trust, or couldn’t please her. What if she didn’t climax? A wave of insecurity swept over him, and he felt, for the first time ever, his erection fade.
“Make love to me, Trent,” she said, her hand stroking his cock. Her touch was like an aphrodisiac; his cock immediately came back to life, begging to be inside her. But first, he let her stroke him, enthralled by the sensations of her small hand on his bare flesh. He closed his eyes, allowing the sensations to flood his senses.
Her touch, her scent, those little sighs in his ear. They were parts of her that he would treasure, little signs that she was uniquely his. In danger of coming before he entered her, he stilled her hand, guiding his cock towards her. The first touch of his skin against her outer lips made him pause. Damn he would have to fight for control. Easing forward again, he breached her outer lips, pushing deeper, feeling her slick heat around him, accommodating him.
“Ahhh,” he groaned as he pushed deeper, feeling her yield to him. Yet she was so tight around him, he could almost sense her stretching for him as he pushed inside her inch by inch. She gasped, and clutched him close to her, burying her face in the hollow of his collarbone. He had broken her, so easily, and yet she tensed around him. Slowly he moved back out of her, and then flexed his hips to plunge into her harder, wiping the pain away with pure pleasurable sensations, which made her gasp.
In and out, his hips moving in a slow steady rhythm. Once he felt her relax, he stroked her hair from her face, kissing her pale cheeks and then her red lips. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Here beneath him where she belonged, her black hair strewn across his pillow, while her green eyes sought his for comfort, for reassurance, he knew he was the luckiest man alive.
His hand stroked her breasts, his mouth found hers and with every part of him he worshiped her body, bringing her to an orgasm which left her trembling around him. She cried out, her voice in his ear while he moved deeper and deeper inside her, his cock erupting to send his seed deep into her womb. His need for a little bear cub almost overwhelming him. She was his, and she would be the mother of his children
Leveraging his body, he thrust into her, hard now as he let his bear free. His bear needed to take her in the most primal way, to jerk hard and deep into her, while her sex throbbed and pulsed around him. His bear wanted her to know who ruled her body, who it was that would accommodate her every desire, her every wish. And when her climax eventually subsided, leaving her breathless beneath him, he knew by the look in her eyes that he had finally made her understand that.
Chapter Sixteen
Willow
She woke up next to him. This time she didn’t try to move away from him, in fact she pressed her body closer to his. “Good morning,” she said, for once not scared of what the day might bring.
“Good morning to you.” He kissed her head and then sat up. “I hate to rush you, but the sun is shining I think we could make a run for it.”
“You mean leave here?” Her good mood disappeared. “And go where?”
“I have to get back to Bear Bluff,” he said, then saw her worried face. “It’s my home, so now it will be your home.”
“But we could just stay here for a couple more days,” she pleaded. She knew it was stupid, but this was the only place she had ever felt able to be herself. As he had said, even in Bear Bluff she would have to keep her panther a secret. What if she lost control again?
“I have a business to run.” He sat down on the bed and kissed her on the mouth, igniting her passion once more. “Look, I need to go and arrange another delivery for Tony. It worried me that they won’t be prepared, if this is just a small break in the storm.”
“I understand. It was kind of you to offer to let him pay you later.”
“They are good clients,” he said, retrieving his clothes.
“Don’t sell yourself short, it’s more than that.”
“OK, you‘ve got me, I have a soft heart for the Cougars. That has to stay between us though. If it got out, I would be bankrupt. Everyone would want credit.”
“Why special treatment for Cougar Ridge, but not your home town?”
“Because I like it here. I like that they are open about who they are. But it means that their economy suffers. Many of the other towns have tourists to bring in seasonal money. They have businesses that operate globally. But here, it’s a very close, tight community. Which means not so much money.”
“I see. Well, I never knew a bear could be quite the business man.”
“You would be surprised.”
“So does that mean you will hire me?” she asked.
“You don’t need a job, you are my woman.”
She burst out laughing. “Isn’t a woman allowed to have her own money and not be reliant completely on her husband?”
He stopped, his sweater half on and half off. “You’ll marry me then?”
“Oh,” she said, trying to back pedal. “I’m not trying to force myself on you. Perhaps you don’t get married when you’re … one of us?”
“Of course we do. It’s just I haven’t got you a ring. I never expected this.”
“That’s OK. I never expected you to carry one around in your pocket or something. But I would like that. I think.” She sat back and thought about it. Not sure where that had come from. “I think I need to know that when we have children, and I know we didn’t take precautions last night, that they won’t grow up without parents.”
“Of course they won’t. We will both be there for them.”
Tears pricked her eyes and she wiped them away. “One day do you think it would be possible to track mine down?”
> He came and sat next to her. “I will do what I can when we get back to bear Bluff to make enquiries as to where the panthers might be. I don’t know if they are scattered or if there is a panther town, but we’ll look, I promise you. And our kids will always know who they are and the gift they have.” He wiped her tears away and kissed her lips. I’m sorry, I’m rushing you. I you want we can stay a while, things won’t fall apart if I’m away for one more day.”
She smiled at him. “Thank you, Trent. I think I’m ready to leave now.” Perhaps it was time to face her fears; with Trent by her side, she could do anything. But she was going to insist on that job, or find something else to do.
“I will meet you out front. I have to talk to Tony and then check the truck before we go. Take your time.” He kissed her quickly and with only a brief backward glance, left her alone.
Willow flopped back down onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. Her life had completely changed in the space of a day. Instead of being lonely and friendless, she was going to go and live with, and probably soon marry, a man who could change into a bear. She giggled, her laughter erupting and taking over her as if she had hysterics.
Maybe she had died out there in the snow and she was living in a make believe world. But when she closed her eyes, she could feel the panther under her skin, wanting to run free. No, those feeling s were real. This was her life and for the first time since she had learned she was adopted she actually felt as though she was going to belong to someone and somewhere.
“Bear Bluff, here I come,” she said, as she jumped out of bed and headed for the shower.
Only twenty minutes later she was out in front of the bar, her pack filled with her belongings, ready to go back down the mountain. “You’re sure it’s safe?” she asked.
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