He wanted to be closer to her, as close as he could possibly get. He took a deep breath and it came out in a low, rumbling growl.
He wanted her so bad he couldn’t stand it a second longer. He felt himself harden against her and she looked up at him with wide eyes. Her lips parted, her expression questioning.
“How about another beer?” he said as the song ended.
She nodded at him and smiled as they slid back into their barstools. Knox poured them another pint of beer and he watched her take a long sip as if trying to drown her feelings through intoxication. He knew exactly what she was going through. He felt the same way.
The overwhelming need to be with her and the constant scraping and growling inside his mind were almost too much to bear. He needed to do something to relieve the pressure, but the only thing he could think of was taking her home and making love to her at the soonest possible opportunity.
Drew walked back down the bar and asked if they wanted a refill of their empty pitcher. Knox tipped his head in agreement, remembering the warning story that everyone in the clan told about Drew and his mate, Quinn.
Drew had marked Quinn on their first night together. And then she ran away the very next morning. There was no way that Knox wanted to have a repeat of Drew’s mistakes.
But he couldn’t help the intense need to sink inside his mate and feel her warmth envelop him. Harper finished her pint and poured herself another when Drew brought their second pitcher and set it in front of them on the bar.
Knox followed suit and they continued drinking as they listened to the music and talked loudly over the raucous volume inside the brewery.
By the time they had finished the second pitcher of beer, even Knox, as big as he was, was feeling awfully buzzed. Harper giggled and hopped off the barstool, taking his hand and tugging him away from the bar.
“Put it on my tab,” Knox said to Drew in a garbled tone as Harper pulled him toward the exit.
Once they were outside, he turned to her and saw her smiling face in the dim glow of the lights above the parking lot.
“What is it, babe? Why did you bring me out here?”
She didn’t say anything, she just pulled him closer and reached up on her tiptoes as she swung her arms around his neck. Before he knew it, they were kissing passionately, their tongues dancing, their bodies smashed together.
Knox picked her up off the ground and held her little body in mid-air as he kissed her and held her in his arms.
“I’m taking you home,” he growled in her ear.
She responded in a low moan of agreement. He set her back down on her feet and took her hand in his. She giggled as he led her down the sidewalk. Their feet crunched on the snow as they walked over a snow bank. The Christmas lights that were strung between the lamp posts illuminated the darkness.
Knox led Harper through the streets of the Fate Mountain Village toward his home. Their breaths puffed out in front of them as they walked in the night. The chill air braced his skin, but soon they were standing on his porch. He fumbled with his keys and pushed the wrong one into the lock, trying to open the door but failing.
Finally, he found the correct key and turned the knob. They were inside the front room of his house, enveloped in warm air and in each other’s arms before he knew it.
He picked her up and carried her to his bedroom. A single lamp illuminated the darkness as he placed her on his king-sized bed. Her petite form was laid out before him and his cock went rigid with need.
The grizzly inside him took over in a moment and his rational human mind no longer had absolute control. He pulled off his shirt and kicked out of his boots before removing her clothing. She was in her bra and panties in no time.
Her brown skin glowed under the orange light of his lamp and she looked so cute and feminine in her pink lacy bra and panties. He slipped out of his boxers and crawled over her.
He could see her trembling and feel the energy vibrating off of her as he crawled over her on the bed. He held his large body above her and whispered into her ear.
“I need to be inside you,” he growled
“I need that, too,” she whispered.
He kissed her neck and lapped up the sweet taste of her skin as he lowered himself inch by inch down the length of her body. His tongue lapped over her dark nipples and he nibbled on the sensitive flesh.
Harper took a sharp intake of breath through her teeth as he nipped at her peaked buds. She groaned and he continued his descent, gripping her hips and spreading her legs.
He took a deep draw of the scent of her sex. Nothing he had ever smelled in his entire existence was as sweet as the smell of her arousal. He dove into her, licking up her wetness. He wanted to drink it in. He wanted to taste every last drop.
She arched her back and groaned, gripping his hair. Knox focused his tongue on the tight swollen bud of her clit, wanting to feel her erupt with pleasure. He slipped his tongue inside her pussy, pushing in and out, the way he wanted to fuck her. Then he slid his tongue upward and twirled it over her clit.
Harper groaned loudly above him and her entire body went rigid as her pussy contracted under his tongue. She gushed moisture and he drank it up, relishing the taste.
In a split second he was kissing her face and slipping between her legs. His cock was so rigid it hurt. The feel of her wet pussy sliding under him was like heaven.
“Yes,” Harper groaned, gripping his ass with her tiny hands.
He angled backward and pushed inside her. Her tiny frame gave him no resistance and he sank deeper until he was buried inside her. A flood of pleasure washed over him, and he could barely contain himself.
He was still for several seconds as they held each other, looking into each other’s eyes. Harper’s lips were parted and her expression was that of wonder. Her body quivered below him and every instinct in him yearned to claim her. His teeth extended in his mouth, but the many warnings he had heard about Drew in the past came to the forefront of his mind, even through the growling of his grizzly.
He pulled back his hips and began to piston forward, over and over again, sinking his rigid cock inside her sweet core. Harper groaned below him, her soft curves delicate and supple to his touch. The building desire inside him mounted with the rest of it. The velvety feeling of her pussy around his cock drove him wild. Her orgasm clenched around him and he felt himself coming closer to release.
“Harper,” he growled above her, the pleasure of her body taking him beyond reason. “I need you. I love you.”
And with those words whispered into her soft neck, he released his seed deep into the hot core of her sex. As they clung to each other, their bodies throbbing and sweaty, limbs tangled, heart pounding, a slow realization began to manifest in his brain.
He slowly pulled away, the wet heat of his seed dripping between her legs. He rolled over on his back and pulled her into his chest. He had resisted claiming her, but he had not resisted coming inside her without protection. Soon they were both breathing deeply and evenly as the last remnants of awareness faded into black.
When he awoke the next morning, the full measure of his mistake came into stark relief. He sat up in bed and looked down at Harper’s sleeping form. Her petite curvy body was tangled in his bedspread. Her long black hair was spilled over her face. He sat up and flung his legs over the side of the bed, rubbing his face. What had he done? He was a grown man. A police officer. A military veteran. How does a man like him get drunk and make a mistake like the one he made last night?
But he knew, at the back of his mind, that resisting the force of his instinct was nearly impossible. He had avoided claiming her last night but he had released his seed inside her. He would be there for her, no matter what happened. He only prayed that she wouldn’t run away.
Chapter 6
Harper awoke with a start and realized where she was. She was naked in Knox’s bed. How had she gotten here? The memory of the night before slowly trickled in, bit by bit, until the full realization o
f the previous night hit her like a ton of bricks. They’d made love without protection. He had come inside her and she could still feel his seed between her legs. She jumped out of bed, confused and disoriented. Knox wasn’t in the room, but she could smell the scent of coffee and bacon through the open bedroom door.
She was naked and sticky from sex. She grabbed a bathrobe from the back of the bathroom door and wrapped it around her body. She looked at herself in the mirror, wondering how she had made such a blunder. Harper Brown was not the kind of woman who went around having unprotected sex with strangers on a second date.
But Knox wasn’t just any stranger. He was her fated mate and she was having the kinds of feelings that only a mate could have. Indeed, the animal inside her had come to the forefront the night before and taken over. She had allowed herself to experience her primal lust and now she had to live with the consequences.
Slowly, she crept out of Knox’s bedroom and walked down the hall and around the corner into the kitchen. It was bright and airy with pale yellow paint and pine wood cabinets. There were dark gray countertops and a bowl of oranges on the kitchen table in the corner, next to the window. Knox stood in front of the stove, frying bacon and scrambling eggs. He turned to her and smiled, wearing only his boxer shorts. She had to admire the slope of his strong muscled back and his developed broad shoulders.
“You’re awake,” he said cheerily, but his tone belied the look of worry in his eyes. “How did you sleep?”
“I slept well enough, considering I was blasted last night.”
She groaned and found the coffee pot on the counter across from where Knox stood in front of the stove.
“The cups are in the cabinet above you,” he said, flipping over the eggs with a spatula in the pan.
She grabbed the mug from the cabinet and poured herself a cup of coffee and prepared it with cream and sugar before sitting at the kitchen table.
“We were both pretty drunk last night,” he said, scooping food onto two plates.
He carried the plate across the room and sat one in front of her and the other on the opposite side of the table for himself. He sat down across from her, his bare chest delicious in the pale morning sunlight that streamed through the window. Harper could see fresh snow had fallen in the back yard.
“I don’t remember the last time I was that wasted,” she giggled. “How could you let me drink so much?”
“I think we both got a little carried away. Finding your fated mate can be disorienting and confusing. I know it is for me. I can’t imagine how you must feel.”
“Confused isn’t even the half of it,” she said, picking up a slice of crispy bacon.
She shoved it in her mouth and chewed, the delicious flavor lapping over her tongue. She washed it down with sweet, creamy coffee and forked up a bite of cheese-covered eggs.
“We had a bit of an accident last night. And I want to make sure that I apologize for it before we move forward,” he said earnestly.
“What do you want to do?” she asked in a soft voice, stabbing at her eggs.
“I want to mark you and marry you and have a family with you. But I know this is all too fast for a human.”
“I don’t know if I can agree to marry you just yet,” she said, giggling nervously.
“We’ll just wait and see what happens then,” he said, shoving a whole strip of bacon in his mouth.
Harper looked up at the wall clock and realized that she only had an hour to make it to work. The bank opened late on Saturdays, but she still had to get there on time. She’d only been working there for a couple of days and didn’t want to risk getting on Mr. Black’s bad side. The guy seemed like he already had enough problems in his life. She jumped from her chair with a start.
“I’ve got to get going. I have to be at work in an hour.”
“I’ll walk you back to your car,” he said.
They quickly got dressed, their backs to each other with a kind of modesty that belied the intimacy they’d shared the night before. When they were both dressed, they went out the front door of Knox’s house. Harper got a good look at the place for the first time. It was a one-story modern ranch-style home on a quiet street lined with trees. There was snow piled on the front lawn and roof, giving it a quaint, homey appeal.
They quickly walked down the sidewalk, crunching over the ice and snow until they turned the corner and made it onto Main Street. Harper’s car was still parked in front of the bank and she quickly jumped inside. Knox stood beside her open door and leaned down to kiss her cheek affectionately.
“When can I see you again?” he asked.
She didn’t know how to answer the question. She liked him. She liked him a lot. But what had happened last night scared her. Even though she didn’t want to do anything to change whatever biological actions were taking place inside her now, she didn’t know if she could commit to someone she just met.
She had a home and a job and she knew how to take care of herself. Maybe if she did end up conceiving Knox’s child, it would be the best thing that ever happened to her. She needed someone to love and take care of. After her grandfather’s death, she’d lost what little connection she felt to family. A child could give her that. She just didn’t know if she could commit to a man she barely knew.
“I’ll text you after work and we can figure something out,” she said before closing the door and turning on the engine.
He backed away as a car came down the street behind him and she watched him in her rearview mirror as she pulled out into the street. How had she gotten herself into this situation?
She let out a deep sigh as she drove down the road toward her cabin. Her last boyfriend had been cheating and now she was matched up with a shapeshifter who was committed to her the moment they met. She just didn’t know how to reconcile those things inside her mind.
When she made it back to the cabin, she quickly showered, dressed and did her hair and makeup. On her way back out the door, she heard her phone ping and she looked at the message on the screen.
“I meant what I said last night.” It was a text from Knox.
She got behind the wheel of her car and tried to remember what he’d said. Then she suddenly remembered. In the heat of passion, he’d told her that he loved her.
She had been coming so hard, she hadn’t been able to reply. In that moment, she’d felt it, too. She’d returned his love to the same degree.
In the cold light of day, she couldn’t possibly still believe that they loved each other. It simply wasn’t the human way. She needed to get to know him better as a man. She couldn’t commit herself to someone she’d just met after leaving a long-term relationship and settling in a completely new town. It simply wasn’t rational.
She drove into town and parked in front of the bank, preparing herself for a day of work. On her way past the police station, she noticed a bunch of people with picket signs, protesting the Bear Patrol. Her mouth dropped open, not understanding what was going on.
She had a few minutes before the bank opened so she stopped at the bakery for a cup of coffee and a scone.
When she walked inside, she found the bright-eyed baker standing behind the counter.
“You’re the new girl at the bank, aren’t you?” the baker asked.
“How did you know?” Harper asked
“I’m Maisie, by the way. This is a small town. Word travels fast. Speaking of which, I hear that you are dating Deputy Knox.”
“How did you know that?”
“Lily told me. We’re both mates of shifters from the Fate Mountain bear clan. In fact, Lily and I have both been turned. So we know things.”
“I see.”
“Has he claimed you yet?” Maisie asked.
“Claimed me?”
“It’s what shifters do to solidify the bond between mates. Believe me, if he’d done it, you’d know.”
“How does it work?”
“Well, usually it happens during mating. He sinks his teeth into your neck
and gives you the claiming bite. I take it he hasn’t done that yet. Have you guys…you know?”
“I’d really rather not talk about it right now. Can I get a coffee and a scone?”
“Of course! I’m sorry for being a busybody. This town is so small it can get boring sometimes. I lived in Paris for years so Fate Mountain is a little bit of a change of pace for me.”
Maisie busied herself with pouring Harper’s coffee and grabbing her a scone from the case beside the counter. She handed everything to Harper.
“It’s on the house, sweetheart,” Maisie said. “I have a feeling you’re going to be one of us.”
“Thanks,” Harper said meekly. “Have you seen what’s going on at the police station this morning?”
“What? I’ve been here since way early this morning.”
“There are a bunch of protesters outside with picket signs that say the Bear Patrol is unfair to humans.”
“Oh my God! The clans have been working overtime to appease the angry humans of this town. I thought we’d gotten somewhere.”
“I don’t know,” Harper said with a shrug. “I’ve got to get to work now. Thanks for the coffee and scone.”
She didn’t know what else to say. She didn’t even know what to think. She turned away and pushed through the glass door of the bakery and stepped out onto the sidewalk. The steam of her coffee rose in the crisp winter air. She shook her head as she walked down the sidewalk, taking a sip of hot coffee. She pushed through the door of the bank and walked inside, expecting to see Mr. Black at his desk or one of the other tellers at the windows. But no one was there. That was strange. But she shrugged it off and walked around the counter and into the break room to hang up her jacket and purse.
When she walked into the breakroom, what she saw there horrified her so deeply that she dropped her coffee and scone on the floor. She screamed and took a step back, trying to rationalize what was happening. But nothing could explain the sight she saw before her.
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