James didn’t say anything. He just continued cooking his beef stew. He cut some crusty French bread he’d had delivered that morning, and popped it in the oven with butter and garlic for fresh garlic toast. When everything was ready he dished it up and brought it to the breakfast nook. Matilda slid into the other side of the booth and dipped her spoon into the bowl as the sun began to set behind the thick forest.
“This is really good. You definitely can cook.”
“I can do a lot of things I no longer get to do, being alone on the mountain as I am.”
“Why do you stay here by yourself, James?” Matilda asked, taking another bite of stew.
“It’s a long story.”
“I don’t have anything better to do. And I’m not going to be working for you for very long so we won’t really have to worry about those boundaries or anything.”
“I’d rather not get into it.”
“That’s fine,” she said with a sigh, obviously bored and irritated.
“Why don’t I open a bottle of wine?”
James didn’t know how alcohol was going to help the situation, but it was his only idea. He slid out of the breakfast nook and went into the kitchen, where he grabbed a bottle of Cabernet from his wine rack and uncorked it. He grabbed wine glasses and walked back to the table where he poured wine for himself and for Matilda. She took the glass and sipped. He could see the enjoyment in her eyes at the flavor of the fine wine.
“This is good. A girl could get used to this kind of thing. I can’t believe I’m getting wined and dined by my boss. My friends on social media will never believe this.”
“No one needs to know about this,” he growled.
Matilda stopped mid-Tweet and stared at him. “Fine. Social media is overrated anyway.”
He knew he was losing ground with her by the minute. But at the same time, he shouldn’t be gaining any ground with her. The less she liked him the better. But he couldn’t bring himself to push her away.
Everything in him wanted to reach out to her, pull her to him, and envelop her in his arms. He wanted to feel her soft curvy body against his hard chest. He wanted to bury himself deep between her thighs. He wanted to sink his teeth into her creamy white flesh. The growls of his grizzly were so loud he could barely hear himself think.
“Is everything all right?” she asked.
“I am unused to having guests,” he said, trying to explain away his strange expression.
“You need to get out more, my friend,” she said, taking her last bite of stew.
She poured another glass of wine and stood from the table. “Well, thank you for dinner. I’ll clean this up in the morning if that’s okay. Right now, I think I’ll go back to my room.”
“What’s the hurry?” he asked, standing abruptly from the table.
“I didn’t think you wanted to hang out with me anymore.”
“Why don’t we watch a movie or something?” he said, mortified at how lame he sounded.
“Sure. Why not?”
James grabbed the bottle and his glass of wine and the two of them walked through the house, down the stairs and into the mansion’s massive basement theater room. He watched her face light up as he turned on the lights, revealing the rows of theater chairs and the big screen on the far wall.
“Is this where you usually watch TV? Seems a bit much for one person.”
“I hardly ever come in here, to be honest. But I thought you might like it.”
“It’s pretty awesome. What kind of movies do you have?”
“Basically, anything you want to see. I even have access to some theater only pre-release films.”
“No way. Do you have the new Galaxy Wars?”
“I think I do,” he said.
“I didn’t think I was going to get to see it until it came out on DVD, being on Fate Mountain.”
“That’s what you’d like to watch?”
“Absolutely,” she said, sinking into a chair in the front row.
James found a remote and flipped through the media channels until he found the new Galaxy Wars film. As the credits began to roll, he turned down the lights and sat beside her, his wine glass in hand. She laughed and smiled throughout the movie and James could not remember the last time he had enjoyed himself so much.
By the time the movie was over, they had finished the bottle of wine and Matilda was acting silly and warm toward him as they walked out the theater room. They bumped into each other as they squeezed through the door at the same time. Their bodies pressed against each other and the smell of her flesh filled his nose. His grizzly roared and the alcohol in him removed all sense of self control. Matilda looked up into his eyes, pretty lips parted.
Without a word, he grabbed her and pulled her to him. He was already hard as a rock, she gasped when she felt his erection press against her stomach. She didn’t pull away or flinch when he leaned in to claim her mouth. She moaned as his tongue slid between her lips and danced with her hot wet tongue.
“James,” she moaned. “Do you think we should be doing this?”
“Of course we should. You are my fated mate.”
Chapter 9
James’s words sent a hot thrill down Matilda’s spine. Suddenly everything made sense. Her attraction, and his insistence that she leave.
“Are you Bad Bear?”
“Yes,” was all he said before gathering her up in his arms and sweeping her off her feet.
He carried her through the mansion, up the stairs and into his bedroom. His sheets were thankfully clean, and when he laid her across them, they were soft as silk against her skin. She couldn’t believe this was happening. It was all like a dream. Was her mind playing tricks on her like it had with the candlestick dancing out of the corner of her eye, or the statues staring at her as she walked across the snowy ground?
The feeling of James’s hard erection was no illusion, though. She groaned and reached out to him, wanting to feel him closer, deeper. She had just gotten out of a bad relationship and didn’t think she was ready to get into another one, but the smell of James’s cologne and the bright glow in his eyes hypnotized her.
She wanted to be under his spell. She wanted to surrender to him. She wanted it more than she’d wanted just about anything else in her life. In that very moment, her desire for James was greater than anything she’d ever felt. It was so stunning for a second that she squeezed her eyes closed and threw back her head.
James kissed her deeply as he began to pull off her clothes. He wasn’t holding back. He wasn’t taking his time. All she could do was hold on for the ride. She wanted this. She didn’t regret it, and she didn’t want to say no.
She barely knew him, but after cleaning for him for two days, she had quickly learned some intimate details of his life. She had seen into the depths of his isolation. There was something mysterious behind James’s dark expression. She wanted to solve the mystery. She wanted to delve deeper and uncover the darkest corners of his mind. The undeniable attraction she had felt for him at the first instant they’d met had been growing ever since.
James slowly pulled off her maid uniform and kissed her revealed flesh with heated fervor, and Matilda felt as if everything was finally falling into place in her life. Sure, it was totally irrational, but nothing was ever truly rational. She’d given herself to Tim, and that been a childish crush on a bad boy. Now she’d discovered she was the fated mate of the baddest bear billionaire on Fate Mountain.
Whatever happened tomorrow, she knew that right now, she wanted to be in James’s arms.
He slid down to her lacy red panties and unfastened her bra. He stood above her in his black clothes, his erection tenting the fine fabric of his pants. She bit her lip and reached up to grasp it. He threaded his fingers through her hair and held the back of her head. Matilda gripped James’s pants and began to slowly push them down over his thighs, taking his underwear with them. His cock popped out of his clothing, almost knocking her in the face. Her mouth started to water
at the sight of it. Long and thick, throbbing for her. She leaned forward and slid her tongue over the small slit in the head of his cock, lapping up the tiny beads of precum that gathered there.
James growled and pulled her closer. Her mouth dropped open, and she sucked down the head of his cock. The smell of him filled her nose and the taste of his body drove her insane. Her mouth filled with saliva as she took him deeper. He slid down her throat. He growled above her, slowly pulling back and thrusting forward, deeper and deeper into her mouth.
She gushed moisture between her legs, wanting to take him so badly she thought she would lose her mind if she had to wait another second. James pulled out of her mouth and she finally got a full breath of air, the lack of oxygen only making her more excited.
He pushed her down on the bed and without a word, he dove into her pussy. He slid his tongue all the way up her slit, focusing on the tight little bud of her clit. Her nipples were as hard as divots and pointed toward the ceiling.
He twisted his tongue around and around, pushing her closer to the brink with every motion. She gasped and arched her back, feeling the sensation of orgasm growing deep in her core. She knew she was going to come at any second. She wanted him inside her so badly, just the thought of it made the orgasm grow closer.
James slid his tongue down to her opening and pushed into her. All at once she came, screaming. James held fast to her thighs, holding her in place as he continued to dip his tongue in and out of her pussy.
As her body clenched and the pleasure radiated from her core into her painfully hard nipples, James climbed over her and pushed his tongue into her mouth. She could taste the flavor of her pussy on his lips and feel his cock slide over her slick slit.
The head of his shaft pressed against her opening and slowly pushed inside. Matilda groaned as he slid into her, stretching her body around his thickness. Every centimeter sent a thrill of pleasure through her body that expanded her mind until she felt like her entire consciousness might burst open.
With a growl, he thrust hard and sank balls-deep inside her. He wrapped her in his arms and held her tight as he rested against her, buried in her softness.
Slowly, James began to pull back, the ridges of his cock sending thrills through her body. When he was almost all the way out, he thrust hard again, pushing her back slightly on the bed. Matilda groaned and clung to him, wrapping her arms tightly around his hard-muscled body.
“Oh God James, I’m going to come again.”
“Good girl. Come for me, baby. I want to feel your sweet cunt grip my cock.”
His words drove her crazy and her eyes rolled back in her head as he thrust harder and harder into her soft, wet core. Her orgasm finally burst through, gripping her pussy so hard it was almost painful when the pleasure began to radiate through her. James held her tight, the pleasure almost unbearable.
“I am going to claim you, my little mate,” he growled.
“Yes,” she breathed, not caring about the consequences.
All she cared about was what was happening between her and James, right here and now. From the very moment they’d met, she had known there was something between them, something she couldn’t place. Now she knew what it was.
They were meant to be together. And although Matilda had never believed in love at first sight before, she definitely believed in it now. As the orgasms rolled through her body, she knew she was falling deeply in love.
James pressed his teeth against the soft flesh of her neck, his thrusts growing more deliberate and forceful. She gasped and began to cry out as the tips of his teeth broke her skin. He bit down so hard, it cut off the sound of her voice, leaving only a muffled gasp.
The pain and pleasure of his bite sent her into another spiral of orgasm. She felt him growing thicker and harder inside her. In that moment, with his teeth buried in her neck and his cock deep inside her pussy, she could feel the bond between them tightening. It came into clear focus and suddenly her entire life up until now made sense.
She could feel him, all that was James Hill, inside her. It was as if there was a place for him there that she had never known about before. It filled the void of loneliness she’d felt for so long.
With three more quick thrusts, James burst inside her, the hot jets of his cum pumping against her cervix. It made her orgasm fire off again and her entire body quivered with the knowledge of her mate. He was truly inside her now, and she was truly inside him.
It had all been so unexpected, but as he released her neck from the clamp of his jaws, Matilda didn’t regret a thing. On the contrary, all she wanted was more, more, more. James slid from inside her and they held each other tight on the bed as the moon peeked out from behind the clouds out his window. The moonlight glowed down on the grounds below, illuminating the strange lifelike statues that populated the garden. There was so much mystery in this place and in this man who she now held in her arms. If she could, she would spend the rest of her life trying to solve it.
“Are you all right?” he asked, holding her close as he pulled the covers up over them.
“That was unexpected,” she said breathlessly.
“It was for me as well. Do you regret it?”
“How can I regret being your mate?”
“I can feel you so close to me now, Matilda. But I sincerely cannot believe I’ve brought you into my life. For that, I must apologize.”
Matilda pushed up on her elbow and stared at James deeply in the eye.
“Why would you say that, James? I am your mate.”
“There is much you don’t know about me, my dear.”
“Whatever it is, I could never regret what we just did. I had no idea that you were Bad Bear from Mate.com. Ever since we met, I’ve been undeniably attracted to you and had no idea why. It all makes sense now.”
“I tried desperately to keep you away, but it didn’t work. They say fate works in mysterious ways. I guess that’s true. But I wish I could’ve protected you from this.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You know, like most male shifters my age, I served in the Great War.”
“Yes. Why?”
“I’ve seen many things. Many disturbing things. They left my bear broken, and when I returned to my company after the war, I wasn’t able to hack it. My bear was too wild, too crazed. I had to sell the company and move to Fate Mountain. Ever since, I have been slowly descending into madness.”
“Madness? What do you mean? You seem perfectly normal to me. A tad messy, but ultimately normal.”
“The solitude has not been good for my PTSD. I told you the mansion can play tricks on the eyes. I have been living here for several years now alone and I fear my mind is gone.”
“I don’t understand, James. I’ve seen the same weird things. There must be an explanation. You know, when I was a kid, everyone said this place was haunted. Did you know that before you bought it?”
“I did. But I don’t believe in that kind of thing.”
“Maybe you should. Maybe there’s something to the whole haunting thing.”
“Insanity is the only rational explanation.”
“Maybe they’re robots,” she said, feeling as if she’d had an epiphany.
“I don’t think they’re robots. Most of the trinkets here are antiques,” he said, kissing her forehead.
“It has to be something,” she said, tapping her chin with her forefinger, her curiosity piqued.
“Whatever it is, let’s figure it out in the morning. For now, I want to spend the night in a warm bed with my mate on the first day of our claiming.”
“Mmm. That sounds nice. I want exactly the same thing.”
Chapter 10
James and Matilda woke the next morning to the warm yellow sunlight streaming through the windows of his bedroom suite. It flowed over the stuffed leather couches, Oriental rug, and onto the king-sized bed covered in fluffy black blankets. James pushed the comforter aside and swung his legs over the bed, resting his feet on t
he floor. The shaggy white rug was warm and soft against his toes as he stood and stretched.
Matilda sat up and yawned. He turned to look at her and enjoyed the smile curling on her lips. She gazed up into his eyes, the bedsheet resting over her bare breasts while her green eyes gleamed in the morning sunlight.
“I’m going to cook you breakfast,” he said.
He could feel the mate bond between them flowing and circulating like cords of energy that would connect them together for eternity. Now that he had finally found her and claimed her, he knew the true meaning of what it was to be a man. With his complement, Matilda, he knew he could accomplish anything. Maybe he could even figure out what was going on in his own home.
“The kitchen is still clean,” she said with a laugh.
They pulled on matching red plaid flannel robes and fur lined slippers and made their way down to the kitchen. The coffee pot had already brewed the morning coffee and James poured them both big cups of rich brew. Matilda liked hers with cream and sugar and he liked his black.
While she sat at the counter and sipped her coffee, James pulled the necessary ingredients out of the refrigerator to make Matilda his signature breakfast.
This morning he was inspired. He planned on a full spread. Eggs, bacon, waffles from scratch, fresh squeezed orange juice, and fresh fruit. As he put the ingredients on the counter, Matilda’s eyes grew wide.
“I’m good at cooking, but I never said anything about being good at cleaning,” he said.
“That’s for sure.”
He could feel the burning of her eyes on him as he started to crack the eggs into a bowl.
“I suppose I could learn to clean now that I have a mate,” he said.
“Look at you, James, you’re growing as a person,” Matilda teased.
For the first time in his life, James felt truly connected to another human being. The human part of him longed for that bond as much as the bear inside him craved it. With his newly claimed mate sitting in the kitchen looking up at him with her beautiful round face and doe eyes, James sliced open a melon and reached across the counter to slide it into Matilda’s waiting mouth.
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