“You’re so gorgeous,” Talia said quietly, unable to take her eyes away from Alec’s carved muscles. He was a perfect specimen from head to toe. Talia loved the ‘V’ shape above his pelvis, loved every inch of his golden skin. She couldn’t bring herself to look at the immense bulge between his legs; when she tried, she blushed hard.
Alec grinned. “See something you like?”
Talia licked her lips. “You,” she said in a soft, husky voice. “Come here.”
Alec crawled on the bed and nuzzled Talia’s neck, sending shivers of pleasure down her spine. A warm coil of arousal was building in her belly and she shuddered as the stubble from Alec’s chin caressed her tender neck. She could feel her heart thudding in her chest and she closed her eyes as Alec’s warm lips and tongue trailed down her collarbone. When he slid his fingers under her shirt, she gasped with pleasure. Alec reached into Talia’s bra, stroking and pinching her nipples until they were rock hard in his hands. She threw her head back and moaned softly, arching her back and pushing her breasts into Alec’s fingers. As he rubbed and stroked her nipples, shockwaves of pleasure radiated through her body. Impatiently, Talia reached down for the hem of her shirt and tugged it over her head. She snapped the clasp of her bra behind her back and dropped it on the ground, grinning shyly at Alec.
“You’re the beautiful one,” Alec said in a husky voice. He lowered his head to her breasts and gently began to suck. When Talia felt his teeth rake over one of her nipples, she thought she was in heaven. Talia cried out and reached down, guiding one of Alec’s hands between her legs. He rubbed at her crotch through her pants until she thought she would explode with the lust she felt for him. Alec undid the snap of her jeans and Talia lifted her hips off the bed. When she was clad only in panties, she looked up at Alec.
“I haven’t done this in a long time,” she said softly. “I…I might not be very good.”
Alec crawled on top of her and gave her a deep, reassuring kiss. “You’re wonderful,” he said in a deep growl. “I want you so much.”
A sharp pang of desire shot through Talia and she closed her eyes and relaxed as Alec’s warm mouth trailed down her belly. When she felt his lips above the hem of her panties, she tensed. Alec’s fingers stroked Talia’s inner thighs until she was practically moaning with pleasure. The tension was building inside of her and she knew that she had to find a release. As Alec kissed her softly through the soaked crotch of her underwear, Talia yelped and writhed on the bed. He slipped a finger inside of her and gently wriggled it around. Talia felt sweat break out on her forehead.
“I need you,” Talia whispered hoarsely. Alec ripped off her panties with surprising strength, tossing the ruined material on the ground. He crawled between her legs and she could feel the tip of his hard cock poking at her wetness. Talia shuddered and spread her legs as wide as she could. She could feel how soaked, how aroused she was for Alec. She wanted him desperately, she wanted him inside of her, she wanted him to fill her completely.
“And I need you,” Alec replied in a low, husky voice. Talia shivered and wrapped her arms around his neck, spreading her legs and pressing her body against his. As Alec entered her, she felt a tight explosion of pleasure go off in her belly. His pubic bone pressed against her clit with every thrust and she moaned loudly, screwing her eyes closed and burying her face in his neck. As Alec ramped up the speed of his thrusts, Talia wrapped her legs around his waist and began to move against him. They moved together, as one, in the same rhythm. Talia could feel Alec’s back was slick with sweat. He was grunting and growling and thrilling every inch of her body. When she felt her orgasm come, it was almost unexpected: sharp and quick and like rolling waves of desire through her lower belly. Talia threw her head back and cried out as Alec moved on top of her. Alec groaned. His hands found Talia’s and he laced his fingers with hers, squeezing hard. Talia shuddered and arched her back as Alec slammed his hips against hers, penetrating her deliciously over and over again. Even though she was spent, she loved the way her muscles were gripping his hard cock, milking him of his pleasure. She felt his body tense, then shudder and explode with the force of his own orgasm. Alec let out a bellowing groan into the pillows, then slowly pulled out of Talia and rolled over on his back. He pulled her close and nuzzled into her damp hair. They lay like that for another minute, curled up and exhausted. Talia could feel her heart slamming against her ribs, pounding harder than ever. She wiped her brow and closed her eyes, resting her chin against Alec’s strong chest.
“That was incredible,” Alec said dreamily. “I love you.”
Talia sat up sharply. “I know you’re James’s real father,” she said softly. “I’ve known since I saw you playing together.”
Alec nodded. “I know, too.” He looked away for a moment. When his golden eyes met Talia’s, she was shocked at the depth of emotion reflected there. “I love you, Talia.”
“I love you, too,” she said softly. Alec hugged her close and pulled the sheet over her body. He was freakishly warm, just like James. Talia closed her eyes and relaxed in his arms.
“Talia?”
Talia opened her eyes. “Yes?”
“Will you think about my offer again?”
Talia narrowed her eyes. “What offer?”
Alec laughed quietly. “The offer I made you, about the reserve,” he said slowly. “For you and James to come live with me.” He paused, biting down on his lower lip. “I promise I’d be a great father to James.” Alec’s voice was thick with emotion. “I’d teach him how to be a real bear, and a gentleman, too.”
Talia was overwhelmed with emotion. She couldn’t believe it, she wanted to pinch herself just to make sure that she wasn’t dreaming. She couldn’t ever remember feeling like this, not in her entire life.
“Yes,” Talia said in a shaky voice.
Alec looked at her and raised his eyebrows. “Really?”
Talia nodded, growing more sure by the second. “Yes,” she repeated. “I will. I mean, we will.” Tears came to her eyes and she wiped them away hastily. “I’m so happy,” she said softly.
Alec pulled her close and hugged her tightly in his muscular arms. Talia could feel the love pouring out of his body and she kissed his chest.
“I’m happy, too,” Alec said as he kissed the top of Talia’s head. “I finally found my family.”
Talia wriggled happily in his arms. “And I’ve found mine,” she replied.
Alec
Secret Baby Bears II
by
Becca Fanning
Prologue
Alec and the others exchanged glances. The question had stunned them. Donating sperm to Dodson University had been a controversial decision. At first, some of the men hadn’t wanted to do it. “Yeah,” Rock said. “We remember. Why?”
“I’m sorry to inform you gentlemen that there was a problem,” Partridge said. “There was a mistake. Your sperm was supposed to be designated for research only. Unfortunately, a lab tech made a slight mix-up, and your sperm was given out to five different women. All of them became pregnant.” He glanced around the room, looking almost nervous. “And all of you sired a child.”
“What?” Rock blinked. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Partridge shook his head. “Oh, no,” he said. “Speculon Labs called me specifically to address this issue. We have,” he paused and coughed. “An understanding.”
“So you’re telling me that I’m a dad?” Rock’s mouth fell open and he gaped around the room. “Seriously?”
Partridge nodded. “Correct,” he said. “You’re a father.”
Rock blinked. “Holy shit,” he said. “I can’t believe it.”
Partridge nodded again. “I wouldn’t lie to you,” he said smoothly.
Chapter One
Gemma Duval paused and took a moment to wipe the loose strands of hair away from her wide forehead. She took a deep breath and looked in the mirror. Despite feeling more panicked than ever before, she still looked the same as she al
ways had: heart-shaped face, dark brown hair streaked with blonde, soft grey eyes.
“Mom!” Arthur shrieked in his high chair. When Gemma looked at him, he grinned. “Party!”
“That’s right,” Gemma cooed. “Today’s your birthday, honey!”
Arthur waved his stubby arms in the air and grinned. He was clutching a spoon in his fist that was covered with globs of peanut butter and as he moved around, flecks of the peanut butter leapt skyward and plastered themselves all over the ceiling. Gemma rolled her eyes; she’d known ahead of time that single parenting would be a lot of work, but this was seeming like a lot, even for her usually-well-behaved Arthur.
“Honey, eat your breakfast,” Gemma said in a soft voice. She stepped closer to the high chair and took a critical look at her son. Even though he was only two, he looked much older – three or four at least. His thick brown hair was of a different texture than Gemma’s. It was rougher, curly, and wild. His golden eyes always reflected the light – even in a dark room – and she noticed that Arthur always seemed a little too aware of what was going on for a toddler. She told herself that he was just gifted, as soon as he was in school, they’d figure it out properly. But there were still some nights where Gemma felt restless, worrying about what exactly made her son different from the rest.
Parenthood was something Gemma had always wanted. Ever since she was little. When her girlfriends used to dress up for Halloween as witches and gypsies, Gemma always wanted to be a mother. Her own mother thought this was adorable, and would turn Gemma into a frumpy little hausfrau with plastic curlers and smeared lipstick, carrying a baby doll or three.
The urge hadn’t passed as Gemma had aged. In high school, she’d felt like the ugly duckling for far too long. In reality, Gemma was lovely: but her soft features and striking grey eyes weren’t appealing to boys of the same age. She watched miserably as all of her friends found dates and boyfriends, and desperately wanted the same for herself.
“Everything will be different in college,” Gemma’s sister Talia had told her, with a knowing look on her sharp face. Talia was three years older than Gemma, although it seemed to Gemma that Talia had a lifetime of experience. Talia was always the ‘cool’ sister, the first one to travel overseas, the one to get married before Gemma had ever had her first boyfriend. Gemma had desperately wanted to believe her: after all, wasn’t college where everyone was supposed to fall in love for the first time?
But it hadn’t happened in college, either. Gemma had studied archaeology and art history and despite her best efforts, the relationship with her male peers never went beyond study buddy. There was one night where Gemma dressed up to the nines and went to a bar for New Year’s Eve, desperate to find a guy who’d love her. But everyone was already paired off, and the only thing Gemma kissed at midnight was the lip of a shot glass.
She was miserable, but she decided that it probably wasn’t happening because she was trying too hard. “Everything will be better once you quit looking so desperate,” Talia said, in all of her infinite, divorced-lady wisdom. “I promise.”
So Gemma quit looking. Instead of haunting bars and coffee shops, she haunted the library and graduated Magna Cum Laude. Her professors, her parents, even Talia said they were all so proud of Gemma. But she still felt like a failure. “What’s wrong with me?” Gemma asked the mirror, every single night before she went to sleep. “Why isn’t it happening for me, like with everyone else?”
She’d decided that if she hadn’t met someone by the age of thirty, she’d go to a sperm bank and “pick a father.” The idea was scary, and something that Talia tried to talk her out of. But her mother had been supportive. She’d driven Gemma to the clinic in the wee hours of her 30th birthday.
“Honey, this is going to be hard,” Gemma’s mother said. “You won’t have time for anyone but your child, not for years. Do you know how hard that is when you’re on your own?”
Gemma had stared at her mother. In a rare moment of bad temper, she’d snapped: “But I’m already doing everything on my own, aren’t I? How much harder can it be?”
In reality, it hadn’t been as hard as Gemma had feared. She’d adored being pregnant – schlepping around in cute maternity outfits and beaming at everyone who gazed at her belly. She’d felt like it suited her. For the first time in her life, she’d felt like she’d done something exactly right. Her friends at work offered pregnancy advice – books and DVDs and useful tidbits like, “you’re not really eating for two, you know. Try to keep your calorie intake close to normal.” Gemma took it all in stride, and for the first couple of months, nothing really extraordinary happened. Her lips swelled and her hair curled a little bit, and while she felt more attractive, that was no basis for what happened next.
Men couldn’t stay away from her. It was like the world had flipped upside down, or the poles had lost their polarity. Gemma didn’t get it; she was pregnant. Didn’t that mean to men that she was marked, somehow? Off limits? It was puzzling.
There was the time at the grocery store when Gemma was just beginning to show. She was reaching up high to the top shelf for a deluxe pack of her favorite cookies. Out of nowhere, a handsome guy with dark hair swooped in and grabbed them for her, delicately placing them in her cart.
“These are for you,” he’d said with a grin. “I know you were reaching for them.”
Gemma had blushed and stuttered and put a hand on her belly, gazing down shyly at the dirty tiled floor. “Thanks,” she’d murmured. “But I could have gotten them.”
“Can I take you out?” The man had pressed. His blue eyes stared into hers and Gemma felt a world of feeling that she’d never encountered.
“No,” she’d said – but it had taken some resistance, Gemma remembered. She wasn’t used to the attention of men, and it felt absolutely delicious.
“It’s because you’re pregnant,” Talia had said, rolling her eyes and kicking her feet up on the leather pouffe in front of Gemma’s couch. “It’s like they know they can’t have you, and they’re asking anyway.”
Gemma had pursed her lips and let her gaze fall to the magazine in her lap. “Maybe,” she’d said. There was something inside of her, like a little pinprick, that somehow didn’t want to let Talia get away with being right this time. It wasn’t just what Talia had said. Gemma couldn’t explain it, but deep down she knew: something had changed forever.
--
Now, the party was about to start and Gemma was still half-dressed. Even though it was her son’s birthday, she’d bought herself a new dress: a pink sundress with cream stripes on the skirt. It showed off her trim figure and made her look a little younger than her 32 years.
“You look great,” Talia said. She burst into the kitchen armed with two paper bags and her own son, Michael, trailing behind. He was only six months older than Arthur and the two boys were best friends.
“Thanks,” Gemma said. She blushed. She still wasn’t exactly used to compliments, even from her older sister. “And thanks again for picking up the food.”
“No sweat,” Talia replied. She set the paper bags down on the counter and began to unload: packs of pre-cut veggies with ranch dip, grocery store hot macaroni and cheese, and fried chicken. It all smelled amazing, and Gemma felt her stomach beginning to rumble. “When are the other rugrats showing up?”
Gemma laughed. “The party starts at two,” she said, frowning and glancing down at her watch. “And that damn clown was supposed to be here an hour ago! Part of the package was a special hour with the birthday boy,” she said, raising her eyebrows at her older sister.
Talia rolled her eyes. “They’re always late,” she said, looking down at the table and scooping Michael up in her arms. “Trust me. Want me to start putting this stuff out in the backyard?”
“Yes,” Gemma said. “Thank you so much!” She watched as Talia expertly maneuvered her way into the yard with a toddler in one hand and a tray full of snacks in the other.
“Mommy,” Arthur said loudly. He’d be
en silent for a long time. “Party!”
Gemma laughed. She walked over to the high chair and scooped him up in her arms. “Yes, baby,” she said, nuzzling her son’s sweet neck. It always smelled of talc and she loved having him in her arms. It was the most comforting thing in the world. “And it’s going to be so much fun!”
But three hours later, Gemma wasn’t having much fun at all. The clown hadn’t shown up – they’d had two very tense phone conversations where he yelled into the receiver that he was stuck in traffic and would likely be any minute now – and Gemma was starting to panic. At first, the party had gone well. The backyard was full of toddlers running around and shrieking with glee, their faces smeared with cake. The parents had all sat down to one side and exchanged catty looks about whose child was better. Gemma had served tea and lemonade and finally, in a fit of desperation, wine from a box that she’d been storing in the fridge for a few months.
Leeward Bear (BBW Shifter Romance) (Fisherbears Book 3) Page 29