Or he could build another one. Yeah, maybe he’d do that.
She moaned, and he lifted her into the air, still on top of him, and carried her with her legs wrapped around him to the other side of the cabin, pinning her against the wall. They were eye to eye, and her face was flushed, her blue eyes extra vivid.
“It feels so good to be inside you,” he said.
“I know,” she said. “Sickeningly good.”
He wrinkled his nose. “Is that a good thing?”
She laughed and dug her nails into his shoulders, wriggling against him. “Don’t stop.”
Unable to deny her anything, he obeyed. He supported her thighs as he held her up against the wall, meeting her surging thrusts with hard movements of his own, loving the build of the friction, the heat in the air, her little moans that were becoming bigger moans.
The scent of making love heady and floral and all her.
He’d missed that more than he’d thought possible.
The thought that he would never have to question if she was his again lit him inside like a million-watt bulb, and he felt his body go impossibly tight.
He took her lips with his and brought one hand up to fondle her breast, stroking over one nipple with his thumb. She twisted against him and opened her lips, and he dove in to let his tongue entwine with hers.
He thrust in deep, increasing the heat and friction in their mouths as the same happened down below. He felt totally joined with her, as if they were one person. As if he would always be aware of every part of her.
He’d meant what he told her before. She stripped him bare. Even coming back here, he’d felt the tension of the past. Being with her was confusing and difficult… and more than he’d ever hoped for.
What point was there in being comfortable when it was simply an absence of feeling?
Here with her, there was so much going on. Pain from the past, regret at leaving, worries over ever being good enough. But all of that was eclipsed by the warmth of their love, and the hopes of the future and the feeling of forever.
He felt her come apart under his lips and hands and uttered an oath as his body went with her.
It felt as if the sky opened over them, felt as if somehow they were together on a moonlit night in the mountains, free and perfect and untouched.
He saw them as children, running into each other’s arms. He saw their bears. He saw their future.
And then he came back to her, tuning back in to her tortured cries of pleasure, her hands playing all over his body, her mouth kissing his cheeks and jaw and lips.
He kissed her back eagerly and then caught her lips with his, slowing it all down, wanting to treasure the odd vision he’d seen right at the moment of mating.
Maybe she’d seen it and maybe she hadn’t, totally caught up in that moment of pleasure.
But either way, he caught her in his arms and kissed her tenderly.
For the first time in his life, he didn’t just have the vague hope that something would work out for him.
For the first time, he knew for sure.
He wanted to roar to the sky, but instead, he held her close, listening to her heart, her whispers of love, returning them, and chuckling when she asked for another round, nudging him to see if he was ready.
For her? Always.
Epilogue
Rock looked down at his sleeping wife’s features.
They’d had a small, private ceremony up here in the mountains, just them and Mort and the only preacher in town.
He stroked her hair back with the lightest of touches, and she stirred but didn’t wake.
He didn’t blame her. They’d had quite a time the night before, and after round after round of lovemaking to celebrate the new main cabin, she’d been utterly exhausted.
Well, they both had, but he’d woken, unable to contain the excitement he felt every day just knowing she was his.
It was different than waking up every day in L.A., anticipating the new stunts he’d take on.
There was a different kind of feel to this adventure. But in only a few months, so much had changed.
Joe had left town, though he came back sometimes to check on things.
Francis was still watching the town as the sort of impromptu mayor. Maybe they’d have to make that official as the town grew under Harvey’s constant influence.
It wouldn’t be too long before they opened their camp for business and invited their first administrators to come through for inspections. The cabins and bunks for the first groups of kids were nearly ready, and he and Ros had explored many trails, at first with Joe’s help and then alone when he left.
Rock still couldn’t believe how well everything had worked out. So many things had worked together to keep him in Bear Canyon, or at least make him brave enough to come back.
Knowing they had something completely new to build here, something that would help other kids like him, kept the past at bay, mostly.
But he and Ros had a trip planned the next weekend, both to see family and to get a break from the mountains. As long as he got away every couple weeks, even for a day, it seemed to let his psyche breathe.
Slowly but surely, the memories were leaking away.
Every day he got to hold her in his arms brought him a little closer to heaven. Every day gave him a bit more hope.
She opened her eyes sleepily and looked up at him, smiling faintly. His eyes traced every little freckle across her cheeks and nose and the light tan she’d acquired from being outside.
“You doing okay?” she asked. “Any nightmares?”
“After last night?” He wrinkled his nose. “Never.”
She laughed. “Sometimes you still have nightmares after the best nights. I’m not offended.”
He leaned his cheek on his hand, studying her lazily. “I know. No nightmares, though. How could I when I wake up to a dream every day?”
She scooted over and put her arms around him, pulling him onto her. She seemed to like his weight draped over her, heavy as he was. “I feel the same. So many years I still can’t believe it’s real.”
He reached for her hand and touched the small, ornate gold band on her finger. “You better. It’s official now. You can’t run away.”
“Since when have I ever?” she asked.
“True. You can’t let me run away either.”
She nodded at that, her smile brightening. “Okay. Deal.”
He held her close, luxuriating in the sun streaming in from their window, the beautiful country air.
They had a lot to do, couldn’t stay in bed all day, but maybe there was time for just a little…
He brushed her thick, unruly blond hair back and kissed her cheek, then her forehead, then her lips, holding the pressure between them, feeling his heart light up like it always did as warmth spread through his body and her arms wound up to surround his neck and play in his hair.
Her lips parted, and he swept inside, joining with her deeply as their bodies molded together, a perfect fit. His hand had just moved down to her breast, cupping it gently, feeling the little nipple perk up against his palm, when a loud knock sounded from downstairs.
“Shit,” he muttered, raising his head.
She sighed. “Better go get it.”
He lowered his head again, tickling her nose with his. “It can wait.”
She shook her head with a smile and pushed off the covers. “We have a business now. We can’t just ignore things like that.”
“All right,” he said. “But we’re picking this up later.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” she said with a wink, pulling clothes from the dresser and quickly changing.
He watched her soft form, loving every move. How had he ever gotten so lucky? From her spirit to her smile to her perfect curvy body and her infinite patience, he couldn’t have designed her any better.
He’d never be good enough to deserve her, no matter how hard he tried.
“You coming?” she asked, doing up the last
buttons of her shirt and raising a blond eyebrow.
He jolted and got off the bed, realizing he needed to catch up. No time to sit and stare if he wanted to be ready to accompany her downstairs. And he always wanted to be by her side.
“Yes, ma’am.” He saluted and went to the closet to grab clothes and quickly pulled them on, not caring if they looked crooked. He planned to deal with the interloper and then get back to business. Business with his wife that was.
He pulled down the sweater so it met up with his jeans as he took the stairs down behind Rosalyn, watching her ass the whole way.
When she opened the front door, he was right there behind her, lending her his imposing presence in case it was someone like Connor.
A bear couldn’t be too careful where his lady bear was concerned.
Instead, it was Francis standing on the doorstep with a cross look on his face and tightly folded arms. “You two planning to hole up here forever?”
Rock cocked his head. “Maybe. What’s it to you?”
Francis handed over a package. “This came for you. I was waiting for you to come pick it up, but you’ve been nowhere in town.”
“It’s our honeymoon,” Rock said, and Francis’s mouth cocked up in a half smile.
“All right,” Francis said. “I guess I’m just jealous that I’m dealing with old ladies and their gardens and you’re up here with your mate, having all the adventures.”
“You’re welcome up here anytime,” Ros said.
Francis snorted. “As if I have any time.”
“True,” Rock said. “Those old ladies and their gardens.”
“Blanche keeps calling me over because of a gopher. Not sure what she expects me to do about it,” Francis said. “But she sure likes to watch me try.”
Ros laughed. “I’ll just bet.”
“Hey…” Rock frowned.
“Guess I just wish there was someone for me up here,” Francis said. “Gets lonely.” He looked around. “Nice place. So is Joe gone for good?”
“He’ll be back for inspections. Stuff like that,” Rock said, walking outside to join Francis on the porch. It was a beautiful day. “He still has some big investor, and until we buy him out, he wants to check up on things.”
“Hm,” Francis said. “Well, any idea about that package?”
Rock raised an eyebrow. “Becoming used to a small town, Francis? Nothing to do but gossip.”
The big man flushed slightly. “Hey, it’s true. There isn’t a whole lot to do.”
“You know, if you’re getting bored up here, we can talk about what to do at the next Brawl.”
“Right, that’s only a few months away, right?” Francis asked. “Although, I do like the place. I just… I don’t know.”
“Feeling the mating urge?” Rock asked.
“Should I be listening to this conversation?” Ros asked.
“I don’t mean explicitly. I just mean a man yearns for someone to make him want to be the best he can be,” Rock said.
Francis nodded. Then he scratched the back of his head. “Anyway, I know you hate the house, but you should still come over sometime. You at least love the grill.”
“That’s true,” Rock said. “Tell you what. We’ll do you one better. You come over here and we’ll cook for you tonight. Catch up on all the stuff you’ve been doing in town.”
Francis brightened slightly. “Okay. Sounds good.” Then, with a wave, the big man was gone, headed back down the road.
After they closed the door, Rock handed Ros the package, and she shook her head. “We really have been kind of absent, haven’t we?”
“Yeah,” Rock said. “And it’s an aging population. But that’s changing as Harvey talks travelers into moving up here. Francis will find someone soon enough.”
“True,” she said. “He’s got lots to offer.”
Rock put an arm around her, pulling her close. “Not as much as me.”
She snorted. “Right. For me at least.” She shook the package. “What is this?”
Rock took it out of her hands. “Hey, it could be fragile.” He sat on the couch and began opening it.
“Why did you hand it to me if you didn’t want me to open it?”
“I don’t know,” Rock said. “But just in case it’s something dangerous, I’m going to check.” He opened it carefully, cutting the tape with the edge of his keys, and then opened the box to see a vial carefully packed in custom-cut Styrofoam, a red liquid inside.
He blinked, knowing instantly what it was. “For your dad,” he said. “They found it.”
“It?”
“I told you I was getting in touch with some of the wolves who have been in past Brawls. They tracked this down for me. No one can promise, but it’s worth a try.”
She nodded. “And it’s not dangerous?”
“Shouldn’t be,” he said. “It’s been used before. It should at least prolong things. It’s a huge favor to call in, though. Wolves stick to themselves and don’t really help other shifters, and the wolf this comes from is notoriously hard to track down. He actually won the Brawl one year but disappeared after he took the money. I’m surprised the guy I contacted could track him down.”
She took the vial from him, looked at it, and then gave Rock an enthusiastic kiss on the cheek. “Thank you. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
“Anything for you,” he said, accepting the kiss with a smile. “Should we bring this down to him?”
“Yes,” she said. “You know, he’s already been doing better now that I seem to be happy with you. And getting to see us almost every day.”
They liked to join Mort for lunch when he was least tired.
“Well, I hope it adds a bit more to our happy ending,” Rock said, putting the vial back in the box and tucking it under his arm as he reached for the door.
She put her arm through his as they stepped out into the fresh morning air.
“Every day is already happier than I ever expected.”
He put his hand over hers and squeezed lightly. Those were his thoughts exactly.
“Did everything exactly as you said,” Joe said, leaning against the wall and looking bored and much different than when he had been in Bear Canyon.
Gone was the stubble, the easy smile, and the cowboy hat. Now he was clean-shaven, suited, and looking wary of more orders.
Ryland sighed and tore the check he’d just written out of his book. “Two more check-ins.”
“But they’re settled. They’re happy,” Joe said. “I want to get back to working on our other companies.”
Joe was sharp. Maybe the sharpest VP Ryland had, but he could be impatient and a little Machiavellian. Which had made him the perfect person to go up against Rock without Rock ever suspecting who was behind it.
“I still need you to check until it’s fully operational up there,” Ryland said, standing and putting his hands together behind his back as he got up to stare out the window of his high-rise office.
This was where he belonged. Not the windswept mountains of Bear Canyon, not on the winding trails.
“He doesn’t want me there,” Joe said sardonically. “He’s too possessive. He practically ran me out of town.”
Ryland laughed wryly. That was so like Rock. Impetuous, too quick to move. “Still, I can’t very well go check on it myself, can I?”
“Why not?” Joe asked. “Would it be that weird to visit your brother?”
It would if it was in Bear Canyon. Besides, Rock was coming to visit soon, and Ryland could see him then.
He had a feeling if Rock knew his little brother was behind all of this, he might feel differently about it.
But Ryland always knew that of all of them, Rock was the one who needed to stay in Bear Canyon. Not just because he was in love with Rosalyn, but because running had never done him any good.
He wasn’t like Ryland, who had come out here and established a successful company that funded other companies. Ryland had truly found what he was good
at.
All Rock had done was nearly get himself killed while calling it a job.
No, he was safer in Bear Canyon.
And what’s more, if what Ryland saw on TV had been any indication, he’d decided it all on his own.
Though, the camp Ryland had thought of seemed to be helping him stay. Giving him purpose.
And really, what was more suitable for their legacy than a camp for abused children?
Bear Canyon could be a safe haven rather than the nightmare it had been growing up, when their father was around.
He definitely wouldn’t ever be around again. Ryland had ensured that. It was just one of the dark secrets buried in Bear Canyon that Ryland never wanted to see dug up.
He rolled up his sleeves, feeling suddenly warmer despite the cool air temperature in the office.
He wasn’t feeling… guilty, was he?
No, that was long ago impossible. He didn’t control the animal inside him, even if he had seemed to make progress when saving his brothers during the last Brawl.
He’d still never be safe in the normal life of a bear shifter. His father had ensured that.
He tried to relax the rigid tension in his back. Calm. Calm. He was here in the city, and things were under control. Two of his brothers were settled and happy. It had been his idea to install Francis so Riker could leave, an idea he’d planted with Rock. And then he’d made sure Rock had a way to be happy, too.
All that remained was to get rid of the last remnant of his family’s toxic legacy.
This year, he’d take on the challenge of his life. The Bear Canyon Brawl.
There was just one by-law in the rules that his brothers had never noticed, but Ryland, with his sharp intellect and his love of reading, had noticed with interest.
There was only one way for them to end the contest their ancestors had started.
If a Brolin descendent entered the Brawl and won it, they had the right to suspend it completely.
If they lost, the penalty was death.
But that didn’t bother Ryland as he handed Joe the check, said good-bye, and went back to his window.
Compared to controlling the monster inside him, everything else was easy.
Craved by the Bear (Trapped in Bear Canyon Book 2) Page 15