by Leah Kent
Of course, she knew why she felt so disconnected from the world. She had been dating her college sweetheart for two years when she got the job offer to move to Oregon. He did not receive any job offers after graduating, resigning himself to continuing his job at the local coffee shop instead. He had been green with envy at her job offer, but assumed that she would decline it, in order to stay in Los Angeles. When she told him that she was moving, he decided that the relationship was over. He was a jerk, no doubt about that. But that doesn’t mean that it didn’t hurt her tremendously. She was still affected by it, weeks later.
Before she knew it, she was at work. Where had the morning gone? She pulled into her usual parking space and got out of her car, grabbing her bag. She was busy trying to stuff all of her papers back into her bag, when she ran headlong into a solid piece of flesh. “Excuse me,” she said, looking up at the man, “I’m so sorry. Are you alright?” A tall man, at least six feet tall, met her gaze with deep sea-blue eyes. His short caramel hair shot up wildly as he ran his fingers through it. A scruffy beard spread across his strong, masculine jawline. He was absolutely gorgeous.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Watch where you’re going next time, okay?” he roughly barked at her. “Of course, I’m so sorry,” she replied, blushing deeply. She had felt an attraction to this man, but he obviously did not feel the same way. “I’m sorry, it was my fault too,” the hunk said, softer. “My name is Max Hardy,” he continued, holding his hand out. “Zoey Spencer,” she said as she took his hand. Electricity zapped through her as she took his hand, putting her off guard. She held his hand longer than she should have, before she realized what a fool she was making of herself.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I really do need to get to work, I’m running late. I’ll see you around sometime?” she asked, trying to mask the awkward mood that had fell between them. “I do hope so,” he replied in his husky voice, walking away.
Chapter Two
Zoey spent the rest of the day trying to focus on work, but Max kept popping into her head. She couldn’t get the memory of his firm, strong hands enclosed in hers out of her mind. It had been a long time since she had felt this kind of sexual desire, and she could do nothing to stop the feelings. But she was unsure of this stranger. Who was he? She looked him up in the company records, hoping that they were working for the same company. She discovered that he was a logger for the company, and his piece of land was not far from where she herself lived. That would explain his muscles bulging out of his shirt earlier, she thought to herself.
She left work earlier than usual, unable to focus her attention. It was better to just go home and try to get this sexy lumberjack out of her head. She always laughed at the term lumbersexual, but today she completely understood what all the hype was about. She hadn’t felt this intense of a need in a very long time. As the sun set around her house, she decided to take a walk in the forest. She had done this several times, and found it very calming. She needed calm very badly right now. The moon shone brightly over the forest, illuminating every tree and plant. She walked beneath the branches of an exceptionally large pine tree, breathing in the earthy scent. This was definitely something that you couldn’t get in LA.
She hiked up her favorite hill, which gave her a wonderful view of the valley below. At night the moon shone brightly over the flowers and grasses illuminating every gorgeous detail. She sat down at the top of the hill and looked out at the scene. Yet, she could still not get the image of Max out of her head. She shook her head in annoyance, until she heard a blood-curdling howl come from the other side of the valley. She stood up quickly, wanting to be able to run quickly if necessary. Suddenly, two giant animals came barreling out of the forest at top speed. From her vantage point, it seemed as if a giant bear and a monstrous wolf were fighting. She had never seen animals this large before, and she was frozen with fear. Her mind was telling her to run, but her feet could not comply. Her eyes were as large as saucers as she watched the bear take a chunk of flesh out of the wolf’s neck. Zoey was finally able to move, if only to hide behind a pine tree. Another howl echoed into the night, and the wolf barreled away, thankfully in the opposite direction of where Zoey was hiding.
She poked her head out from around the tree, looking at the bear. It seemed tired, and worn out. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from it, as much as she wanted to run. Suddenly, before her very eyes, the bear turned into a man! She rubbed her eyes and looked again, unable to believe what she just witnessed. Try as she might, she couldn’t change the fact that a bear had just turned into a man. Her brain couldn’t put the two together, the giant grizzly bear, and the man sitting in the valley before her. The man before her turned around, and she recognized him instantly. It was Max! He was stark naked, but she would recognize that face anywhere; she had only spent all day fantasizing about him. He looked her straight in the eyes, and even from this distance she knew he recognized her. She took off running as fast as she possible could, wanting to put as much distance between herself and Max as she could.
She heard him racing after her, quickly catching up. She turned her head, and saw that he was only a few feet behind her. Shit, he was fast, she thought to herself. She tried to quicken her pace, but knew that he was faster. “Zoey!” he yelled from behind her. “Zoey, please, let me explain! Please, stop!” He finally caught up to her, and grabbed her arm. She tried to pull away, but he held her tightly in his grip. “Zoey, please, let me talk to you. Just let me explain, I wont hurt you, I promise,” he pleaded. “What the fuck are you?” Zoey finally managed to stammer out. She was shaking, and deeply afraid of him, but at the same time, a strange certainty that he would not hurt her fell over her. “This is going to sound crazy, I know. But I am a bear shifter. That means that I can turn into a bear at anytime. But I don’t hurt people,” he said, letting go of her arm. “And I won’t hurt you. I work with other bear shifters to protect the land and the people from those who would do harm. I promise, I am on your side. I’m still the same man, just a little more…interesting,” he chuckled feebly.
He stepped closer to her, closing the distance between them. “So, do you believe me?” he asked, running his hand down her arm. She felt her heart race as she watched his hand on her arm. What was he thinking? What was she thinking, for that matter? He was a bear! But she couldn’t deny that the feel of his hands on her had her body reacting in dangerous ways. Her body wouldn’t cooperate with her brain, her body wanted to lose itself in his, and feel him in all of her most intimate places. But her brain told her that he was dangerous, and she should leave right now. Max stepped closer to her, his face mere inches away from hers. She looked into the depths of his eyes, and was both frightened and turned on by the ravenous hunger she saw in them. The same wild, untamed passion she was feeling in the depths of her own body were mirrored in her eyes. “I don’t know,” she whispered out. In reply, he pressed his lips to hers, capturing her for himself. In that moment, she knew it was hopeless.
Chapter Three
His lips dominated hers, sucking hers into his hot mouth. He grabbed her arms and pulled her into him, taking her silence as a green light. She wasn’t sure what she wanted, but she knew that she couldn’t stop this now. She kissed him back, taking his lips into her mouth, savoring his taste. His tongue danced along hers, and she captured it, chasing it around her mouth. Max pulled away from her, holding her at arms length. Her body instantly missed his, and wanted him against her once more. But her mind reminded her it was probably better if he stopped this now. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he smiled as he took her hand, and led her down a deeply trodden path away from the valley. “I know somewhere where we can be alone,” he said, winking at Zoey. She felt her heartbeat quicken, as she knew where he wanted this to go. She was still scared of letting herself open to anyone else, especially sexually. She didn’t want to risk getting hurt again. But this rugged lumberman set her body on fire, driving her to want to do very naughty things to him.
; He stopped in the middle of a small clearing, and turned her to face him. He attacked her lips again, giving her no respite. He ran his hands down her back, grabbing her ass hard. He lifted her up by her ass, pressing her against a tree. His hands went wild, feeling every inch of her body. With one hand he grabbed her hair, pressing her mouth deeper into his, and with the other squeezing her voluptuous breasts. Zoey kissed him back, feeling her desire building between her legs, but she was also unsure, and Max was going much faster than she anticipated. As much as she wanted to open her legs to him, she knew she needed to go slow. She pushed him away from her, but she held on to his arms. This was absolutely insane, but she didn’t want to stop this. She just wanted him to slow down.
She was afraid of the hunger in his eyes, but it quickly faded to concern. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?” His concern was all that she needed to confirm the strange draw that pulled her to this shifter. “No, you didn’t. I just,” she started, unsure of how to continue. She looked down at the ground, ashamed of her fear of intimacy. She was by no means a virgin, but she was damaged goods. It took special care to unwrap her. He grabbed her chin with his hand, and brought her face up to his. He kissed her, not a hard and fast kiss, but a slow, passionate kiss. “I understand. I’m not used to this kind of thing. I’m just…too busy for it. I don’t know how to act, I’m around bears all day,” he chuckled. “Just, lead me. Show me what you want,” he finished. She was surprised to hear that he wasn’t well versed in how to work every kind of girl. A guy this gorgeous had to have the ladies lining up out the door for him. But it made her feel much more comfortable. If he was just as nervous as her, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.
She pulled him into her, and kissed him hard, trying to rely her gratitude, emotions, and desire into it. She felt Max hesitate, so she grabbed his face, deepening the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her up onto his body. She felt his hardening cock on her stomach. She longed for a taste, but was fearful all at the same time. He gained more confidence, taking her face in his hands. He gripped her face, passion igniting in his soul, echoing into his kiss. She sensed his beast just beneath the surface, fighting for control. But he kept it under control, respecting her silent wish for him to take things slowly. Somehow he understood her needs, without her even having to vocalize them. He understood her fear of opening herself up to a man, because he had the same fear. She could sense his wild, animal side and his pent up lust, but rather than letting it rule him, he feared it. Maybe he felt the same strange desire that led her to abandon logic and want to have sex with a bear shifter.
He kept his hands focused on her face, occasionally running them down her neck, but never any further down. She wasn’t sure if she was glad or upset at this. Her body wanted him to touch, taste, and feel every inch of her body. Her brain told her that this was plenty for right now. She took the opportunity to run her hands down his body, relishing the way his hard, chiseled body felt against her soft hands. Her hands continued their journey, until they grasped his firm ass. She surprised herself at how much she wanted to hold, and squeeze his toned cheeks. He broke the kiss and looked at her, smiling. “Go ahead,” he said, understanding. “Explore, I will have my chance soon,” he finished with a wink. He kissed her clavicle, making his way up her neck, kissing every sensitive spot. Each kiss was an electric zap through her body, and she couldn’t help but lean closer into him. She felt his cock press against her abdomen, long and already hard.
Her hands came back up his back, moving to his chest. Luscious, brown chest hair covered his muscular chest, oozing masculinity. A complete six-pack of abs were chiseled into his body, and she traced the outline of each one. She brought her hands to his pecs, resting his hand above his heart. Feeling his heartbeat against her hand calmed her, and forced to realize that no matter what he was, he was still at least partially human. She ran her fingers through his hair, keeping her lips tightly glued to his. They had yet to come up for air, but they were so transfixed with each other. They couldn’t keep their hands off of each other. Max was unlike her ex-boyfriend in every way, beyond just being not entirely human. Even though she had maybe spent an hour with him in total so far in her life, she knew that he was a good guy. He was attentive to what she responded to, and was respectful of her desires and needs. She could feel his own need pressing into her stomach, but he held back, because she needed him to. She couldn’t put into words how much this meant to her.
Max finally broke the kiss, and inhaled deeply. “Zoey,” he said, pressing his body closer into hers. “I know this is crazy, and I know you must be feeling a million things right now. Your entire understanding of the world has changed,” he began before she interrupted. “You got that right,” she chuckled, running her hands through his chest. “Yes, I think its safe to say that the whole, I’m not entirely human thing maybe throwing you off. I can feel your hesitation and nerves. Before I do anything else, I want to make sure that you want this. I do, but I’m not hiding that,” he said looking down at his impressively hard cock. “Once I start, there is no stopping. Just, be sure you know what you are getting yourself into,” he finished. He looked to her for a response, or any guidance on how he should continue.
Rather than tell him what she wanted, she took his hands, and placed them on her shirt. She unbuttoned the top button of her shirt, and let Max unbutton the rest. He looked up at her and smiled. He ripped the shirt off of her body, his patience not encompassing shirts. He bent his head down and sucked her breast into his mouth over the fabric. He grabbed her other breast and squeezed hard, forcing a soft moan to escape her lips. He kissed above her breasts as he reached his hands behind her back, unclasping her bra. He let it fall to the ground before he kicked it away. He cupped a breast in each of his hands, using a finger to outline each nipple. She shivered with pleasure, and anticipation. He bent his head down and sucked a nipple into his mouth, his scruffy beard rubbing against her sensitive breast. He squeezed her other breast with his hand, eliciting another moan from her lips.
He removed his hands from her body, and turned her around, leaning her body against his. “What’s this?” he asked, kissing her shoulder blade, where a small blue and purple hummingbird tattoo was located. “A tattoo,” she replied, turning her head to face him. He lovingly traced the outline of her tattoo with kisses. “My little hummingbird,” he said quietly into her back. She knew that she wasn’t ready to address that, so she turned around, facing him. She captured his mouth with her own, thrusting her tongue into his mouth. Max ran his hands down her abdomen, stopping between her legs. He rubbed her pussy through her jeans, slowly at first, testing her responsiveness. It wasn’t close enough contact with him, she wanted to feel his rough hands sliding through her slick channel. He continued to rub faster, focusing on her clit. Zoey moaned and shamelessly rubbed her body against his hand, increasing the friction. Finally, Max unbuttoned her jeans, pushing them down her legs.
Zoey kicked her jeans away from them, and grabbed Max’s face again, conquering his lips with hers. Every moment without his touch seemed like torture to Zoey, and she couldn’t understand why. She only knew that she wanted to feel him harder, faster, deeper inside of her body. He reached between her legs once again, and slowly rubbed her pussy. “Oh, Max,” she moaned out, throwing her head back. It had been so long since a man had touched her there, and her body was making up for the loss. Her pussy was soaked within several motions of Max’’s hands. He broke the kiss and kissed her neck, down her breasts, paying special attention to her nipples, which hardened at his attention. They looked like pert little berries, and Max ate them up like the bear he was. Once he paid homage to her breasts, he continued his journey down her body, kissing down her lean abs, right above her pussy. He looked up at her teasingly as he kissed her inner thighs, and gripped her hips. She wanted to feel his tongue inside of her, and feel the scratch of his beard against the sensitive folds of her throbbing pussy.
She pressed her body forward,
willing him to eat her out, desperate for him to stop teasing her. Finally, he kissed the delicate folds of her pussy, licking up her dripping juices. She reached down and gripped his hair in her hands, trying to contain her pleasure. Her last boyfriend certainly did not take the time to pleasure her like this. She would have to blow him every time they had sex, but he never had the patience to go down on her. When she really thought about it, none of her previous sexual partners had ever really taken the time to explore her body the way that Max was, or learn the ways to play her body into a harmony of pleasure. Max thrust his tongue into her opening, driving her crazy with pleasure. His beard scratched against his her clit, and in contrast with his slick, smooth tongue, her body was on the verge of orgasm.
She pressed his head closer into her pussy, coating his entire face in her juices. His tongue dove deep into her core, as his hand furiously rubbed her pussy. He was an animal, a bear that was devouring the honey from a beehive. Her orgasm was so close, she could feel it on the verge of taking over her body. She wanted to hold it off, it was so soon, but as soon as he inserted a finger, she detonated. She screamed out Max’s name as she rode out her orgasm on his finger. He continued to thrust quickly into her core, urging her orgasm to continue. He slurped up her orgasm, drinking in her desire. She looked down and saw his lips slick with her cream, a deep hunger echoed in his eyes. She could see his bear, hidden just beneath the surface. She wanted to see his beast let loose, feel him ravish her body. But she couldn’t deny that she was also afraid of his beast, and the power containing within him. Her fear was not strong enough to overpower her desire, and she pulled Max up from the ground. It was her turn to pleasure him.