Bearly A Squeak

by Ariana McGregor

  “Lunch first. Dessert after,” Alex insisted. “Woman cannot live on cheesecake alone. It'll still be there when you're done.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him, holding out a hand for the box. “Alternatively, we can have dessert first, lunch after.” She was not the kind of woman that you could dangle cheesecake in front of and then make her eat a sandwich. Not unless that person was a sadist. Or asking to be gnawed to death.

  “That's not the convention,” Alex said. “Dessert is basically bribery to make you eat the healthier, more nutritious food. It doesn't work if you go straight for the dessert.”

  Tara shrugged. “I'm not the conventional type. Dessert should be eaten first while you still have room. You can savour it properly.”

  Alex looked at her. “I'm not giving up the cheesecake until you've eaten at least two sandwiches. Unless you think you can take it from me.” He smirked at her.

  She stared back at him, assessing. Okay, so he was a lot bigger than her, had a lot more muscles, was stronger, could turn into a bear. On her side? Ummm... she had a desperate need for cheesecake. Screw it. She was going for it. Without warning, she launched herself at him, noting his eyes grow wide. Clearly he hadn't expected that move. He lifted up his hands to catch her, grabbing her around the waist and holding her to him as he fell backwards. She wriggled against him, trying to climb up his body, her hand reaching out for the box of cheesecake. She just couldn't... quite... reach. Her fingertips grazed the box but only succeeded in pushing it slightly further away. Dammit. Maybe if she climbed a little higher.

  She wriggled some more, inching up Alex's body... and what a body. Even through his clothes, she could feel the hard sculpted muscles. This close, he smelled heavenly. Like freshly baked biscuits and honey with a hint of bear and trees. Gradually she noticed that he wasn't moving. Looking down, she could see that he was holding himself still, his gaze firmly on her chest. In all her manoeuvring, she now had her chest positioned right over his face. Her dress had dipped down a little, not exposing her but showing a little more flesh. She should probably move. Yet she didn't. As she panted, she saw her breasts move and watched as Alex swallowed hard, his eyes following the movements.

  Slowly, she slid down him, bringing their faces level, his eyes flicked up to meet hers, his gaze hot and hungry. She leaned down and brushed her lips against his, barely a whisper of a kiss. With a growl, his arms tightened against her and his head lifted up to capture her lips. No gentle kiss, he took possession, branding her with his passion. Lost in sensation, she rubbed herself against him, trying to get closer. His hand slid down and cupped her ass, grinding her against the hard length of him. She moaned into his mouth. Her clothes felt restrictive, confining. Breaking for air, she spotted movement in the corner of her eye. A dog was sitting watching them.

  “What's wrong?” Alex said, smoothing hair back from her face.

  “We have an audience,” she told him. The dog continued to sit there, staring at them. It was a labradoodle, off-white in colour. It watched with its head tilted, tongue hanging out.

  Alex twisted a little to look. “It's just a dog.” He shrugged.

  She looked down at him. “It's watching us. The dog is a pervert and I am not doing this with him watching.” With that, she clambered off her mate and sat next to him. It was pure coincidence that her new position left her closer to the box of cheesecake. Honest. Poor cheesecake. She'd almost forgotten about it.

  Alex sighed and sat up, running his hand through his hair. As he turned to reach for a sandwich, she snaffled some cheesecake from the box. By the time he turned round again, she had a mouthful. A beautiful, beautiful mouthful of heaven. Alex merely raised an eyebrow at her and she shrugged.

  Alex tossed the dog some food. Big softie. They ate their food, chatting between bites. The picnic was fun. Tara discovered that it wasn't just the attraction of mates drawing her to him, she actually liked Alex. She enjoyed talking with him, spending time with him. She simply loved being around him. Meanwhile, the dog sat there, continuing to watch like a furry little stalker. She popped the last of her cheese sandwich into her mouth as Alex polished off the last salmon one.

  “Fancy seeing you here.”

  Her mouthful of sandwich suddenly seemed hard to swallow. She should have known Barry would turn up. She deliberately chewed and swallowed. Alex was here. There was a limit to what Barry would try with Alex present. Still, she refused to let her mate see her being weak. Just being around Alex had helped her to regrow a spine.

  “What do you want, Barry?” she asked. She was so proud that her voice didn't tremble. She looked up at him, meeting his eyes and refusing to look away. To her surprise, Barry looked away first and he did not seem happy about it.

  “I hope I'm not interrupting...” He smirked at her.

  “Yeah, you are,” Alex said, taking a drink from his bottle. He flicked at glance at Barry, clearly dismissing him as a threat.

  “I'm sorry,” he said. He didn't sound sorry in the slightest. “I was just walking and saw you here. I wondered if I might talk to Tara.”

  “You're talking to me now,” she pointed out. “You just haven't said anything interesting yet.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her. She stared him down and his face flushed. He wasn't used to assertive Tara. If they were alone, he'd be doing his best to assert control over her, but he couldn't do that with Alex around. Inside, Tara was quaking and desperate to get away. On the outside, she kept her expression controlled, refusing to give ground to her ex. She wasn't alone any more. It had taken time, but she'd rebuilt her life and regained her confidence. She had friends, she had family, she had Alex. Nothing was going to threaten that.

  Barry cleared his throat. “I meant, can I speak to you in private?”

  “No,” she said. “Anything you have to say to me, can be said in front of my mate.” She may have stressed that last word a little. She shrugged. “Besides, I doubt there's anything you can say that I actually want or need to hear. I know there's nothing I want to say to you.”

  Barry was now turning a rather alarming shade of red. Oh, he was angry. She knew. She'd seen that expression numerous times. It was often followed by several new bruises on her body. She'd rarely allowed him to get that angry before backing down, but it had happened once or twice. By the end, she'd been such a shell of herself that she'd spent all her time trying to please him. She never could, but at least she could avoid most of the major outbursts.

  She glanced at Alex. His shoulders looked a little tense, but otherwise he seemed calm. He gave her a little smile. He stayed out of the exchange, allowing her to handle it. Part of her wanted him to step in, but she knew that he was giving her a priceless gift. He was showing her that he thought she was capable of dealing with it herself, that he believed in her. She knew he'd help her if she needed it, but he wanted her to stand up to Barry herself. She had to do it herself, she knew that. If she didn't, there would always be a part of her that cowered in fear of him. This was about reclaiming the control that Barry had stolen and healing herself in the process. She could do that because Alex believed that she could. She wouldn't let him down.

  “Tara...” Barry ground out.

  “Go away, Barry,” she said, her tone deliberately bored. “We've been over for a long time. You don't love me. I sure as hell don't love you. We are not mates...”

  “We are!” Barry shouted.

  “No, we're not,” she stated firmly. “I have no idea why you've always claimed otherwise, but it's clearly not true. Alex is my mate. I have absolutely no doubt about that.”

  “Good to know,” Alex murmured. She shot him a look, half amusement, half exasperation. How could she yell at Barry when her hunky mate distracted her?

  “Shush,” she said to Alex. Yeah, look at her. She just shushed a grizzly bear. Okay, so it was cheating when he was her mate, but she was still counting it as part of the new, bolder Tara. Turning back to Barry, she said, “We are
not mates and never have been. You were a lousy ass boyfriend and I'm glad I left you. I have zero, absolute zero, interest in having anything whatsoever to do with you. So go away. Shoo.” She made flapping motions with her hands.

  Barry stood, fists clenched, face red, clearly trying to hold onto his temper. “You mouthy little -”

  “Now I know you're not going to insult my daughter-in-law,” came a new voice. Just like that, Tara's new found confidence headed for the hills. Alex's mother had arrived. Seriously, how did everyone know where they were? Had there been some kind of public announcement?

  Turning, she saw Alex's mother stroll out of the trees. How long had the woman been there?

  “Oh, this is going to get bad,” Alex whispered. He started packing up the remains of their picnic. Quickly.

  “Aren't you going to do something?” she whispered back. The dog had finally quit staring, and now padded over to stand behind them, watching Alex's mother with a wary expression. Smart dog.

  Alex looked at her helplessly. Shrugged. Then went back to packing up the basket.

  Tara turned her gaze back to Alex's mother. She was advancing on Barry, expression frosty. Anna Russell was actually pretty intimidating for a small woman. Silently, Tara pitched in with the packing up.

  “Well?” Alex's mother demanded.

  “I don't see how it's any of your...” Barry began. His face was twisted in a sneer and he looked with disdain at the woman. He paused as a growl erupted from Anna. He took a step back before he could stop himself and then stood still, glaring at the small woman.

  “Pack faster,” Alex hissed at Tara.

  “Tara agreed to marry me,” Barry stated. Clearly he'd decided to rewrite history. She had never agreed. A part of her had always managed to hold out, refusing to marry him or share their finances. She'd known that she'd need to keep her money separate if she was ever going to escape someday.

  Anna turned her gaze on Tara, eyebrow raised, arms crossed, waiting for an explanation. Tara swallowed hard.

  “I turned him down,” she blurted. “Repeatedly.”

  Anna turned her attention back to Barry. “There. You have no claim. She is my son's mate and none of your concern. Now I suggest that you toddle along and let them get on with making me some grandcubs. How are they supposed to get down and dirty with you standing there?”

  Oh. Wow. Tara felt the blush spreading across her face. Peeking at Alex, he appeared roughly the same shade. As did Barry, but for different reasons.

  “She didn't just say that,” she hissed at Alex, elbowing him in the side.

  “She did,” he groaned. “She really did.”

  Barry growled. “She is a -”

  “Pretty little thing, yes,” Anna interrupted, her hand slashing through the air. “She is not yours and it's time you left. If you are not out of here by the time I count to five, I will remove you myself. Trust me, you won't like that.” She stared hard at him, unflinching, her tone stern and determined.

  “What? -” Barry blustered.

  “One.”

  “How -?”

  “Two.”

  At a flash of movement, Tara turned her head to see the dog fleeing into the trees.

  “You can't -”

  “Three.”

  Tara turned and looked at Alex. As one, they stood, grabbed the basket and fled after the dog.

  “Now, look here -”

  “Four.”

  “Run faster,” Alex panted, as they pounded through the woods. Tara ran, listening intently for any sounds behind them. Before long, there was a high-pitched shriek. Tara winced, noticing that Alex did likewise.

  “She wouldn't...” Tara gasped.

  “Keep running,” Alex insisted, grabbing her hand and tugging her along.

  Chapter 8

  Alex finally allowed his pace to slow to a jog and then stopped. He doubled over, gasping for air. He could hear Tara panting beside him. They'd probably covered quite a bit of ground by now. Hopefully it was enough.

  “What... was...” Tara gasped, “she going... to do... to him?”

  Alex shrugged. He'd always preferred not to know what his mother got up to when she slipped into protective mama bear mode. What was that phrase? Ah yes, plausible deniability. That was it. He was an officer of the law and couldn't turn a blind eye to anything she did, but he was so not arresting his own mother. Apart from the family ties, there was no way on earth that he was going to attempt to bring that woman in. As long as Alex didn’t know what was going on, then he didn’t have to get involved.

  “Should we do something?” Tara asked, eyes wide.

  “We should stay out of the way,” he insisted. “It'll all be fine and I really don't want to know. I am not arresting my mother.”

  Tara looked uncertain, but she let it drop. “So, I guess that means the date is over, huh?”

  Dammit. He wasn't ready for the date to end. “We could always shift and enjoy some quality outdoor time.”

  “Shift?” Tara looked horrified. “Outside?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “What's wrong with being outside? It’s how it's supposed to be.”

  She gave him a wry smile. “Maybe if you're a huge ass grizzly bear.”

  He mock growled. “My ass is not huge.”

  “I just meant that you're a bear. You can shift and run around and nothing will bother you. I'm a mouse. Things keep trying to eat me. It's safer if I shift indoors.” She shrugged as though it wasn't important, but he could see that it was. She wanted to be outside, but it wasn't very safe for a small shifter. Not normally.

  “Nothing will try to eat you today,” he promised. “You have your very own grizzly bodyguard. Come on, you know you want to. Just stay near the bear and you'll be safe.”

  She tilted her head and looked at him, a smile slowing spreading across her face.

  “You're on,” she said. Turning her back on him, she pulled her dress up over her head. When she looked over her shoulder, she caught him staring at her. “You planning on having your bear wearing those clothes?” she asked with a smirk.

  He pulled off his shirt and toed off his shoes, his eyes still firmly on his mate. Still watching him, she slid her hands up her back and unclasped her bra, letting it slide down her arms. She was deliberately teasing him. Two could play that game. He unbuttoned his jeans and hooked his thumbs into the waistband. Her eyes were glued to this crotch, all movement ceased. He waited until she looked up and he winked at her, enjoying the blush that came to her cheeks. Then he slowly pushed down his jeans and stepped out of them. His hands came back up to the waistband of his boxers and he pulled them down, easing over his cock which was firmly standing to attention. Tara's eyes grew wide and she licked her lips. She was killing him here. Shifters were used to nudity and it was generally considered impolite to stare. It was different with mates though, and he enjoyed her reaction to his nakedness. She visibly pulled herself together, and with a saucy little smirk, she bent over slightly as she slid her underwear down, presenting him with a fabulous view of her ass.

  “Ready?” she asked.

  Was he ever? No, wait. Shifting. She was talking about shifting. Dammit.

  “Yeah,” he said, voice a little rough.

  With that, they both went through their respective shifts. Him bulking up to grizzly size, her shrinking down to mouse size. No one had ever managed to explain the difference in size between humans and their shifted counterparts. Alex left it up to people much smarter than him. He just put it down to some kind of magic and left it there. Anything else made his head hurt.

  Change over, he revelled in the feel of his bear and the sheer strength that was coiled within him. Looking over, he spotted Tara in her mouse form, her little nose twitching. Lumbering over, he lowered his head to look at her. She was so tiny compared to him.

  Determined to protect her, he walked slowly, keeping an eye on her at all times. She was so small, so vulnerable in this fo
rm, easy pickings for many animals. Not one of them would tangle with his bear. After a while, Tara halted and he stopped with her. He’d never seen a mouse look quite so exasperated before. She waited for him to lower his body, and then she suddenly scampered up his foreleg, her little feet digging into his fur. He could feel her now, sitting between his shoulder blades. What on earth was she doing? He waited but she didn’t move. He waited some more and she squeaked at him. Did she want him to move? Carefully, he raised up and began to walk. He could travel a little faster now, although he still had to be careful about dislodging his passenger.

  He wandered for a while, enjoying the experience. The sun was warm on his face and he could hear birds singing in the trees. In his bear form, his sense of smell was extraordinary. It was always a little bewildering at first until his bear took over a little more, helping him to handle the bombardment to his senses. He could smell that a squirrel had made its home in this tree. A moose shifter had been through these woods in the last few days. Mrs Johnson, who lived in a house just on the edge of the woods, had been baking apple pie. He could also detect the scent of his mother, a fox shifter, and… blood? Nope. Not going there. Ignorance was truly bliss. Instead, he focussed on the heady scent of his mate. It was altered somewhat by her shift, but it was unmistakably Tara and it was glorious.

  He finally came to a stop in a clearing and lay down, allowing Tara to run back down to the ground. Nodding his head at her, he waited for her to shift, staying in his bear form, unable to leave her vulnerable while they shifted. He watched as she grew in size, changing shape, becoming the woman instead of the mouse. She was a cute mouse, but she was a beautiful woman. Only once she was done, did he allow his own change to take place.

  Straightening up, his eyes went straight to his mate. She stood there, watching him. He let his eyes drink her in, appreciating her form. She was perfect. Small but curvy, her skin pale and soft looking. He couldn’t tear his eyes away, and it looked like she was engaged in a similar struggle. He wanted to cross the distance between them, but he was worried about scaring her away. In the end, she surprised him. She walked over to him, her hand tentatively coming to rest on his arm as her fingers traced his bicep. She looked up at him with a small shy smile. He lifted his hand and cupped her face, satisfaction warming him as she snuggled into his touch.