Max - Three Silverback Bears and a Baby Book One

by Raines, Harmony

  Tension built in her body, the need for release almost too much. Raking her fingertips down his back, she urged him on. With every thrust, his tempo quickened. In and out, the friction of his flesh against hers increased her arousal until with a strangled cry, she came.

  Intense waves of emotion swept over her, every time she thought she’d peaked, Max would take her higher with the touch of his hands or the kiss of his lips. Her body craved each stroke of his fingers, or lick of his tongue, until at last, he came, jerking his seed deep inside her.

  As they reached their final release together, she clung to him, like a fallen climber on the mountain might cling to a crevice to stop himself from falling into the abyss below.

  But as Max’s breathing slowed and he wrapped her in his strong arms, she knew he would never let her fall.

  Chapter Seventeen – Max

  “Thank you for a wonderful night.” He sat across the table in her small kitchen while Josephine fed Milly her formula. They looked so serene, foster mother and baby sharing a moment of tenderness before the day began.

  He wished they could have met earlier and had a child of their own. But he was thankful they had the chance to take a quarter share of watching Milly grow up. Her childhood would be made more special because he would be sharing it with the three people he loved most in the world. His brothers and his mate.

  Is it too early to declare our undying love? his bear asked. He loved Milly as if she were his own and couldn’t wait for the small child to meet him in the flesh. Or fur.

  Why not invite Josephine and Milly out on a picnic into the mountains and let her see you? Max suggested.

  Today? His bear’s excitement was tangible.

  Yes, we don’t have a shift. We could do it today. Max liked the idea a lot.

  “Thank you for a wonderful night, too.” Josephine rubbed Milly’s back as she finished her formula and patiently waited for the baby to burp.

  “Do you have any plans for today?” Max asked as he bit into his toast which he’d smeared with butter and honey.

  A bear’s gotta do what a bear’s gotta do, his bear licked his lips at the thought of honey.

  “Other than feeding and changing this little lady, getting some groceries and cooking dinner?” Josephine asked. “Oh, and playing with her. Milly sure does like company while she rolls from front to back on the floor. And she’s even attempting to crawl. Life is about to get interesting.”

  “Very interesting,” Max confirmed. “And not just in the way you think.”

  “Oh, do you know something I don’t know?” Josephine asked.

  “I have an invitation for you,” Max grinned as her expression faltered. “It’s nothing bad, like a surprise wedding.”

  “Oh, great. I mean I know we’re engaged and since we are mates, things will move a little faster, but…please don’t spring a surprise anything on me…ever.”

  “I promise.” He paused as he picked up his coffee cup and took a sip. “I…we…wanted to invite you and Milly on a picnic into the mountains.”

  Josephine’s expression cleared and she smiled brightly. “We would love to.”

  “Great. I need to go home and change and then I can pick you up and drive to Mountain View, it’s a small area where people like to go and picnic. There’s easy access and a couple of trails we could follow.” He hesitated. “We could find somewhere secluded and I could shift. My bear really wants to meet you and Milly.”

  Josephine’s eyes widened. “Oh, that we.” She cracked a smile. “I thought you meant we as in Jake and Tad.”

  “No, I’d like to keep you to myself for the day. Both of you.” He rolled his eyes. “Not in a possessive way at all. It’s just that last night was so special and I’d like to…I don’t know, it sounds corny, but I’d like to let the magic last a little longer.”

  “I like the sound of us spending the day together and I also like the idea of meeting your bear. And as long as he is big and cuddly and not at all scary, I think Milly will love him, too.” Josephine jiggled Milly up and down on her knee while she scraped butter over a piece of toast with her free hand.

  “You know my bear is a massive grizzly, not a cute panda bear, don’t you?” Max asked.

  “I thought he loved kids and so would be on his best cuddly bear behavior today,” Josephine replied as she placed the butter knife down on her plate and picked up her toast.

  “He will be on his best behavior,” Max guaranteed Josephine. “But I wanted you to know that if he had to protect you or Milly, he would fight tooth and claw to keep you safe.”

  “I know. But hopefully, we won’t need that kind of protection today.” Josephine’s eyes strayed to the window overlooking the back yard as she spoke.

  “I’m sorry for suggesting you would need protecting,” Max told her gently. “I didn’t mean to remind you of…”

  “Vincent?” She placed her toast down on her plate. “It’s okay, you can say his name. It’s not as if speaking it will make him appear or anything.” All the same, her eyes drifted to the window and her hand tightened around Milly’s waist.

  “So, why don’t I go home and fix us some food and then come back here and collect you both,” Max suggested.

  “Or we could meet you at Mountain View. I have some errands to run and I can pick up some food from the grocery store.” Josephine took another bite of her toast. “There’s no point in you driving all the way back here to pick us up. Plus, I like to find my own way to places, that way I’ll know how to get there again. I don’t know, for some reason the routes stick better if I drive myself.”

  Max was about to insist on coming back for them but then he changed his mind. He didn’t want to be the guy who organized Josephine’s life whether she liked it or not. “Sure, that sounds like a plan. I’ll go home, I have a couple of chores I need to catch up on and then I’ll leave my truck at the house and hike through the mountains.”

  “On two legs or four?” Josephine asked lightly as she dusted the crumbs off her sweater and reached for her coffee cup.

  “You read my mind. If we’re not driving back into Bear Creek to pick you up, then I might as well shift and let my bear iron out the kinks by shifting and running up the mountain.” Max stood up and grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair. Folding it over his arm, he walked around the table and leaned down to give Josephine a kiss on the lips before dropping a kiss on Milly’s head. “I’ll see you both later.”

  “Okay.” Josephine dragged her phone toward her across the table and checked the time. “Maybe an hour and a half?”

  “Sounds like a plan. Do you want directions to Mountain View?” Max asked.

  “I know where it is. It’s signposted off the road from Bear Creek to Bear Bluff.” Josephine drained her coffee and then got up from the table and followed Max along the hallway to the front door. “I’ll see you later. Do you want me to bring honey for your bear?”

  Max laughed. “That would be one way to make him happy.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, inhaling her scent one last time before he walked to his truck.

  “And there was me thinking he would be happy just to see us.” Josephine hugged Milly tighter as her attention was grabbed by something in the front yard.

  “What’s wrong?” Max asked as he turned away from her and followed her gaze.

  “The rosebush in the front yard has been broken down.” She left the doorway where she’d been standing and walked across the front lawn to the rosebush. “Look.”

  “It’s close to the street. I suspect some kids have run through it and broken it by accident.” Max went to stand next to his mate. “Might even have been some kid dealing with his first shift. Those can get a little uncontrollable.”

  “You’re probably right. I’ll cut it back and it’ll regrow.” She didn’t sound too sure as she stared at the broken thorny stems. “But that would have hurt, don’t you think?”

  “Thick fur.” He hunkered down and examined the rosebush closely, s
urprised that there was no fur caught on the thorns. If a bear or another furry animal had done the damage, he would have expected the thorns to snag at the creature’s pelt. “If my bear brushed up against this, he wouldn’t feel a thing.”

  “Yeah, you’re right, I’m a little paranoid. Talking about what happened has stirred up a lot of memories. All the things I’d managed to bury while Vincent was in jail have resurfaced.” She backed away from the rosebush, clutching Milly in her arms.

  “Hey, it’s okay and completely understandable to feel this way.” Max stood up and put his hands on his hips. “If you would rather I stay with you, I can.”

  “No, you go. I don’t want our picnic in the mountains ruined.” Josephine forced a smile onto her face. “Milly and I can’t wait to meet your bear. So go.” She shooed Max toward his truck. “And don’t worry about us.”

  “That might take some practice. Not because of Vincent, but because I have this overwhelming urge to protect you.” He shrugged. “It’s in my nature.”

  “I appreciate your nature. I appreciate it a lot. But I don’t want you sucked into the world of fear that I keep locked at the back of my mind,” Josephine told him as they reached his truck. “I will meet you in an hour and a half.”

  “Don’t be late.” Max got in his truck and with a quick wave and a lingering look, drove home.

  The journey passed by in a blur, his body working on autopilot as his mind conjured up images of Josephine. She was everything he wanted and more. So much more. If only the specter of Vincent Branston wasn’t hanging over them, life would be pretty much perfect.

  “Ah, there you are.” Jake met Max in the hallway as he entered the house. “I wondered if you were ever coming home.”

  “You know where I’ve been. And I messaged Tad to tell him not to worry.” Max headed to the kitchen where he poured two cups of coffee and handed one to Jake. “Have you had any luck tracing Vincent Branston?”

  “And good morning to you, too.” Jake accepted the cup of coffee Max offered him. “Thanks.”

  “So?” Max sipped his coffee, his eyes fixed on his older brother.

  “I have people on it, but so far no one has been able to locate him. It seems he left the prison and got straight on a bus out of town, breaking his parole in the process.” Jake looked down at his coffee before raising his eyes up to Max’s. “If you’d just got out of prison after such a long stretch, wouldn’t you stick to the rules of your parole? Unless you have something very important you need to do.”

  “Like visiting the person who was responsible for putting you in jail.” Max rubbed his hand over his chin. He needed a shave and a shower before he went to meet Josephine. But it was all he could do not to run out of the door right away and go to her side.

  And stay by her side until this is all over and we know where Vincent is, his bear added.

  Exactly, Max answered.

  “The best use of the resources we have at our disposal is to focus on Bear Creek and ensure Vincent doesn’t get a chance to hurt Josephine.” Jake’s usual businesslike tone slipped as he added, “Josephine is a part of this family and I will use whatever resources are needed to keep her safe.”

  “But what if he does come here?” Max asked. “What do we do, call the police or take matters into our own hands?”

  “We call the police. He is in violation of his parole. He’ll get shipped back to jail faster than you can say jackrabbit,” Jake said evenly.

  “And what then, wait until he gets released again?” Max didn’t know exactly what he was expecting Jake’s answer to be, all he knew was that he wanted Vincent dealt with permanently.

  Death? his bear asked in shock.

  No, but surely if he comes here to hurt Josephine, his prison sentence would be lengthened. I don’t want Josephine living with the threat of Vincent Branston hanging over her…hanging over us…for the rest of our lives.

  “I don’t know. All we can do is be vigilant and keep her safe.” Jake finished his coffee and looked at the kitchen clock. “I have to get back to work.”

  “Not in the office today?” Max asked as he washed the two cups up.

  “No, I’m experimenting with being more hands off and working remotely.” Jake backed out of the kitchen.

  “Is this so you can be at home more for Milly?” Max asked in surprise. Usually, Jake was chained to his desk. Although in the last few years he’d learned to come home in the evening and switch off from work, there were still plenty of nights when Jake pulled an all-nighter or slept for a couple of hours on the pull-out bed in his office.

  “I want to do my fair share of daddy duties.” He rubbed a hand over his face and for the first time in a long time, Max saw the real Jake Harrison.

  “It’ll do you good to have something to focus on other than your business and making money.” Max crossed the kitchen and stood a couple of feet in front of Jake. “You’ve done enough, you’ve got enough.”

  “Never enough,” Jake replied. “I know you probably wouldn’t understand, but I live my life half afraid that someone is going to come and take it all away if I stop for just one day.” He reeled back as if he hadn’t meant to share so much of himself with Max.

  “I never knew you felt that way,” Max replied. “You always seem to be on top of things. I suppose you’ve just gotten good at hiding the real you, the man who has feelings and emotions the same way everyone else does. One day I hope you meet the perfect woman for you, and she finds a way of drawing out the real you.”

  “Even I don’t know who the real me is, so I doubt a woman is going to find him lurking beneath the hard outer shell I’ve spent so long cultivating.” He glanced up at the clock once more. “In some ways, it would be fairer all round if I never met my mate. I’d hate to see the disappointment on her face when she realized the man I am.”

  “And now you are being melodramatic,” Max told Jake. “The best thing in the world is that moment when you see your mate for the first time, and you know she is the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with. And despite what you say, I know what kind of a man is lurking under that hard outer shell, and I know any woman would be lucky to have you in their life.”

  “The only female I have time for in my life is Milly. I want to make sure she never has to worry about money and she never has to worry about not having a roof over her head,” Jake said fiercely. “Raising Sally’s child is a blessing I never thought I deserved. Maybe this is my chance to give back instead of taking all the time.”

  “Give back? Do you hear yourself? You gave up so much just to make sure we all stayed together.” Max’s frustration bubbled over. “You never did anything wrong. As far as I am aware you have never done anything illegal, either in business or in your private life. So give yourself a break. You deserve the exact same happiness as any other person on this planet, if not more.” Max jabbed his finger at Jake. “Never forget that.”

  Jake stared at Max for a moment. “So this is what happens when a man finds his mate. He gets all fired up. Josephine is a lucky woman.”

  It was Max’s turn to glance at the clock. “She won’t think that if I’m late.” Although, his need to be by Josephine’s side went deeper than not wanting to be late. He needed to be by her side to protect her from anything or anyone who might mean her harm.

  Vincent Branston, his bear added,

  Exactly.

  Chapter Eighteen – Josephine

  “Mountain View.” Josephine lifted Milly out of the car and turned a full three-sixty degrees as she took in the stunning vista. “This place certainly lives up to its name.”

  She shifted Milly to her left hip and leaned down, reaching into the car for the diaper bag and the backpack she’d packed with food. As she straightened up, a shiver ran down her spine. There was no one else here. She was a couple of miles away from the nearest house.

  Exposed. They were too exposed.

  Panic filled her as if a heavy rock had rolled down the mountainside
and landed on her chest. As if sensing her anxiety, Milly reached out her small hand and curled it around Josephine’s hair. With the softest voice, she babbled to Josephine, a string of indecipherable words that gave her foster mom comfort.

  “Thanks, Milly. I guess I was overreacting.” She leaned forward and kissed Milly on the cheek.

  A twig cracked. Josephine was immediately on high alert once more and her arms tightened around the small child in her arms. She didn’t care what Vincent did to her as long as she didn’t hurt Milly.

  “Beh.” Milly thrust her hand forward, her little finger pointing at the tree line a hundred feet, or more, further down the valley. “Beh.” Milly let go of Josephine’s hair and clapped her hands in delight.

  “Bear,” Josephine repeated. Movement in the trees confirmed her suspicions. “It’s Max.”

  Shutting the car door, she hitched the diaper bag and the backpack containing the hastily prepared picnic onto her right shoulder, while she held Milly tightly in her left arm. Then she set off toward the tree line, in the direction Milly had pointed.

  As she drew closer, she tried to focus on the rustling leaves that were not moving in the light breeze that skimmed down off the mountain. The twigs and branches were moving in a different direction to the rest of the swaying trees. There was something there.

  “Bear.” A large bear head poked out of the trees.

  Josephine stopped in her tracks and stared at the russet brown bear head. It was real.

  Her heart rate quickened. What if it wasn’t her bear? What if the bear in the trees was a real bear, one who would attack at any moment and kill or maim both Josephine and Milly?

  The bear took one step out of the trees and stood still, watching her. Josephine was no more than twenty feet away from the bear, surely if it was going to attack it would have made its move by now. Instead, it simply stared at her.

  Taking her courage in both hands, she tightened her grip on Milly and half turned her body toward the bear, shielding the young child from the creature. But Milly wriggled around in Josephine’s arms until she could see the bear once more.