“No.” She waved her hands at him and looked around with wide eyes.
“Okay, good, I never was the kind of person who liked to show off.” He let his arms drop to his sides. “I love you, Elise. I am in love with you. And I will love you until the end of days.”
“I don’t know what to say.” She shook her head and fell silent.
“You don’t have to say anything. I don’t expect you to love me. Of course, I hope you will one day, but I understand that my feelings are stronger because I’m a shifter and I know you are the one for me.”
“I do love you,” she whispered. “I’ve just never told anyone before. Except for my family.” She came closer and placed her hand on his heart. “But this love is different.”
“I’m honored to be your first and only love.” His eyes darkened, in this moment he wanted nothing more than to claim his mate as his own.
“My only love,” she repeated.
“Together forever,” he added.
Perhaps Elise wishes she’d experienced the love of other men, his bear was worried. She might feel as if she’s missed out if we are her only love.
“I had gotten used to the idea that love was going to pass me by. But here you are.”
“Here I am.” He held out his arms as if offering himself to her.
“Let’s make this fire before the temperature drops or you waste away due to lack of food.” She rushed toward him, kissed him on the cheek, and then went back to preparing the fire.
She loved him. The words echoed around his head as he turned his attention to organizing the camp.
She loves us, his bear reminded him.
That’s what I meant. Caleb smiled as he worked. This was one of the best days of his life.
Chapter Seventeen – Elise
“Domestic bliss.” She passed him a plate of food and sat down next to Caleb who had dragged a large fallen tree trunk over to their small camping area and placed their sleeping bags on the ground in front of it. The sleeping bags cushioned them from the hard ground while the tree trunk acted as a backrest.
“I could get used to watching you cook.” He leaned forward and inhaled deeply. “The smell is incredible.”
“In a good way?” she asked as she shuffled around to get comfortable.
“Of course, in a good way.” He picked up his fork.
“Because lots of things smell incredible. Some incredibly good and some incredibly bad.”
“Don’t put yourself down,” Caleb told her firmly. “So far, from what I’ve seen, smelled and now am about to taste, your cooking is wonderful.”
“But not as good as Ivan’s.” She pressed her lips together, her fork hovering above her plate.
“Let’s see.” He stuck his fork into the dish she’d prepared with the truffles his bear had dug out of the ground. After sniffing it, he opened his mouth and ate. “Oh, wow. No, your cooking isn’t like Ivan’s.”
“You don’t have to eat it,” she told him quickly, her mouth turned down at the corners as she watched his face.
“I didn’t say it was bad. I just said it wasn’t like Ivan’s. It’s different.” He forked up another mouthful. “The flavors burst on your tongue but then there’s a subtle aftertaste. It’s incredible.”
“You’re not just saying that?” she asked.
“Shifter here.” He pointed at his chest. “Mate there.” He pointed at her. “That means I can’t lie to you.”
“Ah, or are you telling me that because you don’t want to hurt me? What would be worse, hurting my feelings with the truth, that the dish is terrible, or lying to me that you like it?”
“You’re not good at receiving compliments, are you?”
“Not especially,” she admitted. “You could call me modest.”
“This food deserves more than modesty.”
“Do you think Ivan will like it?” she asked. “I trust your judgment since he is your brother. You must know what food he likes.”
“He’ll be blown away.” Caleb cracked a smile. “In a good way.”
“Good.” She ducked her head and ate her food, trying not to smile.
“It really is good.” Caleb took another bite. “Are these all ingredients you found today?”
“Yes, with a little help from your bear.” She ate for a moment, glancing up at him as she chewed. “I like him. I like him a lot.”
“He likes you a lot.” His brow creased. “If I told you he loved you, would that freak you out?”
“No, not at all. I can see he’s a part of you. I can see you in his eyes. Or are they the same eyes?” she asked. “I have so many questions.”
“I want to answer them all.” He waggled an eyebrow. “But I also want to keep some mystery. I’d hate for you to get bored of me.”
“There’s no hope of that. I don’t think I could ever get bored of watching you shift.” She placed her fork on her plate and ran her hand over her forearm. “It gave me goosebumps. Like if you hear a beautiful piece of music, it makes your hairs stand on end.”
Caleb nodded and ate the rest of his food. “So you’re no longer scared of bears?”
“No, your bear has won me over.” She chuckled. “When we leave, we can head to that patch of sweet-smelling mushrooms and we can pick some and save them until tomorrow night.”
“Tomorrow night?” he asked.
“Yes, I figured you could come over to the house and your bear can eat the mushrooms. I’ve never seen a drunken bear before.” She finished her food and leaned back, enjoying the warmth of the fire as twilight settled around them and the temperature dipped.
“My bear has never been drunk so it should be fun for both of us, as long as he doesn’t pass out.”
“What happens if he does?” Elise asked.
“I might be stuck in bear mode for a while.” Caleb chuckled and shook his head. “Logan’s wolf once knocked himself out.”
“How?” Elise leaned closer to him, mesmerized by the warm low tone of his voice.
“I suppose he didn’t exactly knock himself out. We were playing in the mountains, stalking each other. It wasn’t long after we all learned to shift. Logan tried this new idea of delaying his shift. We’d all done it before, but he tried to push it too far. As a wolf, he’s a lot lighter and more agile than a bear, and he miscalculated where he’d land, and his wolf smacked into a boulder.”
“And he was stuck as a wolf?” Elise sat up and looked at Caleb with her hands over her mouth. “Was he okay? I mean he’s alive and doesn’t seem brain damaged so I guess he didn’t seriously hurt himself.”
“He was out for a few minutes, and we panicked. It’s not something that you’re ever really prepared for. We were trying to figure out how to get him back down the mountain. Dario or Ivan had carried us on their backs in their human forms before but neither of them had ever attempted to carry any of us in our shifter form.”
“That must have been a long five minutes.” Elise shook her head. “When we have children, they’re going to be shifters, right?”
He smothered a smile, as if he could read the direction of her thoughts. “They are.”
“And we’re going to go through this? I mean our kids experimenting with shifting.” She swallowed hard. “I don’t know if I’m ever going to be ready for that.”
“We’ll worry about them shifting, in the same way we’ll worry about them coming here.” He held out his arm toward the canopy above their heads.
“What’s wrong with the wildwood?” Elise’s brows knitted together. “The bears? I shouldn’t have told you.”
“No, it’s not the bears. We will worry about our children wherever they are and whatever they do. As a parent, it’s only natural. But they have to be allowed to explore the world around them and figure out where they fit into it.”
“So, we need to teach them common sense?” Elise nodded. “Maybe we’ll survive parenting after all.”
“Valerie taught us to think for ourselves and how to take care of eac
h other. At least when Logan knocked himself out, the rest of us were there for him.” He lifted his arm and then casually draped it over her shoulders. “Our children will have their cousins to play with and we’ll teach them all how to look after each other. Just like me and my brothers and you and Karros.”
She leaned into him as he tightened his grip around her shoulders. “Karros has always been there for me and I hope I’ve always been there for him.”
“He’s your older brother. Protecting you comes naturally.” He dropped a light kiss on her head. “And even though we’re mates and it’s my job to protect you now, I know he isn’t going to stop being your brother or watching out for you.”
“A big bear shifter doesn’t get jealous of that?” Elise asked.
“No, he’s your brother. Just like my brothers will always look out for me and protect me.” He squeezed her shoulders. “Even if I have a mate now who will also take care of me.”
“And protect you.” She tilted her head back and looked up at him. “I mean it. I might not be as strong as you, but strength isn’t everything.”
“You have an inner strength.” Caleb sighed and she pressed her lips along his jawline, tendrils of desire unfurling inside her stomach. Heat flared across her cheeks as he lowered his head and kissed her lips.
Turning into him, she threaded her hand under his sweater, her fingertips brushing his bare skin. He tensed, a shiver passing through him as he cupped her cheek in the palm of his warm hand and rubbed his thumb across her cheek.
“Shall we clear the camp and get ready for bed?” She didn’t want to move from his side, but she also didn’t want to attract wild animals into their camp by leaving the food out. There was only one bear she wanted in the camp tonight and he was the person sitting next to her.
“Sure.” He cleared his throat and loosened his arm from her shoulders before pulling her close once more. He kissed her, and she clung to him while the forest seemed to spin around them.
When he finally let her go, she placed her hand on the fallen tree trunk to steady herself. She’d never gone weak at the knees for any man. But Caleb wasn’t any man.
“I’ll put the food away.” She inhaled, forcing the air into her lungs.
While she packed the food into their packs, Caleb busied himself collecting the sleeping bags and laying them out in the tent before making sure the fire was out. As he moved around the camp, she was acutely aware of him.
With trembling fingers, she focused on packing the food carefully so it wouldn’t spoil before they got back home. They’d come here to gather the ingredients she needed for her recipe, however, being next to Caleb in the tent was all she could think about.
The warmth of his body as they slept side by side in the small, confined space. The sound of his breathing, the touch of his fingers on her skin.
She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. They were just going to sleep.
“Are you okay?” He was close, his soft voice sent shivers down her spine.
“Yeah, I’m nearly done.” She dug her hand in the pack and pulled out a flashlight. The sun was setting but the moon hadn’t risen yet. Soon their camp would be pitched into darkness.
“Your hand is shaking. Are you scared?” He closed his hand around hers. “There are no bears around here.”
“Yes, there is,” she replied hoarsely and turned to face him, her head tilted back as she faced him. “There’s a bear right here.”
“Who intends to protect you with his life.” Caleb smiled down at her as he flicked on the flashlight, the bright beam illuminating his face.
She swallowed hard. His eyes burned with desire, a desire matched by her. She wanted him. He wanted her. It was the simplest of recipes.
One they couldn’t mess up unless they didn’t act on their desires.
Elise slipped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his. “Shall we go to bed?”
“Yes,” he growled in response and lowered his head, capturing her lips with his. She sighed and nestled against him as he leaned down and picked her up.
Carrying her in his strong arms, he turned around and headed for the tent. When he reached it, he gently let her down, his arms closing around her waist as he waited for her to steady herself before letting her go.
Elise ducked down into the tent and kicked off her shoes. Caleb lingered outside, he seemed unsure as she peeled off her jacket and threw it to the end of the tent. Reaching out, she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward her, leaving him with no doubt she wanted him by her side.
Caleb knelt down and shuffled forward on his knees until he was inside the tent, facing her, his soft eyes fixed on her face. Elise leaned forward, slipped her hands around his neck and licked her lips, inviting him in.
With a deep groan, he wrapped his right arm around her waist and pulled her toward him. She gasped as he kissed her, his lips warm and insistent, and as their kiss broke, he held her gaze, his eyes asking the question—how far was she willing to go?
“Make love to me.” Elise had never been a woman who liked to play games. She was not about to start now.
He slipped his hands under her sweater and pulled it up over her head. She wriggled and pulled her arms out of the sleeves before curling her fingers around the hem of her T-shirt and yanking it over her head, too.
Caleb stroked the swell of her breasts, tracing the lace of her bra with his fingertips. Damn, had the temperature just rocketed in the wildwood, or only in the tent?
Her body was on fire as he lowered his head and placed soft butterfly kisses over her sensitive skin, working his way over her breasts, along her collarbone and then up her neck. She ached for him, a deep need emanating from her core.
While he teased her with his kisses, his hands quickly unzipped her slacks and pulled them down over her hips. He let her go and she rocked back and forth before sitting down on her bottom, while he pulled her slacks off her feet.
Caleb leaned back and sat down on his heels, simply staring at her. Heat flared across her skin and she swallowed hard. This wasn’t the time to fall apart, she wanted him naked beside her.
Pushing herself to a sitting position, she pulled at the hem of his T-shirt. Caleb took the hint and yanked the fabric up over his head, throwing it to one side as she unbuckled his belt.
The confines of the tent made things a little difficult, but they worked together to push his jeans down over his toned thighs. Caleb hooked his thumbs around his boxers and pulled them off, too.
He was naked.
It has her turn to stare.
Like a lioness on the prowl, she pushed herself up onto all fours and padded toward him. Caleb lay down and she lifted her right leg and placed her knees down on either side of him.
His hands encircled her waist and he guided her to sit on him, his thumb brushing her mound as she moved. Elise closed her eyes as she throbbed in need. She’d never wanted a man so desperately. She’d never wanted anything so desperately.
Caleb reached for the clasp holding her bra in place, with a sigh he freed her breasts, his hands cupping them, his thumb brushing her hard nipples. Elise closed her eyes as sensations flooded her body.
Outside in the woods, an owl hooted, and a cool breeze buffeted the tent, reminding her of where she was.
She opened her eyes, reached down between their bodies and curled her hand around Caleb’s hardness. Rising onto her knees, she pushed her panties aside and guided him into her. Lowering herself down slowly, she gasped as he stretched her inner walls, the friction between their bodies intense.
Elise bit her lower lip, as she inched down slowly, enjoying the moment as they finally joined together as one.
Caleb placed his hand on the small of her back and sat up, cradling her in his arms as he lowered his head and sucked her nipple into his mouth. She gasped and her inner muscles tensed as her arousal kicked up a notch.
Placing her hands against his chest to steady herself, she moved her hips, circling them aro
und and around. Kissing, stroking, touching, they explored each other’s bodies. Each intimate moment deepening their connection.
Rocking back and forth in his lap, she guided them toward new heights. As the night sounds of the wildwood surrounded them, she imagined them as two primal creatures who had found each other against all odds. Two people from different worlds destined to be together.
As her orgasm hovered in front of her, Caleb placed his hand on the small of her back and lifted her, turning her over so she lay on her back. Nestling between her thighs, he hovered over her body, before thrusting into her hard and deep.
She cried out as he drew back and then lunged into her again, over and over, pushing her higher until she finally came. Her inner muscles gripped him, pulsing around him, setting off a chain reaction.
Caleb jerked into her, filling her with his seed, calling out her name as if to tell the world around them that she was his.
As they lay spent in each other’s arms, Elise accepted that knowledge. As she accepted utterly and completely that she was a shifter’s mate.
And no one would ever change that.
Chapter Eighteen – Caleb
“Good morning.” He kissed her lips as her eyes fluttered open.
“Is it morning?” She blinked rapidly and rubbed her hand across her eyes.
“It’s early. I thought we could enjoy the sunrise together over a cup of coffee before we head back home.” He tucked the sleeping bag around her as he slipped away and went to light the fire.
“You brought coffee?” she asked.
“I did.” He went to his pack and opened one of the side pockets. “Instant. But coffee is coffee.”
“It sure is.” She yawned and stretched her arms above her head before quickly putting them back inside the sleeping bag. “Aren’t you cold?”
He glanced down at his bare arms. He’d pulled on his jeans and a T-shirt, but he hadn’t retrieved his sweater yet. “I have hot shifter blood. I don’t get cold.”
Her teeth chattered as a light breeze ruffled her hair. “Once you have the fire lit, can you come back to bed?”
Fae-ted to the Bear: A Wishing Moon Bay Shifter Romance (The Bond of Brothers Book 4) Page 13