by Jenika Snow
“You guys are such wimps. I’m getting me some tonight, and it’s going to be with a Wylde bear.” She pulled out of Ary’s grasp and sauntered over to Bram. February felt her face heat at the blatant sexuality that poured from Melissa. She was used to this behavior from her friend, but now she was sucking her into her craziness. There was no denying she was attracted to Charlie Wylde, but this certainly wasn’t the way she wanted to go about it.
Turning back around and grabbing her shot, she downed it and let the burn travel straight down her throat and to her stomach.
She was halfway to the point of being drunk already, but it wasn’t nearly enough, not when she knew Melissa had some of the biggest balls around and something up her sleeve concerning the bears.
2
Melissa stayed by the bar for a good ten minutes, and as much as Ary didn’t want to check to see what she was doing, she found herself doing exactly that. In that short amount of time, she managed to throw back another two shots, accompanied by the worried looks cast her way from Candace.
“It’s my birthday,” was all she said and tossed back one more. She would need to be good and trashed tonight, especially when Melissa brought over the bears, which Ary knew was bound to happen soon.
“I didn’t say anything.” Candace looked over her shoulder again at Melissa, but Ary didn’t miss the way her eyes strayed to the coyote waiter. The silent flirting between the two was cute, but maybe that was just because her previous buzz had turned into full-blown intoxicated giddiness.
“Just go over there.” Ary smiled widely, feeling the pleasure of her alcohol-induced happiness. Candace cast an unsure expression, and Ary waved her off. “I’ll be fine. Besides, Melissa will no doubt be back soon, and you don’t need to be subjected to her antics.” No doubt, their friend would be in she-wolf stalking mode. Candace mouthed, Thank you, and scurried off. Someone should at least be excited about picking up a guy, not counting Melissa, since she was always excited about meeting a guy.
Hell, Melissa had enough of that for the whole damn bar. As Ary sat there and let the alcohol do its magic, she felt her worries, unease, and overall uncomfortable feeling that surrounded her wash away. Her eyes strayed to the dance floor, and she watched the crush of bodies move sexually and hypnotically against each other.
Shifty’s was a shifter-owned bar, but it didn’t discriminate against humans. All beings were welcome to enjoy the wild, animal-like fun that could be had. Most of the time, humans didn’t really come to Shifty’s—well, not if they actually knew what type of bar it was. There was always the occasional human who passed through their small town and stopped for a drink, but the locals tended to stay away.
Rightly so too. Shifters tended to let their animals out more when alcohol and raw sexuality were involved, and that combination was always going down at an animal bar. The hair on the back of Ary’s neck stood up, and she knew she was being watched. She pushed the long fall of her blonde hair over her shoulder but refused to look at Charlie. She still couldn’t grasp why a man like that wanted an ocelot shifter like her.
Maybe Frank did do a number on her and she buried it so deep she thought she was fine. How many times had she looked in the mirror and wondered what any man saw in her? How many times had she criticized her flat blonde hair, dull blue eyes, and overall curviness? Had Frank’s hurtful words really made her believe that she was less than what she actually was? Sitting up straighter, she realized the truth. Why should she let herself feel like she wasn’t worth another man’s time?
Glancing at Candace, she was glad her friend was putting herself out there. She was the quietest one of their trio, and if she could go after what she wanted, why couldn’t Ary? Looking over her shoulder, she saw Charlie still watching her. He brought his beer bottle to his lips and took a long drink while never breaking eye contact. His position was relaxed as he leaned against the bar with one arm resting on the counter.
Melissa was laying it on thick with Bram, and Ford was making out with some barfly between them. Could she actually go after one of the Wylde brothers?
And why not? Do it, girl. Show Frank and yourself that you are something special and desirable.
Determination settled inside her, and she stood. Was she really going to have a one-night stand after she said she never would again? She stared at Charlie, and he cocked one dark brow. God, he was so freaking gorgeous that her inner question was already answered as she made her way toward him. He looked unaffected by her approach, but then again, maybe he knew this would be the outcome.
He certainly had the arrogance and assurance to think that way. The music was loud and angry-sounding, and it seemed she got more than one nasty glare from the female population the closer she got to Charlie. He hadn’t moved from his spot and just continued to drink his beer and watch her. When she was just a few feet from him, she inhaled deeply. The act caused her to get a concentrated scent of his cologne and natural scent.
It was a mixture of something rugged and wild, spicy and woodsy. To be honest, it had to be the most arousing aroma she had ever come in contact with, or maybe that was just her hormones talking. Melissa’s seductive giggling told Ary that her friend was on the fast track to getting exactly what she wanted, but she doubted she had to try very hard. Melissa was gorgeous and svelte, and by the look Bram had given her, there was no doubt the bear wanted to roll around in the sheets with a wolf.
February should say something, she knew this, but being so close to a man like Charlie Wylde had her tongue in knots. Her heart was a frantic, pounding mess, and her whole body felt like it was on fire. Could he see her nipples through her too-thin top? They felt hard enough to cut glass with. Could he smell her arousal? She was certainly wet enough that the moisture pooled in her panties, and the tingling in her clit made her think of his big, hard—
No, she wouldn’t go there, not when she felt as though she’d combust as it was.
With slow, methodical movements, he set the bottle down and took a step forward. He towered over a foot above her, and she craned her neck back. She thought she was aroused before, but holy damn did his presence make every cell in her body light up. As if he didn’t turn her on enough, watching him close his eyes and inhale deeply sent her over the edge.
A gush of moisture rushed out of her pussy, and she clenched her thighs together. When he opened his eyes, the blueness of them speared right into her and had her knees nearly buckling. His pupils dilated, and there was no doubt in her mind that he could smell her pussy and knew what his presence did to her.
As he leaned toward her, Ary forced herself to keep her place and not moan from his nearness. She didn’t care about the sneers the other women were giving her, and didn’t care that people were probably watching the spectacle. All she cared about was the heat from his body pulsating around her and his scent of masculinity and power consuming her.
His lips brushed along her ear, and a shiver raced up her spine. “Your name.” His voice was low, deep, and so damn sexy. It wasn’t a question but a command that made her realize this male was all alpha.
He inhaled deeply again, and a rough growl left him. That sound went straight to her clit, and that blasted bundle of nerves swelled even further. Her pussy clenched, most likely needing something substantial that only this bear could give her.
She could blame her reaction to him on the fact that she was drunk, but in reality, it was only his presence that made her a quivering mass of nerves.
“Ary Felina.” She breathed out her answer just as he leaned back and held her gaze. He hadn’t risen to his full height, and his face was so close to hers that they breathed the same air. He smelled like the rich, dark beer he just drank, and she swore she got a little more intoxicated off of it.
“Ary.” Her name rolled off his tongue like pure, unadulterated sex. The dirty images that she conjured of the two of them had heat rising to her cheeks. His smirk informed her he didn’t need to be a mind reader to know what she was thinking. That wa
s the problem with shifters and the fact that they could smell emotions.
“It’s short for February.” Her eyes lowered to his mouth, and all she could think about were those lips on her skin, her breasts, and even between her legs. It looked like he hadn’t shaved for several days, and a dark dusting of facial hair covered his cheeks. It made him look even more masculine, if that were possible.
“Like the month?” The tone of his voice told her he was teasing, but she was too far gone to get annoyed. It wasn’t as if she never heard the jokes about her name. Right now, all she cared about was pushing her preconceived notions about herself to the side and taking the bear by the balls, so to speak. She was standing tall and going after what she wanted, and what she wanted was Charlie Fucking Wylde.
“Charlie Wylde.” His name came from him smooth and crisp. He didn’t say anything else, just took her hand and led her to the dance floor. Everyone parted for him. The males looked uneasy, and, well, the females looked like they always did when a Wylde bear walked into the room. The song was slow and seductive, and as soon as they stepped into the center of the glossy floor, he pulled her close.
Their chests were pressed together, and she felt the hardness of every defined muscle move against her softness. The air left her when he slipped his hand down to her lower back and pulled her so close she could feel the stiff outline of his erection rub against her belly. It was like they were fused, and everything else faded away as he started moving his body against hers. Had she ever felt so feminine before? No. Never.
The steady bass moved through her, and the deep, rhythmic pumping settled in her erogenous zones. Charlie dipped his head low so his lips brushed along the shell of her ear again. He thrust his hips forward, and tingles started to encompass every single space in her body as his very prominent erection jerked between them. Ary was so attuned to him in every possible way that she could actually feel the damn thing grow stiffer.
Pheromones poured off him like a tsunami, and she absorbed it all. He was potent and untamed, and never had she been so needy to feel a male between her thighs.
“I can smell how wet your pussy is, Ary.” Out of that erotically phrased sentence, the one word that had her nearly moaning was the way he said her name. She admitted it sounded fucking good coming from his mouth. She hadn’t even had sex with him, yet she understood what the hype was with the Wylde brothers. And if she got her way, she would find out every intimate detail of his body by the time the night was over with.
She didn’t respond to his statement, just pressed her breasts more firmly against him and let her eyes slide shut when her hard nipples rubbed along his ripped muscles. This was so not her and would have been out of her comfort zone if not for her liquid courage and the lust that seemed to take on a mind of its own.
He spun her around so her ass was snug against him and started grinding his erection into her lower back.
Bear shifters were big in general, so why the hell was she even surprised that his cock was as well? They moved to the music, and Ary got lost in the rhythm and her desire. She rubbed her ass on him, snaked her arms behind her, and wove them around his neck, acting totally out of character. And it felt damn good. She saw Melissa and Bram through the throng of people, doing some very Dirty Dancing moves. Movement out of the corner of her eye had her looking to the side and seeing even Candace on the dance floor with the coyote.
He didn’t wear that little black apron around his waist, so Ary assumed he was off the clock, and by the looks of their own gyrating hips, he’d be getting off on something else later tonight. Melissa’s actions didn’t surprise her, but she was shocked at her own actions and even Candace’s. Maybe it was a full moon or something, because by the looks of it, all three of them were not going home alone tonight.
Charlie turned her around again, and she stared into his blue eyes. He moved close to her face, so their lips were only inches apart.
“I love a female who has all the right curves for me to hold on to,” he growled, and she swore their lips brushed together. “I especially like a nice handful when I’m buried balls-deep in pussy.” He emphasized his point by grinding his dick into her, and she swore she felt the damn python behind his fly jerk. Even with the pounding music, she heard every little word he said and wanted out of the fucking bar right now.
He held her stare for another moment, and she knew he was waiting for her to say the words, to give permission for things to escalate. Ary pushed her fear of the unknown aside and opened her mouth to say what it was she really wanted.
“Let’s go back to your place.”
His grin was purely predatory, and a shiver of anticipation and excitement coursed through her. After telling Candace and Melissa that she was leaving, and ignoring Melissa’s catcalls and Candace’s excited expression, she followed her date for the night out. Charlie took her hand and led her through the bar and outside. A Harley sat right in front of the bar, and she knew without a doubt it belonged to him.
Ary’s heart pounded fierce and hard as he straddled the metal beast. He handed her the helmet, and for a moment, all she could do was stare at him. He didn’t say anything, didn’t rush or pressure her, and she knew she was letting her mind take control when she needed to let her body do the talking.
As she grabbed hold of the helmet, their fingers brushed, and fire raced up her arm from the point of contact. She climbed on the back, and he reached behind, grabbed hold of her arm, and brought it around his lean hips.
“Atta girl.” The smile in his voice had her relaxing even further. With her legs spread wide and both arms now tight around him, Ary let herself look forward to doing something that was totally out of her comfort zone. It actually felt pretty good. He fired up the Harley, and the vibrations had her gritting her teeth as a stab of pleasure coursed through her pussy.
Charlie maneuvered the big piece of machinery out of the parking lot, and when he hit the asphalt, Ary held on as he sped away.
3
The ride to Charlie’s place only took about twenty minutes, but it felt like forever for Ary. The constant vibrations beneath her had her so incredibly worked up, even more so than she thought possible.
By the time they pulled up to the two-story cabin, her panties were soaked, her nipples felt like they ripped through her shirt, and she was ready to attack him. He climbed off the bike and helped her dismount.
Thick evergreens and pines surrounded the cabin, and she knew they were secluded. Maybe she should’ve been worried about having so much privacy and being completely alone with him, but that was the furthest thing from her mind. She might not know Charlie personally, but he was well known in their town for the construction company he owned with his brothers.
This was a reckless thing to do, something that was totally unlike her, but it felt so good to throw caution to the wind and just get wild.
He took her hand and led her toward the wide porch that wrapped around the cabin. He unlocked the front door and ushered her in first. A small light flickered on, and she glanced around. A massive kitchen was to her left with gleaming stainless steel appliances and black granite counters. To her right was a living room with dark leather furniture, a huge flat screen television, and a fireplace.
In front of her stood an intricately carved staircase that led to a loft. That was all the exploring she could accomplish, because the door slammed shut a moment later, and then she was spun around and pressed against the cold, hard wood. Charlie pressed his body to hers, and his cock dug into her belly.
His mouth was on her, one hand cupped her ass, and the other held a chunk of her hair in his fist. He kissed her raw and hard, sweeping his tongue inside her mouth and claiming her fully. The hand in her hair tightened, sending a sting of pleasurable pain through her scalp, to her breasts, and straight to the center of her pussy.
She tightened her legs around his waist and ground her pussy on his dick. He grunted out and used the leverage he had in her hair to tilt her head back. With her thro
at arched, he broke their kiss and dragged his tongue up her neck. He trailed his hand up her hip, and she was disappointed that he no longer gripped her ass.
When he slipped his hand under the hem of her shirt, she felt every callus along the pads of his fingers. It felt good to be touched by him, to feel the roughness that was a testament to the manual labor he did.
He ran his teeth up and down her neck, nipped at her flesh, and thrust his erection into her. She didn’t want to wait any longer to feel him inside her. She was feverish and excited, and all she could think about was how it would feel for him to thrust all those thick inches into her. Charlie murmured something, but it was distorted against the base of her throat. She didn’t care about words though.
All she wanted was him. Moving her hands between their bodies, she fumbled for the button and zipper of his pants.
Apparently, he wasn’t having any of that, because in the next instant, she was being turned in the air sharply then set back on her feet. The cold, smooth leather of the back of the couch pressed to her belly, but he didn’t give her time to let their actions settle in. Jerking her upright, he pulled her shirt from her in one swift move and tore her bra off.
A small sound escaped her at the fact that he was so worked up that he had torn the material right off her body. He had her shorts off next, and then the feel of his warm, humid breath against the cheeks of her ass told her he knelt behind her.
Could he see how wet her panties were? He groaned and palmed her ass right before he ran his nose up and down the crease of her bottom. No male had ever been near that part of her body before, but the taboo nature of it had her thrusting her ass back at him. The heavy weight of his palm landed on her right cheek, and the motion sent her forward slightly.
He brought his hand down on the left cheek then back to the right. Over and over, he swatted her bottom, not hard enough to hurt, but with enough force that the promise of it was there. Heat rose to the mounds as blood rushed to the surface.