“Who, Liam?” Catherine asked.
“Yes. I’ve never had children, so I’d like to have a good relationship with yours.” He started the engine, and then glanced at her as she buckled her seatbelt. “That includes Mike.”
Catherine sat back, and pressed her lips together. “When he leaves prison. I hate going to that place. I wouldn’t want to force it on you.”
“I don’t mind,” Julius said honestly. “I’m not offering to win any favor. I would like to help, that’s all.”
Catherine swung her head around to face him. “Can we talk about it some other time? I’d like to enjoy today and forget all about normal life.”
“Sounds good to me,” Julius said as he guided the car through the busy main street of town. “Tourist season is getting underway.”
“Liam is busy. He gained a lot of publicity after he took down those egg thieves. He said it went viral.” Catherine made small talk as they drove toward the mountains.
“The whole area has seen an upswing in visitor numbers. We have already seen an increase in reservations for this coming weekend. The weather looks settled. The mountain calls to the wild side in all shifters.” Julius watched for a left turn, the road would take them high up into the mountains. As a bear, he would have run across the lower slopes and then climbed on four stout legs, but it was not an easy climb for humans.
“Do you come up here often?” Catherine asked as they drove under tall trees, with their vibrant green leaves about to burst from buds at the end of every branch.
“As often as I can. But I’ve buried myself in work for too long. That is all about to change.” He pulled the car over to the side of the road. “Here. We can follow the trail, it’s not too strenuous, and it will be worth it, I can promise you.”
Catherine got out of the car and joined him as he removed the picnic basket from the trunk. “You might have to take it easy on me. Liam insisted on kitting me out in suitable clothing. I hope these hiking boots don’t rub.”
“We’ll take it slow.” He looked down at her boots. “Your thick socks should stop your boots from rubbing. And I like the cargo pants.”
Catherine looked down at her outfit. “They’re not really me. But that might change, since they are so comfortable.”
Julius took her hand. “This way. My bear has told me exactly where he wants to take you.”
“So I can feed him anchovies?” Catherine asked.
“Don’t mention them. It’s all I can do to keep him from taking over as it is.” Julius chuckled as his bear roared his displeasure at being kept at bay. But Julius wanted to enjoy talking to Catherine before the big grizzly took over.
“I can’t wait to meet him,” Catherine said. “It is a him, isn’t it?”
Julius stopped under a large pine tree and frowned. “He’s all male.”
She giggled. “I was teasing. I might not have married my true mate the first time around, but I’ve raised two shifter boys single-handedly. I know how the mechanics work.”
“That must have been tough. Puberty is all kinds of crazy from what I recall. Going through it with two headstrong boys, when you don’t know exactly what they are experiencing, must be even harder.”
“Maybe that’s where I went wrong with Mike. He didn’t have anyone there who really understood him. Except for Liam, of course. But he didn’t have the guiding hand of a shifter role model.” Her pace slowed as she spoke, and Julius turned around and walked backward, one foot behind the other, watching her beat herself up over it.
“What about Liam? He turned out OK. He runs the store. Made a success of it, from what I can see.”
Catherine smiled weakly. “He’s such a good boy. Well, young man. I think that’s what makes me so angry at Mike. There was Liam, an undercover cop who tracked down drug dealers. While his own brother was a drug smuggler.” She puffed out a long breath. “Makes me so mad.”
“I didn’t know Liam was an undercover cop.” Surprise was evident in Julius’s voice.
“Yes. Although it’s kind of a secret. He gave it up to come here to Bear Creek and take over the store. I’d loaned Mike the money, all my savings because he told me it was his chance to prove himself.” She shook her head, berating her choices. “I don’t think Mike ever had any intention of making good on the store, it was too much like hard work. But it gave him the perfect cover for smuggling drugs.”
They had reached a steep part of the trail. Julius stopped and opened the basket, taking out a bottle of water. “Here, keep yourself hydrated.”
“Thanks.” Catherine took the bottle and drank deeply before passing it back to him.
“I always wondered what I’d have been like as a father. Whether my kids would have grown up resenting me, or being proud of me.” He took her hand and helped her up the steep trail as small stones moved underfoot with each step, making it hard to get a grip.
“I believe you would have made a good father.” Catherine sounded breathless, but they were close to the top so he pressed on.
“You don’t know me. I’m a driven man. Before I bought the hotel, I worked the stock market. Long hours, in which I’d get totally engrossed in the thrill of chasing millions in profit.” All so long ago, a different man, a different lifetime.
“Why did you give it up?” Catherine asked, relief on her face as he finally pulled her up onto a wide expanse of grassland. The waterfall was another mile away, but over gentler terrain.
“Because of you.” Julius held her against him. “That day you got married, my life stopped making sense. I focused on work, but you consumed me. I burned out a couple of years later. But I’d made my fortune and then the hotel became my new mistress.”
“Sorry.” She pulled a goofy face.
“It wasn’t your fault.” He dropped a light kiss on her lips.
“Maybe you have your answer.” She turned in his arms and looked out over the valley below. “If we’d met and been together, do you think you’d have stayed at work? All those hours apart.” She pressed herself back against his body and he tightened his hold on her. Did she have any idea of the effect she had on him?
“No.” He lowered his head and nuzzled her neck. “I don’t think I could have stood being apart from you for one moment.”
Catherine leaned her head back on his shoulder and raised her face to look at him. “You would have spent endless hours in my bed.”
He kissed her lips, his tongue tracing her lower lip. “I would,” he murmured.
“And then we’d have had bear cubs and you would have raised them, played with them, because that’s what matters to you.” His hand slid up her body, covering her breast and he massaged the plump flesh in his large hand. She opened her mouth, a soft gasp, and he took full advantage, kissing her, entwining his tongue with hers.
He groaned. “You drive me insane, Catherine.”
She broke away from him. “Then we should keep our distance, I don’t want to let your bear down. He wants some fun too, doesn’t he?”
“Anchovies,” Julius nodded.
They walked hand in hand across the tough mountain grass. There was no hurry, they had all day. And then the rest of their lives to make up for lost time. He particularly liked the idea of spending endless hours in her bed. Or, more precisely, endless hours inside his mate.
Chapter Nine – Cath
Goodness, the heat between her thighs was intense. Really intense. A raw ache that needed easing, and she sure wished they could strip off their clothes and do what nature intended here on the mountain.
She cleared her throat, and her mind. Not yet. Not today. They’d only just met.
Not according to Julius, she reminded herself. According to Julius, they had known each other for thirty years. How she wished she’d spent some of those years with him.
“This is where my bear wanted to bring you,” Julius said as he put his hands over her eyes and guided her closer to where she could hear the thunderous sound of water crashing into a deep pool be
low. “Ready,” he whispered in her ear, his breath a gentle, warm caress across her skin.
“Yes,” she forced out, the nearness of him stealing her voice.
Julius lifted his hands and she gasped at the beauty of the place. A wide grassy bank ran along one side of the pool, where the sun shone down through a gap in the rock face above. The other side was fringed with trees. The pool itself was half hidden by a million droplets that rose up like a fine mist, from where the water high above them fell down.
“Incredible.” Catherine walked toward the pool, her hand outstretched to catch the droplets, which soon soaked her hair. She was past worrying about it getting frizzy. By the way Julius looked at her, it wouldn’t matter if she was dressed in rags with a bird’s nest for hair, he would still want her.
“You are…” he said dreamily, “incredible.”
Catherine couldn’t decide what was more impressive, the handsome smooth-talking man who appeared to be close to a drooling wreck, or the rainbow that appeared over the pool as the sun’s rays shone through the droplets.
“What about this bear of yours?” Catherine asked, deciding she should give her full attention to the reason they’d come here. “Isn’t he hungry for anchovies?”
Julius set down the picnic basket and opened it up. “Here.” He passed her a Tupperware container filled with the small fish. “I apologize for his behavior in advance. I don’t know which is going to make him more excited, you or the fish.”
“Let’s see!” She took the lid off, and scrunched up her face. “I’m ready.”
Catherine had watched her sons shift countless times. But this was different. This was a bear. She stood back and gave Julius some room, but didn’t take her eyes off him as the air shimmered and filled with static electricity. The man she’d walked up the mountain with disappeared from view, leaving only a shimmering in the air like a heat haze on a hot summer’s day. Then just as the air was about to clear, a big, hulking shape appeared.
She stepped back in shock; she hadn’t expected him to be so big. He was massive, much bigger than a real grizzly, not that she’d been close up to one, but she’d seen them close enough to know their size in relation to a grown man. His paws were massive, big enough to kill a person with one swipe. But this bear wasn’t a killer; he was Julius, a gentleman.
Catherine took a step closer, reaching out her hand and forgetting all about the anchovies. The bear stepped toward her, and his short snout lifted as he took in her scent. He huffed and came closer. Catherine stroked his snout and then plunged her fingers into his thick pelt. Dark chestnut fur, the tips tinged with a silvery gray: he was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. She wanted to bury her face in his fur and cry at the awesome beauty of this magnificent animal.
The bear just wanted fish.
His large tongue lolled out of his mouth and licked her hand as it snaked toward the anchovies. “Sorry, I forget all about these.” She took one out and held it between her finger and thumb, unsure as to how you were supposed to hand-feed a bear. Maybe on the palm of her hand, like you fed an apple to a horse?
Julius’s bear was gentle as he carefully took the fish from her hand, his tongue licking her palm, which sent shivers up her spine. This bear was Julius, there was no mistaking it. They were one and the same. The bear might have a big, hulking body and thick fur, but when she looked into his eyes, she saw Julius looking back at her, the amber flecks bright as he laughed at her feeding fish to a bear.
“You like those, don’t you, boy?” she asked, rubbing his chest as if he were a dog. Then she patted him on the head and threw one up in the air. The bear opened his giant jaws and snapped them shut, swallowing the fish whole. “Clever boy.”
The bear shook his head, perhaps not appreciating being talked to as if he were a big puppy. Tough. This was too much fun.
After half an hour, they’d exhausted the fish supply and the amount of different ways you could get a bear to eat a fish. The bear licked the container clean, and then headed to the pool, where he slipped into the ice-cold water for a wash. Using his front paws, he cleaned his face, and then dove underwater, before emerging on the other side of the pool. Swimming back toward her, he found a place where the bank was lower and hauled himself out.
Catherine shrieked as he shook himself like a dog, showering her with ice-cold water droplets. “I guess that makes us even?”
The bear nodded his head and then Julius shifted back into his human form. “He thought the whole big puppy routine was funny.”
“Good, I’d hate to offend him.” Catherine watched Julius as he came toward her, the air of a predatory creature surrounding him. “I’m starving.”
“Me too.” He picked her up, his mouth claiming hers in a kiss that excited her to her very core, and scared the hell out of her at the same time.
He released her, and she slid down his body. “That was…”
“Unexpected?” Julius asked, releasing her. She wobbled on unsteady legs as she nodded. “I needed to get it out of my system.”
“Good to know.” Cath put her fingers to her lips, they still vibrated from the stinging assault. If Julius could kiss like that, what else could he do with his mouth and tongue?
“We have beef sandwiches. Leftover chicken, which is incredible. And wine.” He placed the picnic blanket down on the ground, and laid out the food. Catherine stumbled forward, taking a moment to recover before she helped him with the food.
As they sat and ate, she sorted through her feelings. And came to the conclusion she was ready for their relationship to go further. If only she could find the courage to tell Julius.
Chapter Ten – Julius
After a perfect day, Julius dropped Catherine off at home and made his way back to the hotel. It was only six o’clock, and since Adam had everything under control, Julius decided it was time to catch up on the paperwork he’d been ignoring.
Pouring himself a large Scotch, he sat down at his desk. And stared at the pile of papers in his inbox. All he could see was Catherine. All he wanted was Catherine.
He took a large gulp of the amber liquid, felt the burn as it trickled down his throat, and got down to business. A hotel didn’t run itself and until he passed more responsibility over to Adam, Julius had commitments he had to fulfill.
Out of necessity, Julius had trained himself to push aside all thoughts that might invade his mind and disturb his concentration. Soon he had himself under control, and plowed through the paperwork in a meticulous fashion. Buy eight o’clock his inbox was empty, his email answered, and the roster for the coming week finalized.
Time for a shower and food. His stomach growled in appreciation as he visited the kitchen and ordered a steak and fries. Sometimes he liked the simple things in life. Tonight was one of those times. He would sit at the dining table, drink a nice cold beer, and look out over the Bluff as the moon rose in the sky.
He took the stairs, finding the confines of an elevator unappealing. He itched to be free, to leap out of his skin, and fly through the starlit sky. Julius reached his room, and opened the door, and strode across the living area. Placing his hand on the window frame he looked out at the vista before him. How many times had he stared at the same view? But tonight, it was different, because he was different.
His shower washed away the dirt of the day, but did nothing to ease the growing tension in his body. His bear was itching to get out, to run across the mountain and roar at the moon. The whole world needed to know he had found his mate. She was part of his life. She was his. Or would be soon: he could sense her barriers slowly eroding, as she learned to trust him.
Pacing the room, dressed in a hotel robe while he toweled off his hair, he pictured Catherine here with him. He wanted to talk to her until there was nothing left to say. There was so much they needed to share about themselves. There was so much he wanted to say. Conversations he’d had with her in his head, as he’d traveled the path of life alone. But never alone. She might not have been here
physically, but there was a small corner of his heart where she’d lived since that day. A memory kept alive.
A knock at the door brought him back to the present. His food was here. Throwing the towel on the bed, he went to the door and opened it. “Thanks, I’ll take it from here.” His skin tingled, and recognition filled his head.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to bring it in?” Catherine asked coyly.
He threw the door open, and pulled the room service trolley into the room. “Catherine!”
“I figured we are both mature adults. And if we want sex, then we should have sex.” She looked incredibly embarrassed, but incredibly focused. “Do you want sex, Julius?”
He shook his head slowly as he reached out for her and pulled her into the room. “Not sex. I want to make love to you, Catherine. Just as I have in my dreams. So many times.”
“Was it good? In your dreams?” she asked, catching hold of his bathrobe.
“Very good.” He caught her in his arms and pulled her close, their bodies pressed together. “I can’t believe you are here.”
“Believe it.” She placed her hands on his cheeks. “You need a shave.”
“If I’d known you were coming, I’d have had one.” He pushed her coat off her shoulders, and she shrugged it off. Julius turned away from her, going to hang it up next to the door.
“Drop it right there.” Catherine’s voice coaxed him to turn around. She pulled off her sweater and dropped it to the floor. “We can pick them up in the morning.”
If he had any doubt over what she intended, he didn’t now. She wanted him, and she planned to stay. This wasn’t some clandestine rendezvous where she would sneak out of his room before first light.
“If you insist.” Julius pulled his robe open, and tore it off, throwing it to the floor. He was in good shape, he’d kept himself fit and healthy, but he was aware he was no young bear cub.
“Wow.” Catherine paused, her shirt half unbuttoned. “Impressive.” Her eyes caressed his body, lingering on his erect cock. Which grew more erect. Painfully erect.
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