Bears of Burden Complete Series Box Set

by Candace Ayers

  Hutch yanked me off the bed and against his hard body. He rubbed his erection between my legs, hard, and stared into my eyes. His eyes were flashing gold. “No one else. No one else is going to touch you this way. You got that? Just me.”

  “You ran from me. Because of you, another man had his hand on my butt tonight. I can still feel it. He whispered in my ear about how he wanted to take me home and I’m sure everyone around us heard.”

  “You want me to kill him? Keep talking. I’m close to snapping, Veronica. My bear will fucking shred him alive. You want that? What do you want? You want me to snap and fuck you?”

  I pushed at his chest again, harder, and slapped it when he didn’t let me go. “Yes, Hutch! Why do I have to beg?”

  He tossed me back on the bed and reached over his head to pull his shirt off. Seeing all of his sun-kissed skin, rippling with muscle, was almost too much to look at in my current state of aroused excitement.

  “Take your dress off or I’ll rip it the hell off.”

  I needed something to wear home or I’d have been tempted to let him rip it. I shimmied it over my hips and then tossed it towards the end of the bed. “Take your pants off, Hutch. I want your manhood.”

  He shoved them down and stepped out of them without an ounce of self-consciousness. He stood in front of me, naked and hard. A tattoo wrapped around his side and I wanted to study it, find out what it meant, but there was something else I had to do first.

  I ran my eyes from his head to his bare toes and then stopped at the long, thick, heavy shaft between his legs. It stood up, pointing at me like it was choosing me. I licked my lips and met his eyes. “You’re beautiful.”

  Hutch shook his head and came closer to the bed. His eyes were solid gold then, narrowed and hungry. “Beautiful is you, in my bed, naked and ready for me. Are you? Ready for me, V?”

  I nodded and crawled backwards up the bed until I was positioned in the middle, on my back. I kept my legs straight and crossed, still teasing him. “Are you ready for me?”

  He knelt on the bed and slowly came towards me. “Probably not. You’re a little bit like trying to hold fire, baby.”

  I reached out when he was close enough and stroked his cheek. “And, yet, I’m the one who keeps getting burned.”

  He lowered himself on top of me, wedging my legs open with his knee, and gently kissed me. Passion simmered right under the surface, under the kiss, but he didn’t rush it. He kissed me like he was making love to me, like he had some real emotion, real feelings there, and I let myself get lost in it.

  I shifted under him, anxious to feel his body closer. Hutch responded by slipping one of his hands between us and circling his fingers over my pussy. I let my head fall back and was rewarded with soft kisses down my throat.

  “I want you to come for me.”

  I lifted my knees and cradled his hips. When he slipped his finger into me, I moaned and wrapped my arms around his back. “Please, Hutch.”

  He pushed another finger in and massaged his thumb against me, leaving me no option but to come apart on his fingers. I buried my face in his shoulder and cried out his name. The orgasm washed over me fast and hot, leaving me panting and desperate for more.

  Hutch leaned back slightly and looked down at me. “Are you sure about this?”

  I met his eyes with unexplained tears in mine and nodded. “Yes. More sure than I’ve ever been about anything. I’m ready.”

  He looked relieved. “Take me in your hand and line us up, V.”

  I touched him, feeling the silky-smooth skin over hot stiffness, and moaned. I circled my fingers around him, struggling to make them meet, and stroked him.

  He grunted.

  I grinned up at him and lined him up with my entrance. A wash of nerves hit me and I bit my lip. “Go slow, okay?”

  With a nod, he kissed me again, tenderly, slipping his tongue in to taste me. I kissed him back and moaned as he pushed forward gently. I was wet, so there was no friction as he went, but he felt shockingly different from my vibrator. He filled me until just this side of painful. I could feel my body adjusting to his girth and dug my nails into his back.

  “You okay?”

  I looked up at him and nodded. “Better.”

  He finally stopped moving and rested, his body completely flush with mine. A vein in his neck pulsed as he struggled to control himself.

  My body quickly adjusted to his size and started pulsing with the need to feel him moving. I rocked my hips and he slipped in another inch. We both moaned. I did it again and whispered into his ear. “Ready. Move, Hutch.”

  He pulled out and slowly slid back in, growling as he went. “You’re going to kill me.”

  I rocked my hips faster and he got the point. He thrust into me a little faster and before too long we had a punishing rhythm going. I raked my nails down his back and left my own marks on his neck and shoulders. I screamed and cried out his name, begged him to keep going and never stop. I lost myself in him.

  Hutch slipped his hand between us and stroked my clitoris as his thrusts became more erratic. “Come with me, V.”

  I met his hot gaze and crumbled under him as he growled and slammed into my body once more.

  16

  Veronica

  I didn’t know if Hutch was going to make me leave right after or not, but he surprised me. He wrapped his arms around me and rolled us onto our sides curling himself around me, pressing my backside into him.

  “Are you okay?”

  I smiled to myself and nodded. “I am. It was better than I knew it could be.”

  He grunted and tightened his arms. “You’re too sexy for your own good. For my own good. You make it hard to stay away from you.”

  I stroked his arm. “You didn’t seem to have any problem staying away from me for a very long time.”

  He started to answer, but I cut him off. “Let’s not talk about that right now. Sorry I brought it up. I just want to celebrate my joy at the loss of my hymen and revel in the multiple orgasms I just had for a while.”

  “Later, then.” His voice was already quieting. “Fucking sexy little librarian.”

  I buried my face in one of his pillows and breathed in his fresh scent. I stayed still and just enjoyed feeling him wrapped around me. I was on cloud nine, floating with happiness. Everything in that moment was perfect, but I was going to ruin it as soon as he fell asleep.

  My heart raced in my chest and I squeezed my eyes shut. I was probably going to regret my decision. I was toying with Hutch, not giving him the chance to come to terms with everything in his own time, but for some reason, his own time appeared to be never, and I wanted my mate before I was old and dying.

  So, as soon as he was sound asleep, his breathing deep and a slight snore coming from him, I pried myself out of his arms and slipped back into my dress. I stood there, looking down at him, and swiped at a few tears that were stubbornly falling. My heart ached. I couldn’t help the anxiety that assaulted me.

  Before I could change my mind, I hurried out of the house and made my way through the darkened night to Georgia’s. Wyatt’s cabin was out of the way, but I wasn’t worried about being attacked in Burden. I was too worked up about Hutch. Maybe leaving so soon was wrong. Maybe he would’ve decided that he was ready to admit we were mates. Maybe when he woke up, he would have been ready to commit. Maybe he would’ve stopped pushing me away.

  I shook my head and hurried on. He hadn’t decided he wanted me yet. Heck, I’d had to push his buttons just to get him to have sex with me. A sudden wave of panic hit me when I thought about the possibility that he hadn’t wanted me at all. That his bear had, and he’d just given in to quiet his bear and make peace with him. I wasn’t exactly sure how all that shifter stuff worked.

  I sucked in a harsh breath and marched on to Georgia’s. I was doing the right thing. I wouldn’t throw myself at him and confess some stupid undying love when he couldn’t even say for sure if he wanted me for more than a quick roll in the sack.


  Georgia was reading on her couch when I got there. She grinned up at me and clapped. “You did it! Now, the resident meek little librarian can truly start to let her freak flag fly!”

  I wanted to laugh, but I couldn’t. I dropped onto the couch beside her and let myself fall apart. I cried into her shoulder as she held me and didn’t stop until I fell asleep, finally too exhausted to do anything else.

  Forcing me to avoid all temptation to run back to Hutch’s house and beg him to be with me, the girls took me to Dallas early that morning. I didn’t love spending time in Dallas, so close to my very large family, but I also didn’t want to spend the day moping and hoping I would see Hutch. Feeling like a middle schooler with a crush wasn’t great for my confidence.

  We ended up shopping all morning. I showed them the specialty shop that had been my little secret until that moment. It sold all the beautiful lingerie that I wore and a few other fun things. We loaded ourselves down with stuff from there and then moved on to other places. On the road, we’d decided that we should get a few more books for the book exchange, so we spent a long time in a naughty book store, too.

  By the time we got to lunch, I was tired of shopping and was ready to go back home. Allie looked like she was exhausted, too, but Georgia was fresh as a daisy and ready to go again. We were seated at a restaurant downtown and I was only mildly surprised when my sister walked in.

  Jenni Maddox was always a sight to behold. In tight clothing and necklines that drew stares from men ages fifteen to ninety, she was always dressed like an upper class sorority girl from Georgia who was just a little sluttier than the others.

  Her green eyes roamed across the restaurant and skimmed right over me. It wasn’t surprising that she didn’t recognize me. My appearance had definitely changed.

  I debated not saying anything, but Jenni really was one of my favorite siblings, and I didn’t want to be rude. I lifted my hand and waved to her. “Jenni!”

  She looked back at me, did a double take, and after a few seconds, her mouth fell open and she rushed over, ignoring a hostess that was trying to lead her in another direction. “Veronica! Oh, my god. You cut your hair! You look amazing!”

  I gave her a quick hug and then turned to Allie and Georgia. “Jenni, these are my friends, Allie and Georgia. Guys, this is my big sister, Jenni.”

  Jenni groaned. “Why do you always have to use the big word, Veronica. You know I hate it. And, until this haircut and style change, I could get away with pretending to be the younger sister.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You’re only a couple of years older than me.”

  She motioned towards the empty seat at our table and smiled. “Do you ladies mind if I join you for a few minutes? I never meet Veronica’s friends and I am just dying to tell someone all of the embarrassing stories I have about her.”

  Georgia grinned. “I’m pretty sure we’ve got a couple that could top yours.”

  I sat back in my chair and looked around for the waiter. I wasn’t even going to ask if it was too early for a cocktail.

  17

  Hutch

  It was barely noon on a Tuesday and I was getting drunk in Thorn’s bar. Alone. The only other person in the damn place was Thorn and he was working in his office. He’d issued me some warning about being back soon to yell at me, but I didn’t give a fuck. I’d planned to be drunk long before he got back.

  I didn’t even know who was running the shop for the day. I didn’t care. I needed a day to get to be as fucking careless as everyone else got to be. I needed to be drunker.

  I threw back another shot of whiskey and growled at myself. “Can’t believe she fucking left.”

  I’d woken up to find my bed empty. I was so sure of myself, that I’d assumed Veronica was in the bathroom and stayed in bed, waiting for her to come out for half an hour. When I realized that she was gone, my bear had been livid. With me. He was blaming me for her leaving. I’d shifted without being able to help it and destroyed my bed. Then, in a rage, I’d walked through my bedroom doorway, tearing out wood and sheetrock on either side of it and tripped over my rug crashing through my big screen TV like it was a sheet of tissue paper.

  My bear was big. Huge. Bigger than any of my buddies bears. Drunk with anger, I’d stumbled through the streets to Veronica’s house, only to find it empty. Her scent wasn’t fresh there, so I knew she hadn’t gone home. My bear, panicked, had run through all of Burden like the wild, raging animal searching for its mate that he was. He was terrified that something had happened to her. I was terrified.

  By the time I’d calmed down enough to trace her scent to Wyatt’s cabin, the sun was high in the sky and there’d been multiple reports of a bear roaming Main Street. She wasn’t there, though. I owed Wyatt a new door, too, because while trying to prove that she wasn’t there, I’d ripped his clean off the house.

  “Fuck.” I poured myself another shot and tossed it back.

  I’d finally given in to the urges and then she left me. I didn’t know if I’d ever been left in bed alone before. By my mate, of all people, too. Of course, she didn’t know we were mates, but she had to feel a connection with me. I knew she did. How was it so easy for her to sneak off in the middle of the night?

  The kicker was that I knew I deserved it. I could’ve had her a year before if I hadn’t been such an idiot. We could have been enjoying each other all that time. I could’ve been enjoying my mate instead of being miserable trying to forcing myself to sleep with other women in some vain attempt to have a good time. The truth was, other than the few times I’d been with Veronica, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d truly enjoyed myself with a woman, or felt at peace.

  Thorn appeared in front of me with a nasty scowl on his face. “How long have you known that she’s your mate?”

  I poured yet another drink and stared into it. “Long enough that if I tell you, you’ll want to hit me.”

  “How fucking long?”

  I tossed the amber liquid back and met his glare. “Since the first time we bumped into each other. Over a year ago. Memorial Day weekend last year. I was heading to the bar to meet you and the guys, taking a short cut around the library, and she was just coming out of it. We collided. Literally. She smelled like strawberries and lime.”

  He slammed his hand down on the bar. “Over a year, Hutch?! You’ve been avoiding her and treating her shitty for over a year? Rejecting her? Rejecting a mate? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  I gestured at him with my glass. “I wasn’t avoiding her. She was hiding from me. Which was great. It was easier to ignore the fact that she was out there when she was hiding in the library like a scared little kitten. Now, thanks to your mate and Wyatt’s mate, she’s turned into a damn tiger. She won’t hide from me anymore and I can’t stay away from her if she isn’t hiding from me.”

  “You’re drunk and stupid.”

  I grabbed the bottle and tipped it up, pouring whiskey straight into my mouth. “Yep, on both accounts.”

  “Hutch, brother, how could you do something like that to your mate? Don’t you know what that can do to someone?”

  The sincerity in his voice unhinged me. I stood up from the barstool so fast it flipped over. “I wasn’t trying to do anything to her! She came too soon. Fuck, she came too soon. I was trying to save her! I was trying to save her from me.”

  “You’re the one who lectured me when I was hiding from Allie. You told me that any one of you would be more than happy if your mate showed up. The whole time you already knew who your mate was.”

  “I am no fun. No fun!” I drained the rest of the bottle and dropped it back on the bar. “My life is not about me. My dad died when I was fourteen, you know that. I dropped out of school and started working at the shop right away so Mom and Sterling wouldn’t end up on the streets. I worked nonstop. Still do. I never stop working. You know all of this shit, yet you still don’t see it? You don’t understand? What do I have to offer a woman like Veronica? I missed everything—high sch
ool football games, dances, prom, college. My life has been serious and weighty since that day Dad died.

  I still work my ass off, to make sure Mom is taken care of. To make sure that if something happens to me, like something happened to Dad, they’ll be taken care of. I’m fucking stressed. I don’t remember ever not being stressed. And the only time it gets any better is when I’m talking to a pretty girl and going back to her place for a quick hook up. And even that’s not fun anymore since I met V.”

  I sighed. “Besides, what does a guy like me have to give her? She’s a librarian. She’s fucking smart, Thorn. I dropped out of school at fourteen, remember? Even before that, I wasn’t good at school. You want to know how many books I’ve read in the past ten years? Zero. Zero books. A dumbass like me is never going to be enough for a smart girl like her.”

  Shame settled heavily on my shoulders, joining the weight of the rest of my world, and I was embarrassed to have to fight back tears. I angrily scrubbed at my eyes and turned my back to Thorn. Fuck, I was drunk and making a pussy out of myself.

  “Brother, you can be an asshole. That’s for sure. You’re also one of the best, most honorable guys I know, usually. The two of you were paired for a reason. You already know this shit. If she’s your mate-”

  “She is.”

  “If she’s your mate, then you were meant to be together. I don’t know how you got the idea that having a mate is going to be this seriously weighty responsibility that takes away your every last ounce of freedom and slaps a ball and chain around your ankle while ridiculing you for not being rich enough, or smart enough, or good enough. It isn’t. You haven’t even given that girl a chance. I have more fun with Allie than anyone else in the world. She fucking makes my day, every day. You could have that, too. You could have someone to come home to who would take that weight off your shoulders for a while, not add to it.”