Bears of Burden Complete Series Box Set

by Candace Ayers

  On shaky knees, I turned and stumbled hurriedly to the parking lot, needing some time to get myself together. I had no idea what’d just happened, but I felt like I’d been through the ringer. Just as I got to my beat-up Toyota in the parking lot, a fat rain drop hit my face. I lifted my head and noticed the darkening sky for the first time. The wind picked up and I groaned as the clouds opened up their floodgates releasing a downpour.

  I grabbed the door handle and yanked. Nothing. I shielded my eyes and peered inside the car. Sure enough, there were my keys, sitting on the passenger seat where I’d left them. I ran around the car, trying each handle just to be sure. I was sure. I was locked out.

  I’d been so stressed about the interview when I’d pulled into the lot, it made sense that I’d done something brainless, but that didn’t make me feel any better about it.

  I plopped myself on the hood of my car, shrugging as it dented under my weight. I was already soaked from the hard rain and there was no use trying to find shelter. I was stuck sitting there until I could find help.

  Kyle didn’t even know where I was. He’d been gone when I had stopped at home to change and my phone had been dead, so I’d left it on the charger.

  I crossed my arms and closed my eyes. I guessed that, if worse came to worse, I could shift and walk home, but I was not much faster as a bear than I was as a human. I was a hell of a lot clumsier, too.

  “Quite the hood ornament you make, Ophelia.” Sterling’s deep voice teased a second before his scent washed over me.

  I looked up meeting his gaze, and sighed. He looked stunning in the rain. Dark hair slicked back, thick eyebrows wilder than normal, his blue-green eyes bright with excitement. Of course, the man would look edible in the rain.

  “Come on, let’s get you somewhere dry.”

  I slid off the hood and shook my head as the dent I’d left didn’t pop out. I glared at it and then looked up at Sterling. He grinned at me and shrugged. I shoved my hair out of my face and gestured for him to lead the way. I needed the interview, no matter how awkwardly soaking wet I was.

  He walked me through the quickly emptying parking lot to his truck. A big trailer was hooked to the back and I realized he’d need to get his car. I was keeping him from it.

  “Don’t you need to finish up here?”

  He nodded while unlocking his truck and opening the door. Before I knew what he was doing, he wrapped his hands around my waist and lifted me into the seat. “Hutch is going to help me load the car. I’ll be back in just a bit.”

  My skin burned where his hands lingered on my body. I sucked in a breath at how close he was and bit my lip. I felt myself slipping and I knew it was bad, but I didn’t know how to stop it. I was weak when it came to Sterling, and I’d had a really bad couple of days. Weeks, really. Maybe I didn’t have to commit to forever. Maybe, I could just steal a night.

  6

  Ophelia

  Thoughts raced through my head as Sterling shut the door and closed me into his truck. Crazy thoughts. I’d been adamant about staying away from the man who was now racing his car across the parking lot towards me. I’d been sure that complete avoidance was the best option. I was terrified that if I got too close to him, physically, I’d get emotionally attached to a man who was clearly a womanizer.

  That fear was still very much alive, but so was my throbbing neediness downstairs. The need to be touched by him was overpowering any fear. My bear was screaming for him, and damned if my body didn’t agree. The hussy. Wasn’t it crazy to keep fighting the desires that were plaguing me? They were only getting stronger. Wouldn’t it be better to give in and get it out of my system?

  It was a cheap excuse, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how nice it would be to be the object of Sterling’s desire for more than the few minutes it normally took before I ran away from him. I felt exhausted from the rollercoaster of emotions that I’d been on. Was it so bad to reward myself with something good? Something to make me feel good.

  Crap. There had been a very good reason that I hadn’t wanted to come tonight. I’d never been good at resisting temptation. That’s why my ass wasn’t smaller. But, as strong as my cravings for sweets were, my craving for Sterling Mallory was that—times ten.

  I knew better, but I couldn’t help but throw caution to the wind. Sterling had hurt Kyle in a dick move. He could potentially hurt me—if I let him. I didn’t have to let him, though. I could make this night all about me. I could and I would. Tonight, I would indulge myself—just tonight though.

  I rubbed my hands down my wet thighs and blew out a rough breath when I realized that I’d already made up my mind. I was going to sleep with Sterling. Tonight. No matter how bad of an idea the angel on my shoulder said it was. No matter how bad of a sister it made me. I pushed Kyle out of my mind and turned in my seat to watch Sterling loading the car onto the trailer.

  It was insane. God, so insane. I was going to do it, though.

  I rummaged around in my purse for mints and popped two in my mouth before discreetly sniffing my pits to make sure I smelled fresh. I just smelled rain, so good to go. I’d thrown on an older sundress before coming and it was cute enough. I tugged it up a little on my thighs and said a prayer of thanks for the laser hair removal I’d had done in Nashville.

  I tugged my hair out of its ponytail and tried to rake my fingers through it so it would look sexy instead of like a wet mop. I had to work without a mirror. I wasn’t going to chance Sterling seeing me check myself out while waiting on him. I probably wasn’t at my prettiest, but he probably didn’t care. He didn’t seem to have a type, so I’d probably do.

  I forced myself to be still and waited while he finished up with the car. He was dripping wet and grinning like a little kid when he climbed in.

  “Sorry about making you wait.” He pushed his hair back and started the truck. “Dang, sorry about not turning on some heat for you. You’re probably cold.”

  I shook my head and opened my mouth to reply, but I seemed to have lost the ability to speak. I spun my head to look out of my window and mentally slapped myself.

  “Okay, what kind of interview questions do you need to ask?”

  Interview. Questions. Shit. I turned back to him with pink cheeks and said the first thing to pop into my head. “Why’d you do what you did to Kyle?”

  Double shit. Not what I had meant to ask. Not what I wanted to bring up at all on the night that I’d just vowed to forget about Kyle so I could selfishly indulge in some raunchy sex.

  Sterling coughed and adjusted the vents. “Karen wanted a really personal interview, huh?”

  I groaned. “No. I’m supposed to interview you about the race and winning. Forget it.”

  He turned to me and just stared for a few seconds longer than I was comfortable with. I pushed my dress down and crossed my legs. I was an idiot, both with my foot-in-mouth and with my stupid decision to sleep with him.

  “No, it’s okay. We didn’t really talk much last time we were together, did we?”

  My face heated and I thought about getting out and walking home. I might salvage a bit of my dignity. “No, we didn’t.”

  “John Wayne has healed just fine, thank you. You never even checked on me.”

  I snorted and shifted so I could face him. “John Wayne? No. Forget I asked.”

  His grin was crooked and sent tingles straight to my core. “You sure? It’s a good story.”

  Maybe sleeping with him was back on the table. “I’m sure. And, of course, I didn’t check on you, Sterling. I don’t know the normal protocol for punching someone in the penis, but I’m pretty sure it’s not to send get well cards afterward.”

  “It would’ve been a polite thing to do.”

  I laughed and shook my head, sobering up. “A polite thing to do would’ve been to refrain from sleeping with Kyle’s fiancée.”

  He sighed and nodded. “You’re right. I fucked up. I can assure you that there’s not a single mistake I regret more.”

  “W
hy’d you do it?”

  “Fuck, Ophelia.” He shifted in his seat and gripped the steering wheel. “Want to go for a ride?”

  I glanced over at my car and shrugged. “I locked myself out of my car. I guess.”

  The heaviness faded as he grinned again. His eyes flashed as he put the truck into drive and pulled out of the lot. “I’ve got to drop the trailer off at Hutch’s shop, but then I have something I want to show you.”

  I watched the road fly by and uncrossed my legs. I noticed his eyes stray to them and my heart beat faster. I knew he could hear it, and that just made the situation that much hotter. I was too far gone. Being alone in the truck with him had been a line. Crossing it meant that I couldn’t go back until I’d completed my mission.

  I brushed my hand over my knee and nonchalantly shifted the hem of my dress up a bit. “Where are you taking me?”

  “It’s a surprise.” His voice was deeper and I could hear his heartrate increase.

  “How did winning feel?” I tried to distract myself, because if I didn’t, he was going to know in just a few seconds exactly how turned on I was.

  “Better with you in the stands.” He passed a car going too slowly for his liking, and adjusted the heat. “Shit. Are you hot? I’m burning up.”

  I smiled to myself and fanned the neckline of my dress, flashing him hints of cleavage. “It is a little hot.”

  He swerved to miss a downed tree-limb and swore. He remained quiet, but his eyes moved to me over and over again. I shifted my dress up higher and then lifted my hair off of my neck and fanned myself. Pretending I didn’t hear his growling, I sighed heavily and trailed my hand down my neck and across my chest.

  “I can’t wait to get out of this wet dress.”

  Sterling blew out a breath and jerked the truck into Hutch’s parking lot. He scrubbed his hand down his face and looked over at me. “I’ll be right back.”

  I just smiled. I liked seeing him so unnerved and knowing it was because of me. I felt empowered, and knew I was making the right decision. Just for tonight.

  7

  Sterling

  My dick was hard enough to bend steel. I didn’t know what was happening in the truck. As I unhitched the trailer, I looked through the back glass at Ophelia and growled. If I wasn’t sure that she hated me, I’d think she was toying with me. Flirting. Trying to drive me fucking insane.

  I’d thought I was being sly, getting her alone with me, but now I wasn’t sure it was such a great idea, after all. My bear was begging to mark her and I wasn’t doing well controlling him. I couldn’t stop staring. The few inches of thigh that were showing, the quick flashes of her chest. I’d damn near ran us off the road trying to glimpse more of her bare flesh.

  I could smell her heat, her neediness, but I knew that didn’t mean she wanted me. Hell, she still wasn’t over what I’d done to her brother. To pretend that she wanted me was wishful thinking to an extreme.

  I caught her watching me and swore. I was going to take her to the cave I’d found in the side of the mountain where I lived. There was fool’s gold lining one of the walls and it gleamed, even in the dark. It was the place I liked to go when I wanted to be alone, yet for some self-sabotaging reason, I wanted her scent there, in my private sanctuary. She’d probably hate it. It was raining harder. It would be slick with mud. She was in a dress. I was practically a stranger, taking her to a dark cave. It could come across creepier than I’d originally thought, but this might be my one and only shot.

  I finished unhooking the trailer and hopped back into the cab. Drenched again, I looked over at her and swore that her dress had gotten even shorter.

  “The surprise?”

  I nodded. “You mind getting wet again?”

  Her eyes flashed, the silver glowing. “Again? As though I haven’t stayed dripping wet this whole time.”

  I had to bite back a groan and force myself to keep my eyes on the road. The whole night was a gift, but hearing things that could be construed as naughty come out of her mouth was enough to supply me with wet dreams for a month.

  “When did you start racing?”

  Racing? What was that? I tried to clear my brain of the heated images of her body, but it wasn’t working. “Eighteen.”

  “What made you start?”

  “I like to go fast.” I’d gone stupid.

  “Sometimes fast is fun.” She bit the tip of her finger and then caught the neckline of her dress and tugged at it. “Sometimes slow is even better, though.”

  “Fucking hell.” I turned onto my road and quickly parked at the edge of the overlook. “I’ll come around to get you.”

  I got out and just stood in the rain for a second, trying to cool down. I couldn’t be completely sure that I wasn’t imagining it, but she might be teasing me. Shaking my head, I walked around and opened her door.

  She slid herself out, her body brushing against mine on the way down. Her sandaled feet slipped in a bit of mud and she grabbed my arm to still herself. Her pupils were dilated and her mouth parted slightly as her fingers flexed on my muscle. “I didn’t realize you had to work out to be a race car driver.”

  I wrapped my arm around her waist and helped her down the small embankment that led to the creek. Her skin was hot under my fingers and I wanted to explore the luscious curves I felt hiding under the dress. “I work in Hutch’s shop some, too. Plus, being a bear, some things just come naturally.”

  She snorted. “Maybe for you male bears. Nothing comes naturally to me.”

  I resisted the urge to look down at her body. “That’s not true,” I choked out.

  She brushed her hair back and slipped again. With a scowl on her face, she looked up at me and stopped moving. “Where are you taking me? I’m starting to feel like I’m drowning.”

  I pulled my hat from my back pocket and slid it onto her head before easily scooping her into my arms. It would at least block some of the rain from hitting her face. “It’s just up ahead. It’ll be drier, I promise.”

  She wrapped her arms around my neck and held on tight as I tracked through mud and puddles to get to the cave. As soon as I stepped into the cave, her sharp gasp proved to me that I’d made the right decision.

  I put her down and stepped back so I would keep my hands off her. “It’s pyrite, fool’s gold, but it’s beautiful.”

  She walked around, looking at everything around her. “This is amazing!”

  I’d set up a few things in the cave. Not anything fancy, but a metal lawn chair and a cooler that I kept beer in. I strolled over to it and popped the lid. “Beer?”

  She shook her head and kept her eyes on the wall of gold. “I hate the taste of it.”

  I put the can I’d grabbed back inside, just in case I found some way to get her to kiss me, and sat in the chair. “Want to do your interview? For real? I know you need it. Karen can be intense when it comes to her paper.”

  She turned to me and stared with something close to annoyance on her face. “You really care about that article, huh?”

  I frowned and crossed my ankle over my knee. Trying to do anything to keep her from seeing my erection that was growing because of the way her dress clung to her curvy body. “I just want to do whatever helps you.”

  She turned her back to me. “You brought me to a dark cave just so I could interview you?”

  I leaned forward, grinning. “What else were you expecting?”

  Throwing up her hands, she stomped towards the front of the cave. The rain whipped in, pelting droplets down the front of her body. She turned back to me and glared. “What’s a woman have to do to be noticed around here?” she spat, before stomping off.

  I was dumbfounded for a few seconds, but as soon as I heard her small cry, I charged out of the cave, my bear on the verge of a shift at the idea of her hurt. I spotted her on the ground, in a puddle, her dress hiked up around her upper thighs as she threw a tantrum.

  “This sucks! I can’t seem to go a whole day without falling in a puddle! This is
all your fault, Sterling Mallory. Here you are putting on this nice guy act, showing me cool places, agreeing to an interview, when all I want right now is for you to be your piggish, womanizing self. Play me, dammit! Or do you not want me? Is my ass too big? Is that it? You don’t like chubby girls? Well, I’ll have you know that I’m not a huge fan of muscular men… with bedroom eyes… and sexy smiles, so there.” She raked her hand through the mud and then threw a handful at me. “But, I’m your mate. You’re supposed to want me.”

  I looked down at the mud on my shirt and then back at her just as another one of her mud balls hit me square in the crotch. I growled. “What’s with your aiming at my dick, woman?”

  She growled right back at me. “Out of all that I just said, it figures that that’s all you’d care about, John frickin’ Wayne.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for her tantrum to end so I could grab her and prove just exactly what I do care about. She wasn’t content just staying where she was, though. She turned on her hands and knees and started crawling away from me. From where I stood, I could see gigantic white panties on display, mud and all. It did nothing to soften the raging erection I was sporting.

  8

  Ophelia

  Mortified, I was getting the hell out of there as soon as I could get my footing and stand up. I’d just snapped. He wasn’t reacting the way I had expected him to, and I hated that. He didn’t want me, it seemed. I was going to run home and drink a bottle of wine in the shower before crawling into bed and never leaving it.

  What felt like a steel bar wrapped around my waist and then I was lifted into the air. I slammed into a wall of muscle and then I felt heaven as Sterling ran his mouth over my neck. Chills broke out all over my body and I muttered, nearly incoherently. “What are you doing?”

  Sterling ran his hand down my stomach and over my thighs. He caught the hem of my dress and then yanked it, ripping the material straight up the middle. “Proving to you that I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything.”