by Bianca D’Arc
“Sounds perfect.” She thanked him, again, as he showed her how to dial out on Frank’s equipment then left her in peace to make contact with her Alpha.
Sam’s office patched her through to him, right away, and she reported on the bunker and everyone’s status. When she’d finished talking to Sam, she signed off and left the communications room. She had information to share with Georgio regarding the Wraiths’ arrival, so she went looking for him.
She followed his scent to another door and found a second bedroom suite. Georgio wasn’t in the bedroom, but she suspected he was behind one of the doors leading off the bedroom, which had to be either a closet or a bathroom. The sound dampening in this mountain was so good that she couldn’t use her enhanced shifter hearing to figure out which was which. That meant she’d have to either wait or try the doors, one at a time, if she wanted to find Georgio and pass along the update.
She was a lion, dammit, and not a cowardly one. She took a deep breath, walked up to the first door, and twisted the knob.
Georgio felt a slight draft and turned in the shower stall to see what had caused it. He thought he had a good idea, but he was still floored to find that Matilda had opened the door to the bathroom and, now, stood framed in the doorway, the wisps of hot steam from the very efficient water heater that supplied the bunker swirling out behind her.
She looked like a vision from the heavens. His very own angel come to Earth. And the light in her eyes as she gazed her fill at his naked body was…ahem…very earthy, indeed.
He wanted to step out of the shower stall and take her in his arms. Or, maybe, he would drag her into the shower stall so they were both wet. He’d push her up against the wall and rip off her clothes. Then, he’d…
Whoa. Hold that thought. She was looking at his leg, and her expression went from hot to heartbroken. His wild fantasies screeched to a stop, and he turned back toward the water so she couldn’t see his face. She could stare at his ass. There were some lovely scars all the way up his leg onto his ass she could ogle. Dammit.
“I…” She cleared her throat. “I got an ETA for the Wraith team. They should be here about daybreak, according to Sam. He wanted me to tell you.” She sounded nervous. Or, maybe, she was just embarrassed that she’d been caught looking at his crippled leg.
Anger welled in him, but it was quickly replaced by regret. The fledgling hope that had been the barest ember in his soul was doused, again. How could he even think of asking her to share his life when he was—and always would be—physically impaired? What kind of mate would he be if he couldn’t even keep up with her? Not a very good one. He was sure of that.
“I found food, but you seemed to need more time on your call, so I came in here for a quick shower,” he explained, turning the water off after rinsing thoroughly. He grabbed the towel he’d left nearby and wrapped it around his waist before turning toward her, again. “Just let me get dressed, and we can eat. You can go ahead, if you like.”
He walked toward her, but she didn’t give ground. She was blocking the door, watching him prowl closer, and her expression was set into uncompromising lines he didn’t really understand. What did she have to be angry about? He was the one she’d walked in on, not the other way around.
“That must hurt,” she said softly, looking deliberately at his mangled leg.
He tried to shrug it off. “Some days more than others,” he said quietly. He stood directly in front of her, but she didn’t move out of the doorway.
“I’m sorry for barging in,” she said, surprising him and deflating the indignant anger that had been starting to take hold inside him. He wasn’t angry at her. He was angry at himself. As usual. For getting blown up, in the first place.
“It’s all right,” he said, trying to sound at least a little welcoming. He feared his voice came out flat, letting her in on the discomfort he was trying to hide.
“No, it’s not. I would’ve clawed you for walking in on me without an invitation. You deserve no less consideration.” She stepped closer to him. “And I have a feeling you’re a bit more sensitive about your injury than I thought. I’m sorry for intruding on that, as well. I just want you to know, I don’t think any less of you because you’re injured.”
He had to look away. The imploring look in her eyes was really starting to get to him.
A gentle touch of her hand to his cheek startled him enough to look back at her. She kept her hand on his face and stepped even closer. His gaze met hers and held. Time stood still.
“I’m hurt, too, and you don’t think less of me. I can tell,” she whispered. Her words resonated through his soul.
“Your injuries will heal,” he growled, unable to hide the deep emotion this conversation stirred in him.
“And yours won’t?” Her head tilted to the side—a very feline gesture. “That’s a shame, but it doesn’t take away anything from you, as far as I can see. You’re more man than many, my friend.” She moved her hand from his cheek to his chest and gently patted the skin over his heart.
“I’m not sure…I can be your friend,” he ground out, knowing he was probably crossing a line but unable to help himself.
The little ember of hope sprang to life, again, refusing to die. Stubborn little thing, he hadn’t known—until he’d met Matilda—that he could feel such things anymore. She’d given him that. She’d given him back a part of himself he’d thought lost forever.
She tilted her head, again, her eyes swirling with golden energy as she considered him. She was so beautiful in all her guises. It wasn’t just skin-deep beauty. It was soul-deep. She had a beautiful spirit.
“And why is that?” she asked, her eyes lighting with mischief…and hope?
His inner bear growled. Did the cat want to play with him? He was all for it!
“Because… What I really want to be…is your lover.” He stepped forward, closing the small space between them, and when she didn’t move away, he put his hands at her waist and pulled her into his chest.
Matilda allowed Georgio to pull her close to his chest. She had one hand between them, her palm still over his heart, but the other went—as if it was the most natural thing in the world—around his neck. They fit together really well. That was her first thought, but then, all thought was chased away as his lips came down to cover hers.
His kiss was surprisingly gentle. Almost coaxing. He rubbed his lips over hers, then his tongue sought entrance, and she welcomed him. Much as she knew her body would welcome his in even more intimate moments than this.
She wasn’t surprised to learn her body wanted that. She wanted to know what it was to make love to Georgio. Not just any man. Georgio. The man who had never given up on her, once he had learned of her plight. He hadn’t known her beforehand. He had never met or spoken to her before he set out to find her. But, when even her family had retreated from the search, Georgio had kept on looking. Kept looking until he found her.
This was a man with staying power. He was faithful to his oaths. He was a man of honor.
And though she was shocked at the extent of the damage done to his leg, she truly thought nothing less of him as a man or a shifter. She felt bad that he would probably never run as free as the bear spirit in his soul was intended to run, again, but she didn’t pity him. Far from it. She admired his strength of will that allowed him to not only function, but thrive, when many others would have given up on themselves, and everyone else.
Georgio hadn’t given up on himself, and he definitely hadn’t given up on her. Even when he’d found her and she tried to get rid of him, he’d persevered. He’d been there for her—and now, for Frank—when they needed him. He might not have a hundred percent use of his leg, but that didn’t seem to slow him down any, when it counted.
And it certainly didn’t hamper his skills at seduction. He lifted her into his arms as if she weighed nothing and walked into the bedroom, carrying her to the bed. If he limped—which he probably did—she didn’t notice. She was too busy being impressed by th
e delicious muscles in his arms and chest. He was built stockier than the lion shifters she was used to seeing in the nude. His muscles felt sinewy under her hands, thick and strong.
She knew she was stroking him—petting him, really—but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. She was fascinated by him. His strength. His brawn. His form.
She’d been attracted to his personality all along. Now, she found herself just as attracted to his body, even with its supposed flaws. Though, she didn’t really see his scars as flaws. They were more a proof that he was a survivor. Someone who prevails over things that try to keep him down.
She liked that. She admired people like that. She wanted to find that quality in herself, as well.
She just liked him. There was no denying that, now. Not when he lowered her onto the bed and began kissing her all over her face. Gentle kisses of a man besotted—or making a very good impression of it. She wasn’t sure what to think, except to feel fascination at discovering Georgio, for all his gruff demeanor, was truly a gentle giant of a man.
She didn’t think all bear shifters were like that. She hadn’t met many, but the few she had talked to or seen in the past weren’t anything like Georgio. She counted that a good thing. He was unique. A one-of-a-kind.
He undressed her while he nibbled his way down her throat. Her clothing disappeared steadily, much to her delight. He kept her senses swimming in pleasure, even as he continued his work, baring her torso and then using his mouth on her breasts, just the way she liked.
He seemed to know exactly how to touch her. How to woo her. As if he was made to bring her pleasure.
What a thought.
She hadn’t been with anyone for quite some time. Even before the abduction, she’d always been a bit picky about who she slept with. Many lion males liked to challenge her and refused to let her be her own person. Her inner lioness didn’t like that one bit. Georgio, though, had never tried to make her take second place. He’d worked with her. He’d never talked down to her, as if he was the big man and she should just do what he said. The other males who had tried that nonsense with her had been put in their places and had never tried it again. She was an Alpha female, by her very nature. Any man who couldn’t respect that didn’t get a second chance.
She wasn’t sure what the captivity had done to her dominance. She had been so weak in the first few days of her escape, and she still felt fragile from time to time, but more and more, she felt as if she was regaining a bit of who she had been—and becoming something…more.
Georgio seemed to recognize that, too, and he didn’t push her in ways she couldn’t handle. As if he knew. And, then, she realized… Of course, he knew. He’d been in her shoes. He’d told her a little of that when they’d first met.
Most of her scars were internal, but there were a few horrible marks on her belly from things they had done to her before she escaped. When Georgio’s fingers traced over the slightly raised and puckered skin, she stilled. He made soothing noises and kissed his way down her torso.
“You are beautiful, bella, inside and out,” he crooned. His use of the Italian word for beauty surprised her. Then again, his name was Georgio. She shouldn’t be too surprised that he might speak a little Italian.
She was trying to think of a way to ask him that wouldn’t ruin the mood when he shocked her speechless by ridding her of her pants in one swift motion. He simply grabbed the waistband and pulled downward. The sweatpants fit large on her, so they offered little resistance to his strength. Within moments, she was completely naked, and he was suddenly overdressed in his towel.
She wanted to object. She wanted to see that strong body of his again, but he apparently had other ideas. He knelt between her legs, opening them so he could gaze on her before he lowered his head and gave her the most intimate of kisses. Sweet Mother of All! The man should come with a warning label.
Caution: Highly Combustible
She wanted to grin at her own thoughts, but he was blowing her mind, and all that came out of her mouth was a long moan of pleasure. He growled, and she felt the vibrations of it through his lips, which were tormenting her clit. Stars! She was going to lose it. She was going to come.
And, then, she did.
Crying out at the climax and blessed relief of tension, Matilda was belatedly glad of the thick soundproof walls in this bunker. Otherwise, she would have been very embarrassed to face Frank if her shouts of pleasure had woken him up. As it stood, she was pretty sure she’d be safe from those blushes—though she certainly wasn’t safe from the orgasm-inducing bear shifter who could make her come with seemingly little effort.
As she came down from the climax, he prowled his way back up her body. He kissed her, and she tasted the salt of her own skin on his lips. Damn. That was sexy.
“Was that good?” he had the balls to ask, smirking at her after he let her up for air.
“You know it was, you beast.” She shoved at his shoulder playfully.
His grin widened. “Good. Now, it’s my turn,” he growled, just before he reached down and tugged off the towel that was all that lay between them. “You ready for more?” he asked, despite his earlier words, and she appreciated the consideration.
She lifted her legs in answer, wrapping them around his waist as she grinned back at him. “What’s taking you so long?”
Chapter Nine
When Georgio came into her body, it was as if a musical note played in her soul. It rang. A pure, clear tone. Something special. Something almost sacred. He joined their bodies, and they were one. For that single crystal clear moment, the world held its breath, and something wanted to make itself known.
All too quickly, the moment passed, and Georgio started to move. Matilda got caught up in his motions, meeting him point and counterpoint, as he stroked within her, making her passions rise once more to meet his. She hadn’t thought she could best the peak he’d already given her, but Georgio was proving her wrong. Oh, so deliciously wrong.
She came once, then again, before he finally joined her in ecstasy. He growled her name at the last in a way that unexpectedly heightened her pleasure. What was it about this bear-man? Why did he affect her so intensely?
It was a question worth thinking about…but not right now. Not after he’d just blown her mind to the stars and back. Not when it felt so good to just lie here and let him take care of all her needs.
Which he did. Thoughtful bear. He rolled away, cuddling her close but thoughtfully taking his weight off her. He let them catch their breath a bit before he left her with a kiss, only to return, a moment later, with a steamy washcloth. He settled between her thighs and gave her lascivious looks that made her giggle while he tended to her lady parts in great detail.
When she would have pulled him closer for a second round, he stayed just out of reach.
“Food, first,” he told her, rising from the bed. “I’ll feed you, then we can pick up right where we left off. You don’t even have to leave the bed. I’ll bring you a small feast, and we can picnic right here. Sound good?”
She stretched her arms above her head and half-shut her eyes. “Mm. I like the sound of that.”
Georgio paused to just watch her for a moment, something…exciting…in his eyes. Then, he blinked and concealed the bright expression that she wasn’t entirely sure how to interpret. He went to the door of the bedroom.
“Hold that thought. I’ll be back in a flash.” He winked at her before opening the door and padding, naked, out into the main room of the bunker.
She didn’t think Frank would be up and about until tomorrow, at the earliest, but she stifled a giggle at imagining what the old guy would think if he ran into Georgio, the nudist, in his heretofore private bunker. She didn’t think Frank would kick them out, but humans could be weird about nakedness. Come to that, after her ordeal, she had found it hard to strip, even alone, to shift into her beast form.
But not with Georgio. No, with him, she was starting to regain her natural confidence and comfort in her
own skin. Maybe it was because he’d been damaged so badly. Her hurts seemed minor in comparison. Or, maybe, it was just his calm acceptance of her, since the moment they’d met. She was sure of him, now, in a way she hadn’t been sure of anyone in a very long time—even before her abduction and captivity.
Georgio was one of the good ones. Of that, she had absolutely no doubt.
He returned a few minutes later with a tray piled high with goodies, including sandwiches, drinks and snacks. She had been about to doze off after their exertions and the languid way he had made her feel, but on scenting the food, she was fully awake, again…and ravenous.
Georgio brought the tray over to the bed, and they had a picnic amid the tumbled sheets. It was the most fun she’d had in ages, and she told him so, earning a soft kiss that tasted of peanut butter and jelly. Mmm. Delicious.
Just like the man.
That kiss turned into more, and the tray almost fell off the bed with the rest of its bounty when she pounced on him, but Georgio was quick for a bear, and he made a grab for the tray, saving it. He put it very deliberately on the floor then came back to her.
“Sorry,” he said with a bashful smile that made her want to nibble on his lips. “Where were we?”
She put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him down onto his back on the bed. “You were about to let me have my wicked way with you,” she insisted with a smile.
“I was?” He pretended to be shocked, and she enjoyed this playful side to lovemaking that she’d never really experienced.
Always before, sex had been intense and almost primal. Her wild side taking what it needed from her partner. This… Well, it was different. Fun. Something she hadn’t expected.
It was amazing.
He touched her cheek, and his brown eyes lit with passion and mischief. “Tell me more about these wicked ways of yours.”
Matilda felt her inner lioness rising to the challenge, wanting to play with this cuddly, adorable, fierce, killer bear. Rawr.
“How about I show you, instead?”