Grizzly Beginning (Arcadian Bears Book 2) Read online

  His palms were sweaty. He wiped them on his thighs again. His cock was stiff, but it had been since they stepped into the house. He moaned before he could stop himself.

  “Please,” she pleaded.

  He hesitated. If he got any closer to her, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from taking her.

  She took another step in his direction.

  He couldn’t back up if he wanted to with the counter at his ass.

  Suddenly, the towel was gone. She dropped it on the floor to pool at her feet like a fresh mound of clean snow. The effect made her look so pure. Which she was.

  He swallowed hard when she cupped her breasts, her moan filling the silence. Her head tipped back as her eyes fluttered closed. “Austin…”

  In two seconds he was in front of her, tugging his shirt over his head and then dragging her body against his. He lowered his face and angled his mouth to one side. He needed to taste her. Now.

  The moment their lips met, he slid his tongue into her depths, devouring her. His hands landed on her firm ass, squeezing, molding, gripping.

  She arched forward, her breasts rubbing against his pecs.

  He needed more. He needed everything.

  Her hands wandered to his jeans, and seconds later his button was open and the zipper lowered. When she wrapped her fingers around his cock, he reached for the denim at his hips and shrugged out of it, somehow managing to kick off his shoes and remove the jeans without breaking the kiss.

  Nuria’s fingers frantically ran up and down his cock and around to his ass. “Now,” she mumbled into his mouth.

  He wasn’t about to fuck her in the kitchen. Grabbing her butt, he hefted her off the floor.

  She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.

  Still kissing her, he backed her down the hallway and into his room. He didn’t stop until they reached the bed and tumbled onto it. Landing on top of her with her legs still wrapped around him, his cock lodged against her pussy.

  Jesus. The heat between them was impressive.

  Nuria’s hands roamed up and down his back, over his ass, his thighs, up into his hair. She broke the kiss, gasping. “Please. God, Austin. I need you inside me.”

  He slid his lips to her ear. “Baby, slow down. Let me make you feel good.” He had no idea how the hell he was going to accomplish that, but he had good intentions.

  She shoved against his shoulders so hard he was forced to lift off her enough to see her eyes. Why was she pushing on him while she begged him to fuck her? The moment she had his attention, she gave a hard push to get him off her.

  He was obviously much bigger and stronger and could have easily resisted, but no way would he ever force a woman to do anything. If she wanted him off her, no state of mind would allow him to argue. Even in the most heightened state of arousal he’d ever been in, he recognized the gesture for what it was.

  Maybe she felt trapped all the sudden or had a vision of his brother smothering her? Or maybe she changed her mind. Though that made little sense after begging him repeatedly two seconds ago.

  Nevertheless, Austin rolled onto his back, landing hard, his eyes searching for hers.

  But Nuria surprised him. She wasn’t trying to get him to stop. She was trying to get on top. Holy shit. She scrambled to straddle him, her hands landing on his chest, her hot, wet core once again smashed against the length of his cock.

  He grabbed her waist. “Nuria… Baby…” He didn’t know what to say. Instead, he reached with one hand and tugged the rubber band from her hair, causing it to tumble around her shoulders and down over the tops of her breasts.

  Although he’d rarely seen her like this fifteen years ago, he’d grown to love it in the last few days. The gorgeous messy curls fell in disarray while he watched.

  Seconds later, she rubbed her pussy up and down his shaft several times. She tipped her head back, arched her chest out, and moaned.

  That tangle of hair fell down her back, but Austin barely noticed. His vision faltered at the moist heat rubbing against his dick. He grabbed her hips again, trying to steady her. Slow her down. Stop her. He was going to come if she didn’t stop.

  Nuria ignored him. In fact, she swatted his hands off her hips, lifted higher on her knees, and reached between their bodies to line his cock up with her entrance.

  He never stood a chance against her. One second, she was poised over him. The next, she slammed down his cock, burying him to the hilt.

  Austin’s breath caught in his throat. Nothing had ever gripped him that tight. Surrounded him with so much warmth. He tried to get his arms to move, wanting to lift his hands and regain some sort of control, but all his brain cells were concentrated on his cock.

  Nuria held her breath too. There were several seconds of silence before he managed to focus on her face as her lips lifted slightly and pure bliss consumed her features. She leaned over him, grabbing his shoulders, and lifted slowly off until just the tip was lodged inside her.

  And, holy mother of God, the woman slammed back down, a long moan escaping her lips.

  “Jesus, baby…” he managed to communicate into her head.

  “You’re not kidding,” she responded, smiling before her mouth flattened and her eyes rolled back as she did it again. “What. The. Fuck. Was. I. Waiting. For.” She punctuated each silently communicated word with another thrust onto him.

  Austin had to grit his teeth to keep from coming. His dick was so hard, it was going to explode any moment. And he truly wanted to last longer.

  His wild mate fucked him faster, her breasts jiggling over him. He finally managed to lift his hands to cup them, molding them in his palms and then thumbing her nipples as she rode him harder.

  She arched her chest farther, and he realized it was to get better purchase between her clit and the base of his cock with each thrust. How was it possible that this wildly unrestrained woman hadn’t had sex before?

  When he released one breast to smooth his hand down toward her clit, she grabbed his wrist and yanked it away. “Don’t,” she muttered. “I want it to last… Feels so good…”

  Did she have any idea in hell how hard it was for him to make this last? He squeezed his eyes shut, sliding that hand around to cup her ass. Holding one tit and her fantastic bottom, he let her set the pace and make the rules. She needed this. She needed to control it and own it. And he would let her.

  Later there would be time to take charge and show her everything he could do to rock her world. For now, she was rocking her own world, and he was not going to stop her.

  When her head fell forward, her hair grazing over his pecs with every thrust, her face hidden behind the curtain, she groaned louder. Finally, she gasped, continuing to fuck him.

  That was when he let go, right on the heels of her orgasm. He relaxed his muscles and pulsed into her tightness harder than he’d ever come.

  As her movements slowed, he eased his hands around to her back, pressing her forward until she bent her elbows and allowed herself to sprawl across his chest.

  She sucked in ragged breaths, perspiration from her brow dampening his skin.

  He held her tight, one hand between her shoulder blades, the other running up and down her spine. “Nuria,” he whispered. “Baby…”

  “Mmm,” was her only response.

  For long minutes, neither of them spoke again. His mind raced from the impact of having sex with his mate for the first time. Thank God she wasn’t currently fertile, because he didn’t think he could have stopped her, and he seriously doubted she would be interested in getting pregnant the first time she had sex. Fortunately for grizzly shifters, the females only ovulated every few months and the males could scent it on them.

  Finally, she mumbled against his chest. “You’re amazing.”

  He chuckled. “Me? I didn’t do anything.”

  She giggled as she lifted her face to meet his gaze. “You did. You let me do that. And I’ll never forget it. Thank you.”

  He smiled
broader. “Baby, anytime you want to climb over me and slide your tight pussy onto my cock, you’re more than welcome.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  A flush stole up her cheeks at his quite accurate description. Damn. She had just taken over the entire thing, hadn’t she?

  “And I loved it,” he stated without any intentional communication from her. Without pulling out of her, he managed to flip them both over so that she rested on her back and he hovered over her. He held himself a few inches off her body and stared down into her eyes. “Damn.”

  “Is it always like that?”

  He smiled slowly. “No. Next time I’m going to pin you down so you can’t control the entire scene. It’ll be considerably different.” He winked.

  Her face heated further. Pin me down? The idea made her squirm. Her channel involuntarily gripped his still-hard length. “Seriously,” she deadpanned as though he were kidding.

  “Oh, I’m totally serious. You’re like a firecracker. I can tell I’m going to need to invest in some rope if I ever intend to have the upper hand around here.”

  “You saying you didn’t like it?” she teased. He totally did. No way could he deny it. She’d seen the look on his face, the way his eyes rolled back, the way he bit the inside of his cheek, the way he held his breath to keep from coming. And she’d loved every second of it.

  “Best half hour of my life,” he stated, totally serious. “But I’m going to show you a world you’ve only ever dreamed of.”

  “Counting on it.” Who was she? Certainly not the same woman who’d insisted it would be better if they never had sex so she wouldn’t know what she was missing when she finally left Silvertip. Left? Could she still leave? After experiencing life-altering sex with the man she was destined to spend her life with?

  What if they were bound together? Would it be even better? She groaned, unintentionally, realizing instantly she hadn’t blocked that thought.

  He lifted one hand and brushed a lock of hair off her forehead. “They say it’s even more intense after binding, though I find that hard to believe.”

  She licked her lips. “Come on.” She even rolled her eyes dramatically. “You’ve had sex with lots of women. It can’t be that different with me.”

  He flinched and then rose slowly off her until he was still lodged inside her, semi-erect, but had several inches to see her face better. He braced his hands on both sides of her head. His brow furrowed. “Not going to tell you I’ve never had sex. That would be a lie, but don’t misunderstand, the numbers are few. And, baby,” he hesitated, searching her face while she tucked her lips between her teeth to keep them from trembling, “no experience in my life came close to comparing to what we just did. Don’t ever doubt that. My memory is wiped.

  “Maybe it’s because we’re meant to be together. Maybe it’s because sex with the right person is that powerful. Maybe we’re in sync with each other. But know this, you took a piece of my soul when you thrust down over my cock. And it’s yours now. Permanently.”

  She nodded subtly, feeling like she needed to respond in some way to let him know she’d heard him and understood.

  Austin slowly set his lips on hers in a gentle kiss that melted her heart, and then he nibbled a path to her ear and then down her neck until he nuzzled the junction of her shoulder with her neck. The sweet spot. The spot many grizzly shifters sank their teeth into to complete the binding.

  It wasn’t a rule or a law or even a necessity. A bear could penetrate the skin of his mate anywhere on the body. All he needed was a tiny puncture wound where he let his personal serum enter her bloodstream. Or vice versa. Cognitively, she understood this.

  She stiffened, half of her willing him to complete the binding, half of her wanting to stop him. It was too soon. She wasn’t in her right mind. She was foggy from sex and lust.

  God, how she wanted him. She wanted him to own her. The man who’d just told her his soul was permanently hers already did own her. She wanted more. She wanted to make it official. But was she ready?

  She didn’t have the opportunity to make that choice because two seconds later Austin lifted off her, slid out of her, and kissed a path across her chest, between her breasts, and down her belly. When he reached her pussy, he pushed her legs apart and reverently kissed her mound.

  “Don’t move,” he whispered. “Be right back.”

  The chill she experienced as he walked away was bone deep. She wanted to roll onto her side and curl up under the covers, but he’d said not to move. Her body missed his, craved his touch, whimpered at the loss of contact.

  And then he was back, a warm washcloth in his hand that he used to wipe away their lovemaking between her legs.

  When he was satisfied, he tossed the cloth aside, flipped off the lights, dragged the comforter up the bed, and snuggled under it with her. He pulled her toward him until their chests met.

  She could still see him fine in the dark. Shifters were blessed with that ability. And the look on his face was one she would never forget. So caring. He brushed her hair from her face and set his nose on that sweet spot on her neck again.

  She knew he was thinking the same thing as her. It would be so easy to finish the binding. But it wasn’t the right time.

  When he settled his head on the pillow inches from her face, he finally spoke again. “I love you. I’ve loved you for most of my life. Probably from the moment I bumped into you, causing you to drop your lunchbox.”

  She smiled. “I put you in your place. Maybe you like that.”

  “Mmm. Maybe.” He sifted her hair through his hand. “You used to wear your hair pulled back. You hated it being in your face.”

  She shrugged. “I guess I didn’t have anything to hide from back then.”

  He stopped moving, his eyes meeting hers. “Oh, Nuria…”

  She licked her lips. “I rarely ever put a band in it again after I left here. I found I liked the anonymity of hiding behind it.”

  He kissed her nose and then her cheek. “I love seeing it flowing over your shoulders. Free. But I hate to think you’re hiding when it’s down.”

  “I’m not. Not anymore. Not with you.” She shook her head subtly against the pillow. Was she telling the truth? She thought so. “It’s like I never wanted to let anyone close to me after I left. I didn’t want to risk getting hurt, so I hid.”

  “Do you feel like you’re hiding now, when it’s down I mean?”

  “No. I don’t think so. Not when I’m with you. Not when you thread your fingers in it and brush it off my face. It feels…nice. Like home.”

  He searched her face and then nodded. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For giving me a piece of you tonight. For letting me inside, physically and emotionally. I know it wasn’t easy. And I hope you don’t regret it.”

  “Never.”

  His eyes closed, and he inhaled slowly. Taking in her essence? Probably. After all, she was doing the same to him. Every inhale drew him closer. It both calmed and scared her.

  “Sleep, baby,” he mouthed. “Sleep.”

  She closed her eyes, knowing she would sleep better than any night of her life if she let herself. And moments later, she did just that.

  It was still dark when Nuria opened her eyes and realized she hadn’t moved a muscle. She was too warm. Her body heat mixed with Austin’s to create an inferno. He was dead to the world, the heaviness of his arm around her weighing her down.

  She carefully lifted his hand off her side and settled it between them, and then she slid away from him, sighing when she rolled onto the cooler side of the bed. He made a small noise and turned the other direction.

  For long moments, Nuria stared at the ceiling. It was dark in the room, but that didn’t hamper her vision. She drew into herself, mentally and physically. Regrouping. Thinking.

  Deep breaths.

  Panic slowly set in. The man next to her was her mate. She was destined to spend her life with him. It wasn’t deniable. It was also
powerful.

  But was it the right choice? It was still a choice. Until one of them sank their teeth into the other, it was a choice. Technically she could walk away.

  She closed her eyes. Immediately she had a vision of Austin stepping into the barn that fateful day, seeing her being manhandled by his brother, and choosing to walk away angry with her. She couldn’t shake that vision. And it was a new one. Recently acquired. She hadn’t considered the possibility a single time in fifteen years. Until they reunited two days ago, she had never once pondered the idea that perhaps Austin had seen his brother attempting to rape her.

  It hurt. It cut deep. It left a raw open sore she could ignore for long stretches of time. But would it eventually pull them apart? Destroy them?

  It didn’t matter that it wasn’t his fault and that intellectually she didn’t blame him. What mattered was that he’d seen her being held to the ground by Antoine, and he’d chosen to walk away instead of intervening.

  Nuria needed to think. She needed to get away from Austin and think before she made decisions that would affect her for a lifetime.

  Silently, she slid from the bed and padded across the room. She easily found her clothes from yesterday on the floor and gathered them up.

  It wasn’t until she was in the living room that she quickly dressed and then grabbed Austin’s coat from the back of the kitchen chair. He would be furious when he woke up and found her gone. No. He would be scared. There was a difference.

  But he needed to get over himself. She needed space. She needed to think. The decisions she made would affect the rest of her life and his.

  Holding her breath, she slowly slid the sliding glass door open to the back deck and then eased out of the small opening. As soon as she closed it, she jumped from the deck, inhaled to ensure she was alone, and shifted into her grizzly form.

  It was freeing. Three shifts in three days. More than she normally shifted in a year. She took off for the trees and raced into the forest. It would take her a while to get to her childhood home from Austin’s. She needed to stay inside the trees and wind around in a manner that kept her hidden.