Grizzly Mountain (Arcadian Bears Book 1) Read online

  She nodded. Right. Eerie and unnerving, but she understood.

  Eleanor leaned forward. “Let me be blunt. I’m a very powerful woman. Our species has existed for centuries with only the occasional episodes of unrest. You aren’t the first person to be transformed. You won’t be the last. However, we take each case on an individual basis and treat each newly formed shifter on their own merit.

  “Quite honestly, I never want to take someone from their home and transfer them to the Northwest Territory if I can avoid it. And it has nothing to do with me being kind or altruistic. It has to do with logistics. Removing you from your home and your job would create a larger mess than the current one. Your parents would send out a search team looking for you. The cover-up becomes more of a hassle.

  “You don’t have to say anything to me or make promises. It’s entirely unnecessary. I have the ability to keep tabs on you any time I want. I’ll know where your heart and intentions lie.”

  She sighed. “I don’t say this to sound intimidating, nor do I want you to think I’ll always be lurking in your mind. On the contrary, I have an entire continent to watch over. I don’t have time for such frivolity.

  “I’m a reasonable leader as are all of the members of the council. You’re safe in the hands of the Arthurs. I know they will do right by you. As long as you keep our existence to yourself, you may carry on with your life and enjoy the fruits of your newfound existence. They’re plentiful and rewarding. I think you’ll learn to appreciate all that being a bear shifter has to offer.”

  “Thank you.”

  Eleanor abruptly stood. “I must return to the north. There are many matters at hand.” She glided toward the door as though she were more of an apparition than a human being. As she reached for the doorknob, she turned back. “Besides, I believe there’s someone here far more anxious to see you than myself.” She winked and then silently exited.

  Before Heather managed to blink, she found Isaiah standing in the spot Eleanor had vacated.

  Heather leaped to her feet and rushed around the chair to reach him.

  As the door shut behind him, he noticeably braced himself, which was perfect because she threw herself at him, jumping into his open arms and wrapping her legs around his waist. “Longest several hours of my life.”

  He grabbed her by the waist, spun around, and pinned her to the door. With one knee positioned between her legs, pressing against her pussy, he tilted his head and took her lips.

  The kiss was searing and welcome. She needed contact with him like a drug addict in withdrawal. Insane, since she’d known him only slightly more than one day and had seen him that morning.

  As his hands trailed up her waist to cup her breasts, she moaned into his mouth, threading her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck and pressing her mouth closer. Was it possible to deepen the kiss?

  When his thumbs stroked over her nipples, she gasped into his mouth. She needed more. She needed less clothing. She needed him inside her to reaffirm to her that the world was still revolving.

  “Baby,” he murmured against her lips. The one word spoke volumes.

  She lowered her hands down his back and tugged his long-sleeved T-shirt over his firm muscles. He helped her out by leaning back a few inches until his shirt came free and she could whip it over his head.

  When her gaze landed on his pecs, she reverently set her fingertips on his chest and traced lines over his muscles.

  He wiggled his hands under her sweater while she stared at him. In a flash, her sweater was gone, leaving her bra as the only barrier between them.

  He smirked. “I was beginning to think maybe you never wore these,” he stated as he traced a line along the top edge of the lacy material over the swell of her swollen breasts.

  “Mmm. Usually I do. Yes.”

  “Too bad. I like you without.”

  “I might be willing to accommodate you on occasion.” She smiled, grinding her pussy against his cockhead where it pressed against her. “Less talking? More nudity?”

  “How did I get so lucky?”

  “Fate?” she teased.

  He spun around, made his way through the sitting room and into the attached bedroom. Two seconds later she landed on the bed, bouncing with the force of his toss. “Take your jeans off, baby. Please.”

  She lifted her hips while popping the button and lowering the zipper. As she eased the denim down her legs, she watched Isaiah do the same.

  His impressive length bobbed in front of her, and she spun around instinctively to crawl to the side of the bed before he finished stepping out of the jeans.

  When she grabbed his hips and lowered her mouth to his cock, he growled. “Heather… Jesus.”

  She sucked him in deep without hesitation. The urge to consume him was tremendous. Her hands slid around to grasp his firm ass cheeks as she licked a line up the underside of his cock until only the tip remained lodged in her mouth.

  She could smell everything about him, from his soap to his personal musk. The combination fueled her to suck him again. Deeper. Harder. She let him slide to the back of her throat.

  Whatever insanity had a grasp on her, she had no idea, but she consumed him as if her life depended on it. In a way, it did.

  Isaiah grasped her hair and tugged, both holding and pulling on her head. She wasn’t sure which way he intended to encourage her to move and doubted he was entirely certain either.

  She eased one hand around to cup his balls, weighing them as they drew up closer to his body.

  Isaiah jerked free of her mouth and took a step back, holding her head securely to keep her from following. “My God, Heather. You’re…” His voice trailed off.

  She took that as a good sign. “Why did you stop me?”

  “Because I want to come in your pussy, baby, not your mouth. Not this time.” He was breathing heavily. “Besides, I need to shake free of the visions of whoever taught you to do that before I succumb to a rage at just the idea.”

  She gave him a slow grin. “You taught me.”

  He lifted both brows. “Excuse me?”

  “You’re the first person I’ve done that to.”

  He shook his head as if confused. “You have got to be kidding.”

  “No. It suddenly felt natural and totally necessary.”

  He rushed forward, closing the distance, tipping her head back, and consuming her mouth once again. Easing his hands under her arms, he hauled her body backward on the bed and climbed over her to straddle her waist without breaking the kiss.

  It was good. It was better than good. It was perfect.

  He slid one hand between their bodies to cup her pussy. As two fingers ran between her folds, she moaned and arched into his touch.

  “So wet for me,” he murmured against her lips. And then his hand was gone, threaded in the length of hair at the side of her head. He thrust into her so fast, he knocked the breath out of her.

  She grabbed his biceps, digging her nails into his arms while she tried to suck in oxygen. Her breath wouldn’t come, however, not when he pulled out and thrust back in with even more force.

  “So tight,” he gritted out.

  She wrapped her legs around his thighs, holding him to her. Not that she had the strength to control any choice he might make, but she had the satisfaction of increasing the amount of skin touching.

  “So fucking hot…”

  She bit her lip as he stared into her eyes, destroying her for all other men.

  “I. Just. Need. To. Take. The. Edge. Off. Then. I’m. Going. To. Take. You. Slower. After.” He punctuated every word with another thrust of his cock until her eyes rolled back and she lost the ability to focus.

  She couldn’t imagine why he thought she needed slow or even after. What she needed was this. Right now. This rushed fuck. This joining that melted her soul and made her his, even though they had not completed the binding.

  If she had enough brain cells, she would lift her head and sink her teeth into his shoulder. She want
ed to. Her mouth watered to do it. Taste his blood on her tongue. Make him permanently hers.

  But her head wouldn’t cooperate with her brain, so instead she rolled her neck back and forth as her mouth fell open.

  “That’s it, baby. Come for me. Show me how good it feels.”

  She shattered at his words, her pussy gripping his cock and her clit pulsing with every brush against the sensitive nub. Her orgasm went on and on while he continued to thrust into her. One orgasm morphed into two and then three.

  She assumed Isaiah was holding back, but finally he let himself go, releasing his come deep inside her. So deep she should feel discomfort, but she didn’t. She felt nothing but sheer bliss.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Isaiah stared down at his mate, unable to permit himself to sleep for fear he might wake up and find out this was all a dream. Every time they fucked, it got better and better. He brushed a lock of long hair from her face and watched the peacefulness slumber brought to her features.

  He knew as soon as she woke up, she would be a ball of stress again. But for the moment he wallowed in the tranquility of her relaxed expression.

  It was evening. She’d been asleep for two hours. She’d been exhausted after he pulled a string of orgasms out of her. Gorgeous, but exhausted.

  His cock grew hard, remembering the way her eyes floated into her head as she came. He wanted her again. And this time he intended to show her a bit more dominance. Every fiber of his being told him she would get off on it. At least restraints.

  He knew from other women there was a huge difference between consciously resisting the urge to move their hands from a spot he indicated and being forced to do so.

  Feeling devious and anxious, he slid from the bed, careful to avoid waking her. Glancing around, he spotted what he needed.

  In seconds he was back on the bed, easing against her body while trailing a hand down her arm to thread his fingers with hers. She was barely coming awake as he pulled her arm above her head.

  She rolled her head his direction, blinking away sleep and smiling. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she whispered. “How could I possibly wake up horny?”

  He winked. “Trust me?”

  She smiled wider. “With my life.”

  “How about with your body?”

  “Definitely.”

  He rolled his weight over her torso to free her other arm and pull it up to meet the first. “Let me tie your hands to the bed.”

  She licked her lips.

  He nearly moaned as she lifted her torso, a rush of arousal filling the air with her sweet scent.

  She nodded, wrapping her fingers around his. “Be careful. I haven’t done anything like this before.”

  He leaned forward, touched his lips to hers, and held her gaze. “Baby, I’ll always be careful with you. You’re my soul. My life. I promise I’ll always be aware of your emotions and how you’re reacting to anything I do. If I sense unease, I’ll stop.”

  “Okay.”

  He leaned more fully over her to reach her hands, wrapped the length of terrycloth he’d taken from the soft hotel robe around her wrists, and secured her to the headboard. Thank God there was a slat running along the bottom edge of the headboard, or he would have been out of luck.

  She gave a slight tug, squirming beneath him.

  He watched her body as he inched down toward her thighs. Her nipples pebbled beneath his gaze. A slight moan escaped her lips.

  He lifted his eyes to hers. “Baby, I haven’t even done anything yet.”

  She pulled her lips into her mouth, her face flushing with embarrassment as her cream leaked from her pussy to fill the room with more of her scent.

  “It’s unnerving that you can read me so well,” she whispered, her body still wiggling beneath him.

  It was time to situate himself between her legs instead of straddling them. Lifting one knee, he nudged her thighs open and settled between them. He did the same with his other leg next. “Open for me, Heather. I want to watch you blossom.”

  Her breaths came quicker as she spread her knees wider. He danced his fingers from the inside of her knees, up her thighs, and over her lower lips.

  She lifted her bottom off the bed.

  He removed his fingers. “Remain still with your ass planted on the mattress, and I’ll continue.”

  “Oh, God,” she breathed as she complied. “Isaiah…”

  “I know. Close your eyes if you want. Feel my touch.”

  She rolled her head to one side as though hiding her face.

  He smiled. She wasn’t successful.

  With his index fingers, he parted her folds, exposing her to the air.

  She moaned and then pressed her lips together as if to stifle the sound.

  “I love the noises you make. Don’t try to curtail them.”

  She didn’t respond.

  Setting one hand above her clit on her belly, he held her down while he circled her swollen nub and then pulled the hood back.

  Her head tipped back, her lips parting. She so obviously fought the need to express her arousal verbally.

  He would have her screaming in no time, totally unaware of her inhibitions. One tap on her clit made her gasp.

  A finger trailing between her folds drew out a whimper. Yes. God, she was sexy. Hot as hell. And so responsive.

  “Please…” she pleaded.

  “Oh, I like that sound. But it won’t work.” He drew more of her wetness out to coat her clit with her arousal. It swelled and pulsed beneath his gaze. So gorgeous.

  “Pull your knees higher and spread them wider, baby. Open yourself up for me.” She had slowly inched her thighs to tighten against his.

  As she did as he commanded, wetness leaked from her pussy to trail down toward her bottom.

  Damn, he was lucky.

  His cock stiffened. He ignored it, willing it to stand down so he could play. He reached one finger slowly into Heather’s tight warmth, turning his hand over so he could stroke across her G-spot.

  She sucked in a sharp breath and held it, her entire body stiffening.

  God, he wanted to make her come this way. It was sometimes hard for a woman to let her guard down enough to experience the total release of a G-spot orgasm. They found the sensations to be too much, too emotional, too exposed.

  “Isaiah,” she pleaded.

  “Let yourself feel. Concentrate on my finger.”

  Her moan as he sped up his stroking filled the air. She dug her heels into the bed, but was unable to lift her torso with his hand on her belly.

  He used two fingers from that hand to pull back the tiny hood on her clit again and then pinched the swollen nub.

  She screamed. Her clit pulsed with the orgasm. The release would help her move into another, deeper one.

  He added a second finger to the first and rubbed her G-spot faster.

  She arched gloriously into the intensity, squirming against the bed.

  Isaiah knew she was close. He could feel her mind letting its guard down to fully enjoy the sensations bombarding her.

  Soft moans grew in intensity, louder as she rose higher. He loved the expressions on her face, the flush, the way her bottom lip trembled, the way she sometimes forgot to breathe.

  So damn sexy.

  And all his. He would cherish her for a lifetime. When he set his finger beside her clit and circled it, she made a new sound, deeper, uncontrolled.

  Her pussy clenched around him first, telling him she was on the edge. And then she screamed again, her legs slamming into his thighs as she let go. He felt the pulsing of her pussy around his fingers and knew she was experiencing the deeper orgasm for the first time.

  Before she fully floated back to earth, while the vibrations and jerks of her body still ruled, he pulled out his fingers, leaned over her body, and thrust into her to the hilt.

  “Oh, God. Isaiah. Yes.” She arched her chest toward him, fighting against her restraints.

  Before making another move to slide out of
her, he reached up with one hand and tugged the soft belt free.

  Heather’s arms shot forward to wrap around him. He could feel the need to touch him coming from deep inside her. And he would not deny that need.

  Her sweet legs wrapped around his thighs, her hands digging into his back deliciously, and he fucked her until she shouted his name on yet another orgasm before he allowed himself to come deep inside her.

  »»•««

  “Now what?” Heather muttered into the pillow. She lay on her belly, her face toward the edge of the bed.

  Isaiah smiled down at her where he lay propped on one elbow, his fingers lightly stroking her back up and down her spine.

  She had slept eight solid hours, but he sensed she was still groggy.

  He had slept most of that time too. He also knew a few things she didn’t. “The council members left late last night. They paid the bill for your room and checked out. We can leave here at our leisure and return to my land.”

  She gingerly rolled to her back, brushed her hair from her face, and blinked up at him. “How did you get here?”

  “On foot.” He chuckled. “I don’t want you to think we always shift to go places. We do generally take cars. After all, we don’t want to get caught. Shifting is something we do in the mountains when we want to enjoy the freedom of our other half. Most of the time we live as humans in regular society. We work and play and behave like everyone around us. With a few perks.” He winked at her.

  When she returned a smile, he continued. “Yesterday I was in a hurry. It was faster to get here in bear form. I knew where you were.”

  “So, you expect me to shift and run with you?”

  “Yeah.” He set his forehead against hers. “It’s your only option.”

  “I’ve only shifted the one time, against my will. I’m not sure I even know how to do it, or how to prevent it.”

  “Don’t worry. You’ll learn. And I’ll always be with you.”

  “Not always. You have a job. I have a job.”

  He groaned. “Don’t remind me. You said you don’t start this new job for two weeks, right?”

  “Correct.”